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I'm late to the party, but decided to visit on Sunday morning for my Mother's Day treat and celebrate AANHPIHM* (5/10/26). Traffic bit on I-5S from Shoreline, but no problem detouring onto surface streets from the UDistrict to Capitol Hill. I managed to snag a nearby parking spot right at their 1030am opening, score! I had heard about the pastry chef/owner of Kemi Dessert Bar hailing from NY and opening her shop here last year. This weekend she & her team were celebrating their first year, so I wanted to purchase some items featured on their IG. Pocket retail & production kitchen featuring signature matcha beverages and a lovely pastry case. There's also other merch available for purchase. No onsite seating except a bench off to the left. Healthy foliage. I appreciated the welcoming counter person. Great demeanor and packaged the items nicely in a signature box. I ended up purchasing to go: two slices of their celebratory cake (vanilla cake, yuzu creameux, berry shiso compote, vanilla buttercream) and one Vietnamese Coffee Toffee cookie. Cake was a bit rich & decadent, but lovely composition. I would have preferred the compote to have gone through a fine mesh sieve due to the seeds, but that's just me. Cookie was definitely Viet coffee (robusta phin) forward. Terrific to see the surge of next gen bakers/pastry chefs/indie business owners (pop ups, farmers markets, brick & mortars) in the greater Seattle area. Distinctive evolution versus the baking scene 20-40 years ago. *AANHPIHM = Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Everything here was so delicious! The mango Rice Krispy was absolutely worth the hype--so good and super addictive, already planning my trip back. I'm still thinking about the ube basque cheesecake it was so rich and creamy. Wish this place was closer to me because I'd be coming back all the time.
This lowkey shop has been on my radar for a while and we happened to stumble upon it one day when walking around the neighborhood. Decided it was fate to go in and get a third drink for the day. It's a small shop and they kindly request the amount of visitors inside to be a limited capacity (it's listed on the door, I can't recall the exact number). Very grab and go oriented, there's a waiting area but it's not meant to be sit down to relax. That could be an area for improvement because I can see Kemi being a full cafe, but long term future thinking. Salt Bread - On one hand I get the hype and on another hand I don't get the hype. It's bread with salt. Tasty, but nothing too special for the hype. That being said, Kemi makes a solid one that's fluffy on the inside yet crunchy on the outside with a balanced salt throughout. Spring Fling (Matcha) - oat milk base by default for all matcha which is great because it really is the perfect blend. The Spring Fling is specifically an earl grey matcha which was super interesting! I believe the vanilla and orange do help balance the flavors, but the key flavors are earl grey and matcha. Each sip starts with a smooth, grassy undertone and ends in a sweet, floral tea taste. The stark contrast is uniquely inviting yet shocking to the taste buds, feeling like a 2 for 1 as a drink. Highly recommend (for tea enjoyers)!
We love Kemi!! Kemi has lovely Asian-inspired desserts that change seasonally. The flavors are unique and the treats are not too sweet, which really lets the ingredients shine. The staff is super friendly, and street parking was very easy to find. So far, I've tried the mango sticky rice crispy treat (which was served at a different pop-up store) and the sesame ball salt bread, which was a Kemi's own pop-up item that they were also selling at their main store. I know they're known for the rice crispy treats, but I loved the sesame ball salt bread so much more - it was as if a red bean sesame ball like that ones you get at dim sum had a baby with salt bread, which I thought was super creative, and the salt bread itself was very well-executed. The mango sticky crispy treat was also great - light, airy, but still maintained strong flavors. I will definitely be back to try more of the menu!
Super interesting dessert concepts, but also a little pricy. I don't think I can justify myself buying a $6 cookie, though the caramel and crunchy texture was unique. I like that the desserts rotate each month, I'd be interested to see more of the cake and cream puff flavors another time!
