Chiu Quon Bakery

"This cash-only bakery has been in Chinatown for over 40 years, and there is no better place in the city for soft and fluffy baked BBQ pork buns, sesame balls, and egg tarts with flaky crusts that will stick to your lips and embarrass you if you don’t check the mirror after inhaling one. The sponge cakes are airy, and the strawberry version is the perfect balance of just sweet enough without being cloying. Everything is made fresh daily, and anything from the pastry case is well worth the hassle of stopping at an ATM." - veda kilaru, john ringor

"The oldest bakery in Chinatown has been at it for more than three decades. Peruse the cases to discover rows and rows of Chinese pastries that include barbecue pork buns, egg custard tarts, and butterfly cookies." - Ashok Selvam

"Chicago’s oldest traditional Chinese bakery is home to a world of sweet and savory delights. Fill a box up with barbecue pork buns, egg tarts, sesame balls, cookies, cakes, and much more. The budget-friendly menu also features dim sum items." - Ashok Selvam, Eater Staff

"Chicago’s oldest traditional Chinese bakery, Chi Quon Bakery offers a wide variety of sweet and savory buns including barbecue pork, egg custard or coconut along with pastries such as Portuguese-style milk egg tarts and almond cookies. The prices are cheap, making it easy to fill a box with whatever looks good behind the counter to share with friends. There’s a second location in Chinatown." - Samantha Nelson, Eater Staff

"Chiu Quon in Chinatown isn’t just one of our favorite bakeries in the city—we also have it on our best restaurants in Chicago list, as wildly controversial as it may be for a bakery to be there. You can’t go wrong with anything from their pastry case, like the incredible pork buns, sponge cakes, or sesame balls. The pork buns get a couple of close-ups in the season three montage, a glaring sign you should get one when you visit." - adrian kane, nick allen