Maria’s Bakery & Cafe

The only Hong Kong style café around the area. Always come here for their hot milk tea (Must try)! They have lunch special from 12−3pm (if I remember correctly). Overall, if ur looking for Chinese food that’s not too oily, you should give this place a try.

Came here for «brunch» because brunch is a thing now in the United States, but this is the Hong Kong style way of doing breakfast. Food was pretty good and the price for it was fair. The sit down area for dining in was a little limited if it gets busy.
Front side of the café is fresh pastries and all which I am sure are pretty tasty. Over all I had a good experience.

I was told there was very authentic Chinese food here so I gave it a try.
Our server was a very charismatic Chinese woman who sold us on some popular dishes. Definitely deserves a star for her likability. I also liked that you can see the chefs cook your food as there is an open space to see!
FOOD: My boyfriend and I tried 3 dishes. The curry chicken with rice, the kingdom porkchop, and the recommended sizzling beef.
The curry was too soupy for me and it needed more of a kick so we had to add spice. The sizzling beef looked good but much to our surprise, the meat was very mushy. The gravy it came with made it a very heavy dish. We were expecting more of a «steak» like taste. Our favorite was the kingdom porkchop because the sauce wasn’t thick and overpowering like other places and it was not too heavily breaded.
I would definitely come back here for the kingdom porkchop!!!

Came by to check out their pastries and cakes, which are all reasonably priced. I ended up getting a slice of the green tea cake. It was much sweeter than expected of an Asian cake, and I could barely taste any green tea. However, it was still enjoyable and is a cheaper option to Korean bakeries in the surrounding area. Maria’s is worth a try.

I really expect some good desert and take «napoleon» cake … That’s everything else but just NOT «napoleon» cake…

Maria’s Bakery & Café got what I need when it comes to Asian buns, swiss rolls, and mooncakes. I like their bun deal — buy 5 get 1 free. Some of my favorite buns include roast pork bun, ham and egg bun, coconut cream bun, coffee cream bun, and pineapple bun. I wished that they had pineapple bun filled with custard.
Their swiss roll deal (buy 2 get 1 free) isn’t as good unless you plan on throwing a party. My favorite swiss roll is the coffee one. My family occasionally buys Chinese fruit cakes for celebratory purposes (e.g., monthly birthdays).
Maria’s Bakery is the only place to get moon cakes that don’t contain peanut oil. They sell mini and regular sized mooncakes, either loose ($ 1.10/mini & $ 6.50/regular) or boxed (4 regular per box), no yolk, one yolk, double yolk), and many types (white lotus, (dark) lotus, red bean, pineapple, five nuts). I recommend getting the individual one as you have the option to customize a box.

Be very careful. I have a mushroom allergy and told them very specifically when I ordered shrimp and vegetables. The waiter repeated back but when my dish arrived, I discovered a mushroom in it after having eaten nearly have. Needless to say, I was NOT happy about it and scared I might react later which usually happens after about an hour. I was ok, but that was so not cool.
Other than that, the taste was ok. Not great, but I was starving and it hit the spot.
Can only give 2 stars because of the potentially deadly mistake after being informed about a food allergy.

Came in for lunch– service quick polite food came out quick hot with advertised «vegetables” — the only vegetables on my plate were zucchini and onions. But came with a bowl of vegetable soup in which there were carrots and celery. The food was tasty well prepared and quick. Recommend if wanting a quick comfortable lunch under $ 9.00.

