Phoenix Bakery has fed Chinatown for generations

Phoenix Bakery sits on North Broadway in Chinatown and has been there long enough that plenty of Angelenos can point to a childhood birthday cake that came from this counter. A 4.7 across more than 1,300 reviews tells you this is not a place people stumble into once and forget.

The specialties are birthday cakes and Chinese pastries. The sticky sugar butterflies are what most people mention first, and if you have never had one, that is reason enough to stop in. Prices are low, takeout is the move, and the operation is straightforward in the way that places with real regulars tend to be.

If you grew up in or near Chinatown, you probably already know Phoenix Bakery. If you did not, it is the kind of neighborhood shop that reminds you why some places outlast everything around them.