Best Egg Tarts in Hong Kong & Where To Find Them

Are you looking for the best egg tarts in Hong Kong? You’ll find them here. But what kind of egg tarts are you searching for?

You see, there are at least five different types of popular egg tarts in Hong Kong. These are the English custard tart, the Portuguese custard tart, the Macau Portuguese egg tart, the Chinese egg tart, and the Hong Kong egg tart.

To make things even more complicated, the Hong Kong egg tart can be made with puff pastry or shortcrust pastry, and it can be flavored with chocolate or green tea, to name just a couple options.

They are all delicious, but which are the best egg tarts in Hong Kong? That will depend on your personal preference, of course, but let’s take a look at all five of these types of egg tarts and what distinguishes each from the others.

Different flavors of Hong Kong egg tarts — Egg tarts in Hong Kong come in different flavors, like chocolate and green tea.

Different Types of Egg Tarts

Each of the five different egg tarts popular in Hong Kong has its own history, ingredient profile, and overall characteristics. Let’s see what they are.

English Custard Tart

Made according to traditional recipes, English custard tarts—also known as British custard tarts—have a dense, crumbly shortcrust pastry shell and a creamy, pale, yellow, milk custard filling made from eggs, sugar, milk, flour, and vanilla, with a sprinkling of nutmeg.

They are by far the largest of the five egg tarts so popular in Hong Kong. They are much bigger than the Hong Kong egg tart and measure at least 10 cm (about 4 inches) in diameter. They can also be made in a large pie dish.

English custard tarts are often enjoyed at room temperature as a sweet course after a meal or offered at afternoon tea time with a cup of English tea.

Portuguese Custard Tart

The Portuguese custard tart is inspired by a traditional dessert called Pasteis de Nata enjoyed in Portugal and former Portuguese colonies like Macau, located just across the water from Hong Kong.

The base of these tarts is a crunchy puff pastry made with butter, which gives the Portuguese treat a flaky crust and a rich flavor. The custard has a velvety texture and is made from cream, sugar, and egg yolks only (no egg whites). The golden surface of the tart has brown spots where the sweet custard has caramelized.

The Pasteis de Nata originated in Portugal at least 300 years ago, most likely at Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon. Their creation was an incredibly delicious example of the “waste not want not” ethos. Egg whites were long used as starch in doing the monastery’s laundry, so, as not to let the surplus of egg yolks go to waste, the monks created the Pasteis de Nata.

The traditional Pasteis de Nata is dusted with cinnamon and is still widely enjoyed in Portugal. The classic flaky pastry travelled around the world to the Portuguese colony of Macau on the Chinese mainland. In the 1940s, the tart made its way across the water to the islands of Hong Kong, where it gained popularity and can still be found today.

Macau Portuguese Egg Tart

In late 1989, Andrew Stow—a British pharmacist who had relocated to Macau—developed his unique recipe for an egg tart that would become famous not only in Macau but also in Hong Kong and throughout much of Asia. Stow based his creation on the Pasteis de Nata tarts he had fallen in love with during a trip to Portugal.

It is Stow’s version of a shortcrust pastry egg tart that quickly won enormous popularity and became the first to be known as a Macau egg tart. It is quite similar to the Portuguese original, but the Macau version has a firmer custard, a more pronounced caramelization, and a touch of egg flavor. It is now considered one of the classic egg tarts of the area.

Chinese Egg Tart

Known as daan tat in Cantonese, the Chinese egg tart is an adaption of the English custard tart introduced to Guangzhou China by the British in the 1920s. The Chinese egg tart can be made with Chinese puff pastry or with a biscuity, sweet shortcrust pastry. Like English custard tarts, it is also larger than the Hong Kong egg tarts.

Chinese tarts have a creamy egg custard filling made from whole eggs, evaporated milk, sugar, water, and vanilla, whereas English custard tarts use full cream milk custard (and sometimes custard powder).

The Chinese version of the custard tart was first introduced in a department store in Guangzhou in the 1920s to attract Western customers to stop in for a delicious treat and then do some shopping.

This Chinese egg tart has flaky layers of puff pastry made with two different types of dough. Originally, one was made with lard (pig fat), and one was made with water. Both the lard dough and water dough were rolled together to form a soft, multi-layered, flaky shell.

