Sweet Bean

One thing I like about this asian bakery is that the baked goods are sized properly. Each individual product I bought, at least for me, was filling. And the variety of sweet and savory products is on par with the quintessential asian bakery Chiu Quon. The savory hotdog/cheese bakes, ham/cheese bun and bacon egg muffin were solid!! Well portioned and filling. I prefer savory over sweet. But their sweet ube red bean mochi bun and a fluffier version of the egg tart are huge winners. Wash it all down with a cup of hot coffee. This is a great way to start the day!! It would be nice if they had boxes for those that buy more than 2-3 pieces. I would have bought more but trying to juggle multiple bags and filling them with their tongs made it a bit awkward.

Certainly not bad… but also not mind blowing for an establishment that focuses on baked goods. It would have been nice to have our items warmed up. Everything was fresh, but nothing seemed to me gourmet or anything to holler about. I will say, the salted egg yolk bun is the exception. That was quite delicious but unsure if I’d go out of my way for it.

Need to stalk their schedule to see which buns come out. No point going right at opening. They only have one oven so only 1-2 pastries will be available Egg tart was pretty good as was the garlic bread. The hot chocolate was powdery

Pros: - Tasty latte, beans by Counterculture - Friendly barista - Good seating options - Excellent playlist (if you like dark wave/synth, Depeche Mode, etc. :)) Cons: - Standard size for hot drinks is 12 oz, which I would consider too small for the price and location - Drinks came in plain white cups which looked quite cheapish - Nothing against unpretentious places but the overall appearance was definitely too filthy: sticky tables, lots of crumbles on the floor, windows not cleaned in a million years. I had planned to try their Taiwanese pastry but the overall condition of the place made me change my mind as the hygiene concerns outweighed my curiosity - Staff was at times a tad too engaged in private conversations, which included clearly audible parts about some of their (negative) experiences with customers. This made me feel a bit uncomfortable - gossiping, if considered appropriate at all, is not meant for customers’ ears… All in all 3 to 3.5 stars, with quite some room for improvement.

This place was really cool. It looked super unique and different from other places. The pastries were so good and tasted amazing. The coffee was really good too. Everything looked really nice, and it was definitely a place I’d want to go to again.

My favorite place to go get a special treat in all of Chicago. Pretty much everything is delicious, I love the hot dog breads, curry buns, and the mango pandan matcha is really incredible, the best flavoured matcha drink I have had. It’s also really close to the red, orange and green lines, so it’s easy to get to from anywhere in the city! I’d easily recommend this place to anyone who loves baked goods, matcha, and nice places to sit/work/snack.

This place is Taiwanese pastry heaven. Go in the morning when everything has been put out fresh. There's plenteous of options. The scallion bacon bun is bomb, I inhaled it and purchased two more to go.

Delicious Taiwanese baked goods and a huge selection from sweet to savory. I wish I had come here sooner, there’s so many pastries I still want to try! The Ube Red Bean bun was just so good! The coffee & tea here are great too. On a sunny day I recommend taking some treats and a drink to go and enjoying them on a short walk to the waterfront.

Great study spot. The playlist the day I went was *chef's kiss* The strawberry matcha was good but nothing too special. The black sesame pastry I got was okay - The mochi in it was really good though and the chewy texture made the pastry fun to eat. I prefer the savory pastries here. I got the ham and cheese pork floss pastry (not pictured here) and enjoyed it. It's a nice snack. I would keep coming back just to try other pastries and to get work done! They also have a few outlets and a restroom.

Sweet Bean's location is incredibly convenient and ideal for a variety of reasons. It is right off the CTA stop and within walking distance of some of our favorite and frequently-visited spots. As such, we have stopped by Sweet Beans on a few occasions, sometimes in the morning and sometimes in the afternoon. There are more selections if you go earlier in the day. Some of the items that we have tried are: Matcha glazed bun with custard filling Matcha glazed bun with red bean filling Pineapple bun with custard filling Sesame bun with curry filling Pineapple bun with shredded coconut and jam filling Earl Grey tea latte The bread is soft however the flavors for all of the bread are way too subtle for our preferences. A good way to try a variety without breaking the bank is that there are some days in which they would have yesterday's bread for a discounted price at $2.95 each.

