Want to find the best egg tarts in town? Just follow CW contributor Li-Sa around, and you'll be full of those creamy pastries before you can say "wo yao dan ta!" Check out her recommendations for the best egg tarts (dan ta) in the city.
Tarts of My Heart
Lillian Cake Shop
This local baker's motto is: “We probably have the best egg tarts in town.”
With a motto like that, who can resist? As you take your first bite, the soft,
sweet, flaky pastry crumbles in your mouth and your teeth sink into a
thick layer of an incredible filling that bares a slight resemblance to crême
brûlée. You'll see, this egg tart (RMB3.5) definitely lives up to its reputation.
Find It 988 Nanjing Xi Lu 南京西路988号, Tel: 6218-9680
Lisboa Restaurant
More on the petite side, these egg tarts can be gobbled up in mere
seconds and they're so good, you'll want to anyway. You can choose between the traditional Portuguese egg tart or the healthier version made with just egg whites (RMB4.5). The buttery puff pastry is full of flavor and offset by the silky egg white filling. Since they're not as sweet as their old-school counterparts, they make a delicious, healthy alternative.
Find It 362 Shaanxi Bei Lu 陕西南路362号, Tel: 6267-3881
Delicake
If you're passing through the Shaanxi Nan Lu metro station, grab one
(or several) of these egg tarts (RMB3) along the way. The thin base of crisp,
flaky pastry simply melts in your mouth while the smooth, eggy custard
is sweet and delectable. Best of all, this tart doesn't leave behind a
greasy aftertaste. Try your best, but resistance is futile: you'll want more
of these scrumptious egg tarts every time you pass by.
Find It Metro Line 1 Shanxi Nan Lu Station, near exits 3 and 4 地铁1号线陕西南路站3号,4号出口
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I am in mourning because the BEST egg tarts in town by a long shot, made by Surprise Bakery (澳门惊喜饼屋), seem to have completely disappeared from the earth. I've spent hours trolling Dianping (there are 2 listed there, both closed now) and Baidu.com (all the ones I found are also closed). There were once around 12 Surprise shops around town and their egg tarts blew the socks off Lilian's. Surprise's tarts were crispy, flaky, tender, creamy, eggy delight. Lilian's are oily junk in comparison! Sadness! If you happen to find a Surprise, please notify me immediately.
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It's now my own personal mission to hunt down Surprise after reading your thread!! I must be living under a rock all this time in Shanghai to not hear of Surprise.
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HUGE rave for **Lillian Cake Shop** - those little gems are heavenly...
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For me the best egg tart used to be the ones in the underground passage between the People's Square / Nanjing West Road underpass and the New World Shopping Center. The reason why was that it's probably the most foot-traffic-heavy underpass in town, so the egg tarts were ALWAYS fresh out of the oven, and tasted great to boot.
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Inspired by Cecilia Chiang's story, I think i'm going to learn how to bake egg tarts and set up my own little shop in Shanghai :) That way, I can eat as many egg tarts as i like every single day and cater to the demands of society. Hee hee :)
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FYI, msittig, those were indeed Surprise egg tarts! It was the 澳门惊喜饼屋新世界店 branch. You can still find it on Baidu, but unfortunately it seems they exist only in the virtual world now. They were not only ethereal fresh, but they were even tasty the *next day*. Magical egg tarts indeed.
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Thanks so much for this post!! I get my dan ta fix whenever I visit HK (once a year) or when mates return from a HK trip. Laziness on my part to scout around Shanggers for the best egg tarts in town too. My bad. Lillian Cake Shop's slogan is genius! If Carlsberg were to do a spin-off to that, it'd read "If Carlsberg did egg tarts, it would probably be the best egg tarts in town". What a rip off :)