Arai Pastry

This place makes by far the BEST Japanese pastries and sweets you can get!! I've been to many Japanese style bakeries, but this by far takes the cake (pun intended). I get my birthday cake here almost every year. The cakes are light, sweet, and fluffy. I love their cakes because they're all sweet, but not overwhelmingly sweet like most. The flan and strawberry cake are my favorites! However everything they make is absolutely amazing!! I just wish they were closer to where I lived. Then again, if they did, I'd be eating way too much cake, lol!! Anyways, visiting this place is a must!!!

Cozy bakery, I liked the sweet red bean bread a lot. I also got the cream bread & white bread, very soft and fresh! Friendly service, would recommend!

I walked into this place and the smell was absolutely amazing. I bought a cream pan and a raisin loaf the total was like $9 which I felt was very reasonable. They were both delicious and fresh! I will definitely be coming back here and everyone should check it out!

Very low-key Japanese bakery. I had a custard filled pan that was so delicious. The bread was so light and the custard was not too sweet. I am a huge fan after one visit, and look forward to going again.

The best milk bread in Arizona, no doubt! I love the butter rich bread, the curry pan, the Earl Gray cake, and chocolate cornets! A must stop if you're already at fujiya

We got a slice of strawberry cake for my birthday here. Very very good! The cake is soft and fluffy but not too sweet! Highly recommend! 🍰

When I lived down the street, my family would go to this bakery often. They were able to make a perfect birthday cake for my girlfriend and I would highly recommend coming, as anything we ever tried was amazing. The flan is also very cute as it has a tiny flan in the middle, which all my family will fight over. PLEASE GO AND TRY THIS BAKERY! THEY TRULY DESERVE IT!!

The is probably the best bakery I have been to in Arizona. Their cake is light and flavorful and frosting delicate and airy, but still sweet. Their food options aside from cake are equally delicious and I recommend you try everything they offer.

Another long time favorite of mine! Everything they offer is delicious! My favorite is their curry pan and green tea cake.

09/05/2025 As my mom and I were leaving the Fujiya Japanese Market, I noticed the sign next door said Arai Pastry. I was so excited because I heard about this place a long time ago and had yet to visit. It's fairly small inside with a small glass case on the side with cookies and one main one filled with both sweet and savory options. There were also a few loaves of bread on the counter. Everything looked great, but it was a such a warm day so my mom and I opted for something light. The Coffee Cake was indeed as light and airy as it looked. The cake layers tasted like a sponge cake with slightly dry edges (a little over-baked). I think the espresso layers were mousse and not too sweet. It was topped with a chocolate covered espresso bean that was tasty as well. Overall it was a nice afternoon treat. I would like to go back sometime and try their Japanese cheesecake, and their raisin bread loaf too.

I stumbled upon this cute little bakery while omw to Angie's Lobster. Decided to stop in to check out what they had. They offer a variety of cakes by the slice, specialty breads, and other pastries. I was tempted to get a slice of cake, but I was able to fight off the craving, lol. You can also order a whole cake, but I would assume you'd have to place that order in advance. Prices seem fair, the service is fast and friendly, and the shop is clean. They don't have any tables inside, so it's a grab-and-go kind of place. It's located in a corner strip mall with decent parking. I would come back again, and when I do, I'm getting a slice of cheesecake!! =)

Recommend: yes! Service: they're kind and quick. Talented people making cakes and bread. Ambience: it's clean and simple inside Price: overall ok pricing. They used to have great prices before inflation. This is definitely one of my favorite bakery. I been coming here for several years when I want cake. I love, love, love their strawberry cake. And it's their most popular too. Because of inflation, I would only get a whole cake only certain occasions. Their prices have gone up so it's hard to commit to paying $40 for a 6 inch cake that feeds 6 people. That's about $6.67 per slice. Might be cheaper to buy it by slices.

Very quick and easy service. I got the "shoku pan" bread and curry-filled bread. The shoku pan was very tasty on its own. We finished it without ever putting anything on it. It was so good we finished it fairly quickly haha. It's a small bakery in a very small strip mall in Tempe. I will come back again for more shoku pan :)

All their bread is delicious. Had a sandwich made with the white bread for dinner and will have the cinnamon raisin bread for breakfast. VAST difference from store bought!! You can taste the love in this. The cheese cake is amazing too, light and fluffy and delicious. You need to try. This place deserves 6 stars and I'm glad it's in my neighborhood.