Oh my goodness this place was adorable! Their baked goods were cute and tasted good. Some of them come wrapped so that is nice if you decide to buy extra for later. There are also plenty of drink options so you have your choice! We did come in while they were closing so didn't take too much time here. I did notice there are places to work here if you would like a cute yummy place to do a little work or socialize. I didn't find bathroom so that could be something to be mindful of. It is also close to the train so for those that don't want to drive, you can walk. Otherwise, I did not find parking to be too difficult.

Cute little Taiwanese bakery we visited for breakfast! They had so many baked goods to choose from and they were so fresh and soft when we went in the morning. They were continuously bringing out fresh goodies as we were walking around. The packaged breads they sold are day old baked goods that they sell at a cheaper price but they were still so soft. Lots of drink options and customizations available. The cashier was nice and helpful.

Their BUNS! are soOo good and worth a taste. I regret not taking any pictures because I had purchased one of just about every bun that was out for our road trip home... they also offer drinks which I did not partake (but will next time!). The front space can get pretty tight (they are so busy), but there is a room with more tables in the back.

Cute Taiwanese bakery with a bunch of delicious pastries. We tried their egg custard tart, salted egg yolk bun, bbq bun and scalllion bun. The bbq bun was tasty but idk if I'd call it bbq pork it's more of a pulled pork but still yummy. My favorite is the scallion bun. I got their miso mocha with dark chocolate and my partner got their rose matcha latte. I enjoyed my miso matcha but his rose matcha latte had a bit too much rose in it

Ambiance: 5/5 This is a small, but cozy bakery located in the South Loop. There are a couple of small tables to sit at, but everyone mainly buys and goes. Service: 5/5 Food: 5/5 There are a variety of sweet and savory buns, pastries, and treats to choose from. The egg tarts were just okay (the Thai Tea flavored one barely had any tea taste), but the buns were delicious! My favorite was the pork floss taro bun. Yum! We will definitely be back to try out all the other goodies.

So many delicious Taiwanese dessert options. The desserts are kept in closed containers, and you self-serve with tongs, so it's very sanitary. I got the matcha red bean bun and loved it, the red bean filling had a perfect flavor and was not chalky. I also really loved the mochi sesame roll. The mochi was very soft and it was not too sweet. I got an iced oat milk latte and thought it was a little overpriced + wished the espresso was stronger, so I'll be sure to get an extra shot next time.

This cozy Taiwanese bakery on a busy corner near the museum district is a must go! I've had my fair share of baked goods from major players like Tous Le Jours and 85 degrees but wow the pastry buns are SO light and airy here! Love the seating in the adjoining room and the innovative flavor profiles. I do wish they had regular pineapple cakes but would've tried the yuzu flavored pineapple cake if it wasn't sold out. Will be back!

Came here with some friends for breakfast the other day and we all loved this cute little spot. We each got two items but I got the corn and ham pastry as well as the tomato onion hot dog. Both were really great. I also tried the lemon macarons, the bacon wrapped pastry with the hard boiled egg, the garlic sesame bun, and the little sausage rolls. Everything here is great and I would be excited to try some other items when I come back next time. I also got a latte here and their coffee was great. Service here was awesome even though it was pretty crowded. Overall, I recommend!

There is a very large selection of baked items and this definitely feels more like a bakery than a coffee shop. They're one of the only shops downtown that offer hojicha but it was unfortunately flavorless and quite weak. I will likely only return for pastries.