Kemi Dessert Bar is an awesome local bakeshop serving up some unique Asian-inspired pastries and drinks. Street parking will be your best bet to get here and there is a good amount of it around the area. Inside, they have a cozy interior with limited seating. Wifey and I ended up trying the Golden Hour drink and a Mango Sticky Rice Krispy. We really enjoyed all the flavors and supporting an AAPI-owned business. All of the staff here are very friendly and welcoming. Definitely come stop by to check them out if you are ever in the area!
A friend kept telling me about this place, and it had since been on my list to try for the longest time. On a Friday afternoon I decided to power walk it here around 3:30pm before they close at 5pm... it was more like I didn't want to get there and not have anything be in stock. Thankfully, I came in to a view of this place's kitchen, and some bench seating and minimal decorations and merchandise to the immediate right-hand side. All kinds of cake and cookies were displayed up at the front counter, most of them being crumble cookies and cheesecake. Servers answered some of my questions regarding popular flavors and recommendations from others, and it was pretty hard to choose especially for someone with an insatiable sweet tooth. I eventually got their pandan crumble cookie and a slice of their black sesame mochi basque cheesecake: - The pandan crumble cookie had a nice crumble to it, and pandan taste was quite strong. Not too sweet, either. - The black sesame mochi cake was a little too much since I'm not a fan of cheesecake, but surprisingly the cheese didn't take over the black sesame mochi layer on top. This is one of their monthly flavors at the time of this writing, and it did not disappoint. They have a good handful of pastries they offer as a dessert bar, so I'll need to make a return trip here to give them a try!
I absolutely adore this dessert bar! Their use of Asian flavors in their desserts is so unique and very well executed. I believe their menu is rotating so I would love to come back to try other desserts that they have. It was already so hard to decide what to order this time. For pastries I got the pandan cookie crumble, Vietnamese coffee cookie, and the Japanese sweet potato basque cheesecake. All of them were not too sweet -- the best compliment an Asian person can give for a dessert. All the cookies were very soft! Pandan cookie crumble - so delicious!!! I love a good pandan dessert and the flavor really comes through. Usually when I've had pandan desserts it is more vanilla or coconut forward, but this cookie was so pandan forward. The coconut flakes are a nice touch. Vietnamese coffee cookie - you can taste the espresso grounds in this one. It's very strong on the coffee, however it wasn't giving Vietnamese coffee to me. Maybe some condensed milk somehow? It was still good though. Japanese sweet potato basque cheesecake - I'm not an expert on basque cheesecake but this was good. I liked the subtle sweet potato addition to it. My friends got their drinks and I got to sip on a few of them. I found their flavored matcha drinks to be light and refreshing, yet the syrups did not overpower the matcha. The group of people behind us did not following the limit of 5 people in the store unfortunately. It is a very small space and my friends noticed that when the group came in and ordered after them, the workers were getting orders confused. Not their fault at all! Please follow the instructions written outside. I can't wait to come back to try their other desserts and get myself more pandan cookies.
Such a cute little Place for some sweet treats! We parked to go to lunch around Cap Hill and randomly saw a sign for this place. We recently just saw an episode on Evening Magazine about it! So when we saw the sign, we're like "let's try it out!" And we're so glad we did! We were immediately greeted with smiles! Everything looks super yummy! They have a cool twist on rice krispy treats, such as ube, black sesame and mango flavors!! And each one of them are sooooo good! The black sesame was our favorite...usually black sesame flavored things are so subtle you can't taste it, or it's just not that good. But this, was exceptional! And oh my, I loved their classic salt bread!! Crunchy on the outside and savory gooey-ness on the inside! It was such a pleasant surprise how yummy that was. I will be coming back, for sure!
Wasn't much of a selection. The mango sago box cake was decent, but I didn't care for the black sesame Rice Krispy treat. Pandan cookie was just okay. Cool fusion concept but execution didn't deliver.
Friendly and fast service. Street parking only. Slim to no space to sit and enjoy your treats but a short walk to Cal Anderson so you can have a little picnic. Everything here is unique and delicious! Love the rotating menu and the interesting flavor combinations. Highly recommend the blueberry jasmine matcha drink if they still have it.
