Ruby King Bakery Café — Restaurant in Oakland

I've been coming here since I was a baby in 1970s/80s.

My family has ordered many Hong Kong style cakes here - meaning sponge cake with fruit filling and icing. I believe their Dan Tat (custards/egg tarts) are the best in the Bay Area. The ones in SF are too gooey or watered down. Ruby King makes them just right. Try to get them when they are hot and fresh out of the oven. They always sell out as Ruby King is known for their Dan Tat.

They also sell triangle cake wedges that I used to call "half and half" (half chocolate and vanilla), hot dog buns, pork buns, cream horns and other Cantonese Hong Kong style desserts.

There is a row of hot water taps for tea and coffee and plenty of seating for the old people to hang out and play Lotto. There is also a shrine to Kwan Kung with peacock feathers.

For large orders, you will receive a pink box with a red string tied around it. It makes me sad that this tradition is slowly disappearing from Chinatowns as they are becoming less and less Cantonese (I'm half, ABC 4th generation).

If you are adventurous use the restroom, just don't complain!

Ruby King is the very last standing establishment of Oakland Chinatown of my childhood that remains. The staff even know my face here since I've been coming here all my life. I bring my friends who've never had Dan Tat here. And we sit and eat with the old folks like the old days.

Long...

Around 9am on a Saturday — inside is bustling with regular patrons, mostly grandpas enjoying their baked goods over hot coffee.

The counter display is filled with shiny, golden wife cakes and other baked goods, but my eyes navigate to the rack behind the counter — I’m looking for egg tarts. At $1.75 each I get two, plus a bbq pork bun for $2.50

They’re all warm :-) I eat them right away as I walk to catch my bus. The cha sui bao is baked (instead of steamed, my usual) and the inside is sweet, but too mushy for my liking, and without as much meaty pork. The bread to filling ratio is nice, but the paper is overly sticky so I ate some paper.

The egg tarts were to my liking - a thin, flaky tart and a sweet, almost gooey custard. I’ve been told Ruby King’s egg tarts are comparable to Golden Gate Bakery’s in SF. A warm one from Ruby King’s is smaller in size but hits the same in terms of flavor and texture.

I’m already thinking I’ll try the cocktail bun along with an egg tart my...

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...