Had to try the croissant after reading the Chronicle article and I must say it was pretty solid! Flaky outside, chewy inside, and warm! Count me in for a round two! Also got the almond cake and various mochi bites. Must try!
Connie C.
I finally got to try Bake Sum! The bakery was a lot smaller than I thought it would be. Because of the small standing room, it was sort of hard to tell who was waiting on their order and who was still in line. They also offer few gift items along the wall, including Taiwanese chocolates, matcha powder, greeting cards, and cute shopping bags just to name a few that I saw. There is no seating, but luckily Lake Merritt is close by, and the perfect spot for a picnic. On a Saturday you might also finding seat at the Farmer's Market a block away. We tried the jasmine milk bun, pandan milk bun, ube cookie, and a coffee. It was around 11:30am on a Saturday and they were already low on inventory (when I got to the front I hear them say they JUST ran out of sesame cookies and I ordered one of the last jasmine milk buns). Of everything I tried I liked the jasmine milk bun the most, it was quite fragrant (just the way I like my jasmine flavored things)! These milk buns reminded me of my favorite melon milk buns that I had in Japan. I have no idea if they make them here...but that would be a dream to have that right here in the neighborhood! I will definitely plan on coming earlier next time so I have more of a selection to choose from.
Tiffany L.
I've been here twice on two separate visits to the Bay Area and this place is now on my must go-to places whenever I'm in the area. The fusion pastries are so unique and well executed. I feel like fusion these days is very hard to pull off - the idea is great but making it work is the hard part. The bakers here manage to do that. The okonomiyaki danish, loco moco danish, and croissubi (croissant-spam musubi) really capture the flavors behind the original Asian dish but elegantly recreated into a European pastry. I've had several of their mochi bites as well and they're all very chewy. They know how to really bring out the key flavors in their pastries, so you can expect each one to taste exactly how you remember it. I follow them on Instagram and see that they're always experimenting with new flavors, so it's definitely worth keeping an eye out on what new pastry they'll put out next.
Bethanie-grace V.
Pre-ordered about a week ahead online for Saturday, 10am pick up. Came around 9:30am on Easter Sunday and was able to pick up my order with ease. Line was short when we got there which was good as we were anticipating a longer line. Outside is cute and they have a few tables and chairs for customers. Inside is small and has a cute interior as well. Parking was not an issue for us as there is a good amount of street parking on this side of Grand where the storefront is. We ordered the Bake Sum Box ($38) which is nice if you want to try an array of their specials. This box included: Pandan Milk Bun: 6/10. The exterior had a nice texture, a sweet light crunch, and filled with a pandan cream which was light and not overpowering with pandan. Wasn't bad but just wasn't anything amazing. Strawberry Matcha Croissant Bun: 6/10. The croissant bun was flaky on the outside and buttery! I really enjoyed the exterior but I didn't get much strawberry from the filling though. I will say that the matcha was not overpowering which was nice though. Sometimes matcha items can be a miss for me but this one had a nice balance. Garlic Cheesy Pull-Apart: 8/10! Our favorite from the box! The exterior was crispy from the cheese, soft on the inside and full of flavor! Green Onion Croissant: 7/10. Good on the green onion flavor but a little heavy on the sesame seeds. The texture was nice - flaky on the outside and soft on the inside. Almond Cake: 6/10. Classic almond cake - can definitely taste the almond flavor and the cake was very moist. Mochi bites: 5/10. Jasmine Tea, Lilkoi, Lychee and Brown Butter. The exterior was kinda hard, but the inside was the classic butter mochi texture. The Jasmine Tea was the most unique, lychee was more on the floral side, brown butter was a classic taste, and the Lilkoi was slightly sweet. We also got an order of their cookies ($12) on the side: - Cocobae 8/10. I love ube and coconut so this was a hit for me! - Chocolate Chunk w/ maldon salt 6/10. A good classic chocolate chip cookie with salt on top. - Black sesame snickerdoodle. 6/10. Not bad but not amazing. It reminded me of the sesame honey candies I used to eat as a kid. Overall, the concept is unique and the flavors were good but nothing special that stood out to me.
Joshua M.
The pink branding has been a telltale sign of a good baked good shop and this establishment continues to uphold this trend. Very cool staff and casual spot for a weekend morning with friends or even a nice date spot to stock up on carbs before a walk around the lake. The pastries are very good here, creative new finds and great iterations of the classics.
David L.
Hours are wrong They close at 2 Hours are wrong They close at 2 Will try again. Sounds good ( I see they corrected this )
Matt G.
Service was great. She was incredibly nice and got to me in no time. It seemed a bit slim pickens regarding selection and unfortunately out of the chocolate chip cookie. But holy gah-damn, the pull-apart cheesy bread was amazing. Surprised me with full garlic cloves inside (chose to eat one with a bite) and it was one of the best savory baked goods I've had in awhile. I'll definitely be back and hoping to get more options (prob won't go on a mid-morning Saturday next time ;-)
Carina L.
