With demand and supply, we now have a vast variety of Asian bakeries in the suburbs. However, we continue to keep Pastry House Hippo on our revisit list because there are several baked goods that we thoroughly enjoy: melon pan, choco melon pan, cream pan, Doraemon, apple custard pan, and raisin bread. We recently diverged from our usuals and tried the sando with pork katsu. It had some shredded vegetable and ketchup-base sauce. I am indifferent to it but I am not opposed to trying the other savory items. We have gone on different days and times over the years. The shelves are almost always well-stocked. Sometimes we would have a brief wait for them to replenish the raisin bread loaves but it is the mister's favorite so it is worth it. The bakery staff are very friendly and quick so the lines are kept moving. read more

When I go to Mitsuwa, nine times out of ten I also stop by Pastry House Hippo, the cute Japanese bakery located inside the grocery store. This has been my routine for decades, yet I just realized that I had never actually left a rating for it. What makes this bakery especially appealing is its soft, airy, and smooth bread and buns, which are handmade using ingredients sourced directly from Japan. My personal favorite is the red bean bun. While my sister loves their sandwiches and milk bread, which has an incredibly soft, fluffy, and moist texture. All of their bread and buns are made fresh daily. Many years ago, they even allowed their staff to take home any unsold sandwiches and bread at the end of the day! With increasing competition from newer Korean and Taiwanese bakeries, I hope Pastry House Hippo continues to stay competitive. As a self-serve bakery, it would be nice if the buns were individually wrapped, something many other bakeries already do, to help prevent contamination from careless customers. My most recent visit was on the second day of the new year, and I was happy to see the shop bustling with customers. I hope this little bakery continues to thrive for many years to come. read more

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Super disappointed. Picked up the chocolate flourless cake aka Gateau Chocolat Classic. It was super dry and burnt at the bottom. In addition to that, it leaves a very weird after taste in the mouth- like artificial sugar was used. For $6.99 (with tax)- it was a waste of money. The place is pretty much self serve- you grab a tray and tongs and they bag everything when you get rung up. Cakes are behind the counter and you order when you get to the register. My interaction was very minimal- the cashier rung me up and I paid. read more

Fresh baked goods might be ok Premade cake n others in cooler are not good Bought shu cream puff, puff is VERY dry n hard, supposed to be soft n spongy, strawberry is not fresh, gross Ended up having a few bites n garbage it went, money wasted read more

Pastry House Hippo - Shu cream with fresh cream n custard n strawberries - Bakeries Near Me - Arlington Heights, Illinois

I keep forgetting to write a full review of the Best breads and pastry! It's definitely worth the hour drive. I miss Japan and the treats here take me right back. I can't wait two months to come back for more, but it's an all day affair to make the drive down and hit up other markets in the area. I always regret not picking up more snacks to bring back, but after a few days it goes stale. Still yummy, but never as much as day one! My favorite are the pillowy yeast breads filled with chocolate pudding. If I could allow it, I'd eat ten. Also some baked apple bread with cooked apple slices is one to watch out for. Sooo good. I love the self-serve setup. Take a tray, grab some clean tongs and take whatever your heart and stomach desires. The cashiers are all very kind and move fast. They also package up delicate items safely, like those cake slices in the cool case that you didn't know you needed. I wish I lived closer! read more

Pastry House Hippo - Bakeries Near Me - Arlington Heights, Illinois

Within Mitsuwa market Pastry House Hippo serves up delicious Asian pastries and milk bread. My favorite is the apple filled and shaped pastry. With the various red bean pastries a close second. The milk bread is so good. There is always a short line on the weekends. Usually, I try to hit up the bakery before doing the rest of my shopping. read more

Always a favorite to stop in here for the bear (custard filled) or panda (chocolate custard filled) buns! They're so cute, novel, and delicious! Other fun pastries: turtle, crab, coffee, and apple filled. The thick cut Japanese bread is a hit with my munchkins! I've yet to try the cake slices but I would like to, if my waistband didn't protest so much. Expect a line during peak weekend times! read more

