A staple in the Pasadena community. Vrej Pastry has been here for as long as I can remember. A small, quaint shop where you can smell the fresh baked goods as soon as you approach the door. To this day, they have the best k'nefeh, maamoul, manaeesh & cheese boregs I've ever had. Everything else is amazing as well. I'd rather come here over Panos Pastry or Sarkis Pastry any day! Totally worth the 20 minute freeway ride from my house! read more

After years of patronage, I am done giving them my business. They always serve their kind first regardless of your place in line. Today I went wearing a mask and respecting social distancing. They served 4 other people before me because they spoke their language. 2 older ladies clearly cut in front of me without wearing a mask and they got helped before I did. Both attendants saw me when I came in and clearly ignored me. I am not asking for privilege just for me and my patronage to be treated with respect. At first I excused their behavior as isolated, it is not, it is the norm. After 2 decades of patronage I am done giving them my business. read more

On a recent trip to So. California, I was in pursuit of the best Knefeh; middle-eastern cheese desert with knefeh dough. My pursuit included both orange and LA counties. Searching Yelp yielded potential winners, so off I go. Started at Knafeh Cafe in Anaheim, overrated and expected a lot more based on ratings. Next on the list was Kunafa King inside Fresh Choice Market, there was just one little piece left and it looked pretty old perhaps from the morning. I asked for a sample and the lady behind the counter did so happily. Unfortunately, the flavor was not what I expected perhaps due to being old , I'll give it another try next time for proper evaluation. Pasadena was next on my list with couple of good rated bakeries, Sarkis and Vrej. I tried Sarkis first and it was good definitely better than the previous two. Last but not least was Vrej. The knefeh is hands down the best I've tasted in CA. The owner was helpful and pleasant to deal with. They sell it with Kaek or without. The portion is generous with perfect balance between the cheese and the knefeh. I would request light syrup as the knefeh is already sweetened( you can always add more if you want to. The search is over and Vrej is hands down the place for kenefeh. I tried some of their sliced cakes and they are meh to say the least. read more

Vrej Pastry - Half eaten delicious Knafeh - Bakeries Near Me - Pasadena, California

I was craving a nice pastry and decided to try this place. I ordered an assortment of pastries and brought them home for the family to try. Unfortunately, nothing blew my mind. And the pastries tasted like they had been out all day :( I even ordered the coffee cake because of the reviews and that was so dry! It looks like I'll have to keep making the drive to Porto's read more

I went to Vrej Bakery on the recommendation of Eden Garden Bar and Grill in Pasadena. I had a birthday party to host and my cake people had bailed on me. With one week to go, I was really quite desperate for a cake. None of the bakeries I approached were able to make a three-tier fondant cake with a one-week lead time. My event had a black and white theme and so my cake was white with black rope beading around the bottom of each layer, had musical notes around the bottom layer, had one ribbon on each layer, and the name of my birthday celebrant on the top layer. So off I went to Vrej Bakery. The owner and her daughter were very nice and accommodating. I was excited that they could make my cake and do it within my budget. I paid in full plus a $50 deposit for the cake stand. The day of the event, the cake was made as promised. Everyone who ate it loved the fluffy moistness of the cake and the subtle taste of the mocha and walnut filling. The fondant icing had perfect sweetness. Overall I was satisfied with the quality, considering it was all ordered at the last minute. The only reason I am not giving this bakery five stars is that the actual execution of the cake (the way it looked) appeared somewhat amateurish to me. It did not have the finesse I expected of a professionally-made cake. The black color was washed out. I wanted a blacker black. The black came out blueish and almost gray. The beading around the bottom of each layer were uneven and large. My aunt thought they were olives. The musical notes were uneven in size and shape. Little details like that just did not look finished up close. Good thing was that I kept the cake far away from the guests. So hopefully no one noticed the details that just did not sit well with me. So, in short, if you need a yummy cake with a short lead time, go here and you will not be disappointed. However, if your cake has intricate details, do not expect a perfect-looking cake. read more

