Iris Tea & Bakery

The Customer service really need a lots improvement. I went in to buy a 8″ Birthday Cake in a hurry (which I needed in the same day) shockingly there is NO 8″ Cake an Available (no Cake in bakery shop?, is very hard to understand) and the staff is giving me left and right and is NOT helping to get me the Cake I wanted. Unlike near by Bakery shop have so much selection to choose from & can have the Birthday cake at the same day if u need in hurry. I end up purchased the B Cake in Fay Dai Bakery. very very disappointed with Iris in elmhurst location.

While the selection is great and taste is good. Iris really should work on their custormer service.
This is what happen to my wife. She try to order a cake for a family members birthday party. She went to iris 8 am the day before we need the cake. She spoke to the girl at the store we need a cake 11am the next day (keep in mind thats 27 hours away). First, the girl at the counter told her iris does not make cakes (there are several cake sitting under the counter). My wife says «i tgought this is a bakery, if you dont make cake i will go somewhere else.» Then, she change her mind states that iris need 24 hours to make the cake. My wife says «yes, i need it tomorrow 11am thats more than 24 hours» the girl told my wife leave her number someone will call.
We did finally goet the cake next morning from iris. But base on the experience we will never buy another cake from iris again. Like i mentioned earlier i do like the stuff they make but the people who work at elmhurst location really not making us feel welcome. There are plenty other bakery in the area we can go.

Iris Tea & Bakery sells very unique pastries and desserts that you would not find at your standard Asian bakery such as Fayda. Iris Tea and Bakery is reminiscent of bakeries like Paris Baguette and Tous Le Jours where products are inspired by European foods, but has their own Asian twist.
This bakery also sells a lot of Japanese pastries, all of which I wanted to try.
I opted for the black sesame panna cotta for my first visit here. It was amazing. The nutty-​ness and slight smokey flavor of black sesame is a great compliment to the creamy milky-​ness found in panna cotta. The black sesame was not overpowering at all; the flavors were well balanced and I could pleasantly taste a slight cream cheese undertone.
I really like the décor of this bakery. The lights are dimmed low and most of the light emanates from the shelves of baked goods. The atmosphere is peaceful and intimate.

People seem to complain that this place is more expensive than Fay Da, but they’re not in the same league. The hotdog bun here is super fresh and less heavy than Fay Da. Their coffee is not burnt, like Fay Da’s. Their bakery is closer to Paris, and almost everything is delicious, and a higher quality. Only complaints: girlfriend didn’t like the pineapple bun, and if you want black coffee, you have to tell them black and no sugar. If you say nothing, they assume light and sweet. Otherwise, we love this place! No comparison to Fay Da.

If you’re a fan of both Chinese and Korean bakeries, then this is the spot for you.
I grew up on places like Fay Da and Taipan and as I got older learned to appreciate places like Paris Baguette and Koryodang. There’s a good mixture of cheap coffee, yeasty bread, simple non-​sweet pastries, to organic coffees, Parisian-​style pastries, and exotic flavors.
This shop seems like a good middle-​point to me. I’ve passed by it several times and they always have some sort of promotion– I guess in this location you have to, to be able to draw attention.
I finally had the chance to stop in the other day and was pleasantly surprised. I know there are very mixed reviews but here’s my side of the story–
The selection is decent– it’s a fusion of the less-​glamorous Chinese bakery stuff I grew up with with a little decadence like the fancier Korean pastries. I tried the scallion bun which was much lighter and less oily (and less messy) than the one from Fay Da; the ham and cheese bun reminded me of a much lighter and less greasy version of the same kind from Paris Baguette; the Mexican Chocolate bun was just a faceful of chocolaty-​cream-​cheese-​delight.
The coffee was plain, not burnt and not organic-​single-​origin-​etc-​etc. The bubble tea was what it is suppose to be from a bakery– tea with creamer and jelly/​tapioca. My dear friend below has a huge complaint about the drinks, so I will heed her warning and make sure I try their drinks more before I say too much.
Honestly, the buns were all really delicious, really light, and worth going back regularly. If you’ve only known Chinese bakeries, then this probably isn’t the place for you as most likely you will feel that the prices are much too steep for any bakery.
I don’t mind the price since I think the quality (and décor) is better than Fay Da next door.

This is a newer Chinese bakery. It has a smaller selection than the nearby Fay Da bakery, but is extremely clean and has some unique pastries and cakes that I have not seen at other places. It is not the classic Chinese bakery with hot dog rolls and egg custards. Instead, you will find stuff like a Japanese egg roll cake, muffin, cranberry donut, green tea cake, mocha bread, and more.

Very different selections compared to your average bakery. Truly reminds me of an «east meets west» bake shop. A bit sweeter than your typical buns.
A bit on the pricey side, but they do half off specials every night I believe.

Ive been to Iris a few times every week I’d passed it. And i was really kinda excited at first for them because of their mexican chocolate cheese buns and Whole poached eggs ontop of a white bread, but then as months have passed, I have found them plain just the same as the other chinese bakeries around the area, just with more expensive pastries. Their coffee was really bland, and the pastries have evolved to be merely common like the rest. The only good enough to eat are the cream puffs which are a bit too overpriced in my opinion.

