Sweets Bakery

I’m super disappointed. The employees are very old which isn’t a problem. But it’s the attitude that gets me. On the website, an Iced Matcha latte is $6. They charge me seven dollars. And you know a one dollar difference didn’t bother me but I still asked why. They kept saying that Matcha on the website would be a small while the one for $7 is bigger, but they don’t serve the small. I said these two are the same here and on the website what’s the difference? They decided to speak in Cantonese and started making fun of me for asking why. I guess they didn’t know I was Chinese, so they started to talk trash. I still payed. And the matcha was honestly not the best at all. It was water down and mostly taste like literal water. And I really do love Matcha so for it to be seven Dollars was very underwhelming and not worth it. However, I did buy an egg tart and the egg tart was pretty good. But yeah. The service was just really rude and disrespectful. And if you don’t speak, Cantonese, or Mandarin or understand, just watch out. The lady on the right was the one that was speaking in canto making fun of me for me asking. Just beware.

been coming here as often as I can the last 2 years; cozy place with the best pineapple buns (my favorite). they’re always fresh and warm, and the texture is perfect. feels like home. bun + coffee for $4 is amazing. also really good coffee. cash only!

STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE, DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY AND TIME! bought a coconut milk bun and an almond cookie and gave him a bill, he did not give me the exact change. Is a cash only place if he didn't have to give me back the right thing to do was to tell me, but he didn't, I sat there for a bit a notice his transactions, he would give people back their change, that's where it really made upset, do I look different than everyone else?, I was very kind, and it's not my first time there, so I was appalled to his violent behavior, it's not about the change is about the principle, when I kindly asked him about why he didn't give me the change he started to yell erratically, and I kept saying to lower his tone and his voice, I didn't need for him to disrespect me, when I was in my right to ask about my money, he created a whole uncomfortable scene that escalated to everyone in the store hearing, I gave him the discretion but he was extremely rude and unprofessional, and decided to draw attention to make a scene, this one of the worse experiences in Chinatown, and this store is known for their rude service, their hygiene standards are questionable too, there was a huge around the table. Both pastries were not that great, they were dried and sugary. This man was absolutely out of line and disrespectful, rude and had a hostile, violent behavior, he didn't want to admit he didn't give me the exact change, and did not handle it in a courteous manner, he was yelling and kicking me out, once I was already leaving, I addressed how disrespectful and rude he was and not honest with his customers, he should be giving back the change to people, that's stealing, his attitude made it worse, he's a thief, someone who shouldn't deserve to be in front of customers. Negative stars for this place, this place should not be in operation, it endangers people's well being, and the ability to enjoy something peaceful.

CASH ONLY! Good place for steamed pork and vegetable buns, donuts and coconut milk tea, they are all very tasty, rich in flavor. I don't really have a big sweet tooth so the mango tapioca tea was not the best, tasted artificial and too sweet, I couldn't finish it and the pineapple sweet you can also see in that picture was not that good either. There are a few tables to sit down and they don't really check how long you are seating there (there is supposed to be a limit). The staff may seem a bit rude but once you talk to them they are very kind and helpful. The only issue is they started cleaning the floor while we were there and smelled like bleach for a bit.

GO HERE! This bakery is so cozy and comfortable to be at. There is a great variety and their cakes are delicious. I ordered a birthday cake for my cousin and they even had strawberry flavored cake. I got it custom made and it was stunning. The cake wasn’t too sweet or too bland it was perfectly fluffy.

This has become one of my favorite breakfast spots when I get the chance to run away from my job near wall street. It is definitely worth the trip up though. I use to get stuff from another bakery around the corner but I feel the ones from this bakery are more heavier with the meat. They also cost like 50 cents more but it's definitely worth it. The Roast Pork Buns and Hotdog and Scallion Buns are both $2 and just delicious. Also have a huge selection of other cakes and desserts. Also coffee and teas. A definitely must visit if your in the area.

Had a super delicious mooncake from here, there is a really wide selection of them year round and the price is really fair. They also had fresh Chrysanthemum tea. I was on the run somewhere i could not take my drink so i opted for the boxed one🤍🥰✨

I’ve gone here a few times for moon cakes and egg tarts, both of which were super yummy. Recently they even let me get two egg tarts for 3$ because I was short a dollar! How nice.

