10 bakeries that still sell traditional Chinese pastries and sweets

Raise your hands if you grew up eating traditional Chinese pastries and sweets such as tau sar piah (mung bean paste pastry) and lao po bing (wife cake or winter melon pastry) fed to you by your grandparents or well-meaning relatives.

Unfortunately, the number of traditional bakeries that still sell them is dwindling, perhaps due to rising costs and declining popularity.

But if you want to #supportlocal and treat yourself to a bout of nostalgia, here's where to find bakeries that still sell traditional Chinese pastries and sweets in Singapore.

PS: These are the places to get traditional wedding cakes and pastries too.

Tai Chong Kok

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Founded in 1935, Tai Chong Kok is most famous for its mooncakes that are made with handmade lotus seed paste.

The brand has since become a bastion for traditional pastries ranging from bei teh soh and wife pastry to tau sar piah and walnut cookies.

Tai Chong Kok has multiple locations in Singapore. 

Gin Thye

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Gin Thye is another local establishment that has been recognised by the National Heritage Board.

Offerings here include green bean cake, tai yang bing, peanut roll and black sesame seeds candy.

Gin Thye is also available online on e-commerce platforms such as Lazada, Shopee, Amazon, Qoo10 and FairPrice.

427 Sembawang Rd, Singapore 758394

Tong Heng Traditional Cantonese Pastries

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Established in 1935, Tong Heng is another household name known for its traditional Cantonese pastries.

Classics such as egg tart, wife pastry and green bean pastry are found here, as well as less common ones like century egg pastry, coconut egg tart and plain shortcake.

285 South Bridge Rd, Singapore 058833 and 1 Jurong West Central 2, Jurong Point, Singapore 648886

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Loong Fatt Tau Sar Piah

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Founded in 1948, Loong Fatt's pride and glory is the Teochew-style tau sar piah, which consists of a mung bean paste cocooned in flaky pastry; they are available in both sweet and salty iterations.

Besides that, Swiss rolls, pandan cake and custard puffs make up some of the Western-style dessert options Loong Fatt offers.

639 Balestier Rd, Singapore 329922

Ng Kim Lee Confectionery

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Ng Kim Lee's retro-style shop is a short walk away from Beauty World MRT.

The bakery has been around for at least five decades and sells traditional favourites such as egg tarts, husband/wife biscuits and tar sar piah.

They sell a slew of cakes and muffins too.

4 Chun Tin Rd, Singapore 599591

Poh Guan Cake House

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A stone's throw away from Chinatown MRT, Poh Guan Cake House is difficult to miss with its bright yellow signboard and old school facade.

The bakery has been selling traditional pastries since 1930, including a variety of flaky pastries like tau sar piah and chewy steamed kuehs like chi kak kueh (pictured) and ang ku kueh.

531 Upper Cross Street, #01-57 Hong Lim Complex, 050531

Sze Thye Cake Shop

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Sze Thye Cake Shop has been around for over five decades but still insists on making everything from scratch, especially the must-try peanut candy.

Beyond that, the shop sells a wide variety of traditional Teochew and Chinese delights.

2 Beach Rd, Singapore 190002

Tai Thong Cake Shop

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Founder Kwok Khim Wai was trained in Hong Kong before he moved to Singapore to set up Tai Thong in 1950.

Since then, the bakery and its Cantonese-style pastries have been pulling in crowds with offerings such as chess cookies, lotus seed, red bean and green bean paste cake, among many others.

35 Mosque St, Singapore 059513

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Neo Kian Guan Confectionery & Cake

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Started in 1932, Neo Kian Guan began selling the less common Hokkien confectionery before expanding to include Teochew, Cantonese and Hainanese-style desserts.

For those looking to try Hokkien pastries, the shop rolls out things like lau hua, ma lau, da lao bing and mooncakes.

7 Hougang Ave 3, Singapore 530007

Thye Moh Chan

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Thye Moh Chan has been serving handcrafted traditional Teochew baked goods since 1943.

Besides the fan favourite tau sar piah, they also sell snow cake, longan pineapple pastry and flaky baked pastries filled with options of assorted nuts lotus, melon seed red bean and Teochew yam.

Thye Moh Chan has multiple locations in Singapore.

This article was published in The Singapore Women's Weekly.