Frannie and I were on this block visiting Spike's and Urban Renewals and she spotted this place. I love that Frannie is very observant and adventurous because in all the times I have walked this path, I never noticed this place (maybe was distracted by the tea shop next door). Although it was as good as Frannie says (rice paste concoction was memorable except for the name), I was not as impressed as she was. I thought that the woman behind the counter was a little surly and kept giving us nasty looks when we would ask about the items. I will have to go back, maybe I was just in a mood. read more

Great bakery + Friendly service + Cheap!! Breads/pastries are fresh too! Try- Mochi Red Bean Bread Green Tea Red Bean cake roll (in fridge) Pineapple Bread (just a name, not really pineapple, but really good) Lemon/Orange Tiger Skin soft cake roll (in fridge) Taro Bread all the cake rolls in the fridge are soft and very good. It's not overly sweet. (sounds weird but good)- Minced meat scallion cake Egg salad & corn bread - take your pastries next door, get a tea drink, sit down and enjoy! read more

I wish I had known about this place sooner before I moved away from the Allston neighborhood. It's cash only but such a good gem! Amazing selection. read more

Yi Soon Bakery - a mix of items, my favorite is the red bean bun! - Bakeries Near Me - Allston, Massachusetts

I love this place!! You can never really go wrong with a standard Asian bakery. I bought a hot dog bun and a pork floss bun and I really liked both of them! I also got a sweet potato bun, which I thought was a little bit lacking, but still pretty good. Overall, you really cannot beat the price!! I will definitely be coming back to stock up on pastries next time I'm in Allston and I highly recommend it!!! read more

After spending a lot of time eating Chinese buns in Atlanta, GA, I needed my fix when I moved to Boston. Yi Soon was the first place I ever discovered along those lines, and it's the only one I still return to. I'm not sure what I can say - the breads are perfect. Rich and buttery and... perfect. My favorites are the red bean, the coconut, and the chocolate. Yes, I like sweets. But every time I'm in Allston, I have to stop and grab at least one. The staff is nice, if not overly friendly, and they always help you out the best they can if you have a question. The prices are SO cheap, and it smells wonderful in the shop. If you've ever had a Chinese bun and loved it, give Yi Soon a try. They're great! CASH ONLY!! read more

Yi Soon Bakery - Bakeries Near Me - Allston, Massachusetts

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I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of pastries here! I usually go to Chinatown to get my pastries, but I find that Yi Soon is definitely comparable. Their style here is more on the modern side and I appreciate that they have labels and ingredients listed for everything. I love their sandwiches (the secret ingredient is the pork floss), chocolate mousse cake, and a sponge cake with light cream in the middle and chocolate coating on top. I also like their chocolate tiger-skin swiss roll slices and wish they sold them in a larger size. The only thing I wasn't a huge of was the coconut pudding. I imagined it to be bouncy and marshmallowy, but it's soft pudding squares coated in coconut flakes. The lady at the counter was nice. I spoke Cantonese with her, but I also heard her speak Mandarin and English. read more

Great little bakery. Very traditional no frills establishment which I truly appreciate. Everything is fresh and very well priced my two pastries were $4.50 total. The bean bun was fluffy and the filling was great. The lotus seed cake was something new for me and I ended up really liking the texture. 10/10 read more

Yi Soon Bakery - Lotus seed cake - Bakeries Near Me - Allston, Massachusetts

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I used to enjoy coming here for the taro baos but it just doesn't taste the same. BTW CASH ONLY read more

Yi Soon is one of the only Chinese bakeries in the Brighton/Allston area (maybe the only one?), down the street from the Packard's Corner T stop. It's well lit and seems super clean, and always smells bread-y and delicious. They have a big variety of pastries, all for pretty cheap (around 1.50-3.00 for most, I believe), though they can be hit or miss in terms of taste. I do like their egg tarts a lot, but their wife pastries and coconut buns leave a lot to be desired. I haven't tried Yi Soon's fruit tarts or mango mousses yet but plan on getting both at some point in the future, as both look absolutely delicious. read more

Order ahead of you can the shelves are a bit naked these days. Can't complain though they have the best cake around. Just get there early

Delicious pastries and friendly staff :) this bakery is such a staple of the neighborhood

Not bad for a Chinese bakery. The treats were pretty cheap and it was a nice place to stop in after dinner. read more

Yi Soon Bakery - Chocolate Tiger Roll, Fruit Tart, Tiramisu, Orange Cake - Bakeries Near Me - Allston, Massachusetts

