Welcome to Where in the World Can We Eat in San Diego! Each month, we’ll be trying food from a different country or place, going in alphabetical order by the beginning letter.

Before we move onto the letter D, let’s do one more for letter C! C is for China, and I visited Chinese Canton Bakery in National City.

Chinese Canton Bakery

What we ordered:

Notes:

• Ooh, everything was still warm when they handed me the box.
• I realize that this spot has been an enduring staple in the community for 35+ years (and for good reason) … but as a non-native San Diegan, I’m way late to discover the classics everyone’s been eating since childhood. Chinese Canton Bakery’s baked bao was included in a goodie bag at an event I attended two months ago, and I was like, “FROM WHENCE DOES THIS HEAVENLY THING ORIGINATE?? I MUST KNOW.”
• They are limited to Saturdays and Sundays from 10-4. They do have some stock for walk-up, but it’s a good idea to order and pay ahead on their website.

What we would order next time:

A giant box of baked char siu bao. This is not to say that the other items aren’t good; it’s just that the baked pork bun is SUCH a standout.

Restaurant information:

Address: 1132 E Plaza Boulevard Ste 204, National City, California 91950
Phone number: 619-474-7358
E-mail: bunz@chinesecantonbakery.com 
Accepts credit cards? Yes
Parking: Large shared lot
Available vegetarian options: Coconut bread, cream cheese rolls, cakes