Valerio’s Tropical Bake Shop

My parents prefer their pandesal over anyone else. And I must say, it is pretty good!!! I also buy the pimiento cheese & pineapple cream cheese (my personal favorite) filled bread. So good!

They’re out of business in Kalihi! What Happened?

Sadly they no longer bake at this location on the weekends, but aside from getting it fresh and hot, they still have some irresistible treats on the shelf. The cream-​cheese pastries are outstanding. This is one of many great Filipino style bakeries on the island, and this one in particular is near the top of the list.

For those who don’t know, Valerio’s is from the CA Bay Area, its family owned and their recipes are darned consistent. HOWEVER, eating and being a fan of ALL their locations, not all the locations make their chicken empanada (which is BOMB) the same. And not all locations make beef empanada either. I know that the Daly City, CA location has a bomb beef empanada, but none here in HI.
EVERYTHING is good here. Especially the empanada. For thos not knowing, empanada is the spanish version of a meat pie. A flakey, yummy little pastry with meat filling. A perfect little mean for on the go as you can hold it in your hands and eat it with your hands. Now the chicken empanada is my fave and the meat filling is the same at EVERY Valerios in HI and CA, but the pastry part is different at all the bakeries.
In Vallejo, CA, they make them small; in Daly City, CA, they make them big but with little crust; in Kalihi, they make them big with big crusts; in Waipahu, they make it big with medium crust but a sweeter dough. At any rate, you can’t go wrong with anything here. Especially if you can get it warm. Out of all of the filipino bakeries here in HI, Valerios is the best overall. (Disclaimer, I’m going to give all the Valerio’s in HI the same review coz yeah, it’s that consistent!) My recap:
Pros:
–Chicken empanada! The best on the island! And in CA!
–Their stuffed pan de sal; a bread bun stuffed with adobo, or corn beef, or menudo… they have all kinds
–Ensamada; a bread roll smothered in visible butter and topped with suger and/​or cheese. Really good when warmed up.
–Siopao (white ‘manapua’) in all variety of meat, hella good warmed up
–Get free coffee at the Kalihi location
–Every location, they have TFC (the filipino channel) on a TV so you can catch up on what our pinoy brothers & sisters are up to abroad. And to keep the workers happy I imagine.
Cons:
–The prices keep changing! Going up more often than not.
–Inconsistent crust quality of the empananda.

In my honest opinion… The pandesal here is sooooo better than Nanding’s! It’s way bigger, softer, fluffier, and just plain taste better! When you buy some that just came out from the oven, the shell part or the outside is so crispy & crunchy, I love it! & the inside is just so warm and soft. It’s just so good! So better than any dinner rolls.
& their siopao… Don’t even get me started! Love all the different flavors! But the pork with eggs inside, is the one I love the most! Just heat it up and dip it in that ooey-​gooey goodness sauce of theirs that it comes with and it’s the perfect pair… pure heaven!
There’s also that long loaf of bread with pimientos in ‘em (or pineapple or ube)… I love them as well but not as much as my mom! xD
So I’d go here like almost every other mornings or like when it’s raining and all I want is just some hot bread… YUM!
& not to forget… Their cheeseballs (which looks like cupcakse), Spanish bread, cheese bread, & turon (jackfruit & banana lumpia) are to die for!!! Seriously, I think there’s nothing that tastes bad in that store! Don’t believe me? Go check it out for yourself c[;

I realize that alot of people like this place and just based on the one thing I tried, it was just ok for me.
I had the pan de sal and thought it was an ok bread. Might be nice all warmed up with some chowder or something. Not something that I would go out of my way to try.

When flying up to Kauai to visit fam, I would bring some food. Before, I used to bring manapua. Nowadays, I would got to Valerio’s and get a whole plethora of food. They have manapua type of goodies, they use pan de sal and pack it with different fillings such as pork adobo, ube, pork asado, chicken, etc.
Not a pan de sal fan. Valerio’s pan de sal is the only one I would eat. That’s saying a lot.
Parking is horrible. If you can, I suggest reverse parking into one of 6 stalls. Reversing out of the stall is going to mad crazy…
My gramps loves the stuff. He knows the deal. When he sees the package, big smile on his face all day. And for that, making my grandpa happy, Valerio’s gets 4 stars.

if you go to valerio’s for anything but HOT, fresh pandesal, you’re barking up the wrong tree. It’s like going to a seafood restaurant and ordering chicken. Pandesal is their specialty, and once you’ve had a fresh, piping hot one, you’ll know it is what they are known for.

I was really excited when this placed opened because I’d read all the great reviews of their stores in California. My boyfriend craves empanadas and saltenas all the time. I thought I would score big points by surprising him and his mom with a bag full of their famous chicken empanadas for $ 1.50 each. I also got Spanish rolls (.85 each) and something I think was called biko langka, which was mochi rice cooked with lots of brown sugar, coconut milk, and jackfruit, topped with grated toasted coconut ($ 7.95 a pan!!!). I would have bought more, but all that came out to twenty bucks and this was just a trial run.
I watched expectantly as my boyfriend and his mom each pulled an empanada out of the bag. No reaction. They chewed quietly. I tried one. It was dry and lacking in flavor. The crust was dense and not flaky enough and the filling of pulled chicken, mushrooms, and carrots was sweet and bland. The empanadas across the street at Golden Coin are better, with a nice flaky buttery crust and a juicy filling. The Spanish rolls were huge, but way not as good as the tiny ones from Nanding’s Bakery a few blocks away. These were too dense and chewy and the filling made it too sweet and heavy. You could really taste the condensed milk. The biko langka was a little too sweet for our taste and a lot too expensive for mine.
They do carry a large selection of Filipino baked goods here. I saw ube bread, hopia, ensemada, mamon, pimento cheese– or pineapple-​filled bread, siopao, this really yummy flat sweetbread thing topped with pineapple and coconut, and of course, pan de sal. The pan de sal even comes with free coffee! I definitely plan on trying some of the other things out, but next time I’m limiting myself to a few dollars worth!