Best Dumplings 2024 | Happy Bao's | Food & Drink | Phoenix
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Best Dumplings

Happy Bao's

Happy Baos

The dining options inside Mekong Plaza frequently change. But Happy Bao's stands strong, continuing to serve the Valley's best dumplings year after year. These handmade, slightly irregularly shaped parcels are as delicious as they are unique. The chefs at this small restaurant share recipes from northern China and make excellent noodle and rice dishes along with fluffy buns and soup-filled xiao long bao. But the signature dumplings, stuffed with pork, chives, eggs and shrimp, are our go-to. They have a slightly thicker skin than many varieties, giving them a super-satisfying chew. They also come in pork and chicken flavors or in a combo of 20 for the perfect dumpling feast.

Best British Bakery

The Great Gadsby

Millionaire's shortbread, sticky toffee pudding and custard trifles, oh my! Any British expat will feel their heart flutter at the mention of such delights. And these hard-to-find treats can all be bought at The Great Gadsby, a small but mighty bakery in Gilbert. Stop in for a savory, flaky, buttery sausage roll, and you'll inevitably leave with a box full of goodies to enjoy later. This bakery has been serving a blend of British baked goods with a little French patisserie influence and a dash of American cooking since it opened in 2017. Popular items do sell out, so we recommend stopping in early, or placing an online order if you've got something really specific in mind. Otherwise, drop by and see what treats you might find in the case.

Best Pastries

JL Patisserie

Bahar Anooshahr

Whether you're seeking a fresh-baked flaky pastry on the go or want to sit down and savor it with a cup of coffee, JL Patisserie should be your go-to spot. It offers several varieties and even a few to take home and cook yourself. A croissant with smoked ham and Swiss cheese is the perfect way to ease into a Saturday morning. Or, finish off brunch or one of its weekend specials with the sweetness of a chocolate coconut pecan scone. Scottsdale is the flagship location, opening nearly a year before the central Phoenix spot took over the space of an ice cream shop in December 2019. The display case is filled with what seems like endless options — savory or sweet. And what French cafe is complete without an offering of macarons? JL Patisserie offers 13, from Earl Grey and rose lychee to more standard fare like strawberry, lemon and vanilla. Do yourself a favor and spend a morning exploring what this cafe has to offer.

Best Bread

Nice Buns

Chef-turned-baker Mark Bookhamer has crafted crispy, crackly baguettes, squeezable milk bread buns and more for chefs around town since 2021 under the name Nice Buns Bakery. Although he sells directly to restaurants, there's no need to fret about finding Bookhamer's breads. Made from local small-batch grains from Hayden Flour Mills, Bookhamer's baked goods are featured on menus around the Valley. You can sample his pretzels and sesame buns at Wren Sudhalle in Ahwatukee; try one of Underbelly Meat Co.'s rotating sandwiches on one of Bookhamer's buns, baguettes or ciabatta; or tuck into pan con tomate at wine bar Kid Sister. A thick slab of Bookhamer's country loaf soaks up its juicy, smoky, garlicky tomato topper. Follow the bakery on social media @nice_buns_bakery, where Bookhamer will often share the latest spots serving his carby delights.

Best Bagels

The Bagel Man

We're about 2,500 miles from New York City, where a good bagel is easy to find. Here in Phoenix, you have to drive past a staggering number of chain bagel shops and mediocre bakeries to find a bagel that's worth its salt (or garlic, or poppy seed). The Bagel Man in Ahwatukee is where we go for a truly excellent bagel. Owner Kal Salih opened his first bagel shop in New Jersey in 1994, and he's got the formula down pat: Use water filtered and softened to replicate East Coast H20, make the dough in-house, make them nice and big, then boil them to perfection. The results are massive bagels with a nice crisp exterior and a tender interior. You can get them in the form of a breakfast sandwich with egg, cheese and a selection of meats, but we like them best done simply: with just a schmear of cream cheese, allowing the bagel to be the star of our morning.