Good variety of food and plenty of seating if you don't mind sharing a table. Food is decent. There are also tapioca drinks in the self-serve fridge. I don't recommend coming around 4;30pm yo eat. The staff just dumped a huge amount of noxious cleaning fluid from mopping and all my food I bought can't be consumed here any more because of that awful odor.

I recently visited Sweets Bakery in Chinatown for the first time, and it was an incredible experience. This bakery offers an amazing variety of pastries, all at very affordable prices. Most of the pastries are priced at just $1 to $1.50, making it easy to buy a lot without breaking the bank. The selection is impressive, with countless options to choose from, and everything I tried was delicious such as custard bun, kidney bean and pineapple bun. They also offer drinks for just $3, which is a great deal. The service was friendly and efficient. One thing to note is that Sweets Bakery only accepts cash, and there are no taxes added to the prices, which is something to keep in mind before visiting. Despite this, the quality and value make it absolutely worth it.

If you're in the mood for baked goods that are not too overly sweet then Chinatown is the place to go. There are a bunch of little bakeries that have a wide range of quality Chinese pastries like green tea cake, egg custard, red bean buns, etc. Sweets Bakery is a quality spot for all of these items and pretty close to the subway. I've been to Sweets bakery for their egg custard and various buns countless number of items and have been satisfied every item. They even have birthday cakes, which I have not tried yet. Like the majority of bakeries in the area there's not a ton of space to sit around. Nor is it a spot known for ambiance but the service is quick and pastries are good and fairly priced.

CASH ONLY by the way. The price and flavor is good. A few options, not too much of the bread pastry but good enough to choose from. I like that this place is not too popularized where I see friends I know here or people in my industry(occupation). They have seats inside and is never too loud. First photo- coconut cream bun, is sweet with coconut sugar or powder on top with a additional sweetness of cream in the middle. Sweet with bitten and chewing but after swallowne it not too sweet of a after taste. Good balance of suga. Second fav right after the custard bun. About $2 if I recall and no more than 3 Second photo- custard bun is my fav to get here. Simple sweet bread not too sweet with a custard melted masharmellow texture like in the middle. Slight Suga texture on the bread top. About $2 if I recall and no more than 3 I say all the sweets here are not too sweet but some have more suga than others based on what textures you like to eat. 3rd photo-the egg custard tart, is not that sweet at all, if so very slightly with a jello/jelly texture in middle. The other parts are flakey and is messy when bittign, pieces will fall everywhere. The egg filling in middle do feel like Iam bitting into a raw egg but taste good. I don't like raw eggs but this was acceptable. The winter melon cake wasn't sweet at all, if so just alittle bit, close to like just a sweet bread that's plain with nothing added in or on top of it. The winter melon cake has something in the middle and not quite sure what it is, it has almost same texture as outside where when bitten you can't tell your eating the middle filling, it adds a flavor but subtle enough and not sweet. I say it would taste pretty good with milk or some sweet/not so sweet beverage.

It's alright! After discovering my childhood NYC bakery went out of business during the COVID pandemic, I went on a quest to find a replacement and visited 4 Chinatown bakeries in 2 days. This one was the most modern of the ones I visited, with the most amenities including a sit-down area, a number of drinks and bubble teas to purchase, and a big variety of baked goods. I always grew up going to a bakery with just the baked goods and nothing else so this place was a little too much for me, but I recognize that it was good for my kids. They enjoyed being able to pick out any pastry they wanted, and I enjoyed the mango tapioca drink as a less sweet alternative to bubble tea. The staff did leave a bad taste in my.mouth though. I know they're super busy, but they made me feel like they did me a favor by answering my questions. I guess that's the NYC way though.

I got myself some almond cookies and they are ok for the price I paid. I also got myself a coffee roll. That was delicious. Everything else in the pictures my daughter brought because she said she likes moon cakes and the other pastry she brought. I don't know if you are just supposed to grab what you want but when I went to take a look over at my daughter someone was getting the items for her. It looks like you can just get your own so I don't know what that was about but there's my review. No thumbs up because I'm unsure of the behavior. They were nice to me but, you just don't know what's really on people's minds today even in this diverse city we live in. Happy Yelping guys and be safe out there!

STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE, DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY AND TIME! bought a coconut milk bun and an almond cookie and gave him a bill, he did not give me the exact change. Is a cash only place if he didn't have to give me back the right thing to do was to tell me, but he didn't, I sat there for a bit a notice his transactions, he would give people back their change, that's where it really made upset, do I look different than everyone else?, I was very kind, and it's not my first time there, so I was appalled to his violent behavior, it's not about the change is about the principle, when I kindly asked him about why he didn't give me the change he started to yell erratically, and I kept saying to lower his tone and his voice, I didn't need for him to disrespect me, when I was in my right to ask about my money, he created a whole uncomfortable scene that escalated to everyone in the store hearing, I gave him the discretion but he was extremely rude and unprofessional, and decided to draw attention to make a scene, this one of the worse experiences in Chinatown, and this store is known for their rude service, their hygiene standards are questionable too, there was a huge around the table. Both pastries were not that great, they were dried and sugary. This man was absolutely out of line and disrespectful, rude and had a hostile, violent behavior, he didn't want to admit he didn't give me the exact change, and did not handle it in a courteous manner, he was yelling and kicking me out, once I was already leaving, I addressed how disrespectful and rude he was and not honest with his customers, he should be giving back the change to people, that's stealing, his attitude made it worse, he's a thief, someone who shouldn't deserve to be in front of customers. Negative stars for this place, this place should not be in operation, it endangers people's well being, and the ability to enjoy something peaceful.

I love the mango mochi here! It's one of the best I've had because the mochi is soft and there is fresh mango inside. It's also quite big and only a couple of dollars. Highly recommend!

Replying to reviewer Bernice below, yes, you are supposed to wait for an employee to get your items for you. They place them on a tray and you bring the tray to the cashier to pay. For those old enough to remember, this was the location of the defunct Hong Kong bakery chain Maria's, which I loved as a kid. Glad to see Sweets is serving the same fare in the same place. My nostalgic favorite is the custard bun. My parents used to get a couple items and we'd just park ourselves here to enjoy the food and the corner view. Still the same, there's seating but you'll be lucky to snag a seat.

A great selection and nice environment. Looking for mooncakes? How about hot dog buns? Look no further. The prices are a bit steeper for Chinatown, but happy to just go to one shop for everything we're looking for. I don't prefer their egg tarts (Dan tah) but they'll do!

Love this place! Definitely worth stopping by if you're in the area. The staff is friendly and there are sooo many amazing options to choose from. I got a taro mooncake which wasn't the best I've ever had but it wasn't bad. A little dry! The real star was the coconut cream bun. The filling is AMAZING. I wish I got multiple of them. Recommend this place!

Anytime I'm in town I stop by this bakery. Baked goods are delicious. Be aware that they do not accept credit cards however.

One of the bakeries that works after 7 pm in Chinatown! Has a good variety of different sweets and teas. Everything is individually packed. The place is CASH ONLY! I've tried Napoleon cake and cheese tart. Both were slightly dry but I loved the taste!!

Roast pork bun was delicious. I will definitely come back again ! They also have bubble tea and cakes

Delicious sesame balls! They have lots of individually-wrapped items on the side when you walk in so you can choose for yourself.

This review is based on their giant Sticky Rice Ball (aka Mochi!) This place has a plethora of all kinds of stuff you can imagine in a Chinese bakery - traditional Chinese mooncakes, pastries, desserts, western cakes, bread, and more! Everyone can find sth here to satisfy their sweet tooth (or teeth in my case lol) I was craving Mochi and got the red bean Mochi and the mango Mochi. They are otherworldly good! The texture was so so so soft and yet have the perfect amount of chew. Your teeth would just sink into the skin when you bite into them - honestly they are so soft that you don't even need teeth to eat them! The mango one is my favorite - ample refreshing fresh mango chunks on the inside that adds another layer of flavor and texture to the whole Mochi experience! The Mochi balls were covered in coconut shreds which was so fragrant and elevated the mochis even more! I inhaled them so fast that I didn't even breathe in between! LOL I'm still dreaming about these mochis days after I devoured them. And I'm reminiscing every bite of them as I wrote.

