I cannot rave more about this pastry shop! My friend introduced me to this bakery and it's been my to-go for all things pastries and cakes. The prices are so reasonable and the shop itself is so beautifully designed and has limited seating. Their egg tarts are amazing and one of my favs is the snowy top bun. The taro bun is aesthetically pleasing and delicious and I can't forget their pineapple buns. The cakes are so pretty and it's nice that they have an online system to take orders now. From time to time, they have promotions with their gift cards. Right now for mother's day, they have a buy $50, get $55 or $100, get $115. read more

Simply Cake - Patisserie/Cake Shop Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Randomly stumbled on this bakery- got a pork sung roll w/ scallion and cheese (another customer got 6+ of this so we thought it was worth trying!), packaged thin almond cookies, purple yam roll. Would get the almond cookies and pork sung roll again and try other items! Very very busy bakery! read more

Quality/Quantity - What a cool discovery. Interesting pastries. We just had dinner at Mala Town Express and came here for dessert. Great selection and fully stocked and CRAZY busy! See all my pictures. I want to try so many things!! Just means I have to keep coming back! Some pastries I have never seen nor tried before. I'm excited. Ambiance - Small local business. Small seating area. One line to pay, not very user friendly, but probably because of this location being so small and you being so busy. Open 6 days a week from 10am to 9pm; closed on Mondays. Limited street parking but we parked blocks away; good thing we like to walk. Service - Self service. Price - Reasonable price, especially for the quality and selection. Owner Comment - Congrats on your success since 2022. read more

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The cakes here are not too sweet and very fresh and delicious. Nice pastry selection with loafs of bread, cookies, and even mini cupcakes. Always a line when I've been here. read more

Simply Cake - Cake - Patisserie/Cake Shop Near Me - San Mateo, California

My mom took us here . It's a nicely decorated bakery. I tried an egg tart and a matcha roll cake. Egg tart was ok . Would be nice if it's warm. The roll cake was very tasty and flavorful. The matcha had a hint of earl grey to me. The after taste lingered for some time. Restroom was not available at the time we were there. I would love to come back to try their cakes! read more

Simply Cake - Patisserie/Cake Shop Near Me - San Mateo, California

Great selection of baked goods and your typical Asian bakery fare. The line was a little confusing as it was in the middle of the store, but otherwise the process to check out was efficient. The place was pretty busy for a weekday afternoon, but it was clean and well lit which made for a smooth shopping experience. Everything was tasty and reasonably priced as well! read more

Simply Cake - Patisserie/Cake Shop Near Me - San Mateo, California

Got a very cute last minute cake for my niece's 2nd birthday on Super Bowl Sunday. We left it out on the table while we ate (an hour) and the eyes and cheeks started melting off :( The workers were helpful and kind which I always appreciate. They gave me a little kit with candles, small paper plates and tiny plastic forks. Cake itself was a white cake with fruit in the frosting. It was okay. Nothing special. The store is always busy so I definitely plan on trying this place again to see if their other cake flavors/ other pastries in general are more worth it. read more

Simply Cake - Fruit cake - Patisserie/Cake Shop Near Me - San Mateo, California

The pastries are okay here, they offer unique spin offs as well. They have very beautiful and delicious cakes. Where I marked them down is the whole lay out of the place. The line is in the middle of the store and people walking around trying to get pastries, workers coming in and out, people going to the seating area is super chaotic especially when it's busy! They also don't pre wrap any of their pastries so if someone buys 15 of them, the cashier has to individually wrap each one! It takes very long to get through the line. It's also very unclear which whole cakes are for sale and which are pre ordered because they just like displaying all their cakes together. So I waited in a very long line only for them to tell me the cake I saw up front was not for sale. It should definitely be more clear what's available and not. read more

5 stars for their portuguese egg tarts! So good Also tried the taiwanese red bun, it was just okay. Looked cute though (skip) read more

This is a cute and small bakery with lots of Asian pastries and cakes. I only tried the HK egg tart and Portuguese egg tart. The HK egg tart was just ok and I didn't like the thick crust which tasted like a thick shortbread. The Portuguese egg tart was much better in my opinion, although a tad sweet read more

Simply Cake - Top: HK egg tart Bottom: Portuguese egg tart - Patisserie/Cake Shop Near Me - San Mateo, California

