Valerio's Tropical Bakeshop Chicago Menu

Tinapay

Everyday breads from the panaderya, baked in batches morning and afternoon.

• Pan de SalVegetarian · Popular pickSmall, lightly sweet rolls coated in fine breadcrumbs with a tender crumb; eaten warm for breakfast with butter, cheese, or coffee.
• Ube Cheese PandesalVegetarianPurple yam-flavored pan de sal with a molten pocket of cheese, sweet and salty with a vivid violet crumb.
• Spanish BreadVegetarianRolled bread filled with a sweet paste of butter, sugar, and breadcrumbs, coated in crumbs for a sandy bite.
• Pan de CocoVegetarianRound, pillowy bun filled with sweetened shredded coconut cooked in brown sugar, chewy and caramel-tinged.
• MonayVegetarianA dense, slightly sweet bread with a distinctive split down the middle, firm and filling, good with coffee or hot chocolate.
• EnsaymadaVegetarianCoiled brioche-like bun brushed with butter, coated in sugar, and topped with grated cheese; soft, rich, sweet, and salty.
• Cheese RollVegetarianSoft milk bread rolled around cheese and butter, then dusted with sugar, a sweet-cheesy merienda snack.

Cakes & Rolls

Chiffon-based cakes and rolls, frequently flavored with ube, mango, or mocha.

• Ube Macapuno CakeVegetarianUbe chiffon layered with sweet macapuno coconut strings and whipped cream, a bright purple centerpiece cake.
• Mango CakeVegetarianLight chiffon layers with mango-flavored whipped cream and fresh ripe mango slices, tropical, juicy, and fluffy.
• Ube RollVegetarian · Popular pickPurple yam chiffon rolled around ube halaya or buttercream, moist, vanilla-like, and earthy, with a striking violet swirl.
• MamonVegetarianIndividual Filipino chiffon cakes brushed with butter and sprinkled with sugar or cheese, airy and tender.
• PianonoVegetarianA thin chiffon sponge rolled with a buttery sugar filling or jam, soft and delicate, sliced into neat spirals.
• Brazo de MercedesVegetarian · Gluten-freeA roll of soft-baked meringue wrapped around rich egg-yolk custard, sweet, light, and creamy; a fiesta favorite.
• Sans RivalVegetarian · Contains nutsLayers of chewy cashew meringue and French buttercream, topped with chopped toasted cashews; sweet, nutty, and crunchy.
• SilvanasVegetarian · Contains nutsFrozen cookies of cashew meringue wafers sandwiched with buttercream and coated in crushed cookie crumbs, served chilled.

Kakanin

Native rice and root-crop cakes, steamed or baked, often sold in small trays or banana-leaf wraps.

• Maja BlancaVegetarian · Gluten-freeSmooth coconut milk pudding set with cornstarch and studded with sweet corn, topped with toasted coconut.
• Puto BumbongVegetarian · Gluten-freePurple rice steamed in bamboo tubes, topped with butter, muscovado sugar, and coconut; a holiday street classic.
• BibingkaVegetarian · Gluten-freeRice-flour cake baked in banana leaves, topped with salted egg and cheese, spongy and smoky; traditional at Christmas.
• PutoVegetarian · Gluten-freeSmall steamed rice cakes, fluffy and slightly sweet, often topped with a slice of cheese and served with savory dishes.
• KutsintaVegan · Dairy-freeBrown, chewy steamed rice cakes colored with annatto and served with grated coconut, slightly sticky and caramel-tinged.
• Sapin-SapinVegan · Dairy-freeLayered glutinous rice cake in purple, white, and yellow, with ube, coconut, and jackfruit flavors, sticky and chewy.
• BikoVegan · Dairy-freeSweet sticky rice simmered in coconut milk and brown sugar, topped with crunchy latik coconut curds.
• Cassava CakeVegetarian · Gluten-freeGrated cassava baked with coconut milk and condensed milk, with a dense, chewy body and caramelized custard topping.

Merienda Pastries & Snacks

Afternoon snack favorites, from flaky filled pastries to savory buns.

• Buko PieVegetarianYoung coconut pie with tender coconut strips in a creamy filling under a flaky double crust.
• PolvoronVegetarianPressed powdered-milk shortbread made with toasted flour, butter, and sugar, often flavored with pinipig, cookies and cream, or ube.
• HopiaVegetarianFlaky, round pastry filled with mung bean or ube paste, crumbly layers around a sweet, dense center.
• Siopao AsadoSavorySteamed white bun filled with sweet-savory braised pork, sometimes with a slice of salted egg.
• Filipino EmpanadaSavoryCrimped, baked or fried turnover filled with ground pork or chicken, potato, carrot, and raisins.
• TuronVegan · Dairy-freeBanana and jackfruit slices wrapped in spring roll wrappers, fried with caramelized brown sugar for a crackly, glassy shell.
• Egg PieVegetarianThick, custardy pie with a browned top skin in a short, crumbly crust, rich and lightly vanilla-scented.

Desserts

Sweets in cups and tubs for parties and family gatherings.

• Mango FloatVegetarianIcebox cake of graham crackers, sweetened cream, and ripe mango slices, chilled until soft and sliceable.
• Leche FlanVegetarian · Gluten-freeDense, silky custard made with egg yolks and condensed milk, glazed with dark caramel and richer than many other Latin flans.
• Ube HalayaVegetarian · Gluten-freePurple yam jam cooked down with coconut milk and butter, thick, earthy, and sweet, eaten by the spoonful.
• Halo-HaloVegetarian · SeasonalShaved ice layered with sweet beans, jellies, fruit, leche flan, ube, and evaporated milk, a hot-weather tradition.
• Buko PandanVegetarian · Gluten-freeYoung coconut strips and pandan jelly cubes folded into sweetened cream, chilled and grassy-fragrant; a party staple.

Drinks

• Vietnamese iced coffee (cà phê sữa đá)VegetarianDark-roast coffee dripped through a phin filter onto sweetened condensed milk, stirred and poured over ice; potent, chocolatey, and syrupy-sweet.
• Brown sugar boba milkVegetarianFresh milk streaked with caramelized brown sugar syrup and warm tapioca pearls, creating tiger-stripe patterns; no tea, just toffee-like sweetness.
• Sea salt coffeeVegetarianIced coffee topped with a lightly salted whipped cream layer, sipped through the foam; popularized by Taiwanese-style bakery cafés for its sweet-salty contrast.
• Matcha latteVegetarianStone-ground Japanese green tea whisked and poured into hot or iced milk; grassy, slightly bitter, and vivid green with a creamy finish.
• Hong Kong-style milk teaVegetarianRobust black tea blend strained through a cloth 'silk stocking' and mixed with evaporated milk for a smooth, strong, tannic cup.
• Thai iced teaVegetarianSpiced, bright-orange black tea sweetened with condensed milk and finished with a float of evaporated milk over crushed ice.