Favorite Chinatown bakery?

[houdipuffy]

I have a few favorite bakeries on Grand street but I'm wondering if other people have suggestions .

[NancyC]

The best reason to go to Fay Da is the giant "rice balls" in mango or green tea/red bean flavors, usually up by the register. Unless of course, someone has hot tips on other places to buy similar types of fat fresh mogi (Flushing?).

[haleyjen]

Do their buns have onions?

[lutkie]

Tai Pan Bakery has the best buns in my opinion. I also like their tea the best, because it is always hot and really sweet. For angel food cake I love the lung moon bakery...on mott...or mulberry...whatever the block directly west of tai pan is.

[bluehensfan]

Fay Da's Switzerland rolls are my favorite. Wheneve I am in town I pick up a few dozen for at home!

[Produce Addict]

What are the switzerland rolls?

[chocokitty]

I love Double Crispy's egg tarts and Dragon Land's fried sesame ball.
http://wanderingeater.blogspot.com/20...

[Peter Cherches]

This is a specific item suggestion: the lotus seed pie at May May on Pell has been amazing for quite some time (I must have been getting them for 30 years). They're also a good source for a wide variety of sticky rice in lotus leaves.

http://petercherches.blogspot.com

[Produce Addict]

May May's lemon ginger cider ($1/cup) is also delicious, especially if you have a cold (though it could be a touch less sweet)

[christinag123]

I think it's right next to the hardware store. There's a big awning that says Sunlight, directly next door to the Golden Wagon/orange awning bakery. They have a main bakery shop and a little side take out counter where I've gone into to see what they had but it didn't work out too well as no one speaks any english. Also on East Broadway next to the lumber yard is a great great great noodle place which I prefer over Super Taste on Eldridge. It seems cleaner, and the soups are not as oily. They handpull the noodles right there and are very nice and SUPER CHEAP. $4 for a big bowl of vegetable or beef noodles! The vegetables include only bok choy, the meat with the beef noodles is fatty slices of meat but the broth is rich and delicious, perfect if you have a cold. They have the standard pork dumplings which I haven't tried but look good.

[wleatherette]

thanks for the info about the noodle shop. i've always wondered about it. perhaps next time i have to go to the post office...

[tamasha]

The "orange awning" bakery is Golden Carriage.

[houdipuffy]

I would like to try this bakery since I live on East Broadway. I know the orange awning one you mean, but where exactly is the other one? Is it on East Broadway, next to Weilgas Locks?

[christinag123]

My favorite is the Sun Light Bakery on East Broadway and Essex. There are two there- one on the corner with orange awnings which I don't prefer, and this one which I do. I was going there every morning for a while for the roast pork buns and the ham and cheese buns, am now currently obsessed with the vanilla sponge cake roll. The apple buns are delicious as well. They also have a great selection of tapioca teas if you like (I don't) and fresh juices (I do).

[Sweatshirt Guy]

Funny , I love Golden Carriage and do not like Sun Light at all!

[christinag123]

I'lll have to try golden carriage again then. you like the custard buns, right?

[csw]

I like Tai Pan for their pastries and bread. For pork bun and coconut bun I prefer chatham 9.

[Peter Cuce]

White Swan is a good overall place on Bowery below Canal. It's been a while since I was there, so can't recommend anything specific.

[thesu]

Dragon Land's "bolo bao" with red bean filling (it has a "pineapple" topping which is actually just crumbly butter/margarine, flour and sugar with egg glaze) is my favorite. Especially the tray of 12 minis.

I don't like Fay Da at all. The dough is very greasy, like there's extra lard. It coats my mouth and fingers. The dough is so airy that I can reduce a bun to the size of a golf ball.

[Foodaholic]

I've found that the most consistent bakery that I've enjoyed thus far has been Fey Da on Mott. I've gone to Taipan and Dragon Land before but I've enjoyed the drinks and food at Fey Da more.

[Peter Cuce]

Fay Da has these mango balls containing fresh mango in the case near the cash register, 75 cents each. I don't know what they're called. I love 'em.

[NancyC]

I LOVE these. They also have a green tea version. I think it's the only reason I ever really go there, other than the rice balls they seem pretty similar to everywhere else.

[Greg]

King Wah, on East Broadway. Great roast pork buns without onions or lumps of fat, impossibly light sponge cake wrapped in paper, etc. While they don't have the selection of a Taipan (whose food I'm not particularly fond of), just about everything I've had there is great. Oh, and their raisin bread and butter bread is delicious.

[SunnysideUp]

I like the triple decker tea sandwiches at Tai Pan Bakery on Canal (in Flushing too): tomato, sliced egg and ham with light but sweet Chinese mayonnaise on the same white bread they also sell in bagged loaves. Very British but somehow very Chinatown bakery.
http://www.taipan-bakery.com/

[piccola]

Any preference for mantou?

[chocokitty]

For baked pork buns, 9 Chatham Sq. Restaurant has been my favorite for years!

http://wanderingeater.blogspot.com/

[designerboy01]

I like them onions!

[Sweatshirt Guy]

The Bakery on the NE corner of East Broadway and Essex. Best Custard buns going. Good coffee too.

[tamasha]

Do you mean Golden Carriage on the NW corner? The NE corner is a column of marble...

[Sweatshirt Guy]

My bad! You are right.

[wleatherette]

for steamed buns, lucky king on grand is my current favorite.

[Pan]

Please tell us what your favorites are, houdipuffy, and more importantly, what makes them notable.

[houdipuffy]

I like Lucky on Grand but my favorite is the Double Crispy Bakery on Grand off of Bowery. It's small but it's baked goods are superior.

[squid kun]

Double Crispy's fairly new, right? I've stuck my head in there but haven't picked up anything. What's especially good?

[houdipuffy]

I usually choose from the baked goods on the side, rather than the pastries at the counter. I like the raisin and lemon twist roll (that's what I call it, anyway)

[squid kun]

Thanks – I recall seeing some good-looking stuff there. Will have to check it out.

[Peter Cuce]

Double Crispy opened over the summer, something like 215 days ago :) They have some good egg tarts. Some are obviously made with mixes, given the bright colors, but some are more from scratch. I found the durian to be quite tasty. Last time I was there they had 8 different kinds: taro, cheese, egg, milk, coffee, durian, custard, black sesame.
http://static.flickr.com/74/157877478_810ff4557d_b.jpg
http://static.flickr.com/59/157876956...

I like their tarts more than those at the Egg Custard King mini chain.

[NancyC]

Wow, I was just in the area today and noticed this place for the first time. I'm still getting to know the area around the Grand St. stop, as the B/D is only recently my subway of choice for getting to Chinatown. I'll have to check it out. When you say some are "obviously" made from scratch while others are from mixes, do you mean ALWAYS (like, if the coffee ones are always from mix) or some days certain flavors are made from scratch and some aren't?

[Chandavkl]

I like Dragon Land, 125 Walker, and Golden Dragon Boat, 111 Bowery.

[houdipuffy]

Thanks for the suggestion. Golden Dragon Boat is now my favorite!! What a good selection they have!