First US Location of Japanese Cheese Tart Chain Opens This Week in the Mall

To the list of the Westfield Centre’s many treats like Cako cupcakes and Beard Papa cream puffs, get ready to add a new specialty from Hokkaido, Japan: BAKE Cheese Tart. A location of the dairy-based sweets purveyor opens on the concourse level of the Westfield this Friday, May 4. It’s tucked in a 572-square foot space beside Sur La Table and near the BART entrance inside the mall at 845 Market Street.

BAKES’s flagship product, a pastry crust filled a cheese mousse baked until golden brown, is made from a three cream cheese blend. It’s got a “well-balanced creaminess and refreshing tartness” according to promotional materials on the brand’s website. The crust is a special flour blend that’s baked twice, once before the addition of the mousse. In the US, each tart will go for $3.75, and they’re available individually or by the box full.

Though BAKE operates more than 20 locations in Japan, with others in Korea, China, and Vietnam, The Westfield outpost is the brand’s first foray into the US Market. To celebrate the occasion, they’ve collaborated with local chocolatier Dandelion Chocolate to create a chocolate BAKE cheese tart, available in limited supplies.

Starting Friday, BAKE’s SF hours will be 12 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

• Bake Cheese Tart [Official]