Sweet bean is so cutesy! Walked past on my way to the train station and decided to pop in. You walk in and smell the amazing aromas of various pastries. If you're interested in grabbing an item, they have tongs for grab and plastic bags ready to go to place your goodies in. Don't worry, fresh tongs are brought out frequently. The staff is friendly and knows their menu well. They are constantly bringing out the freshest items for customers. I purchased a Ube red bean paste pastry and it was pretty good. I can say I wanted more Ube flavor than red bean paste. This pastry is for those that adore red bean, if not, it's passed and get something else.

Food: good Taiwanese bakery in the city, pretty good flavors, wish some of the items were kept more warm Service: was fine, most part was self serve Ambiance: didn't sit in, just got it to go

Very unique pastries, very cheap at USD 4 per pastry on average, and the pastries are large. I have to try all of them!

I randomly stumbled upon this spot while on my trip to Chicago and am so glad I was able to try it out! I was originally a little skeptical because I thought it was similar to an 85 degrees but it turned out to be much more unique. They also sell some other items like ramen broth. We arrived at around 3pm on a Sunday so a lot of the baked goods were already sold out. I was able to try the taro mochi bun with pork floss which was super yummy. They also have a wide variety of coffee, tea and non caffeinated drinks. We tried the mango pandan matcha and black sesame hojicha. Both were delicious! The matcha could've been stronger but the flavor combination worked well. I'm a big fan of both black sesame and hojicha so the extra nuttiness in the drink was perfect for me. There's also seating and WiFi for those that want to stay longer.

This is the second time they got my drink wrong. The first time they told me I couldn't personalize my drink and it was my fault it came out wrong. The second time I asked for a sesame hojicha and they gave me matcha instead. It's also really bad matcha. Come for the breads do not come for the drinks.

A decent place for pastries/beverages, though slightly overpriced. There is a little bit of seating in the front where the pastries are and more space in the back room to sit down and work. Service was good. Black sesame hojicha latte (4/5): You can alter the sweetness of the beverage which is nice, and you can also change the ice level (though they charge extra if you ask for light/no ice). The latte was not too sweet and the hojicha flavor was great. The black sesame was not incorporated very well -- I couldn't taste the flavor in the actual latte but there was some black sesame (powder, potentially?) floating around at the bottom of my drink, so I ended up chewing on it as I drank, which made the texture a little odd. Yuzu madelines (3/5): I enjoyed the soft texture of the madelines; they were baked well. The flavor was a little citrusy, but I would have liked the yuzu to stand out more. Strawberry taro bolo bun (3/5): The flavor profile was clever, but the bun was a little too sweet for me. I am a bigger fan of the standard texture of a bolo bun -- in part because other elements were added to the bun, the top of this one was not as crispy. The bun itself was chewier and not as fluffy too.

Yummy and cute small Taiwanese bakery! They have both savory and sweet pastries, and a variety of Asian-inspired drink options. You pick your own bread with tongs and place them in provided plastic baggies. I got the ham and cheese bread with pork floss, and the ham and corn bread. Absolutely loved how soft and fluffy both were! Highly recommend!

This page really needs an update (lol). They no longer serve food. You can still get all of the baked goods and drinks. One of the servers was iffy about giving my fiance the restroom key. I get it, not for public use. There's a good amount of seating in the back. They were playing Kpop. Several areas with bar stool seating in the front and back. I had the hojicha black sesame iced and unsweetened. I enjoyed it. I like it when my drinks aren't super sweet. I tried a few of the baked goods. They were bringing out fresh items as we sat and ate too. The egg custard bun was light, but the egg custard texture reminded me of a scrambled steamed egg. The black sesame bun had a bit of what seemed like a mochi paste filling, sticky and not sweet. That was fun and I've never had anything like that before. If you've ever tried an 85 degree bakery, it sort of reminded me of that except everything tasted more fresh. We did come at 9am. Everything was warm and fresh tasting. They also had a shelf for "no waste" discounted items probably from yesterday.

I don't think I can ever get tired of this place! I come here for lunch and a morning Matcha sometimes. I think what keeps me coming back is the pastries and the variety of Matcha drinks they have. I definitely recommend an iced blueberry Matcha and if you would like a coffee, I suggest the iced coffee with Ube syrup. There is a lot of space to sit if you need to do some work. The service here is good, not over-the-top or underwhelming.

