Bubble Pi

I went to Bubble Pi yesterday for the first time. To be honest, the bakery is pretty confusing because I didn’t really know what I was supposed to do. It’s pretty disorganized like what most people here has said.
BUT, the pastries were REALLY good! The owner of the store was super friendly and fun! She even let us try samples of the Taiwanese mooncakes. I don’t remember the name of one of the pastries I bought but I do remember that she said they contained garlic & chives. They were so good! I think that you’ll definitely have to try it. I would definitely come to this bakery again.
The prices were very reasonable, the owner was very nice, the pastries were amazing and I also had a good experience.

Really cute, unique-​looking pastries. Bubble tea is hit or miss and maybe sometimes your straw will be half flattened, but the owner is absolutely the sweetest lady ever. Super social, smiley, funny, conversational, and proud of her work. Love listening to her stories! Interior is pretty disorganized but in quite a charming way: half-​empty fridge filled mostly with huge chunks of butter and cake ready or pick up, a shelf of books behind the register, a bubble tea menu that was an accident. They also sell ramen, shrimp chips, and other Asian snacks. Visit Bubble Pi for the pastries!
Taste | 3.5
Atmosphere | 4
Presentation | 3
Service | 5
OVERALL | 3.5

I swear I’m a nice person… I just have a low tolerance for stupidity…
i know its bad to review something that you haven’t even tried but the lady was just so mean… really hard to do business with someone that has such a huge attitude problem…
I would of purchased something in any case. but the sweets just looked outdated and stall… the manager didn’t like how I asked questions about her products… which is pretty redugless… so I didnt buy anything… the place is small… and the area smell funny to me…

I got a sample of chinese new year cake. It is gluten free, chewy and low in sugar. yum! love supporting local small businesses!!!

Ivy has everything — buns, pastries, egg tarts (nom nom…) and even zhong zi (sticky rice things for Duanwu Festival). I’ve ordered cakes as well (matcha green tea with red bean, mango mousse) and both were delicious.
Her egg tarts are the best, and Ivy is the sweetest. I’d say her pastries are very authentic (more Taiwanese style). Delicious!

For my 300^th review:
Bubble Pi (I just learned that’s the name of this place!) is a Taiwanese bakery that has staked out real estate on Murray Ave long before the other Chinese bakery opened its doors this summer (y’know, the one that rhymes with «mink socks»). In contrast to that new shiny, pretty bakery, this one has cluttered windows, a cluttered shop, and it’s packed up the wazoo — with tasty treats. The owner, Ivy, is also super nice and willing to make whatever it is that your heart desires.
And my heart desired traditional moon cakes, double yolk, white lotus filling. I wanted to do a taste-​test between the two bakeries, but alas the other one did not have any moon cakes to taste. Their loss. I ordered a bunch of moon cakes last week from Ivy, and she had them ready for me to pick up the next day, freshly baked, with more egg yolks than I asked for (yay, bonus!), and the taste and texture are perfect.
For authentic Chinese baked goods, definitely get to know Ivy. Her shop isn’t ideal for hanging out but her food is fantastic! I plan on being a regular customer.

The pastries were flat and did not have much filling inside. They have room for improvement.
I tried several of the buns, with high hopes for the red bean, but it was disappointing.

One of my best experience living in Pittsburgh. Amazing innovative bakery and nice service. From Asian traditional snacks to all new recipes. They are the best. A cup of hot green milk tea with bubble in cold winter, best thing ever.

I love this place, great hospitality and the lady will crank jokes with you. Very authentic Taiwanese pastries, and bubble tea made like in Taiwan.

My sister and I saw this place randomly one day while we were walking down Murray. We tried their egg custard tarts and it wasn’t what I expected. For some reason, the lady microwaved our egg tarts. The custard became runny and the whole tart tasted like sweet egg yolk on a soggy pastry. Not a very good experience in terms of egg tarts.
They have a good stock of Chinese buns. Carnegie Mellon students would often buy a stock and sell them at school to fundraise. Those buns are pretty standard. Nothing too special.

After 3 trips to Bubble Pi, I don’t have any plans to return. Although I love the owner’s nian gao (here it is crusty with a softer interior), the bakery is uncomfortable (little seating), messy (there are old magazines and random décor everywhere), and the owner is too nosy. She asked me how much money I make and whether I was planning to marry soon – I just came in for dessert!!!
I have had dim sum here and cannot recommend it. The dim sum is too difficult to eat with a flimsy plastic fork and in a shop where you feel like you’re intruding on someone’s personal space.

After a long day of devouring snacks I was in desperate need for a bubble tea.
This was the first local store that we came across and decided to go in. The restaurant was messy and cluttered with god knows what. The woman working there seemed to be the only one there are, however she was incredibly nice!
When it came to the bubble tea I can’t say that it was very good, or good at all. It was way too milky and artificially flavored for my taste. Also one of my favorite things in bubble tea is the bubbles, which the tea was severely lacking.