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I have been a regular customer for the past 30 years or so. I have to say Hippo's bread & cakes are one of the best in Chicago suburbs. However, I got a disgusting experience today. I bought bread, 1 cake & 1 black sesame pudding. Just as I was trying to enjoy the black sesame pudding at home, I realized that it looked different, there was a greenish yellow layer on top of the black sesame pudding. It smelled weird. I threw it away immediately. I'm not asking for refund or anything, but I would like to bring it to their attention. They should ensure the quality of their products before they sell them! read more

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If you're at Mitsuwa, make sure you stop by this cute pastry place that's inside the grocery store! Lots of delicious and fresh bread and pastries to choose from! Some of my favorites are their potato, curry, ham & cheese, red bean, cream, melon pan, fruit tart, corn, sugar twist and almond. They also have cute pastries that's shaped like animals / Doraemon that kids will love! I highly recommend trying a loaf of their freshly baked bread, aka Shokupan. This is nothing like the loaves of bread you find at American grocery stores. Probably one of the best white bread out there! Super soft and fluffy and definitely will not disappoint! Don't let the long lines during the weekends scare you. The line moves at a decent pace and employees there are friendly and nice. read more

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Loved the cream buns, fruit tart, and strawberry cream cake. I did not love the banana pastry and apple cream pastry so much. The flavor was just not for me. The sweet potato doughnut was interesting, but also not something I would get again. Others may like these items. Cinnamon twist donut and fruit twist pastry were fine. Friendly service. read more

Pastry House Hippo - Bakeries Near Me - Arlington Heights, Illinois

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This place was so hard to find! It's inside mitsuwa but in the grocery part, next to the sushi! The pastries are SO good. I got the coffee and cream bun and the smooth sweet red bean bun. Both sooo good. I also got a bun that had octopus in it and my husband got the egg salad sandwich, which was okay. We wouldn't get it again. Stick to the sweet stuff and I'm sure you'll love it! read more

The pricing varies on the different pastries, a slice of strawberry shortcake was $4.50. The Kame was $3.25 while the Madeleine was $1.95. I didn't get to try the cake slice but we split everything else and it was delicious! You can find this location inside Mitsuwa Marketplace, it's not big, but had a lot to pick from. The wait time was hardly nothing despite there being a line the whole time. It went quickly due to having plenty of friendly staff. If ever I'm this far North I will definitely stop by again. read more

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About a 1-1.5: Sorry, Pastry House Hippo - it's you, not me. This bakery nestled inside Mitsuwa has always been one of my pit stops during my Chicago visits. My go-to has always been the warm hot dog bread, the UFO, and the apple-shaped bread. Unfortunately, these items just do not taste the same - the hot dog bread, which I usually retriever from the warmer, has a sickly sour, off-putting odor to them; I also feel like it made me sick this time around. The UFO was deflated and didn't contain much of the yummy and creamy custard inside, but rather cold chunks of it. The breads just did not taste fresh, as they seemed more on the stale side, cold, and were like leftovers from days prior. Staff are friendly here, and they do keep the line moving. They also have seasonal items (such as the pumpkin breads during the fall). I love their hippo plush decor, which is always cute to check out while standing in line. +odorous hot dog bread +cold, stale, and unfilled breads +friendly staff +located inside Mitsuwa read more

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Cute little bakery inside a super busy market! The pastries we got were so good!! If you're in the area be sure to check it out! read more

Pastry House Hippo - Bakeries Near Me - Arlington Heights, Illinois

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whenever i go to mitsuwa, this pastry shop is a must-stop. my favorite is the an donut, which is sugar coated and has red bean paste inside. i used to like the fruit custard cake back in the day but it doesn't taste as good when i tried it again a few days ago. the texture was a lot lighter before as well. the apple pie is tasty. my husband liked the doraeman. overall, a solid place to fulfill those pastry cravings! read more

The Pastry House Hippo is literally hidden way in the back of Mitsuwa, by the One Piece/Pac Man Gaming area. You pick up a tray, paper, and tongs and then you can go in to the glass cabinets to pick out the baked goods. Although I am usually fine with self service, I did happen to see one lady just toss her selection with her hand back into cabinet - but I guess that's always going to be an inherent risk for these types of places. There was a really nice variety of breads with fillings, was very surprised to see that there was even Octopus for an option. Most of the breads ranged from $2 to $3. We were checked out really quickly and a plus was that it didn't force you to provide a tip. However the 3 star review was because for my cheese bun there was only a small piece of so it was 95% bread. The curry was just OK, but not something that we would especially make a point to buy again. Maybe the sweeter pastries are better - I'll still taste those and who knows, maybe I'll change my review! read more