I couldn't resist stopping in after catching a glimpse of their stunning pastries displayed in the window. They offer an impressive variety of both savory and sweet treats, all at affordable prices. The self-serve setup lets you pick and package your selections at your own pace, adding a fun, personal touch to the experience. They also serve coffee and drinks, and even in the middle of the day, the selection was plentiful and beautifully prepared. Every pastry I tried was as delicious as it looked--definitely worth a visit!

I got the ham & cheese bun with pork floss filling and strawberry tart. This is my first time trying pork floss and I didn't like it because it was too dry. The strawberry tart was delicious! Loved the fresh strawberries on top and the almond pudding inside was flavorful but not heavy. A bit pricy and the area can be busy since it's right off Roosevelt and Wabash. They have a big selection and every time I go, they've already run out of the more popular items. You grab individual tongs from a rack and place the items you want in a plastic bag or a tray (depending if you're staying to eat or to go). I recommend trying this place out!

Yum! Love a bao place. I think everything we got here was good. Cute atmosphere. Lots of natural textures and fun art. You place your order on the one side and can go through to the other to sit and eat. Got a London Fog Tea Latte too, but it wasn't the strong pick-me-up I needed. If you don't prefer strong teas, this might be a nice one to try.

Clean tables and environment. The inside was also very cozy and cute. The pastries were all soooo delicious, my favorite was middle one (i forgot what it was called)

Stumbled upon this place while walking around Chicago's South Loop area... had a great bakery item (ham and scallion bun) and a latte. They had a lot of awesome looking bakery items to choose from. Def puts a smile on my face when I find a small local gem like this!

This is a bakery/coffee shop combined in downtown Chicago that reminds me of Taiwan. They have a good variety of breads and pastries, my boyfriend and I picked 5 breads (2 from the reduced-priced section) and ordered hojicha. All were so good! Our favorite was the pork floss bolo bun. It's very savory and authentic. They have working wifi and a seating area at the back of the shop. We were there studying and enjoying our drinks and breads. This place is within walking distance from Shedd aquarium. It was a nice day to get some treats here after the aquarium!

I'm so happy a randomly found this place. Not something to eat every day, but as a treat, their buns are amazing. I got a savory pork one and after devouring it ended up getting two more sweat buns to-go. I also got a mango smoothie, which was fine but nothing special.

When I found out this is a Taiwanese style cafe, I was excited and came for a visit right away! They have an amazing selection of bakeries and I wish I was able to try everything! I tried their earl grey peach pudding egg cake roll, the flavor is so new and refreshing because of the light tea flavor combined with the peach. I enjoyed every bite of it! I also tried the lemon glaze Madeline and it was not too sweet and perfect softness to it. They have so many different pastries it's always a treat coming here! As for the drink I wasn't a fan of as it was very light.

A Taiwanese bakery store located right next to the Roosevelt train station. It's a modern Asian bakery/coffee store with fresh bakery and fresh brew coffee. They also sell some souvenirs/ seasonings from Taiwan and some other Asian countries. Service: It is a self-serve bakery. They provide paper bags and boxes and you pick your own bakery on the shelves. After that you can go to the cashier to pay your bakery and return the tong. Big fans of self-service store, you can take your time to pick the items without worrying about bothering others. Food: Egg Custard Tart - 5/5 - Perfect sweetness level for me (slightly sweet) - Filled with soft and creamy egg custard all the way to the bottom of the crust (ard 1.5" depth) - The crust is just thick enough to the egg custard together - Very delicious

So so good, being from CA, we have our fair share of amazing Asian bakeries and this one definitely is on par with a lot of them. The breads are so good but the matcha buns are our fave. The matcha and the hojicha are some of our favorite drinks, I love that we can get them unsweetened. Definitely worth checking out if you haven't already!!