Introduced to me by a Hong Kong native who lives in the area, this is the place for you if you’re craving Hong Kong’s cha chaan teng specialities, bizarro versions of Western dishes which are somehow both made with pride and yet are oddly sub-​par, and which are consumed for the sake of nostalgia but also with genuine foodie enthusiasm. Think egg-​and-​spam-​on-​white-​bread sandwiches, deep-​fried and greasy french toast, and borscht made without beets. (Though in the case of the borscht, it isn’t really sub-​par so much as just different, more tomato soup than borscht, tasting like, as a friend said, «a grown-​up version of a can of Campbell’s».)
Maria’s also offers brisket and noodles in broth, which is really good though not as spectacular as what you’d find in the best HK places, and a much wider menu of Chinese food. And their bakery offers things like coconut buns and extra-​large egg tarts, neither personally tried but I’m told the former is especially good.
I sampled a lot of dishes but mostly had the Portuguese Chicken Rice, which is fried rice topped by fried chicken topped by cheese and creamy yellow curry, baked. Somehow less delicious than all the frying and cream suggests it should be, it was still enjoyable.
What do I know, though? Nothing, really. My friend’s opinion is the better one, and it’s the real takeaway for this review: she says Maria’s reminds her of Hong Kong, and she goes out of her way to come here. If you’re looking for Hong Kong-​style Chinese food, maybe that’s all you need to know.

Growing up in NYC, Maria’s Bakery was a well known chain for Chinese pastries and food. There used to be multiple locations throughout the boroughs (Flushing, Queens; Ctown, Manhattan; etc), but I believe most of them are no longer around. This place used to be so popular that many Chinese folks would give out gift cards to their guests at special events – particularly weddings. Luckily, my parents would always toss them my way so I could buy various snacks after school!
When I came across the two Rockville locations, I was pleasantly surprised – thanks to many fond memories – as I haven’t seen or heard of this place in over a decade. Apparently, this location (1701 Rockville Pike) is not only a bakery, but also serves hot food (popular HK dishes: congee, chow fun, rice, noodles, wonton soup, etc) Whereas, the other location (12 205 Nebel St) is just a bakery. The bakery prices are decent (B4G1 or B5G1), but the food – although on point – honestly seems a little overpriced. It’s definitely more expensive than NYC prices, but then again, that’s almost always expected here in the DMV. Not a big deal if you got the crave bc the quality/​quantity mosdef hits the spot. Thanks to the convenient location, friendly service and quality dishes, I can definitely see myself coming back over and over. Plus, Snobots is next door, so it’s like hitting 2 birds (dinner & dessert) w 1 stone.

Maria’s Bakery & Café supposedly started out in LA; they currently have 2 locations in MD, offering Chinese fare (chow food, rice noodles, pan-​fried noodles, hot pots, soups, ‘spaghetti,’ Hong Kong style noodle soup, etc) and pastries (breads and cakes). A good friend of ours highly recommended Maria’s for their congee — I’d never had congee before, so I was pretty excited to finally try this out. They have 6 different kinds listed (some with chicken, others with minced beef, etc.), but I think you can also customize as some get it with fish. I tried the ‘Congee with Pork & Preserved Egg’ and a Fried Breadstick on the side. The congee itself is a thinner version of rice porridge, but it was still flavorful. It contained bits of pork, sliced scallions, and some eggs (I didn’t really see the difference between a cracked egg within vs. a preserved egg). The porridge itself was soothing, and I can see how one may enjoy this on a cold wintry day or when you’re not feeling too well. The Fried Breadstick was literally just a bland stick of fried dough, no flavor whatsoever, that you use to dip it into the congee; while the hubs is a fan of this, I wasn’t, as I didn’t like the breadstick at all, and even though the congee is to flavor up the breadstick, I just didn’t see its purpose: P Yufei, one of the employees, was just so pleasant and lovely (hilarious, too), and made sure we got our orders. We also tried the Passion Fruit bubble tea (the lychee was out), which was just okay. There are a good number of tables within, and the place was pretty packed with the regulars. I’d love to come back soon and try out their famous chow foon, as I’d heard that that was also pretty good!
+congee :D
+ask for Yufei: D
+plenty of parking on shared lot in plaza

