Asa Bakery & Cafe

I absolutely loved the green tea cream-filled croissant! It was light and fluffy, with just the right amount of sweetness, making it a delightful treat. Trying the curry bun for the first time— flaky, crunchy outside and soft, savory flavor inside, what a great surprise! I had it for breakfast but I think it would be better suited for lunch or an afternoon snack. My favorite, though, has to be the Japanese custard pudding! It's rich, creamy, and has a perfectly smooth silky texture. Overall, each pastry offers a unique Japanese touch and was a satisfying experience, took me right back to my stay in Nagoya. I wish we had this in Toronto!

Kelly Yung

This place was FANTASTIC! We loved the shrimp katsu sando (so juicy!) and all the breads we got. We only wish we had more stomach space to try more of their baked goods. The service was really friendly and the staff made sure to go around multiple times to clean the tables inside and out. The coffee was also really good, we liked that there was a seasonal menu to try. Definitely will be back next time we’re in San Diego.

Beullah Escalante

We always come here early and punch ourselves because we keep forgetting the Sandos are only available after 11a. But anyway this time we ordered a ton of savory pastry that are all well made and great quality. (See pics) For drinks I got their regular iced matcha latte with honey and my partner got coffee. Both were delicious and well made. For the Pastries, I think my fave was the soft bun with ground meat curry inside - so YUMMY. My partners fave is the hotdog (pigs in a blanket type dish) I also really love the ham with cheese pastry. We will be back to try the sandos. Edit: came back for the Sandos. I got the shrimp katsu sando and honestly, it's so fire!!!! My friends got the chicken one and it was delicious as well.

WOOCHIKA

We stopped by this Japanese bakery café while visiting San Diego, and honestly everything we tried was a hit. Their tiramisu latte was fire, and the mentaiko baguette ended up being my favorite item of the day. We also got the Earl Grey melon pan, fruit sando, and curry pan — surprisingly, all of them were really good. I especially loved the cake sponge they use for the fruit sando; super soft and airy. The curry pan had really flavorful curry inside, and both the mocha and matcha drinks stood out too. Overall, an amazing spot with great flavors across the board. Definitely worth checking out if you’re in the area! My Japanese wife approved this spot!

Fang Fang

Curry pan is excelente. Matcha croissant has great matcha crème filling and beautiful layers, although the out layer is not as crispy as I would like. Strawberry Naruto croissant is very nice with custard filling, but the cream is too sweet to my liking, I would recommend trying other flavors of Naruto if you prefer less sweetness.

Melody Chen

The mentaiko baguette was perfectly crispy with a savory, addictive flavor. The matcha latte was smooth and delicious, and the custard bread was soft and comforting. The pudding was also very good. The kids especially loved the French toast and the matcha Oreo roll.

LULU LIVE Art

Finally I checked out ASA bakery! My husband and I were just happened nearby on Saturday and I decided to bring several pieces back home. The line wasn’t crazy long around noon, just 10 minutes wait. I had a curry bun, a sausage bread and plus a matcha croissant 🥐. All the breads were looking good but I want to have a try first. They helped to heat up the two savory breads which is nice. All three breads are delicious with so many ingredients in it. The curry one is very flavorful like a Japanese curry style. The sausage one is kinda spicy! But very meaty and delicious, my husband loves it. The matcha croissant is my favorite, with a lot of not that sweet matcha cream stuff in it, so good! The store isn’t as beautiful as I thought, so take it to go is a good idea. Anyways, it’s pretty good. I’ll come back for other things if I’m nearby. But probably I won’t just come for it from far away because they are so many other good spots in SD.

Johnny Lee

Their beef, egg, & rice dish is perfect Japanese comfort food. The hojicha milk tea was good. All their pastries are good and not too sweet. The line may be long but it moves along quickly. It's street parking so that might be a challenge.

Wen Mu

I absolutely loved the green tea cream-filled croissant! It was light and fluffy, with just the right amount of sweetness, making it a delightful treat. Trying the curry bun for the first time— flaky, crunchy outside and soft, savory flavor inside, what a great surprise! I had it for breakfast but I think it would be better suited for lunch or an afternoon snack. My favorite, though, has to be the Japanese custard pudding! It's rich, creamy, and has a perfectly smooth silky texture. Overall, each pastry offers a unique Japanese touch and was a satisfying experience, took me right back to my stay in Nagoya. I wish we had this in Toronto!