I stopped by Simply Cake on a whim after seeing people walk out with a Jellycat cake lol. I was sold! My friend and I came in to get an assortment of pastries. I really liked how they had such unique Asian flavors! My favorite thing that I got was this roll with pork floss, scallions, and some sort of filling lol. I forgot what it was called, but it was SO delicious! I'm a big savory breakfast type of person, and this hit the spot. They also have a good selection of sweet pastries. Prices are honestly a lot better than you'd pay at similar, competing bakeries. read more

Simply Cake is a nice little bakery filled with savory and sweet dessert options. Either looking for a full cake or just little baked goodies, this bakery has it. Small area to sit and relax. read more

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***USP: cute little Asian style bakery in San Mateo downtown. Several varieties of cakes, pastries, breads, savory and sweet baked goodies. Prices seemed very reasonable as well. ***AMBIANCE: relatively small place with a bustling open kitchen and a few tables. Similar to other Asian bakeries, one can pickup a tray, tongs and pick their treats of choice by walking around. ***FOOD: Most of the items looked very fresh and tempting but I got the Portuguese egg tart, slices of mango mousse cake, chocolate mousse cake and tiramisu. I was not super impressed by the egg tart as it was heavy and the fat seeped through the bottom but the pastry slices were all delish! Mango mousse was sublime and smell of coffee in the tiramisu was intoxicating. I loved the hint of bitterness in the chocolate mousse cake. read more

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I had Simply Cake for the first time at a friend's birthday party, and it was such a treat. They ordered three cakes: strawberry mix, fruit, and mango mousse. The strawberry was my favorite. The cake was soft and spongy, and the fruit was sweet and fresh. After trying them, we decided to order a strawberry cake for a family birthday. While we were at the shop, we also picked up some Portuguese egg tarts and regular egg tarts. The Portuguese tarts were so delicious, with a warm, creamy filling. The regular egg tarts were unique because they had a tart-style crust instead of the usual flaky pastry. I'll definitely be stopping by more often when we're in San Mateo. The cakes and pastries are absolutely worth it! read more

Ooh, this is a dangerous place. Everything looked delicious and calorie rich. We debated if it is worth the 30-minute oneway drive from South Bay just for their fares. The consensus is positive, only if during off-peak traffic hours. (Nearly nothing is worthy of that.) It's a Hong Kong- or Taiwan-styled bakery. There are few, if any, plain bread -- known for crisp crust, soft crumbs, and bland flavors. Think of snacks on the heavy side, pastries, or fancy sandwiches. We came to pick up cakes and ended up with a bagful of, eh, calorie rich, stuffs. Sigh... I will definitely come again, hopefully not too frequently for my weight-control. read more

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delicious cake!! you place your order over the phone (might have to call a few times to get through). We got the 8in mango mousse cake & it was $51.99 including tax. They give you a little pouch with small plates, forks, candles & a cutter. You can add a HBD sign or any writing for free! we had 6 ppl eating the cake & only ate half. The mousse was so pillowy and smooth. The cake was not too much, definitely mousse dominant which I love. The pick up process is kind of annoying cuz you have to wait in line & the line can get quite long. They move medium quick. I am gonna come back to try the different cakes & pastries next time. read more

Simply Cake - Mango mousse cake 8in - Patisserie/Cake Shop Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Simply Cake is located in the heart of downtown San Mateo where all the best restaurants and bakeries are centered. One step into this bakery and you will smell all the mouthwatering baked goods they have to offer. They have a little bit of everything- savory, sweet, sweet and savory, they've got it all. From cake slices, whole loaves of milk bread, to cream puffs and buns, you can expect to find something to satisfy your craving. The interior is bright, with white walls and bright LED lights. The interior is clean and the baked goods are enclosed for hygiene purposes. The space itself is a bit cramped and the lines can drag out onto the main streets during peak hours. The aisles are quite narrow so you may be hip to hip (literally) with other customers. This place is really busy on weekend afternoons but at the same time, the stock is constantly full with 99% of the options available. So if you're looking for one particular item, you've got a great chance they still have it, The front of house staff are amazing. They are not only patient, but warm and genuine-not something I would expect at all from a Chinese bakery from my previous experiences. It was so refreshing to see friendly service here. * Canele - Super affordable for a canele. This is a solid option if you love canele. The texture is spongey and fun to each with each bouncy bite you take. The rum and vanilla flavor is subtle and the dough itself is not too sweet. * Egg tart - The crust is substantial with thick buttery layers that stack up well against the smooth eggy custard. The custard is light and not too sweet. * Pork floss cake roll- This was delicious! The bread itself is light and fluffy and I loved the sweet and salty combination. The mayo cream tucked in between the layers adds an extra depth of flavor with its creamy texture sealing the deal. The best part of Simply Cake aside from their high quality pastries is the price point. Most of their pastries are so affordable being $3-$5 each. I ended up getting a whole bag of goodies for under $30. Come check this spot out for a wallet friendly dessert/snack option! read more

