St. Barbra Pinoy Bakery - Portland

It started out on a hunt for Halo Halo. It led my husband and I to this cute gem of Philippines bakery shop. We were visiting the nearby Art Museum and wanted a treat for Halo Halo in the abnormally cold Portland weather.My husband called the shop and ended up talking to the owner/baker. Just to let you guys know they are closed on Sunday. But the owner was so nice that he told us to stop by anyway.While being there we sampled their chicken and beef empanada, halo halo and chocolate mochi muffin. Empanandas are like small hand pies filled with different kinds of meats. I think they can be super delicious if we would have reheated in an oven. The halo halo (as we were told by the owner means mix mix) was good. The owner was super friendly and nice. He taught us that the way to enjoy a halo halo is to first eat the ice cream, then mix the filling and ice well before eating it. We have been doing all wrong for so long : )The chocolate mochi muffin had an interesting texture. It was sprinkled with some taro powder on top. It was not too sweet and it was definitely unique. I highly recommend this bakery and would definitely go back again when they are open. Parking could be limited and you would need to pay for street parking around the shop.

It started out on a hunt for Halo Halo. It led my husband and I to this cute gem of Philippines bakery shop. We were visiting the nearby Art Museum and wanted a treat for Halo Halo in the abnormally cold Portland weather.My husband called the shop and ended up talking to the owner/baker. Just to let you guys know they are closed on Sunday. But the owner was so nice that he told us to stop by anyway.While being there we sampled their chicken and beef empanada, halo halo and chocolate mochi muffin. Empanandas are like small hand pies filled with different kinds of meats. I think they can be super delicious if we would have reheated in an oven. The halo halo (as we were told by the owner means mix mix) was good. The owner was super friendly and nice. He taught us that the way to enjoy a halo halo is to first eat the ice cream, then mix the filling and ice well before eating it. We have been doing all wrong for so long : )The chocolate mochi muffin had an interesting texture. It was sprinkled with some taro powder on top. It was not too sweet and it was definitely unique. I highly recommend this bakery and would definitely go back again when they are open. Parking could be limited and you would need to pay for street parking around the shop.

A little bit outside the PSU area (use mapping app to avoid lost) is this tiny bakery-let. Specializing in baked goods from the Philippines, they also have on their menu fav Filipino dishes like adobo and pancit. We stuck with a halo halo (famous sweet crushed ice, fruit, ice cream concoction), a couple of meat-filled empanadas, and an ube- flavored cake.The halo halo was mildly sweetened with evaporated milk and very tasty. The empanadas about the size of a turnover or small pasty, were stuffed with lots of meat and veggies. Chicken was better than beef.I'd give 6 stars for service if I could. The shop was closed on the sunday we visited but the owner/Baker invited us in so we could sample what he had available. He was enthusiastic about his cuisine and told us he supplies local grocery stores with his products. If you like Asian/Chinese bakery, you'll like Pinoy bakery (not overly sweet). We will be back to try more of their ube-flavored goods.

I've been wanting to come for so long. Truly an exceptional bakery. You can't leave without an Uber mochi and ensaymada. You may look at the cheese with skepticism, but let me assure you you want this. The cheese doesn't have an overt flavor by any means. It just blends in with the very rich, delicious butter that's on top of the sweet bun and result is an extra extra rich buttery flavor. There were so many things I wanted to try that were on the whiteboard but not available. We were able to score some chicken adobo which at first seemed a little dry on first viewing but in taste it was delicious and very juicy. The sauce or gravy had just seeped all the way into the rice at the bottom and had to be mixed up very thoroughly. I wish I had gotten five or six or a dozen of the ube mochis because I swear I could have eaten them all. They're so bouncy. So sweet. Almost floral and light and airy like a beautiful purple pillow .We came here right before we went to the PSU food carts to get lunch for our train ride home and it was the perfect compliment for a fantastic Asian feast. That was the envy of all who were on the train near us. Next time I will definitely go with the recommended ube rolls and maybe one of the other lunch specials.

Everything here is delicious no joke! I especially love their ube pastries and their Filipino themed cheesecakes. Legit Filipino cuisine. Would definitely recommend!Food: 5/5