Manoa Bakery Cafe

Loved almost everything. We enjoyed a huge mug of warm gluten-​free pumpkin soup and salad for lunch. It was delivered to our table on a cute wooden tray.
The spectacular dishes are their desserts. The strawberry bingsoo was a mounding bowl of delicious treats all served in a large serving dish.

They have the best snowflake bingsoo in this entire area! Annandale is known for their Korean bakeries but Manoa is THE BEST ONE OUT THERE! The snowflake bingsoo is too die for, it never melts because of how fluffy it is and the texture is of freshly fallen snow. I have no idea how they were able to make it so powdery but it is the best taste ever. The bowl is a decent $ 10 but definitely WORTH EVERY PENNY!!! They layer the toppings instead of the typical pile of crushed ice and toppings on the top which is a great bang for the buck. Not only that but the toppings are plentiful.
Out of all the years of living in Annandale and tasting all sorts of bingsoos and snow this one is THE BEST ONE. I plan to refer all my friends and family here.

Not nearly as good as Breeze and Shillas, but decent in their own right.
I always makes it a rule to check out any new Korean bakeries I can find, and always buy the «morning rolls». Some have very soft, buttery tastes with just the right balance of flavor to subtly that makes that morning all the more grand.
Unfortunately, the bread products I’ve tried here are just ok, not over the top and doesn’t stand out above the other options in the area. The Corn sticks (basically cornbread in the shape of a bread stick), mocha bread, strawberry creams, and morning rolls. weren’t the biggest in unique flavor. They all fell short of what I was hoping they’d live up to be.
For a drink, I ordered a Black Tea Latte. which I won’t order again. I’m not a huge fan of milk (and if taken straight I am allergic to it). The latte tasted more like milk than tea and to some extent I felt a tickle from the allergy in my throat. Next time, I’ll just go with a straight up coffee, or attempt a green tea latte. but I fear like the black tea latte, the overall flavor will be muted by the amount of milk in the drink itself.
For aesthetics, Manoa is clean, roomy and has a modern chic feel. It’s good for groups, both large and small. I could see myself bringing a business client here to discuss work over a coffee.
Overall, my first impression wasn’t the biggest. but I will be back to try Manoa again. The servers were very prompt and friendly (and I totally gave a %25 tip. xD)… So, for the happy smiles and friendly service, clean shop and large assortment of drinks on the menu. there is tons more to explore about Manoa.

Love this bakery for their shaved ice! This location is also never too crowded and the service is extremely friendly (compared to Shilla down the street). Giving 4 stars instead of 5 because every time I’m here, at least half or more of the pastry selection is unavailable.

As you walk into this bakery/​café, it is very cute and calming. You’ll see a dining area on your left then straight you’d see some pastries. In the back there is more dining tables. There is gelato and a selection of cakes next to the cashier.
I did not purchase any pastries because there weren’t any that quite appealed to me. They looked okay and well organized. I like Shilla Bakery’s selection of pastries better. They do have samples but not for all pastries.
However; I was able to try their gelato and it was DELICIOUS. I got a small mango for $ 3.75 and it was well worth the price. So icy and smooth.
I believe they also sell sandwiches and various lunch options. It seems like a great café, I’ll have to come back and try more of their things.
The workers were nice. They didn’t talk much though. The whole ambience of the shop was nice. Very chill and kind of hipster.

Great variety of not only pastries but drinks and desserts for fuel.
However I was not that pleased with the bulgogi panini. The combination of mustard, lettuce, tomato and a Korean beef was strange. At the same time, I knew going into it that the combo of those ingredients would be questionable. Also, even if I had the bulgogi beef alone, it wasnt that good.
I definitely want to try the other paninis but know that if you are interested in having a full lunch or dinner, try elsewhere as there aren’t many options.

AMAZING!!! Easily the best Bingsoo in the area!!! The shaved ice was PERFECT! Like they say. It’s like little snowflakes. It is amazing!!! They give out huge portions too which I like! The cost seems high, 10 $. But you definitely get 10 $ worth of food! I got the green tea and it was amazing!!! The matcha powder is perfect and they flavours and taste was just phenomenal! I will definitely be coming back!
The milk bread is also amazing too!
My only complaint is the teany tiny water cups and it would cool if they could make a smaller size for the Bingsoo because I could never order that for just myself!

Got the shaved milk green tea ice. It was really good. I loved how the ice was shaved thinly that it literally tasted like snow falling into my mouth. Loved the pieces of mochi inside because they were perfectly chewy and really big chunks of mochi. It was balanced with the crunchy cereal which added the perfect crunch. The ice cream scoop was so good on top and everything was the perfect bite when you got all of the stuff in one scoop.

Manoa is one of my favorite coffee shops within Fairfax County. Their green tea latte is delicious and not too sweet, and their service is pretty fast. The only thing I’ve tired in the bakery was this donut-​esque pastry that wasn’t as delicious as it looked. They also offer bing-​soo, which I’ve heard good things about.
They have a $ 5 minimum for credit cards, so be mindful of that.
What I really like about this place is that it’s a place where you can bring your books and/​or laptops for some peaceful studying and espresso drinks or some dessert. The wifi is reliable and fast, and there are several big tables that allow you to space out your belongings if you’re working on something. They’re also open longer than most coffee shops in the area, so if you’re looking for a place where you won’t have to abruptly gather your belongings and leave, try Manoa out.

