Ruby King Bakery

I had a delightful assortment of treats from Ruby King Bakery Café, including a dozen egg tarts, 6 curry beef puffs, and an 8-inch Mixed Fruit birthday cake, all totaling around $55.

The standout feature of this bakery is undoubtedly their superbly crafted, flaky pastries. The real star of the show was the Mixed Fruit birthday cake. If you find traditional store-bought birthday cakes overly sweet, Ruby King Bakery Café offers a perfect alternative. The sponge of the cake was exceptionally soft, and the overall sweetness was just right--not overpowering.

The combination of great value and high quality makes Ruby King Bakery Café a must-visit for pastry enthusiasts. I highly recommend it, especially if you prefer a more balanced and less sugary birthday cake experience.

*Tip: I placed a phone call to order the birthday cake two days in advance, though it seems they also have ready-to-go birthday cakes available in-store.

There was so much good food to be had in a recent trip to Hong Kong, that I did not have room for egg tarts. So on route to my flight, I hastily picked one up from the HK airport.

I only got one because they did not look good. Needless to say, I regret not getting more.... The thing that intrigues me the most was the crust. It was not just crispy and flaky, but also fluffy.... A texture we don't often get from pastries here.

This had me scouring up and down the bay for fluffy crust tarts, which is why my hubby got me some here.

I way prefer other tarts over these on first try.

Egg Tart: these are way better than most at this price point, but I find the lard flavor too strong. This is similar in sweetness to their white tarts, with more crust to offset the sweetness.

Egg White Tart: the cookie crust is not as good as that of more expensive rivals. I also find the white part too sweet. But after pairing it with savory food (like bamboo fungus and crab), I think it will go well with bird's nest and sea cucumber if you fancy expensive pairings.

Curry Beef Puff Pastry - love. Fluffy flaky crust, good flavor filling.

Chicken Pie: not my thing.

I might like their large sponge cake too.

Date:11/27/2023 Time: 3:40 PM 64° Sunny

I'm in Oakland Chinatown. I stop at Tao Yuen to purchase some dim sum pastries, but they are closed. Okay, the back up plan is Ruby King Bakery, 1/2 block away, before I hop on the 51A bus to Alameda.

It has been a long, long, LONG time since I bought anything from this bakery, as all the way back in the 90's before Yelp was around.

Eats to go: apple turnover, cream horn and a slice of chocolate cake. Cost: $5.85. Not bad for those prices. The chocolate cake was perfect, moist and not overly sweet. The other two items are in the fridge for later consumption. The cream horn was okay. It was lacking in the whipped cream...not enough.

Good place for us older Chinese people to hang out, enjoy the baked goods in the morning. Because I was there in the late afternoon, the selection of baked goods was limited to what they had. I didn't see any egg tarts and taro pastries.

Service was quick and the employee and was helpful.

Return visit? Might, then might not.

I drove 1 hr from San Jose to come over here on Saturday morning. They were busy (have 4 people taking orders) but attentive; you can get in and out in about 5 minutes.

I was not disappointed. I ordered so much and there was no way I can get the pastry and bun with good price in San Jose. I really like their curry beef pastry and the nest cake; something I really missed that I could not find in San Jose.

I think I will be back once a month to go up there and stock up.

Ruby King Bakery is a cherished spot for me, dating back to childhood visits with my parents for birthday cakes. Their egg tarts and cocktail buns are absolute gems, standing out as the best in Oakland. It's become a tradition to swing by after enjoying noodle soup next door, always leaving with a few delectable treats in hand.

When in Oakland, Ruby King is always on my go-to list. My favorite is the egg tarts and pineapple buns and my fiance's favorite is their curry puffs. You noticed that everything I listed is plural? It's cause one is never enough. Ruby King is the epitome of delicious baked goods that makes you want more. The egg tart is flakey, and light to balance out with the sweetened baked eggs. The pineapple buns are buttery and the savory curry puffs are so flavorful. I typically order a variety of items whenever I am in town, but those are my top three. Whenever I head back to my hometown, I would order 2-4 boxes and my family loves everything, especially the cocktail bun (HK sweet bun with coconut bits).

I have never tried their sponge cakes before, but I heard a lot of good things so that'll be on my list. Sometimes I would see the owner hand-beating the sweet cream. The owners are the sweetest and I am so glad that they stayed in business after the pandemic and with all the on-going violence. I hope their business continues to thrive because they deserve everything and Ruby King is the only reason for me to be out and about in the streets of Oakland.

Cannot believe the news that the owner of Ruby King was pistol-whipped this week. Hope to provide some Yelp love to promote this awesome awesome bakery!!!

Listen: THIS IS A SERIOUSLY DELICIOUS PASTRY OPERATION. When you think of the "not too sweet" fruit cake of your dreams, the type that gets you all happy and nostalgic and warm with each bite...this is the place that makes those. I had the great privilege of consuming a Ruby King cake and I wanted to have a slice of cake for every meal for the rest of my life.

Highly recommend gorging yourself on Ruby King pastries and cakes, as well as supporting local Asian-owned businesses given what we're seeing lately. #stopasianhate

I love love their egg tarts! The best ones in Oakland or dare I say, the best in the East Bay! I'll get it in the morning when it's pipping HOT.. the crust is so flanky!!

Tucked away on Franklin street is this Oakland OG gem. I became a fan ever since I had a slice of my friend's beautiful three tiered sponge cake for her 10th year wedding anniversary from this bakery.

We got a box of two freshly baked egg tarts, two sponge cupcakes wrapped in paper, and a scone for only $8-9 bucks. What a deal! The scone was a bit disappointing but it was still tasty, just not as flaky as my husband would've liked it; meanwhile I love the sponge cakes and the egg tarts. They were so gooey so fresh.

I forgot cash but luckily they take credit cards. There is a surcharge for purchases under $10.

I'd say this is the hidden gem bakery in Oakland Chinatown.
We got here during the weekend and right after we entered this place it was so loud inside that none of us or the cashier can hear each other clearly .
It was hard to make the order especially we had a pretty big order. The cashier was extremely nice. She told me to have the pineapple bun right away because it's freshly made and I actually had the bun right after I got back to the car, it was so good that might be the best pineapple bun I ever had. It was so fresh so soft so delicious.
Egg tarts are what they're known for, we brought the whole box to our families and everyone just likes it.