Master Bakery

Right after eating a disappointing late lunch next door, the lady and I needed a pick-​me-​up and we stumbled onto Master Bakery. And I got really excited because, to keep it 100%, the joint looks like my mom’s best friend’s basement that has a grip load of junk and clutter, yet, somehow, they’re still open. That must mean the baked goods are good there, right? More about it:
*****
I. FOOD
It’s a Chinese bakery, so if you’re unfamiliar with this type of carb brothel here’s my general overview: lots of flaky and savory pastries (BBQ pork, beef curry) and the sweet ones aren’t cloying (red been, lotus seed). I had the following:
*Dan Tat: The stereotypical Chinese egg tart. Man, I could eat this all day, and I usually use this pastry as a barometer when judging a Chinese bakery. Well, let me tell you that while the crust is slightly thick for my taste, but the smooth egg custard itself packs a mean flavor. Also, the yolk isn’t overly egg-​y, and it’s probably the best I’ve had in the Atlanta metro, honestly.
*Wife Cake: I am not exactly sure what was in it, but my guess is winter melon. It’s flat, beautifully golden, and filled with a gelatinous, slightly sweet filling. Very good, but I’m not sure if I would get it again.
*BBQ Pork Bun: Put it in your mouf! Savory pork and sweet bun equals awesomeness all day; however, not the best I’ve had.
Regarding their selection, but they do the best with what they got.
II. SERVICE
It’s a self-​serve kind of place. The owner/​master baker, isn’t, uh, the nicest person. (You might be able to warm up to her, though, if you speak Cantonese.) But hey, she makes some mean pastries.
III. AMBIENCE/​DÉCOR
As I noted before, the space (which is as big as a small living room) has a bunch of random junk in there. Things that I found entertaining
+The gigantic and plastic pink moon clock behind the counter.
+Her immaculate collection of plastic toys on the left-​side wall, ranging from Winnie the Poo to Tickle Me Elmo.
+The monitor connected to her Toshiba laptop that constantly plays Chinese dramas.
+The Thanksgiving wallpaper that wraps the top of the interior.
It’s more of an order-​to-​go type-​of-​place, and the seating isn’t really comfortable.
IV. PRICES
A buck or two for this. A few dollars for that. If you’re a baller on a budget, and like to get filled up on carbs, this is the place for you. Super affordable.
V. OVERALL
As odd as this place is, I sort of really dig Master Bakery. Call me a sucker for really delicious egg tarts or anything flaky and delicious, but I honestly think that they make better Chinese eats than some of the more notable bakeries in the ATL. Who would’ve known that this tiny place in a unassuming strip mall could pack some mean flavor, if it weren’t for Unilocal?
But their selection is limited, the place feels cramped, and the owner doesn’t seem to care too much about her potential new customers. So here’s how I see it:
1) If you’re basing your evaluation mainly on food and prices, it’s better than average (with respect to other Chinese bakeries in the The A). In other words a 3.5−4.
2) If you’re considering other factors (service, ambience, etc…), it’s around a 2 – 3.
Would I drive out of my way to visit Master Bakery? Maybe. Would I take my out-​of-​town foodie brother to eat there? Probably not. If I lived close by Master Bakery, would I visit often? Perhaps.
Master Bakery gets a solid three rating from me.

Been coming here for years. The size isn’t as big as other bakeries but packs awesomess. The people are nice and friendly too. It does have small seating too. nice ambience inside

I stopped in to Master Bakery one day after taking a mini tour of Buford highway bakeries with a friend. She had been to this place before and said we had to go by. I’m so glad we did. This bakery is definitely not all gussied up like a Paris Baguette may be, It’s actually quite run down in comparison and the selection is much, much smaller, but the pastries and treats you will find here are just wonderful and much more reasonably priced. They have the most delicious hot dog buns that are now my favorite in the area. Their sweet buns and tarts are all out of this world. There are only a few very small tables inside so I don’t usually linger unless I’m waiting for a new batch of something to come out of the kitchen. There are usually some older gentlemen there who seem to hang out there all day long. This is the perfect place to grab some treats to take home and enjoy but not the type of place you’ll take a group of people to hang out for hours.
While there is a slight language barrier if you only speak English, the lady at the counter was very patient while we figured out my order using stunted English and finger pointing.