Abigail Potter

I got an egg sando, earl grey melon pan, and cheese and potato focaccia. All of them were delicious!! I’ve never been disappointed by anything I’ve gotten from Asa Bakery. I also got a royal milk tea latte, which came out quickly and was delicious just like everything else! Pastries and drinks are given to you very quickly. Food such as sandwiches or plates have a little bit of a wait, especially if they’re busy. There is free water and a bathroom for customer use. Great overall experience!

This is a really nice Japanese bakery located right in downtown, and it’s clearly very popular. The bakery offers authentic Japanese baked goods, and everything we tried was impressive. The cutlet sandwich was especially good—the fluffy, soft bread paired perfectly with the crispy cutlet and savory sauce. It was simple but incredibly satisfying. The French toast was rich and soft, and the curry bun was flavorful with just the right amount of filling. Overall, it’s a great spot if you’re looking for high-quality, authentic Japanese bakery items, but be prepared for a crowd due to its popularity.

Pastry culture is such a wonderful combination of carbs and aesthetically pleasing views. Though I am but a passerby in the city of San Diego I was happy to find Asa Bakery in my mindless wandering through the city. Once inside it feels like you truly entered a community space. Looking around I saw couples, families, hangouts, and business meetings all going on whilst the waif of sweets filled the air. The design of the interior was clean and green with gilded highlights popping all around. You could envision the space being used for a music video with little staging needed. The food ranges from pastries to actual plated items such as curry rice. When you grab a pastry like a croissant you can see the layers beautifully crafted with the naked eye. With closer inspection and the breaking of bread you'll see the flaky exterior give way to a buttery, soft interior. Add a little bit of California sunshine through the big windows and you have cinema in your hands. Bonus: for those in the know there's a speakeasy located here but I'll leave that for you to decipher. Where cities thrive in chaos and faster than life moments Asa Bakery exists as a place where anyone who enters its space can breath once more. With calming atmosphere and good food for casual dining and treats San Diego is lucky to have this Japanese bakery.

I came on thursday so it wasn’t crowded, could still peacefully enjoy your food. I ordered a lot and cost me more than $100 so I could taste at least the majority of the options available. The queen is the curry bun. I bought two. Custard bun and mentaiko bun were also the good ones. Custard filling matcha pastry was not dissappointing. Matcha latte was so good. I have to admit the bread base type was still soft even when it’s cold. Pastry base type were not that extraordinary. They need to improve on katsu, need a bit of juiceness, softer crunch would be better, and katsu sando need a little extra sauce, a little bit bland. The rest was okay. We didn’t get to try the famous banana or matcha croissant, so I’m intrigued to come back for that one. Overall it’s a great place to enjoy baked stuff and drinks with some fushion choice. I would avoid weekends.

PLEASE bring the mentaiko baguette back I'M BEGGING YOU The new mentaiko bread tastes like a basic westernized baked good because the potato and cheese overpower the mentaiko flavor; it just isn't the same as the baguette! It was glorious and I used to get three every time I go!! I will do anything to have it back on the menu, PLEASE! Other than that, vibes and lighting are very nice, service is friendly, drinks are not the best but decent, and their savory goods are great! Also their plastic cutlery is not strong enough to cut through many of the breads, so it gets pretty annoying to eat sometimes.

The pastries look and taste amazing! They chocolate soft serve was rich and creamy, however the Hokkaido milk soft serve was a little icy. Nevertheless it hit the spot!

I loved their curry pan. Absolutely loved it. We got it in the morning - likely when it was fresh and it was just delicious. Soft and crispy and the filling was perfect. I wasn’t a huge fan of the custard bun. The bread itself was good but I did not enjoy the custard filling. We also really enjoyed their melon float and the egg sando. The crust was a little chewy but the egg salad itself was delicious and the cucumber in it was refreshing - I wish there had been more of it. Really great bakery, very good service and is a must visit

Rina

This is a really nice Japanese bakery located right in downtown, and it’s clearly very popular. The bakery offers authentic Japanese baked goods, and everything we tried was impressive. The cutlet sandwich was especially good—the fluffy, soft bread paired perfectly with the crispy cutlet and savory sauce. It was simple but incredibly satisfying. The French toast was rich and soft, and the curry bun was flavorful with just the right amount of filling. Overall, it’s a great spot if you’re looking for high-quality, authentic Japanese bakery items, but be prepared for a crowd due to its popularity.

