Sunlight Cafe

This is always my favorite little bakery to stop at when I'm in China town! The man at the counter is always super nice and they have some super good baked goods! Only downside is they don't take debit or credit, but bringing cash is totally work the try!

We came here for breakfast on a weekday. My partner and I got a bowl of congee with pork and century egg combo, which came with a coffee and Chinese bun for $7. We then added a couple of Chinese donuts and the total came to $11.50. Price transparency here is not great, since we had no idea how much the Chinese donuts would cost until she gave us the total, which seemed a bit high compared to everything we got, but I mean the breakfast was still relatively cheap. But when I ordered a soy milk, which had a price clearly on the wall of $2, I gave her a $5 bill and she only gave me $2 back, charging me $1 more but without saying it. I thought that was super sketchy. The breakfast was decent for its quality and price, but I'm not super impressed with this checkout system which includes no calculator, just a number she decides on. Wouldn't return for this reason.The place is also very tight with seating. It got pretty busy but they still had boxes splattered out on tables, which wasn't very convenient or presentable.

My friend introduced me to this cute little restaurant/bakery and their bread was so good! I will admit that this cafe seems a bit intimidating to go into because it feels super intimate, but if you're ever in Chicago Chinatown you should give them a shot! They sell fresh and delicious bread/buns for a better price than Tous Le Jours or some of the other mainstream cafes from across the street.

Located in Chinatown, next door to XI'AN Cuisine with only (paid) street parking, Sunlight Cafe is a small hole in a wall that offers patrons some dim sum, baked goods, noodle and rice dishes. What brought me over here was their egg tarts. My husband and I were craving these and decided to come over here (because we had our little girl dog with us, he waited outside while I went inside). I actually ended up coming in here about 30 minutes after leaving because I wanted to come back in for another egg tart (I was just walking around Chinatown before deciding that I actually wanted another one). So from my two visits, I ended up purchasing:Egg Tart, $1.25- I initially purchased 2 of these but came back in a little after to get a 3rd one because my husband and our little girl ate most of the other 2 (well my husband ate most of it and our little girl got a few bites). These egg tarts were good. They had a nice custard taste and the crust of the tart was flakey, just as I like it. The price was fair. Siu mai, $3.75- I was not initially planning on ordering this but the elderly woman who helped me the 2nd time I came was insistent, but in a sweet grandmotherly way. And who can say no to grandma? These were actually good so I'm glad I got it (which came in a plastic container in an order of 4). -------------------------------- (Total= $7.50)On the first visit (please note that I came on a Friday afternoon around 1:30 pm), I had a younger woman behind the counter help me. I spoke English when I ordered 2 egg tarts. I paid cash since she apologized and said cash only when I pulled out my credit card. Then on the second visit (about 30 minutes later), I had an elderly woman help me. She greeted me in Cantonese so I spoke to her in Cantonese. I also paid her in cash from learning from the earlier visit. She was very sweet and had suggested that I order the siu mai because it is very good here. I have to agree that their siu mai is pretty good and actually a little cheaper than another restaurant in the area that I had ordered siu mai (to go) later on. Overall, I had a pretty good experience both times and would come back if I was visiting Chicago again.

Great selection of baked goods. They have some dim sum available. Great pricing also.

I did not get to try it. I came in the afternoon. All sweet pastries were gone I was told ( I think) and so I picked out some things I wanted to try and went to pay with my debit card but was told cash only for the amount I was spending I was willing to buy $10 worth of items. But the woman was insisting I pay in cash. I said buh-bye. What made it worse, was that I made a special trip to Chinatown with my 5 year old to show him the culture and get some special Chinese treats and this was my son's first impression. Thankfully, he likely won't remember it. There was a man there who was kind and I think he looked a little bewildered that I left without buying anything, but I didn't have cash as I am not a tourist. I would like to think the food would have been good, as it looked like it would be based on my experience with some traditional Chinese food with some Chinese friends, but I will never know. 祝你好運

Amazing pastries and noodles here at Sunlight Cafe. I come here in the morning to grab some Bao's and a pack of noodles which the server really packs in to the package for $3. The noodles are amazing for the price and tasty. Service is great and the prices keeps me coming back for more delights. Street parking is limited but I usually double park with blinkers.

I came to be familiar with Sunlight Bakery through their partnership with Chicagoland Chinese grocery stores. They're usually available in packs of 3 in plastic clamshells. Their sponge cake is excellent, but I haven't tried other things so I was excited to see their storefront. The cafe didn't look like it was maintained well, like it wasn't intended as a consumer facing experience. They had a larger variety of buns and pastries, mostly in packs of 3. Prices are comparable to other bakeries in the area, but I felt more restricted on variety due to the prepacks. We picked up the BBQ Pork buns, Ham and Onion buns and fresh soy milk. The cake and bread is among the better ones, but it was disappointing that the filling and/or toppings were barely there. Soy milk was good, slightly too sweet, but delicious. I think I will stick with the cake when I see them in stores, and not sure if it's worth the extra trip.

My friends and I went here the day of the mid autumn festival. We got mooncakes, har gow, and wintermelon buns. They were all super tasty!! I even bought one to bring back to Georgia. I never liked mooncakes growing up but having a fresh one was honestly perfection. It was sweet without being overwhelming and the salted egg yolks gave that salty contrast. I loved it, and it's gonna be on my list for my next trip to Chicago!

Food was amazing. Service was good as well. We also got a large quantity of food for a decent price.