Best Sweet Treats Escapes Restaurants in Chinatown
5 hand-picked restaurants, critic-reviewed and ranked
Last Updated: February 2026
Our Top Pick
Bakers Bench
French Laundry-trained pastry chef Jennifer Yee applies Michelin-level lamination technique to 100% vegan croissants and danishes with Japanese flavor influences — named a top-22 bakery in the nation by the New York Times.
Notable Picks
#1
Bakers Bench
8.3
French Laundry-trained pastry chef Jennifer Yee runs a fully vegan bakery where Michelin-level lamination meets Japanese pantry staples like furikake, black sesame, and yuzu — the kind of technique that earned a top-22 national bakery nod from the New York Times. Tucked in a quiet Chinatown courtyard off Alpine Street, it draws pastry purists who come specifically for the croissant program and leave wondering how none of it contains butter.
Must-Try Dishes:
Furikake Croissant, Egg Roll Croissant, Seasonal Fruit Danish
What Makes it Special: French Laundry-trained pastry chef Jennifer Yee applies Michelin-level lamination technique to 100% vegan croissants and danishes with Japanese flavor influences — named a top-22 bakery in the nation by the New York Times.
8.1
A Chinatown institution since 1938, Phoenix Bakery is best known for its light strawberry whipped-cream cake and old-school American-Chinese bakery lineup. The counter-service setup is quick and efficient, making it a reliable stop for celebration cakes or a nostalgic pastry run.
Must-Try Dishes:
Strawberry Whipped Cream Cake, Bear Claws, Egg Tarts
What Makes it Special: Nearly nine decades of Chinatown cake-making anchored by the original strawberry cream cake.
A weekend-only Thai street food stall in the LAX-C parking lot where the draw is watching Mama Mae griddle kanom krok to order—crispy-edged coconut cakes that come off the iron pan hot and custardy. The format is bare-bones (cash-only line, no seating to speak of), but the tight menu of Thai street staples hits well above its price point, making it a reliable Sunday morning detour for anyone comfortable eating standing up in a parking lot.
Must-Try Dishes:
Coconut Cakes (Kanom Krok), BBQ Chicken & Pork Skewers, Papaya Salad (Som Tum)
What Makes it Special: Weekend-only Thai street food stall in the LAX-C parking lot where Mama Mae makes crispy-edged coconut cakes fresh on the griddle right in front of you
8
A 1961-vintage Chinatown bakery that splits its case between Chinese pastry staples—almond cookies, curry beef pies, rice puffs—and Western-style custom cakes for celebrations. The draw is predictability at bakery-counter prices: you walk in knowing exactly what you'll get, and the recipes haven't drifted in six decades. Best used as a grab-and-go stop while working through Chinatown, not a sit-down destination.
Must-Try Dishes:
Almond Cookies, Chinese Rice Puffs, Mango Cake
What Makes it Special: Family-owned Chinatown bakery operating since 1961, known for Chinese pastries alongside Western-style custom cakes
Worthy Picks
7.8
A Chinatown bakery counter operating since the 1980s, turning out fresh dim sum items alongside traditional Chinese pastries at cash-only prices that keep regulars coming back. The format is transactional—grab char siu bao and sesame balls, skip the ambiance—but 40 years of consistency speaks for itself.
Must-Try Dishes:
Dim Sum, Char Siu Bao, Siu Mai
What Makes it Special: Cash-only Chinatown bakery serving fresh dim sum and traditional Chinese pastries since the 1980s