Samuel Baek

Pastry culture is such a wonderful combination of carbs and aesthetically pleasing views. Though I am but a passerby in the city of San Diego I was happy to find Asa Bakery in my mindless wandering through the city. Once inside it feels like you truly entered a community space. Looking around I saw couples, families, hangouts, and business meetings all going on whilst the waif of sweets filled the air. The design of the interior was clean and green with gilded highlights popping all around. You could envision the space being used for a music video with little staging needed. The food ranges from pastries to actual plated items such as curry rice. When you grab a pastry like a croissant you can see the layers beautifully crafted with the naked eye. With closer inspection and the breaking of bread you'll see the flaky exterior give way to a buttery, soft interior. Add a little bit of California sunshine through the big windows and you have cinema in your hands. Bonus: for those in the know there's a speakeasy located here but I'll leave that for you to decipher. Where cities thrive in chaos and faster than life moments Asa Bakery exists as a place where anyone who enters its space can breath once more. With calming atmosphere and good food for casual dining and treats San Diego is lucky to have this Japanese bakery.

Vera SD

I came on thursday so it wasn’t crowded, could still peacefully enjoy your food. I ordered a lot and cost me more than $100 so I could taste at least the majority of the options available. The queen is the curry bun. I bought two. Custard bun and mentaiko bun were also the good ones. Custard filling matcha pastry was not dissappointing. Matcha latte was so good. I have to admit the bread base type was still soft even when it’s cold. Pastry base type were not that extraordinary. They need to improve on katsu, need a bit of juiceness, softer crunch would be better, and katsu sando need a little extra sauce, a little bit bland. The rest was okay. We didn’t get to try the famous banana or matcha croissant, so I’m intrigued to come back for that one. Overall it’s a great place to enjoy baked stuff and drinks with some fushion choice. I would avoid weekends.

Sophie Lee

PLEASE bring the mentaiko baguette back I'M BEGGING YOU The new mentaiko bread tastes like a basic westernized baked good because the potato and cheese overpower the mentaiko flavor; it just isn't the same as the baguette! It was glorious and I used to get three every time I go!! I will do anything to have it back on the menu, PLEASE! Other than that, vibes and lighting are very nice, service is friendly, drinks are not the best but decent, and their savory goods are great! Also their plastic cutlery is not strong enough to cut through many of the breads, so it gets pretty annoying to eat sometimes.

Amanda Russell

The pastries look and taste amazing! They chocolate soft serve was rich and creamy, however the Hokkaido milk soft serve was a little icy. Nevertheless it hit the spot!

Emerson Chang

Nice little place with great pastries and some good food too. Had the strawberry cream ribbon croissant which surprisingly had a lot more filling than expected. It was light and creamy, going well with the crispy and buttery croissant. The beef hayashi was rich, savory and went well with the egg, though the meat quality was not good. At first looked like thin sliced eye round or brisket, but was very tough and chewy. Only thing that held this place from getting 5 stars.

Kenken

A great cafeteria located in downtown San Diego. The food was awesome—you must try their croissants! The pizza toast was also quite good. The space is large and nicely decorated. However, the service was very slow. It took around 3–5 minutes to serve each customer at the cashier, partly because many customers were buying a lot at once.

Sakina Huzefa

I loved their curry pan. Absolutely loved it. We got it in the morning - likely when it was fresh and it was just delicious. Soft and crispy and the filling was perfect. I wasn’t a huge fan of the custard bun. The bread itself was good but I did not enjoy the custard filling. We also really enjoyed their melon float and the egg sando. The crust was a little chewy but the egg salad itself was delicious and the cucumber in it was refreshing - I wish there had been more of it. Really great bakery, very good service and is a must visit

The food was terrible. Got the chicken katsu curry, the chicken katsu was cold, tough, and watery (most likely fried straight out of the freezer), and the curry was also watery and thin, also being tasteless. The pastries were okay but cold from sitting on the display. The truffle fries were crispy alright but tasteless as well. The drinks were terrible, like they made water taste bad. Service was okay, and place was quite comfortable. Important note, restrooms unavailable.