Have been to Kemi pop ups leading up to the opening of the shop. i actually first heard about Kelly on a trip to NYC a few years ago before she moved to Seattle. I was on the wrong side of town during her NYC pop up so was excited when she started doing pop ups in Seattle. And here we are today! So happy to see how far she's come. I actually had been here when the space was Coping Cookies is so wonderful to see how she has made it her own. Bright cute shop with lovely live plants and merchandise shelving. Service was friendly and quick. Most people probably come for her bakes but the beverages are unique and delicious. I had the Golden Hour a refreshing and delicious beverage,Mandarin Osmanthus Honey Yakult Sparkling water. I was going to get the get the special Peach Matcha but my friend ordered before me and got the last one. Actually glad it happened cause I wouldn't have got to experience this drink. My friend also got the last mango sticky rice crispy. I went with the black sesame rice crispy, vegan yuzu crinkle cookie and the Vietnamese coffee cookie. The black sesame was everything I wanted salty nutty and roasty how can you go wrong with brown butter? The cookies were on the softer side but not cakey I'm not a fan of the sweet cakey cookies that seem to be popular in other shops. I enjoyed the yuzu crinkle I love anything yuzu the candied yuzu peel really brightens it. Well I definitely need to go earlier next time. I was a little worried getting there a few hours before closing that some items would be out and that's what happened but that's a good thing for the shop. Congratulations Kelly! Glad I finally got to visit.
Quick service. Only take away. Miso sesame cookie was good and $5. It was very good. Black sesame rice Krispy treat was excellent. Only street parking. Would come again.
Cute little bakery that serves some of the best baked goods with Asian flavors. Inside is small, with one bench available for waiting for drinks, but no other seating. I've been here several times, and enjoyed all the quality items I've tried - like the mango pandan cake box, mango sticky rice crispy, and tiramisu cheesecake. I heard good things about the drinks but haven't tried. I liked the unique flavors I've seen, like osmanthus matcha. Service is good, the owner is always there. read more
2 months ago
Loved this cute shop! They have a bunch of items to choose from, drinks, and an open kitchen. There is a tiny bit of seating and street parking out front. Kaya kaya: this matcha was so good! Strong enough matcha flavor with coconut and pandan jam. I would get this again Strawberry hojicha: tasted like a toasty hojicha with strawberry milk. Also very tasty drink! Mango sticky rice krispie: good texture, enjoyed the dried mango and toasted coconut on top Yuzu cookie: good texture, nice chew, little pieces of candied yuzu read more
My sister had bought stuff for me to try before and i thought it was good, but nothing exceptional. I was in the area today so decided to give it a try in person. It's a small shop but cute. They mostly had cookies and rice krispie and a couple of seasonal items like cakes, cream puffs, etc. I decided to try the mango stick Rice krispie and the strawberry kiwi cake box. The sticky rice was good, but I would just call it a mango rice krispie. I do like the actual mango pieces in there. The strawberry kiwi box was good for those who loves the cream, frosting etc. there was very small amount of actual cake. My husband like this a lot but I was just ok with it. The lady who help me was good at giving me her opinions. Overall, it was good to try. read more
I'm late to the party, but decided to visit on Sunday morning for my Mother's Day treat and celebrate AANHPIHM* (5/10/26). Traffic bit on I-5S from Shoreline, but no problem detouring onto surface streets from the UDistrict to Capitol Hill. I managed to snag a nearby parking spot right at their 1030am opening, score! I had heard about the pastry chef/owner of Kemi Dessert Bar hailing from NY and opening her shop here last year. This weekend she & her team were celebrating their first year, so I wanted to purchase some items featured on their IG. Pocket retail & production kitchen featuring signature matcha beverages and a lovely pastry case. There's also other merch available for purchase. No onsite seating except a bench off to the left. Healthy foliage. I appreciated the welcoming counter person. Great demeanor and packaged the items nicely in a signature box. I ended up purchasing to go: two slices of their celebratory cake (vanilla cake, yuzu creameux, berry shiso compote, vanilla buttercream) and one Vietnamese Coffee Toffee cookie. Cake was a bit rich & decadent, but lovely composition. I would have preferred the compote to have gone through a fine mesh sieve due to the seeds, but that's just me. Cookie was definitely Viet coffee (robusta phin) forward. Terrific to see the surge of next gen bakers/pastry chefs/indie business owners (pop ups, farmers markets, brick & mortars) in the greater Seattle area. Distinctive evolution versus the baking scene 20-40 years ago. *AANHPIHM = Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month read more