Found this place on Yelp when I was headed to the airport. Perfect spot to pick up some treats before leaving Chi Town! I love a good Taiwanese bakery, which I had one back home! There were so many to choose from, I wish they had bigger boxes. The biggest box they had could hold up to 4 treats. I would definitely come back here next time I'm in Chicago!

I stumbled upon this place as I was in the neighborhood and craving a good coffee before my Pickleball practice. I ordered an Iced Latte with almond milk with Ube syrup. The coffee was honestly ok and the ube syrup didn't really blend well with the coffee. I feel they have more Teas on the menu than coffee options. The coffee was reasonably priced however I have never had to pay extra money for a cup of water, that was really odd! I'm not sure if I'll come back to this place again!

I went around 3pm on a weekday. There were a decent amount of pastries available, but it was clear that many had been sold out. After tasting two of them, I can see why. I got a taro (?) filled bun and a pork floss bun. Both were very soft and fresh. They were the perfect combination of sweet and savory. The workers were very nice and the checkout process was very quick! The front area where the pastries are is a little small and has two tables to sit, but they do have more seating in the back. I didn't get to take photos of all the pastries due to the small area and since there were multiple people grabbing pastries. However, I can say that they have so many varieties and it all looked delicious!! I really recommend trying this place, I will definitely come back at opening one day to try some of the items I missed out on :)

Very friendly staff. Great variety of pastries and drinks. I would go here again if I am in the area

We were not familiar with this place but we needed a quick casual lunch and this fit the bill. Everything here was new to us so we explored the different display cases before making our selections. I had a hot dog wrapped in a sweet bun (I am guessing all of the pastries were sweet thus the name) it was very good. My wife had one with an onion topping which was also tasty. We followed up with an almond paste filling dessert pastry and that was quite a treat. Overall the prices were reasonable. We will definitely eat at one of these places if we come across one in the future.

I am so glad to finally try the pastries at Sweet Bean! I've been eyeing it for a while now, both online and from driving by, and love that a Taiwanese bakery is in the South Loop. The bakery/cafe is located at a busy intersection, right off the CTA Roosevelt Redline. I imagine it's convenient to get to by public transportation. It's a little harder to access if you're driving due to limited street parking and all the car traffic on Roosevelt and Wabash. My husband and I had a plan of action when we stopped by for pastries on a Friday morning. He dropped me off and then parked out by the Jewel parking lot across the street while I ran inside to grab a box of pastries. I texted him photos on what was behind the glass windows, since the daily items might be different than what's listed on their online menu. I think it depends on the day. You pick up a paper box (several sizes available based on how many pastries you plan on selecting) and grab clean tongs to choose your buns. I felt like a kid in a candy store! We tried a few savory and sweet buns including: Hot Dog & Cheese Ham & Corn Ham & Green Onion Strawberry Milk Toast Their hours are 8:00 am - 5:00 pm, which seems pretty limited for a cafe in my opinion for the early birds or after work crowds. We had to book it out the door to swing by (and make it home) before our 9am Friday morning meetings. We were able to do this within 45 minutes, miraculously. It was worth it! The hours are a little tricky for folks who work 9-5 office jobs, especially if you don't live nearby, and access by car is also tricky. Their daily selection varies (from my one quick morning visit there) for pastries to go, BUT I am a fan and their pastries were delicious! Pair your carbs with caffeine with drinks from their espresso bar. They had matcha options, standard espresso drinks, and non-caffeinated drinks as well. Whether you're a sweet or savory person, coffee or tea, there will be something for everyone at Sweet Bean! Find me on IG : @ gratuitousgourmande

This Taiwanese cafe has great coffee and wide range of pastries. This cafe is a bit small and is always busy.

Sweet Bean is a very appropriate name for this establishment. Asian themed with strong French influence coffee is good, and savory dishes are pretty good too. Service is fast and they are on top of it. It seems that atmosphere is relaxed with lots of college students from nearby university working on their laptops! The only downside here is that things are a bit too sweet. Even the savory items are on the sweet side and there is nothing you can do about it!

