Red Ribbon Bake Shop

I love red ribbons:
+ halo halo
+pandesal
+mango bar
+banana bread
+chicken/​pork empanadas
+siao pao
+anything with ube!!!
Next time I must try the pancit and arroz caldo!

Me and my boyfriend spontaneously came over here one day since the Bun Bo Hue place nearby was closed and we didn’t want to leave empty handed. My boyfriend got their plain sponge cake, and i got their pork buns. Their pork bun is TOO DIE for! it’s soo warm and delicious it really hits the spot.
–1pt. for some reason maybe it’s the location or something, but this place doesn’t seem to get much business. Maybe it’s because i came d uring a weekday, but i hate going into a store where i’m the only people there and t here’s only one worker. It just makes me feel obligated to purchase something.

Red Ribbon Bake Shop would be my first pick when it comes to getting delicious cakes and other Filipino baked goodies for special occasions or when you’re craving it. My favorites are the black forest cake, mango cake, coffee crunch cake, choco mocha crunch cake, chocolate mousse, and most recently added to the list: chocolate cupcakes! Let me tell you about these delightful cupcakes; it is moist, flavor of chocolate is perfect, and the frosting is creamy, light, and not too sweet. Each bite is so heavenly that you can’t stop eating it. It’s $ 10 for 9 cupcakes. Very worth it!

We got my sisters wedding cake from here 10 years ago and the quality isn’t just the same anymore. My favorite is their Mango cake… and I would recommend you to stick with just that.
The customer service is OK. I came here a few years ago and I remember one of the staff members didn’t want to cut an individual slice for me to purchase, rather told me that I had to buy the whole cake since it was close to their closing time. Since there weren’t anymore cut slices left, the owner didn’t want to cut a fresh slice from a whole cake, which then would have probably gone bad. I didn’t come here after that…
…A year or two would pass before I returned again…
I came here last month for Father’s Day and still customer service was… OK. But when I last came to pick up a cake for my Dad’s birthday, which was fairly recent, their «new» staff member was really sweet…[they earned that extra star because of him]…he let me try a sample of the cake before I purchased it! [Even though his manager was standing right behind him… They usually don’t allow this]. It was really sweet of him, and very much appreciated. Because of him, I went ahead and made that purchase :)
Come back soon, I’ll keep my review updated upon my next visit!

picked up a coffee crunch cake.
didn’t have much flavor. the middle filling had all the crunch in the
center of the cake. (i think there is a production problem-​maybe distribute the crunch a bit more)
i think i was suppose to get a bag of crunch to crush & place on the cake.
didn’t get any.
overall, not too impressed.
i will stick to getting my cakes from van’s bakery in tully center.
if i’m in sf, i will go to get coffee crunch cake in chinatown!!!
10x’s better flavor & cake texture!!!

craving palabok? Then Red Ribbon is the place for that! This location is always clean and the eating area is a pretty decent size which is a plus! I definitely recommend their palabok, empanadas, and halo-​halo (so much better than jollibee’s and chowking’s!!!), siopao, mamon/​sponge cake!
Red Ribbon cakes are also delicious you gotta try them!

i highly recommend the mango cake, mango bars, chicken empanadas and halo halo.
the mango cake is very light, not too sweet. SO GOOD! i’m not too crazy about cake and i could probably eat a whole cake if i wanted to. definitely not recommended, but possible. haha
the mango bars have a thicker type of cake. it’s a good snack sized treat. they are very moist with little mango chunks in them, and for only around $ 1! good for those of you who don’t want don’t wanna completely pig out.
the chicken empanadas are filled tender pieces of chicken.
the halo halo is so good! even proportions of everything. they aren’t stingy with the flan and rice crispies either, which is my favorite part (:

Love this restaurant! Customer Service is alright, nothing out of the ordinary nor special. I go here for the yummy foods! I usually order the Bake Macaroni but sometimes also get the Pancit Palabok… but if I just want to get something I can grab and be out of the store fast I usually just get Chicken Empanada and Taisan (Chiffon Cake) Gosh, I can’t begin to say how «out of this world» their Taisan is! Cheap but amazingly delicious!

Coffee Crunch Cake!!! Eat it with coffee, and if youre a smoker, light up a cigarette too… and its a great afternoon delight!
Chicken Empanada is also good.

