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The shio pan fever in Singapore is showing no signs of slowing down. And if you’re not out joining the queues, you’re probably attempting to recreate the viral salt bread at home with the help of a TikTok recipe. For the uninitiated, shio pan is a soft, salt-topped buttery roll which was first popularised in Japan. It has since made waves across Asia, attracting lines out the door, and for some bakeries, sometimes even selling out as soon as it’s out of the oven. We visited 14 spots in Singapore to try their original shio pans – here’s how we’d rank them, from our most to least favourite.
RECOMMENDED: The best bakeries in Singapore and The 50 best cafés in Singapore
1. Butter Town Breakfast Club
From a home-based business to a hawker stall at Holland Drive Market & Food Centre, shio pan vending machines and now its own dine-in café, Butter Town has played a huge role in fuelling Singapore's shio pan craze. Its OG Shio Pan ($2.80) strikes a sweet spot between fluffy and dense – though it errs on the fluffier side – with a crispy base and a rich, buttery middle. Beyond the classic, the bakery also rolls out flavours like garlic cream cheese, mentaiko onion, chocolate and earl grey cream, plus local variations like kaya butter, kopi-c and even durian cream.
Address: 261 South Bridge Road, Singapore 058810
Opening hours: Sun-Thu 8.30am-6pm; Fri-Sat 8.30am-8pm
Website
2. Fat Kid Bakery
Fat Kid Bakery's shio pan ($2.70) is for those who like their salt bread doughy, chewy and packed with flavour. Made with homemade salted butter, it has a dense, pillowy texture without that big, hollow middle that some shio pans have. It also springs back after each bite instead of collapsing and flattening over time. Despite its slightly smaller size, it makes up for it with a buttery, oily finish (your paper wrapper will show it) and just enough saltiness. Quantities are limited each day, so head down early before they're sold out.
Address: 39 Amoy St, Singapore 069865
Opening hours: Mon-Thu 9am-5pm; Fri 9am-6.30pm; Sat 10.30am-4.30pm
Website
3. Gokoku Japanese Bakery
With over 10 outlets across Singapore, Gokoku is one of the most convenient spots to get your shio pan fix. The classic butter shio pan ($2) comes up to almost twice the size of Butter Town's at just a fraction of the price. The bread is airy and fluffy with a hollow centre, while the interior is generous with butter. And while there are no salt crystals sprinkled on top, the dough itself is savoury enough and enjoyable on its own. If you want to switch things up, there are also fillings like red bean, peanut butter and rennyu (condensed milk), which are equally good.
Address: See locations and opening hours here
Opening hours: See locations and opening hours here
Website
4. Barcook Bakery
Barcook's original shio pan ($2.40) is one of the most well-balanced among those we've tried, sitting comfortably between airy and dense, and light and buttery. The dough is made with reduced sugar, with a slightly crisp exterior that gives way to a pillowy middle, and a decently chewy bite. Its smaller size and mild buttery taste make it ideal for a quick, easy snack that doesn't overwhelm or fill you up. Other flavours include the crowd-favourite kaya, cheese, and a recent new addition – chocolate. With nine outlets across the island, it's a solid and convenient pick when the craving hits.
Address: See locations and opening hours here
Opening hours: See locations and opening hours here
Website
5. Donq Takashimaya
One of the unsung OGs in Singapore's shio pan scene, Japanese bakery chain Donq arrived here in 2012, bringing with it a century of baking experience since its first store in 1905. It reopened in Takashimaya last year, reviving its salt and butter bread ($2.60), which sees salted butter rolled into a light, fluffy and airy dough. The parcel has a crunchy exterior and a savoury centre, though not quite tipping over into overly salty and oily territory. Tip: wait for a fresh batch for the best experience, as older ones can turn slightly stale and may need a quick reheat at home.
Address: 391 Orchard Rd, Ngee Ann City, B2, Food Hall, Singapore 238873
Opening hours: Daily 10am-9.30pm
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6. Kohpan
Kohpan's original shio pan ($11.70 for a set of three) is one of the pricier ones out there, coming up to $3.90 per piece, but not without reason. The bakery uses high-quality ingredients like Lescure butter from France – and a generous portion at that – as evidenced by the glossy sheen on each roll. The base is also impressively crispy, while the interior is dense and pillowy with a small cavity, so you get a full, satisfying bite each time. While the original can lean slightly oily, there are flavours like mentaiko or premium truffle mushroom for those craving something different.
Address: 981 Upper Serangoon Road, Suites@Kovan, #01-01, Singapore 534729
Opening hours: Daily noon-8pm
Website
7. So Good Bakery
For those who prefer their shio pan soft and comforting, Hong Kong bakery So Good's version comes halfway close to the stellar ones you’d find in Korea. At $2.20 (up from its original $1.80 years ago), it remains reasonably priced and substantial in size, with a light and fluffy interior that pulls apart nicely. While it's not as chewy as some others on our list, it has the satisfying bite of a soft butter roll and a saltiness that's evenly spread out throughout the dough. If a crispy base is a deal-breaker for you though, this might not meet the mark. But if you can do without it, there are six outlets on the island to make a dash for.
