Gemmae Bake Shop - Long Beach

For those interested in enjoying hot (non-baked) food, here’s some helpful information: Breakfast items are available starting at 6:30 AM, and they begin rolling out lunch items between 9 AM and 10 AM, allowing for a mix of both menus. By 10 AM, all lunch options are fully available, but be aware that they start to sell out by 11 AM. Overall, the food was a delightful surprise. I’m not very familiar with Filipino cuisine and didn’t catch the names of all the dishes, but the Machad, Adobo, and Kare Kare were all excellent and paired perfectly with plain white rice. My only complaint is that the food was quite oily; some dishes were swimming in oil, which we had to drain before eating. However, this was similar to my experience in the Philippines, so it may be considered authentic. Regardless, I definitely plan to come back and try more dishes!

The coconut jackfruit rice pudding has a wonderful flavor and texture. The restaurant was clean, and the service was excellent.

This ube cheese pandesal is absolutely delicious! I can't stop eating them. Update: They’ve crafted the best ice cream sandwich. This is a must-try!

The biggest letdown was the lack of authentic ube flavor in any of the items. Despite their bright purple appearance, none of the treats delivered the ube taste I was looking for. Additionally, the ube macapuno ensaymada had unexpected shreds of coconut jelly that did not taste good at all. On a positive note, the bakery had a pleasant atmosphere and the staff were friendly. However, when it comes to flavor, it just didn’t measure up. With all the excitement surrounding ube-themed treats, I had higher hopes for this bakery. Sadly, I left feeling disappointed and as though I wasted my money on items that didn’t live up to their promises. If you're in search of true ube flavor, I would recommend seeking out other establishments instead of Gemmae Bake Shop.

Although we don’t live nearby, we placed an order all the way from Georgia! We first tried the Pandesal from a local store in Florida while on vacation, and we were amazed by how delicious they were! When we discovered that they offered shipping, we placed an order immediately. We encountered a minor issue with shipping and reached out to the bake shop for assistance. We were truly impressed by their outstanding customer service and how accommodating they were! We only wish there was a store near us that carried their baked goods, but we are incredibly grateful that they ship nationwide! We will definitely be recommending their bake shop to all our family and friends across the US!