I love their mamon and ensymada! Sometimes I only buy 4 mamons because that is what is left.
Down side, 3 out of 5 times that I come to this Red ribbon, no matter what time day it is, be in early afternoon, late afternoon or even during the evening, they practically always have NO chicken empanada.

My rating is only on the one thing I always get there. (Perhaps the only thing worth getting as well)
The MANGO CAKE!
This is their staple. NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH THE MANGO DELIGHT.
It’s not the obvious cake where you get tired after the first bite. It’s light and fluffy. Just the right amount of sweetness. The mango flavor is obvious, but not overwhelming like others. Take a bite and it will speak for itself.
As for the other stuff, well my GF can make it and even better =)

This was my first time coming to red ribbon.
I was looking for a cake for my mom.
When i walked in i was a bit overwhelmed by the different types of cakes to choose from. and in different sizes.
While i was looking i saw these Filipino breads that i completely love, they’re the sweet bread with the cheese on top. I grabbed a family pack of them!
After looking around and wanting to buy everything I decided on a mocha cake.
The cake was really good and had a sweet surprise in it, a layer of caramel. oh my.
I’ll definitely come back and pre-​order one of their beautiful cakes.

I personally have never been to this place, however they are not helpful at all. I called in the day before to make an appointment for cake order and spoke to a lady who called me «mom» which I think she meant «mam». Anyway, finally made an appointment for the following day. On the appointment day I called in to let them know that I would be coming in a little late and wish to speak to the person in charge but some guy worker kept saying hello hello hello. At first I thought he couldn’t hear me so I said it, and said it and said it… like 3 times then he was like «cake? oh ok… hello?»
My guts was telling me that I shouldn’t go with this place because they’ll probably get my orders wrong anyway. I’ve tried Great Mall place and they are much more nicer and helpful. I just thought the event was closer to that other location but oh well… I changed my mind never showed up to the appointment. Maybe they should hire people that speak English better instead on zero.

A Filipino place with no Chicken Adobo. WTF!!! That’s like going to a Mexican restaurant that doesn’t make tacos. An Italian restaurant that doesn’t make pasta dishes. A Japanese restaurant that doesn’t…ok you get the picture. I had never stepped foot in this place but I overheard some people talking about how good the food was. They did have lumpia’s and pancit but they didn’t catch my attention. The Filipino’s sure know how to pick names for their restaurants. Jollibee’s, Goldilocks and now Red Ribbon. Anyhow I don’t come to these chains expecting food that’s over the top. I wanted Adobo and they didn’t have it so I was about to leave when I noticed this cool looking purple cake. I remember having it at my families parties and I freakin’ loved it. I took a slice home and later on wished I had bought a whole cake. It was delicious and waaaaay better than the one Goldilocks makes.
Ube Macapuno Cake — Succulent macapuno (young coconut) strips add delightful flavor to ube (purple yam) chiffon filled with coconut pastry cream and covered with ube crumbs for pure pleasure.
Delish right? I jock this cake because it’s lightly sweetened and maybe healthier than the cakes you’ll find at local bakeries. I can’t wait to go back but this time I will buy the whole cake.

My Ratings for the Restaurant:
Quality of Food — 4 Stars
Quantity of Food — 3 Stars
Price — 3 Stars
Location — 3 Stars
Parking — 3 Stars
Service — 4 Stars
Speed — 3 Stars
My Opinion/​Story:
This is a review for the restaurant part. I’ve had their dishes several times. One of my favorite is their baked macaroni which looks pretty small but it does fill you up especially if you get their combo with a slice of cake and soda. I also liked their dinuguan and their embotido. For snack or lite lunch/​dinner, I would recommend this place although the price can be a bit too much for what little they serve.
My Ratings for the Bakery:
Quality of Food — 5 Stars
Quantity of Food — 4 Stars
Price — 4 Stars
Location — 3 Stars
Parking — 3 Stars
Service — 4 Stars
Speed — 3 Stars
My Opinion/​Story:
After months of cake tasting and budget crunching, my husband and I settled on getting our wedding cake from Red Ribbon. We really didn’t care much on whether the cake should be incredible and unforgetable, we just cared for one that’s within our budget. With that, we decided to get one from Red Ribbon. We had 150 guests and other places would have charged us a minimum of $ 600 but with Red Ribbon it was less than $ 400.
We decided to get a small 3-​tiered cake in two different flavors. The size would feed about 75 guests so we ordered another regular rectangle cake with the same flavors which would feed about 80 more guests. This was our hidden cake so it was placed in the kitchen until it was ready to be served. Total price for me was $ 280. Not bad since I knew most of the cake would have been thrown out anyway. This saved us alot of money and the decoration was custom-​made. They made an exception for me since the deco I wanted was very simple. The cake turned out well and I was very happy with the price. I just didn’t want our cake to be the focus of the wedding so I just made it out to be something simple rather than over shadowing the bride and groom.
The bakery itself produces wonderful cakes. My favorites are the Choco-​Mocha Crunch and the Black Forest. I’ve had their other cakes and I love them all. They’re just the kind of cake I love.