Pastry House Hippo - Curry, Hot Dog, Octopus, and Cheese pastries - Bakeries Near Me - Arlington Heights, Illinois

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We visit the Pastry House Hippo every time we go to Mitsuwa Marketplace. The quality of the sando / sandwiches has gone down a lot over the past couple years. For whatever reason, the egg sando is overloaded with pepper and is basically inedible unless you want a black/white pepper sandwich where you cannot even taste any egg. The ham sandwiches are soggy. We are sticking to the buns for now, but we are disappointed with the quality of the sandos lately. read more

Great Asian bakery with lots of dessert and breads to choose from. Small line but loves fast. Tucked in Mitsuwa market with lots of little restaurants you can order food from. read more

Pastry House Hippo - Menu - Bakeries Near Me - Arlington Heights, Illinois

I think this place gets worse every time we visit. This time when we were there they had almost nothing out for purchase. The melon pan and other breads/treats we tried tasted like they were from the day prior. Very dried out; especially the chocolate melon pan bread. We even tried a chocolate cake slice and it was just disappointing. I can go down the street to IKEA and get a slice of chocolate cake much better. I was super disappointed this last time to say the last. read more

Pastry House Hippo - turtle bread - Bakeries Near Me - Arlington Heights, Illinois

Consistent & friendly. They have pastries, buns, loaves of bread, and refrigerated cake slices. I'm a big fan of everything except their cakes because they lack sweetness. Although Asian desserts are already much less sweet than American ones, the cakes here are even less sweet than Korean or Chinese bakeries, in my opinion. Also, I spoke with one of the workers about food allergies (specifically nuts and sesame), and she was took the time to answer my questions. I didn't see nuts in anything, and she said sesame is only present if it's obvious (ex. sesame seeds or sesame paste). read more

Absolutely love their pastries. The service is always friendly, and I always buy more than I should (but it's all delicious) and I recommend this bakery! read more

As far as finding staple Japanese pastries you'd imagine Japanese school girls and boys grow up eating, Hippo's got'em. They've got the yakisoba sandwich. They've got the curry croquette. They've got the melon bread. They even got the anpanman bun (sweet red bean paste filling inside a bun, shaped like the staple anime character, anpanman) I'm only just naming a few items the you wouldn't normally find in any other ethnic bakeries. Believe it or not, different Asian countries have very different baking styles and methods they incorporate, both traditionally and with foreign influences. So even as an Asian American, I don't always have the same pastry choices everywhere I go. Anyway, I'm usually not able to make it here early in the morning, which is usually when most bakeries will have their fresh baked goods lined up. I had a chance to be there right before lunchtime during my last visit, and I was very happy with the offerings. I think I got my daughter hooked on yakisobapan. Carbs in carbs... could be too much most days, but if it's delicious, zero calories!!! So some of my Asian friends say... read more

SO GOOD!!! But for the BEST selection - especially on the weekend - get there EARLY! Like when they open - because most of the fruit salad sando's are GONE!!!! And they are AMAZING! This time - we tried some various pastries including a corn mayo (NOT my favorite) and other red bean and melon pan w/raisin (my favorite!) They range from around $2.40 - $4.50 each depending on size and what's inside. These are the pastries. This is inside the Mitsuwa shopping center. It's in the grocery store section next to the coolers...not in the food court. read more

cutest little bakery, there's always a line here and they have many choices, they should expand someday

Best pastries around!! My favs are the onion roll and the chocolate cream ones. We also always get the crustless bread. I've even gotten my daughter into loving the turtles. We also get the bun with the hot dog inside and a few others. I will say it does get crowded but it's goes relatively fast. And there are trays with tongs to grab the pastries yourself. The staff are super friendly and helpful and inside is cute with cute decor. Also get the tiramsu! Def would recommend to anybody and will always keep coming myself. read more

I absolutely love this place. Wonderful variety of delicious pastries and breads (some in cute shapes)! Azuki choux is my favorite dessert ever. The apple pastry is a close second. Also love the Japanese fruit sando. Wish it was easier to order things from the pastry case. read more

