Keepers of the legacy of authentic bai tang gao AKA rice cakes in Honolulu. They are the best, period. Authentic? Instead of using yeast, this rice cake is made using a perpetual mother starter. Think sour dough bread or yogurt. Natural fermentation results in the honeycomb like structure, fermented umami notes and gentle sour taste that balances the sweetness. Even if you haven't had the rice cake here, chances are high you've eaten them. They are sold at a myriad of places most notably Chun Wah Kam. Don't believe? Go to Chinatown at 6am and watch cargo vans double park to pick up boxes of them. Excessive trivia - there was a Lin Fong Company founded in 1924 that lasted until the early 2000's on the next block. Part raw ingredient grocery store, part apothecary, part bakery. Upon their closure, the owners of New Lin Fong Bakery acquired the original recipe and continued making the authentic rice cakes. Yes, they still offer their outstanding, aromatic, crumbly lard based almond cookies and raw sugar flavored tea cookies. Unfortunately, they no longer make bao buns. Part of Hawaii's Chinese cultural culinary history. A must for seekers of the authentic. read more

Sorry Made a mistake Previous comments were for the New Char Sui House. Lin Fong has the best white rice cakes on Island. Enjoy read more

New Lin Fong - counter - Bakeries Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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I've been going to Chinatown my whole life and never knew this place existed. I guess I was just walking past it not giving it a second thought. I recently went to a dinner outing and Paul C. had brought their rice cake. I asked Paul if he made the rice cake and he said that he purchased it from here. I had eaten rice cake from other places and it has never been my favorite. However, this place makes very good rice cake. It wasn't too hard and it wasn't too soft. The texture was just perfect. The others that I've tried had a tangy aftertaste to it. This one didn't. I actually liked it. I would definitely recommend the rice cake. Now, I know where to go when I'm craving it. read more

New Lin Fong - rice cake - Bakeries Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

They're famous for their almond cookies. Although in Chinese they're called 合桃酥 (literally walnut pastries); while almond cookies 杏仁餅 is an entirely different thing in chinese, usually with a Chinese word 杏 stamped in the middle, and they're small and round with raised edges and without any cracks. So the labeling can be a bit confusing... I don't know why they call them almond cookies honestly. Aside from the linguistic variations, these almond cookies taste amazing! They are buttery, slightly sweet and savory with a lot of nutty flavor. They're crunchy and crumbling like cookies but much lighter. You'll have to try them yourself. Eight pieces cost $6.75 and they're fairly large sizes. They only put in a thin produce bag type of plastic bag, and not the most presentable, so you might wanna repackage them if you plan to gift them to people. But I personally wouldn't mind the packaging! read more

New Lin Fong - Strictly came here for almond cookies and didn't disappoint!!!! $5 for the small ones. Delish. - Bakeries Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

A small nondescript specialty bakery opened in 1999 on Maunakea St by Kin Hung Lee and Suet Wai Lau, and is still thriving today. Called New Lin Fong, it makes steamed rice cakes and small buns, as well as tea cakes and almond cookies. Its rice cakes are considered the best in town, as they have perfect texture, airy consistency, and the right sweetness. Their rice cakes are predominantly sold wholesale to other shops and restaurants for resale. The small white steamed buns can be preordered, frozen, and re-steamed to be used for Peking duck and roast pork belly with hoi sin sauce and green onions. The tea cakes are soft, chewy, and somewhat dense, with the flavoring similar to molasses from the Chinese brown sugar. They are pair well with hot tea. The almond cookies, made with lard, are crunchy with a sweet almond taste and also pairs well with hot tea. As with the rice cakes, all items are sold wholesale. In past years, New Lin Fong would have available all items to the retail customer; however, in recent years, they would only sell the end cuts of the rice cakes. On occasion I have gone in have received end cuts for purchase. The last time, I was told that there was none, so I inquired when they would have more end cuts, and they could not provide a response. So, I asked if they had regular cut pieces instead, and they said no. I was somewhat taken aback, as I have always been able to purchase rice cakes. Staff noticed that I was not walking away, and as I stood there, they reluctantly asked how many pieces I wanted. "Two pieces," I responded, and I don't know where they came from, but two huge pieces that were tall in height and long in length appeared before me in a small plastic bag. Score! I'm not so sure what their policy is for retail customers and what my experience will be the next time I'm there. In my opinion, the rice cakes by New Lin Fong is the best around and sets the standard for all others. Rice cake is simple to eat and sometimes given to young toddlers to eat. I remember eating them when I was young and while New Lin Fong wasn't around until my later years, I was able to determine what good rice cake was. Same for tea cakes and Chinese-style almond cookies, as New Lin Fong's were the best around! Small steamed buns were hard to find, and New Lin Fong provided the means for me to enjoy eating Peking duck or pork belly in buns. Staff is efficient and somewhat friendly, with limited English spoken, although they do understand when you speak. The store space is very limited, as the customer does not enter into the shop. There are display cases to block you from entering. The display cases showcase the bags of tea cakes and almond cookies in varying sizes. Staff uses the top of the display cases for pick-up orders by wholesalers for their rice cakes, as the rick cakes can be a whole circle, half of a circle, or cut in pieces and packed into foil pans or containers provided by the wholesalers. Cash only. Hours of operation are from 4a to 1p Mon to Sat and 4a to 9a Sun; however, they will close when they sell out. Located next to the Maunakea Marketplace complex and New Char Siu House on Maunakea St, street parking or nearby municipal lot parking is available. New Lin Fong has a niche for wholesalers to get the best rice cakes, steamed buns, tea cakes, and almond cookies. I hope that they are also made available at any time for their retail customers. Support local! read more