In later years, Cantonese chefs started using a pastry similar to the English shortcrust pastry pressed into a tart tin. Made from lard or shortening, flour, water, and eggs, it was quicker and easier to prepare than the original Chinese puff pastry.

Today, both kinds of pastry are used to make traditional egg tarts in Hong Kong and elsewhere in China.

Hong Kong Egg Tart

In the 1940s, the Chinese egg tart made its way to Hong Kong and another type of egg tart evolved. The Hong Kong egg tart is a smaller version of the Chinese tart, around 5 cm (2 inches) in diameter and approximately the same size as the Portuguese tart. The filling is made from whole eggs, sugar, evaporated milk, and vanilla.

Like the Chinese tart, the Hong Kong–style egg tart has a silky smooth, bright yellow custard with either a Chinese puff pastry shell made with lard or a biscuity shortcrust pastry.

The shortcrust pastry is similar to a sweet English shortcrust pie base and is sometimes flavored with chocolate, green tea, or bird's nest in Hong Kong. (Bird’s nest is a flavoring made of the saliva of actual birds—swiftlets to be exact. Fascinating—but we’re moving on.)

The best Hong Kong egg tarts melt in the mouth. They’re freshly baked and served warm from the oven. The custard filling has a shiny, golden-yellow surface and the delicate Chinese puff pastry base flakes and crumbles when you bite into it.

Portuguese Egg Tarts vs. Chinese Egg Tart

Chinese and Portuguese egg tarts are similar, but they look different and use different ingredients. The Portuguese tart filling has browned caramelized patches while the Chinese custard tart has a smooth, shiny yellow surface. The Portuguese tart is also smaller, about 5 cm in diameter, around half the size of the Chinese egg tart.

The rich custard of the Portuguese tart is made from egg yolks and cream while the Chinese egg tart has a lighter custard and uses half the number of eggs with egg whites, vanilla, and evaporated milk rather than cream.

The base is also different. Portuguese tarts have a flaky puff pastry shell made with butter while Chinese egg tarts use puff pastry made with lard or a shortcrust pastry made with flour, butter, eggs, and water.

The Chinese egg tart more closely resembles the traditional English custard tart than does the Portuguese version. Both are sweet, delicious, and full of calories.

Where To get the Best Egg Tarts in Hong Kong

Like the must-try street food of Hong Kong, egg tarts will be easily found during your visit to this fascinating part of China. They’ll be available in local Chinese bakeries, in traditional cha chaan teng (sort of a cross between diners and cafes), and dim sum restaurants.

However, the best egg tarts in Hong Kong and the most authentic Hong Kong egg tarts are found in the Old Town in the Central, Sai Ying Pun, Sheung Wan, and Wan Chai neighborhoods.

Although they were originally favored by wealthy British expats, the Hong Kong egg tarts today are popular with working-class people, and they have become a an anytime sweet treat or dessert enjoyed by everyone.

Like the Chinese version, the Hong Kong egg tart can be made with either Chinese puff pastry or shortcrust pastry, so you can choose your favorite base.

Tai Cheong Bakery

Tai Cheong Bakery is famous throughout Hong Kong for its long-beloved egg tarts, which it has been making since 1954. In fact, this bakery also claims to be the Hong Kong creator of the shortcrust pastry egg tart now popular throughout Hong Kong, although it now offers a puff pastry version as well.

Tai Cheong Bakery’s egg tarts were the favorite of Chris Patten, the last governor of Hong Kong before Great Britain returned the territory to Chinese control. The bakery continues to be considered by many to have the best Hong Kong style egg tarts in all of Hong Kong.

Although it has several locations, the original and flagship Tai Cheong Bakery is on Lyndhurst Terrace in Hong Kong Central.

Tai Cheong Bakery in Hong Kong — Some of the best egg tarts in Hong Kong come from Tai Cheong Bakery.

St. Lolan Bakery

Located on Queens Road West in the charming Sai Ying Pun district, St. Lolan Bakery has amazing Hong Kong egg tarts with exceptionally flaky crusts.

Catherine Bakery

Located in Sheung Wan (378 Queen's Rd C), Catherine Bakery sells very good freshly baked Hong Kong egg tarts with a shortcrust pastry and a shiny golden custard filling.

You pick out your own pastry items here with the provided tongs and then your items are rung up at the register. Just be aware that things might be a tiny bit of a challenge here: None of the signage is in English, English is not spoken, and you have to pay in cash.

