180 Cafe

I came with expectations because of the reviews. Ordered - hot milk tea (amazing! Taste really authentic) - carrot cake (good, must order!) - boiled dumplings (the one I was looking forward the most. Nah, do not recommend to order) Breads were good. Great place to be at for a very HK-ish experience with seniors spending time with their friends. I like the vibe, but do note that the restaurant was warm so be prepared.

This little cafe is such a cute spot for a quick, affordable bite. The food is not only budget-friendly but also delicious - great value for the price. Shumai was juicy, flavorful, and surprisingly big! They also have a nice selection of baked goods, all fresh and affordable. I was bummed to miss out on the dumplings because they were already sold out by the time I got there. Overall, it was a great experience. Just make sure to arrive early so you don’t miss out on the best stuff!

My go-to spot for a cozy, early-morning Chinese breakfast fix. For years, I’ve been on the hunt for a solid, reliable Asian breakfast spot in Boston. There are a few Vietnamese places in Dorchester that open early (6am), but they’re just too much of a trek for me. Recently, I caught wind of this place and decided to stop by right at opening to grab a hearty breakfast. Not everything on the menu is available right away—soups and fried dumplings require an extra 30 minutes of prep time. So, I typically stick to the crystal dumplings, shaomai, and fried pork dumpling pastries. One hidden gem? They also serve a pork and vegetable congee that’s not listed on the menu. While the congee is a bit lighter than my usual preference, it’s a steal for the price. My go-to is the pork and salty egg congee, paired with a side of dumplings for the perfect comforting combo. Though the store officially opens at 6:30am, you can often slip in as early as 6am to grab a few items fresh out of the kitchen. While there are a few full-service breakfast spots in Chinatown, like Great Taste, they don’t open until 8am. Just a heads-up—they’re cash-only for smaller orders.

Great cafe with pastries and other breakfast items. Has indoor seating area frequented by locals. delicious custard bun perfect balance of sweet crust and filling and bread

Old school Chinese bakery and dimsum shop. A lot of elderly here, paying games outside on the chairs and inside at the tables talking and eating. Basic dimsum and a larger section for bakery goods. Pretty classic Cantonese bakery.

Bought crystal shrimp dumplings and few baked goods - pork bun, egg tart, raisin bread, sausage bread. Price is really good compared to prices back home in Houston. Cash only. Will come back here when I come back to Boston.

True local spot for actually good prices and food. Bring cash because it’s a $15 min for card, but it’s so worth it! Both a bakery and quick foods, you can get a quick snack or meal with great quality and authenticity, definitely my fav bakery in Chinatown!

It’s not a dim sum place like many other reviews stated. It’s more of a bakery. We were originally going to order more than just 小笼包 but they mentioned to us that the other food was just going to be microwaved so we decided against it. 小笼包tasted decent though

虾饺 and 烧卖 are world class. So so so fresh and flavorful and delicious. Respectfully, skip the Xiao long bao. The skin is way too thick and doughy. I prefer a thin wrapper. The service was friendly but if you don't speak Cantonese, come early and other customers will help. Perfect ambiance, reminds me of home. A true community gathering place.

My go-to place for egg custard tarts! Filling isn't hard and more like pudding. Crust is flaky and just the right ratio with the filling. Don't go too late because they can sell out by lunchtime. I know the counter staff mostly speak Cantonese or Toisanese. A good place for a quick stop if you're on your way to South Station if you're lucky to find a seat in the cafe if the older folks aren't hanging out.

Took a wrong turn and ended up coming in here to get my bearings. Classic Cantonese bakery, with the elderly outside playing games at the tables (even in the cold), inside grabbing a bite to eat from the bakery or the dimsum they serve. Brisk and efficient service by the ladies staffing the counter.

I went here because I saw it on the fake food show. It's a little hidden because it's up the street from the locals playing cards. This bakery is one of the bigger ones in Chinatown and they have everything. They have dim sum, packaged pastry buns, cakes, etc. I grabbed a couple of my favorites - ham and egg bun, a hot dog bun and egg tart. The egg tart was super fresh, hot dog bun was on point but the ham and egg bun had mayo which I've never seen before. Prices are cheap but go early because they sell out of things.

Walk up a few steps to a hole in the wall bakery shop. The xiao long bao was less than mid... prepacked frozen tastes better. Turnip cake was bland. However, egg tarts & pineapple buns were pretty good. Selection was limited as we arrived late in the afternoon.

Food is pretty good and decently priced! Great space to lounge as well. Would recommend!

