Chiu Quon Bakery is the oldest Chinese bakery in Chicago. I absolutely adore coming here right when it opens and devouring their sweet and savory buns and steamed dumplings.

The family-owned business opened in 1986 — starting in Uptown, and now has another location in Chicago’s Chinatown. It was founded by Pui Yip and Cora Chiu and is now run by their daughter, Joyce Chiu and her husband, William Chan.

Chiu Quon bakes buns and other Chinese treats fresh daily. Fan favorites include Portuguese egg tarts, moon cakes and BBQ pork buns. The latter is made with pork that marinates for multiple days and hand rolled into the dough — the result is soft, chewy and absolutely delicious.

They also have egg custard buns, coconut buns, peanut cookies, plain steamed buns, and dumplings. You could easily come here and try something new each time! Inside the shop, rows of these tasty options await, sitting teasingly behind a glass case. I’m always tempted to try at least 3 things when I visit.

Note that they are cash-only — luckily, almost everything is under $5.