Watanabe Bakery

I am sorry for disagreeing but Watanabe bakery was a disappointment. I love the fact they have adequate amount of parking spots. Sure some of the items are cute. However, growing up in Japan and still going there frequently, I honestly can say the quality is below average and there are not much filling inside. The quality of Japanese bakeries in recent years are amazing. Watanabe seems to be stuck in 1980’s. I remember eating bread like Watanabe’s when I was a little kid. Another thing was the female cashier in the morning was very slow and unwelcoming, and I felt very uncomfortable with her. I will not go back.

The female worker that looks dark has bad customer services and she always gives me the stink eye never says hello or welcome I like the Filipino girl she has good customer services she’s more better then the female worker
I miss the filipino girl she is so nice and sweet
How come I don’t see her anymore?

All of their pastries are fresh and delicious especially their choco bears and raisin bread! They also have a day-​old section with pastries at discounted prices! Mr. and Mrs. Watanabe are also very nice and welcoming!

Love that this bakery is so close by my work. Usually I’ll stop by here in the morning to grab my breakfast and lunch.
I usually get my tuna sandwich and those blueberry cream cheese tiny danishes (I think that’s what they are). They also have those huge cartons of Japanese coffee in the fridge which has saved me a bunch of times.
I love their tuna sandwich here mostly because the bread is so soft and fluffy.
The only downside is that there’s one female worker that’s just not happy to be at her job that I always see. I tried smiling at her before but no reaction. There’s no greeting either when you get into the bakery or when you’re checking out. Other than that, everything is self-​serve.

As a bakery lover I’m surprised I drove by this little hole-​in-​the-​wall so many times without trying it. Must be because of my devotion to Fendu Boulangerie in Manoa. Anyway, Watanabe is basically your typical Japanese-​style bakery but their croissants are better than a lot of places and their prices are really great! I’ll definitely be eating here more often.

Quality and prices are really good. Convenient parking just next to entrance. Guy behind the counter was friendly and efficient. Raisin bread was the bomb!!!

I usually like the pastries from Watanabe but today I bought a Japanese cheesecake expecting it to be moist and fluffy. When we cut into it, the cake was hard and dry. I was really disappointed and will never order cheesecake from here again.

My go-​to place for pastries. There’s a good selection of sweet and savory pastries. I always get an assortment of ham & cheese rolls, hot dog rolls, blueberry danish, donut twists, apple squares, blueberry muffins, mini danishes and cinnamon rolls for my office. I think that I could probably eat the whole box by myself!

I stumbled upon this place because I had to take a detour to my work place and drove past a couple times before stopping to actually try it. I decided to buy a few pieces just to see their variety of flavor. I ended up buy five different types, each that had different fillings inside. Their bread is so soft and sweet that compliments their filling very well. I don’t usually like azuki beans in other pastries or ice cream or shave ice, however, I really really really liked this one! There wasn’t too much of the filling so it made the pastry fairly light.
Overall, I was very satisfied with my purchase and would like to come back to try something different. They decorate the pastries so cute that you don’t want to eat it!

BEWARE: I got dragged into this mess because my GF wanted to take a peek at the «cute faced pastries». I figured it’d be harmless. However, I had one bite of a green tea mini donut and I ended up walking out with like twenty dollars worth of stuff. Which, for perspective by the way, at this place twenty bucks can serve an army. Overall a delicious little bakery and exceeded my expectations going in in both quality and variety of baked goods.

stopped in after seeing the cute chocolate bears on insta…
the choco bears are delish, and since we live so close, my kids always bug me to pick some up for breakfast.
the raisin bread is also very yummy, and so is the wheat square bread.
i love the fact that we can get fresh bread so close to home!

We spotted a bakery. Just wanted to go check it out. They had a lot of pastry still out. A lot were similar to other bakery shop. Only one pastry caught our attention, the honey danish. $ 2.09 a piece. It was big and puffy looking. It tasted like a crossiant, a little honey flavoring, but it was sooooo good. It was fluffy and light tasting. CIt was crispy liked it came out from the oven. It wasn’t too sweet at all. Love it! Now I know where to get my pastry craving.

