Fay Da Bakery

Han Chou’s steel-accented bakeshop has been a Chinatown staple since 1991, growing from a humble local bakery into a chain with 14 stores throughout Manhattan, Queens, Connecticut and Chengdu, China. And the crowds haven’t waned one bit—sweets seekers line up, tongs in hand, before an amber-lit display of sugary buns, fresh bulk bread and Western-style pastries. There are American touches, like a chocolate-walnut swirl and pullman loaf—the baker who taught Chow learned from a U.S. soldier during World War II—but the Asian goods are the real draw. Petite wonders include the taro puff, a purple, spiraled orb of moist, mashed root vegetable in a whisper-thin crust; and the mango mochi a chewy, Turkish delight—like rice-flour treat teeming with orange liqueur and fresh mango bits and juice.