Everything here is delicious. Never fails. On the day I went into labor, I bought a box of mochi treats, the banana chocolate croissant, and a black sesame/kumquat bun. Everything was so bomb. I recently ordered a cake for $60. It was pretty small so I considered it expensive. But I splurged for the special occasion.
Gina M.
I'm obsessed! In the beginning I thought they were only a pre order bakery, but learned they talk walk-ins! Everyone was so nice and it wasn't a long wait at all. I ordered a vanilla latte and the more than delicious strawberry matcha bun. I was not expecting the surprise inside. I shared it with some friends and they were also in love with it. Also the latte was the best I've had in a while. 10/10 experience for sure.
Ronen Bordoloi
Absolutely fantastic bakery. Asian flavor inspired baked goods (yuzu, matcha, lilikoi etc). Everything is good here you can’t go wrong.
I work the night shift, so I stopped by after work right when they open. The two times I stopped by, the "cruffin"-like buns were not ready at opening, but like 20ish minutes later. So if you're most interested in those, I would recommend coming a little after opening. The workers have always been really nice every time I've come. I love that they have an assortment of Asian flavors and that they rotate monthly, so there's always something different/interesting to try.
Emily F.
Stumbled upon the bakery while roaming a bit of Oakland. I'd heard of the bakery but never been. I tried the Croissubi and strawberry matcha bun. I actually didn't eat either right away bc I was so full from brunch out but was still good the next day. Everything was pretty and colorful. Inside was cute and the short line moved quick. I appreciate how they boxed up the bun to not get smushed. Flavor was good and came thru for both. Texture was also light and flaky. It was nice to see some unique bakery items and were delicious.
Grayson E.
Very cute bakery on Grand Ave, close to the theater. Our favorites include the okonomiyaki danish, and the mochi bites. Best to get the goods early in the day, as they quickly sell out, especially of popular pastries. Don't forget to add their chocolate chip cookie to your pink box, it's pretty darn good with healthy ratio of chips plus sea salt to balance the flavors. Staff are friendly and competent. Cannot speak to their beverage menu, but their pastries are worth crossing the bridge for.
Amy L.
One of my favorite bakeries in Oakland area. They serve Asian inspired pastries that are to die for. Some of my favorite things I've tried are their: - Spam Musubi Danish - Galbijjim Danish - Indian Aloo Danish - Scallion Croissant - All their cream puffs & cookies The flavors are pretty unique and they taste so much like the dish it's made after. Their danishes are their best thing in my opinion (regardless of flavor) - the dough is super flaky and buttery. The coffee here is alright -- not terrible but not something to rave about. Definitely all about the pastries. They do sell out so definitely recommend going in the morning. Some would consider this place pricey but I think it's worth it for how good it is.
Had to try the croissant after reading the Chronicle article and I must say it was pretty solid! Flaky outside, chewy inside, and warm! Count me in for a round two! Also got the almond cake and various mochi bites. Must try!
I finally got to try Bake Sum! The bakery was a lot smaller than I thought it would be. Because of the small standing room, it was sort of hard to tell who was waiting on their order and who was still in line. They also offer few gift items along the wall, including Taiwanese chocolates, matcha powder, greeting cards, and cute shopping bags just to name a few that I saw. There is no seating, but luckily Lake Merritt is close by, and the perfect spot for a picnic. On a Saturday you might also finding seat at the Farmer's Market a block away. We tried the jasmine milk bun, pandan milk bun, ube cookie, and a coffee. It was around 11:30am on a Saturday and they were already low on inventory (when I got to the front I hear them say they JUST ran out of sesame cookies and I ordered one of the last jasmine milk buns). Of everything I tried I liked the jasmine milk bun the most, it was quite fragrant (just the way I like my jasmine flavored things)! These milk buns reminded me of my favorite melon milk buns that I had in Japan. I have no idea if they make them here...but that would be a dream to have that right here in the neighborhood! I will definitely plan on coming earlier next time so I have more of a selection to choose from.
I've been here twice on two separate visits to the Bay Area and this place is now on my must go-to places whenever I'm in the area. The fusion pastries are so unique and well executed. I feel like fusion these days is very hard to pull off - the idea is great but making it work is the hard part. The bakers here manage to do that. The okonomiyaki danish, loco moco danish, and croissubi (croissant-spam musubi) really capture the flavors behind the original Asian dish but elegantly recreated into a European pastry. I've had several of their mochi bites as well and they're all very chewy. They know how to really bring out the key flavors in their pastries, so you can expect each one to taste exactly how you remember it. I follow them on Instagram and see that they're always experimenting with new flavors, so it's definitely worth keeping an eye out on what new pastry they'll put out next.