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Best ever rice cake! This one doesn't make my sugars spike. Value is excellent. Service is a little rough but now I know 12 pieces of rice cake fit in a box, not 15 . And the almond cookies are amazing - tastes like almonds and airy and crispy. read more

Happened to park in front of this easily missed specialty bakery (probably really a commercial baker). They seem to only sell the sweet rice cake, almond cookies and tea cookie. You must get the almond cookie! Sorry, but it's better than the XXXolulu Cookie Co. Also, tried the tea cookie which in Chinese was referred to more as a "cake" but not to my taste. It's not flavorful and the texture is a soft, fluffy "cakie" hybrid. read more

New Lin Fong - Almond Cookies for days ... - Bakeries Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Very good Almond Cookie, Tea Cookie and Rice Cake! My go too for bulk orders! Very friendly staff and place has a real old time Chinese hole in the wall establishment feeling to it! Very nostalgic! read more

Went this morning and even though we saw boxes of rice cake on the counter we were told they only had pre orders and none for sale. So if you are going just for their rice cake call ahead to see if they actually have any available. read more

Best fattest, fluffiest rice cakes ever! The almond cookies are so flakey! I highly recommend stopping by! Cash only though

This place was highly recommended for their almond cookies. We bought 4 bags (2 for ourselves & 2 to share) one of our 2 bags barely made it home, between 3 of us we devoured quickly. Now I would highly recommend this place for their almonds cookies. Next I want to try their rice cake but I'm a bit concerned. I've read the reviews of how some people got it with no problem, and how others couldn't get it because it's sold to restaurants. I just don't want to be disappointed if I can't get it. read more

Another venture to Chinatown and on my radar was New Lin Fong best rice cakes ever .I'm not sure but most places when I eat their rice cakes it has like a faint of alcohol taste . Today I ordered 8 rice cakes and it was very delicious. They also sell Almond cookies also tea cookies. Got there about 9:39am and they were already busy like usual. I think they also distribute to other Chinese restaurants and businesses because they were having people come and pick up boxes of rice cakes. If your in Chinatown it's a must to try their rice cakes . Support local especially small businesses read more

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Chinese dessert in Chinatown, Honolulu, Hawaii... Thanks to Paul C., I've been enjoying rice cakes when he brings them to our mahjong sessions. He said that New Lin Fong has the best rice cakes. Hmmm... I went to Chinatown to get some for my mom and brother-in-law... I parked in a metered stall on Maunakea Street. It's currently 25 cents for five minutes. LOL! The workers are very serious and busy. They were packing an order for the customer in front of me. He bought over $150 worth of almond cookies! I just got five rice cakes. They asked me if I wanted them individually wrapped... Yes, please! All five packages were placed into a large plastic bag. I cut one rice cake up at my mom's house. It was about six inches on the longest side and almost two inches tall on the highest side! It was smooth, soft, and lightly sweet! Mom said that it's nice and airy! We approve! read more

