85 Degrees

85 Degrees is a Taiwanese cafe/bakery chain that's hit Orange County by storm. Sadly, there isn't a branch in Los Angeles or San Francisco yet. But I was lucky enough to have a cousin whose friend bought a lot of extra snacks for us when he went to Irvine this weekend.


85 Degrees makes delicious Chinese style baked goods, but what they reall excel at is fun new flavors and presentation. Squid ink garlic bread dinner rolls?! Who'd have thought? The other roll is actually a giant hush puppy but from the outside it looks like a lobster tail or sea cucumber. Both were really light and fluffy.

This taro-filled taro roll is a little more traditional, but still really beautiful. I wouldn't say 85 Degrees is revolutionary, but they do some really creative takes on something that everyone likes: fresh, unique looking baked goods.