I stopped by while I was in the neighborhood for lunch. I ordered a 3-pack of cocktail buns for $3.59, a pineapple lemon bun $2.50, a pineapple custard bun $2.50 and a Portuguese egg tart $1.89. Verdict: all of the buns were so tender with just the right amount of filling ratio to bun. What was so good about the cocktail buns was that since they were connected together during baking, the sides of these buns were really soft between each bun just as I remembered from my childhood. The lemon and custard fillings were not too sweet and the cracqaline pineapple crust didn't fall off the bun while you ate it. The pineapple custard bun is hard to find at most Chinese bakeries so I was thrilled to find it here. I have yet to try the Portuguese egg tart but any of my family's taste tests were to go by, it will not disappoint. The service was helpful and nice. The bakery interior is organized with offerings of steamed meat buns, deep fried and baked pastries, cookies and breads in showcases and on shelves. Traditional baked bread is less of a priority since this bakery caters to Chinese pastries and savouries. The faded exteriors signage is visible evidence of this business's longevity in the community. I look forward to coming back again the next time I'm here. Cash and debit only. read more

See all

Why are the reviews so bad here ? The people here are always sweet. The quality of breads and pastries they put out are amazing. Not sure why the reviews are bad! Cocktail buns here are amazing. Love the pork buns. Chicken pies. The list just goes on. They are greatly priced also. Might not always be the cleanest, but most of your houses aren't either read more

Bad quality of food with the worst attitude in Vancouver that I have encountered. The bakery is also dirty as hell.

What is going on with the reviews? I've popped in a handful of times over the years and had no issues. I wanted Cocktail Buns on a whim and was driving by and had to pop in for some. Not the best, but its neutral. What stood out was the Curry puff pastry, it's rare to still see hot water pastry that is done so "dense' still being produced... kinda reminds me of the crust of a British pork pie but Asian style, the filling was very pleasant and not greasy for what it is. I recently had a curry bun from Saint Germain and the filling was so "over produced in flavour and texture" that 1st ave bbq pork filling was 10/10 compare to that filling. read more

1st Avenue Bakery - Bbq pork puff, red bean flat fried mochi, cocktail bun - Bakeries Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

See all

The food is amazing! Best pineapple barbecue buns I've ever had. Black sesame mochi balls were super delicious too.

If you want to have the worst customer service here it is. I've been here a few times and each time the lady behind the counter has the strongest hate vibe. You will be ignored until you ask for something. And then she will talk to you like you're her number one enemy. I bring in my cheeriest attitude because I'm a frontline worker and you never know what kind of day the other person may have had. But I don't come here for the service, but for convenience. But now I think I will even take the inconvenience of going elsewhere. Besides, the place is greasy and probably has mice having a heyday during the night. The stuff here is not even outstanding to merit a visit. I see reviews about their egg tarts or Portuguese tarts. But they're always sold out no matter how early I go. I think the egg tarts must be a myth or from fake reviews. The hate is so strong here you may leave with some of that energy. It takes a lot for me to write a negative review and this one is the lowest of the low. read more

See all

This place reminds me of a medieval bakery from movies and storybooks. The gingerbread man was $1.85 and hard as a rock and tasted like stale dough. The other fried goods were quite dark implying the frying oil must be brown or that the goods must be overfried. The bakery itself is kinda run down and the items didn't look the freshest. read more

See all

the bread is good ,but the lady behind the counter super rude, no manners at all , I was paying with debit and she told me in a very rude way "no credit cards", I said it was debit then she quikly try to tap and then insert and told me it doest work "what do you want me to do" ,I ask for the debit machine tapped gently and it worked fine . She is in such a hurry even thogh the place was empty. read more

I don't like coming here. I used to live near by and my parents like to come at night time to pick up on the day made discounted rolls or buns etc. There cake are not good. The cake is a no go. Why I say that is because one time I saw the owner, cut off moldy parts off a cake and then cut it into smaller pieces trying to sell by slice instead of the whole cake. The cake was not even discounted. After what I saw, I decided not to come back ever. read more

See all

Don't come here for portuguese tarts, not good at all. The set up is weird and unwelcoming