This place deserves five stars for their bingsoo alone. Bingsoo is a traditional Korean ice dessert. Today in the modern time, people add crazy toppings to the bingsoo and they have developed a wide range of bingsoo flavors. This bakery does the modern bingsoo well! They add so many toppings and they make sure to give you plenty of it. I eat a lot of bingsoo (and I mean a lot) and this place is my new favorite spot!

Dear Manoa Bakery,
You’ve completely ruined my life.
How could you do this to me? I didn’t know a bingsoo could treat me so lovingly before meeting you. Could I return to my normal life again? I could never…
Is it how your snow-​like shaved ice tenderly melts in my mouth?
Is it the perfectly sweet matcha powder that serves as a canopy over the entire bowl?
Is it the creamy, spherical ice cream a top the green tea mountain?
How did you know I loved mochi and frosted flakes? Thank you for giving me an abundance of toppings — you spoil me!
Creamy, chewy, crunchy
So many senses in my mouth
But alas, I understand I must share you with others
I cannot contain you only for myself
There’s no way
You are so grand and majestic
Everyone must know how wonderful you are
Until next time,
Gilline S.

If you are craving green tea bingsoo, look no further than Manoa. They make it with great quality, milk-​based «snow», topped with a scoop of creamy green tea ice cream on top. They don’t skimp on the matcha powder either, which is perfectly sweetened and complements the frozen dessert! For $ 10, you get a fairly large bowl that could honestly feed 3 – 4, but my friend and I enjoyed the green tea bingsoo so much that we nearly finished it ourselves…
I’ve been to Manoa previously for their buns but didn’t get a chance to try them except the meat-​filled croquette. I wasn’t blown away, but the GREEN TEA BINGSOO literally is worth the trip here. I’m glad my friend Gilline S. from out of town really liked it too!!!

I would say this is probably the bear Korean Bakery in the entire area! The bread here will stomp ANYTHING you can find at any other bakery. The staff are extremely friendly and helpful. They sell an assortment of items from coffee products, boba, bing soo, buns, cakes, gelato, macaroons, as well as many other items.
For bread I had the Mammoth, the milk bun, the almond bun, and these fried green tea things that were simply amazing. As a matter of fact every one of these buns was absolutely amazing. The mammoth is a giant bread with cream filling and green tea flavoring inside. The bun just simply melts in your mouth and is so soft. The milk bun is a bit doughy but the white cream filling inside is utterly to die for. It isn’t overly sweet, but just the right amount to make your taste buds brighten up. The almond bun was by far the best. It was a larger bun that had an inner layer of almond spread I believe. This bun is amazing and a must try. Lastly, the green tea item I got was a fried dough with green tea flavoring I believe and had some nuts inside that gave some surprisingly good texture. I would say not overly sweet, and has just the right amount of green tea flavor.
Now, the reason I like this place a lot, besides the bread, is the bing soo selection they offer. I have tried the green tea bing soo previously, and I can assure you that the green tea bing soo is there most popular item and the best choice they offer. They used green tea shaved ice instead of snow which adds an entirely née dimension that will send your taste buds on a roller coaster ride. GET THIS ITEM!!! Nothing else needs to be said, because it is that freaking good. The other bing soo I got was the coffee flavored one. Not as good as the green tea, but I would say a close 2^nd. It utilizes creamy white snow, and has an amazing coffee flavored syrup under the snow that makes the flavors amazing from start to finish. You also get corn flakes, mochi, and a nice scoop of coffee ice cream on top. Simply amazing. If you don’t want green tea, and you like coffee, then this is the choice for you, and I promise you that you will not be disappointed. Oh and one more thing, there portion sizing for their bing soo is enormous!!! Bigger then any other bing soo spot in the area, so it is great for more then 1 people. Or you can get lost in a giant plate yourself!
I have yet to try their boba, cakes, macaroons, and gelato yet. But I can guarantee you that I will be coming back again.. .. and again.. .. and again. I’m making it my mission to try everything, especially their gelato and macaroons.

Manoa is your typical Korean bakery café with a great variety of bingsoo flavors. The green tea bingsoo was delicious with matcha syrup, mochi, and corn flake bits. They have about ⁶⁄₇ other flavors but the serving was massive so I’ll have to come back and try the Oreo and injeolmi next time. They also have a huge selection of bread and pastries, macarons and cakes, ice cream and gelato. Their beverage list is also quite extensive and intriguing: boasting drinks the purple sweet potato latte and black milk tea etc. They also serve some hot items like soup and sandwiches.
The space is very modern and chic. They have colored acrylic chairs and huge tables for people to share bingsoos or create a coffee shop office for the day. Whether you come here to socialize or work, the atmosphere is bright and welcoming. The order bar is also sleek and clean. And I always enjoy the opportunity to handpick the pastries and set them in a try from the bakery for takeout. The black sesame bun, strawberry cream and soboros (Korean version of streusel) are all so yum and not too sweet.
Overall, I had an enjoyable experience at this establishment. It is a nice new bakery café right on a shopping center in Little River Turnpike on Annandale Road. It is definitely added to my list of choices and will compete for my attention among all the nice bakeries in K-​town.