I come here whenever I’m craving for some wantons. Maria’s is conveniently located to other great restaurants and snowbots, the bubble tea place, though Maria’s has good food and good drinks… And they’re opened early!
We tried the following —
Almond tea — sweet, nice almond flavor, just like the almond gelatin dessert. The husband says it’s the best almond drink he’s had in this area.
Shrimp wonton soup — just the shrimp wontons with some cabbage in a bowl of soup. They also have a version with noodles. The wontons are as regular ones with a shrimp to each one. Mmmm, definitely satisfies my wonton soup cravings.
Beef chow fun and chicken chow fun — great flavors, generous portion. The meat cut is inconsistent as some pieces are tiny and others are huge, and some pieces are just fat pieces. It has the meat, sprouts (the cooked kind as to the sprouts at phở places), and green onions with the chow fun rice noodles. Mmmmm.
Curry fish balls– I thought they would be fish balls with curry flavor, but it’s actually fish balls inside curry. It is under their snacks section, and it’s better to eat with rice unless you want to drink most of the yellow curry sauce (Chinese style yellow curry, not the thai style) as soup.
Fish cutlet with fries — also in the snacks section. Perfect for the kids. Mmmm fries at an asian place! The fish was cooked nicely, soft, not at all raw, crispy. Mini fish n chips.
We haven’t tried their cakes or pastries yet, but they do look good. Buy 5 pastries and get the 6^th free or something. Their cakes are very affordable– some are just $ 1.60 a slice! It’s even cheaper than their macarons, which are $ 2 each. Yea, they have macarons.
Service can definitely be a hit or miss. We were not acknowledged when we tried to buy pastries and after 10 mins of nothing, we placed back all of it and left. Second and third time, we came to eat. The staff spoke to us in Cantonese, but they definitely have some individuals there that speak English.
Oh, they also have some deals for breakfast. Under $ 8 for a dish and a drink. I’ll probably try the congee with an egg and a milk tea meal if I come during breakfast hours (up to 11 or noon, prob 11 on weekdays and noon weekends?)

Maria’s Bakery used to have a location in LA about two decades ago. I grew up feasting on their delicious little cakes — fresh sponge cake with not-​too-​sweet frosting. When my sister rediscovered Maria Bakery in Rockville I was ecstatic.
The cakes are as good as I remember, along with a selection of Chinese pastries and other treats. I also love that this location has a restaurant side. We enjoyed the garlic eggplant, golden mushroom with bean curd, and peppery shrimp udon — about 4 meals’ worth of yummy Chinese food plus a bag of pastries for under $ 60!
Service was fast and attentive, and the seating area is bright and cheerful. If we lived closer to Rockville, I would be here every other day.
Food: 5, Service: 5, Ambiance: 3

Prices are kind of high for pastries, but I think they are comparable to those in the area. I’m just used to $ 1.00 — $ 1.25 back in the NYC area.
Service was patient and friendly as my family struggled to make decisions on what to order. I ordered my usual milk tea, which was served cold and was refreshing on a hot day.
We were able to sit at a table and enjoy our drinks. My sister and I shared a char siu bao and she noted the lychee boba was more tea and boba than she expected.

Hands down the worst beef brisket soup I ever had. The noodles were over cooked and really mushy. The brisket they gave me was only tendon. There was absolutely no meat. I can’t recommend this place for legit Chinese food.
When I paid for my food the lady in front of me returned a previously purchased birthday cake citing it wasn’t fresh … N Got her money back. I don’t think there is enough foot traffic to have the bakery items fresh.
The only thing good was the coca cola which was out of a can. There are too many other options in the area like Full Kee in Wheaton.

This review is only for the bakery. I have never eaten at the café.
I have been here a couple times. The first time was with my mom, who excitedly noticed the name from down the street and was reminded of a bakery she used to frequent in Hong Kong. We decided to give it a try and during this visit just picked up some baked breads and sweet buns. Everything was good, not the best of the breads and buns but definitely good enough.
The second time, I needed to pick up a fruit cake for my mother in law’s birthday. The usual spot we’d go to had run out of larger cakes, so I made a last minute pit stop here. At this location, they don’t decorate or write on the cake for you, where in other bakeries, they do and are willing. I also picked up a pandan swiss roll which is a family favorite to go along with the cake. The cake was really good and my in laws were pleased. We devoured the cake. The swiss roll however was disgusting and had mold all around the inside. I specifically even asked the employee if they were fresh from that day, and I was told they were. Apparently, I was lied to.
In the end, the cake was good. But I won’t be returning. The cake isn’t better than our other bakery. The prices are good. The service is not good. They are never friendly and act like the customer is a burden. Or it may be because I was the only customer that didn’t look Asian. Nonetheless, not worth it.