Watanabe Bakery is a French-​Japanese Bakery specializing in danishes, bread, and cakes. They have a variety of classic fruit, cream, and chocolate flavored pastry, plus Asian sweet potato, adzuki, and green tea.
Watanabe Bakery is perfect when you want to impress. Their mini danishes look beautiful displayed for a party, high tea, or corporate event. They also have fun animal shaped buns, perfect for kids. When you go, don’t forget to pick up a loaf of extra soft, white sandwich bread. In a world of whole grains, this white bread is worth all the refined calories.
Call ahead to place an order to ensure they have what you are looking for. Free parking in the lot next door.

I love their white multi-​grain bread it is baked in house. I go their in the late morning and it is on the shelf cooling. This bread is so soft and yummy. I just totally love this bread. I would eat it everyday if I could. But seeing that I am watching my figure I have to go easy with my bread intake. This bread is so soft and fresh that I finish a loaf in two or three days by myself.
I have only tasted the little custard cups and they are light and has a good taste not overly sweet. I have yet to taste the other pastries there.
I have been reading other reviews about the customer service. It is true that the local Aunty that works there is not very friendly and it is a turn off. That sour puss mug is not one that brings a pleasant feeling. I just totally ignore her and don’t give her the time of day. The younger boys that work there are respectful and cordial. Could be that I am at that age where the younger generation would call me Aunty. Being that I am also an Aunty I do not accept bad behavior from the other Aunty that works there.
All that being said even with some of the bad customer service from the Aunty in there it is worth visiting there and taking delight in the pastries and bread they offer. It is good so its worth it. Just ignore the bad attitude and smile.

The pastries here seem to be reasonably priced for what they are. I got the mini green tea donut, mochi anpan, the turtle pastry with azuki beans, and the sweet potato danish for roughly $ 5.50. The pastries (donut and turtle thing) were generally on the dry side, but was still pretty tasty. I found the turtle pastry and sweet potato pastry to be a little sweet for my taste, but found the mochi anpan to be just the right amount of sweetness.
They also sell loaves of bread, cakes, and to-​go sandwiches for a pretty good price.
I probably wouldn’t come back for the turtle and donut, but maybe for the mochi anpan! With that said, this place is definitely worth checking out for its rad animal-​shaped pastries!

I refer to this bakery amongst my friends as the silent bakery. There is no talking there. There’s a local auntie who looks very sour, no smile and no eye contact. You walk in, no greeting. You get rung up and you just look at the register what your amount is. You give your cash, get your change, there’s no thank you. Silence is golden here more than a library on a slow day during the summer.
Today, when I walked in I saw a new employee. A young man who was actually smiling. I started smiling myself. It was a little busy so I can understand a that I was not greeted. Kudos for saying thank you when I made my purchase.
There are a few things that make me come back here time after time almost once a week besides the convenience of their location to mine. One, their day old breads are a $ 1. They are still very good and taste just as fresh as the day before. I use them for sandwiches or for soups. I notice people are starting to catch on to this more and more. It’s a section that’s not lasting too long during the day. May have to start making my visits earlier just to get my fair share. Two, they have cheap little, for me, bite size pastries that I can eat with my morning coffee or a little snackie later in the day. Three, I love the apple strudel. That was the first thing I ever bought from them and I still like it. It’s not too sweet which is good for me at my age. I just have to stop eating it all in one day. By myself.
I’ve never spoken to the owners here. They seem the timid Japanese couple type constantly moving around. Not even sure if they speak English. I’m sure they do just never heard it. I’ll continue giving my support to this small mom and pop whole in the wall kinda place.
They have very nice cakes and many love the cutesy animal pastries that I’m not into. They have a good amount to choose from for a Japanese bakery. If you’re looking for a quick bite in the area, not too sweet, with not much of a line to deal with you can come here and park in the big never full parking lot.

Let’s get this out of the way — if you know me at all, well, OF COURSE, I love the adorable animal pastries. They could taste like garbage, and I would still buy them. Luckily for me, they are also yummy. I haven’t tried every single animal in their zoo, but I’m getting there. My favorite are the mini wan pan (best name ever), because I just love a well done an pan. I do wish the cream-​filled elephants were a tad cuter.
Their petite custard danishes are small enough to make you feel less guilty about eating a pastry, although their buttery taste probably pack quite a caloric punch. I love the ones with a little slice of pineapple in them — it is an addition I would not have thought to add, but it is a great flavor complement to the custard.
You can pre-​order items and have them set aside. I once used the mini wan pan as favors, and when I picked them up, I was delighted to find that each was individually wrapped. I’m not sure if that’s standard practice or dependent on the person working that day.
Overall, highly recommended! :)

Lovely Japanese bakery with lots of offerings like buns, cakes, sandwiches, and breads. The cute animal breads are simply irresistible! I got a turtle melon pan (filled with azuki beans) for $ 2 which was delicious. Interestingly they also sell huge bags of panko for only $ 1.75 — will definitely pick up a bag when I need panko because it surely beats the pre-​packaged kind.