Pre-ordered about a week ahead online for Saturday, 10am pick up. Came around 9:30am on Easter Sunday and was able to pick up my order with ease. Line was short when we got there which was good as we were anticipating a longer line. Outside is cute and they have a few tables and chairs for customers. Inside is small and has a cute interior as well. Parking was not an issue for us as there is a good amount of street parking on this side of Grand where the storefront is. We ordered the Bake Sum Box ($38) which is nice if you want to try an array of their specials. This box included: Pandan Milk Bun: 6/10. The exterior had a nice texture, a sweet light crunch, and filled with a pandan cream which was light and not overpowering with pandan. Wasn't bad but just wasn't anything amazing. Strawberry Matcha Croissant Bun: 6/10. The croissant bun was flaky on the outside and buttery! I really enjoyed the exterior but I didn't get much strawberry from the filling though. I will say that the matcha was not overpowering which was nice though. Sometimes matcha items can be a miss for me but this one had a nice balance. Garlic Cheesy Pull-Apart: 8/10! Our favorite from the box! The exterior was crispy from the cheese, soft on the inside and full of flavor! Green Onion Croissant: 7/10. Good on the green onion flavor but a little heavy on the sesame seeds. The texture was nice - flaky on the outside and soft on the inside. Almond Cake: 6/10. Classic almond cake - can definitely taste the almond flavor and the cake was very moist. Mochi bites: 5/10. Jasmine Tea, Lilkoi, Lychee and Brown Butter. The exterior was kinda hard, but the inside was the classic butter mochi texture. The Jasmine Tea was the most unique, lychee was more on the floral side, brown butter was a classic taste, and the Lilkoi was slightly sweet. We also got an order of their cookies ($12) on the side: - Cocobae 8/10. I love ube and coconut so this was a hit for me! - Chocolate Chunk w/ maldon salt 6/10. A good classic chocolate chip cookie with salt on top. - Black sesame snickerdoodle. 6/10. Not bad but not amazing. It reminded me of the sesame honey candies I used to eat as a kid. Overall, the concept is unique and the flavors were good but nothing special that stood out to me.
The pink branding has been a telltale sign of a good baked good shop and this establishment continues to uphold this trend. Very cool staff and casual spot for a weekend morning with friends or even a nice date spot to stock up on carbs before a walk around the lake. The pastries are very good here, creative new finds and great iterations of the classics.
Hours are wrong They close at 2 Hours are wrong They close at 2 Will try again. Sounds good ( I see they corrected this )
Service was great. She was incredibly nice and got to me in no time. It seemed a bit slim pickens regarding selection and unfortunately out of the chocolate chip cookie. But holy gah-damn, the pull-apart cheesy bread was amazing. Surprised me with full garlic cloves inside (chose to eat one with a bite) and it was one of the best savory baked goods I've had in awhile. I'll definitely be back and hoping to get more options (prob won't go on a mid-morning Saturday next time ;-)
Everything here is delicious. Never fails. On the day I went into labor, I bought a box of mochi treats, the banana chocolate croissant, and a black sesame/kumquat bun. Everything was so bomb. I recently ordered a cake for $60. It was pretty small so I considered it expensive. But I splurged for the special occasion.
I'm obsessed! In the beginning I thought they were only a pre order bakery, but learned they talk walk-ins! Everyone was so nice and it wasn't a long wait at all. I ordered a vanilla latte and the more than delicious strawberry matcha bun. I was not expecting the surprise inside. I shared it with some friends and they were also in love with it. Also the latte was the best I've had in a while. 10/10 experience for sure.
Absolutely fantastic bakery. Asian flavor inspired baked goods (yuzu, matcha, lilikoi etc). Everything is good here you can’t go wrong.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Great coffee, even better baked goods.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I work the night shift, so I stopped by after work right when they open. The two times I stopped by, the "cruffin"-like buns were not ready at opening, but like 20ish minutes later. So if you're most interested in those, I would recommend coming a little after opening. The workers have always been really nice every time I've come. I love that they have an assortment of Asian flavors and that they rotate monthly, so there's always something different/interesting to try.
Stumbled upon the bakery while roaming a bit of Oakland. I'd heard of the bakery but never been. I tried the Croissubi and strawberry matcha bun. I actually didn't eat either right away bc I was so full from brunch out but was still good the next day. Everything was pretty and colorful. Inside was cute and the short line moved quick. I appreciate how they boxed up the bun to not get smushed. Flavor was good and came thru for both. Texture was also light and flaky. It was nice to see some unique bakery items and were delicious.
Very cute bakery on Grand Ave, close to the theater. Our favorites include the okonomiyaki danish, and the mochi bites. Best to get the goods early in the day, as they quickly sell out, especially of popular pastries. Don't forget to add their chocolate chip cookie to your pink box, it's pretty darn good with healthy ratio of chips plus sea salt to balance the flavors. Staff are friendly and competent. Cannot speak to their beverage menu, but their pastries are worth crossing the bridge for.
One of my favorite bakeries in Oakland area. They serve Asian inspired pastries that are to die for. Some of my favorite things I've tried are their: - Spam Musubi Danish - Galbijjim Danish - Indian Aloo Danish - Scallion Croissant - All their cream puffs & cookies The flavors are pretty unique and they taste so much like the dish it's made after. Their danishes are their best thing in my opinion (regardless of flavor) - the dough is super flaky and buttery. The coffee here is alright -- not terrible but not something to rave about. Definitely all about the pastries. They do sell out so definitely recommend going in the morning. Some would consider this place pricey but I think it's worth it for how good it is.