Simply Cake - Cake selection - Patisserie/Cake Shop Near Me - San Mateo, California

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This is a Chinese bakery with a modern twist located in downtown San Mateo. They have very unique bakery breads and deserts that different from other bakeries. For example, there's a durian bread that I really like that you cant get elsewhere. They also have a few different types of egg tarts that pretty good in my opinion. Their cakes though, in my opinion is average. This bakery sometimes can get crowded and have long lines waiting to check out. I would recommend coming back a little later, when the line gets shorter. If you end up liking this bakery and coming here often, remember to join their reward system! Once you buy enough, you can get free bakeries! read more

Simply Cake is now one of my to go to spots to buy cakes for any occasion. Their cakes are tasty and not too sweet and always decorated so nicely. I highly recommend ordering in advance as they dont have many options to buy as a walk-in. I particularly like their mango mousse and their matcha mousse cake. Staff is always nice! read more

Not sure why this bakery gets high ratings and rave reviews. I got 3 pastries and all 3 were dry and didn't taste good at all. Worst of all, the line was long and moved very slow. The line was formed inside of the bakery causing chaotic situations for customers to pick their pastries. There were many employees working but not sure what they were doing. Maybe they were working on online orders. I will not come back to this bakery. read more

I love this asian bakery for their typical breads you'd expect to find, but they also do some more fun breads like pork floss rolls. I love buying their custard loaf bread. I've also had their cakes (they are the typical asian bakery sponge cakes) for birthday celebrations and they are so delicious and fresh, and they really package the cake in a way that makes it easy to remove and serve later. read more

What a lovely little store! It's filled to the brim with delicious offerings. We bought so many things like the hot dog, cream puff, cannole, pork roll, Japanese cheesecake, Portuguese tart, crème brule toast, and more. Everything was beautiful and delicious! We will definitely be back. Oh I'm adding a little something because I forgot the most important thing to me... they are dog-friendly! I was so happy that they let me bring my dogs in to sit at the table while I loaded up my platter. read more

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A fantastic mix of baked goods at affordable prices. Located in between a ton of restaurants, Simply Cake is a great choice for dessert. Repeat purchases are the pineapple bun, egg tart, sponge cake and Hokkaido cake. read more

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They changed their wrapping from plastic to paper! I can see that this is more environmentally friendly but I wish that the paper bag is completely sealed. Now the bun can easily fall out of the bag. Besides that, the pork sung roll is good as always! read more

Simply Cake - Pork Sung Roll and Milk Toast - Patisserie/Cake Shop Near Me - San Mateo, California

First time at Simply Cake and I was surprised at all of the selection. A lot of breads and baked goods. The strawberry and blueberry mousse slices were good. Light and not sweet. Not eye gouging pricey either Service at the counter was nice. 10 cent bag fee for their paper bag. On a Wednesday night they still had a lot of stuff left. Will be back to try the other goodies. read more

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Fruit Cake 4 light, fluffy, not too sweet, biscuits, fresh strawberry, mango and blueberry read more

Simply Cake - Patisserie/Cake Shop Near Me - San Mateo, California

my favorite asian bakery ever!!! i'm one of their many loyal customers - i can't even count how many times ive been there. there's a bakery section and then some seating & tables! they also have a restroom so i often come here to chill with friends. they're open until 9 as well which is relatively uncommon for bakeries! they serve taiwanese/chinese style baked goods similar to the ones you'd get at 85 degrees or paris baguette but at a higher quality in my opinion. their buns have an amazing fluffy and pillowy texture without getting soggy! their savory buns and sweet treats are both incredible, they also have regular bread, egg tarts, cookies, etc. i'll highlight some of my favorites - - pork sung roll: super fluffy and soft savory roll baked with green onions, filled with sweet and savory mayo-based spread, and topped with pork sung - milk custard roll: the same type of fluffy and soft bun filled with a pudding-like milk custard - bbq pork bun: incredible baked bun filled with fresh, tender, and flavorful bbq pork - sweet potato bun: soft bun filled with purple sweet potato filling, not too sweet! i would highly recommend their cakes as well! they have the classic asian chiffon cakes and some mousse cakes that come in various classic or asian inspired flavors. they're super light in texture and flavor and don't feel too heavy or sweet. overall - incredible small business serving the best baked goods ever! love coming here and supporting them over the chain bakeries that are in the area. read more

