Sweet Bakery is a newer Chinese bakery in the CID, replacing what used to be an 85C. They have a good selection of baked goods, including various breads and pastries, steamed buns, cakes, even some light sandwiches. Pricing is between $3 and $4 for most buns, which isn't bad for Seattle.
Reviews both here and on Google indicate a terrible owner, although I can't verify that. The cashier, at least, was extremely welcoming and polite. He spoke both English and Mandarin fluently.
When I visited, there was a small selection of BOGO pastries near the register. Interestingly enough, it was buy one from the regular display cases, get one of those for free. I'm not sure if they were day old or just misshapen pastries.
Milky Roll ($3.25) - This is a coconut cream bun. Soft, slightly sweet and chewy milk bread is cut in the center and filled with a very light and soft cream, then dusted with shredded coconut. The cream seems to be some type of stabilized whipped cream, a bit on the oily side which makes it adhere to the lips while eating. Otherwise there's not really anything else to comment about. It's a good light treat. (4/5)
Ham & Cheese Bun ($3.95) - Same soft base but this time paired with a kind of tough and dry piece of ham, some creamy mayo, and lots of cheese that's a little gummy. The pastry overall is extremely oily, leaving a film of grease anywhere it touches. (3/5)
Ham & Cream Cheese Bun ($3.95) - This includes some fatty, kind of gelatinously chewy bacon with cheese. Again, extremely oily and kind of unpleasant to touch. There's no mayo in this one, nor any cream cheese or ham, so I have no idea why they call it a "ham & cream cheese bun." Perhaps they put it on the wrong shelf? (3/5)
Green Tea Red Bean Glutinous Rice Ball ($4.75) - This comes with three pieces. These are very fresh, with a super soft and airy, yet bouncy exterior, similar to a softer mochi. The pounded glutinous rice covers a large ball of sweetened red bean paste. The paste is very smooth with no hint of grittiness or red bean skin whatsoever. The taste of the brownish green exterior definitely has some green tea powder incorporated giving it a somewhat earthy and grassy taste, although not to the point of tasting like matcha. The outside is dusted with coconut shreds. It's sweet but not too sweet. (4/5)
Sweet Bakery is a pretty average classic Chinese bakery. They don't do anything that separates them from competitors, but there's not really anything bad about their offerings either. They'll easily do in a pinch. Besides, it's always nice to see a new independent business pop up in a storefront that's been vacant for years.
Bathrooms - At least one unisex room, possibly two, that require a code to enter. read more