So Yen — Restaurant in Saint Paul

We were excited to try this place. Tried everything that they offered on the menu except the eggrolls and chicken congee.

The donuts you have to eat them same day within a few hours of getting them. They are whipped cream filled and will not taste the same, even if you put it in the fridge to preserve the whipped cream. It is piped and set out at room temp to grab for orders. The donut itself is not sweet so the whipped cream filling balances it out. They are on the smaller side and pretty spendy.

Panna cotta has actual real fruit on top and was refreshing. I liked it. It was not overly sweet.

The basque cheesecake was supposed to be matcha flavor but that did not come through. I thought they gave me a plain vanilla. The texture is good though.

Donuts were denser in texture than I thought. They are all brioche dough I believe. The fluffiest one was the plain one. The Thai whipped cream one had great flavor. It tastes more like Thai tea than the actual drink! This would have to be my favorite out of all the other donuts. Other than that the other fillings were vanilla whipped cream (and plenty of it) with fruit inside. The Taro was good. The crème brûlée had a good sugar crust but was stingy on the cream filling (all other donuts had a good amount). So tiny!!! The custard filling was only a dallop on the center bite.

The Japanese cupcake was gross in our opinion. It tasted damp…like it wasn’t soaked or moist but an odd damp taste. We did not finish it. The whipped cream on top was good. It seems like they have all the whipped cream down pretty good!

The milk bread was fine, just filled with lots of whipped cream like the donuts.

The congee was nice and mild. You can add in the chili they provide, salt and black pepper to level up.

The drinks were okay. The strawberry drink was soooooo sweet. It was like drinking syrup. The ube oreo was good. Thai tea was refreshing.

The beignets are good when warm.

The customer service was good, no complaints. It was busy and they worked at a great pace.

Overall this was a fun experience. We will not go out of our way back here, but if we happen to be in the area and there is no line, we will have to try the eggrolls.

But if you are craving a donut filled with whipped cream, this is the place to go to. Looks like they have monthly flavors too!

FYI this is in the downtown St. Paul area so make sure you go early to secure parking. It’s across the street from the farmers market too so it...

This quaint little shop on the first floor NE Corner of the Northwestern Building on 4th St St. Paul across from the Farmers Market will NOT disappoint!!! These Delectable Broche Donuts are simply amazing, with the creative flavors most recently the Everything but the Bagel is my new fun flavored savory Donut Yum, Egg Salad Donuts are fun with the right amount mayo n mustard. Yen has mastered the right consistency of sweet creamy goodness in EACH of the sweet Donuts she offers Filling is ALWAYS mouth watering creamy filled Goodness!!! Now her Cheesecake's are the BOMB award winning Excellent! I've traveled the country tasting n Loving my Cheesecake n OMG can you say Superfantastic!!! Just Decadence Light, each bite is Heave n n you'll always want more!!! Yen's Crape Cakes flavors hands down are unbelievable subtle sweet with perfectly fruit/ cream ratio Her Pannacada's are so creamy!!! Perfectly sweet n yummy... Now the Chicken n Pork Conjee is a must the flavors just fill your taste buds with 😊 ❤️ SOYEN'S is a must visit n you'll find yourself coming back for more!!! So Glad for the new addition downtown St....

I waited an hour to buy some donuts, but I was disappointed to find that they lacked sufficient cream filling. I’ve visited similar donut shops in various cities, and they all generously fill their donuts with cream, so the lack of filling here was underwhelming. Considering the price of $5 to $6 per donut and the hour-long wait, I started to question whether it was worth it. However, the warm beignets were surprisingly delicious, and the staff was friendly.

Update after their reply: I purchased a dozen donuts, along with soufflé cupcakes and beignets. While the cupcakes and beignets were tasty, the donuts still lacked enough cream filling. The cream barely filled halfway, which was disappointing since the cream is what makes these donuts special. Unlike other similar places, where donuts are filled to the brim with cream when cut open, these fell short. Addressing this issue would significantly enhance the overall experience. (For reference, check out Yozm Donuts or Flour Premium Doughnut in California to see how generously they fill...