Red Ribbon Bakeshop

Closed today. I don’t know for how long, maybe out of business?!

Not good empanada

There are a few Filipino restaurants here in the valley but this is the ONLY Red Ribbon in the state of Arizona. I’ve been to a few of these joints in Cali, Vegas, the Philippines… and I must say, for the size of this location and the limited menu its still a great place to eat at if you’re craving pinoy food. Its located inside of AZ Mills Mall (not in the food court).
The baked goods are not fresh but the entries are. The palabok is on point! One of my faves. Its really hard to mess up palabok though. The deserts were ok.

I love red ribbon… To an extent.
I was born and raised on Goldilocks (if you do not know what this is given the fact its only in two states CA/​NV i forgive you) so it is impossible to sway me from them to red ribbon that’s just crazy talk. Red ribbon would have to change their whole way of doing things and add more to their menus and bakery selections. I find it SEVERELY annoying that a chain Filipino restaurant such as this one to not carry ensymada rolls without ube or macapuno (coconut). I swear Arizona is making it impossible for me all my favorite things i have to order online or have shipped over by family in San Jose, CA. Disappointing and Pathetic if you ask me. Arizona has a minimal but decent amount of Filipinos in the state… Why can’t i find anything worth going to on a regular basis?!
Red ribbon has the better cakes so far that i can remember versus Goldilocks but i might be just basing it merely on the mousse cake i tried from red ribbon. I HATE regular cake except my red velvet cake or any of the cakes from nothing bundt cakes will work for me. Anyhow Red ribbon like i said has some Amazing chocolate mousse cake that is just to die for. That is the one thing i will recommend over and over. I would rather have that on my birthday then a real birthday cake. But hey that is just me! i am not a fan of buttercream at all so does not excite me in the slightest.
Red ribbon managers please make me some ensyamadas with ube pretty please and send it over to the mills mall i would greatly appreciate it so i do not have to order a pack of 12 from Goldilocks for me to eat by myself! =[

I cannot say that I’m a fan because I can’t eat most of the food here. Since most of their baked goods are shipped from somewhere else, I cannot bring myself to give them a higher rating than 3.
My mom likes to buy the ensaymada here, but it is made with margarine.
I found out why!
Margarine actually helps extend the shelf life of their product. Obviously it’s found in cookies, crackers, and many «manufactured» packaged foods.
The employees were nice and sweet, though I did try their ube cake. It was edible, but I couldn’t finish it since I’m on a diet.

On previous visits, I’ve had decent service and always liked their chicken empanadas, which I still like. And If I happen to be at AZ mills already, then I’d deal with the luke warm service just to order one to munch on while shopping. So, prior to today, I would have rated them a 3 or 4 star.
Today, I drove out just because my brother had been really craving a good piece of cake. So we trekked it out to Red Ribbon. Starting with the good. The eating area was clean. My almost 2 year old daughter loved playing on the cool orange chairs.
Unfortunately, my brother & I don’t recommend going out of your way, like we did, just to come & try Red Ribbon at AZ Mills. So, Now with the not so good, my brother decided on a red velvet cupcake. There were three on a tray along with 3 chocolate mint cupcakes and a white cupcake. The sales lady told him, «Oh that’s just for display.» My brother & I exchange glances, because he was just joking about this possibly happening!
The sales lady promptly suggested we buy the four pack of mint chocolate cupcakes. My brother didn’t like the look of the chocolate cupcakes, plus he only wanted one! So, he asked for the only other cupcake option, one white cupcake. She told him it was for display also.
I suggested that maybe they should sell the cupcakes individually. She responded that they do that. So, I was thinking OK, so why can’t he order that red velvet cupcake? but oh, well, maybe it was old.
Slightly perturbed, but not yet willing to abandon our quest, i ordered the Ube Boba Shake, because they were out of Mango. While my bro made his final choice, he noticed there was one white cupcake, that was in the tall refrigerator behind the counter. It was inside a plastic four pack container, along with one chocolate mint cupcake. The lady said, «Oh, that’s just icing from a previous mango cupcake…» My bro asked to see that one anyway.
She seemed to me, to be reluctant as she went to the fridge & got out the pack. And lo and behold, it was not just icing, it was a white cupcake. Odd that she would tell us that it was just icing.
So, my brother asked if he could get that one, specifically pointing to the white cupcake in the pack. The lady again, proceeded to put the four pack of mint chocolate cupcakes in a bag…
My brother & looked at each other again. I told her that this was just confusing and that she looked like she was getting stressed out & I apologized for that. But, my bro wanted that one white cupcake. She finally rung us up for that mango cupcake. Relieved to be done with us, she quickly asked the next customer if she could help them, without giving me my Ube Shake. I asked if it was ready? Without saying anything, she walked away to the back, then came back & told me they’re still making it. In my head, I’m thinking, OK… I just don’t get the feeling that we are a valued customer.
While waiting for my shake, I tasted the cupcake that was so difficult to get. I liked the icing, because it was light and not overly sweet. But the cupcake itself, was nothing special to write about. My brother also told me he tried their pancit on a previous visit and thought it was, in his words «Blegh!» I told him how I like their chicken empanadas, but he was no longer interested in trying anymore of their food.
When I finally got my shake shortly after, it was nice & cold and had a thick texture like a shake should have, but really did not taste great. Mainly because the boba had a strange texture to it, like some parts were hard and some semi soft. Also, to be fair, I’m usually not an ube fan in general. But, even still, I just thought it tasted bland and with a hint of sweetness/​chalkiness. I guess I was hoping for something more exotic with such a bold purple color. I think the price of $ 3 something after taxes is high for what you get. I suggest taking two more steps passed Red Ribbon to Gloria Jeans or Haagen Daz if just want a good shake. And I will save my Boba Shake cravings for Lollicup or AZ Boba Tea House.
So unfortunate that we didn’t have a good experience at all. I really want to support our local Filipino restaurants. Hence, why we went out of our way to get to Red Ribbon. I feel bad giving them a 1 star, so I’m giving them an extra star… If Red Ribbon can improve on their customer service at least, then I would recommend people try it. Because I’m sure they’ve got to have something good on their menu, it’s just we didn’t have any luck with what we ordered nor with the service…

