Top Shelf Cookies

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First time having fresh made, store bought Japanese cheesecake. Walking through small Boston…read moreChinatown from 20 years ago, saw their colorful sign and had to stop in and try. My kids and I enjoyed the original and chocolate cheesecake. Fluffy, rich flavors and just enough sweetness to know you are eating dessert. Hands down I go for japanese and Chinese bakery over American and the Latin sugar loaded baked goods any day that is all around where I live. but...... Yes, it's rather expensive similar to other niche specialty bakery prices whether it's an Italian, Greek, French or Japanese bakery. At the same time, here you get the hustle, hurry up and order your stuff and get out of the way old school Chinatown service. If you good with that, then all is ok.

Tried this place out, first time trying Japanese Cheesecake. I was expecting what I have had before…read morein the sense of cheesecake but learned it's different. This is more of a cake consistency with a very mild cheese flavor. The consistency reminded me of angel food cake. Although I think it was prepared well it wasn't my favorite dessert ever. I would like to try their other flavors as we only got the original to split. They only sell one size at $16 a cheesecake (with tax). They also sell small cheesetarts but I didn't get one this time around.

The cake box

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Entrance

Bao Bao Bakery & Cafe

4.0(185 reviews)

I was looking for some bakery buns to bring to friends and stumbled on Bao Bao in Chinatown. They…read morehave a nice selection of Chinese buns, pastries, and cake slices. I ended up choosing the red bean & matcha mochi bun, cream puff with mango, and pork sung roll to-go. My favorite has to be the red bean & matcha mochi bun which is super unique as I haven't seen the combination before but it was super yummy with chewy mochi in the middle. The pork sung roll was also pretty good. The cream puff on the other hand was a bit disappointing as the cream tastes a bit artificial and was not the light & fluffy whipped cream filling that I like in cream puffs.

I've gone to this bakery so many times and it's always great!! They have great prices on their…read moreitems and they are so delicious!! The sesame balls are always fantastic, I get them every time. Their Yuzu tea is also my go to and so delicious. I tried the scallion bread this time and it was such a hit, not super oniony and a the bread is a little sweet to balance it out. I would recommend every item in the case from bread to pastry.

Very lychee in flavor. Soft fluffy cake

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Lychee mousse cake

CT Sweet Kingdom

3.6(124 reviews)

4.8 mi•Chinatown

It's boba toppings on ice cream!!! its wicked filling. Incredible. Sweet, different flavors, milk I…read moreguess. It's weird as heck and jiggles a LOT but I LOVE IT. Really delicious. Decent portions too. Will FOR SURE be back Service is chill and the ambience is good they have a few places to sit. off the beaten path too.

Ughhh sooooo freaking good!!!!! Too bad it's pretty pricey…read more Nearly everything on their menu is $10. Portions are okay, I just feel like it's not worth the price, entirely. However, disregarding price, their desserts are incredibly delicious. I've been here 3 times. Super chewy mochi and refreshing jelly. Some come with ice cream or shaved iced. Definitely a summer treat but I still come during 40° weather. Their mango sago came with surprisingly sweet mango since it's not in season. So yay! Staff is nice and welcoming, as well as patient with menu looking. They have one bathroom and some seating. It's cute and cozy. 9/10 recommend! If you're willing to spend a few extra bucks

Mango moochi

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One Zo

3.9(88 reviews)

Came here for a snack. Small place with a couple of seats and table. We ordered two desserts and a…read moredrink. The drink was really sweet dessert was okay. We definitely have had better. The mangos were a little too sour for our liking. They made us the wrong dessert at first so they had to make us a new one. They were nice enough to let us keep the mistake to try. The mochi balls had a nice chew to them. Decent dessert place but not the best.

Came for some bubble tea. I didn't realize how expensive it is these days. I also don't enjoy being…read morecat fished by their tall narrow cups. I would stick to the other bubble tea places instead. However this location offers their donuts.

Seating area

Pick up station

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Drink menu

Corner Cafe Bakery

4.1(121 reviews)

The Chinese name is "Juxiang Mianbao Fang聚香麵包坊". It had the taste of an old-fashioned bakery and…read morewas very cost-effective. Portuguese Egg Tart葡撻: The shop keeps the egg tarts in a warming box, which is very thoughtful. I've always preferred the cookie crust of old-fashioned Hongkongese egg tarts; they don't crumble or feel sticky in your throat. The custard filling looked a bit overbaked on the surface, but it was still smooth and creamy inside. The milk and egg flavors were qualified, and it was not too sweet. While not particularly amazing, it definitely deserved 4 stars, especially for a Cantonese person like me who hasn't had egg tarts in a long time. Hongkongese Egg Tart蛋撻: The crust is the same as the Portuguese egg tart, but the custard filling seems a bit more diluted, with a lighter milk flavor and a stronger egg flavor. People who aren't used to it might find it a bit eggy. I still prefer the former. Custard Bread奶黃包: Recommended by the owner, and it was definitely the best thing there! I ate it the next morning, but the bread was still soft, and the crust wasn't dry. The custard filling was generous, sweet, creamy, moist, and had a slightly grainy texture. Sausage Bread腸仔包: The seasoning was quite interesting, with a hint of wasabi (?). However, the sausage itself was just average, with a slightly starchy texture. Breads generally cost $2-4 each, and here four items were only $8+, enough to last me all day Important Reminder: Cash only for orders of $10 or less.