The food was ok and the woman behind the counter was very nice. However, this place is so disorganized that it holds you back from enjoying the food.
Normally I feel that service and ambiance matter very little at a restaurant. I never take points off for rude service or ugly décor. However this bakery hardly has a menu, which makes it pretty impossible to order anything.
I came here for dim sum on a Saturday at lunch time. The only item on the menu overhead was «dim sum pouches» which turned out to be baozi filled with pork and cabbage (
). They were not bad.
In order to order anything else, however, I had to ask what they offer, and the woman behind the counter named a list of items, some of which I hadn’t heard of, in one long list that was hard for me to comprehend. I’m fairly familiar with the names of dim sum dishes. I ended up getting a barbecue pork bun (okay) and a «nikkoman» which turned out to be a large baozi with a very gingery filling and a soft spongy bread exterior (pretty good). We also ordered a latte (not bad).
It came out to around $ 12.50.
There were many odds and ends of cookies and sweet buns laying around, but with few signs marking the price or what the cookies even were.
I really hope that the people who run this bakery create a «real» menu with names of items and prices, even if it’s just an 8.5×11 printout. The menu on the website doesn’t seem to match what is in the store – perhaps you have to order ahead to get those items, like catering.
For someone who doesn’t already know what the various dim sum products are, I think this café would be far too confusing!

I love this little bakery. Great dim sum, good steamed buns, and terrific homemade baozi.

I came here looking for a good egg custard, and I heard they offered one on the menu. The custard was good, alas the shell it came in was a little soft and soggy. It didn’t hold up at all, and ended up crumbling all over.
I also tried her coconut buns, and (at her suggestion) the custard buns. I would recommend going with the custard buns in the future, the filling was worth coming back for.
I wish that I could give this place more stars. The proprietor is a very nice lady, and always happy to help customers find what they are looking for, or make recommendations. She clearly enjoys what she does.
If you’ve got that egg custard craving, this is one of your few options in Pittsburgh.

I admit that I have not tried any of the bubble tea here, and that I kind of come in only for one thing every time… but it’s delicious!
Bubble Pi is a tiny little spot on the downhill slope of Murray Avenue, but it’s one of those places I find myself popping into if I’m passing by. I’m not sure of the official name of the pastry that I get, but if you ask the owner for ‘big puffy sweet buns,’ she will know what you’re talking about.
I imagine their other pastries would be good, also, but I can’t tear myself away from the puffy sweet buns. They have just a hint of a custard-​like filling inside, and they are yeasty and light and sticky on the top. (And now I’m thinking about walking up the hill for another one.)
She’s got a whole display of pastries when you first walk in, but if you’re craving something and don’t see it, just ask. If it’s in the shop, it will be yours. Reasonable prices, too!

Came here hoping to find egg custard tarts, and even though I found them they did not curb my craving. I was not a fan of the tart shell used and found the glaze of sorts on the top of them to be superfluous and too sweet.
Tried a custard bun that was truly delicious and is enough to make me go back and to try more of the baked goods.

Came to Pittsburgh for my hubby’s conference, so I was able to venture out for some yummy eats. I was craving boba (bubble tea) and saw reviews. The location here is not great. It’s basically perched on a hill next to a few restaurants and apartment complexes.
The owner was super nice. She offers other baked goods that she makes at the store. I think she also offers cakes for weddings/​birthdays etc. She sells other Asian cookies and snack items.
It didn’t look like she had a lot of flavors but I asked for Mango/​Strawberry (which didn’t exist) on the menu but said she could make it. The boba balls weren’t as soft as I would have liked and immediately hardened in the slushy drink.
They do offer WIFI but the store is really small with only one table seating.

Service shows a lack of professionalism. Out of pork buns, she brought out a batch she was going to throw away– which she deemed were «unsell-​able» quality yet decided to charge me. Further, when i only offered to take one, gave me a fit that i should pay for all the bread she was going to throw out…
I cannot say anything to the quality of the goods sold here, but I question the degree of service and professionalism at this establishment.
However, I have heard positive comments from others about the actual «sell-​able» bread… just go at your own risk.

This place has such a poor location – at the bottom of Squirrel Hill. I think most people don’t go all the way down the hill, instead thinking that everything good stops right around Jerry’s Records.
Bubble Pi has some amazing baked goods and are mostly the kind of stuff you’ll find in Japan. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I first walked in, everything looked so delicious.
The owner is indeed a nice lady and, if you seem especially excited about her bakery (as I did) she’ll usually shower you with free food.
I liked the place so much I requested that my girlfriend order my Birthday cake from there. She did just that and what I got (a chiffon cake) was airy and not overly sweet like the sheet cakes you usually get on such an occasion. The cake was topped with fruit and the cakey part was very similar to angel food. It was delicious.
Don’t stop at Jerry’s, go the rest of the way down Squirrel Hill and stop at Bubble Pi. It’s worth it, there’s literally nothing like this bakery elsewhere in Pittsburgh.
I wrote a review on my web site about my first trip, if you’d like, take a gander!