Lee’s Bakery & Kitchen

Lee’s popularity has gone to the baker’s head. We loved their peach/​pear pies until the last few months. The pie is dry and there are just a few pieces of peaches; however, there are large pieces of pear. One piece of pie had an entire quarter of a pear! This happened to me before, so I told my husband not to buy it anymore, but he wanted to try it again a few months later. Not cutting the fruit makes the pie dry as the juices don’t have the chance to come out and blend. Not to mention that there are hardly any peaches. Thirteen dollars? What a ripoff! Sarah Lee has a great apple pie for five dollars on sale. We’ve been buying that. My sister just bought a Sarah Lee peach pie which will probably be juicier than Chinatown Lee’s. Two stars for the crust which is still good. What a shame that they’re getting lazy and economical. They had such a great product.

What can I say about this business, except they have the best custard and pumpkin pie on the planet!
12÷24÷15: I have not been here when there was a line, so today was my first. As I was standing outside the front window, I peered in, between the shelves of cookies, sponge cakes and shrimp chips, to see that there were only three customers inside being helped by three employees. I suppose, the people in line with me were regulars of the bakery, because they patiently waited either just inside or just outside the door. It must be the bakery policy to not allow crowds of customers standing inside waiting to be serviced, and people seem to be fine with it. I know I was.
When I was finally called to be helped I asked for a pumpkin pie. I was told that if I didn’t have an order, it would be another hour before the pies came out of the oven. It was raining, I was hot I was tired and if my pillow and blanket had not been screaming my name I probably would have wandered around Chinatown until my pie was done. Heaven knows my stomach wanted it but the rest of me put the foot down and told my stomach to chill.
One other useful tidbit, the fresh custard pies aren’t available until after 8:30am. Sometimes, not always, but sometimes you can get lucky and purchase a cold one from yesterday. It’s still the bomb!

When I got to Lee’s bakery, there was a big line with all locals. Ok, this place must be good. I got the custard pie and cha-​siu bao (bbq pork bun) and cha-​siu seow (bbq pork puff pastry). It was good as advertised! It was definitely worth the wait. If you are in Chinatown Honolulu, it is a must have.

Just bought two egg tarts from them. One was fabulous and the other was rotten. It seems that they mix old pastries with new. Disgusting.

I was expecting 1hr wait for the line on the thanksgiving morning but appealingly I waited almost 2 hours because ppl buys 10 to 5 pies a person so it is not enough pies even though they are making more and more. You are basically waiting for super freshly made pie. Is the wait worth your time? Yes, it was for me!!! All my family like it after the big meal and I am just happy to see their smile :) It was first time I tasted their pies today and I love it especially pumpkin custard pie. In personally, I love it more than the custard pie.

The BEST CUSTARD pie! We also like their cook at home frozen apple pie. Trust me it is sooo delicious because it’s nice and hot coming right out of the oven. You do have to put an egg wash on it before you cook it. Don’t worry they give you instructions. It’s worth trying something different. Good luck getting a pie this week especially the day before Thanksgiving.

Been coming to Lee’s Bakery all my life for custard & pumpkin custard pies. If you want one during Thanksgiving you better pre-​order because on Thanksgiving and the day before, the line is out the door all day long and they run out.
The owner’s of Lee’s Bakery are related to one of the owners of Ko Shop, located in Na Lama Kukui. They are very nice and I am happy to support a local chinese bakery.
They are mainly known for their custard pie, which I characterize as a Chinese-​style of custard. I’ve heard a secret is liberal use of evaporated milk; however, I’m not sure if that is true. It is reminiscent to the small custard tarts you buy at local dim sum places but larger. It is very egg-​y (I’m making it up) with whiff of sweetness. I really like the taste of their custard, but some members of my family find it a little too much egg tasting. I know the debate with many locals is if Lee’s or Kaneohe Bakery has better custard pie: I will give my vote to Lee’s. When you pick it up, it is always freshly baked. Prices have gone up over the past years (I remember when the pie was $ 8, now I believe its in the range of $ 14 or so. It’s not cheap but I think it is much better than Zippy’s personally.
What people don’t know is their pastries are very good too! On the way to work, I often stop by for a pineapple bun (no pineapple but a custard bun that looks like a pineapple’s outside with its ridges hence the name). Most pastries are priced between $ 1.25-$ 1.75. They are very generous in the portion and always very delicious with morning latte.
Great bakery, friendly people and cheap prices.

This review is for their manapua and ham & egg pastry.
Very disappointed in the portion of fillings.
The manapua had only a third of pork. Rest just bread. Tossed it. If i wanted bread, I would’ve bought bread.
The ham & egg pastry had a quarter egg and half portion of ham (one thin cold cut slice folded over). Tossed this half of bread away too. I didn’t know there was a shortage on egg and cold cuts!
If your expectation is manapua with a reasonable amount of filling, then you better trust me on this one!

I shop here almost everyday– I love their white bread loaves!!! Low prices– high quality!!! I’m a loyal fan of this place !

Custard is my favorite pie. I went to Chinatown today to buy my favorite custard pie from Lee’s Bakery. Boy, was I disappointed. They must either:
1. Made a mistake in making the batch my pie was in.
2. Be using a new recipe/​ingredients.
3. Have new people making the pies
I hope that the first option is what happened today. The pie I bought today was not the same delicious, creamy pie I’ve been buying for over 15 years. It tasted bland and watery. Even the crust tasted different.
At $ 14.50 a pie I would expect that the quality and consistency would be maintained.
Going to wait a while before I give Lee’s a try again. If the same, will be looking for a new place to get my custard pie.

