A continuation of my effort to eat and review every egg tart in NYC. Thank you everyone for your previous suggestions. I got up extra early this time around and managed to visit most of the bakeries from my list! Huzzah! Now I understand there’s a few notables that I had missed, such as Ka Wah & Deluxe, but don’t fret, I will eventually make my way there. Like last time I will provide a rundown of my thoughts below. Note that I didn’t revisit every bakery from my 2nd post, so some solid spots like Taipan has been left out, but that was pretty much the only stand out that didn’t make the cut this time around. So yes, Taipan is solid! I just didn’t want to eat a 15th egg tart. And if I missed your favorite bakery, drop a comment! I’ll add it to my list!
Bake Culture – By far the most expensive egg tart at $2+. Flaky & thin crust with an eggy and fragrant custard. Despite being the most expensive, it also had the least amount of custard. Slightly soggy bottom. Solid, but could be better.
Chiu – Solid shortbread crust that’s a tad thick for my liking; a bit cloy. Mild & firm custard.
Daronghua – Semi-firm mild custard. Cakey crust. Custard to crust ratio is off; too much crust. Bottom is somewhat soggy.
Double Crispy – Very fragrant vanillay custard; semi-firm & sweet. Good custard to crust ratio with a flaky crust. A very solid tart.
Fay Da – Extremely delicate & eggy custard; not too sweet. Crust is a very compact version of the flaky variety, though I’d say it’s more crumbly than flaky. Good crust to custard ratio. I’d say this is the perfect tart for the Asian elderly. Haha IYKYK.
Go believe – Excellent buttery shortbread crust. Delicate, sweet, and fragrant custard. Not my preferred type of egg tart, but if I were to eat this version, I’d come here first. One of my favorites of the day.
Good Century/Van Cafe – Extremely flaky crust that just dissolves in your mouth, but is let down by a flavorless custard. Shame cause the custard also has excellent texture.
Great Taste – Yeah, they gave me a fucked up tart, but the rest didn’t look at that different. What can I say, it tastes the way it looks. Underbaked crust that’s also soggy due to the spill over. The custard had a nice delicate texture, but it’s also fairly bland. One of the weaker egg tarts of the day.
M & W: – Good custard to crust ratio, but fairly bland overall. Crust is somewhat flaky, but again, no flavor. Slightly soggy bottom.
(Golden) Manna – Despite being 1 of the 3 locations of Manna One, the custard is much paler. In terms of taste, it’s similar to Manna One, but slightly worst in most aspects. The custard is a little firmer and slightly less fragrant, but it does have a more flavorful crust. Still a great tart.
Manna House – Excellent lardy & flaky crust with a mild eggy custard that’s not too sweet. A lot like the other Manna locations, but the weakest of the three. Still one of the better egg tarts of the day.
Manna One – The quintessential egg tart. Wonderful flaky and crumbly crust with a fragrant and eggy custard that’s also the ideal sweetness. Perfect custard to crust ratio. Tied with Tao Hong for my favorite of the day.
Nice One – Extremely eggy custard without a hint of sweetness. Very doughy crust that’s slightly underbaked. One of my least favorite of the day.
Tao Hong – Previously my favorite egg tart in Chinatown and it still is. Very comparable to Manna One. There’s slightly more custard and slightly less crust, but still an excellent ratio. Not as fragrant as Manna, but eggier and slightly less sweet. The crust is a bit more flavorful and a little lighter. Both are great egg tarts. Deciding which is the better one will likely come down to preference. Note that Tao Hong happens to be one of cheapest, costing only $1.50.
by DinerEnBlanc
36 Comments
Hop on the path train. Go to Ironbound in Newark. Everyone will tell you to go to Teixera’s bakery and although they are good, pao de terra just down the road is where the locals go.
As a Hong Konger who just moved here. Thank you for your service.
Thank you for the excellent work! Love this kind of content!
When I saw this I thought it was going to be a March Madness egg tart bracket and I’m kind of sad that it isn’t. You’re still doing the Lord’s work though.
Also, if $2 is expensive for an egg tart, I sure have been getting ripped off by the $4 pasteis de nata at Show Room in Park Slope. But since I’m too lazy to leave my neighborhood for one, I will continue to get ripped off.
Nice work! Could you summarize which three bakeries were the best?
Dim Sum Sam makes a low key awesome egg tart.
Well done. Bonus points for the good picture. Have you gotten to Xin Fa in Sunset Park?
Thank youuuuu 🫡🫡🫡 Growing a list; which bakery does OP mean by “Deluxe”
Have you tried Harper’s Bread House on Grand? I haven’t been for a while but I remember getting a hot egg tart from them once in passing and it was excellent.
Have you reviewed Na Tart House ? I walked by it last time and they had all these novelty egg tarts.
Great post! I’m Cantonese and Tao Hong is my favorite too! Glad you also thought so! My previous favorite was Lung Moon before they closed, back in the days when they were only $1
This is the kinda stuff this sub needs. Well done
The MVP.
Can you review the ones at Golden Unicorn? I’m curious!
As someone that does not have an excellent palette for egg tarts and will never eat enough to get one, do you plan on doing a top 5 thread at the end of your journey? I appreciate the detail of your post, but it’s lost on me as I don’t know what differentiates the best egg tart from a decent egg tart. I appreciate though you do tell us the ones that are lacking.
You’re the best!!! I’ve been on the hunt for shortbread crust egg tarts which are increasingly hard to find so this is perfect
Thank you for your commitment to this important line of research!
Your first post inspired me to try a bunch of new places around Chinatown and elsewhere too.. so far Tao Hong is also probably my favorite. Great crust and rich custard.. helps they’re only $1.50.
Tao Hong also has my favorite pork bun in Chinatown. Super flavorful and not overly fatty like a lot of places.
Missing Xin Fa!
You’re doing god’s work
How would you rank/compare Manna One and Tao Hong with Xiao Le Yuan, your favorite egg tart in Brooklyn?
Bake Culture on 48 Bowery was my go-to when they had a six tart for 6.99 deal but that offer is gone.
Have you checked out Rainbow bakery in Flushing? They have a couple of locations
Thank you for your service
I’d passed up Tao Hong many times while skirting the line outside Wah Fung, next door. Thanks for pointing the way.
[https://www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=61177627%40N00&sort=date-taken-desc&text=%22tao%20hong%22&view_all=1](https://www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=61177627%40N00&sort=date-taken-desc&text=%22tao%20hong%22&view_all=1)
a moment of silent nostalgia for Lung Moon
Are you eating them fresh after purchase or later? I find if they are left out too long or put in the fridge that affects the crust and flavour.
You’re amazing for doing this!
What are your fav Chinese bakeries in Brooklyn? I went to a few in Bensonhurst recently but only want old school not like taipan 😉
Excellent list as always. Shoutouts to Go Believe. Excellent durian tarts as well. Cheap prices for most of their goods also.
Of course shoutouts to Double Crispy as well as per before. Still my favorite but I haven’t tried Tao Hong.
Please repeat this with Portuguese egg tarts.
youre missing vip on 86th , lilly bloom , seafood palace. 7th ave
Praying for a po tart version in the future!
2nd for Harpers bread house egg custard. They also make onigiri. Imo the best egg custard steamed bun is at “golden steamer” at mott street.
We need a pasteis de natal ranking now