Wonder Food Bakery

I recently got married and this is the place where all the wedding pastries were ordered from. I had never heard of this place before because we normally go to San Francisco Chinatown but his family is in Oakland area and I guess they normally get the pastries here. According to Chinese tradition, we got boxes of this stuff and we were super impressed with the quality and taste of the wedding pastries, however, beware of the almond cookies! The oil or lard used to make these cookies were not fresh. We only found out after we ate the rest of the pastries. We had to throw away all the almond cookies and tell my other family and friends who received boxes to throw theirs away as well. Everyone agreed the almond cookies smelled funny like the oil was bad. I really liked their pastries so this was kind of disappointing but I would buy from them again.

Wow this bakery was a surprise! I went to Wonder Food Bakery on the recommendation of a friend who told me it was her favorite place in Oakland. It wasn’t hard to find but I thought it was closed when I first saw it.
Service:
Great! I spoke to them in Mandarin and I’m pretty confident they also spoke Cantonese. They were really quick even though it was crowded (+). I ordered a lot, so they packed it into this pink box and tied it up. This made it really convenient to transport (I was taking the Bart after) but it also meant I felt like I couldn’t eat one immediately (good or bad depending on you). 5 Stars for service.
Baked Goods:
Great! They have a lot of stuff in the back/​not listed so I would ask whoever is helping you if they have (whatever you want). If you’ve never been to a bakery like this before, definitely have an idea of what you want before you go in. I remember this place as cash only. The baked goods were delicious! I got 3 different types of taro buns. I have no idea which ones I got but I got one of each. I also got 3 pineapple buns and 3 dan ta/​quiches? All of them were great. Splendid. I only wish I lived in Oakland so I could eat more! 5 Stars for service.

As we entered the place a pigeon was flying out (first sign). Against my better judgement I ordered 2 pork buns. I got to my office And open my package and see a baby roach at the top of the bun ! Check the pictures!
I will never go to this filthy place!

This is my favorite bakery in the entire world. I’ve been coming here ever since I was little, and every time we came up to visit relatives in the Bay Area, we always made a pit stop here. This place is as authentic as you can get. Every bun here tastes exactly like how it does in Hong Kong, and the prices are dirt cheap. You can come out of here with four giant pink boxes of buns, and it’ll barely make a dent in your wallet.
Don’t let the outside of this place fool you– it’s pretty definition hole-​in-​the-​wall. There’s always a lot of old people in here talking, laughing, and eating, and it reminds me a lot of Hong Kong. They don’t have the bread buns laid out for you, so you need to be able to point to whatever it is you want in the giant ovens and order that way. My favorite bun to get here is the mini pineapple bun, which comes at the very amazing price of $ 1.50 for 5. Seriously, how can you beat that?

My family usually order a ton of wife and husband cake each time we visit Oakland. Thanks for the delicious cake.

Excellent egg tarts and friendly staffs. It has coffee and seats for relax tea time. Not exactly an elegant place. But the pastry is the best so far in Oakland Chinatown that I have tried.

The Pork Buns are to die for. Really Good. I will go back for those alone. They also had a lot of great desserts. Yes, Five Stars!

I feel this is the best bakery in Oakland Chinatown. It has a wide variety of pastries and baked goods.
Less crowded and friendlier than Napoleon’s down the street.

Decent choice for Chinese pastries and baked goods in Chinatown — average quality at reasonable prices.
I thought the egg custard tarts (dan tat) were merely OK, with tasty custard interiors, but unfortunately weak shells that neither hold the custard up nor stand up well on their own from a taste or crispiness perspective. Other baked goods were fairly average too.
The whole place is pretty crowded and chaotic, with lots of people idling away at dirty tables and a storefront that’s mobbed by pigeons. All in all, a perfectly average Chinese bakery.