LOVE going to this place, this is for the over 30 Asian crowd and people who can speak Mandarin and Cantonese for the most part. While Sweet Hut across the street gets the crowd of kids, this place get the tireless constant stream of everyone else for really fresh bao, moon cakes, swiss rolls, cookies and many other treats. Be warned, they don’t use preservatives here so everything is fresh and sold within the hour and when out, they are out for the rest of the day — which HAPPENS often. The mooncakes and egg custards are wonderfully done and so what many will associate with traveling in Taiwan or China with the first bite. Usually stock up with three boxes to take home on the other side of town by the Lake. Fully recommend this place and the only bad part is prepare for the contentment coma after eating the four items over your allotted ONE desert a day!!! Also, the price here is so incredibly cheap by comparison to others and the older couple love to try out new things with just a suggestion, we asked for some special bao and they had it ready for a huge celebration the next day with a price a quarter of what others wanted to charge.

Egg custard!!! That’s the only reason I come in here. In all of Georgia, I’ve never had a better egg custard. The shell is soft, flaky, and when warm,…just absolutely delicious with the custard. The egg custard is of course delicious, and just perfect. Most egg custards may have a great egg custard, but the shell is very difficult to make flaky with all of its delicious layers that is perfectly not too soft or too hard. Even the taste of the shell is perfect. If anyone knows of a place that makes better egg custard in Georgia, please let me know

Had not been here in about 8 years but wanted to try their Low Po Biang (wife cake). It was still pretty good but seeing disposable gloves taken off, and reused multiple times did not give one a good feeling. Again, it’s not always about the food with customers. Attention to good hygienic practice is also important. Would be better to use tongs to pick up the pastry!

Dropped by after having phở next door. Great selection of Asian sweets. The cream filled bread was incredible. Light airy and not too sweet. The coconut bread was perfectly moist and very tasty. I also had a little banana roll. Very good flavor but texture surprised me. It was more like a gel roll, very different.
Definitely a return place to try more of their treats

This unassuming bakery has some of the best Hong Kong baked goods and pastries in town. I’ve never been to Hong Kong. That being said, whenever I am with my Cantonese speaking friends, they swear by Master Bakery’s egg tarts and mango mochi, and get super defensive if I try to suggest otherwise. The egg tarts are somehow always warm or hot, even though they were already sitting there when I walk through the ringing door. My favorites are definitely the egg tarts and mango mochi (fresh mango inside!) and the sponge cakes. Although I prefer other milk tea locations for drinks, the milk tea they serve is very different from the others you find on Buford Highway. Note, the milk tea isn’t on a menu or anything. You just have to know. So now you know :)
There are three small tables that can probably seat three people each. Don’t intend on bringing a large group to hang out unless you don’t mind standing around, sipping your milk tea and munching on fresh egg tarts.

i was weary after seeing some bad reviews, but hey! i am always down for some hole in the wall establishment.
the selections seems to be very authentic — and even the way everything is set up. this place is nowhere close to anything fancy especially the amount of nice cafes that had sprung up in this strip of street. we were actually leaving from i luv phở when my eye caught this place and was still greedy — craving for something sweet.
we took a sweet roll for a buck and some sticky rice with meat wrapped in a banana leaf for 2.50. the sweet roll was not too sweet but i still find tasty, and the rice in a banana leaf, although delicious, was just not for me. I have tried this dish before and wasnt a big fan, but hubby gobbled the whole thing up in mere 5 seconds and was looking for more. all in all, although it is nowhere near as fancy as the other cafes and bakeries around, i still enjoyed their food, although i am afraid to say that the future of this establishment looks bleak.
i must tell you though, when we came in, the owner was watching some vietnamese soap opera where it was obviously a ‘death scene.’ she was watching it from a laptop and somehow, the whole thing was ultra choppy and the sound was blasting. so, the whole 10 minutes we were looking around, i had to keep myself from laughing, because the cheesy death scene of this old man and the terrible over dramatic shrieks and tears of the woman on the screen were unbearable as some parts hangs in the air and sometimes sounds like a scratched cd that will repeat itself then jumps then repeat itself again.