King Bakery

King Bakery, on Lee Tung Avenue, Wan Chai, bakes a selection of authentic egg tarts and makes a point of always serving them warm and fresh. No tray of egg tarts sits out for more than 40 minutes before a new warm tray of fresh tarts takes its place.

You can find Hong Kong–style egg tarts here made with both Chinese puff pastry and crunchy shortcrust pastry. King also sells Portuguese tarts with a crisp puff pastry base and caramelized custard center.

In this more upmarket area, the Hong Kong tarts are more expensive than at many other venues, at HK$10 (US $1.30) each.

Queen Sophie

Located in Kowloon City, Queen Sophie is another highly respected option for Hong Kong–style egg tarts. They also offer dozens of other pastries that come out of the oven fresh and hot all day, every day.

Bakehouse

Bakehouse in Wan Chai is a now-famous bakery that was founded by famed Swiss pastry chef Grégoire Michaud. In making his renowned baked goods, Chef Michaud eschews local flour for imported French flour and bypasses French butter for butter made in New Zealand. But what makes Bakehouse truly unique is that they use sourdough to make their signature egg tarts.

Bakehouse’s little sourdough egg tarts are all the rage, drawing crowds willing to wait in long queues to luxuriate in the incredibly creamy short crust pastry wonders. As a result, Bakehouse has sold over 21 million of their delicious egg tarts since opening in 2013.

Today’s 5 Bakehouse locations are considered to be among the top dessert places in Hong Kong.

Other Options

On the Kowloon side of the Harbor, around Nathan Road, the side streets are full of food shops selling egg tarts. So, if you’re shopping in Mong Kok at the markets, roll the dice at one of these sellers and treat yourself to a tasty sweet snack.

Eggtarts in Macau

The Macau-style Portuguese egg tart is served warm and can be found in Macau’s Old Town. Plenty of shops and stalls on the Rua de Sao Paulo, a cobblestoned laneway in front of the famous ruins of St Paul’s, sell Portuguese egg tarts in the center of the Old Town.

Lord Stow's Bakery

You can find the original Macau egg tart at Lord Stow's Bakery in Coloane Village in Macau. This is Stow’s original bakery at which the first Macau egg tart was created. Stop by to get one of its descendants and see what all the fuss is about.

Margaret’s Café e Nata

Another excellent choice is Margaret’s Café e Nata. The shop is run by Margaret Wong, Lord Stow’s wife at the time he invented the Macau egg tart. It is Margaret’s recipe for Macau egg tart that is the basis for the Macau egg tart version now sold by KFC.

What’s the Best Way To Enjoy the Best Egg Tarts in Hong Kong?

No matter whether you’re looking for the best puff pastry egg tart or short crust egg tart, whether they’re English, Portuguese, Macau, Chinese, or Hong Kong versions, the best way to enjoy Hong Kong’s best egg tarts is to make sure that they are freshly out of the oven and comfortingly warm. There is truly nothing like warm egg tarts! Pair them with a cup of Hong Kong milk tea.

All of Hong Kong’s amazing egg tarts are a delicious treat and well worth enjoying when you’re visiting Hong Kong and Macau. Each of them are like a kiss from heaven: sweet, rich, and decadently delicious—yet absolutely worth every calorie.

What are the most popular Hong Kong desserts besides egg tarts?

Perhaps not as well known as the famous desserts of Paris, the pastries of France, or Italy’s delectable pastries, there is a thriving dessert culture in Hong Kong. So, if you have a sweet tooth, rest assured that you’ll never be far from being able to indulge it during your visit.

Besides egg tarts, popular Hong Kong desserts include pineapple buns, wife biscuits or wife cakes, and cocktail buns, in addition to a variety of puddings and sweet soups.

But just as I can’t imagine exploring the food of Shanghai without trying xia long bao, diving into the best Beijing street foods without getting full on baozi and jiaozi, or navigating the tastiest street eats of Taipei without indulging in oyster omelettes, I can’t imagine being in Hong Kong without getting my fill of egg tarts.

So, whether or not you have a chance to sample any of the other Hong Kong dessert treats, please make time to enjoy some of each sort of the city’s egg tarts during your stay. Doing so is a wonderful way to engage in a delicious indulgence beloved by the locals and to decide for yourself which is your favorite.

I hope this Hong Kong Guide to Egg Tarts help you find what you’re looking for!