Hong Kong Island Bakery

Prices are a bit higher here but the quality is better, so you get what you pay for.
I am not a fan of their cakes, especially their take on Japanese cheesecake.
Hubby bought a pork cookie — it tasted like roast pork skin in a sesame brittle — it definitely tastes like pork… Yuck!

I’ve been to all of the other Chinese bakeries in Chinatown.
The prices here are, on average, higher than say Chinese Bakery, Ding Dong, or Mashion (Not going to bother with Furama; they have exactly what the three I just mentioned have but at higher prices).
For a good reason, however! Their buns are a lot bigger here and they also have some things that the other guys don’t sell.
Today I had the bun with cut up pieces of hot dog and bacon, as well as ketchup. To me it really just tastes like a hot dog, but in bun form. I can appreciate, however, that it was nice and hot because it was displayed within an oven-​like machine (what are they called?!).
I also had their deep fried doughnut (which was covered with granulated sugar). The first time I bit into it I was disappointed, but as I kept eating it, somehow it began to taste better and better.
What else did I like? In terms of atmosphere and presentation, HKIB definitely beats the other three bakeries.

I quite like Chinese buns, and out of all the places I’ve tried in Toronto, this bakery is my favorite!
I usually only order pineapple and hot dog buns, but they are truly amazing — the inside is thick and chewy, and the pineapple buns have a tasty crust.
If you want to experience this place at its best, get there early, when the buns are freshly baked — it’s heaven!

3 stars based on two items: one of which was very good, the other which was not.
I got the pineapple custard bun which was excellent — lots of the sweet crusty buttery topping, soft bread, and yummy creamy custard.
Also got the steamed white rice cake (bai tang gao) which is one of my all time favorite Asian desserts. Unfortunately I was very disappointed by it — the texture was a bit too dense (it seemed to be missing the air pockets), and the flavor was off too (should have the slightest tartness from the yeast, offset by sweetness of sugar — it was neither tart nor sweet).
I will probably go back and try other items, but will stick to the bread pastries.

Do not expect a friendly service here.
You see what you like, buy them, and get out.
The buns are probably twice more expensive than other Chinese bakery but you can tell the difference in the quality. Worth extra money.
I like their chicken buns, and pineapple buns with red bean paste.
Cash only :)

As a Chinese Bakery denizen, and seasoned bun connoisseur, I hereby declare that this is my favorite Chinese Bakery in all of downtown Toronto!
Why, you ask? They get the important things right!
Is it clean?
Yes!
Do the custard tarts taste decent?
Yes!
Do they have any unique and outstanding items?
Yes! Motherfuckin’ pizza buns! I almost don’t even want to tell people about them, so that they may never be sold out when I happen to stop by…
And I’ve never tried them, but they have signs for some rather tasty-​looking bubble tea.
The buns just generally look and taste of better quality than the rest, (although it’s kinda neck-​and-​neck with Mashion across the street.)
I gotta say though, them pizza buns really have me.
Granted, this isn’t the cheapest bakery, and the main proprietress isn’t the friendliest.
But personally, I just want my fix.

Love this place! Sure it may be that there are no real Chinese bakery’s to speak of within a 20 mile radius of me (metro Detroit), but I love this place! Great selection and price!
Great taste and nice staff!
Going here this weekend, easy to drop a $ 20 spot here!

It’s a pretty average Chinese bakery. There’s nothing truly noteworthy to mention. Prices seem reasonable, the pineapple and hot dog buns are tasty and good sized. The HK style tea is good, but don’t get their bubble tea. I don’t think they sell enough to actually carry fresh tapioca. Their cakes actually look amazing, but i’ve never tried them. I frequent the Dumpling House next door, so I end up picking up baked goods here mostly out of convenience. Not bad, but not good either.

We visited but did not buy anything. Place looks clean and the pastries looked inviting. Prices seemed to be on the high side but it may depend on what you are shopping for. The cakes looked well decorated, very very pretty.

Affordable and tasty.
Love that the bakery is neat and clean. Employees are friendly and quick. A nice selection of baked goods. Grab yourself a tray and tongs. Pick your items and pay at the cashier.
It smells so good in here. We were able to try a couple of things, everything tasted great. Prices are slightly higher than other bakeries around, for good reason though. Flavor is there and it’s all fresh.

Very solid bakery — they have a cakes and tarts section, which seems to be lacking in a lot of the other bakeries in the area. Wide selection — a little pricier than Ding Dong and Mashion (70 – 90 cents a piece) but you definitely notice the difference — hot dog buns are bigger and have more hot dog, and stuffed buns are plump with more filling.
Also, it seems pretty clean, but I still always find flies all over the place (the huge horseflies) and especially sometimes trapped in the bun displays. Noooooooo.
Also, if you spend 6 $ you get a free egg tarte!

I have never found much of a selection there, the fare isn’t overly flavourful. They have a fair amount of wrapped items (unusual) but as hard as I have tried, this place really does not do it for me.

I like this place because for the most part the buns are fresh even the day after they are still soft (I am refering to the coconut buns, otherwise known as Gai Me Bao which translate into cocktail (chicken) tail buns because they resemble the tail feathers of a chicken.
Ok, anyone that has walked by this place has seen the picture of the mango cake (it almost resembles a pineapple bun cut in half). It’s a sponge cake and they put mango inside the cake, then put mangos all around it. When you cut into the cake, a mango purée is supposed to fall out. It’s not bad and worth a try once but I wouldn’t order it again. Again, it looks nice but really it’s not that great. They charge you I think $ 25 for 1lb which in essence a small 6″ cake.

Bleh… I just had the worst, most watered-​down taro bubble tea drink in my life here. She doesn’t even use a shaker, she scooped a few tablespoons of random powder, spoon-​mixed it with some tea and added a heap of ice.
I only finished it because I was just so thirsty from walking around in the heat. Save your $ 2.50 and use it at any of the other million bubble tea places in this area X_​X

I’m surprised not many people reviewed this place yet. Since our ride back to the U. S was long, we decided to grab some bakery. The concept of the restaurant looks very new, I love how you could walk in and grab which goodies you would like. Also, it is very clean. Everything was average, however my sister thinks New York bakery tastes 100x better.

Carb lovers, get outta here! The rest of you, enter and love, love, love.
There are many places in Chinatown to mow down on a Chinese baked good, but Hong Kong Island is the only one where I find buns that are still warm, oddly at whatever time I go… Of course, this isn’t the case for every bun, but I tend to find a warm tray and I’m usually pleased with whatever it is. The pineapple-​custard buns and coconut ball buns are what keep my blood flowing, as do the horse/​crispy cookies and coconut loafs. My stomach vacuums ‘em up!
PS. Their puff pastry items aren’t that great compared to others in the area — stick with the buns.