Time: 2:38pm/73°F sunny
Purpose: It’s been a while since stepping foot in here. Walking by I notice salon next door was gone, but Verizon remains. Place has always look murky and dark. Got curious.
Set-​up: It’s so mess up here as you don’t know where to sit at. It’s one of those low ceiling bakery in Chinatown with no care for anything. Once inside you’re looking at L-​shape counter with couple of loose rolling racks. While it’s a dark place, I’m not sure why mirror panels were surround the place. How can you see yourself that dim? It’s hey days were 15 years ago. Now a days just retired or seniors. sitting inside talking about the past or political influence matters. Didn’t see one person younger than 50 inside. No entertainment of any kind feels so depressing and cold.
Staff: All Chinese ladies speaking in native language. 4 – 5 workers with not one of them saying hi or answer questions. When one did walk over she tie her hair using mirror. Again, didn’t greet customers or made eye contact. They seem to be scare to help non asians because of language barrier. Attitude tells me deep inside they wish you didn’t come in at all. You present a problem and worry for them if you do.
Cleanliness: Grade D, not only this bakery is for human, but also PIGEONS. Dumpster diving city dwelling pigeons are inside pecking away bread crumbs. Old people see them as amusing for time passing. Not one worker try to shoo it out or run after it. They’ll leave when theres no more crumbs.
Eats/​Drinks: After seeing that pigeon, I kinda lost my sweet craving. However, saw durian pastry for $ 1.50, I knew I had to have it. Well, what do you know? The flavor was excellent not too sweet at all. Had smooth velvety paste consistency no coconut shred mix with filler. The flaky pastry outer shell unravel with each bite. I say about 4 – 5 bites, its all gone. At this price its almost double from the days of $.80 less than ten years ago. Oh well, I guess its inflation can’t do anything about it, if you crave it, you pay it.
Main Features: Assorted bag puff pastry crisp cookies, dan tarts and cocktail buns.
Products/​Services: Pastry, danish, cookie, tart, pie, roll, cream horn, spiral twist, walnut log, sponge cake, wrap banana gelatin, pork buns, chicken bao, winter melon cookie, mooncake, cake, bread loaf, wedding cake, bday cake, coffee, juices, water, Vitasoy. Custom order, Cash only.
Punch Lines: Chinatown, inexpensive, plenty of seat, old-​world service, harried staff, laid back, devotees, light bites, zippy service, snooty service, off putting, sleeper, not as great, go elsewhere, street parking or private lot.
Tradeoffs: Sheng Kee wanna be, but ingredients says otherwise.
Final Thoughts: Like the rest of chinatown businesses. Every place is struggling to make ends meet since the $ 12.25hr mandate. This place is a fine example that best describes its past and present future. All good things must come to an end. It’s too late to up the ante here as competition has a strong hold on newer item deals.

Wonder Food Bakery, the first bakery of 4 we went through today in Downtown Oakland, was wonderful. Haha maybe. I was on the search for the egg tart, delicious and yummy, as Golden Gate Bakery in SF was «on vacation». What? WHY? DON’T THEY KNOW I WAS COMING? :(sob. But yeah, decided to go to Oakland for the egg tart.
Came to wonder food and got 2 egg tarts. They were cold but it was alright. The crust was not too flaky but the custard was good.

Wow, this is really hole in the wall. From outside it looked liked a run down closed place with people hanging outside. I braved myself and went in. Glad I did! So busy inside with lots of older Chinese patrons hanging out eating and chatting with each other in Chinese. I saw lots of people buying stuff. There is a lot of selections that it is overwhelming. Based on Unilocal reviews, I wanted the egg custard tarts, cocktail bun, and the custard pineapple buns. The lady I got didn’t speak any English, so my order got a little lost in translation. I don’t know if the other servers spoke any English or not. I will need to bring some photos to show what I need. I ended up having egg tarts which were fresh and came in its own pink box that fit 6 in row. I had the original pineapple bun, hot dog buns, cocktail buns and a durian and Ube circle pastry. Everything I ate was good and I will be back to try more of their baked goods.
You can tell if a place is filled with local Asians 100% and old timers that speak Chinese you know the place will be good. It’s the real deal here.

First time here and they did not disappoint. My best friend (Oakland native) told me that this spot has one of the best Dan Tats (egg custard/​tart). The egg tarts turned out pretty good. Their crust is the flakey type which some people really enjoy. I ended up leaving with $ 20 worth of bakery for my friends and family. I have yet to try everything else but they all look visually amazing. Definitely will be back for more! Remember to bring cash!

