Best egg tarts: Where to find Hong Kong-style and Portuguese egg custard goodness

Just the sight of egg tarts is usually enough to get our mouths watering instantly. A glistening circlet of golden custard, nestled within a crisp, buttery crust – what’s not to love?

Whether you like yours Portuguese or Hong Kong -style, encased in shortcrust or flaky puff pastry, we can all agree they’re worth travelling and even queueing for. Sink your teeth right in with our shortlist of the best egg tarts in Singapore.

Tong Heng

How many bakeries in Singapore can boast an 86-year-old heritage? Now helmed by the fourth-generation owners, this family bakery’s Cantonese pastries have been savored by many Singaporeans since childhood.

Priced at $2, their distinctive diamond-shaped egg tarts have stayed affordable over the years, and the taste of nostalgia has hardly changed too – think a thin, buttery pastry cradling a smooth, silky egg custard. We also have a soft spot for their Coconut Egg Tart ($2.20) topped with fresh coconut shreds.

Tong Heng has outlets in 285 South Bridge Rd, Singapore 058833, and 1 Jurong West Central 2, Jurong Point, Singapore 648886.

Joy Luck Teahouse

Joy Luck Teahouse’s first branch in ION Orchard last year drew snaking queues, and the eight-outlet-strong cha chaan teng is now well on its way to conquering Singapore with HK pastry goodness.

The star of the show here is undoubtedly the egg tarts ($2.30 per piece), crafted to the recipe of Kowloon City bakery Hoover Cake Shop. Whether you pick the butter cookie base or the crackly puff pastry, you can count on a delightfully creamy egg custard. Want to luxe things up?

Get the Collagen Egg Tart ($2.80 per piece) packed with Korean fish collagen, or the 22 Carat French Gold Flakes Egg Tart ($6 per piece) glittering with gold flecks.

Joy Luck Teahouse has outlets in ION Orchard, Bugis Junction, Causeway Point, Chinatown, Parkway Parade, Sun Plaza, Junction 8, and Plaza Singapura. For more location info, see here.

Qinde Egg Tart & Pastries

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Tucked away in Whampoa Food Centre is a Portuguese egg tart gem. Qinde Egg Tart is the brainchild of a former engineer, who spent over a decade in Yunnan selling yoghurt alongside Portuguese egg tarts from a recipe created by his wife.

Bite into one of these handmade tarts (S$1.50 per piece) and your teeth will crackle through crisp, delicate layers of puff pastry, before meeting an oozy custard with a satisfyingly caramelised top.

Qinde Egg Tart & Pastries is located at Blk 90 Whampoa Dr, #01-42, Singapore 320090, p. +65 9058 7398. Open Mon-Thurs 10.30am–6.30pm, Fri 12pm–7pm, Sat-Sun 10am–7pm.

Barcook Bakery

Besides pillowy buns crafted with Kobe flour, beloved chain Barcook whips up an incredible German Pudding. This traditional delight clocks in at more than double the height of your usual egg tart, with a milky, velvety curd made of egg and cream cheese.

A fabulously thick and crumbly wholemeal crust completes the hearty creation. For something more familiar, the Barcook Egg Tarts are back by popular demand for a limited time too. Thanks to the use of whipping cream, their custard rendition turns out featherlight – perfect for inhaling in one breath.

Barcook Bakery has 11 outlets across Singapore. For more location info, see here.

Leung Sang Hong Kong Pastries

This longstanding bakery may have recently launched a new flagship with a modern makeover in Bugis, but their bakes remain as old-school as ever. Their well-known Egg Tarts ($1.80 per piece) come in both Western-style cookie and Hong Kong-style pastry skins.

If you like your shortcrust, you’ll appreciate how thick and buttery the base is. Otherwise, the flaky pastry allows the eggy, not-too-sweet goodness of the custard centre to shine.

Leung Sang Hong Kong Pastries has outlets in 18 Jln Membina, #01-06, Singapore 164018, 2 Trengganu Street, #01-01 G2 , Singapore 058456, and 247 Victoria Street, Singapore 188469.

So Good Bakery

The name might be eyebrow-raising, but this cha chaan teng lives up to its name with generously-sized egg tarts at $1.80 a pop.

While the flaky Hong Kong-style base is painstakingly folded in crackly, dainty layers, there’s also the larger cookie crust that fills your whole palm with buttery richness. Other Hong Kong staples to sink your teeth into here are the fluffy bolo buns and the condensed milk buns.

So Good Bakery has outlets in 100 Tras St, #01-10 & 14A, Singapore 079027; 9 Raffles Pl, Republic Plaza #01-12, Singapore 048619; and 111 Somerset Rd, #01-17, Singapore 238164.

Mother-In-Law Egg Tart

A recently launched bakery in Clarke Quay, Mother-In-Law specializes in Portuguese egg tarts, each with a flaky crust and a perfectly caramelised top. The Signature Egg Tart ($4 for two) keeps it classic with an eggy vanilla custard, but they sure aren’t shy about getting funky with their flavours – they’ve dreamed up everything from chicken rendang to lychee champagne.

If you’re a tea lover, the Earl Grey Black Tea ($6.60 for two) makes a lovely teatime treat with egg custard lightly infused with black tea, and topped with an edible autumn leaf.

Mother-in-Law Egg Tart is located at 2 Havelock Road, Havelock 2, #B1-24, Singapore 059763, p. +65 8383 8460. Open Mon-Fri 10.30am–4.30pm, Sat 11am–2pm. Closed Sun.

Hong Kong Flaky Lotus

Hong Kong Flaky Lotus is the labour of love of a pair of siblings, Ronald and Iris. Their bakery aims to serve up an authentic slice of Hong Kong, thanks to heritage recipes passed on by a family friend in the country.

There’s no missing out on their Egg Tart ($1.30), which features a flaky crust supporting a light, wobbly custard. Besides this, you’ll also find fun creations like salted egg bolo buns and chicken floss rolls.

Hong Kong Flaky Lotus has outlets in 438B Alexandra Rd, Alexandra Technopark #01-11, Singapore 119968, and 8 Marina View, Asia Square Tower 1 #02-18/19, Singapore 018960.

This article was first published in City Nomads.