Hong-Van Bakery

This place has THE BEST vanilla and durian cream puffs EVER! I’ve been eating them from Hong Van since I was a little kid and have to say these are the best and only things you should be getting from this bakery.
The cream to puff pastry ratio is on point! They give you plenty of fillings as well and the puff pastry texture isn’t hard or stale at all!
I do advise you to eat them the same day, though!!! If you can’t, don’t forget to refrigerate them and toast them for a minute or two in the convection oven the next day ;)

Mom loves their durian puffs, they are $ 1 a piece, quite expensive specially cos they are quite small. Their vanilla flavor is also $ 1, I would say go to Beard Papa for vanilla or other flavors, but come here for their Durian puffs. They were open today on Christmas till 5pm. Bring cash, they accept credit cards with a minimum of $ 20 tho.

Came by for some snacks the other day and was impressed. The bakery is small and the lady behind the counter was nice and friendly.
They specialize in cream puffs and they were $ 1 each. Each puff was 2 bites worth of light and fluffy heaven that wasn’t too sweet! :)
Also tried their pâté chaud which was fresh and had a nice meatball inside it, also for $ 1
Cash only! :)

This is my once a year on my birthday place to go to. I love their flan and agar jello cake with fresh fruit. It comes two of my favorite desserts so you can never go wrong here. It’s quick and easy to just swing by and pick one up and celebrate!

I LOVE the durian cream puffs here. Every time I’m in the area I never fail to get enough durian cakes to last me at least a week. I wish they would open a shop in Oakland so I can eat it more often! The petit four cakes are also a good snack.

The pâté chaud crust is perfect, crust is shaped like an abalone, meat filling could be more tender. I also tried the vanilla and durian cream puffs. Both crust and filling are done to perfection! They’re a good size you only need 3 – 4 and you’re satisfied. If you dont like durian, you can get the vanilla flavor. I didnt try other stuff so I can’t comment on them. Family owned bakery.

Hong Van bakery has dainty french type pastries with various fillings.
eats: french horn with vanilla filling (1)
–filling tasted funny, not normal vanilla i guess
cream puff (1)
–texture of puff and filling perfect.
crumbs:
–small pastries suites me find. less calories, same satisfied feeling.
–smiling, quick service, even though i only brought 2.
–durian, other fillings also available.

This place is totally my childhood.
I’ve been here so many times for so many reasons: little snacks, cakes, but especially the cream puffs.
Ohhhh, the cream puffs.
Only a dollar each (!), the puffs are soft, light, and fluffy; the cream is nice and not too heavy and flavorful as heck.
I have to admit that I always get the vanilla puffs; I’ve never tried the durian ones, but I’ve only heard nothing but good things from friends and family who have. I just happen to have bad memories of durians – but that’s me, not you.
Anyways, there’s not really a whole ton else to say about this place. The cream puffs are tasty, the parking is a typical Vietnamese lot, and the place is clean.
And super childhoody.

I have always gone to Asian bakeries to pick up some cream puffs, but I never knew there was an Asian bakery that specialized in just these cream puffs! They run out fairly quickly because they’re bought in such bulk for parties and what not. They taste like you’re average Asian cream puff. The only difference here is they’re slightly bigger, a little more crunchy than the soggy soft ones at Asian bakeries, and these are less sweet. So for those who don’t have the biggest sweet tooth, these would be the ones to try!

Wow! These cream puffs are great!
I do think they’re a little pricey at 1 $ each, but they do make up for it in the flavour and perfect texture you get in each bite. (If there is even more than one)
There’s two flavours: Durian and Vanilla.
The vanilla isn’t too sweet and has just the right amount of creaminess.
The Durian on the other hand is SPECTACULAR! Probably one of my guilty pleasures since a majority of people in my life hate it for it’s smell. But you know the saying, «Don’t judge a book by its cover,» because durian is awesome! The durian filling is creamy, but it is not overpowering. It has the right amount durian, without having any real bits of durian in it.