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My boyfriend who grew up in Hawaii, but now resides in Texas LOVES rice cake! Every time I fly to TX rice cakes in my carry-on bag are a MUST! The rice cakes from New Lin Fong are HUGE, they have the PERFECT texture, consistency, and sweetness, and it was only $2 a rice cake! But just remember it's CASH ONLY. Best part is they open at 4:00 AM so if you have an office party to attend or an early morning flight to catch you still have the opportunity to stop by and pick up some rice cake! While I typically find driving into Chinatown inconvenient, the parking lot right across from New Lin Fong makes finding parking a lot easier. If you frequent this establishment in the early morning like we normally do, parking shouldn't be as difficult to find. read more

My 2022 Chinese New Year celebration continues and why not start with some of my favorite snacks...rice cake! I've heard of so many places but this one just stood out and I was on a mission this year to get out of my comfort zone and explore what various neighborhoods. Located on Maunakea St this tiny shop produces an incredible amount of items including almond and tea cookies, small buns (which is what we know as bao buns used for Peking duck), and manapua. Their hours are 4am to 1pm I guess many are provided for local businesses you do need to get their early though not too early as they obviously give priority to the reserved orders so today I was told to come back at around 10am for the rice cakes. Let me tell you they are massive at $1.45 each and are amazing!! It's just the right amount of sweetness and texture is geez...perfect! It's probably the most dense rice cake I've ever had yet the signature steam holes that fill it is delightful. Another unusual item not found at many places even here in Chinatown for me as I'm still discovering it is what they call "small buns" as yes they're small in comparison to their big brother manapua but thought it'd be the more versitile as we plan to pick up some meats as well. This bao buns are freshly made and you can definitely tell as I'm squeezing them with excitement, at .55 cents each or $6 for a dozen this reason alone is why they sell out fast. 2022 is the year of the Black Water Tiger, looking forward to a healthy and prosperous year, Thank you! read more

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This little hole in the wall has been here for decades. And for good reason. Their cookies are amazing. So much so that I will drive from Makakilo to Chinatown whenever a craving strikes. The tea cookies are my perfect breakfast with a cup of cocoa. It would likely pair well with coffee, too, but I don't drink coffee. More of a tea or cocoa girl myself. The tea cookies are moist and a dense cake like texture. Have a slight sweetness. Soooo good. The almond cookies have the perfect amount of almond flavor. Slightly sweeter than the tea cookie and a great crunch to them. My kids looove the almond cookies. They fight over them so I have to buy two bags and even then it lasts just a few days. Service is good. Their english isn't great,l sometimes, depending on who is working the counter, but you can easily point at which cookies you want. They also have rice cakes that are divine. I didn't buy any this last trip. read more

My visit back home was so worth it! Pakecake in stock and family back in Utah was very happy!

Today my husband and I is going to a dinner potluck tonight and he dropped me off and I got some rice cakes and tea cookies. Boy no joking the rice cakes are huge and the lady was very pleasant and pack it up nicely in a box and 2 extra in a package. I hope tonight everybody will enjoy them. I know we will. read more

New Lin Fong - Two in a bag - Bakeries Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Their rice cake was the BOMB! So fresh and tasty! Highly recommend stopping by and getting their rice cake.

Location: 1132 Maunakea St in Chinatown. It's a couple stores away from the entrance of Maunakea Marketplace. I don't spend too much time in Chinatown so I try to find metered parking ($3/hr) and if not I'll park in the Municipal Parking lot. The Municipal Parking lot entrance is on Maunakea St right after Domo Cafe. Price: Fresh almond and tea cookies $5.20/bag, char siu manapua $1.80, rice cake $1.45/piece or $34 for a pan with 27 pieces or $18 for half pan, small buns $6/dozen or $0.55/piece. CASH ONLY Food: I grew up with everything they sell except their char siu manapua. Their cookies are freshly baked and yummy. The almond cookies are very crunchy and have a nice almond flavor to them. The tea cookies are lightly flavored, soft, and chewy. They make a great pairing with tea or coffee. The rice cakes are HUGE and fluffy. You could cut 1 piece into 2-3 smaller pieces and be satisfied. Lastly, not to many people know that they sell small steamed buns. These are the buns they use for pecking duck bao and kau yuk bao. I just bought this pack of sous vide smoked pork belly from Costco and thought it would go great in a bun which is why I stopped by today. Service: great service!! They are always very efficient. Tips: the buns freeze well. Just steam to make them nice and soft again. read more

