Zao Bakery Cafe

Zao Bakery has been on my list to visit since I caught news that it had opened last month.There is alleyway parking and side street parking.Main things they sell: buns/pastries, noodle soups, congee, drinks (and soy milk made from scratch). Bakery options (buns, baos, etc.) rotate on a regular basis.Bread is on point, nice and fluffy, with the right amount of chew. There is also ham sui gok options is perfectly done with the right amount of crispiness on the outside, and the right QQ with the glutinous rice, and the fillings go very well. Steamed bao are also airy and are perfectly QQ (way better bread compared to Ha Tien's baos, where the bread is insanely dense and not really proofed well and possibly doesn't use hot water dough). Standout pastries to get (to date): barbeque pork bun (flavor bomb), pineapple bun (probably the best I've had in the Midwest), steamed pork bao (filling is also very QQ as well, and reheats very well at home in a steamer), youtiao (the best I've had in the Midwest as well). Overall, though, you can't go wrong with the pastries. It's very hard to not walk out with one or two of everything.This is where I take a break and mention that the restaurant is run by a family whose parents are Chinese and Thai respectively. I suspect that the Thai side has some influence on the the noodle soup and congee. Portions for both are generous. The noodle soup broth is a little bit on the sweeter side in comparison to the typical HK style that the noodles soups would otherwise be. Meat selection comes with a side of vegetables. The congee is also garnished with cilantro, fried onion. Overall, I recommend the noodle soup and congee if you're looking for a hearty (but not too heavy) meal. I had the chicken congee, which included chicken oil/fat where the chicken is nicely tender and slightly salty. I've also had the roast pork noodle soup, which also has tender pork and the right amount of flavor. I recommend getting the youtaio to go with the congee for textural contrast. Also recommend adding chili garnish available at the tables to the soup and congee for extra kick.The drink that needs to be spotlighted is their soy milk. It's made from scratch. That's right. They make it the old fashioned way by soaking soybeans, blending it/pulverizing it, straining it, and cooking it. It's thick. Fresh batches every few days. None of the store stuff where it's almost always either too thin or all sorts of thickeners have been added (usually carageen and guar gum which ruins the flavor of the soy milk and the mouthfeel is still off). I've done it at home, and it's not easy. It's worth the $3.50-ish for the drink. Get it without sugar. No ice, if it's cold (and tip accordingly). Add a little bit of salt if it's hot. It's supposed to be slightly beany, but also thick and rich as well. I've looked for good soy milk in the Twin Cities for years and never found anything satisfactory. Now I've found it, and it gets very close to what you'd get if you were to go to Taiwan. Of note, the owners say that they do flavor it with pandan when they cook the soy milk, kind of the Asian version of vanilla. My preferences are more puritan with straight soy milk, but the Zao makes it so well, that I'm fine with the slight twist. Honestly, I'd buy it in half gallon containers, if they every decide to scale up the process. Yes, they make teas and milk teas as options, but I think the soy milk is the underrated star on their drink menu. Get the soy milk. It's not a health fad. Asians have been drinking it for centuries (if not millennia). Zao does it right.I find excuses to go out to get their breads and soy milk, and with Shuang Hur pretty much kitty corner, it's excuse enough. Yes, the bakery items are on the pricier side (about $4 per bun), but they are done so, so well. Go early for the freshest selections. Their selection runs out at the end of the day and gets a bit stale. They are also constantly looking to experiment to improve current items and also to try to bring new items up to the menu in the menu. I'm so excited for them.No disrespect to the new Keefer Court in Asian Mall in Eden Prairie. Honestly. But Zao is fills the hole when we lost Keefer Court on Cedar Ave. during the Pandemic. Zao is everything the new Keefer Court in Asia Mall in Eden Prairie wishes to be (and with the higher prices), but does it much, much better.5/5

This was my first time trying Zao's and I will be back. They are a self-service style bakery, which I really loved. It gave us time to look at what we wanted and of course to grab more than we could eat, hahah. My husband and I shared a few items and got some on our own. We picked the taro swirl, pork bun, spam and cheese, coconut bun, and these little paired pastries, the name I cannot remember. I think they were my favorite though! We also ordered drinks. He got the ginseng coffee and said after a few sips, the ginseng balance was really good. I got an Oolong tea latte with a matcha cloud and I could drink 10, it was so good. We didn't get any of the hot food this time, but I definitely want to go back. If you find yourself in St. Paul, you need to stop by this bakery. It was clean, bright, open, and the atmosphere was so nice, especially on a snowy day. And if you find yourself sitting on one of the bigger benches, you will feel the vibrations of the speaker when music starts playing, hahahh.