Although the cream puffs they serve here are quite expensive, they are amazingly good! I ordered a total of 30 cream puffs yesterday, half vanilla and half durian, and it was sooo yummy. I ordered in advanced and the lady at the front was really friendly. It’s a small shop that doesn’t sell much desserts, but their cream puffs are to die for! Sooooooooo mouth orgasmic, hehehe.

Vanilla crème puff wowzers. My son totally loved how it’s soft with a light crunch. He says if you bite and squeeze it all the good stuff comes out so be gentle lol.
Everything looks good in this place and surely cakes for events are gorgeous. I need more events, I wanna try all the cakes.
Till then, I’ll be coming back to try all their little treats by the crème puffs. There’s so many, I’ll be coming often :)

Sigh… Hong-Van…my mother spoke so highly of you when I was younger and up until we paid you a visit two days ago. She would always give you lavish praise and put you above Van’s Bakery across the street for having better durian and vanilla cream puffs…
You’re breaking my heart (not to mention my wallet?!) and it pains me to say this… but what happened?!
I ordered two vanilla creampuffs and two durian creampuffs as well as a pâté chaud. Each was $ 1. My mom also grabbed a Sam Bo Leung out of the fridge after her workout. When I bit into the pâté chaud, I was so sad to find this little marble shaped meat ball in the center… why?! Then I bit into the durian cream puff, such a thick and heavy filling with about a quarter size amount of filling… why?!
Oh no no no… you’re losing your customers to Van’s macarons, macaron ice cream sandwiches, and cream puffs. Not to mention their cheaper prices.
I hate to say this. But I’m going to Van’s from now on unless things change…
Farewell… and goodbye Hong-​Van. We had some good memories. Its definitely you. Not me. I’m giving you a 3 star because of sentimental reasons… but I feel like as of now… it’s a 2.1÷5…

What’s my guilty pleasure?
Durian.
It smells like an intoxicating combo of old gym socks baking in the sun after running a 10 mile marathon in cow dung AND hot ass after a day of naked dumpster diving BUT…
The sweet vanilla-​y, cream cheesy flavor with a tinge of garlic and the velvety custardy texture is uniquely and absolutely sublime.
Fill it inside a light, delicately crisp French choux pastry shell and you have Hong-Van’s deliciously stinky Durian Cream Puff:
!
*Cheers to stank breath* =D
OTHER NOTES:
*Hong Van is located in a Vietnamesey shopping plaza on King Road.
*They sell cream puffs (durian or vanilla), petit fours, cream horns, crème brulee, cookies, sponge cakes (they have durian) and jello cakes.
*Most pastries and desserts are $ 1-​$ 3.
*Must order the durian cream puffs and pâté chaud (flakey, buttery savory pie with a meatball filling).
–Eat cream puffs within a day (they’re 2 bites worth). The durian filling is more subtle; wish it was more pungent.
–Warm up the pâté chaud in a toaster oven and enjoy:
!
*Cash Only

Mmm… mini durian cream puffs!
I’m a fan of all things durian, so I got super excited when I learned there was a bakery in San Jose that sold my favorite fruit in a choux pastry… and that it was delicious too!
These bite-​sized pastries are perfect for popping in the mouth. The outer shell has a slight crispiness to it and the durian filling super creamy. It also has a good ratio of shell-​to-​filling, and with each puff costing about $ 1, it’s about two bites worth. I lost count of how many I’ve eaten as they are soo addictive ;)
My only gripe was that for the filling, they don’t use pure durian pulp — blasphemy! Although delicious, the durian taste wasn’t as intense or as authentic as I had hoped. There was definitely no funky durian smell either, that I secretly — no, openly — crave, haha!
However, being 12 000 miles away from Asia, I can’t be too choosy and for now this will do!