BEST CUSTARD PIE IN HAWAII.
The ladies here are so friendly and will pack the pies for you if you’re going to be taking to neighboring island.
When ever we go to Oahu our family always requests we bring a pie home.
Their pastries are good too.
If you’re in the area and haven’t tried their custard pie… this place is a MUST. You can’t go wrong and won’t be disappointed.

It’s all about the custard pie! Can’t beat it! It’s a classic! Normally on special occasions our extended family enjoy and devour the Lees custard pie! Especially during thanksgiving when they have the half pumpkin and half custard! The custard pie is the best in town… that I have tried so far. I love to buy it when it’s hot and fresh!
I normally call in the order– they has for the quantity and your phone number. Because parking is limited, I normally jump out of the car while my husband drives around. There is street parking and a municipal parking nearby.
Once you walk in, you can just tell them your here to pick up, give your number and $ 13.00 later, you got your pie!!!
The custard is soooo creamy and perfect! The quality is silky smooth with every bite.
A true Chinatown classic!!!

A fan of pastries, Lee’s Bakery & Kitchen hits the spot. Not overly sweet, the custards, are heads and shoulders better than their dim sum counterparts. Henceforth, after dim sum, Lee’s Bakery & Kitchen has is now a detour in our Chinatown ritual. Their Chinese (mocha filled) Wedding cakes are equally delicious. Customer service could be slightly friendlier, but this will not keep me from visiting.
They also offer uncooked, prepared, cakes for that fresh out of the oven, radiating, warmth. Bön appetite.

I’ve been eating custard pies from Lee’s for years, and for a good reason — they are the best custard pies on the island. With Lee’s custard pies you get flaky crust and smooth, creamy custard. They are amazing warm out of the oven, and nearly as delicious a few hours later, or chilled in the fridge within a few days.
More recently, I’ve branched out a bit and tried the apple and peach/​pear pies too. Although the custard is far and away my favorite, the other pies are no slouch — you’ll still get that amazing crust, and delicious fruit fillings. Drooling a little just thinking about it…

Flaky, creamy, and not too sweet, what am I talking about? Custard pie fool! Not just good, but «will-​make-​you-​wait-​for-​an-​hour» good! I now live on the mainland and can’t really find custard pies, so this especially warrants five stars.

On my way out to visit some friends I decided to run a taste test on what I’ve read are the two best custard pies on the island. Lee’s vs St. Germain’s. So I grabbed one of each and drove over where we proceeded to each give our judgement on which is superior.
Personally I feel that St Germain’s comes out on top. The taste is just slightly more eggy and it definitely has a more solid consistency with a firmer and more tasty crust. This also seemed to be the consensus with everyone else.
One separate thing I do like about Lee’s a lot is their pumpkin custard pie which is basically the two pies baked in layers into one. It makes for a nice balanced taste between the two flavors.
Overall Lee’s is a good bakery that is moderately priced and has a decent selection of pies and pastries. I think it is «A-​OK».

Lee’s Bakery & Kitchen is an unassuming hole in the wall. You could easily pass it if you were in a rush, but you would be sorry, because they know their way around a pie. There is a reason why before Thanksgiving people wait for hours in line all day (and night) to buy 10 pies at a time!
Often when you walk in the pies are still steaming hot so they poke holes in the pie box lid. This is a critical period for your pie! Make sure you let it cool well ventilated so the steam doesn’t make your crust soggy and don’t put it straight into a refrigerator for the same reason, you want a still crispy crust!
Whether it’s one of their fruit pies with a double crust: peach, peach-​pear, or apricot; or single crust: custard, pumpkin, custard-​pumpkin; you can’t go wrong. My entire family agrees Lee’s makes the smoothest, tastiest custard pie on the island and their peach-​pear is made with fresh pears.
There are other pastries and things the bakery makes, the chocolate chip cookies are pretty good and packaged for easy giving away, but really, if you go to Lee’s, get a pie.

Custard, Pumpkin, Custard/​Pumpkin pies… oh my! I love! $ 13 and freshly baked!
Lines get crazy ridics for the holidays, but a normal weekend isn’t too bad.
Their Wedding Cakes (flakey, pie crust manju with mochi-​like inside) are amazing for 55¢ each!

The place gets 5 stars solely on one item… custard pie! Sure, they have other things which are okay, but I’ve gotten to the point where if I order anything else, I would wish that I had the custard pie instead.
Likes: Bakery with typical Chinese baked goods and pies. They are very popular around Thanksgiving with their pumpkin and custard pie (which is pumpkin pie with a thin layer of custard on top). The lines are long around then!
Dislikes: I’ve tried some of the other things, such as the pastries and other pie flavors, and they’re not too memorable. It’s dingy inside too and it’s such a hassle to find parking if you’re not already in the downtown/​Chinatown area.
Favorites: Custard pie… I never liked custard pie until I tried this one. It’s not eggy (I’ve had one eggy on a very rare occasion), it’s smooth and creamy and custardy, with the perfect amount of sweetness. I brought this to a potluck and two of my coworkers who took a bite closed their eyes and let out a big «MMMMMMM». They were instant converts. It’s good at room temperature and chilled. For me though, it’s best right after you buy it, when the custard is set and it’s warm. If it came right out of the oven though, you want to let it cool down so it doesn’t fall apart when you take a slice out.
When you go here, buy the custard pie, or two. It’s worth it. Anytime after 11AM, you should call to check if they have some and reserve ahead of time.

All I can say is, if you’re going to hold a «Best Custard Pie in Hawaii» shootout, the Custard Pie from Lee’s Bakery should be in contention for the win! Seriously, OMG!