Very popular little bakery hidden inside Mitsuwa. There are always long lines here - lines on weekdays lines and weekends. Understandably so, when you see the ride variety of savory and sweet pastries they have. Everything is quite tasty and attractive. In particular the steamed buns and cased in a special warm steamy stand by themselves. There are the vegetarian buns and the pork buns both are delicious. read more

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Due to my preschooler having food allergies, we have to be very careful when going to any pastry bakeries. We are well aware that most ingredients contain eggs and there's probably cross contamination with peanuts and tree nuts. I give them 5 stars for having their ingredient list posted on wall that makes it so easy for shopping. Typically at other places, we'd have to ask an employee and they look up in a binder and tell us whether it contains xyz or not so we have to choose from a few because we feel bad for them having to look through so many. However, with this ingredient list posted, we were able to easily point out which ingredients contain eggs or not, so for that, thank you Pastry House! Your shoku pan is amazing. I haven't tried your Danish bread but my friend tells me that it's amazing. Can't wait to return to hopefully catch one one day. It sells out fast & it's limited to 3 per person. read more

Pastry House Hippo - Ingredient list December 2019 - Bakeries Near Me - Arlington Heights, Illinois

Although I didn't have a pic but there limited danish bread is legit!!! Goes so well with butter and toasted! read more

Pastry House Hippo - Bakeries Near Me - Arlington Heights, Illinois

Excellent bakery, have been going here since I was a child. Quality is always the best! Delicious baked goods and their cakes look / taste amazing. Never disappointed with Pastry House! read more

the bakery i always go to when i visit chicago since i was younger! it's always just as good whenever i go. their pastries and bread are so fluffy and flavorful and SUPER cute. it's so nostalgic for me. read more

Pastry House Hippo - Bakeries Near Me - Arlington Heights, Illinois

Pastry House Hippo is the best bakery in Chicagoland! Quality goods at a great price. I have never been disappointed and am amazed at their consistency! Employees are very friendly and practice excellent safety precautions during my visit. The pastries taste authentic Japanese and the cost is about the same as Panera Bread. The bread tastes fresh and offers discounts for day-old bread! Fantastic bakery to get some great selections for breakfast and brunch. This will be a place I take family and friends for years to come. Everything I've ever had from here has been delicious! I recommend the choco crab and any of the fruit custards. As cute as they are tasty. Thank you! read more

Great Japanese bakery with fresh, quality products. We've actually been here scores of times over the years but I never bothered Yelp reviewing.   We often pick up bread loaves here as well as cute and fanciful pastries (like the apple, turtle, kitty kat, or panda bear shaped ones) particularly if we have one of the kiddos in tow.  Bread loaves are discounted at the end of their business day if not otherwise sold. read more

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Whenever I visit my parents we go to Mitsuwa. One of our first stops inside Mitsuwa is Pastry House Hippo because we have to make sure our favorites aren't sold out. I love the pandas which are filled with chocolate cream. They also have delicious steamed buns. I think they're only sold on the week-end. We've been trying one new thing each visit and have loved everything. read more

Pastry House Hippo - Bakeries Near Me - Arlington Heights, Illinois

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Takes me right back to university life in Japan, where a farmer and a baker would visit our dorms every Monday afternoon. Just past the rows of lush greens and colorful fruits lined up in the parking lot, you'd find tables of golden pastries at the entrance to the dorm lobby. Savory offerings of crisp-fried potato croquettes and curry-pan along with a plethora of sweet treats of all sorts. Flaky fruit tarts, intricate French cakes, creamy mousses and puddings. My favorites were always the pillowy milk buns filled with all manners of jams and creams, chocolate cream being an obvious campus favorite. The trays of whimsical choco-cones (or chocolate cornets) never lasted long. I imagine they still don't every Monday afternoon in a certain Japanese university dorm lobby. No surprise that it would be a table of milk buns taking center-stage in front of the entrance, then, that would direct my attention towards the charming little bakery. Nor that choco-cones were present and disappearing fast. Though it likely helped that they were running a special as well. My guy and I grabbed a sanshoku pan (a triple bun) and a choco-cone. A triple bun consists of three buns filled with azuki red bean paste, custard cream, and chocolate cream. A great introduction to Japan's most common and popular treats if you're an uninitiated Irishman, or if you simply can't decide which you'd like to dedicate your taste buds to. The choco-cone was for memory's sake, and for the sheer fun that is a choco-cone. Both treats were delightful, though both milk buns were definitely on the dry side, as could even be seen in photos. They did have the lovely mild sweetness that milk buns carry, though. The azuki was dense and not too sweet. The custard had soaked into the milk bun, which we found amusing. It tasted nice and light, which was lovely and unexpected for a custard. We did have to fish for the chocolate cream in the triple bun - it took two bites to find the hiding nugget. Still good, just could have been filled a bit more evenly. A lovely reminder of lovely memories, and a lovely medley of treats to share. read more