Best Cookies

Urban Cookies Bakeshop

Judy Nichols

You can smell the carbs as soon as you open the door to Urban Cookies, so take a deep whiff of baked goods as you walk inside the tiny retail store. There's just enough room to lean in for a closer look at the nearly dozen cookie options, which include a Prickly Pear Saguaro sugar cookie, because Arizona. These treats are not of the grocery store variety. They are sizable — with mere mortals needing both hands to hold on before taking a bite — and they are baked fresh every morning in both the Phoenix and Scottsdale stores. If your sweet tooth is more fixated on cupcakes, pick from among a dozen everyday flavors and occasional specials. This bakery also offers dessert bars, iced cookies and cakes. They've been curing sugar cravings since 2005.

Best Breakfast Sandwich

Berdena's

Lauren Cusimano

A popular, stylish Old Town Scottsdale coffee shop would seem the least likely place to find an excellent no-nonsense breakfast sandwich. This is a neighborhood that thrives on showy fluff, after all. But the breakfast sandwich at Berdena's is a stone cold killer that works so well because every element is handled with precision and care. Thick slices of ham get a little sizzle on the griddle, cheddar melts over a fried egg with a gorgeous lacy edge, a handful of crisp arugula joins a perfectly seasoned slice of tomato, and all of it is piled inside of a soft, eggy brioche bun. A subtle smear of chipotle aioli is as wild and crazy as this sandwich gets, but unlike so many of its more showy contemporaries, a little care and craftsmanship is what makes this sandwich pop.

Best Italian Ice

Joe's Italian Ice

Lauren Saria

Less might be more, but sometimes more isn't so bad. The polished commercial look and lengthy menu might scare off those who were raised on Italian ice served from a hole in the wall or a roadside stand, but Joe's is no bland corporate chain. This two-location indie spot produces its Philadelphia-style ices in-house from fresh whole fruit, and it shows. The strawberry ice is bright and fragrant, the banana cream ice actually tastes like a Cavendish and the sweet-tart Bada Bing Cherry is loaded with chunks of whole fruit. There's always one sugar-free flavor on the menu — nothing added, just the fruit's natural sugar — and ices are also available as a signature "Joelatti," with a dollop of soft serve ice cream on top and another hiding in the bottom of the cup. Pro tip: Dole Whip is the perfect mate for a fruit-based Italian ice.

Best Doughnuts

Dutch Donut Factory

While trendier doughnut shops often try to do more, changing up everything from the toppings to the dough, Dutch Donut Factory stays classic. On any given day, the Mesa shop has nearly 30 varieties available, from pillowy raised and glazed doughnuts to moist cake and old fashioned styles dressed up with coconut flakes or sprinkles. With doughnuts this good, simplicity is king. Upon browsing the case, you'll find every other delight you need for a truly satisfying pastry spread: tangy buttermilk bars, crisp, cinnamon-laced apple fritters and tender cinnamon rolls, as well as Texas-style kolaches, coffees and boba teas.

Best Ice Cream

Novel Ice Cream

If our waistlines allowed it, we'd eat ice cream every day, but alas, if we want to keep fitting into our jeans, it's an occasional treat. Not every scoop is worth the calorie splurge, but we never regret stopping at one of Novel Ice Cream's three Valley locations. We first became aware of Novel when we started seeing images on Instagram that made our mouth water: a bright blue schmear of ice cream sandwiched between a fresh sliced doughnut. It made for great content, but Novel's offerings aren't just pretty pictures. The local chain keeps eight flavors permanently on the menu (including the bright blue Cookie Monster and a decadent Bourbon Toffee Caramel Crunch) and rotates in four different ones each week. They're all creamy, made in-house and refreshing, and if you're dairy-free or just want something a little lighter, Novel does a bang-up job with fruit sorbets as well. Novel has newer locations in Mesa and Peoria, but we particularly love visiting its original home in a tiny historic building on Grand Avenue.

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