[edit by mod, Warning: Possible spoilers]
this is a good example of a manga that defies easy classification in the west, and why the west's definitions are hosed, and we should just adopt japanese terminology. because this is clearly BL, but not shounen-ai, nor yaoi. there is no airy-fairy platonic love with at most a chaste kiss and "i've always liked you" between young boys, which characterizes shounen-ai. instead there is an adult, out, sexually active gay character -- but yaoi-lovers get to see no sex, and romance lovers don't get to see him fulfilled with the person with whom one would normally expect him to end up. don't read this story for the romance, unless you're fine with unrequited love all-around that does not get neatly resolved. no, even then, don't read it for the romance. it's not all that romantic. read it for yoshinaga-sensei's fine storytelling abilities and her sense of humour. these characters feel like real people, they have depth.

If you're a food-lover or a lover of shounen ai, this manga's for you. Beautifully illustrated desserts and beautifully drawn men are both plentiful in this story. But it isn't just a superficial charm -- there are depths to these men that are explored with each consecutive volume. Secrets, failed romances and hidden hopes are all brought to light as our patissiers bumble their way through life.

The only reason I'm not giving this manga a 9 or a 10 is because the romantic tension built up throughout the series isn't clearly resolved at the end. In my opinion, Yoshinaga-sensei should do a sequel, in which Tachibana finally gets his head out of his ass and admits his feelings to himself. It would also be good to follow Chikage and Kanda as they pursue their goals.

This is a really great story. Light, funny and enjoyable to read. The diverse character personalities are the best! I really wish there was more. I could have kept on reading and reading. Not your typical BL story at all.

While I wouldn't exactly say that this series completely qualifies as "slice of life," I will admit that I kind of enjoyed this one. The only thing that I didn't like about this series was that so many things were left unresolved in the end. Even if the mangaka was going for the whole open ended thing, I still think that some issues could have been worked out a little better in the end of this one.

Also, for the comment:

...Are all real-life gay men like that? If so, then maybe I finally understand why they're so hated...

Um...you do realize that this is not real life, right? But if we're using this manga as source of reference here, then the same question could be asked about straight people if you look at every playboy that exists in various types of manga on the market. One character (from a manga, no less) couldn't possibly be representative of an entire group of people. That's a rather bold--if not completely silly--assumption to make.

... Last updated on December 5th, 2012, 6:59am

Talk about delicious and mouth-watering! A nice-paced slice-of-life with sprinklings of comedy. If the wonderful story construction and engaging characters don't warm your heart, the cakes and desserts will definitely whet your appetite. This manga is Yoshinaga Fuyumi at her best, and it deservedly won the 26th Kodansha Award.

Now if only recipes for each dessert featured throughout the manga were made available...

... Last updated on January 4th, 2009, 11:22pm

...but it feels unfinished. it stops at an okay place, but i for one would like to see more of the storylines resolved. but i guess that's what makes it "slice of life."

edit: dunno if i should put this here (a manga site), but the korean live-action movie version is absolutely delicious. i bumped up my rating (just a tiny bit) solely for that reason

... Last updated on May 8th, 2009, 12:31am

If you love reading a manga that sucks you right in and won't let you stop reading, this is for you. The interactions between the characters are unique and there are a lot of things to laugh and cry (happily) about. It's really great!

... Last updated on June 15th, 2010, 1:07am

I loved this manga! It wasn't really Yaoi ( I thought it was thats why I picked it up.) But it was great! I enjoyed to the end! Beautiful art, lovable characters, and great story plot. Fumi sensei did again! I would love it she was to do a sequel but I'm so far enjoying the doushi that have been done.

My first encounter with Yoshinaga Fumi was via this wonderful serie. I had never been big fan of yaoi genre. It's not like I hate homosexuals, I am bi myself so I do not have problem with those stuff at all. But I am not the kind of person who loves sweet and romantic stories. It's not my cup of tea. And that's why I found yaoi genre for long time very boring and stereotypical. I even called it harlequins romance novels for low self-consciousness girls.

Than one day at 2010 I made shopping at eBay page and got one more manga as gift for big order. It was DMP English tranlation of Antique Bakery vol. 1 I was bit nerves about it when I found at database what genre of manga it is. (Kind of ironic now because the yaoi tag is gone and people call it only shoujo). But I gave it chance and I was big suprised. It was completly different from all of those sweet stories like Junjou Romantica.

I started reading Yoshinaga-sensei stories even those where is lot of sex and I found her style very pleasant. The drawing is not so perfect but you can easy recognize her work because of it. Now I am collecting her manga and trying to tell people about her works but unfortunately most of true yaoi fangirls hate it.

I like about Antique Bakery that refreshing humor, adult characters and non love cliché. My favorite character is Tachibana because he hate sweets like me. And the ending of this serie was really best. I still have it in my memory even after all these years.

somehow this manga was really a good read, and i actually didn't stop until i finished it. and i was right to do so.
and yet, i have this kind of feeling of being really unsatisfied!!! i don't know how to explain it.the ending was good, and it ended at the right place too. but it was kind of cut off. we finally get to understand about the characters, and why are they this way, and then it ends. and you don't get to see any progress on the main couple, and you can't even picture it either. because truthfully even after finishing i don't know if they will ever be together.
i gave it a 9 because it was actually very good and i couldn't leave until i finished reading, but i still couldn't give it a 10 because of mine unsatisfied feelings........