Drinks are powdery and far too sugary. The cakes and pastries taste stale from time to time. If you pop in at the right hour, your experience may be different. I like the décor and lighting though. Parking may be a pain to find, so it’s definitely not worth the drive. There are better bakeries in Chinatown.
Cherry B.
Place rating: 5 Cambridge, MA
My favorite cake is Blueberry cheesecake, fall in love at first bite. It’s not too sweet like other cake shop in Boston. If you have a chance to visit you have to order Cheesecake because it is a signature of Bao Bao bakery. Another thing is fruit cake, I purchased last month for my senior and he like it a lot. Bubble tea is also good too, order milk tea without bubble(because I was on diet) ha ha.
Francisca W.
Place rating: 3 Boston, MA
with a bakery closer to work on the other side of Kneeland, i’d only venture to this part of ctown for breakfast when i have a special craving. in this case, their milk tea(or tea/coffee mix called«yin yeung» 鴛鴦 in Cantonese. HK style). It is the most flavorful amongst all bakeries I’ve tried in ctown. service is still the same; counter ladies gave up on crowd control a long time ago. people still don’t line up and would cut in before or DURING your turn… sometimes you’d see the lady giving the cutters a dirty look or even voicing out the fact that somebody else was there before them, but mostly you’re expected to fend for yourself. I can see the chaos and frustration these ladies have to deal with everyday, bc management refuses to do something about it… long as they get the business who cares who gets served first right? so sad. hence unless i’m in the mood for a taste of their wonderful tea(can add milk or lemon), i generally won’t go out of my way for the same bao i get nearby. they do seem to have some non-traditional cake design that makes them stand out from the pack!
Erica T.
Place rating: 5 Boston, MA
I have yet to put anything in my mouth here that I didn’t love. I can get a cheap lunch($ 1 savory buns of various sorts? Yes please!) or a delicious dessert, or a delicious AND ridiculously adorable dessert. There are so many types of breads, rolls and cakes that it can be a bit overwhelming, but no one rushes you if you want to take your time and are not doing so right as the cashier is trying to ring you up. Now, I’m a of a milkshake aficionado – I love milkshakes of all kinds. This place makes my Milkshake Snobbery list. They make the most delicious, light yet filling milkshakes in flavors you absolutely won’t get anywhere else in the city. I’m huge fan of the avocado shake, which I’m not sure if it’s sweetened at all – totally unlike American milkshakes. It’s light, with the delicious flavor of buttery avocado without being overwhelming and just downright delicious. There are also a variety of fruit milkshakes you can have– why settle for a strawberry milkshake when you could have papaya??? You can get Boba in pretty much any drink, but it’s not my thing at all. You just really need to stress if you don’t want boba! Everything is delicious and really nicely presented. The cakes are beautiful, and they had the most adorable pufferfish design that you KNOW I’ll be asking for when my birthday rolls around! And the prices are really reasonable if not cheap for the amazing deliciousness that everything is! The only drawbacks to here is the language barrier and I’m fairly certain it’s cash only. Both are easily to work around. The staff know enough English to more than proficiently do their job, but I’m the chatty sort and feel a little left out when they’re chatting with their customers and I can’t join in. That being said, they’re very nice and the shop is very clean!
Idy T.
Place rating: 3 Boston, MA
I go to Bao Bao Bakery for a cup of iced coffee and tea when I get really sleepy in class. It is just down the street from Tufts so it is really convenient for students. Bao Bao bakery is just like the other bakeries in the Chinatown area. I have not personally tried the baked goods but the egg tarts look really delicious! This bakery is more of a Hong Kong Style bakery so the drinks are like the ones you find at a HK café. The drink is pretty strong because it wakes me up and gets me through the day. This place has a minimum $ 10 purchases to use your credit card so bring enough cash!
Mary T.
Boston, MA
Bao Bao bakery is slowly moving up the ranks in terms of popularity in my book. Their cakes are fun, whimsical and actually tastes good. Recently, had their fresh fruit cake. It was loaded with tons of strawberries, blueberries, mango and melons in between three thin layers of soft fluffy cake — all held together with the right cream balance inside and out.