Kidding me, Master Bakery??? First off, if you are gonna operate a hole in the wall, at least make a «reasonable» attempt with an attractive counter and display, combined w/​some pleasant ad work or artwork to let the customers know you are serious about your business. The bread and baked goods are just awful, a throwback to the 70’s/80’s when subpar quality can get by due to lack of choices and competition. My opinion, stick w/​Sweet Hut and Paris Village for higher quality Asian baked goods in the Atlanta area. Vincent, White Windmill, Hansel Gretel, and even Mozart are ok compared to this.

I came to Master Bakery after seeing a friend post a picture of the mango mochi on facebook. I was not let down. The mango mochi is the bomb! It rivals those I’ve had out on the West Coast (Phoenix Café in LA area, anyone?).
The mango mochi was decent size, with actual large chunks of mango on the inside. The mochi is the right texture, and the whole thing is covered with coconut bits. Not too sweet and delicious!
I’ll have to try the other breads soon, but I definitely heart the mango mochi and will be back soon to get more!

I came here for a visit. Having grown up in the bay area and now living in Chicago, I thought, «Wow! Atlanta has a Chinese bakery, this must be pretty awesome!» I was like a big fat balloon with someone letting the air out fast. Their stock is really small and the diversity of what they have isn’t great. They don’t have the sweet tofu dessert soup, nor mochi, nor the tea leave wrapped rice. About the only thing typical I found there was the sweet top bun. If that’s the only place in Atlanta, then I can understand but I certainly hope they would try to diversify their offerings more.

I come here for the bubble tea. Small place, I think run by the same woman I’m served by every time. Delish black milk tea bubble tea. The bubbles are soft and have just the right amount of chewiness. Haven’t tried many of the pastries, but there is a small selection to choose from. I want to say cash only, or at least some sort of minimum to use credit card. Although there’s a table or two, the atmosphere does not compel you to stay and enjoy your goods. Perhaps the décor could be improved?

When the craving for some chinese buns hits this is usually the place I head to. Selection depends on what they’ve got when you get there so if there’ s a specific need you have be prepared for disappointment.
I’m not terribly keen on the cha siu bau, Theres just something about their version of the filling that doesn’t hit the right spots.
Everything else is OK and with the lack of choice for chinese bakery in ATL it will remain the ‘go to’ place even though it’s not outstanding.

Got an egg tart. It was on the sweeter side. I wonder how delicious it would have been served hot, or even warm. I will try out some of the meat-​filled buns (I love a good meat-​filled bun) and a curry pastry next time.