Hands down has become my top Asian bakery place in Chicago with various bakery items to choose from and a delicious hot matcha latte. I am absolutely in love with the taro bun as it reminds me of those hmart taro that you heat up in the air fryer. I've tried the pork buns as well and was very happy. There's plenty of seating but it can get busy as group of friends stop by here to chat or individuals bring their laptops to study. Either way, it's a good environment with lots of food items to choose from. I will be back!

I love Taiwanese bakery! So surprised to find a place in Chicago. I had the Pineapple Bun and Pork Bun. So savory and sweet. The place is so cute with nice tables to do some quick work. The girl at the counter was so nice explaining about the specials. This may be my favorite cute cafe in Chicago now. So excited to find this place.

This was a really cute bakery filled with Taiwanese treats. The pastries lined the counter accompanied with tongs for self service. I tried the ham and scallion pastry which was slightly sweet but very savory. The matcha was also pretty good although the matcha power was slightly clumpy. Overall good experience.

Delicious Taiwanese style bakery with an assortment of baked goods, and drinks. I saw online they had a food menu but this review will only be for bakery items as we didn't try the food. Service was super kind and helpful on a Saturday afternoon. Decent amount of tables but it was a full house - quite a popular stop right by the metro. While there, we ate an earl grey roll cake with peaches and pudding. Putting egg pudding in a dessert is really authentic!! It was delicious - the sponge was moist and had a strong enough earl grey flavor - fillings not too sweet so it was a light and airy dessert. To go, we got a corn cheese bun, lava yolk pineapple bread, and taro bread. We even saw pork floss taro mochi bread which is quite rare to see. We didn't get it, but if you like sweet and salty together you might want to try it! The breads were all soft and delicious. Highly recommend. My personal favorite was the egg yolk lava pineapple bun.

There was a wide selection of pastries but nothing too unique. I would say all of the things I got (peach oolong scone, ham and green onion bread) were a little dry but i like it more compared to other similar Chinese style bakeries because it's not as buttery. The service was very fast. Less than 2 minutes to get boba tea and the staff was helpful with recommendations. There is no seating in this bakery so plan on taking everything to go.

I visited Sweet Bean yesterday. Positives: The workers were polite and friendly, and the store layout was very organized. There is a little area along the window to purchase some food and non-food items. The bakery offers a little day-old section of pastries sold at a reduced price. The items in the display case are clearly labeled so you know what each pastry is. Room for improvement: My friends previously visited in the afternoon and stated things were sold out for the day, so I intentionally visited in the morning. Yet, at 9:00am on a Sunday, the workers were still bringing out freshly baked goods, even though they opened an hour prior. Since literally half the display case was empty, I was unable to try everything I wanted to. And, just my opinion, the pastries are a little overpriced. I can find some of the same items for less and at equal or better quality. Plus, single-use plastic bags are wasteful, and they do not offer you anything to seal it shut. I asked for a larger box or bag to carry my pastries home in and was given 1 tiny box that barely held 1 treat. I am lucky I brought a bag to bring things home in. Based on previous reviews, this seems like this has changed in the last 3 months. If I return in the future, I will be using the online ordering feature to ensure I get to try more things and that my trip will be worth it.

Great freshly baked items and excellent coffee. Tried the scallion and ham bun and a pork string bbq bun. Both items were baked well and very flavorful. Clean and welcoming environment with good wifi and comfortable seating. I had a meeting and found it to be a great place for working remote.

What a find! A huge collection of sweet and savory Taiwanese cakes, buns, cookies, and pastries. We tried the ham and cheese bun with pork floss and the ham and corn bun and both were fantastic and took some Earl Gray and lychee shortbread cookies to go. So many more things to try.