When we have parties, potlucks or even in our office, a lot of times people bring us these delicious Cream Puffs from Hong-​Van Bakery. They are delicate and very tasty with either a vanilla or durian custard/​pudding inside. I’m not a fan of durian, but with this cream puff, I don’t mind eating it. I do prefer the vanilla one though.
I finally stopped by this location yesterday to pick up some cream puffs for a party that I was going to. It’s a very small bakery and from the looks of it, they sell a lot of cream puffs. I ordered 20 for $ 20 and she had to pull some more out from the freshly made batch. I haven’t tried any of their other baked goods and I didn’t get a chance to look too much of what they have to offer. I was just there to pick up some cream puffs real quick and get out.
Service was fast! I will come back here and maybe try some other items that they do offer.

I’ve been going to this place for years for the cream puffs and pâté chaud (meat pastries) as they were popular for potlucks. Unfortunately, the last few times the meat pastries seemed to lack flavor and were a little dry while the cream puffs seem to not be as fresh as they used to be.
Also, the prices have been creeping up over the years and $ 1 per pastry/​cream puff is hard justify with the decrease in quality.
This place used to be my go-​to place when I needed to bring something to parties, but I think going forward I’ll only go here if someone requests durian cream puffs specifically.

Durian, an exotic fruit that terrifies most people, is the fruit of my dreams.
Its shell is a spiky fruit, and when you crack it open you see these fleshy alien-​like, pastel yellow pods, each with a hazelnut-​sized seed in the middle. The texture is a more viscous version of creamy and if you’ve never had it before, the smell of it can kind of be summed up as a cross between a kitchen gas leak and a malodorous, partially rotted apple.
When I was in elementary school, I recall a school-​wide evacuation during a diversity fair/​cultural foods day. Turns out one of the families had brought in a couple of durian, and the pungent odor struck fear.
Anyway, moving onto Hong-​Van —
$ 1 a piece for each slightly stale cream puff. To be perfectly fair, better cream puffs are to be had elsewhere.
BUT
The durian filling in these cream puffs are some of the best that I’ve ever had. The smell is nonexistent, and the creamy, sweet taste and texture that makes the durian the great fruit that it is, remains.
Would I come back for these cream puffs here? YES.
Would I buy anything else here? probably not.

One of the best places for cream puffs. They come in three different flavors: chocolate, vanilla, and durian. They’re light and so easy to eat. Two or three bites and you’re finished with one. And they’re so addictive that you just want to keep eating it. Even after a day or two of being placed in the fridge, the cream puffs are still good to eat.
If you’re a fan of durian, I definitely recommend trying the durian cream puff. The flavor is pretty strong so it stands out and it’s different from most other flavors of pastries. I love the vanilla more than the chocolate but it doesn’t stand out to me. It’s very average, on the level of Papa Beard.
Each cream puff is on the smaller side so for 90 cents each, it is pretty pricy. But it’s very good and worth it to get every once in awhile.

I came to Hong-​Van to try their cream puffs (can’t pass up durian flavor!) and got a little lost along the way. They aren’t located in the Lion Plaza (and not to be confused with Van’s Bakery). You have to drive further down King Road and they are in a plaza with a bunch of other Vietnamese restaurants/​shops. The store had a large variety of merchandise (mostly imported canned goods), but they didn’t have much selection for baked goods in the refrigerator case except for the cream puffs and the mini cakes. I purchased:
–Durian Cream Puff ($ 0.95,
): You can smell and taste the durian, but my dad and aunt were convinced they used durian extract versus fresh durian. The cream puff shell is very soft and pliable, and very different from the harder puff shell at Beard Papa’s.
–Vanilla Cream Puff ($ 0.95,
): Pretty good. The vanilla had a nice taste, and it depends if you like the softer cream puff shell or the harder one.
I wouldn’t go out of my way to pick up cream puffs from Hong-​Van again, but would probably stop by if in the area and in the mood for dessert. They speak English here, which is really nice, and there was plenty of parking before noon.