Arai Pastry — Restaurant in Tempe

Back in 2016, I was looking for a Japanese bakery in Arizona and this place came up in the search bar. I made a note to go here next time I was in Phoenix. I went and had the strawberry cake and instantly fell in love. I’ve been going ever since for my birthday and they NEVER disappoint. Cute and homey atmosphere, kind and friendly staff, delightful desserts.

I ordered a custom birthday cake last year and it was so beyond amazing I decided to order another one this year. However, this year when I called and asked for a specific character to be on the cake I was told that it would be too hard to find the accurate frosting color for the character. I was a little bummed but not too much. When I went to pick it up; to my surprise my character was on the cake but instead of frosting it was crafted out of freshly cut strawberries! So wonderful. This place is thoughtful, accommodating and all around perfect. Honestly, this bakery has no flaws. I would be a weekly customer if I lived in Phoenix, seriously. Everything I’ve had from here has been delicious.

If you love desserts that aren’t too sickly sweet and polite staff, this is the bakery for you. If you haven’t been yet, you need to visit asap. You...

As a Japanese person, I’m amazed and shocked. Honestly I heard a lot of mixed opinions about their cakes in town. But I went in for their Milk bread (Shoku pan) to give it a try and wow. Went in around noon to get the freshest ones.

It is literally the softest shokupan I’ve ever had. I’ve tried many $10 rich shokupan in Tokyo and all over Japan but Arai Pastry’s Shoku pan is BETTER. Perfect amount of sweetness, milkiness, and richness. It’s so light I finished third of the loaf by myself in one sitting. Both toasted and non-toasted are perfect. Usually milk breads are either better toasted or better not toasted. Only simple ingredients are used so that’s another plus.

I love putting butter and maple syrup. It was a trendy thing to do in Japan a while ago. Melon pan was good but not as exciting as the Milk bread. It had a Natsukashii (nostalgic) vibe to it. I liked how crispy and light the cookie was on top.

I’ll definitely be back for the milk bread again. Can’t wait to try the other flavors. Cheers to...

An Authentic Japanese owned and run Pastry/Bakery shop. The Lead Baker comes from Japan originally. They have a cafe set up in the store. You can get cake by the slice or purchase whole cakes. All cakes and breads are made the Japanese way. Cakes and pastries are lower in sugar/sweetness than most westerners are accustomed with. The breads are non-sliced but may be sliced at the buyer's option. The shop is closed on Mondays. Requests for character cakes are accepted gleefully. The reproductions are very accurate, especially when it comes to anime/manga character reproductions for the cakes. They also allow for commercial and party orders. They also take advance orders for Christmas Cakes which is a...