My go to bakery for cakes nearby! Their cakes are pretty good, perfect for birthday parties or other occasions. It's packaged nicely and they also provided little utensils and plates too! I'd say their breads are decent, but not the best though. I do like their sliced bread loaves, but the other asian style breads could be better in my opinion. However I feel like asian bread is lacking in general in the bay area. I prefer the chinese bakeries in socal! read more

I love Simply Cake! They make delicious cakes, savory and sweet treats at reasonable prices! My favorite items to get would be their well known pork sung rolls and almonds biscuits! I also like to try their many savory treats such as their sausage cheese rolls or sausage skewers. Their lava pineapple bun is also great. As for a sweet treat, I recommend their Hokkaido sponge cake or egg tarts! The staff here are very helpful and nice. They will answer your questions regarding ingredients and will carefully package each and every one of your treat! Be aware that Simple Came is very busy on weekends so expect a long line with up to 30 minute waits! I'm so happy to see them thriving. (I recommend to go at openings or on weekdays!) They have a nice sitting area where you can dine in, eat your treats and have a drink! My family in Southern California or up north loves these treats from Simply Cake so I always make an extra stop here before heading out! These make a great gift for friends and family! This bakery beats US Paris Baguette or Tour Le Jour any and every day! read more

Simply Cake - My delicious bag of goodies! - Patisserie/Cake Shop Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Highlights: & Best egg tarts (Dan tat) in Bay Area & Street parking can be tricky Let me back up my statement that these are the best egg tarts. These are the only ones who use a cookie crust. It's warm yet just the right amount of crunch. If you prefer the flaky crust, then perhaps there are better Dan tat options for you. Though when I need to buy a Dan tat (if my wife doesn't make hers), then it's worth the wait to go to Simply Cake. The parking can be tricky since it's all street parking. We got lucky and got a spot a block away. Also, it's metered. read more

Simply Cake - Patisserie/Cake Shop Near Me - San Mateo, California

Simply Cake is a bit on the smaller side and it's located in a higher foot traffic part of the city. When I arrived after lunch, it was really lively inside with LOTS of people in the shop grabbing pastries or ordering cakes. I got some Portuguese egg tarts, Hong Kong egg tarts, and a cream filled bun. Everything was great but the Portuguese egg tarts definitely stood out. A bit pricey but would come again! read more

Staff are very attentive and very friendly. Many more selections of baked goods available in store than reads on the website menu! FYI - the colorful dots. This took me a while to figure out. Stickers mean when they came out, not indicative of discounts like I originally thought! read more

ran into this cute pastry spot while walking for downtown san mateo, with bright lights shinning on the freshly baked breads and desserts! gives 85 degree bakery vibes where you get a tray and pick out goodies in their display cases! fast and quick service where you pay for everything at the front desk! many of the pastries are some i've never seen before and unique! read more

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I've been coming here since they opened, and the quality in both the service and baked goods have really changed for the worst. 1. Smaller breads and pastries with skimpy fillings- drastic difference from day one and at higher prices 2. Service is non existent and poor management. We were there today and apparently they will let a group cut in front of an already long line of customers waiting patiently for their turn to pay 3. The cashier (the Asian guy with glasses) didn't even say a word and started ringing them up even though we spoke up about it I will definitely not go back as there are other bread stores and bakeries around the corner read more

Been coming here for a while and they always have consistently good quality. I like that they have some items that other bakeries don't have. Tried the coconut bun today, soooo tasty. read more