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Delicioso. Everything was fresh and super yummy . Cashier is very friendly. Great job.

My fiancé and I were in Chicago for my friend's wedding shower and we stopped by Mitsuwa, a Japanese market, and came across Pastry House Hippo inside! I've never had authentic Japanese pastries before, since Cleveland only has the Chinese variety that everyone is familiar with. I was excited to check it out! A lot of pastries, buns and cakes appeared to be very similar to the Chinese variety. You start off by picking up a tray and a pair of tongs, load it up with whatever you chose from the displays and then pay at the end. The buns are self serve, but you have to ask for assistance with the cakes since they're more delicate. They were quite busy on a Sunday, so you know the baked goods were fresh. The bakery staff kept bringing out new trays of goods as people snatched them up! We were both very full since we had just had a ramen lunch at Misoya down the road, but I picked up a tray and chose a good variety of buns to take home to my parents. I tried a few of them when we got to my parents' and they were light and delicious! My parents seemed to enjoy them as well. The red bean buns were excellent and there was one shaped like an apple with a pretzel stick as the stem. Fancy! The cakes looked so good, so I'll have to give them a try next time I'm in Chitown. Prices were maybe a tad bit higher that what I'm used to seeing for Chinese pastries back home, but all the buns were easily under $2 a piece. The girls and guys working the counter were super friendly and made checkout a breeze! Definitely check out the Hippo if you're in town! read more

Pastry House Hippo - Bakeries Near Me - Arlington Heights, Illinois

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I told the boyfriend I only wanted one main thing for my bday. An Asian birthday cake. If you haven't had one before, i would highly recommend going to any Asian bakery and ordering yourself a cake just to try it. It's okay, you deserve a cake. Asian cakes are a lot less sweet than your traditional cake and is usually made with a light sponge cake. Also, the toppings is usually some kind of fruit with a whipped cream kind of frosting versus the heavier frosting. In fact, I was sad when I first saw my cake with the chocolate heart on it and not the traditional circular pattern of fruit until I was told to lift it. Yes, I like chocolate too, but not on an Asian cake. I chucked the chocolate disk to the side of the box and stared at the pretty pretty fruit-filled cake for a good minute or two. Oh, how it glistened. Five shiny stars because it was everything that I was wanting and so much more. I'm not sure of the price, but it was the perfect size for two people. And by two people I mean, he got one slice and I got the remaining four. Score! Also, as another edible bonus, I was given some random pastries that the store sells including two of the cheese puffs (like Fogo de Chao), octopus bun, red bean and a green tea-looking bun. Even after being in the fridge for a few days it was still good. Good job Hippo House! read more

Pastry House Hippo - Birthday cake was yummy! All the fruit is under the chocolate heart. Ignore the "30." - Bakeries Near Me - Arlington Heights, Illinois

Offers wonderful array of European desserts and Japanese bake goods. Reasonably priced and friendly service.

I have eaten at quite a few bakeries in my time and my favorite was probably Let Them Eat Cake. Trying to find an equivalent to their tripple fudge cake and their caramel nut brownies is still an impossible task for me, but at this point my taste buds probably betray the memory of it I decided I to settle at Pierre's Bakery as an alternative for the post part since then. Until I found this diamond of a place that is. It is very difficult for me to say unequivocally that somewhere is the best place I have eaten, but when it comes to bakeries I have to give it to this place and say it is the absolute best and I have tried just about every slice they offer only to be pleasantly surprised by the result. So far my favorites are the Chocolate cake, green tea cake, cheese cake, and the crepes. I still have a couple more slices to try if I can peel myself away from the chocolate and the green tea cake every single time I go! I couldn't recommend this place enough enjoy! read more

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