Everything here was so delicious! The mango Rice Krispy was absolutely worth the hype--so good and super addictive, already planning my trip back. I'm still thinking about the ube basque cheesecake it was so rich and creamy. Wish this place was closer to me because I'd be coming back all the time. read more
5 months ago
This lowkey shop has been on my radar for a while and we happened to stumble upon it one day when walking around the neighborhood. Decided it was fate to go in and get a third drink for the day. It's a small shop and they kindly request the amount of visitors inside to be a limited capacity (it's listed on the door, I can't recall the exact number). Very grab and go oriented, there's a waiting area but it's not meant to be sit down to relax. That could be an area for improvement because I can see Kemi being a full cafe, but long term future thinking. Salt Bread - On one hand I get the hype and on another hand I don't get the hype. It's bread with salt. Tasty, but nothing too special for the hype. That being said, Kemi makes a solid one that's fluffy on the inside yet crunchy on the outside with a balanced salt throughout. Spring Fling (Matcha) - oat milk base by default for all matcha which is great because it really is the perfect blend. The Spring Fling is specifically an earl grey matcha which was super interesting! I believe the vanilla and orange do help balance the flavors, but the key flavors are earl grey and matcha. Each sip starts with a smooth, grassy undertone and ends in a sweet, floral tea taste. The stark contrast is uniquely inviting yet shocking to the taste buds, feeling like a 2 for 1 as a drink. Highly recommend (for tea enjoyers)! read more
We love Kemi!! Kemi has lovely Asian-inspired desserts that change seasonally. The flavors are unique and the treats are not too sweet, which really lets the ingredients shine. The staff is super friendly, and street parking was very easy to find. So far, I've tried the mango sticky rice crispy treat (which was served at a different pop-up store) and the sesame ball salt bread, which was a Kemi's own pop-up item that they were also selling at their main store. I know they're known for the rice crispy treats, but I loved the sesame ball salt bread so much more - it was as if a red bean sesame ball like that ones you get at dim sum had a baby with salt bread, which I thought was super creative, and the salt bread itself was very well-executed. The mango sticky crispy treat was also great - light, airy, but still maintained strong flavors. I will definitely be back to try more of the menu! read more
Super interesting dessert concepts, but also a little pricy. I don't think I can justify myself buying a $6 cookie, though the caramel and crunchy texture was unique. I like that the desserts rotate each month, I'd be interested to see more of the cake and cream puff flavors another time! read more
Kemi Dessert Bar is an awesome local bakeshop serving up some unique Asian-inspired pastries and drinks. Street parking will be your best bet to get here and there is a good amount of it around the area. Inside, they have a cozy interior with limited seating. Wifey and I ended up trying the Golden Hour drink and a Mango Sticky Rice Krispy. We really enjoyed all the flavors and supporting an AAPI-owned business. All of the staff here are very friendly and welcoming. Definitely come stop by to check them out if you are ever in the area! read more