If you are looking for a quality Asian bakery in Chicago, then Sweet Bean is simply the place to be! All of the bakery items that I tried were delicious and reasonably priced. Egg Tart ($3)- kind of like the Portuguese style which is taller and less flat than the Asian one; egg custard was soft and delicious Salted Egg Yolk Bolo Bun ($3.50)- really great; salted egg filling inside was the perfect consistency and not too salty Taro Mochi and Pork Floss Bun ($3.75)- this one was my favorite; it had both taro paste and mochi paste inside, both of which were so delicious and perfect consistency; pork floss on the outside took it to yet another level Peach Smoothie ($5.50 + $0.75 for Greek yogurt base)- also great; tasted like they used the real fruit and didn't add much (if any) additional sugar which was good The staff are friendly, and the service speed is decent for the drinks (the pastries you just pick out yourself and pay at the register). The place is sort of split into two sections- one with the pastries and the other for them to make the drinks and for the customers to sit. The place is not super big, but there is still a decent amount of seating, though it can get a bit busy during peak morning hours. It is a nice environment with a local bakery / coffee shop kind of vibe. Overall, Sweet Bean has amazing Asian bakery items and quality smoothies / coffee drinks as well. If that sounds like something you would like, then this is a must-visit if you are in the South Loop area.

Very bummed after a flight to Chicago and walking from my hotel in the rain to Sweet Bean. First, they did not have a lot of options available in the buns sections (it was only 11am) AND I trekked all the way here so I can get some warm homemade dumplings, which I saw on the photo menu from other Yelpers, and there were NO hot food options. ONLY BUNS! THEY DO NOT SERVE ANY HOT BREAKFAST OR LUNCH/DUMPLING OPTIONS! I did take two little buns, the butter bun and then the Salted Egg Yolk Bolo bun. I could've gone without them and went to another spot for lunch. Such a disappointment. At least the buns were delicious and fresh!

Located in the heart of South Loop, Sweet Bean features a spacious, cutely decorated interior with a separate cafe and pastry section and tables interspersed between. I was a big fan of the diverse, creative selection of Taiwanese-style breads, buns, and pastries-- both sweet and savory-- and everything we got was extremely delicious. It was decently quiet and good for light work; the music selection was chill and not too loud. It was only slightly short of a pure 5 stars for a couple reasons: Most of their buns are best eaten warm, but many are sitting outside for awhile and get cold. We asked them to heat it up for us, but they were still kind of cold when they brought it back out for us, which wasn't ideal. Not a big deal, but heated up, their tastes and textures would have been much augmented. Another reason is that they've unfortunately removed their food items from the menu, including their famous xiaolong baos. Instead, they're serving acai bowls, which are neither that interesting nor unique. I got the following items, all of which I heavily recommend: - Tuna Egg Mayo Bun: Being a huge fan of all 3 of these items, this bun was INCREDIBLE; the flavors just burst in your mouth. - Taro Mochi & Pork Floss Bun: Perfect combo of opposite flavors and textures: the light and fluffy, savory pork floss matched with the soft and sticky, semi-sweet taro mochi made for a unique and popping combo. - Korean Garlic Cheese Bun: The garlic aioli-esque cream inside is so fluffy and delicious and paired perfectly with the plump exterior bread. Cream got kind of a lot / heavy after awhile though. - Mushroom and Corn Baguette: This one was definitely one of the items that would have been much better heated up, but even colder it was excellent: very strong corn flavors paired with creamy mushroom interspersed throughout, ending with a crispy baguette crunch. - Scallion Pork Floss Bolo Bun: A delicious classic-- when I went, they were also doing 20% off all bolo buns. Overall, the prices are quite solid: not as cheap as bakeries in Chinatown, but their selections are more creative-- I haven't seen a lot of these bun/pastry types in more traditional Chinese bakeries. It's also cheaper than other Asian bakeries in the Loop area (aka H-Mart/Paris Baguette). Overall, most items are between $1.50-$5. I'll definitely be back, as everything looked great and there are so many I have yet to try. -- Price (relative to peers): 4.5/5 Food: 4.5/5 Ambience: 4.5/5 Suitability for Work/Study: 4/5 Overall Value: 4.5/5