Bingsoo-​yah, pat bingsoo-​yah! Saranghae, saranghae~!
If you’re craving bingsoo/​snow, this place won’t disappoint. At just ~$ 10 for an order of their icy dessert, you can pretty much serve an army. Well not really, but the portion sizes are monstrous and big enough to share between 3 – 4 people. The base isn’t strictly water so it melts like a light ice cream with each bite. And the snow is overloaded with toppings… they really don’t skimp out.
Bingsoo is one of my favorite Korean desserts, and they do an awesome job here. Be sure to check it out!

Came here yesterday and my experience was fabulous!
Staff: very nice and friendly staff! They are so cute with their little uniforms and I love it because you wouldn’t expect that with bakeries and coffee shop (except maybe Starbucks because they have a uniform policy)
Environment: there is music and not too loud music. Looking from the outside, it seems like the place is old and boring but you come inside and it’s hip and very modern. I love the touch of greenery inside and I love looking at the baked goods!
Food: I didn’t get any food so I can’t speak for the baked goods but they look delicious. I’m definitely going to come back and buy a lot of them! However, I bought macarons and they were so delicious! They were sweet and yummy :)
Drinks: I bought the iced mocha with boba and omg it was so good! Their coffee was delicious! It had the right amount of bitterness and I never thought boba in coffee was going to be good but it was!
I definitely have to come back and tell my friends about it. It’s a great place to do homework and there’s free wifi so that’s also a plus!

We were curious about this place since the two main study spots in Annandale for us are Shilla and Breeze.
We came here at night about an hour before close. There are still good breads for sale, and coffees. Their beverage menu is fancier and more sophisticated than the other two places in my opinion. I can see wanting to elevate themselves, though truthfully I love having my wide variety of bubble tea.
There is free wifi, and the tables are very open and inviting, unlike the other bakeries that are stuffed with as many tables as will fit.

Manoa is the closest thing to bing soo heaven that I’ve experienced so far. I haven’t had anything else here yet, so this review is solely for the bing soo.
I’m a fan of the type of shaved ice that has a snow-​like texture (not the ice chips) and the bing soo here delivers that kind of density. There’s a variety of flavors such as green tea, black sesame, mango, milk bean, oreo, strawberry, and etc. They also give you the option of adding red bean on the side. The bing soo itself is more than enough to share for 2 people and the toppings are generous.
The service here is friendly and efficient. There are plenty of seats throughout the café to sit down and enjoy your pastries, desserts, and/​or drinks.

What’s impressive about this place is the cleanliness and space. There’s two dining areas with comfy chairs for people to sip their coffees and chat or eat their pastries and do work.
I also like all the windows as they provide a warm natural lighting into the café.
The pastries are all pretty good. Not as sweet as I have come to expect but that’s a good thing. Prices range from $ 1 to $ 5 for various sizes of breads, donuts, buns, cookies, etc.
They also serve drinks, gelato, and bingsoo.

3.5 stars
I’m feeling pretty good — pret-​ty, pret-​ty, pret-​ty, pret-​ty good.
If you’re familiar w/​the above quote, then high five… *raising hand*
But yeah, feeling quite content that we decided to drop in and pick up several simple customary bakery goods.
After buying a bucket of kimchi at Rainbow Catering (parents always purchased kimchi there — rip), I spied a new name at a familiar site. Curious. I’m going in.
Enough seating on both ends — suitable for a café-​style bakery.
They offer the usual hot and cold café drinks (espresso, frappé, coffee, tea), bingsoo, smoothies, sandwich, panini, but our main interest was their baked goods to get and go.
The pickings were stationed at the center of this bakery and the selections were on par to Shilla and Breeze. Prices were comparable too. Grabbin’ a tray.
I eyed their almond bun (buttery) and chocolate soboro. Both are quite sweet and flavorful so they’ll pair well w/​plain tea and/​or black coffee. The chocolate soboro had tiny dark chocolate chips dotted throughout. Each are repeat-​worthy for sharing since the two are richly made.
Routinely I prefer castella, steam cake, roll cake, pretty much spongy treats so these are for next time.
BroS opted for the cheese bun. Nice contrast in taste compared to the other baked offerings. He described this as a cream cheese or cheesecake filled bun. Try at least once if you’re able to consume cheese creations (lucky guy).
The Nephew as always chose lots of timeless familiar ones like classic soboro, cream-​filled, and custard-​filled breads. The custard in the bread was very smooth — no chunks, at least from what he picked. And he picked a lot. Sigh, I miss having a youthful metabolism ._​.
Anywho, service was accommodating and friendly. No laziness here. They’ve got momentum.
However they share one hindrance w/​their shopping block neighbors — parking. That’s the downside since most visit cafes to share treats and mingle. For hours. So may the force be w/​you during prime weekend hours.
Other than parking, I’d recommend this bakery café when in the area.