A friend kept telling me about this place, and it had since been on my list to try for the longest time. On a Friday afternoon I decided to power walk it here around 3:30pm before they close at 5pm... it was more like I didn't want to get there and not have anything be in stock. Thankfully, I came in to a view of this place's kitchen, and some bench seating and minimal decorations and merchandise to the immediate right-hand side. All kinds of cake and cookies were displayed up at the front counter, most of them being crumble cookies and cheesecake. Servers answered some of my questions regarding popular flavors and recommendations from others, and it was pretty hard to choose especially for someone with an insatiable sweet tooth. I eventually got their pandan crumble cookie and a slice of their black sesame mochi basque cheesecake: - The pandan crumble cookie had a nice crumble to it, and pandan taste was quite strong. Not too sweet, either. - The black sesame mochi cake was a little too much since I'm not a fan of cheesecake, but surprisingly the cheese didn't take over the black sesame mochi layer on top. This is one of their monthly flavors at the time of this writing, and it did not disappoint. They have a good handful of pastries they offer as a dessert bar, so I'll need to make a return trip here to give them a try! read more
9 months ago
I absolutely adore this dessert bar! Their use of Asian flavors in their desserts is so unique and very well executed. I believe their menu is rotating so I would love to come back to try other desserts that they have. It was already so hard to decide what to order this time. For pastries I got the pandan cookie crumble, Vietnamese coffee cookie, and the Japanese sweet potato basque cheesecake. All of them were not too sweet -- the best compliment an Asian person can give for a dessert. All the cookies were very soft! Pandan cookie crumble - so delicious!!! I love a good pandan dessert and the flavor really comes through. Usually when I've had pandan desserts it is more vanilla or coconut forward, but this cookie was so pandan forward. The coconut flakes are a nice touch. Vietnamese coffee cookie - you can taste the espresso grounds in this one. It's very strong on the coffee, however it wasn't giving Vietnamese coffee to me. Maybe some condensed milk somehow? It was still good though. Japanese sweet potato basque cheesecake - I'm not an expert on basque cheesecake but this was good. I liked the subtle sweet potato addition to it. My friends got their drinks and I got to sip on a few of them. I found their flavored matcha drinks to be light and refreshing, yet the syrups did not overpower the matcha. The group of people behind us did not following the limit of 5 people in the store unfortunately. It is a very small space and my friends noticed that when the group came in and ordered after them, the workers were getting orders confused. Not their fault at all! Please follow the instructions written outside. I can't wait to come back to try their other desserts and get myself more pandan cookies. read more
Such a cute little Place for some sweet treats! We parked to go to lunch around Cap Hill and randomly saw a sign for this place. We recently just saw an episode on Evening Magazine about it! So when we saw the sign, we're like "let's try it out!" And we're so glad we did! We were immediately greeted with smiles! Everything looks super yummy! They have a cool twist on rice krispy treats, such as ube, black sesame and mango flavors!! And each one of them are sooooo good! The black sesame was our favorite...usually black sesame flavored things are so subtle you can't taste it, or it's just not that good. But this, was exceptional! And oh my, I loved their classic salt bread!! Crunchy on the outside and savory gooey-ness on the inside! It was such a pleasant surprise how yummy that was. I will be coming back, for sure! read more
2 months ago
Wasn't much of a selection. The mango sago box cake was decent, but I didn't care for the black sesame Rice Krispy treat. Pandan cookie was just okay. Cool fusion concept but execution didn't deliver. read more
Friendly and fast service. Street parking only. Slim to no space to sit and enjoy your treats but a short walk to Cal Anderson so you can have a little picnic. Everything here is unique and delicious! Love the rotating menu and the interesting flavor combinations. Highly recommend the blueberry jasmine matcha drink if they still have it. read more
