Keki Modern Cakes
Bakery · Chinatown
79 Mott St, New York, NY 10013
Highlights
Keki Modern Cakes in Chinatown whips up airy, bouncy Japanese-style cheesecakes and luxe cream puffs that melt in your mouth.
Keki Modern Cakes in Chinatown whips up airy, bouncy Japanese-style cheesecakes and luxe cream puffs that melt in your mouth.
"Do you remember the moment in Jurassic Park when the girl’s spoonful of green jello trembles wildly as she spots a velociraptor? Here’s our pitch for the (next) reboot: Same exact moment, but swap in some equally jiggly—and significantly more delicious—bouncy Osaka-style cheesecake. We nominate Keki, a bakery with locations in Chinatown and Koreatown, as the on-set supplier. Their cheesecakes—available in two flavors, original and ube—are more or less what we imagine biting into a cloud would feel like." - molly fitzpatrick, bryan kim, will hartman, willa moore, neha talreja
"Moul Kim and Lawrence Wai Keki set up Keki Modern Cakes in Chinatown after traveling through Asia and seeing how popular Japanese cheesecakes were overseas. They recruited Kevin Kim as their executive chef, who spent time at Per Se and Nobu, to help bring this cheesecake sensation to New York. Keki is famed for its “bouncy” cheesecake, where the consistency is more spongy than cheesy. While we prefer the ube flavor, the cheesecakes come in an original flavor as well, and these have a slightly bouncier texture." - izzy chen, team infatuation
"Keki’s Modern Cakes is a Japanese cheesecake shop that serves one flavor of soft serve (it’s usually “Amish Cream,” which is just intense vanilla). This is some of the purest dairy we’ve had the pleasure of eating. You want it." - hannah albertine, emma, bryan kim, katherine lewin, hillary reinsberg, matt tervooren
"Moul Kim and Lawrence Wai Keki set up Keki Modern Cakes in Chinatown after traveling through Asia and seeing how popular Japanese cheesecakes were overseas. They recruited Kevin Kim as their executive chef, who spent time at Per Se and Nobu, to help bring this cheesecake sensation to New York. Keki is famed for its “bouncy” cheesecake, where the consistency is more spongy than cheesy. While I prefer the ube flavor because it’s my favorite dessert flavor, the cheesecakes come in an original flavor as well and have a slightly bouncier texture. Like what I’d imagine biting into a cloud would be like. And although they’re listed as serving three to four people, in reality, they serve a maximum of two. But maybe I’m only speaking for myself since the cakes are so light and delicious that I prefer not to share. You should also pair your cake with a “Wow Tart,” which is basically like if a Japanese cheese tart and an egg tart had a baby. photo credit: Kate Previte" - Izzy Chen & With Warm Welcome
"Three stores down, in stark contrast to Hoy Wong, is Keki Modern Cakes—a spare, gleaming, modern storefront seemingly made for Instagram with its photogenic "bouncy cheesecake." For the last few years, trendy places like Keki, novelty ice cream, mochi, and bubble tea spots, have begun making major inroads into Chinatown. I was already concerned about the danger that these changing tastes pose to venerable businesses like Hoy Wong and Chinatown itself. Now I worry that COVID-19 might just be the final blow. Sarah Crowder" - Grace Young