Went for the Kunafeh. It is very good, albiet too sweet for me. Perhaps if I were in my 20's not my 50's. Glad I tried it though. Friendy staff and clean shop. Will return again for some of their other goodies. read more

I absolutely love this bakery! I had ordered this version of a cake previously (6-7yrs ago) and as I am describing the cake the lady remembers and totally nailed it! Their cakes are always super moist, fresh and very reasonably priced. The ladies there are always very friendly and make me feel like I'm part of their family. They have a large selection of pastries and ready to go cakes. My favorite is the chocolate cake with chocolate mousse. My go to bakery in town. read more

Vrej Pastry - My daughters birthday cake - Bakeries Near Me - Pasadena, California

See all

OMG YES. I would drive all the way down to Pasadena from the IE for their stuff. I personally like their selection of baklava. It's probably the best one I've tried yet. read more

In my opinion, knafeh (when done right), is arguably the greatest thing that ever came out of the Arab world (aside from Abdel Halim Hafez). And I can honestly say that this place has some of the best knafeh you could find. I'd never tried it inside the bread before and I was pretty skeptical at first, but when I took the first bite, I was in love. I highly recommend you come earlier in the day so you can get it freshly made. It's absolutely delicious, has the perfect amount of cheese and attar, and very filling! read more

I ordered a cake and cookies very last minute and they made them on time. And they looked EXACTLY like how I wanted them to! Thank you so much! They were perfect for my baby girls baptism read more

Vrej Pastry - Bakeries Near Me - Pasadena, California

See all

Pasadena's own. Original Armenian desserts. Grew up on this stuff. Good honest people and quality you can trust. We got family driving far to come back and get a taste of home. Thank you Vrej Pastry for always being there for our family. God bless this business. Jesus is Love. read more

One of my favorite bakeries ever! My family and I love their pastries, especially the cookies! Recently bought a tiramisu for Father's Day, it was DELICIOUS! read more

Second time purchasing old pastry from here, when it happened the first time I was disappointed, now that it happened the second time I will never go there again! How embarrassing when you purchase a pastry that is so hard your fork won't go through it!! read more

i've been coming here for years....although i have moved out of the area...i find any excuse to go to Pasadena to stop by and get my Vrej Pastry fix..... read more

worst service i have ever had and also the first time i have ever gotten yelled at for only wanting to spend $600

Rocking little bakery in Pasadena. Everything looks great and smells great. I tried the kunafa and it was good but the bread was a bit rubbery! I still loved it. read more

We went to get some knaffee, baklava, We purchase a try of kneffee and baklava! We ask the lady if the baklava are fresh and she said yes ofcourse and I'll get you fresher from the kitchen! When we get home the baklava was dry and no flavor and old... Very disappointed at least don't lie to us read more

Omg!! This place is the best! They have the freshest sweets. When you walk in you and get a whiff of the delicious pastries cook! Boy, that is LIFE!! I usually go to the bakery in the Valley, but when I come to visit my parents on weekends, I go to the one on Allen. My dad and I have made it Sunday morning tradition to get the yummy sweet breakfast sandwich with the best cheese and sweet dough on tasty sesame bread with just a splash of syrup (drool!) By far the best Daddy/daughter time I could ask for: walking home from the bakery as we munch on that yummy kenaffe sandwich. I encourage you all! You should all go here (or if you're in the Valley go there too!!) The entire staff is so friendly and they always let me taste the cookies (always go home with a horse shoe). Love! Love! Love! My mom also loves their baklava. She takes it to all her friends when she goes to coffee hour at the local community center. So after I posted this (2 seconds ago :P), I noticed that their was a picture of the sandwich when you pull up their Yelp. If you ever go, that's what I'm talking about and that s*** is the greatest sandwich anyone has ever made! This thing is EPIC! read more

I absolutely love this place... The croissants are pretty darn close to a french village. There are also many unique items westerners have never tried...try some of the karabish! read more