Been buying bread from this place since 1998. Good bread in a town filled with many local family owned bakeries making good bread. Their speciality appears to be their Portuguese Buns. Always fresh. Love to eat them fresh from oven. They make them in batches. I always buy what my freezer could hold to take back to Tacoma. Unfortunately their cookies were not as good. Some Chinese style bread are OK, but I normally take a short walk over to T&T and buy my Chinese bake good there. read more

1st Avenue Bakery - Store front advertisement on what they have. - Bakeries Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

See all

very rude girl at front desk. always helps chinese people first, when i am waiting and was there before. never says high and is very rudeand bever says thank you! and always keeps talking in chinese to chinese customers and ignores people that have been waiting. she knows who i am as i have veen going there for a long time! will never go back. lots of better and cleaner places on hastings in burnaby and very friendly and actually acknowledge you when you walk in! read more

BBQ pork --- Ca Shao Shu are the best here. Reasonable prices. Everything hot from the oven.

Went in, bought 2 egg tarts to try, some black sesame mochi and a cinnamon bun. Not even one item was reasonably good. It was all trash! the egg tart stuck to the tin and the bottom was still soggy and soaked up all the grease, yet the top looked good and crispy and the egg wasn't even sweet! The cinnamon swirl bun had like barely any sugar or cinnamon in-between the swirls and the bun tasted so bland but again looked appealing to the eye. Finally came the black sesame mochi. It was too hard to be called a mochi and it was so doughy and barely had anything in the center. I don't know how this place survived this long but next time I want baked asian goodies I'll stick to the chain bakeries (Maxim's, St.Germain etc.) read more

I stepped inside after eating ramen to see if there were any desserts that interested me and after looking on their counter, it was to my surprise and disgust that there were several little ants all over!! Please see the video I have attached below read more

This place sells undercooked CNY cakes and even after feedback and replacement, it was still terribly disappointing. Went in the garbage.

low prices, delicious desserts!! they're always baking fresh items. great service. they are in desperate need of reorganizing and rebranding but if you can look past the ramshackle appearance and you're looking for a reliable and affordable dessert to pick up then head over! read more

Before I was determined to be wheat intolerant 1.5 yrs ago~ I used to get baked items here regularly ~ living off Renfrew Ave. It's in the T&T complex so there's lots of parking, though it gets crowded. Their cinnamon buns are delicious, and they have a cool and eclectic offering of baking both chinese, and western. Their pork buns are good, but they also do a wicked cheesecake squares, rumballs and brownies. Their bread was delicious and all of their baking is very reasonably priced. I've bought everything from cheescake to dinner rolls and their baking never disappointed. The interior is a tad dated, but there is a few small tables to sit and eat at and it's brightly lit and fairly clean over all. Seems they have a solid following at this location and deservedly so. read more

This place is my dad's go to for Portuguese buns. I decided to check out the day old bread and one of the bag had a mouse bitten hole on it and it made it's way into one of the buns. I got so grossed out and showed it to the lady. She didn't say anything but took the bag into the bag or dumped it. This place does not pass my sanitary expectations so I won't be returning. read more

Rude lady alert - I speak Cantonese fluently and understand human interaction on an expert level. Questioning if the two different looking curry buns were of the same kind (one had no sesame seeds on and the other had plenty - they look very different) and she replied with a condescending laugh as if I am stupid 'they are the same just different looks' well the other bakeries I've been to mostly like to have their buns looking consistent so they know and their customers know which is which etc etc...well that's the last $10 they will ever see from me... read more

I went there, it was okay. The upside the crispy bbq pork buns were cheap crispy and warm. The downside one was really loaded on meat, the other wasn't. Would I go there again - yes. read more