While Red Ribbon is a decent Filipino bakery, there’s not much that stands out. I do like the mocha mamons though, light yet filling (Top tip: for those who don’t know what mamon is, it’s «French sponge cake») and the ube cake is an ok choice too. I used to like the empanadas, but it has gotten a little thicker crustwise than what I’m used to.
However, I’m more likely to rate this place as 2.5 stars. Why? It DOES reek of strong cigarette smoke, only because this bakery is located next to a place where people place bets on whatever they gamble on… perhaps their health? (I thought there was a smoking ban all over CA. Apparently the business next door didn’t get the memo.) Add to that the inconvenience of the traffic on Tully Road overall. That part of San Jose seems to have the worst traffic planning, save for the area near the Valley Fair. I was afraid someone would cut me off or sideswipe me right from when I exit from or enter to Hwy. 101!
Overall, the drive could be worth it if you want Filipino baked goods and cakes and you are taking it to go. However, don’t forget your health and safety face mask if you’re sensitive to cigarette smoke.

Good lawd almighty!
Thank you Mikey U for just being and having great friends and family that love you so much they buy you super duper cakes. YAY FOR US ALL!
At the end of a fun meal at Kalesa to celebrate Mikey’s old (er, older) age, there were a plethora of cakes lit up, cut up and passed out for everyone’s tasting pleasure.
There were 3 to be exact: Mango, Rocky Road and Ube Macapuno.
Mango — So everyone was gaga over the mango. It was really good, but I don’t think I’m a mango-​lover. Not a hater, just not a lover. It had mango pieces inside a white cake with supposed buttercream frosting. It was so light I thought it was whipped cream, which was a nice surprise.
Rocky Road — So, I thought I’d favor the rocky road because I LOVE chocolate. It was an excellent cake, as well. Light chocolate cake with cashews, marshmallows, etc. Not as sweet as it sounds which made it even better, but not the one, either.
Ube Macapuno — Well, it’s PURPLE! First thought…“what on Earth is it???” Yeah… this was THE one! Took a bite and my heart stopped. A light appeared above and the angels came down for a moment and sang. It was beautiful! *tear* I can’t even describe it… can only tell you it is DA BOMB! I’ve been craving it ever since!!!
So…who’s having another celebration with Filipino cakes? CAN I COME… PA-​LEEZE??? *begs*

Finally checked out this place after trying a mango cake at a friend’s. Well they had the mango cake and a mango delight cake, which uses dried mangos. I like the mango cake with the fresh mangos better.
Tried the empanadas, loved the crust and the beef and chicken.
Tried a polvoron cookie, made with toasted flour. A dry, powdery cookie. Can’t quite tell if I like them or not, they are messy because they are a no cook cookie.

I LOVE their HALO HALO here… Served with Mango icecream, a lil bit of ube, a small chunk of leche flan, rice crispies on top… and the rest of the halo halo ingredients that sink to the very bottom… Ahhhhh… Soooo goood on a HOT day like this… Just had one today and now I feel extra cooooooler than I already am… HAHA. Joke joke…
Other pluses… Their pancit palabok is realllllly good also… and eating it w/​their sio-​pao is the PERFECT compliment… It’s like your peanut butter and jelly…
This spot is definitely one of my family’s favorite joints during the summer time, mainly because of their halo halo…

COME FOR THE CHICKEN EMPANADAS!
The size’s are generous compared to others, you can heat it up the next day or next 3 days, and they’re soooo good!