This little cafe on the outskirts of Chinatown has some of the best pastries for the best price!! I came here on a Saturday morning to pick up some baos and they did not disappoint. They even have a small seating area where many elderly were enjoying their breakfast and coffee. All of the pastries are individually wrapped with Chinese and English labels so you don't have to guess what is what. They also sells cakes and small bites if you're looking for something else. The service is quick and they accept credit cards, so you don't need to worry if you don't have cash. I've gotten their pineapple buns, pork floss bao, custard baos, and sponge cakes which have all tasted fresh and are perfect for a small meal or snack. If you're in the Chinatown area, I would definitely recommend walking a bit more to come to this bakery.

In our 2 days in downtown Boston, both mornings were breakfasts here, at 180 cafe. Generally, I'm not exposed to real East Asian cuisine, but this place was pretty great. The vibe was very casual, you order at the register and wait for the food, truly like a cafe. Also, please note that the Hong Kong Tea is a must, all the locals come here to drink it, and I see why. Everyone was very sweet and we met a lot of new, interesting people. I do thing table service would add to the experience, but overall, I highly recommend 180

I think I found my new Asian Bakery to go to! My first immediate reaction was, "this place is pretty spacious and clean." There we're probably 7-10 tables for folks to sit and have tea, enjoy a pastry and enjoy the morning news and catch up with old friends. I'm pretty much talking about the old folks around Chinatown. It's cute how these elderly Chinese folks wake up early to sit and enjoy their morning. I heard that their sticky rice was legit so I had to give it a try. I've been going to other places and their prices range from $3.50-$4. Sticky rice here is $3.95 with duck yolk inside! Other places did not have it. Nor did they have peanuts. I believe they spread oil inside so the rice wouldn't stick to the banana leaf which is a smart idea. Other places I have to sit and peel... which is really time consuming lol portion wise was really good. Their generous with the stuffing. It was a lot. Overall, I highly recommend this place. Reasonable price with good quality . Got to try their steam buns next time!

When you need some freshly baked, fluffy buns for an early morning bus ride, 180 Cafe won't let you down. When I first walked in, the baskets were mostly empty, with one staff member bringing things in from the back, but I was encouraged to just tell them what I wanted. So I ordered a pineapple bun ($1.20) and an egg tart ($1.25) and both were warm and fresh! The pineapple bun was super airy and light, with a faintly sweet, crispy crust that covered the entire top--they did not skimp on the craquelin, which I really appreciated! Super easy to inhale in a couple of minutes. No regrets. Egg tart filling was less dense and softer and sweeter than the usual. I thought the pastry was well done, but wanted a *slightly* thicker texture to the filling. Not the best I've had but not bad! Service is brusque but totally fine, plus the freshness and price of the buns totally make up for it!

Very good prices and quality food. I have been getting pastries and desserts from here the past year and it's always been excellent. My go to for some good authentic Asian buns.

rating: 4.5/5 i've heard so many good things about the egg tarts here, and it definitely doesn't disappoint! this place is definitely one of my favorite chinese bakeries in the area, and i find myself coming here almost every time i'm in the neighborhood. my friends have also recommended their pineapple and roast pork buns. - atmosphere and overall experience - the inside of the bakery is pretty spacious with around 10 tables. the center area is where the pastries are displayed, but there are also some shown in the display cases. you basically pick out what you want and bring it to the register. the workers here are friendly and calculate the prices of each item in front of you. there are also prices displayed for most of the pastries next to their names, but you can also reference the menu taped on the glass wall. - recommendations - highly recommend that you must try their egg tarts! 4/17/23 -egg tart: the egg tarts here are some of the best that i've had, even compared to the ones in new york! they're flaky and the silky custard in the middle has the perfect amount of sweetness to it without tasting too eggy. if you're getting them fresh, they stil have that slight crisp to them when you bite in. for $1.35 each, it's pretty worth it in my opinion. i always buy at least two whenever i'm here. (4.5/5)

Ordered a mango cake and it was not worth it. The mango was not ripen, so it was still hard!! I do not recommend ordering cakes here but their buns are very good.

Bring your Chinese speaking friend for the best experience. They're nice but it is admittedly hard to know what to order since their menu has very few pictures. The seating and ambience are mediocre but this is what you would expect for an authentic Chinese restaurant. I recommend the Cha Siu Bao.

Pork buns are really good. This is my first stop for breakfast once I arrive at south station.

The custard in the egg tart (1.25$) is excellent, just on the verge of liquid, but the crust is only just fine. I'd go elsewhere unless the custard is super important to you!

Delicious food at very good prices! They sell out of many items quickly on the weekend so sometimes you got to get a little lucky

Great place to pick up some nice pork buns! The price here is very good so I highly recommend this spot to anyone looking to quickly satisfy their Asian bakery craving

This is an easy spot to miss located near the arch in Chinatown! While I love a lot of the bakeries in Chinatown, I feel that this one is great if you don't come into the city everyday and want to stock up for a week! All of their buns are really cheap and about $1 each and they taste great. I always get a bunch that'll last me a few days when I'm in the area and they hold up pretty well. I eat most of the buns as a quick breakfast when I'm on the go and the hot dog buns are great for lunch!

One of the best and lowest price bakeries in Boston Chinatown. I recommend learning some Mandarin or Cantonese to interact with the employees here as it makes the experience even better. Pineapple buns here are the best.

The lack of reviews for 180 cafe is a shame, this is a hidden gem located right off the main street in Chinatown. As many other reviewers mentioned, the prices are exceptionally low and many locals like to hang out here to read news and catch up with one another. The quality of the various breads have all been amazing, I've also had the shrimp dumplings (haa gaau) and was really impressed with the flavor and freshness. Order in Cantonese for an even more authentic experience :) I'll definitely be back and hope to try more of their baked goods and dim sum plates, especially the sticky rice wrapped in banana leaf (joong).

If you are craving dumplings. This is your place. Wide variety of food to order and bread/desserts to go.

Delicious bakery goods! They have fresh baos and spongey soft Chinese cakes with cute designs!

Wide selection and extremely inexpensive. The buns are around $1-2 each (half-a third of some other places). They had some types I haven't seen elsewhere, like corn + pork floss and purple seaweed! They also have steamed buns, drinks, and some dim sum. The people there were really nice too!

Gotta love a typical Chinatown bun run. I've been here a handful of times for the buns. They have a good assortment: Taiwanese pineapple bun...pork floss... taro etc. Each bun is individually packaged and ~$1. They also offer steamed meat buns and banana leaf wraps. Recently started a limited dim sum menu. I've only tried the shrimp rice wraps and I found that the rice wrap is made way too thick. Definitely recommend their buns though!! Looking forward to trying some different things off their dim sum menu.

Owner was super nice! My favorite bun was the pork pun. Super flavorful and tasty. The store was peaceful and very clean. There was a variety of buns as well.

Delicious and authentic dim sum at a reasonable price, within steps from the Chinatown main gate! Their assorted buns are delicious and cheap, on average $1 cheaper per bun compared to places like Top Bread. No wonder it attracts a significant local Chinese grandpa crowd after their daily chess games at the Chinatown gate. Staff are friendly and helpful. Will definitely make this a part of my routine food experience at Chinatown.

There are a lot of Chinese pastry shops in this area, but 180 cafe has the distinct honor of being located closest to where I work. Yippee for afternoon treats! This is the type of place where you should expect to be gawked at when you walk in the door by the cafe regulars who are happily conversing in cantonese. If this doesn't bother you, there are tasty buns, pastries, and teas to be had on the cheap.

I had the pineapple bun and it was amazing!! I would never have known about this place without my friend's help, who knows Chinatown well.... It's in like an alley and kind-of away from everything....

Great spot for yummy treats! We enjoyed a variety of buns and baked goods, all delicious and ridiculously low priced.

The best place for pineapple buns (bo lo bao), with crunchy tops. We also like the baked buns with egg custard (nye wong bao). Very reasonable prices, friendly staff. Highly recommend!

This cafe has a good selection of cakes, run by a good manager and wonderful employees. That's all I have to say...

My daughters and I had awesome dessert here. We cannot wait to go back again. They have this cute looking ducky and it is very yummy. Inside, is mango mousse, whipped cream, and a base of golden cake.

We had some buns here while waiting for rest of our party to arrive. The buns were pretty good and inexpensive. There's ample seating with large windows that provided a good view of the street. I liked that this place is well maintained.

The mango mousse cakes here are so good! The cake is light and fluffy while the mousse is like a soft creamy texture that you can tell is made fresh with real mangoes. It is such a treat to buy a single serving-sized square of it on my way home from work. They also offer larger mango mousse cakes that you can order in advance with writing for birthday parties or other celebrations. You can add a layer of fresh mango slices to the outside for an additional $1 (essentially encasing the entire cake in mango -- perfect for fruit lovers). I once ordered an 8 inch birthday cake without adding the mango slices and it was still a huge hit because they decorated the outside very nicely with colored cream. Another item I really like here is the chocolate Swiss roll. I've tried this at other nearby bakeries and always found the chocolate flavor to be too faint. At 180 Cafe, their chocolate Swiss roll is FULL of chocolately flavor and the texture is so dense/rich with just the right amount of cream filling.

This location was used to be Crown Royal Cafe. I am not sure if the owner or the bakers are different, but the quality of the bake goods is definitely not the same as Crown Royal Cafe. The sponge cake was used to be more eggy, moist, and softer, now they make a much bigger size of sponge cake and the texture is a bit dry. And the egg tart is also less eggy and the texture of the crust is less flaky. It's disappointed to know that I can no longer find the good quality bake goods in chinatown anymore.