They are a nice little store with some great pastries all packaged and ready to go. The light cheese pastry hit the spot. However, I think my absolute favorite pastries come from bakeries that make items fresh in the back and they are still warm when I buy them. It's always nice to have somewhere like this to go when you don't want to go all the way to Chinatown. read more

I found this small bakery to have a pretty large selection. Their large hot coffee (only 1.50) was freshly brewed and paired well with their baked goods. I found that their buns and pastries were a little more expensive than the ones in chinatown. Each bun is individually sealed for freshness, the chashu bun was full of flavor and fresh! read more

The only real place in Brighton that sells asian pastries. The prices are more expensive and the taste is a little different from the bakeries in Chinatown. I like that each pastry is individually wrapped and that there's a variety of breads and sweets to try out. I tried the red bean mochi bun (flaky outside and mochi/red bean paste inside) and the polo bun. I would recommend trying out the red bean mochi bun if you like something a little sweet. The polo bun is your standard asian bread, which isn't too special. read more

Delicious pastries. Some are better than others. Their sponge cake is hard on top...not my fav. My go to is the red bean mochi bun. Pro tips: go early when they open at 8am for freshly baked and warm pastries. $10 card minimum so bring cash. read more

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Wow.... this is bringing me back to my roots. Okay, Flushing, Queens... but it's definitely great to know that there's a lil shop nearby I can go to without hiking all the way into Chinatown to find a familiar taste of Chinese baked goods. While I was disappointed to find out that they sold out of their egg custards (dan tat), I did find a taro bun (wu tao bao), some almond cookies (the rectangular flakey ones with the almond slices on top, not the circular ones with 1 almond on it), and a slice of Black Forest Cake (you know the spongey kind that's similar to the fruit cakes not too sweet, but just good enough, not an overly sweet and rich chocolate cake like the Americans have it). It was also kinda nice to practice my Cantonese and try to communicate with the owners here. I learned that in Chinese, Black Forest Cake is just called Chocolate cake. Haha! While the shop is a bit small and you don't have a whole lot of choices, I still find it nice to find something that brings me back home once in awhile. Just a Note: NO Credit/Debit Cards - CA$H ONLY! Plan ahead. read more

Delicious cozy Taiwanese bakery in Allston! Loved the taro bun, pineapple bun, wives pastry and plenty of other pastries. High quality, super cheap, and friendly service. The toast loaves look gorgeous and are a steal for $3.50. Gorgeous fruit mousse cakes, cake rolls and other assorted cakes. Will be back for their red bean buns, coconut buns, egg tart and more taro! Highly recommend, prefer over Chinatown bakeries. read more

While I grew up on Cantonese pastries--most of which are greasy, fried, or otherwise heavy and rich--I can appreciate the light and subtly sweet Taiwanese pastries that Yi Soon turns out daily. They are packaged prettily, just waiting for you to stop in and take them home. Perfect for midday snacking or as a breakfast treat with a cup of green tea. I've tried a couple of the savory buns, but I prefer the sweet buns and red bean loaf. My favorite is this one little dome-shaped red bean pastry wrapped around a preserved egg yolk and encased in the flakiest dough crust. The egg may be an acquired taste, but it's so cute and yummy! The tiger skin chocolate cake is really pretty but it has a lighter cocoa taste compared to Western-style chocolate cakes. I like that the bakery is open until quite late, meaning I can get a quick pastry fix anytime that I'm in the area. And extra bonus points for being located in Allston, so I don't have to trek to Chinatown! read more

Ah, Yi Soon, you gave me so many good memories during my two years stay in Boston. This was absolutely my favorite bakery in Allston and it was always a joy to come here to pick out my favorites buns. Buns I loved: 1. Shredded pork and scallion rolls: These were huge buns (sold for $2.xx each). The bread was very soft and the combination of scallions, creamy sauce, and shredded pork tasted very savory! 2. Mochi red bean buns: delicious! A commonly seen Asian bun that is soft, filled with red beans and mochi. The spiral design on the top of the crust was really cool too, hehe. 3. Custard pastry: omg, so good!! It's a must try for sure; crispy choux pastries filled with creamy light custard. I could pop these babies in my mouth all day...but sadly, they don't last very long before they turn sour. Overall, this is a nice and clean bakery with a good variety of breads and buns. Their prices are fair and the ladies behind the counter are so friendly. read more