No-​nonsense Chinese bakery. If you haven’t been to a place like this before, you’re not going to understand. Just don’t crowd around while I get in line and order boxes on boxes of pastry/​bao goodness. If you know Cantonese, you can swing discounts. There are a lot of Americans who come in here, and I’m pretty sure the ladies behind the counter are tired of them ordering in English.
Alright, so onto the food. What are you getting? Pineapple buns — flaky, soft, good pick. Coconut bao — sooo soft and super jammed with coconutty filling. Egg tart — not so great (I’d pass on these because the crusts are too thick). Baked char siu bao — packed with char siu (this is a must). If they have the yook sung (shredded pork) bun right out of the oven, get it. I asked for a deal (normally $ 1/​bun), and they said they’d sell me 4 for $ 3.50. Honestly, there aren’t a lot of sweet things for Americans. It’s all the classics, and they’re pretty gone on most items by the end of the day. That’s how you know it’s good. And you’re going to get Oakland ctown prices, not famous SF ctown prices. Win.

This bakery provided my wedding cake. It was referred by a close friend, and when I went to their bakery to discuss ordering a wedding cake with them, Ricky (the main cake guy) was so great at showing me binders of different pics, working with me to figure out what I wanted, he was very accommodating, and he even had it delivered.
Their prices are great for someone on a tight budget, and my husband and I love asian cakes because they are perfect for the end of a meal: a light, spongy cake, not too sweet or heavy, and with lots of fresh fruits! I got sheet cakes for the guests, and a simple 2-​tier for show/​cutting. I like it simple, nothing elaborate, maybe a flower here or there. If you’re looking for some fondant extravagance, I don’t know what to tell you. Also, if you return the cake stand, you can get $ 20 back.
The cake was a huge hit with our guests! They loved it and even stole extra helpings, which was awesome! I’m glad to have offered them a light, fresh, and delicious cake to end the meal, and Wonder Food Bakery definitely delivered! Thank you!
ps. after our meeting at their bakery, we bought some of their goodies to take home. OMG egg tarts and pineapple buns, very good. Try them!

Place is alright. It’s 60 cents per pineapple bun, 70 per custard tart. I don’t think they give a discount if you buy 1 dozen though, as our bill didn’t reflect any…
The pineapple buns were okay, not any different from bakeries closer to where I live, so I wouldn’t make the trek to Oakland Chinatown for these in particular. The bread is more chewy than I like and not as fluffy, but the crumb topping is nice.
The custard tarts have a more gelatin-​like texture, and they’re less creamy than that one place in SF *cough, Golden Gate a Bakery*. The crust also isn’t as crisp, or flaky.
Oh, and cash only.

3.5 stars ***
Such a busy bakery, but just the kind I’m used to (like Brooklyn NY). This place has a more hole-​in-​the-​wall feel to it though. If you can get a lady’s attention, service is speedy and efficient.
Even late in the afternoon, items weren’t stale and the taste is on point. The bread is not as fluffy as some that I’ve had been still pretty close. The egg tarts that day weren’t quite as flakey as they should have been though.

No need to wonder, this place is good! Moms always picks us up treats from here.
Everything is cheap and delicious. Good luck with parking!

No-​nonsense Chinese bakery. All your favorite buns, tarts and cakes in one bustling shop. Cash only, as you’d expect.
Got my staple, the egg custard tart, and was not disappointed.

This bakery is a personal favorite of mine, and we try to stop by anytime we’re in Oakland Chinatown. It doesn’t look like much and inside is very cramped. Cashiers and runners operate behind a counter right next to large steel cabinets that frequently gets filled with trays of baked goodies, straight from the oven! So yes, you can order things really fresh and not have to rely on what you see behind the glass. Better yet, no more using tongs for self service for room temperature, less fresh items like you see in other places.
My personal favorite item is the Cocktail Bum, which I got hooked as a child. It is a basically a light buttery roll with sesame seeds on the outside, but filled with this amazing, finely ground up sweet coconut filling! The version at Wonder has perfect ratio of bread to filling, and is especially good when hot.