Jayden Kusuma

The food was terrible. Got the chicken katsu curry, the chicken katsu was cold, tough, and watery (most likely fried straight out of the freezer), and the curry was also watery and thin, also being tasteless. The pastries were okay but cold from sitting on the display. The truffle fries were crispy alright but tasteless as well. The drinks were terrible, like they made water taste bad. Service was okay, and place was quite comfortable. Important note, restrooms unavailable.

I had such high hopes for this bakery because I read so many great reviews and the menu items looked interesting. The line was incredibly long and busy all Saturday morning. All the inside tables were full, but there was some outside seating. We had to clean the table ourselves before seating. I was looking forward to the matcha croissant and as a soft serve lover the Hokkaido milk soft serve. When I arrived the matcha croissant was sold out so I opted for the green tea Naruto Croissant. Naruto croissant - right off I was turned off by the fingerprint on the chocolate. I would expect blemish-less goods from a bakery like ASA. The green tea flavor was lacking and overall this croissant was incredibly sweet (by Asian standards). The custard was just okay and the pastry was more bread like than croissant like. Hokkaido milk soft serve - was already melting and dripping all over my hands as soon as it was handed to me! We were so disappointed in the texture of this soft serve. It was very dense and watery (as opposed to creamy and whipped/airy) kind of like the cheap soft serve you get at a Chinese buffet restaurant. For a price higher than SomiSomi, we expected better texture. You’re better off with SomiSomi soft serve ice cream if you want Asian flavored soft serve. The everything mochi bagel and macadamia nut pies were just okay. Nothing to write about. My husband was disappointed in his chocolate croissant that looked more chocolatey than it tasted.

VT

I had such high hopes for this bakery because I read so many great reviews and the menu items looked interesting. The line was incredibly long and busy all Saturday morning. All the inside tables were full, but there was some outside seating. We had to clean the table ourselves before seating. I was looking forward to the matcha croissant and as a soft serve lover the Hokkaido milk soft serve. When I arrived the matcha croissant was sold out so I opted for the green tea Naruto Croissant. Naruto croissant - right off I was turned off by the fingerprint on the chocolate. I would expect blemish-less goods from a bakery like ASA. The green tea flavor was lacking and overall this croissant was incredibly sweet (by Asian standards). The custard was just okay and the pastry was more bread like than croissant like. Hokkaido milk soft serve - was already melting and dripping all over my hands as soon as it was handed to me! We were so disappointed in the texture of this soft serve. It was very dense and watery (as opposed to creamy and whipped/airy) kind of like the cheap soft serve you get at a Chinese buffet restaurant. For a price higher than SomiSomi, we expected better texture. You’re better off with SomiSomi soft serve ice cream if you want Asian flavored soft serve. The everything mochi bagel and macadamia nut pies were just okay. Nothing to write about. My husband was disappointed in his chocolate croissant that looked more chocolatey than it tasted.

Environment: 4/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Bread Quality: 4/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Service: 0/5 😠 I came in for croissants and sourdough, left with an unexpected lesson in customer hierarchy. After the staff mixed up my order with the previous customer’s, he was met with apologies and free bread. I was told I owed $3. The bread is fine. The environment is pleasant. The service, however, seems selectively generous. What makes it more disappointing is that it was my birthday. I came in wanting to share a good mood, even left a 15% tip, and instead walked out feeling disrespected. In hindsight, I regret not asking for the tip back. Luckily, San Diego has plenty of bakeries where basic respect isn’t part of a loyalty program.

prezelonline

Environment: 4/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Bread Quality: 4/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Service: 0/5 😠 I came in for croissants and sourdough, left with an unexpected lesson in customer hierarchy. After the staff mixed up my order with the previous customer’s, he was met with apologies and free bread. I was told I owed $3. The bread is fine. The environment is pleasant. The service, however, seems selectively generous. What makes it more disappointing is that it was my birthday. I came in wanting to share a good mood, even left a 15% tip, and instead walked out feeling disrespected. In hindsight, I regret not asking for the tip back. Luckily, San Diego has plenty of bakeries where basic respect isn’t part of a loyalty program.