Address: See locations and opening hours here
Opening hours: See locations and opening hours here
Website
8. Crolo by Swee Heng
A spin-off by local bakery chain Swee Heng, Crolo specialises in croissants and waffles, but also offers its own take on shio pan. It launched its sea salt shio pan ($2.20) in 2023, followed by flavours like pandan kaya and garlic, all available at the same price, or three for $6 – quite the deal. The original is for those who prefer their shio pan more buttery, though it's still not as intense as Fat Kid Bakery's or Kohpan's, while the bread leans more airy and light rather than dense and chewy. There are also mini rolls ($1.30) stuffed with options like sausage, ham or fried fish fillet.
Address: See locations and opening hours here
Opening hours: See locations and opening hours here
Instagram
9. Windowsill Pies
Better known for its artisanal bakes like pumpkin pies and sourdough egg tarts at Great World City, Windowsill Pies may not be the first place that comes to mind for shio pan. The bakery only introduced its own version a few months ago, but it's already made a pretty solid impression so far. Its shio pan ($3.80) comes in just one flavour and has a noticeably rounder shape. Expect a crisp exterior that gives way to a soft, buttery middle – it definitely leans towards the fluffier, airier side with a balanced richness. And while it's one of the pricier options on our list, you can snag bakes at 50 percent off towards the end of the day.
Address: 1 Kim Seng Promenade, Great World City, B1-K114, Singapore 237994
Opening hours: Daily 11am-9pm
Website
10. Baegal
Its name itself is a clue – this bakery in Tampines is known for its chewy bagels that come in different flavours, but it also has a small selection of shio pan. Like Crolo, it's another bakery concept by Swee Heng. The standard sea salt butter shio pan ($2.50) leans light and fluffy instead of dense, with a gentle buttery flavour, though it lacks the crispy base found in some versions. The Taiwan Taro, filled with a sweet orh nee paste is an interesting twist we haven't seen elsewhere. Available at $6.50 for three, these shio pans are a decent, fuss-free choice if you're in the area, though perhaps not the most memorable.
Address: 2 Tampines Central 5, Century Square, #01-32A, Singapore 529509
Opening hours: Daily 9am-9.30pm
Google Maps
11. Pawa Bakery
Homegrown brand Pawa Bakery is best known for its low-oil and low-sugar bagels, but it also offers a decent selection of shio pans across its five outlets, including its newest at Paya Lebar Quarter. The plain shio pan ($2.50) first impressed us in 2024 with its golden-brown base, fluffy, chewy centre and balanced butteriness with each bite. On a more recent visit, the bread was noticeably drier and tougher, with less of the rich, buttery flavour from before – luck of the draw, we guess. Still, there are unique shio pan flavours worth a shot, including sweet potato, maple ganache and a recent popular pick: pistachio cream cheese shio pan.
Address: See locations and opening hours here
Opening hours: See locations and opening hours here
Website
12. Breadtalk
No shio pan roundup would be complete without Breadtalk, Singapore's ubiquitous bakery chain with outlets in almost every neighbourhood mall. Its classic shio pan ($2) is one of the more economical options we tried, offering the most straightforward and no-frills take on Japanese salt bread on this list. While it lacks the crisp buttery base and rich flavour of our top few picks, it's consistent, convenient and does the job when the craving strikes. The red bean shio pan is arguably the more popular of the two, filled with sweet red bean paste and two slabs of butter, while other flavours include garlic, mentaiko and cocoa.
Address: See locations and opening hours here
Opening hours: See locations and opening hours here
Website
13. Provence Bakery
A Japanese bakery that has been in Singapore since 1999, Provence is located on the ground floor of Raffles Holland V Mall. It offers two types of shio pan: the regular salt butter ($2) and a healthier whole wheat version. The former has a nice golden-brown crust and a good rise, but its denser crumb makes it feel closer to a baguette than a light, fluffy roll. It’s also one of the plainer shio pans we've tried, with just a slight savouriness. But for anyone who prefers a more bread-like texture, substantial bite and doesn't mind slathering on their own butter, this is an acceptable pick for $2.
Address: 118 Holland Ave, Raffles Holland V Mall, #01-04, Singapore 278997
Opening hours: Daily 9am-8.30pm
Google Maps
14. Noci Bakehouse
Korean bakery-café Noci Bakehouse at Suntec City drew us in with its European farmhouse design and wide, trendy selection of bakes. The classic shio pan ($4) looks the part, but its interior is dense and bready instead of fluffy and airy. The base, too, lacks crispiness, while the buttery centre is noticeably missing. Flavoured versions like matcha with red bean and mentaiko are creative, but are similarly dense, with tiny kinks like the matcha powder being a tad bitter for our liking. While it's worth a stop for its aesthetic and variety, Noci Bakehouse's shio pans need more consistency to justify their higher price tags.
Address: 3 Temasek Blvd, Suntec City Tower 3, #01-604/605, Singapore 038983
Opening hours: Daily 8.30am-8.30pm
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