Awesome cafe & bakery with a great selection of mooncakes, pastries like egg tarts and other…read moredelicacies. Located right in the center of Boston Chinatown. Nice service and cozy interior where there are sometimes lines but it moves pretty fast. Check it out!

Cafe Corner on Harrison

Outside

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Tora Japanese Restaurant

4.4(941 reviews)

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Came to Boston for a work trip and really wanted to eat something light and healthier. I loved it…read moreso much I came back twice! I came during lunchtime on a Monday. It was adequately busy but still had seats open. The lunch menu is very affordable! If you can, I'd highly recommend going for lunch instead of dinner. Service was really quick! Received my meal in like 5-7 mins after ordering. Fish was super fresh and I really liked the different textures in the Hoseki Don. I also added in negitoro. They gave me a big clump of it! The second time I went back, I ordered take out so I could eat it at the airport for dinner. I ordered the Sake Maguro Hamachi don, added ikura and negitoro. Again, so impressed with the quality of the fish and the size of it. They didn't skimp out and really enjoyed the thickness of the sashimi despite it only being 3 pieces. It was a very satiating bowl. Cant wait to come back next time again!

absolutely adore tora! one of the few places i'd always recommend in boston! fish quality is pretty…read moregood and they have a good variety on the menu! i'd recommend the aburi waygu don but also something more interesting is the kani-yaki tama don however that's a bit more if u like imitation crab! resturant inside is pretty casual and service once seated is usually good and quick however resturant itself is very small so wait times on weekends are ALWAYS long but again it's a given for how popular the resturant is! (p.s. i've been here soooo many times times so i'd also say quality has always been consistent)

Inside!

K11. Sake Maguro Hamachi Don

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Caterpillar Maki

Tea Do - Boston

3.9(766 reviews)

This is my favorite boba spot in Chinatown While you do…read morehave to navigate uneven broken steps to get to it, the boba is fresh, the drinks are great. I have tried other spots and always come back to tea do.

Got the most basic thing, a black milk tea with boba. It was pretty solid, thought the milk felt a…read morelittle watery. I enjoy that they have Jenga games!

Inside

*.Fresh Avocado Smoothie & *.Oolong Milk Tea

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*.Juliet and *.Tropical Twister (both Large, less sugar and less ice adding boba)

Taiwan Bakery

4.0(36 reviews)

4.8 mi•Chinatown

Wife cakes were delicious! So happy to see this bakery doing well and bread options are priced…read morereasonably. great Also bought a plain loaf of white bread to make Taiwanese breakfast sandwiches at home and it was perfect.

I just stumbled into Taiwan Bakery while strolling through Boston's Chinatown. I wasn't hungry, but…read moreI got hungry looking at their displays! They have wonderful looking pastries in their windows and they surely attracted me! They have various pastries that I didn't see in other bakeries in our LA's Chinatown or the San Francisco one. So that's a plus. Nice pork buns, egg tarts, moon cakes. Decent prices, nice service. It wasn't crowded when we shopped here, but there were other friendly foodies also amazed by their wonderful selection! If you're in the area, this is a great bakery to check out!

Sticky Rice Dumplings

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Cafe Darq

4.2(129 reviews)

4.8 mi•Chinatown

Very cute place with an immense menu that makes you a little cautious but don't be because…read moreeverything here is great!! I got a salted caramel Vietnamese coffee and it was sooooo good!! I will definitely be getting it iced next time because if it's this good hot, then gotta be great iced!!! Service is very nice and the inside is super cute and very cozy. They also have WiFi!

Pretty cafe. Good amount of seating for a bubble tea place. You can get your drink and grab a seat…read moreat a table or the high top seating at the window. I got a Thai iced tea with light ice. They mention sugar levels on their menu so I asked for 75% but they only add condensed milk to the Thai tea, no sugar. So the only way to reduce it would be with less condensed milk. It still was quite sweet, and in fact had an artificial taste? I can't pinpoint why but it wouldn't rank in my top favorites. Disappointing. I'd be open to trying another tea next time if I'm in the area but given that there are SO many bubble tea shops here that it's unlikely I'll be back.

Interior

Smoked Salmon Banh Mi w/ Truffle Aioli

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Vietnamese Iced Coffee

Top Bread

3.8(151 reviews)

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I'm quite curious about the relationship between the three bakeries in Chinatown…read more(Corner/Top/Taiwan). Although their names seem to have nothing to do with each other, they share paper bags and some products. Are they sister shops run by the same team? Egg Tart蛋撻: Since there was no insulated box, it was cold, which is a shame compared to Corner Cafe. The egg and milk aromas were masked, but there was a slight eggy smell. Portuguese Egg Tart葡撻: Although it was also cold, I preferred the baking. It had a thin crust, and the filling was still smooth and delicate, with a richer egg, milk, and sweet flavor. Butter Bun奶香包: The best product, but I forgot to take a picture... I unexpectedly encountered "Little Swell bread微波麵包," something that has disappeared in China for a long time. It was exactly the soft and moist texture I remembered, and the milk, butter, and salt flavors were even stronger.

The custard pies for 1 are my absolute favorite!! All their baked goods are delicious!read more