Have been to Kemi pop ups leading up to the opening of the shop. i actually first heard about Kelly on a trip to NYC a few years ago before she moved to Seattle. I was on the wrong side of town during her NYC pop up so was excited when she started doing pop ups in Seattle. And here we are today! So happy to see how far she's come. I actually had been here when the space was Coping Cookies is so wonderful to see how she has made it her own. Bright cute shop with lovely live plants and merchandise shelving. Service was friendly and quick. Most people probably come for her bakes but the beverages are unique and delicious. I had the Golden Hour a refreshing and delicious beverage,Mandarin Osmanthus Honey Yakult Sparkling water. I was going to get the get the special Peach Matcha but my friend ordered before me and got the last one. Actually glad it happened cause I wouldn't have got to experience this drink. My friend also got the last mango sticky rice crispy. I went with the black sesame rice crispy, vegan yuzu crinkle cookie and the Vietnamese coffee cookie. The black sesame was everything I wanted salty nutty and roasty how can you go wrong with brown butter? The cookies were on the softer side but not cakey I'm not a fan of the sweet cakey cookies that seem to be popular in other shops. I enjoyed the yuzu crinkle I love anything yuzu the candied yuzu peel really brightens it. Well I definitely need to go earlier next time. I was a little worried getting there a few hours before closing that some items would be out and that's what happened but that's a good thing for the shop. Congratulations Kelly! Glad I finally got to visit. read more
They have so many delicious dessert and drink options! They also have a few vegan items and the drinks can be made dairy free too. There were so many yummy things to choose from, including discounted day old cookies. The server was very knowledgeable about the ingredients too. There's only a small bench to sit and wait so it's mostly set up for to go but I will definitely be back. Especially for the vegan ube rice krispy treat and the hojichas. read more
Great service! The black sesame rice krispy treat was delicious; not too sweet and the black sesame flavor really shined through. I also love seeing so many vegan options available! Will definitely have to return next time I'm in Seattle. read more
Nice, clean, & cute little shop!! Matcha drinks taste is great!! Ube cake was moist, light, and very delicious. Cookies were perfect!! Will be back to try the rest!! The owner was extremely nice!! Perfect Little dessert Shop read more
Kemi Dessert Bar has an awesome concept of Asian fusion desserts. I was very excited for their soft opening and ordered several different items to try: Cookies - I love chewy cookies and their Vietnamese Coffee Toffee cookie and Pandan cookie looked promising. The texture could have been better. I would describe these more as soft cookies because mine did not have a chewy texture. Considering that Vietnamese coffee is very strong and bold, I was surprised at how subtle the flavor was in the cookie. For the other cookie, I didn't taste the pandan flavor at all. Both cookies were very sweet. Strawberry Jasmine Kemi Cube - I wasn't sure what to expect of this, but it tasted like a sweet pound cake that was on the drier and more crumbly side. It just tasted sweet and didn't have a distinct flavor. I'm not sure if I got a bad batch. I wish I got the Earl Grey one instead since it's a stronger flavor in general. Mango Sticky Rice Krispies Treat - This was my favorite dessert out of the bunch. Out of all the desserts that I tried, I felt like they really captured the essence of mango sticky rice. The perfect bite was composed of chewy mango, toasted coconut, and rice krispies -- and it really is like having a rice krispies version of mango sticky rice! I can see why this is their most popular dessert. This one was understandably sweet due to the marshmallows. Rose Bouquet - I liked the flavor of my drink and appreciate the fresh puree. However, the puree overpowered the tea and I found this drink too sweet, like all of their other desserts. Parking - I went on a Saturday and parking was impossible. My boyfriend ended up dropping me off to make a quick order and circled around the neighborhood until I was done. Overall, I'm rounding up this review in support of this new business. I personally found all of the desserts to be too sweet for my liking and found the flavors to be hit or miss. Additionally, the parking was non-existent. I would recommend the Mango Sticky Rice Krispies Treat for those looking to make a visit, but I probably won't be back due to all the reasons listed. read more
6 months ago
This is a solid 10/10 bakery! I saw a post about this place on IG and then a friend came to visit and wanted to try it. I may be a bit biased as I love all the Asian-inspired flavors like pandan, black sesame, yuzu, etc etc. Needless to say we got almost one of all the cookies and Rice Krispies (shout out to Michelle!)! My favorites were the black sesame Rice Krispies, yuzu crinkle cookie, and the miso sesame cookie! But honestly everything was so good and I would 100% come back. read more
