Eastern Bakery

"Coffee crunch cake & steamed custard buns The longest operating bakery in San Francisco’s Chinatown, Eastern Bakery has graced the city since 1924. The cash-only spot is a local favorite, especially for its very popular signature coffee crunch cake: soft yellow sponge cake topped with toffee bits and mocha cream. During Mid-Autumn Festival (or any time of year, really), pick up a lotus-paste mooncake or three - while many bakeries import their mooncakes, Eastern makes them fresh in-house, and the sweet filling is gooey and thick. In fact, you can expect a generous amount of filling in most of the baked goods here, from the steamed custard buns to the winter melon cakes. The bakers do not skimp." - team infatuation

"The longest-operating bakery in San Francisco’s Chinatown, Eastern Bakery has graced the city since 1924. The cash-only spot is a local favorite, especially for its very popular signature coffee crunch cake: soft yellow sponge cake topped with toffee bits and mocha cream. During Mid-Autumn Festival (or any time of year, really), pick up a lotus-paste mooncake or three—while many bakeries import their mooncakes, Eastern makes them fresh in-house, and the sweet filling is gooey and thick. In fact, you can expect a generous amount of filling in most of the baked goods here, from the steamed custard buns to the winter melon cakes. The bakers do not skimp." - megan zhang, julia chen 1

"Don’t forget there’s affordable vegan food at even old-school Chinatown bakeries. Eastern Bakery, which opened in 1924, is well-known for its coffee cake and mooncakes. But this is the ideal spot for sesame balls: For just a few bucks, this treat vegan is an adzuki lover’s dream." - Paolo Bicchieri, Eater Staff

"Don’t forget there’s affordable vegan food at even old-school Chinatown bakeries. Eastern Bakery, which opened in 1924, is well-known for its coffee cake and mooncakes. But this is the ideal spot for sesame balls: For just a few bucks, this treat vegan is an adzuki lover’s dream." - Paolo Bicchieri, Eater Staff

"The longest operating bakery in San Francisco’s Chinatown, Eastern Bakery has graced the city since 1924. The cash-only spot is a local favorite, especially for its very popular signature coffee crunch cake: soft yellow sponge cake topped with toffee bits and mocha cream. During Mid-Autumn Festival (or any time of year, really), pick up a lotus-paste mooncake or three - while many bakeries import their mooncakes, Eastern makes them fresh in-house, and the sweet filling is gooey and thick. In fact, you can expect a generous amount of filling in most of the baked goods here, from the steamed custard buns to the winter melon cakes. The bakers do not skimp. photo credit: Andria Lo" - Megan Zhang