We have order cakes and purchase a different type of pastries for about 15 years., place it's clean and also very timely matter they handle their deliveries or your pick up orders please sto by I highly recommend. Also their recipes are delicious spot clean just great all together read more

I am a convert. My recent experience with Vrej was beyond positive. I ordered two full sized sheet cakes which were 1) delicious 2) reasonably priced and 3) absolutely beautiful. In additon, we ordered 6 dozen croissants of varying flavors (try the zatar!) and a whole bunch of cookies. I had had knefe from Vrej before, but this was my first time with a big order. Everything was delicious. The service was fantastic - friendly, helpful and so very kind. Lucy was wonderful to work with. Stop by and try some pastries. You won't be disappointed. This is my new bakery of choice. read more

I ordered their cream puff turkey online for a friend in New York and paid thru Paypal and even got an order confirmation. Found out later that they could not deliver the order and they promised to give a credit. The lady even apologised about the error in their website that guarantees delivery to every state in USA. Well, I got my credit card statement and found out that I still got charged for the item although the lady had promised that the item was cancelled. Totally bad customer service. Don't order any thing online from their website because you will be getting ripped off. By the way, even if you go visit the store, the customer service is lousy. Give your business to some other bakery as these people don't deserve it. b read more

Terrible customer service. When I called to let them know that the karabig (cookies) got rotten after a week. The lady who anserwed me insulted me by saying "shame on you for hiding cooki". The owner called me after he saw my first review and I explained to him the situation he gave me an excuse that the lady doesn't speak English or Arabic.. then why does she answer the phone and insult customers. I must say that the person who called me was professional and offered to treat us if we go again, but he removed his polite response on yelp and he is calling me a liar here. Well if you don't put preservatives in your cookies, then tell your customer who are buying big quantities to freeze the rest. Again, it is bad customer services. read more

On the box, it's said "The king of pastries." Mmmmm, no! That's an exaggeration. First, they need to work on their customer service. The lady who checked me out was rude. She kept asking how many pieces in total I needed. I didn't know. I was in the process of selecting pastries so because of her I got less than I intended to buy. Give the customer time to make her mind. It's not like it was super busy there. I was the only customer in their shop! Second, I had to go through all that drama just for some mediocre pastries. I've tasted better in other places. Last, I found short black hair stuck inside the chocolate on top of my eclair. Gross! Never coming back there again. read more

My favorite middle eastern pastry shop. They make the most delicious cakes and the most amazing baklava

A co-worker suggested that I try out the Kunefe at Vrej Pastry. When I got there on a Saturday morning, a fresh batch had just come out of the oven and was cooling by the register---my good luck. After explaining that I wanted to try the Kunefe as traditional as could be, the people working there warmed up a bit and were helpful. After it had been placed in a sesame-seed bun, a bit of syrup was spritzed on it. I ate one of them outside (to enjoy it fresh) and the other the next day. I had no idea how rich and filling it would be and wasn't hungry for the rest of the day! The next day I enjoyed the second one even more than the first (I prefer my food at room temp). Will I go back? You bet. At $4 each, I thought that the Kunefe was a good deal. read more

You have to try their honey cakes!! If you don't see it in the front, ask for it, they sometimes have some in the back! Everyone I've introduced the Honey Cake from Vrej has absolutely LOVED it! Overall their service is good, they open early and close late (9pm). read more

I decided to try some of their flakey pastries today and they were so good. I was amazed that Vrej Pastry was able to back my niece's birthday cake in such a short turnaround time. I was originally going to order the cake at Take the Cakes but they needed a 2 week notice and told me to check out Vrej. I was really glad that I did because I ordered the cake on a Tuesday and paid in full. I needed the cake by Sunday noon, and they finished it without a problem. The employees were very friendly and accommodating towards me. When I told them that I needed to order a custom birthday cake for a kid, they gave me a tablet to search through some designs. I really like the Hello Kitty cake design and told me to make it entirely pink. They also happened to have a light-up Hello Kitty topper when I was there. Their price was very reasonable too. Vrej baked the cake exactly to what I specified. I was so amazed. I ordered a 10 inch white cake with raspberry cream filling and a sugar fondant outer layer. When I brought the cake to my niece's birthday party, the cake was an instant hit with the kids and their parents. I had a whole mob of moms waiting to devour the cake as soon as I was cutting out slices. Everyone loved it! read more