Not your usual Chinese bakery! Soon as we entered, we were asked «How many?» and it was bustling with Chinese families. It was a good sign. You can get slices of cake and small pastries for about $ 1 – 2, which is WAY cheaper than korean bakeries that charge $ 4 – 5 (to be fair, the korean ones are a bit fancier).
BUT, THEY HAVE AUTHENTIC MACAU AND CANTONESE FOOD.
And…THEY MAKE THEIR OWN HOT SAUCE!!! If you like your hot sauce not TOO hot, but with a bit of sha-​cha, this is great. It’s $ 4.50 for a jar.
We tried:
Portuguese Chicken over Rice $ 11.95
Flavors were good and it had melted cheese on top, worth trying again. Maybe need to ask for white meat since there were some dark meat pieces.
Shrimp Dumpling Noodle Soup $ 6.95
We went with dumpling instead of wonton, since we like wood ear mushroom. This was excellent.
Beef Brisket Noodle Soup $ 7.50
The meat with tendon was actually kind of tough and rough. If you like your meat neat-​looking and smooth around the edges like a stereotypical piece of meat in a food ad, this is not for you. We’re glad our roommates polished it off after we took it home. I was not that impressed with the pieces of leaf lettuce used as veggies. But the broth was pretty darn good, light yet tasty. The noodles were authentic egg noodles.
Beef Chow Foon $ 11.95
This was their strong suit, the noodles were cut thin enough but still wide. It was stir-​fried perfectly and the flavors came out so fully. One of the most successful chow foons I’ve tasted in a while. The beef was also not too tough and flavored well.

Place follows traditional Cantonese/​Hong Kong café style cuisine. Large variety of dishes (stir fry, soup noodles, Canto ramen, congee, meat over rice dishes, sandwiches and «French toast»). Kitchen area is exposed so you can see what they’re doing.
Occasionally there are specials you can order (they’re actually serving lobster over noodle this time around).
Bakery is in front so you could also order sweets to go (light sponge cream cakes, seasonal moon cakes, egg tarts, and almond cookies. Note — I don’t think they don’t make the baked goods here).
Place has been opened for years now so there are a large number of regulars. See what people order and try it out.

Maria’s was packed and full of business at 9:30 at night. There was a lot of cute murals covering the walls. Fresh breads and buns covered the table close to the entrance. The bakery case was full of decadent cakes, pastries, and macaroons. There were beautifully decorated cakes waiting to be bought. The restaurant hummed with conversation, as diners chowed down their meals. Everyone seemed happy and enjoying their meal. There were all kinds of fruit tarts gleaming that looked appetizing and filling. It was hard to decide on which desert to try. My friend recommended the cakes. So, if you are looking for a late night desert give Maria’s a try.

This is probably one of the only Chinese bakeries in the DMV that is worth visiting. Their baked goods are delivered and freshly baked on a daily basis. They have some simple Cantonese dishes that I personally haven’t been overly excited about; it’s average compared to some of its neighboring Hong Kong style restaurants. If you want authentic Chinese food, East Pearl restaurant is just a few traffic lights down the street on Rockville Pike and it’s probably the best Cantonese-​Chinese food in this area.
Their bakery is typically delivered around lunch hours (noon), and any bread that is available before then, is probably leftovers from the day before. So, don’t purchase any baked goods before noon. They also have pastries like, cake and macarons, which is average as well. The only items I recommend are their fresh bakeries. They have a variety of authentic breads/​buns to choose from and egg tarts! I definitely recommend trying those.