Food: Lots of standard Chinese bakery treats to choose from. My friends and I came in during the night time to have a seat and some snacks after a long food crawl in Chinatown and it was a great way to end the night. Ambiance: Reminds me of older 2000s Chinese bakeries that I frequented in my childhood! Lots of fresh pastries and even indoor seating, which I typically don't encounter in bakeries like these. Service: Workers were quick and friendly!

The food is fantastic! Everything is good in there! It is just enough sweetness. Not overly sweet but not underly sweet, just perfect! I love this bubble tea drinks! Wonderful customer service! Everyone is so nice and welcoming! The atmosphere is so nice! Love it so much!

When I'm at Sweets Bakery, I usually get the big donut on a stick. It's just a simple donut covered in sugar but it's big and tastes very good for some reason. And it's cheap. The baked goods used to be placed as they are, but now they are all individually wrapped in plastic bags and you need to ask the staff to give you whatever baked goods you would like. I just wanted the donut so I asked her and she simply picked it up with tongs and dropped it in my hands - not sure if that works as a safety measure, but it's good to see they are trying to be more sanitary these days.

Great customer service and their pastries are fairly affordable but very delicious and portions are big

Food: 3/5 I have the biggest sweet tooth every once in awhile. Every time I'm in the area, I try to sneak in here and get some pastries and cake to go. I enjoy Asian bakeries more than Italian/American bakeries because I find the Asian bakeries to be less sweet and more spongey. I'm a sucker for buns and chocolate cake. The weather was horrible and raining all day. I needed something sweet in my life. Biggest regret today is only getting one chocolate cake. Service: 2.5/5 Pastries are near the entrance. You tell them what you want and they bag it for you. Cakes are by the register. This place gets crowded so the service can be better. The ladies check you out fast. Ambiance: 1.5/5 Small seating area. I usually order to go. Place gets crowded and the seats/tables need to be wiped down.

Sweets Bakery is a small, affordable Chinatown staple of hot milk tea, warm buns, mochi (I like the coconut covered peanut) and pastries. I am a big fan of their egg tarts and raisin bread. I often pick up milk tea and breakfast here before seeing grandparents or stopping at nearby Columbus Park. There are seats for about 15 people, but you can't move the chairs around. I don't recommend large groups of people. All the buns are on display on the right wall when you enter. You point and the staff will pick them up for you and put it on a tray. Their English is okay, everything is usually labelled well. Pastries, tea, and coffee are behind the glass counter. You take your tray up to the counter to pay and get the rest of your goods.

This place is a wonderful place! The lychee bubble tea is delicious!! The strawberry Mochi is filled with chocolate and was scrumptious!! The bakery is very clean and everything is packaged individually which is nice. The staff is very polite and efficient!

Grade Pending means they received either a B or C -- meaning they did not meet health inspections, therefore you are putting yourself at risk by consuming the food here. Additionally, they are a cash-only establishment, and the prices are on the high side: 4.95 per terrible-tasting piece. All in all I would not recommend. Go to Mei Lai Wah for fresh roasted pork buns and pineapple roasted pork buns.

The workers need to change their attitude. They are very unpleasant. You also need to ask the price before you order a drink there because you cannot see the price for each drink. The drink I ordered was overpriced. It was a regular lemonade but the price was way higher than the other bakeries.

I've been coming to this location since I was a kid and have seen all the different name/owner changes. Everything is basically the same with one minor thing I don't like- everything now is pre packaged (but not sealed) and customers will just randomly reach in and grab things instead of items being handed to them on a tray by the staff.

This bakery is the reason I got hooked on mantou for an entire month. I first stopped by here on a hot September afternoon after playing spikeball in Central Park for 2 hours, and I couldn't bear my hunger any longer before heading to another restaurant in Chinatown so I dropped by here for a mantou, and it was one of the most satisfying experiences of my life. I took 1 bite, and I don't remember what happened to the rest of it because it disappeared so fast. It's just the right amount of sweetness and super soft, and I happened to stop by this evening after my haircut in Chinatown to buy a whole bag of them.