Vrej Pastry - Sugar fondant child's birthday cake made of white cake and raspberry cream filling done in the style of Hello Kitty - Bakeries Near Me - Pasadena, California

I'm not a sweets person, but them things are pretty. They taste pretty good too. When I first walked in, it was empty, I looked around and someone came in and said "can I help you", she is a ninja. She was very friendly and helpful. I bought a fruit tart for a friend's bday, and everyone loved it. read more

I have loved everything I have had at this place. Great baklava, macaroons, and fruit tarts. Also has really nice people working there too. Give it a try if you are in the area. read more

I have been a customer here for many years. I have ordered all kinds of items for many parties. The last will probably be the end of my patronage. I went in to order a LOT of cookies. I asked to sample a few, and pay for them, to make my decision. The blonde haired blue eyed woman gave me some cookies, NOT the ones I asked for. She then left me while she helped several other clients. In my opinion that was poor customer service. I told her how many people I needed to feed, and that I was not worried about cost. I picked 4 types of cookies. She left the room. ????? She came back. I placed the order, paid and left. When I came back to pick up the order, The cookies were cold. I couldn't figure out why. I thought they would be fresh. Wrong, obviously. The amount of cookies I got was very small. WAY less than I would imagine for what I paid. WAY LESS. I had to go home and make more. For half of the amount they gave me, It cost me about 1/10th of what they charged me. The cookies were dry and the flavors were only okay. I am so disappointed. Poor customer service High prices low quality Never again. read more

A coworker of mine knows the owners of this place and at least once a week she'll bring in some sort of pastry goodness from here. I've started stopping in every once in a while myself, and when I bring cakes or pastries to a party, they're always a hit. I know that there are more than just a few Armenian bakeries in the area, but this seems to be the one I always go to. They have a lot of variety and pretty good prices. The people who work here are also very friendly and helpful. read more

Oh my lord, their deep fried honey ball things (awanat) are from heaven. Golden textural wonders crisp on the outside then bursting with honey with a teeny touch of rose water. Order at least a full pound else you'll find yourself making a second trip back (for me it was during the drive home). I always see people ordering giant trays of baklava but I don't know if I'm ready for that kind of addiction. For the sake of my thighs, I try to forget this bakery exists. read more

A coworker of mine brought in baklava from here and swore it's the best in town. I tried and would have to agree! It was delicious, fresh, amazing. If I'm in the area, I will definitely love to stop by and try some other treats. Nom! read more

Very delicious pastries anytime I go to Pasadena I will definitely visit them good customer service and quality food

Wow, this bakery blew me away with the knafe sandwich. Soooo delicious.... Definitely going back to try more! read more

I love Verj Pastry but i have to say that i don't like where they always have there kenefe on the counter right by the cash register. Also i don't like the fact that customers stand right over it and talk over it not knowing that they might accidentally spit on it. I strongly recommend they find a better spot for it. I stopped eating that because of where it is. Hopefully they make these changes.. read more

I decided to stop in on a whim to buy some sweets. I bought 3 individual cake slices for my family. When we ate them, they were horribly dry and crumbly. I was so disappointed. They looked fabulous in the case....they were probably sitting in the case for days. read more

They deserve 10 stars. I ordered a cake and gave them the photo of exactly what i wanted. They made a duplicate!!! I am very impressed and satisfied. Thank u soooo much vrej pastry. U made us all very happy!!! read more

This is a wonderful little bakery with outstanding Baklava and customer service!