I go to this bakery to get their specialty breads and pastries. Note that this review is only for their bakery goods and not their drinks.
They have some unique pastries that really hit the spot for me when I want a sweet (but not too sweet) dessert. My favorites are the Japanese mocha bread and the caterpillar bread.
Staff is friendly and will generally let you know if there are any promotions on the bread that day (ie. buy 3 breads, get 1 free).

My husband and I were in the area and we are suckers for Taiwanese bakeries so we had to stop in here. My husband loves the scallion bread so we got 5 of those and I had the hokkaido milk bun. For all 6 rolls, the price was only about ten dollars. Really affordable, fresh and tasty.

I like this place, staff are very nice and I love the egg sandwich for breakfast. Their roasted pudding and honeydew green tea are also my favorites.

Iris Bakery opened up a branch right near the subway station at Grand Avenue Newtown. The bakery is long and entrance is inconspicuous on the outside, you might miss it if you are not careful. I noticed Iris and then a big 30% off sign and came to check it out after Fay Da Bakery, which is right around the corner, had a really long line.
They have the same fancy white with gold rim tray to gather pastries at their larger Flushing branch. The products are self-​service. You grab a tong and tray and help yourself to whatever pastries you want. They have some innovative breads that I have not seen.
I had the cold lychee green tea. Good flavor, and the acidity of the tea lingers in your mouth. I also tried a chocolate bun and a blueberry muffin. The chocolate bun deflated by the time I got it home. That means the bread is whipped with lots of air. It has a cream center which was slightly sour like sour cream based to cut down on sweetness and contrast the chocolate. The blueberry muffin was very rich and greasy and tasted more like a pound cake.
The cashiers and workers don’t wear the strange face masks that they did in the Flushing branch when Iris first opened up there. Thank goodness. It feels much better to walk into a place where the workers don’t look like characters out of a sci-​fi movie.
Kudos to their innovative new bakery items. Cons for over whipping the dough s much that the bread inflates while carrying it around.

I came back to give them another chance.
This time I got 7 items for $ 8.05.
Still 30% discount.
I got the following:
French caramel apple bun
Japanese smoked chicken sandwich
pineapple raisin bun
coconut toast
cheese boat
caterpillar bread
Japanese sesame tuna bun.
The tuna and the smoked chicken were the most interesting.
still expensive without the discount.

Although I gave up on this place after its inconsistent drinks, there are other redeeming qualities about it. Their service is usually polite and i like 2 breads here, the Taiwanese pineapple bun and the laver dried pork bun.
As for the drinks, you can order the same drink 5 days a week and have it come out tasting totally different every time (like coffee, for instance)… i guess i just can’t take the surprise anymore. There are really too many bakeries and tea/​coffee places in the neighborhood…

I usually go to bakeries to get breakfast. Mostly, due to the fact that I like to have bubble milk tea in the morning. At Iris Bakery, their bubble tea is a lot better than Fah Da Bakery. The bubbles are chewy and the drink is sweet. It is a bit expensive ($ 3.00) but you can only get bubble tea in the morning from a bakery.
I also tried their pastries. I tried the pineapple chicken bun, but that was not tasty. There was too much mayo flavor. The bun was also soggy from being drenched in mayo. I really like their benedict egg and ham sandwich. It looks like a sandwich with a hole on top, and there is a sunny sided egg on top. There is a layer of ham on the inside and the bread is a little sweet. I think it is only one slice of bread, but, man it is really good! I came back the next day and got two of that sandwich for breakfast.
I would highly recommend getting bake goods and bubble tea from Iris Tea and Bakery in Elmhurst. The quality is a little better than Fay Da. Plus, there is no long lines and it is closer to the train. You can also quickly park in front of it to buy your breakfast. It is a parking meter though.

Iris Bakery is offering 50% off everything for their Soft Opening! They have a great selection of cakes and desserts. I tried the cream puff, buttered bread and lychee ice tea. The cream puff was ok, both the cream and the bread are kind of hard, not the airy puffyness you get from my personal favorite, Beard Papas. The buttered bread was delicious! You really get the most bang for your buck, the bread is humongous, the outside layer is crispy and the middle is soft and buttery. The lychee tea was also delicious. It was not overly sugary. Everything was sold out by 9:00 pm on the first day. They will be adding more items to their menu as they work closer to their Grand Opening. I’m looking forward to coming back to try out their other pasteries and drinks. IrisTea and Bakery is joining the endless list of bakeries, bubble tea, and cafes in the neighborhood and so far they have been well received. Welcome to Elmhurst Iris!

The mango peach cake was delicious. The cake was moist and complemented the peaches very well. (The raspberry and the blackberry were a bit sour though.)
I ordered the lychee and the honeydew green tea and they were both way too sweet. The tea wasn’t strong enough. The syrup completely overpowered the drink.