I came here to try their moon cakes. We're they the best I've ever had? No they were on the dry side and the dough was a bit more chewy than I have had. But they had a pineapple moon cake which I have never seen before and which was really nice. A little sweet and a little tart. I would want to try some of their cakes. They sell matcha crepe cake by the slice and I would like to try it!

Delightful assortment of buns in bright, clean setting. Great spot for jury duty breakfast.

I came here during my lunch break and got a hot milk tea for $1.25. You are required to show proof of vaccination and a photo ID if you want to sit inside. If you're just picking up, they are straight-forward. The employees speak both English and Chinese so no reason to feel hesitant about the language barrier. I'll be back to try their baos and dessert items!

When I bring my sweet to New York City, I don't get Sweets for my sweet. Because, well, it's just not great bubble tea. But then a lot of the stuff in Chinatown Manhattan is on the bland side. I recommend coming here for the bakery rather than the bubble tea. That seems like an optional extra, and definitely not the specialty. Sweets is a cute little Bakery where the bubble tea was pretty average. Nothing more than a four-star but also good enough to not be less. The tapioca was nice and soft, at least. Next time I come back I will try all the baked goods that people are raving about.

I was running around China Town looking for Mooncakes for a friend with no luck until I got to Sweets. It was my first time in Sweets because in the pass It just had to many tourist but tonight they only had 8 or 9 in the shop. They don't let you get close to the the buns or other baked goods. You have to ask one of the attendants for what you want. On the plus side they can tell you whats it is or inside of it. And lucky me, they had Mooncakes, white lotus, red bean, green tea, yoke or eith no yoke, mission accomplished.

Good buns, CASH only. Got the sweet pork bun and the bacon and cheese bun. Was hoping to find ham & cheese buns but didn't see any. Ordered a bubble tea but they told me they are cash only, so posting this review so everyone knows.

I love the custard bun and the coconut buns I get them like every time I'm in Chinatown for groceries. today I had a moon cake, the pineapple with egg yolk and....it is phenomenal. Like the texture is so perfect, it's not overly sweet at all, it's seriously amazing. The store bought ones in the boxes honestly seem boring in comparison, legimately puts to shame any moon cake I have ever had.

This has become basically a must stop in Chinatown for us. HK style bakery with all the goodies I grew up with, both Chinese and European baked goods, with HK milk tea, bubble teas, and of course cake rolls!! So yummy. If you've never had their egg tarts, OMG!! Way better than dim sum restaurants! There's not much seating, so just be aware. The ladies working here are amazing: very cordial, quick, and smiley friendly!! No Chinatown gruffiness here. Favorites to get here: BBQ pork buns, both steamed and baked, curry beef croissants, cake treats, and did I mention HK Style Milk Tea? Oh yeah baby.

To heed my calling for bubble tea on a hot and humid June afternoon for a cool down, the selection was already pre-made. I was hoping for one to be freshly made on site as I wait without tapioca. The mango bubble tea with tapioca white pearls $4 were entirely filled with pulp. All I tasted was pulp from the tapioca not juice. It was not cold despite being stored in the refrigerator. In scanning the refrigerator for bubble tea without tapioca (either black or white) unfortunately there were none. The baked goodies are abundant, no comment as I did not purchase any. There is a bakery bouncer who guards all the buns, rolls and bread items readily standing to assist patrons. Seating is limited and no facilities on site.

My family loves the food here. The staff is pleasant. One time I had to go in with a stroller and groceries, and the woman who puts the baked goods on the trays was very patient and helpful to me. I was very appreciative.

Baos, Pineapple cakes, and custard tarts! Need I say more right off Canal Street near the Courthouse! It is hard to find the custard tarts but always find top quality custard here!

After a rude experience elsewhere, I came to Sweets after seeing an ad for hot Thai milk tea. And it looks like the same goods are sold as bakery that used to occupy the space before. Despite the language barrier. Everyone was friendly and helpful. I chose the cheesecake and the lady made sure I got the Japanese one, which is a little denser than the Chinese one. The tea is made to your desired sweetness and mine was perfect with "little" sugar. The other patrons are friendly will the communal tables, so it was all around good experience.

There isn't much to say about this place. It's been here a while actually, but I think it's under new ownership or something. You can get all of your favorite asian style baked goods here and generous prices, and with pretty fast service. I would say that some of my favorites are the pineapple bun or the sausage croissants, but there are tons of different things here that you can enjoy, so do check it out. Cash only.