This was my first time at Zao & it didn't disappoint! I love the serve-yourself pastries & really enjoyed getting to try a handful of options (everything was really reasonably priced, too). My husband & I shared about 5 different things, all of which were delicious. The folks behind the register were really kind & helped explain some of the menu options, which was much appreciated. The space itself is also really cute, with lots of wood & natural light.My single complaint is that they only have one type of coffee; it was delicious, but I live options (I would definitely get it again, though). I will absolutely be back, next time to take pastries home!

Small parking lot next door. Today their card machine was down so they were only accepting cash or Venmo. Easy self service but due to its popularity limited options later in the afternoon. The coconut crème bun, red bean bun, BBQ pork bun, spicy curry chicken bun, and pineapple bun were all good. Wish they included pricing next to the names of each item.

I got here right before they were about to close, so all the bakery items were already sold out. But I got a bowl of vegetable congee to go that was so comforting I forgot all about the pastries. If you feel a cold coming on, get yourself a bowl right away, and you might fight it off before you really get sick. The rice porridge is soothing and simple, yet full of flavor. Chunks of Chinese greens, carrots, and fresh peas hide under the mountain of scallions, ginger, cilantro and crispy fried onions. So nutritious and much better than the BRAT diet for when you're under the weather. If they have Chinese cruellers in the bakery, that's the perfect foil to the rice porridge.

Great new Chinese bakery in Saint Paul with a lot of potential! Offerings are split between their cases of baked goods, and hot congee and noodle soup. There's also a range of bottled and made-to-order drinks. The space has been beautifully renovated, making it a great dine-in option (once you can snag a table!). Overall, the food is good. The congee especially is a flavorful, comforting 5/5 bowl. Many of the baked goods could benefit greatly from a heat lamp or some other way of ensuring buns like the BBQ Pork Bun or Chicken Curry don't become cold and stodgy. If you're dining in, I'd lean towards getting things less temperature-dependent like the Taro Twist, or Youtiao to go with a bowl of Congee. As it stands though, I'd have to give the baked goods a 3/5. I'm excited to see Zao Bakery Cafe grow, and hope they can find a way to make the dine-in experience even better with their baked goods.

This place is beautiful, airy and zen! Self serve buns and you can order hot food (give your ticket to the kitchen window and pick up there). We went right at 9am when they opened and they did not have all options available. There were still plenty of options. The taro bun was very good - nice springgy texture and a decent amount of filling. The duck egg noodle soup was served steaming hot- just the way I like it. The broth was simple and not overwhelming. The duck was good but a bit hard to get used to bitting around the bone. Next time i would like to try the wontons! There is space to sit down but by 10am it was full. Take note of the $10 card minimum, parking is limited but they do have a lot.

Self serve bakery. Grab a tray and tongs. You can order drinks and congee at the counter. They will give you a ticket to pick it up at the kitchen window. Loved the congee. I got a variety of buns. I looked the BBQ pork one. The pineapple one could have been more interesting.I did not like the pandan soy milk. It was bland.

We stopped by for breakfast this morning and loved it. I think there's still some kinks they're working out as they figure out the amount of traffic that they get as multiple items were out at 9:45 on a Tuesday, but don't let that stop you. Majority of the items are for meat eaters, but there's still plenty for vegetarians/vegans. I should have written the names down of what I ate, but I started with a vegan fried pastry. It looked like a bow tie and the taste was reminiscent of fry dough. I ordered the soy cloud drink - housemade soy milk flavored with Macha and whipped cream. I loved the smooth mouth feel and subtle tastes. My dining companions thought it was odd that they only served it iced, and not hot BUT They accomodated her request to serve hers heated! I really appreciated the willingness to accomodate. The manager overheard me say I wanted to order the vegetarian congee, but he sadly informed me before I tried that they were out. He then went to the head cook to figure out what I could order. I had a very flavorful vegetarian noodle soup with greens. Yum!Beautiful space - bright and airy. Quick service even eith a crowd. I will definitely be back!

I was super excited to come here as soon as I saw it opened!The cafe is cute, very clean, and I liked how the pastries were displayed! We grabbed what we wanted from the case & made our way to the cashier to order chicken congee! The workers were all very friendly and speedy!When we got our congee it was a really big portion!!! It was delicious and if you want, they had chili oil, fish sauce & pickled veg on the table! I had some to bring home so it was def worth the price!All of the pastries we had were amazing!!! We couldn't choose a favorite. The meat floss one was savory & salty, the spicy curry bun was a nice little kick and super yummy. The curry flavor wasn't overwhelming like some places. The pineapple bun was amazing and the top was perfect.The pork bun was super fluffy and had the perfect texture! Wish it was closer so i could come here all the time!