This place is my personal Babu Bhatt. Frankly not surprised that I'm the first to review this place. This bakery has been holding down the same location on the strip mall on 1st and Renfrew for as long as I can remember. When T&T juggernaut opened up shop next door, I figured it was only a matter of time before they got driven out of business. T&T has a huge Chinese bakery section - and *all* Chinese moms love T&T Coconut 'Cocktail' Bread.... next up on 'Stuff Chinese Moms Like"... Almond Roca. Remember this if you are trying to impress someone's Chinese mom. But 1st Avenue Bakery held it's ground for years somehow. I've never see anyone in there and it's open until at least 9PM. It's like watching a spider in the toilet struggling for survival - even when you know they aren't going to make it, you root for them for a second... before you flush. Anyways - I was on my way to friend's house for an epic video game smackdown and decided to pick up some Chinese baked goods. Picking up baked goods at night wasn't the smartest idea I've had - but I was determined to check this place out. I think the lady was pretty surprised someone came it. From the looks of the display cases, they specialize in cakes and there are a few tables if you plan to eat at the bakery. Aside from the usual Chinese baked goods - they did have some rarer stuff (i.e. cheese Danish). I asked for some egg tarts - sold out. I frowned and she recommended the crème brûlée. I'm not a fan of crème brûlée but she eagerly insisted it was really good. I'm a product of my upbringing - I can't say no to such a strong recommendation. At least if I hated it, she won't be around and I won't have to lie to spare her feelings. She caramelized my crème brûlée and I asked her for other recommendations. She seemed to be proud of her goods and was eager to please - so I mainly left it in her hands... and I trusted her not to unload the 'unsold crap' on me. Picked up some cocktail buns (~$1 for 3), a (huge) apple turnover, deep fried curry beef pocket (they also sold out of the buns), garlic and hot dog buns for about $7. Pretty cheap. Overall, everything was pretty good - and yes, I did enjoy the crème brûlée. Despite buying at the end of the day, the apple turnover was really flaky and the garlic/hot dog buns weren't as greasy and overpowering as the stuff you find at Pine House. The only downside was the deep fried curry beef bun - filling wasn't all there and it cause me to leave 'greazy' fingerprints on my buddy's PS3 controller. Anyways - nice lady, good baked... goods, wide selection, cheap and open late. I still don't understand why it's empty all the time - people must love going to T&T and listening to annoying muzak. read more

This place has been around for almost 30 years (says the owner). This bakery has been holding down the same location on the strip mall on 1st and Renfrew for as long as I can remember. When T&T opened up shop next door, I figured they would go out of business soon. T&T has a huge Chinese bakery section that looks delicious (but actually not) and this place.... well..... looks like a dirty dive. Some how, this bakery is still here. Like the previous reviewer, " 1st Avenue Bakery held it's ground for years somehow. I've never see anyone in there and it's open until at least 9PM. It's like watching a spider in the toilet struggling for survival - even when you know they aren't going to make it, you root for them for a second... before you flush." I avoided this place. Couldn't stand the look of the place. Didn't liked their baked goods because it looked unappetizing and the ready-to-go cakes that didn't look fresh. I would have given them 1 star in the past......BUT NO MORE! THIS IS THE "GO TO PLACE" FOR THEIR FRESH BON BON CAKE !! Today, at last minute, I planned a bday party for my son and needed a cake. The party was going to start in 1 hour and I had no cake. Yes, poor planning on my part. We had no time to go to a good bakery. My choice was only T & T, because I was in the area and those cakes are not good. My partner comes running to me and said 1st Avenue can make a 9" cake in 20 minutes! Ummmm ya, sure... how much?.... ya, how good can it be? Since it was for kids, I didn't care and didn't have time. Ok, I agreed. WOW ! It was an amazingly fresh, huge & tall cake for only $25.50 !!! They did not disappoint. I think if Chez Thierry Patisserie made this cake, they would have charged $100 for it! Yes, I have ordered Thierry's cakes before. Puff Pastry bottom (similar to Thierry's Millefeuille cake), then a layer of sponge cake, and generous layers of whipping cream and/or custard, then cake and topped with cream puffs filled with vanilla bean cream, dipped in chocolate. The cake was divine! OMG so Delish! Everyone ate huge pieces of this cake and the bday party was a success! FROM NOW ON, THIS IS MY GO TO PLACE for the BON BON birthday cake. !! (Just make sure you eat it within hours of it being made or else the pastry will get soggy) read more