Best Egg Custard Tarts in San Francisco

Looking for the best Chinese egg custard tarts in San Francisco? We did a taste test of 9 different egg tarts in search of the best (including the iconic Golden Gate Bakery)!

I am always on the hunt for the best egg custard tart (or dan tat, as I grew up calling them). For years, I’d heard that the best egg tarts in San Francisco came from Golden Gate Bakery. However, their schedule was so elusive that it took me years to finally try them during my semi-annual trips back home.

Recently, I tried them for the first time, and they were as incredible as everyone says. I went twice in one week, and both times they came out steaming hot and fresh (though they’re just as good once they cool and the flavor settles).

After trying one for the second time, I was inspired to go on an egg tart crawl around SF Chinatown. With Chinatown flush with Chinese bakeries on every corner, my friend and I were able to try 7 different egg tarts in just over an hour. I went back a second time to re-try a few and make sure we covered as many egg tarts as I could find in Chinatown. And after careful consideration, here are my ratings of all 9 egg tarts that we tried!

Note: This search was focused on Chinese egg tarts, not Portuguese egg tarts. Chinese egg tarts typically have a flaky crust with a lighter custard and a smooth, silky yellow top. Meanwhile, Portuguese egg tarts typically have an almost puff pastry-like crust with a richer custard and a speckled, burnished top.

Best egg tarts in SF Chinatown

9. House of Dim Sum

Price: $2.50
Rating: 2/10

We should’ve known better–a dim sum place should rightly keep its focus on savory dishes more than its pastries. But this egg tart was so bad that we didn’t finish it. While the crust had promising looking layers, it felt less than inspired as we peeled the little foil dish off. The crust was limp and slightly damp, as if it had been sitting out for quite some time. Blistered and overbaked-looking on top, the custard was accordingly a bit too firm and flavorless. We also tried some har gow (shrimp dumplings) which were solid. But I’d skip the egg tarts!

8. Garden Bakery

Price: $2.50
Rating: 4/10

I loved the look of this generous well of cheery egg custard enclosed by a thin crust! Unlike most other egg tarts with a flaky crust, Garden Bakery’s egg tart comes with a cookie crust that’s nicely browned at the top. It’s crunchy with a short rather than flaky texture, and the browned bits of crust were tasty. But the custard was too firm for my preference and a bit too eggy in flavor. Unless you love a cookie crust, I wouldn’t seek out these egg tarts.

7. Wing Sing Dim Sum

Price: $1.90
Rating: 5/10

I have a preference for a softer custard, so this egg tart just narrowly edged out Garden Bakery for me. The crust was nicely flaky and the custard was soft, a little grainy and not too sweet. Overall, this lost points for being mostly flavorless. It would work in a pinch, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to seek these out.

6. Wong Lee

Price: $1.50
Rating: 6/10

With the buzzier-looking House of Dim Sum across the street, we almost skipped this spot. However, I couldn’t resist the lure of an egg tart that cost only $1.50. And I’m glad we tried it! It came warm from the bakery case, which always helps. Despite being a bit soft, mealy and shortbread-like with little structural integrity around the base, the top of the crust was browned and flaky. The glossy custard was perfectly soft with a decent flavor.

The custard was definitely stronger than the crust–if you’re looking for a crisp and flaky crust, steer clear. But if you don’t mind a softer crust and are looking to pick up some savory items anyway, the price is right!

5. AA Bakery

Price: $2.25
Rating: 6.5/10

These egg tarts looked gorgeous with a thick and ultra-flaky crust. Unfortunately, the crust looked better than it tasted (a bit dry and not super flavorful), but it was indeed very flaky. The custard was smooth and soft, but not as jiggly and loose as the fresh-baked ones at Stockton and Golden Gate Bakery.

Personally, I deducted a few points for a strong vanilla flavor that made this feel a bit too sweet. I also prefer a higher ratio of custard to crust and this crust was just a bit thicker than preferred. But if someone brought these to a gathering, I’d happily eat them again!

