THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO THE BEST MOONCAKES IN LOS ANGELES
The Mid-Autumn Festival, or Moon Festival, is traditionally celebrated across East and Southeast Asia in China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, and Taiwan. The holiday is rooted in the legend of the Chinese moon goddess who ascended to the moon after swallowing an elixir of immortality and was honored by her husband with offerings of fruits and cakes during the 15th day of the eighth month of the Chinese Lunar calendar.
This year, the festival falls on September 17, 2024, and is recognized throughout the Southland in Asian communities like Chinatown and the San Gabriel Valley by gathering with family, lighting lanterns, gazing at the moon, and eating mooncakes. The pastries’ round shape symbolizes the full moon and family unity, while the tradition of gifting mooncakes to family, friends, and business associates represents togetherness.
Squat and square mooncakes, often imprinted with ornate designs and Chinese characters, are typically filled with lotus seed paste, red bean paste, and salted duck egg yolks. While Cantonese-style mooncakes are the most common, other regional variations include Taiwanese mooncakes prepared with taro or pineapple fillings and Vietnamese bánh trung thu that contain sweetened mung bean, coconut, or durian. Local bakeries also offer innovative mooncakes that are filled with chocolate or ice cream, or swathed in mochi-like snow skins to appeal to younger palates and generations. Here’s where to procure the best mooncakes in Los Angeles.
Aliya Lavaland - Monterey Park
Aliya Lavaland, a Thai-owned mom-and-pop shop in Monterey Park, bakes Thai-Chinese fusion mooncakes year-round using French techniques. The signature lava mooncake is made with mung beans with a salted egg yolk center, while the taro lava mooncake features coconut milk and taro. The bakery also offers flaky-crusted mini mooncakes without a lava center. Tangerine-shaped mooncakes symbolizing good luck are only available during the Mid-Autumn Festival. 141 N. Atlantic Boulevard, Monterey Park, CA 91754.
Anita Bakery - Sierra Madre
Baker Anita Chow prepares baked goods for the health-conscious and those with dietary restrictions at Anita Bakery in Sierra Madre. Two styles of Cantonese-style mooncakes are available for the holiday: custard and lava custard. Both are made to order with salted egg yolks and feature a balanced sweet and salty flavor profile. 66 E. Montecito Avenue, Sierra Madre, CA 91024, (626) 313-8816.
The Buttery - Fountain Valley
The Buttery in Fountain Valley prepares standout Vietnamese mooncakes for the holiday. More savory than traditional versions, the mooncakes here are filled with a paste made from 20 different ingredients, including lime leaves, smoked meats, lotus seeds, and wine and sugar syrup, and aged for six months. The flavor lineup also includes bird’s nest and abalone with two salted eggs, assorted mixed nuts with roasted chicken, and mushrooms with five nuts. 9430 Warner Avenue, D, Fountain Valley, CA 92708
Dōmi - Arts District
Founded by former fine dining pastry chefs, Evelyn Ling and Joe Cheng Reed, Dōmi offers a modern twist on traditional mooncakes with a milky shortbread crust. This year’s flavors include black sesame, red bean, lotus, and jujube. Dōmi also offers moon cookies — shortbread crusts stamped into various designs to provide a mooncake-esque experience without any filling. The holiday treats are available for local pickup in the Arts District; at the Temple City, Hollywood, and Mar Vista farmers markets; or for nationwide shipping. 672 S. Santa Fe Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90020, and at Temple City, Mar Vista, and Hollywood farmers markets.
Domie’s Bakery - Rosemead
Old-school Cantonese bakery Domie’s values tradition — it prepares over 45 mooncake variations for the holiday, some with up to five salted egg yolks inside. The wide range of fillings includes white lotus seeds, coconut, mixed nuts and ham, taro paste, orange peel with red bean, and black sesame. Customers can purchase mooncakes individually or as a set intended for gifting. 7609 Garvey Avenue, Rosemead, CA 91770, (626) 280-3085.
Kee Wah Bakery - multiple locations
Kee Wah’s mooncakes come straight from Hong Kong. Find traditional renditions made with mung bean and white lotus paste, along with modern options like mini mooncakes piped with custard or chocolate, as well as green tea, Earl Grey, and caramel sea salt coffee custard flavors. The bakery’s packaging features cutesy pandas or an emperor theme. Multiple locations throughout San Gabriel Valley.
Kim Hung Bakery - Chinatown
Kim Hung Bakery, a staple in Los Angeles’s historic Chinatown for nearly 25 years, offers Vietnamese, Cantonese, and harder-to-find Chiu Chow-style mooncakes. The Vietnamese versions use mung bean and durian fillings with salted egg yolks, while the Cantonese options include red bean, winter melon, lotus, and white lotus paste. The Chiu Chow-style mooncakes with a flaky exterior can be purchased individually or in a set. 959 N. Broadway, Los Angeles, 90012, (213) 620-9815.
Lady M - multiple locations
Lady M infuses a touch of luxury with its limited-edition mooncakes. The sumptuously packaged gift sets feature mooncakes inspired by Lady M’s best-selling mille crepe cakes in flavors like Earl Grey, black sesame, passionfruit, and matcha-chocolate custard. Each set comes with a lantern that lights up with illustrations and a Jade Rabbit projection. 400 S. Baldwin Avenue, Unit E21, Arcadia, CA 91007; 1947 Sawtelle Boulevard, Suite A, Los Angeles, CA 90025; 2967 Michelson Drive, Irvine, CA 92612.
Phoenix Bakery - Chinatown
The 86-year-old Phoenix Bakery is a family-owned and operated institution in Chinatown. Although best known for its layered strawberry cakes and various Cantonese baked goods, the bakery shifts to baking Cantonese-style mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival. On hand are red bean- and lotus-paste-filled mooncakes with one or two salted egg yolks, as well as mini mooncakes and options without any yolks. 969 N. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90012, (213) 628-4642.
Royal Bakery - Rosemead
The no-frills Royal Bakery in Rosemead is known for its Vietnamese-style mooncakes, which are available in baked and snow-skin varieties. Dense fillings of mashed mung bean or taro, along with mixed nuts and cured meat, make for hearty sweets best paired with hot tea. The mooncakes are sold individually and in boxes of four for gifting. 8450 Valley Boulevard #117, Rosemead, CA 91770, (626) 288-8302.
Sunmerry - multiple locations
Modern Taiwanese bakery Sunmerry is offering limited-edition mooncakes in nine different flavors, including a lava series (chocolate, oolong matcha, ube milk, milk tea, mocha coffee), a Cantonese series with lotus seed and red bean, and one with red bean and salted egg yolk. The mooncakes are sold individually or as a sharply packaged gift set. Multiple locations throughout Los Angeles.
Sunny Dumplings - multiple locations
Known for its handmade Shanghainese steamed buns, Sunny Dumplings offers Shanghainese mooncakes for the Mid-Autumn Festival. These mooncakes have a golden, flaky, and slightly crispy crust, achieved by layering dough with lard, similar to puff pastry. The traditional pork filling offers a savory contrast to the delicate crust. 18481 Colima Road, Rowland Heights, CA 91748, (626) 839-8288; 310 N. Lemon Avenue, Walnut, CA 91789, (909) 444-0806; 24602 Raymond Way, H, Lake Forest, CA 92630, (949) 446-8838.
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