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Like I said recently.......... "I've been on a Rice Cake kick" as of late, and have been going to various Chinese eateries to try their version of the Rice Cake...........taste, texture, & price are factors in the decision on whether to give it two thumbs up, or one thumbs up (I would never do a thumbs down, as I love Rice Cakes too much). Another good place to get Rice Cakes is - "New Lin Fong" my friends, as this place has been in business for quite sometime now.......... Located in the heart of Chinatown on Maunakea Street, you can find this little hole-in-da-wall joint just next door to the entrance area of Maunakea Marketplace. I remembered when I was in high school, or maybe it was in college......... my mom use to buy this wonderful treat for me whenever she went to Chinatown, so I have pretty fond memories of this place. I haven't eaten Rice Cake on a regular basis (until recently) as for some reason I've been jonesing for this treat. I did try to go to New Lin Fong a few weeks back when I was visiting Mei Mei Chinese BBQ, but I guess by the time I got to New Lin Fong, they were closed. Note: They close on the earlier side (like at 1:00 PM), but of course they open up super early in the morning, as the Yelp hours show they open up at 4:00 AM. What can I say about their Rice Cakes? Although New Lin Fong didn't sell their Rice Cakes for the cheapest price, they by far served the HUGEST slices of Rice Cakes!!! If you like QUANTITY, then you've come to the right place!!! At $1.35 per slice, I found it to be a DEALAGES Yo!!! The Rice Cakes wasn't oily, had a airy texture (if you got the middle slices), not overly sweet (that a good thing), and like I said before...........da slices were HUGE!!! I believe this place by far is the best value, for what you pay, and what you get! DEALAGES Yo! Now if you're not into Rice Cakes (like me), they do sell other items here, as I saw a lot of Almond Cookies, Tea Cookies, and plain Buns. Yeah, da kinda buns that restaurants give you when you eat Peking Duck or Kau Yuk, where you put the duck skin in the bun (type of bun) or pork belly. Anyways, I think I've found my "goto" Rice Cake joint, after sampling other joints............so if you're ever Jonesing for Rice Cakes, give New Lin Fong a try! Chance 'em gang! No can go wrong!!! read more

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The best Tea cookies in town. Highly recommend. Local favorite! Our family loves this bakery!

I made a mistake. In my last review I wrote about the tea cookies and how great they are. I went back to buy more cookies and found out that I had purchased almond cookies...not tea cookies!! So this time I bought almond cookies AND tea cookies.... and there is quite a difference... The tea cookies are a completely different animal. Mild in flavor and a darker color, the tea cookies are not as sweet as the almond cookie. They are also very soft. Not crumbly, but delicate almost like slightly chewy cake. The tea cookies tend to be a tad drier than the almond cookies, but I can see how they would pair well with actual tea. If I had to choose it would be the almond cookie. Crunchy, sweet and delicious! But if you want a snack...something not too savory and something not too sweet....you have found it. The tea cookie actually fits into a category of it's own. Sorry for the misinformation! But now you can try both! read more

New Lin Fong - Small cookie...Almond cookie! - Bakeries Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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All the bakeries are excellent in this area. This location specializes in rice cakes. All the restaurants and other bakeries buy from them for resale. Sorry no pics. I ate all the rice cakes before I can get a picture. They are that good! read more

The tea cookies and rice cake are the best. Prices are reasonable. Got there early since the open at 4 am. Beat the traffic in downtown.

The best...TEA COOKIES on the island! New Lin Fong is my favorite go to for Chinese tea cookies. They are made fresh and packed at this bakery. NLF is located in Chinatown on Maunakea Street. Their cookies are delicious and soft. Just the right amount of sweetness...not too much. They also make almond cookies, rice cake and steamed buns for Peking Duck that are just as delicious! Yum. Their prices are very reasonable, too. So, if you are in the mood for fresh Chinese snacks, go and check them out. You'll thank me for that! read more

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I've Been Coming Here For Many Years! We Always Order The Tea Cookies All The Time! Great Service, And It Always Tastes Very Fresh! Mahalo New Lin Fong!!! read more

