Kam Boat Bakery & Cafe
“They have a great variety of bakery goods and breakfast and lunch items like rice noodles, fried rice, dim sum, congee, etc….”
“I noticed that in the back they sell hot meals like dim sum, fried noodles, and steamed buns with barbecue roast pork.”
“Chinatown gets up with the sun, but the bakers, cooks and workers at Kam Boat Bakery are already cooking up a storm before first light.”
Kam Boat Bakery & Cafe
Take-out: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Under $10
8 reviews
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Not your garden variety chinatown bakery. The secret is the tiny kitchen in the back. Serving large variety of noodles, rice noodles and rice. Also many dimsum options. But the Hainamese chicken w ginger scallion is the star of the show!
Everything is almost cooked order because the place is packed all day long…
The bakery section also has a variety of buns that you wont find at your average chinatown bakery. Many options for egg tarts as well.
Try to stick to take-out. Seating is very limited (and super crowded and noisy).
I can't believe I just discovered this place after living in NYC for over 6 years! This is the best bakery in Chinatown! I walked in thinking to pick up some buns but I came out with a hot dog bun, dim sum, hainanese chicken over rice and an iced milk tea. I didn't expect the bakery having a full blown kitchen in the back with wide variety of chinese breakfast items.
You must order the "boiled chicken over rice" which is aka the hainanese chicken. They actually would ask if you prefer dark meat or white meat or prefer certain parts of the chicken. If you want drumsticks, it'll be $1 extra. You'll get the part you want without surprise for $4. It comes with a side of white rice, veggies, and ginger scallions. It's so cheap and it actually taste really good. If you go around 11am, you'll see everyone ordering this!
Make sure you order a milk tea. I'm a milk tea nazi and I have to say this is one of the best milk tea I've ever had!
I didn't get to try the bakery items. There were so many selections to chose from and they are not the typical chinese bakery items. My fiancé did tell me the bread was fresh and soft. We went at 11am so I'm sure the earlier the better.
My fiancé went back back by himself the next day to try their other items and we went back the day after to get their hainanese chicken and milk tea again. This will be our breakfast spot every weekend until we get sick of it.
3.5/5
Do you have a dimsum craving, but don't really have the time to sit down at a restaurant to enjoy it? Then bring your a*s over here: Kam Boat Bakery & Cafe! A lot of elderly people come here for breakfast/brunch/lunch. If you're lucky, you might be able to snag a seat!
Prices are pretty cheap and in accordance with Chinatown standards. Prices for items on the menu for the bakery range from $0.90-$5.00. For the cafe, prices generally range from $2-$6. Hainan Chicken Leg/Breast/Wings w/ Rice? $4-$5! What a good deal!
The cafe and bakery are conjoined at the left corner of the bakery of where the baked goods are displayed; it's a little hard to tell at first because the back can be easily mistaken for where the goods are baked. I got the Egg White Custard(highly recommended by fellow yelpers) and Shrimp Rice Noodle Rolls. I also wanted to get Hainanese Chicken Breast w/ Rice, but it was unavailable.
Egg White Custard($0.90)-
There was nothing really special about the Egg White Custard. The crust wasn't that great, and reminded me of a crumbly butter cookie. The custard itself was tasteless.
Shrimp Rice Noodle Rolls($2.25)-
Easy to tear apart. Shrimp was awesome(you can't mess shrimp up). One serving is enough to make one instantly full.
You won't necessarily be blown away by the food, but Kam is a convenient spot to get some quick grub. It's also a great bang for one's buck. 😉
Chinatown gets up with the sun, but the bakers, cooks and workers at Kam Boat Bakery are already cooking up a storm before first light. It really takes a village to crank out the amount of baked goods, dim sum, congee, noodles & rice dishes, all before opening at 7am. During the week, I think they open even earlier because I've walked by at 6am and see people going in and out. By 8am, this place is bustling with wall to wall people.
All the buns and single serving cakes are at the front of the house, as well as coffee & tea with seating at 6 long tables for about 30+. Head to the back for a myriad of quick serve dim sum and variety of noodle dishes listed on the mini-menus hung on a rope above your head. The open kitchen back of the house is a beehive of activity in the AM hours, but is actually well orchestrated chaos with each person making their specialty. Many of the steamed items such as shui mai & har gao are already in the steamer cabinet, but if you want cheong fun (steamed rice rolls or crepes), they make those fresh.
After placing my order and getting my order ticket, I watched the sifu (master) of the cheong fun work his magic. It starts with a water dipped sheet of cheesecloth placed on a steam table that is then covered in a thin layer of rice flour solution and covered for about a minute. As that is steaming, the previous sheet that was peeled off is flipped over to lay over a moist counter board and the cloth sheet is peeled off. Seems that the secret is keeping all surfaces wet or otherwise it turns into a hot sticky mess. As the rice sheet cools, fillings of either shrimp, beef, scallions, cilantro or fried breadstick are generously spread on, rolled up with a wide spatula, cut into bite sized pieces and scooped into a styrofoam box. Add your own condiments with a choice of soy, hoisin, peanut or hot pepper sauce for a hot Chinatown breakfast.
And my order ticket number was 818, a very lucky Chinese number. It's a good day.
They make great buns here. If I'm nearby in the morning and not in a rush, I will come here for a corn bun or a pineapple bun with fresh cold butter. You have to ask someone for the pineapple bun with butter because they have to cut open the bun and add a thick slice of butter in. It's the best when the bun is a little warm and the butter slightly melts a little onto the bun. Definitely come try one here if you haven't.
I literally stumbled upon this bakery my pure chance because I was freezing my butt outside in the negative degree temperature known as winter in New York. I was so cold I walked in and saw rows of delicious pasties. Being the fattie I am, I went to look for some Baos. The smell was unbelievable. I also have to mention that I just finished eating loads of dim sum so I was stuffed. But that didn't stop me! I ordered a handful of pasties all to myself.
The ban tat was so delicious. The egg custard was fresh and sweet. It was addicting because it wasn't way too sweet where it got sickening. It was sweet enough where you can eat a lot of them in one sitting. The crust was buttery and soft. It was melt in your mount delicious. The flaky nature of the crust comes from the oily and buttery texture of the carbs.
This is a great bakery. My mom discovered this spot and said if there's a lot of people, it must be good. Especially when all those people are crowded in the back. I like this place for the little kitchen in the back more than for the bakery itself. They have a variety of noodles, rice noodles and rice dishes that are worth the few dollars you pay for. Very fresh and service is quick.
I was drunk after a couple of beers at a nearby restaurant. Kam Boat was by oasis to sober up for my somewhat lang trek to the WTC Path station.
Only think I remember was that they serve Horlick. Not many bakeries in the area serve it. They sometimes have Milo but I don;t like as much as horlick. I also bought a few pineapple buns for breakfast for the next few days.
I would come back here not only for the horlick but just to see what this place specialize at.