I'm a fan of Arai. Transplant from the Bay Area and the Big Island, so Asian bakery expectations are set pretty high. We found Arai on Yelp while driving around and craving for some light Asian bread, specifically egg salad sandwiches. We struck egg gold with Arai :) have been back several times for everything from their bread, hotdog buns, egg salad sandwiches, fruit flan cups, and of course, our go to (only place) for birthday and celebration cakes. if you're curious, you owe it to yourself to give Arai a try; you won't be disappointed you're welcome

Used to love coming to this bakery when I attended ASU. Hadn't really been here in a few years since a little before the pandemic started and thought why not stop by to see if they still had some of my favorite items I used to love back in the day. Unfortunately, they no longer sell their deliciously refreshing cold noodle salad. However, they still had the other items I loved. So, this time I decided to get a loaf of raisin bread and three of the flan. Their raisin bread is still as good as I remember it, fresh and not too sweet or dry. I would say that their raisin bread is still in my top three best raisin breads I've had in Arizona. Their flan is also still delicious, light, fluffy and not too rich or sweet (if you know you know). The portion size of their flan is also generous for the price compared to other places. If you decide to try this place out, I do recommend coming early if you want certain items, like loaves of bread, as they do only put out small batches and may run out.

We were in this shopping center and stopped by this bakery. They had an array of cakes and pastries to choose from, and I was on my way to meet another friend so I wanted something packaged and easy to transport. I bought two chocolate coronets, staff was friendly and helpful. Later, I gave my friend one and tried mine when I got home. The dough was soft and chewy, clearly fresh baked. The chocolate filling was light and smooth, and the pastry had the perfect balance of dough to filling. Delicious treat! Would love to return and try their cakes.

Quaint Japanese bakery with some standard Japanese items such as milk bread, anpan (red bean), curry pan, and melon pan (they call it UFO). We came by on a Saturday around lunchtime and grabbed the custard pan, anpan, curry pan, UFO bread, flan cup, and strawberry cake slice. Our favorites were the flan cup (also has some cake in it!), custard pan (very soft), and strawberry shortcake (soft, moist, not too sweet!) Will return when we are in the area.

I dropped by for a quick takeout and was happy with how organized everything was. Each pastry was stored neatly behind clear, spotless glass. I chose the custard puff light, not too sweet, and chilled perfectly. The staff wore gloves and packed the pastry carefully into a clean box. I also noticed that they sanitize the scale after each use. Very professional setup for a small shop.

This was my first visit and I was thoroughly impressed. The staff were polite, fast, and very hygienic. The store had no clutter, and even the restrooms were spotless. I had a pear and almond galette it was rustic, flaky, and full of flavor. It came in a neat paper box with napkins included. Five stars across the board.

We love this place! Their Earl Grey Cake is fantastic! Not too sweet and the icing tastes just like Earl Grey tea! You can get a slice or order a cake ahead of time. We have ordered plenty of times from them and it takes a few days for them to make it. I believe this is a family owned place, so definitely support local! I also love their Curry Pan and they are really nice little snacks! Basically it is a breaded bun with curry stuffed inside. We come here often and this is one of our favorite dessert places in Phoenix!

Such great desserts! Their strawberry and earl grey cheesecakes were delicious, perfectly soft, and just the right amount of sweetness. Eagerly looking forward to coming back and trying more of their items!

So cute!! Cake slices are so fresh. Come early because they sell out of a good selection later in the day. Really nice staff!

Hmmm. I checked this place out because of the glowing reviews, and I was a bit disappointed. This small bakery is tucked away in the corner of a small plaza, and it's bordered by a Japanese takeout and a Japanese grocery store. The selections are a bit limited but I didn't mind. I got a slice each of the green tea, strawberry, and earl grey cakes. I also liked that the staff members were very friendly, welcoming each customer in Japanese. Onto the food -- the cakes are very aesthetic-looking and pretty, but they ultimately fall flat in taste. The problem is that the cake itself is quite dry. It's not too sweet, but because it's dry, it fails to have a fluffy, spongy texture, which is something that I normally look forward to in Japanese-style cakes. The cream itself is ok, nothing particularly special. I would come back to try the pastries like the anpan and curry pan, but I don't think the cakes are my favorite. I would rather go to Cherry Blossom Cafe for pastries.

Small bakery next to a small Japanese grocery store found in Phoenix. Tried earl gray tea and chocolate cake. Airily sponge and real cream, not too sweet, remind Home. If I live in AZ, my birthday cake or any treats would come from here. Small batch and may run out, you should pick them up earlier the day is better.

May 2022: Exquisite Earl Gray Cake - light delicious flavor. For $7, they could make this a bigger serving though. Lots of other goodies to try - glad I stopped off at a "new" bakery while in Tempe!

Amazing bakery, very kind owner. We loved the earl grey cake and cheesecake. They were not overly sweet.

Came in with my daughters to check out the place. Awesome pastries, cakes are delicious Will order birthday cake here.!

The bread is really amazing the cakes are what shine a very light cake. Easy on digestion but very satisfying. I love Japanese culture although establishment doesn't reflect too much aesthetic there is a lot to love about Japanese style baking in AZ.

Tucked away in the corner of a small plaza, this bakery is worth the drive. Quality is a level above from many other neighborhood bakeries and the prices are not bad. I tried the earl grey cake and the green tea leches cake. I wouldn't call the latter a tres leches, but the flavor was oj point -just enough of green tea to taste it without overwhelming the palate. I would recommend this one over the earl grey, which was a too faint in flavor in my opinion. Both cakes, however, were baked and layered well. Can't wait to come back to try some more things!

I like Japanese bakeries and was glad to find this place right next to Fujiya Market. When I entered the place, I was somewhat surprised to see the selection of the bakery items. They seem to be somewhat limited. It looked like they were preparing to bring more items. So it might be just a timing issue. I got my curry pan. It's typically deep fried but this was more a baked curry pan. It's probably healthier to bake than deep fry. Tasted good and I liked the curry filling.

Arai is located right next to the Japanese market. They didn't have very many selection but ones they did have were tasty. The curry pastry seems to be their best seller so we had to try it. It had strong curry filling with very moist bread exterior. It was nice flavor without being overpowering or very filling. I was told these sell out fast so we were lucky they had them. Their cakes looked delicious so we will return to try them next time. The lady behind the counter was very helpful and friendly.

Delicious and authentic Asian bakery in Arizona! Very clean bakery. Amazing Asian sweet treats to select from. Ordered a green tea cake for Father's Day, my dad was very pleased!

If you like Japanese cake, this is the place to get them! I got the matcha, earl grey and strawberry and they were ALL delicious. Cake is light, it is just sweet enough and you can really taste those flavors. My favorite one so far would have to be the Earl grey cake but again they were all delicious. They come in already cut and wrapped to hold its shape with an easy to remove film layer before you eat them. Enjoy with some hot tea!

I've been looking for a Japanese dessert place and here it is... Arai Pastry. I had the strawberry shortcake and it was delicious. Not too sweet.. Not too heavy, but just right. I wish I bought two .

My review may be based on my lack of experience with Japanese desserts. So take my review with a grain of salt. It is more about my dessert preferences. I had the coffee cake which had a stunning look (as did the other cakes slices). I noticed the cake slice was very light. When I ate it, the flavor of the icing was too subtle. I should have let it sit at room temperature before consuming. The sponge (as our British friends call it) did not have much of any flavor. I am used to heavier desserts. These desserts are best if you are looking for something light and fluffy. I would like to see more bold flavors in this cake. That does not mean more sugar. But maybe putting a good coffee flavor in the sponge would help.

Passed by this cute little store, and I just could not resist! I tried their Curry Pan and Earl Grey Cake. The Curry Pan was pretty good, albeit I probably wouldn't mind a stronger tasting curry. The main event was the Earl Grey Cake for me! It was light and airy, with hints of earl grey in each bite. Pretty good! However, I still would not mind a stronger tasting Earl Grey. Overall a pretty good experience, and I would probably come back and try their other cakes! Tip: Minimum $5 needed to pay with Card. I ended up getting the Curry Pan because the slice of cake was under $5 bucks.

The cakes here are always delicious no matter which one I chose. I have been coming here for birthday cake for my mom. It is always one of my favorite place for cake, besides the Korean bakery I shall not name here. Anyway the green tea and chocolate cake are definitely my choices!

Their earl grey cake is the best. Fluffy, airy pastry, and cream which is not too sweet. Probably the closes to Japanese cakes I've had in America! This beats anything I've had in California also.

My wife was craving a slice of Earl Grey cake and Arai came through. I had a delicious slice of strawberry and we grabbed some bread to take home. Looking forward to visiting again soon.

This is the best place to go if you want to splurge on cake. They have cake by the slice for $3-5! It's such a great deal and you can try variety without getting full! These cakes aren't overly sweet or heavy on the stomach. They are moist, light, and fluffy. We only planned to try the strawberry shortcake and the coffee cake. Once we took the first couple bites, we were hooked. We had to get some packed up to-go! We ended up getting a total of five slices with no regrets whatsoever. Side notes: *The staff are pleasant people and they made the experience more enjoyable for us. *We missed out on the Japanese cheesecake, earl grey and chocolate cake because we came later in the evening. I think that they make a limited amount and once they sell out, that's it for the day. I am ecstatic to come back and try some more cake and get to know the staff a little more.

I use to work down the street from here and would try and stop by to grab some pastries for lunch. This small Japanese bakery is a hidden gem forsure. The UFO bun is really good. I do recommend getting the curry bun for something savory. Matcha and Japanese cheesecake are also really light too.

Wow this was so good. It was good because it was not too sweet. I got a slice of strawberry cream and a slice of cheesecake. My partner and I finished it in a matter of minutes when I brought it to the car (the reason there's no photo attached) I probably could've eaten five slices in one sitting and not have gotten tired of it. Would highly recommend!

I was looking for a bakery that would make a strawberry cake on my birthday, and found this local gem! Ordered an 8" cake (via Facebook messaging!) and ironed out all the details. Staff was very polite and the cake was delicious, I'm so sad it's gone. Looking forward to ordering again

Once upon a time, in a land not so far away (we'll call the land Tempe), stood a little bakery shop filled with some of the tastiest pastries you could find in all the realm. Nearby, after much whirligiggling about, a very hungry little monster's tummy growled in dissatisfaction. The monster search all around, up and down, but found nothing to fix the tummy rumbles. This saddened the little monster. Then as luck would have it the monster stumbled upon a bakery (we'll call the bakery Arai Pastry). Upon entering the bakery, the little monster's eyes widened in delight from all the delicious looking treats on display. Cakes, mousses, flans, puddings, puff pastries and breads... Swiftly the monster ordered up more than plenty of the confectionery items to try. At first gobble the monster was speechless. The cake was enchantingly sweet. The cake was so airy. The flavors were delicate; Yet, strikingly present. AND the cake to cream ratio was truly harmonious. "Amazing!" exclaimed the little monster. With that the monster's tummy hungers had vanished and the bakery was named the new reigning champion of cake in all the kingdom. And all little monsters' tummies and pastries live happily ever after. la fin.

The best cake I've ever had. Had a strawberry or all gray and Japanese cheesecake, they were all delicious. Can't wait to rerun and order en entire cake.

Had such a great experience here in Arai Pastry! Their bread is nice and fresh and has amazing presentation. I cannot begin to phantom how delicious the bread is! I do recommend getting their chocolate hornets before they sell out! The customer service was also very good and patient with me when it was my first time. I see myself coming back here in the future! P.S. I love love love how the pastries do not have lots of sugar.

The closest place where I can find some delicious custard pan that is close to what I used to eat back home. A place called Shirokiya's, one of their bakery's have these killer Japanese desert and Arai is one of them here in Phoenix that offer through their bakery. It's a moist dough bread with custard in the middle that just melts in your mouth when it's nice and warm. I also love their mini hot dogs, it's just too good and great to have as snacks. They also make beautiful cakes for birthdays and any kind of celebration and they are friendly.

It was amazing. We got 2 pieces of matcha cake, one of coffee, 4 strawberry, 5 cream buns and 2 curry buns. My friend got a coffee birthday cake for his daughter here today too. We were all very pleased! All of the sweets were Super tasty and my daughter and I are already planning to get curry buns again soon!! We're so happy to have found a Japanese bakery in town.

Such a delicious Japanese bakery. The Cream Pan and Chocolate Pan are both so soft and have just the right amount of sweetness. The An Pan is a red bean paste bread that is also so good. The quality of these pastries is obvious with each bite!

I really like this place. Their desserts are light and have such a great taste. The only downside is the limited options.

Looking for the best bakery in Arizona? Look no further you have found it! Don't go in expecting same day, these delicious cakes require two day in advance notice. I highly recommend this place for a delicious cake for any occasion that you may be celebrating! If you just want to try, then they have a wide variety of single piece cakes to try from. There is also different loafs of bread to choose from--my favorite is cinnamon raisin!

The BEST Japanese deserts. My go to is the hot dog but the curry is so good. An pan is red bean and is the sweet finish to the savory that you were born to enjoy. Owners are all family and are the nicest people you will ever meet. Even Ichiro came here during spring training for his Japanese sweet fix. A legendary bakery hidden away in Tempe.

Everything is delicious!! I always could not decide which one to have for the day. If you love bread, this is the place for it. If you love cake, this is the place for it. If you love love sweet/dessert, this is the place for it. At the Masuri Festival, they were so nice....they made the beef teriyaki sandwich for me even though they already started to pack up their stuff to end the festival. Thanks a lot and it was yummy.

Great little bakery in Tempe! Cakes and bread are delicious. I ordered the chocolate cake and strawberry cake. Incredibly tasty!

Definitely always worth stopping by for a cream or curry pan! Green Tea and Earl Gray cakes are very good as well, all of their other selections look delicious. Very friendly service and a few bottles drinks to choose from as well. Very inexpensive for a quick and filling snack

Waltzing into Fujiya I noticed a Japanese bakery right next door. Oh Joy! After pillaging Fujiya of some much needed pantry staples I walked into Arai and picked up the Curry Bun, Yogurt Mousse, and the UFO. The Mousse and the UFO we're just A-ok but...... THE CURRY BUN WAS THE BOMB - And full of carrots. Seriously folks if you like Japanese curry and a nice pillowy airy bun this culinary piece can be yours for $1.75. I agree with a lot of John C.'s points - food is pretty quality but pales in comparison to other bakeries along the West Coast. But we're in the middle of the desert so I'll round up. (I also will be back to try Asian Birthday Fruit Cake and Strawberry Slice)