New Lin Fong - Best Place Ever!! - Bakeries Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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This is a long overdue review for New Lin Fong having the best rice cake on the island. You won't find it better anywhere else! This place is located in Chinatown along Maunakea St, next to Char Siu House. It's a small shop that also sells almond cookies, tea cookies, manapua, steamed Chinese bao buns for Peking duck, and etc. You have to come early, and I mean early, to get your rice cake or other delectables because they close at 1pm, but oftentimes closes earlier as they sell out! Rice cake seems to be the most popular as they sometimes run out at 11am. I typically miss out! Finally, after years, perhaps longer, I finally got my hands on a rice cake as I wanted my family to try. I used to just get it for myself as a quick snack during work lol. It's weird to call it Rice Cake when the translation from Chinese is "white sugar cake." Anyway, the rice cake is excellent. Has great consistency, nicely sweetened, and a nice texture outside and it's honeycomb inside. The Steamed Buns is the best. You can tell it's fresh and not frozen for many days like elsewhere. It's soft and fluffy, and has great texture and consistency. New Lin Fong is a staple in Chinatown, and offer the best and consistent food. Many, many restaurants get their rice cakes and steamed Chinese bao buns from here. That's a reason why they run out quick. Next time, get a whole sheet of rice cake as a birthday cake! Overall, I enjoy coming here as the customer service is good, well made and quality food, and solid prices. As of January 2021, rice cake is $1.45 per slice. Gotta come early!! read more

Rice cakes!!! $1.25 for a warm, fat and thick slice. Most restaurants buy their rice cakes from New Ling Fong and then turn around to charge you an arm and a leg in their shops. Example: Chun Wah Kam. Ahh, capitalism! Got to love it. America, what a country. They open every day from 4AM - 1PM. Sunday hours vary. Also, they sell tea cookies and almond cookies for cheap, cheap, cheap. Only street parking. read more

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I found them by accident when I was looking for something to eat and char hung sut was closed. This is the best tea cookies I've eaten. They aren't oily, are soft and moist. The lady told me to come back in 10 minutes if I wanted the fresh out of the oven ones! Having fresh cookies out of the oven takes things to a different level. They did get a little smashed because I put them in my backpack. read more

New Lin Fong - Bakeries Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I love love love their rice cakes and their tea cookies. This is the only place I come to for these items. I don't go anywhere else. They are open from 5am - 1pm Monday - Saturdays and closed on Sundays. You may want to call ahead to see if they still have rice cakes and tea cookies if going. The ladies are very polite and friendly. Tip: it is cash only. read more

They don't make char siu bao bao (manapua) anymore. They have a lot of cookies though. read more

Love the pake cake. East to pull up, order at the door and grab your food and go. I bought a bunch of pake cake to take on a trip. Simply delicious! read more

bought several pieces of rice cake this morning to share with coworkers. they loved it!

Growing up love love rice cake, but hot a lot of place sell then nowadays and if they do it is old and expensive. New Lin Fong is the best I got rice cakes Almond cookies Tea Cookies Steamed Manapua Definitely coming back read more

Love their Almond cookie and rice cake! Every time I'm back home in Honolulu, I gotta stop by and pick me up a couple of bags! Don't forget they only take cash! read more

Got a tip that they sell the steamed buns [$6.00/ doz. Chun Wah Kam charges $9.00] the one they put slices of kau yuk, roast duck etc. inside and eat with plum sauce. Bought a dozen to freeze and keep in case we wanted to eat it with some duck that we have in the freezer... Small shop in Chinatown on Maunakea street. Small menu that includes almond cookies, tea cookies, and rice cakes. 1132 Maunakea St. Mon to Sat. 4:00 AM - 1:00 PM Sun 4:00 AM - 12:00 PM read more

Came here for almond cookies which was yummy. Just the perfect amount of sugar. This place has really affordable steamed buns for roast duck. I just tried it straight from the shop and was not too impressed with that. Maybe it would have tasted better if i steamed it at home. Must have been ok because it disappeared when i got home. Manapua was just average. I wouldn't get it again. I would definitely come back for the cookies. read more

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Came here today as I was craving for some rice cake. Price is now $1.10 per piece (previously $1). It's still a great deal. read more

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One of the places to buy Almond cookies for me the also have moon cake and some other items but mainly for me I get the Almond Cookies which are pretty good and the price is reasonable. Parking is in public lots or on the street. Selection is very limited and basically is moon cake and Almond Cookies and a few other things. read more

New Lin Fong - The wares - Bakeries Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii