Hong Kong’s best local bakeries

Established by Jie Chun Yao, ABC Cake House was formerly known as (roughly translated) ABC Western Restaurant, a famous Russian cuisine restaurant chain in Hong Kong during the 50s. As time passed, the chain’s outlets all closed down, leaving only its bakery in Central, which also eventually closed down in 2014.  Jie’s granddaughter Yvonne decided to reopen the bakery, which is now located in Wan Chai, to carry on her grandfather’s legacy. The bakery offers traditional cakes and pastries, as well as cookies, cupcakes, and rolled cakes in an abundance of flavours such as matcha, chestnut, taro, and honey.

The Peng Chau local behind A Noy Bakery wakes up at 5am every morning to bake traditional buns and bread for Peng Chau residents rushing off to work or school. Tourists and locals alike flock to this island bakery for the mouthwatering fermented soybean sesame biscuits. These fragrant and crispy biscuits are the size of your palm. While you can find these elsewhere in Hong Kong, we promise you, none are quite as large, thin, and flavourful as these.

This legendary bakery has been keeping it old-school since the 60s. Formerly a tea house, Bat Sin Cake Shop is famous for its walnut cookies, banana cakes, coconut macaroons, and other handmade Chinese pastries. The shop gets really busy around the Mid-Autumn Festival with customers looking to take home Bat Sin’s variety of handmade mooncakes. This is by far one of the most popular bakeries not just in Sham Shui Po, but also in Hong Kong.

A decades-old local bakery known for its traditional baked goods and pastry offerings including walnut cookies, sesame cookies, chicken biscuits, and more. The bakery also makes its own mooncakes and rice cakes for Mid-Autumn Festival and Chinese New Year. Their unique recipe and tasty flavour draw long queues of patrons every year.

Established in 1977, Happy Bakery was formerly known as Happy Cake Shop – until the bakery closed in August 2022 due to rent problems. Fortunately, the store found a new home in early 2023 and reopened under a new name, continuing to churn out beloved nostalgic treats like cream cones, sa yung (Chinese-style doughnuts), century egg pastries, and more.

Kadorar Bakery offers a myriad of classic Chinese-style baked goods such as sausage buns and pineapple buns. But what made their popularity sky-rocket amongst Hong Kong's sweet tooths were their pudding buns and choux puffs that took the city by storm in 2022. If you want to get your hands on one, be prepared for a long wait, but we promise it's worth it!

Mong Kok is always packed but Kee Tsui’s goodies are worth braving the crowds for. This Fa Yuen Street bakery is one of a handful of traditional Chinese cake shops still operating in Hong Kong and most of its vintage furnishings remain intact. The store’s iconic baked treats – like its mini walnut cookies, Chinese shortbread and chicken biscuits – are to die for. Come Mid-Autumn Festival, prepare to fight for an order of the top-notch mooncakes, where the egg yolks are like full moons in velvety lotus paste skies.

Sham Shui Po is home to Kwan Hong Bakery, a family-run bakery with over 40 years of history. Apart from Western-style baked goods, Kwan Hong also offers classic cakes and pastries such as walnut cookies, Chinese shortbread, wife cakes, and red bean cakes. The fan favourite here is the ‘chicken biscuit’, which the owner insists on using traditional methods and ingredients like fatback, five-spice powder, and fermented bean curd. It may not sound too appetising but trust us, you’ll be missing out if you don’t try it.

Nestled near Temple Street, the oven at this family-owned bakery is always baking fresh batches of comforting treats like cocktail buns and coconut buns throughout the day. The red bean cakes are a local favourite here, with a helping of the sweet paste sandwiched inside a toasted mochi and topped with roasted sesame seeds. The chicken biscuits are a house speciality too.

Tai O ought to be known for more than just its stilted houses and seafood snacks. The Lantau village is also home to a wonderful local bakery, offering a famous sweet treat – sugar-dusted Chinese-style doughnuts. The super-doughy ball is served fresh from the deep-fryer throughout the day, so make sure you wait a bit before taking a bite (yes, we know it’s hard). It’s worth trying other special creations, like the coconut tart and Tai O sesame cookies, while you’re waiting. 

This unassuming family-run bakery in Sai Ying Pun is probably the most creative cookie shop you’ll find in town. With a history of more than 30 years, Wah Yee Tang has kept up with the times to inject new elements into its delectable cookies without sacrificing traditional techniques and quality. The one with the biggest fan following is the Foul Language cookie, shaped like a cat flipping people off. There are also tons of fun designs featuring inspirational notes and holiday themes among others, all of which can be personalised. Don’t miss out on the traditional Hong Kong cakes and pastries while you’re there too. Sadly, the shop does not offer any delivery, but it's definitely worth a quick visit if you happen to be around the area.