The Best Pastries in Chinatown Right Now
Take a bite out of Chinatown’s bakery scene with these sweet and savory treats.
Bao Bao Bakery’s lychee mousse cake, a cream puff from Beard Papa’s, Great Taste Bakery’s Portuguese egg tarts, and a mooncake from Ho Yuen Bakery. / Adam DeTour
Lychee Mousse Cake, Bao Bao Bakery & Café
This shop may be best known for fondant-covered cakes and French-style macarons, but don’t overlook its lychee mousse cake—a delicate, jiggly little cheesecake with bright zing from the fruit.
84 Harrison Ave.,617-988-8191.
Cream Puffs, Beard Papa’s
Fresh and flaky, these palm-size morsels are filled to order with either earthy green-tea cream or classic vanilla.
31 Harrison Ave., 857-263-7169, beardpapa.com.
Portuguese Egg Tart, Great Taste Bakery & Restaurant
Showcasing a crisp shell and creamy, caramelized custard, these treats are a staple of Hong Kong–style bakeries, thanks to the city’s proximity to the former Portuguese colony of Macau.
61–63 Beach St., 617-426-6688, bostongreattastebakery.com.
Mooncake, Ho Yuen Bakery
Traditionally enjoyed during the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, dense, tender mooncakes are a year-round treat here. Hand-molded and filled with lotus seed or black bean paste, some also have nuts or salted whole egg yolks at their center.
54 Beach St., 617-426-8320.
Hot-Dog Bun, 101 Bakery
If you like your pastries savory (and maybe a little quirky), you’ll love this offering. Slices of salty sausage are enveloped in brioche dough, braided, and sprinkled with scallions.
56 Beach St., 617-451-9988.
Egg White Cake, Eldo Cake House
The only thing lighter and airier than the luscious whipped-cream frosting layered in these pretty, fresh-fruit-filled slices? The fluffy, slightly sweet cake itself.
36 Harrison Ave., 617-350-7977.
Hot dog bun from 101 Bakery, Bao Bao Bakery’s lychee mousse cake, sponge cake with strawberry and fresh whipped cream from Eldo Cake House, Great Taste Bakery’s Portuguese egg tart, a cream puff from Beard Papa’s. / Adam DeTour
This story is part of The Ultimate Guide to Chinatown, from the February 2019 issue of Boston magazine.