A couple months ago, Yi Soon had this totally out of control pastry concoction that consisted of a taro flavored bun, stuffed with a taro flavored crepe, filled with sweet taro filling. Mama LOVES her taro, so this was like a dream come true. Sadly, I haven't seen it since. Still, it's a decent place to run in and grab a few Taiwanese pastry items. The prices aren't cheap, but they're manageable, and it tastes like home. ******************* UPDATE: 04/06/2008 My hunny and I bought a mini taro cake from Yi Soon the other day and it was AWESOME. It's the tiny purple cake on the top shelf that they don't sell individual slices of. Get it only if (1) you love yourself some taro, and (2) you're okay with the fact that Taiwanese cakes don't have very much sugar in them. read more

So I can't believe its taken me this long to figure out the name of this bakery that I frequently visit. Every time I go there I come home loaded with things. I discovered this place while accompanying a friend to Infusions for her bubble tea cravings. Everything looks so delicious there, I can never decide what I want. So I have two options - either don't buy anything or buy the entire store down. Thankfully, I choose the latter. My favorites are the chocolate cookies, cream puff, egg bun and the coconut bun. Omg, I love them. You know what else is good? Their prices!! They are so reasonable you'd think you're robbing them :) Also, the staff is very friendly and will recommend willingly. Do me a favor, go check it out while I go back to munching on my cookies.. read more

Open until 10!! The best bakery to sneak in a late night snack. My boyfriend love the coconut tarts and I devoured the tiger skin cake. So lovely. Love the packaging.. Would be interesting to bring home for the holidays!!! Will definitely go back. read more

Yum yum yum! Yi Soon is my favorite Asian style bakery in Boston. They have a good variety of Taiwanese style breads, and they also make roll cakes (shout out to the tiger roll-coffee cake) and birthday cakes (which we've used several times). I think the general consensus favorite is the red bean bun (stays soft especially since it's individually wrapped) but keep your eyes out for the red bean mochi (crunchy outside, ridiculously chewy inside) and my favorite, the curry beef and BBQ buns #savory. read more

I checked this place out after all the rave reviews on yelp, but I was a little bit disappointed. True, they have quite a selection, but I found some of their pastries to be just mediocre. I bought an egg salad bun and also curry bun, and a loaf of wheat toast. The egg salad bun was mostly bread and very little egg salad, which was pretty bland. The curry bun had adequate filling, however, the curry flavour was off. It just didnt taste right. The bread used for the buns were just way to sweet and buttery for my taste. The wheat bread is OK, but nothing spectacular. The only thing that i have tried so far that I can rave about is the white bread loaf, it is fresh and just right in the content of butter. Perhaps I need to try the coconut bun that everyone has been raving about. read more

This place rocks. Their baked goods are to die for and are dirt cheap (no more than $2 a piece). Pro tips: - This place is cash only, so come prepared - Avoid anything in the refrigerator - Stock up on anything with pork floss, mochi, and coconut read more

I just wanted to mention one lesser known treasure of Yi Soon since I didn't see it mentioned in the previous reviews. They sell Chinese sticky rice thingy (the real deal - pyramid shaped and banana leaf wrapped) but they only bring them out every Friday. And they are all usually out by the end of Saturday. I miss living in Allston for easy access to Yi Soon. Now that I don't live there any more, I suppose I can share... read more

The stereotypical Chinese bakery - no frills hearty pastries, decent bread, yucky cakes. (Seriously, who goes to Chinese bakeries to buy stuff out of the fridge?) As long as you remember those guidelines, your experiences in most Chinese bakeries should be memorable. Yi Soon is no exception. If you ignore the fridge, everything else sitting on the shelves shouldn't disappoint you. My personal favourite is the taro and butter bun (the clam shaped one). The boyfriend always gravitates towards the pork floss & scallion bun. We got a loaf of white bread here once, and it was ok. Not great, but not bad either. Also... every weekend they sell zhang (zong to Mandarin speakers). COME ONNN. read more

Cheap and DELICIOUS. Lots of different pieces of cake and buns to choose from and they are all around $1-2 or less. They also have very nicely decorated whole cakes. Very fresh, high quality cakes and best of all you don't have to go all the way to Chinatown. I LOVE the green tea cake. It's not too sweet and you can really taste the tea flavor. My roommate buys stuff for breakfast here :) read more

Everything is made with milk or eggs- not vegan friendly. Not that I expected them to be. Admittedly, I did buy a piece of strawberry cake for the s.o. who thought it was dry, but tasty. All in all cute bakery with pretty non-vegan things. read more

1) Cheap 2) Delicious 3) Fresh 4) Friendly 5) Clean 6) For christs sake, just go there. Really. The taro, red bean, coconut pastries...outta this world. And you are already drunk or sunburned or cold anyway in Allston. Might as well. And a lot fresher and yummier than anything in the Super 88 bakery (I have seen insects hatch from their taro pastry-no joke). They don't take debit/credit cards though. read more