2 years ago
Kemi Desserts serve unique Asian-flavored bakes and are a one-of-a-kind gem in Seattle. The rice crispy treats are easy crowd pleasers for parties or small gifts. The cakes - you'll just want it all for yourself. I've been going out of my way to stop by her pop-up for years and now I'm glad there's a store (soft opening today)! My favs are the basque cheesecake and the sticky rice crispy, though you really can't go wrong with anything on the menu. Even my friends, who aren't big on asian flavors, devour these treats. Always check back for seasonal specials! read more
1 year ago
This dessert bar is fantastic, the variety and quality of the cookies, cakes, and pastries on display is amazing. I had the Vietnamese toffee cookie (coffee flavor really comes out without being overpowering). The staff was super helpful with suggestions on what's good and what's fresh. There's basically no indoor seating space but it's a perfect place to grab a bite from for a nice Cal Anderson walk! read more
A to-go bakery only as there isn't any seating inside! If you're looking for a quick treat this place is a great bakery to stop by. All flavors are creative and use Asian inspired flavors to make standard baked goods a little more unique and fun. I tried a few things: earl grey basque cheesecake, jasmine tea fruity pebble Rice Krispie treat, Vietnamese coffee cookie, and a black sesame yuzu box cake. Everything was delicious but the standouts might be the coffee cookie with a rich coffee flavor with the help of coffee ground in the batter and both the cheesecake and black sesame yuzu cake. The cheesecake was insanely creamy and rich with a potent earl grey flavor. The cake was light and fluffy and surprisingly the black sesame and yuzu paired really well together! It's definitely a little pricey but that's standard for the area. read more
1 year ago
I can't say I've ever visited or heard of the Kemi Dessert Bar pop up, but I read about the soft opening of this bakery and decided to drop by since i was already planning on being in Capitol Hill today. We arrived about 15 minutes before doors opened, and were 2nd in line, with the line growing longer and longer as we eagerly anticipated entering the establishment. Every time Kelly and her husband opened the door, the smell of sweet pound cake wafted out, tantalizing our noses. Since this was (soft) opening day, there were some hiccups with the POS system and workflow. Definitely give them a bit of patience as they work through the kinks in the system. I noted two things that seemed a bit awkward to me: firstly, all the pastries are located in fridges/containers underneath the main display cabinet, making it look like a bit of a pain to sort through and dig out for the customer. I'm not sure the best way to fix this, but Kelly's husband looked uncomfortable having to squat down to search through the storage for every order. A lot of bakeries keep their pastries on a rack or shelves to make it more ergonomic. Secondly, it's a little awkward having to order on the right side of the store, then having to move over to the left side of the store to pick up the pastries and drinks. This wasn't a problem since they restricted the interior of the store to two parties at a time, but if they ever allow more people in, I can see an issue having to cut through the line to get to the other side. While all the treats looked absolutely delicious, we settled on three items to start: Jasmine Fruity Rice Crispy Treat ($5) - This treat is very fruity pebbles forward with a bit of jasmine tea flavor coming mostly in the aftertaste. I think rather than brewed jasmine tea, they use powdered jasmine to mix into the rice crispy batter. I could see freeze dried strawberry bits sprinkled throughout, and I believe that and orange zest contribute to the fruitiness of the treat, although it's a bit hard to tell due to the fruity pebbles being the predominant flavor (I would love to compare this dessert with and without those two elements to see if they actually make a difference!). The treat is very sweet, sticky with marshmallow fluff, and exhibits that great textural crisp of a popped rice crispy. (4/5) Earl Grey Citron Kemi Cube ($5) - This is a Earl Grey flavored pound cake cube that's slightly sweet with most of the bergamot flavor coming in the aftertaste. Pleasant, but I found the cake to be a bit on the dry side and due to that, a little more floury than I usually associate with pound cake. The icing on top is dolloped over the