Spongies Cafe — Restaurant in New York

Growing up in Chinatown during the 70's, you learn where the local gems are. One such place my parents took me to was a little sponge cake shop on the East side of Baxter st called Kam Hing; run by an old Chinese man, that seemed to always be reading his newspaper and his loyal helper Fernando serving the locals. The menu, comprised of the original sponge cake, milk tea and coffee. That was essentially their whole entire menu. That's all they needed! I recall my family and others that knew about this delicious cake would come get these cakes by the dozen.

As time goes on, stores come and go; to see that the little sponge cake shop had closed for business a few years ago, never to reopen. My childhood memories of these delicious sponge cakes were all I had left. Then, a glimmer of light. In early December, during the most miserable year of 2020, while walking down Baxter st, I saw a sign with a familiar face of Fernando. He was holding a tray of the unforgettable sponge cakes. I was ecstatic and over joyed, immediately snapping a pic of the sign and sent it to my friends and family notifying them that the sponge cages are back! With the help and support of the original Kam Hing owner, Fernando and his family has his own shop based on the original sponge cake. Locals will know it's original simply from the aroma alone, one bite into the pillowy cake will take you back to Nirvana. That's my opinion and I will stand by it.

The bond that Fernando has with the original owner of Kam Hing is fascinating. Through the years, Fernando who is Mexican, picked up speaking Chinese from the locals and the owner. That's a feat, trust me! So get these cakes and you too will be reminiscing of the original sponge cakes. Fernando, you know what you have and you won't be needing any luck. The stars are shining on you buddy!

Side note: The Kam Hing located on the West side of Baxter, called Kam Hing is not in any way associated to the original Kam Hing that closed down...

It was my first time going, and I will come back for sure before I move away in the summer. The Spongies are AMAZING! Even days later, they still tasted fresh like the day they were baked, just heat them up! I discovered this place on social media, and since I was in the area already that day, I just had to go and try it for myself. I wish I could've taken pictures of the actual spongies I bought, but A) I broke my phone right after I took this one picture of the store front, and B) my kids devoured them when I got home. I got a dozen assorted flavors, and it was like $18, which is a great deal 👍🏻

But now, to the reason why I'm giving this place only 4, more like 4.5 stars. THE MENU! I understand they change flavors frequently, but I wish it was posted somewhere available online so that out of towners (like me) or tourists can just make up their mind ahead of time and just know what to order in advance. The place is small to begin with. However, it wasn't busy when I went on a Tuesday afternoon. It isn't a huge deal, but I think it's an important aspect to consider.

The flavors they had the day I went were Asian inspired. Some were more subtle in flavors than others, and I wish they'd label the individual plastic baggies so I would have known which flavor was which when I got home because I bought 1 of each flavor and most of them looked the same once you open the box. But other than that, their Spongies were divine. I never had them before, but they reminded me a bit of a Filipino bread called Mamon, but spongier and more fluffy...

I feel like some of the hardest thing these days, living in NYC, is having that neighborhood connection. New businesses constantly replacing old, it’s just a never ending domino effect. For Spongies, I hope that never happens. I accidentally stumbled into Spongies when I left their neighboring Instagrammable store, Taiyaki. Soon enough, I quickly started frequenting Spongies at LEAST 3x a week since that incidental visit. Their Chinese sponge cakes are fantastic, freshly-made daily and all have such unique flavors such as Thai tea, matcha, coffee, etc. I always stop in for an ice coffee or soon to be ordered frequently their lemon teas which are all so incredibly refreshing. The most important thing is that the owner is there almost always and is so incredibly kind and helpful even on their busiest times. Everyone working there has been so genuinely kind, which feels almost abnormal these days in the ever changing New York. If you’re in Chinatown for a quick $2.50 iced coffee or wanting to try unique sponge cakes, try it out at least once. If you’re looking for a friendly neighborhood spot, this...