Simply Cake - Egg tart - Patisserie/Cake Shop Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Pastries are 4 stars because they're pretty well-priced for being in DT SM, and the little details and ambiance bump it up to 5 stars. Service is generally friendly. I think it's nice that you get the candles, little plates, little forks, and a nice display cake box with a full cake. The actual cake design is traditional Chinese bakery style but they've modernized the packaging. Their logo is on all their stuff, and they don't skimp, including the coffee cups which have a super sturdy plastic lid that has a mechanism emulating reusable coffee cups. Hope they're raking it in like their wheat "S" logo suggests ($!). Definitely also appreciate the cleanliness of the place, available seating, and stable WiFi. I think the layout for getting pastries then going to the middle of the store away from the cash register feels a little counterintuitive and I'm still training my mind to get in line to center of the store after I loop around all the baked goods and the cash register is just right there. I'm always looking for spots with Hong Kong milk tea; Simply Cake's is solid. Well, their yin yeung is, anyway. HK milk tea is a specific craving and I don't know where else I'd find it in DT SM (a real version anyway, not the inauthentic versions that some boba places offer; before finding this HK milk tea here, I would just get a chai at Urban Momo). Their HK pineapple bun though is a bit too soft for me. The pineapple lava one is not a favorite either. I'll try the pineapple overload next. But the raisin milk bread was a pleasant surprise. It was sort of like a cocktail bun with raisins. Liked the ratio of filling and topping/crust. For the cake - I personally am partial to the dense, moist cakes like Susie Cakes but I come to Simply Cake for family functions. It's always a hit with folks that like Chinese bakery cakes (highest praise for cake being "not too sweet" of course), but Simply Cake edges out other bakeries because at family events we usually end up getting asked where the cake came from (in detail). read more

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Nice place. Not a lot of place to dine in, and it's mostly to go. It's a smaller version of Paris Baguette or Tour de Jours, but glad they have it available in DTSM. Busy during the weekend when I came, but lines moved quickly. Good selections of ready made cakes that are Asian style spongy type of cakes. Service was nice. Metered Parking at front. Cheers! read more

Simply Cake - Patisserie/Cake Shop Near Me - San Mateo, California

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I'm gonna be honest - this gives me 85C vibes which is fine because I love 85C but here are two takeaways that immediately stood out to me! I came here after visiting Antoine's cookies and I wanted an iced Americano, which luckily they do serve! It stood out to me was the gentleman who assisted me said he would bring it out to me when it was ready. I used to own a smoothie and tea shop, and I feel like this is either something that he himself prompts and does on his own, but if this is in the protocol of training their barista's, it's such a subtle thing that makes such a big difference and I really appreciated it that The selection of pastries is what reminds me of 85C but on the top of my head, I don't remember if they also do high-end cakes and baked goods like the right half of Simply cake does. I saw a Baker rollout some really high-end cakes and it does seem like they do have two sections of their store to the left the coffee shop and quick pastries to go into the right a proper bakery with me to order items. I grabbed a ham and egg pastry for myself to partner with my iced Americano and at 11:30 AM on a Friday. I was the only guest dining in and felt like if I wanted to I could do a lot of productive things here at their dine in seats. One final notable thing is I always try to take a photo of The Venue's bathroom because in my mind if your bathroom is clean, your kitchen is clean which is not always gonna be the case but that's how I look at the world and I've got to say this is probably top 3% of cleanest bathrooms I've ever seen lol so take that for what it's worth to you. read more

Great place to get dessert. They have a variety of snack either sweet or savory depending on your preference. Just have to grab the tray and tong i order to pick your food. They also have cake here too, either by slices or whole cake. There are seating area if you want to eat in. This place isnt super big so it can get crowded quick if its a busy day. Reasonable price. Will come back again if i ever crave for asian dessert pastries read more

Simply Cake - Patisserie/Cake Shop Near Me - San Mateo, California

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I normally don't write reviews, and usually if something isn't too bad, I just let it go. But this time was really disappointing. I bought 4 egg tarts on Thursday 9/18 around noon time. They were still a bit warm when I got them, but the crust was clearly burned. Later that afternoon when I got home (around 3ish) and opened the box, there was already a sour, oily smell. I didn't dare eat them, and after reheating, the smell was even worse. I checked the other 3 tarts, and they all had the same bad smell. In the end, I had to throw the whole box away. I also bought the chocolate mini cake, which was extremely dry and didn't taste fresh at all--almost like it had been sitting there for a long time. On top of that, the prices are way too high. If the food was delicious, maybe I could overlook it, but for this quality, it's absolutely not worth the money. Avoid at all cost. read more

Simply Cake - Egg Tarts - Patisserie/Cake Shop Near Me - San Mateo, California

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