Service is a little strange, but no matter because the pastries are ridiculously adorable, and sometimes cute trumps odd.
You walk in, and immediately head to the right. Next to the door, you’ll find wax-​paper-​lined trays and tongs, and you can serve yourself from the selection of pastries. I don’t know why, but I dig this set-​up. Maybe because I don’t feel like I’m wasting the time of the counter worker by trying to decide what I want. Anyhow, put what you like onto your tray, then take it up to the counter for it to be packaged and totaled.
They have some tiny chocolate-​glazed donuts (like, just forty cents apiece!), some sweet and savory butter pastries (e.g. ham-​and-​cheese filled, fruit-​filled, etc), but my absolute FAVORITE thing here are the animal-​shaped pastries for under $ 2 each. Turtles (bean), elephants (chocolate cream), bunnies (apple). I know there are others, because I vaguely remember having something with vanilla cream, but my favorites are the elephants (not a big fan of sweet azuki paste, totally a texture thing). Seriously, I cannot resist them. It’s a wonder I even know what else they offer, because I usually just zero in on the cute.
On shelving to the left of the counter, they have some pre-​packaged commercial Japanese breads (which it doesn’t look like they make in-​house?), plus a few packaged roll/​pastry assortments, including the Honolulu Zoo. The «Honolulu Zoo» is a shallow bread platter with one each of their critter pastries, for about $ 9. I don’t even LIKE their bean pastries, but I’m dying to buy one of these. That’s how big of a sucker I am for cute.
Two aunties work up front in the mornings; they rarely say a word, generally have their backs to you, and they are relatively slow. Their unsmiling quiet can be unfriendly, but it may be also a function of their English-​language skills, so I’m going to give some grace for that (for now). The last time I was in, I had already put my two pastries in a bag when I served myself, but then the woman put that bag into a second bag, which seemed completely unnecessary. I suspect that’ll change when Oahu finally kills plastic bags this summer.
[Updated: Ms Sour-​Face speaks just fine; she’s just that unfriendly. I smiled at her and said good morning as I walked in last time, and got nothing but stink-​eye. I really want to knock them down a star, but those !&@% cute pastries for decent prices keep them at 4… well, maybe a 3.5.]
There is a private parking lot just after it on Beretania. Sort of a nondescript sign, but look for it on the left, just as you pass Farrington Street.

I really hate deducting a star from my previous review, because I enjoy the pastries and I have no qualms with the owners or the workers in the back. I’m deducting a star, because of the new employee they have working the front.
The previous older lady quit and they’ve replaced her with a younger, even slower lady. This lady does not greet anyone when you walk in. In the 3 – 4 times I’ve been in since she started working, not once has she said hello. She also processes your transaction in complete silence. Fine, I’m in here to grab quick breakfast food, so it’s no big deal to me.
What really gets me is the laziness. She takes a century to pack pastries and ring up the bill and is in no rush to go any faster when a line starts to form. When the Japanese lady in the back is working, she usually comes to the front to help out.
Today, there were only 2 people in front of me. I was in the shop around 7:10am and was third in line by 7:15. Knowing this lady was slow and the Japanese lady in the back wasn’t there to pick up the slack, I expected a little bit of a wait, but when the clock started going past 7:30pm and she was still packing pastries for the first customer, I started to get angry. Is it humanly possible to move this slow?
I woke up extra early to stop by this shop and grab food, and I couldn’t believe I was even running the risk of being late for work. Unbelievable.
By 7:35, I had enough and put all the items I grabbed back on the shelf. The second person in line offered his spot, but at that point I was fed up and already set on walking out. No apology or anything for the wait from behind the counter. The cashier DID. NOT. CARE.
The pastries and sandwiches are wonderful, but this shop reallllly needs to hire someone better if they want to stay in business. Someone who takes a little pride in what they do. That lady in the front is a real drag, especially during the morning rush. For now, Watanabe’s has lost a long-​time breakfast customer. Guess I’ll have to dish out a little more money to eat at St. Germain’s.