Everytime I'm in the Allston area, I will get my baked fix from here. My favorite is the Green Tea cakes. I don't like the coffee and chocolate ones though. I am also a fan of the hot dog buns and the scallion buns. I haven't had the chance to try the egg custard there, but hopefully I will in the future. The location is great as well because you can get a bubble tea at Infusion Tea Spa right next door to go with your baked goods. read more

This place is just so cute! Not normally a trait I look for in bakeries. Forewarned by yelp, I went armed with cash ready to buy all sorts of MSG loaded goodies. The bean mochi roll is getting a Valentine's Day card from me. That shiz is nomtastic!!! The coconut bun, which i was really excited about, was a huge disappointment. ::Tear:: Cheese and scallion bun thingy was dry and not flavorful AT ALL. I like the cute packaging and the low prices - I will definitely go back for the red bean bun and be careful to avoid the cheese and scallion entrapment. read more

I walk in. I grab a dozen delicious taiwanese pastries reasonably priced from $0.75-$3.00 each. I walk out happy. What more do you want to know? Wife cakes, sun cakes, egg tarts, cheese tarts, meat/scallion buns, taro buns, mochi buns, coconut buns, sponge cakes, cookies. *drool* I would go every day if it were only closer. This place is way better than all the other Chinatown places. Especially the wife cakes. I. love. wife. cakes. As if my life depended on it. I think they're like gigantic versions of the Chia Te brand's. LOVE. I cannot vouch for the service since I seriously just run in and run out. But I guess service is good since I can do that. =] Go. You won't regret it. read more

I'm not a huge fan of eating sweets, but sometimes I have the urge... and this is where I go when I don't want to drive too far. I think these ratings are a bit inflated. Maybe it is because I am used to Cantonese style pastries. The quality and freshness of the pastries is very good. The selection is decent. Also, it seems like they like to experiment with new types of pastries which is a plus in my book. It is family owned so it feels good to support them. read more

Since living in Chinatown has given me quick access to Chinese pastries, I should just stick to Bao Bao Bakery and Eldo, right? However, after just one trip to Yi Soon has made me decide that if I'm ever in the Allston area, it would be a sin not to visit this bakery. I'm madly in love with the tiger skin cakes and the green tea one. Light and fluffy. Nothing too sweet! Reasonably priced and good customer service. My mom thinks their pastries are just like Bao Bao's. Um, I have to say that she's wrong. Compared to Yi Soon, Bao Bao's pastries and customer service is crap. read more

Attention: Cash only! I'm always around allston/brighton so I decided to stop by this bakery due to yelp reviews. I'm a bakery freak and I'm always up for trying new things! I'm use to my China town bakeries, such as Mei Sum and Eldo, but I must say this place isn't to shabby! Out of all of the things I bought (butter rolls, coconut buns, mochi red bean buns, and black forrest cake) the only thing I enjoyed was the mochi red bean bun. The prices are very low, but not as cheap as China town. The cakes on display were very pretty and I def. know where I'm getting my next fruit cake. The coconut bun was good, but nothing compared to Mei sum's, the butter rolls were ok, def. needed a cup of hot ovaltine to do the magic though, and the black forest cake was good, but the weird filling tasted like artifical jam, yuck. The owner/ cashier was very nice and allowed me time to browse and make my selections I will be back to this bakery for the mochi red bean bun and to try one of the pretty cakes on display. read more

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Lots of goodies at this Taiwanese bakery! We sampled a bunch of sweets and baked goods: hot dog in sweet rolls, coconu buns, tiger chocolate cake, tiger green tea cake, 4 different kinds of buns, and much more. Loved it all, and the best part is that it's all cheap. Cash only, so come prepared. Good eats in Allston. read more

I love this bakery! I wish they had more bakeries like this in Boston but I think there isn't a big enough market for them like NYC. It's cheap, fresh and delicious! This is the most authentic Taiwanese baked goods I've had in Boston. Their Scallion + Cheese bun is my favorite! Or just their plan Scallion buns. I love their savory stuff! YUM! This place reminds me of home....stopping by a bakery everyday after school and getting the fresh baked goods right out the oven. Too bad they don't have a big market here or else they would probably have a bigger variety. I think Yi Soon is better than a lot of bakeries in Chinatown. It's moist, soft and flavorful. I wish I lived closer so I can grab one for breakfast everyday! read more

Good quality baked goods. The selection varies depending on the time and day you go. We tried the cream, and taro bun which were good but slightly more expensive than ones you can get from chinatown. But it's the only baked goods we've found in Allston. read more