Ah, the egg tart. What is THE quintessential Chinese bakery sweet treat if not an egg tart? Alright, alright— there are LOTS of goodies to be discovered and devoured in the unassuming Chinese bakeries scattered around Chinatown, but egg tarts hold a special place in my heart.

I remember making these tarts at home with my mom and sister. We couldn’t be bothered to make that flaky crust from scratch so we used store-made shells, but I didn’t know the difference. I loved these tarts enough that even now, decades later, a simple waft of egg-tart perfumed bakery air can take me back.

The Best Egg Tarts in Manhattan Chinatown

Manhattan Chinatown has bakeries on seemingly every little alley, every street corner, and — oh, look behind you, you missed that one… let’s just say there are a lot of bakeries. But not all bakeries make good egg tarts, and stomach space is too valuable a resource to waste it on subpar tarts. Here’s where to go for the best tasting egg tarts in Manhattan Chinatown! As always, I’ll continue to update this list of egg tart must-visit spots as I continue my way food-crawling through Chinatown!

Harper’s Bread House

271 Grand St, New York, NY 10002

The Chinese name for Harper’s Bread House is literally “King of Egg Tarts.” It’s a bold name and at least part of the egg tart lives up to the hype.

If you prioritize the crust over the custard, come here for your egg tart dreams. These guys are nestled in an uber crispy, flakey, croissant-like shell and it’s just glorious. Look at the coloration and texture on that crust!

Pro tip: in addition to the usual Chinese bakery fare, Harper’s Bread House also has an assortment of onigiri. A bit out of character for a Chinese bakery, but I’ll take it.

Tai Pan Bakery

194 Canal St, New York, NY 10013

212-732-2222

Tai Pan Bakery is one of the larger bakeries in Manhattan Chinatown. Come here for Asian breads, a wide assortment of cakes by the slice or by the whole, and egg tarts! Tai Pan Bakery offers an array of egg tarts including regular, Portuguese style, egg white only, and sometimes more interesting flavors like papaya and matcha.

Tai Pan’s egg tarts are one of my favorite for crust texture— flakey but not too crunchy.

Another good thing about Tai Pan Bakery is that they continue to make their egg tarts throughout the day so you won’t be disappointed even if you stop by in the afternoon. This is heavily contrasted by it’s neighbor bakery around the corner…

Fay Da Bakery

83 Mott St, New York, NY 10013

212-791-3884

I’ve been turned away empty handed too many times from Fay Da Bakery so please learn from my mistake— if you want an egg tart from here, please come earlier in the day! They usually run out after lunchtime and don’t make any more throughout the day. They only make regular egg tarts, so go somewhere else for flavored or Portuguese style.

Fay Da Bakery offers a more extensive drink menu (think café beverages and bubble teas), Asian breads, cakes, and savory steamed buns.

Fay Da’s egg tarts are characterized by a more eggy custard and a denser (more cookie-like rather than croissant-like) crust.

Kamboat Bakery

111 Bowery, New York, NY 10002

212-274-1822

This may be the Goldilocks egg tart of Manhattan Chinatown. Crispy pastry crust filled with custard that’s not too sweet (and look at that volume), not too eggy, and not too bland. It reminds me of that wondrous egg tart from Philadelphia’s Mong Kok Station Bakery.

Make sure you venture to the back of Kam Boat Bakery and check out their savory hot food section. They have premade rice and noodle dishes which are surprisingly fresh and tasty, a few different congees, and poached Hainanese-style chicken!