I was going to give Masters a 4. But after eating one of the buns I bought yesterday this morning, I’m going to have to downgrade to a 3. Came here yesterday after hitting up Bo Bo Garden since it’s only like a 2 – 3 minute walk. Was surprised that they had an average selection given its size — seriously, the place is tiny. The buns are a bit smaller than what I’m used to seeing, and Master seriously charges you a legit amount. $ 1.10 for a cha siu bao? $ 1 for a taro bun? These better be worth it, I thought. Had the cha siu bao yesterday, and the good thing is that I could tell it was baked fresh that day. The bread was very soft and moist, but I was frankly a little disappointed that there was not that much cha siu roast BBQ filling. To be clear, it’s already leaps and bounds better than some of the other buns I’ve had where you bite in and get a fluff of air. At least there was something to chew on. So I was fairly impressed with the bun, but then when I made my way to the taro bun today, I was a little more disappointed. The bread had gone from moist and soft overnight to the beginning stages of drying out — even though I kept it fully wrapped. Meanwhile, like the cha siu bao, there wasn’t too much filling, and it was a bit too sweet for my liking. On the plus side, I would tell that the filling was homemade — chunks of taro hit my teeth as I made my way through the bun. I haven’t frequented too many other ATL Chinese bakeries, but I would suspect Master Bakery is average to above average.
Other things:
— Ahhh, they didn’t have banana rolls… one of my favorites.
— Some signs were only in Chinese, so not the most friendly for our Chinese-​illiterate friends.
— They have mini-​Swiss cake rolls, which is great for one person or if you just don’t want to buy a huge roll and consume it all unhealthily.

On my way out of Super H-​Mart on Pleasant Hill, unexpectedly I saw the former pastry chef from Master Bakery handing out fliers for a Christian church event!
Awesome~!! No wonder his pastries were so darn good! God I miss it… :)

A really small place that serves up some really good Chinese pastries. We had been driving by this place regularly every time we had gone to Buford Highway for one thing or another. Some time ago, we had decided to stop in to see just what their pastries were like. We were specifically looking for good curried beef buns, pineapple buns, and BBQ pork buns (our favorites).
They serve up a good selection of Chinese buns, pasties, and cakes. Luckily for us, they do indeed serve up all the things we like (not all places sell a curried beef bun, so we were very happy to find it here). Even luckier for us, what they have is delicious. The buns have a wonderfully soft texture and the fillings have a very vibrant flavor. I also have to say that their sponge cake is also quite good.
My major complaint is that the place is small, and there’s absolutely no guarantee they’ll have what you’re looking for. They do sell curried beef buns, but if you go, they may or may not have it out. The same goes for all of their buns. As a result, we’ve been thwarted on once or twice when looking for something specific. On top of that, their selection is generally a little smaller than many other Chinese bakeries I’ve been to in the past. However, despite that, their buns are easily the best we’ve had in the area. Definitely worth the trip if you’ve never been.

i need sweets. like all the time. after a meh korean dinner, i wanted something just a wee bit sweet… at which point me and food crew started on our search for an asian bakery. okay, we were on buford highway, so it wasn’t much of a search… just a matter of which driveway to turn into.
in all fairness, master bakery was about to close, but really… should my buns have been soooooo stale? i had a taro bun and a custard bun, and they both seemed not too fresh. the taro was a bit sweeter than normal, but the custard was quite tasty. i also got a egg custard tart (such a sucker). yum. i could actually shove one of those in my mouth right now.
my friend had some coconut concoction… it looked gross, but merited a double yum and a sponge cake. she was in love. i was like… i know a better place. i might still swing by and try some of their savory buns… but other than that… the search continues.

I first discovered this bakery as a Sophomore at Georgia Tech (2000) when I was looking for places that sold bubble tea. In the last 3 or 4 years, however, the store has changed ownership and they now only carry one flavor of bubble tea: Hong Kong-​style black milk tea.
Although I will occasionally order their bubble tea (which I request to be light on the sugar), I mostly come here for the dessert breads now. Almost always the first thing I pick up is their sponge cake. They have the most enormous sponge cakes that I have seen anywhere, wrapped in giant cupcake-​like paper cups. It is suuuuper spongy, not too sweet, and completely oil-​free. Some other staples I’ll normally get include their soboro bread, custard bun, the taro-​paste bun, and sweet cream roll cakes.
My only word of caution is that there is usually a small group of old Asian dudes hanging out in this bakery which creeped me out a bit in the beginning. As it turns out, they’re just regulars who like chilling out in a tea shop, probably much like they’re used to in their home country.
Note: They only accept credit cards for purchases over $ 10.