I was surprise to find a Red Ribbon in Arizona, but just like most Red Ribbon Bakeshop, the snack cakes are already wrapped up and does seem fresh to me. It’s still good, but I don’t know why they can’t be like a French Bakery and have most of the bake good out on display and not wrapped up.
Not much space at this location, just 6 tables, but plenty of seat at the food court.

I love Red Ribbon bakery, but this location is really rather sad. The pancit palabok was embarrassing and the lumpia was clearly frozen in the middle when I ordered from here. I came here so excited because I hadn’t had any Filipino food in Phoenix in a couple of years (unless I made it myself), but it fell short in every sense of the word. The people at the counter did not know the products. Two star location, rounded to 3 stars because at least they didn’t screw up that magical Mango Cake of theirs… Red Ribbon’s Mango Cake forever.

I ordered the Arroz Caldo (Chicken/​Shitiake Mushrooms/​Green Onions in Congee) — it was very tasty. My friend ordered the Palabok which was unfortunately not so great. The cakes that I’ve tried are stupendously moist, light and flavorful. Most pleasantly suprised.

On the second and third visit, I tried the lumpiang sariwa, the arroz caldo and the ensaymada. I was struck in awe with the first bite. The lumpia wrapper with the sweet sauce was so good. The filling had only carrots, potatoes, and a leaf of lettuce only (sigh*) unlike the traditional lumpia which had more ingredients (peanuts, singkamas etc.).
I would give a 3-​star for that not-​so-​fresh lumpia and the filling, but the manager was so nice and sweet that I want to keep coming back — and to add to it, their other dishes like dinuguan and the arroz caldo are delicious. They probably just made a mistake on the lumpia. And I haven’t tried all their cakes yet.
I loved the arroz caldo even if it wasn’t the traditional arroz caldo I know. Because they added mushrooms to it and I wasn’t able to find saffron in it. But it was still good but not as good as what I am used to eating back home, in small food stands along the smoky and busy streets of Manila.
Back home, the arroz caldo had no mushrooms or anything fancy, it had ox tripe, intestines, chicken, and saffron. I miss the streets food I’m used to =p I haven’t tried the arroz caldo in Red Ribbon back home so I am unable to compare it to this one, sayang!
I loved the ensaymada… just like the ones I buy in local bakeries back home but better. I just love the taste of margarine because it tastes like home to me =) This was better than the one back home because they used Parmesan and cheddar cheese.
I am still coming back for more!!! I still haven’t tried the sansrival here yet and the mango cake. =) I want the Ube shake next time too =)

I had heard of this bakery from a competitor who holds shop in Chandler. I have fond memories of delicious cakes from Red Ribbon from birthday parties of years past back home. Filipinos LOVE to throw a party, and I swear cakes from Red Ribbon were always present. You can imagine the nostalgia that swept over me, then, when I finally found this bakeshop situated near the food court in Arizona Mills.
The shop looked so pretty– all lit up and all these enticing baked goods wrapped in plastic/​cellophane with candy-​red printing. (Hmm… an alarm went off in my head after seeing them all wrapped up.) The shop looked very clean, with welcoming tables and chairs, and my, how lovely those cake rolls look in the case! Imagine, then, my disappointment upon reading the nutrition info on these plastic-​wrapped goods to find that most, if not all, items are made with margarine, not butter. These baked goods failed the «farm vs. factory» test– ingredients listed sound more like they’re mechanically-​produced in a factory rather than being all-​natural, such as «flour, eggs, butter, milk,» etc. Before sampling what I must admit was a delicious morsel of mocha crunch cake, I asked if the frosting contained powdered sugar. The sales clerk looked at his coworker, whom I assumed is a manager, who looked at him, then looked at me, and then said «We think it’s whipped cream.» Think? How can you not know what ingredients are used in the products you sell? I also inquired if any items are made on-​site. No, he said. Everything is shipped/​trucked in, and the only preparations done at the bakeshop are the frying– the FRYING– of the empanadas and the re-​heating of the siopao and noodle dishes.
Sorry Red Ribbon, but this Filipina only wants goods baked with butter, not margarine. I said BAKED, not fried. With the exception of the pie shell used in the egg pie, all of the pastries served at Manila Bakery are made on-​site, so you won’t find preservatives listed in the ingredients, as well.
My fond memories of those cakes will have to be just that, memories. All the better when it comes to those twice-​daily weigh-​ins…

Red Ribbon Bakeshop is a chain restaurant from the Philippines with locations in California and Hawaii. This is the only one I know of in Arizona. Think Paradise Bakery, Filipino style. It’s in Tempe Mills Mall near the food court.
My fiancé and I went for dinner. I had pancit palabok and he had sotanghon. He got the $ 8.95 meal, which came with a drink and piece of cake. He got ube cake. The restaurant has all kinds of Filipino pastries, like mamon and ensaimada.
I liked everything about this place. The service was fast and friendly and the food was cheap. Of course no one can make pancit palabok better than my Tita Fe, but this is a nice place for a quick Filipino fix.