Inexpensive baked goods at a very convenient place in Chinatown. If you're looking for a midday snack or some pastries to take home for the week, you can find a very good selection of treats that are large in size and quite affordable (most of them were under $2 and no additional tax on top of the prices marked on the label). I personally chose the Taiwanese pineapple bun ($1.50) but the filling wasn't very pineapple-y. It reminded me more of a salty, sweet chunky cheese.

I asked the guy here for a straw because i dropped mine on the way here to buy some cakes and he made a big deal out of it and would not give me a straw. After being a customer and spending over $10 here, i can't even get a straw. absolutely ridiculous

Sweets Bakery is a very clean establishment in Chinatown, selling the typical Chinese pastries and then some extra. I chose the matcha cheese cake, and while I liked the matcha sponge cake on top, the cheesecake portion of it didn't have much of the green tea flavor I was looking for. They did have other matcha options, so maybe check those out instead!

This is my go-to place when I'm craving Japanese cheesecake! In my opinion they make the best in the area. Haven't tried too many other items off the menu but I'm eager to. Service is normally always pretty quick and there is seating available if needed. Definitely give this place a try if you haven't already.

Another bakery pops up in Chinatown. This one has baked goods cakes and bubble teas of all kinds of varieties. It's a nice cozy space near the canal street station. I got a sponge cake filled with a gelatinous flavored cream and a plain coffee. Their coffee is hot! The cake was good. I don't know what the other things are it probably helps to know what you're looking for when you go here. I see sponge cakes and egg tarts and lots of buns. I'd probably have to get the low down on what's in them buns cuz the writing is not in English. A nice addition to this corner of Chinatown.

I'm not even sure how this place got such a high rating because frankly I've been to better bakeries than this. The $2.75 matcha cream puff not only barely had any cream in it but was also plasticky in taste. My sister and I sked for it to be cut in half to share when we purchased it but we got told fluppantly that they can't because they don't have knives that can do that... so I ask for a PLASTIC KNIFE to do it myself perfectly as the puff was as stiff and hard as a maccaron and not at all like puffs should be. The "custard" pineapple bun contained stuff that was overcooked and much too pasty and powdery. Plus an eggtart and 2 hot drinks (a decent small coffee and the so called Hong Kong style milk tea that was made from instant mix ... it was the most wasted $8.40 we spent. I'm never colming back here to torture myself with stuff I can't call food and pay for it too. It's disgusting and a sham. And to top it off, poor service? NEVER AGAIN.

If you're craving chinese mochi the size of baseball, not super sweet like japanese mochi.. COME HERE ! I got me a Taro mochi with finely-grated coconut on the exterior. The inside is filled with unsweetened taro puree with pieces of taro !

I've been schlepping to this bakery for over ten years for one single reason: the pork bun. In the past decade, the name of Sweets Bakery has changed, the neighborhood has evolved, and the traffic on Canal continues to progress to nearly unmanageable levels. The one thing that has not changed even slightly? The Sweets Bakery pork bun. I've sat at the small futuristic metal tables pulled straight out of a drafted version of Disney's Carousel of Progress (the ultra-modern final scene) with friends, family, and by myself, both in the wakes of heartbreak and on the tallest cliffs of happiness. No matter the time of year, day, or emotional state, the pork bun has remained a constant fixture in my ultimate version of this city. Yes, it's quite far south and I'm not usually in the area, but the pork bun is so delicious in the purest way that I go well out of my way to get one (or two). When people ask me what I love about New York City - or better, when I'm asked about my top favorite things - the trip down to SoHo for a Sweets Bakery pork bun always lands in the top 5 things that define the walls of my Manhattanite heart.

I have not yet eaten my amazing baked goods here but I am sure they will be amazing. The service is wonderful and I cannot wait to return for a birthday cake here!! Look at these absolutely stunning cakes!! Happy New Year!!!

Best Chinese bakery in the five boroughs! Delicious steamed pork buns, with lots of filling! The selections is huge, with lots of drink varieties. No powdered teas, delicious mango black tea! Always make it a point to stop by when in Chinatown, for a small little snack.