cake and drips down, creating a pleasingly aesthetic look. The taste is very sweet, full of citrus flavor, a very pleasing contrast against the milder cake. There's a small candied citrus rind, I believe yuzu, nestled on top that's a very nice touch. Overall the cube is still good, but is easily the weakest of the three offerings. (4/5) Thai Tea Basque Cheesecake ($10) - Woah! Thai Tea overload in this cheesecake. This is very strongly brewed Thai Tea with an exceptional smokiness that saturates the tongue. It's not very sweet at all, so it really allows that smoky flavor to shine. Otherwise the cheesecake is smooth, soft, and creamy in mouthfeel and a pleasant eat. (4/5) I love, love the inventiveness of the pastries served Kemi Dessert Bar. They're not afraid to take some risks in their offerings, which is very well appreciated in these days when most places try to appeal to the mainstream as much as possible. I will certainly be back in the future, especially since it seems like they'll have some rotating specialties to try out. read more
11 months ago
Delicious desserts, come here if you are looking to treat someone special or just yourself. It was $5 for the cookies and $12 for the taro cake box. I especially liked the Yuzu cookie and the Mango crisp. I did feel that the pandan cookie didn't have enough of that unique pandan taste. The osmanthus kemi cube had a nice flavor to it, and was definitely a sweet treat, but wasn't strong on the osmanthus flavor. My family loved the taro cake, it came in a box for easy transport, and had a gelatin texture to it that was like a pudding. Cashier and Kelly were great, and answered all my questions. Shop is quaint and in a quiet location. Overall while I won't come here regularly, if it's for a special occasion then I will drop by. read more
1 year ago
You have to try this place! I've been twice and both times have been outstanding. The yuzu berry tiramisu? Oh my FREAKIN goodness. 11/10. Been dreaming about it ever since. The cookies are delicious and so are the Rice Krispie treats. If you're a LSLT (little sweets little treats) connoisseur, this is the place for you. read more
1 year ago
This has to be THE dessert spot for me. First and foremost, we have to talk about the flavors and creativity of the flavors of the desserts. All Asian-inspired flavors in the form of familiar dessert and sweet treat forms is something I never thought I'd see. Ecstatic to know that this now exists is simply how I felt when I found out what this place has to offer. Icons like black sesame rice crispy treats, jasmine strawberry cube cake, Vietnamese coffee cookies, are just barely scratching the surface on what this little spot holds. I got there 45min before closing, so my options were sadly limited but fantastic nonetheless. My friends and I also got the earl grey chocolate basque cheesecake which was **chef's kiss**. The only critique I have is with the strawberry icing on the jasmine strawberry Kemi cube, as I thought it tasted a touch artificial and didn't seem to accompany the jasmine flavor in the way I had hoped. Aside from that, my friends and I gobbled everything up so quickly. Next time I go, it won't be right before closing. Can't wait to see and try other flavors they come out with! (Also note it's street parking. Worth driving up and down the street for to get to this place though, imo). read more
2 years ago
My partner and I visited Kemi's dessert pop up bar this past weekend, and we snagged a slice of the black sesame chocolate gateau cake and a genmaicha pecan cookie. They were both so unique and delicious. My only mistake is not buying extra! read more
2 years ago
The best desserts I've had in a while, I can't wait to go back and try more! I had the black sesame rice crispy, the pandan crumble cookie, and the rose bouquet tea drink, which were all tasty. It's a grab and go place with a clean cute aesthetic. read more
1 year ago
We also got the miso sesame cookie, chocolate chip cookie, and mango sticky rice- rice krispy treat and I've been thinking about all 3 ever since! I can't wait for the weekend when they're open again. The flavors are 10/10. read more
7 months ago
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More info about Kemi Dessert Bar
1828 12th Ave
Ste B
Seattle, WA 98122
Capitol Hill
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https://www.kemidessertbar.com
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Ask the Community - Kemi Dessert Bar
Does anyone know what kind of gelatin is used in the rice crispy treats?
It’s pork based!