4. Good Mong Kok

Price: $1.70
Rating: 7/10

This is my favorite dim sum place in Chinatown, but I couldn’t actually remember ever getting an egg tart here. Given the subpar performance of other dim sum spots, my expectations were low, but I was pleasantly surprised. Like Wong Lee, I thought the custard was better than the crust, which was flaky and nicely golden on top but a little mealy, soft and pale underneath the foil wrapping. I actually kind of enjoy a flaky/mealy crust texture as long as it’s not soggy (which I know is not for everyone).

The custard itself is lightly sweet with a nice smooth and jiggly texture that was the most watery of the tarts we tried. But I personally prefer this to a custard that’s too firm! I’d be happy to eat this again, but it’s not the best we had.

The line can be long during peak hours and it’s cash only so come prepared.

3. Eastern Bakery

Price: $2.50
Rating: 7.2/10

Based on the slightly overbaked-looking top, this egg tart doesn’t really look worthy of a third place finish. But despite the uninspired looking storefront, our egg tart came out still slightly warm (unsure if it was fresh from the oven or from a warming light). However they were storing these, it yielded a moderately flaky crust (not quite as flaky as AA, Stockton or Golden Gate) with an unusually good crisp. And even though the custard was significantly grainier than others, this one edged out Good Mong Kok to me for its flavor–one of the best in my opinion.

If a smooth custard texture is important to you, I’d skip these–but I really enjoyed them! I also picked up a humble-looking bag of almond cookies that were highly addictive. If you have room, I’d also try their coffee crunch cake and house-made moon cakes.

2. Stockton Bakery

Price: $1.70
Rating: 9.5/10

This was the last stop on our crawl, and you might think that our tastebuds would be exhausted by this point. But the woman pulled an egg tart off a cart in the back, and when I bit into it on the sidewalk outside, I fully scorched my mouth. It was FRESH–just as fresh as Golden Gate Bakery.

While this almost certainly biased my score (a hot, fresh tart will always beat one that’s been sitting out), I still think this is a top-notch egg tart. The crust felt just as flaky as Golden Gate Bakery though it’s slightly paler and far less structurally sound (you can see the way it bows in the photo). This didn’t bother me in the slightest–I loved the generous custard to crust ratio. Especially because the pale custard was perfectly soft and jiggly–not too sweet with a clean custard flavor!

Overall, this felt very comparable to Golden Gate Bakery, just slightly less flavorful overall. But at less than half the price, I would highly recommend these, especially if Golden Gate Bakery has a long line. (Edit: I went back to try these another day and while I wasn’t served a fresh one, it was still very solid just slightly warm off the shelf.)

1. Golden Gate Bakery

Price: $3.75
Rating: 10/10

Golden Gate Bakery has its pristine reputation for a reason. They bake their dan tat fresh, with new batches coming out every 12 minutes. This is why, my friend Jenn explained to me, even if the line looks relatively short, it can take a long time if someone places a bulk order (say 4 dozen). That will wipe out an entire batch, and you’ll have to wait another 12 minutes for a new batch to come out of the oven. Their schedule is unpredictable to the point of having a Facebook page dedicated to tracking whether they’re open or closed.)

They are cash only (ATMs are nearby) and the proprietor will greet you at the door to take your order. She’ll return with a pink box cut around the top for venting and give you change for your cash. Egg tarts are $3.75 each here–the steepest price around, but I think they’re justified! The crust is flaky yet moist, evenly browned with a bit of crunch, and salted just enough to stand apart from others in terms of flavor. Similarly to Stockton Bakery, this has a generous amount of custard in a relatively thin crust. The custard is perfectly silky and jiggly even after it cools. The custard flavor feels clean and balanced–not too eggy, sweet or vanilla-forward.

A steaming hot, fresh egg tart from here is an experience not to be missed! But go on a weekday if you can for shorter lines. I went on a Saturday and waited for 50 minutes–but went back on a Monday and waited for just 2 minutes.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the egg tarts from Golden Gate Bakery do fully live up to their well-deserved hype. However, if they’re closed or the line is too long, Stockton Bakery is a great alternative.

Let me know if there are any egg tarts you think I missed–always happy to go back and update this list!