Custardy egg tarts are wiggly, lightly gelatinous conveyors of joy. The finest ones are not too sweet, but beyond that, they have variable compelling qualities, be it their lightly torched tops or innovative whole-fruit or vegetal flavors. There are three styles of egg tarts covered in this map: Portuguese pasteis de nata, flaky Chinese egg tarts, and cookie-style shortcrust egg tarts. They are all magnificent, whether you pick them up from a bakery by the dozen or nibble on them from a dim sum parlor’s lazy susan.
Beijing Duck Seafood Restaurant
Center City
Chinese
By night, this Race Street restaurant becomes a Peking duck emporium, with white-toqued chefs wheeling roasted ducks through the dining room, announcing their arrival at tables by striking a gong. But by day, Beijing Duck Seafood serves a menu filled with dim sum classics like char siu bao, turnip cakes, spring rolls, and, of course, delightfully and thoroughly classic dim sum-style egg tarts. These are some of the best egg tarts you can get in Chinatown. They’re served piping hot (as all the best egg tarts are), and they have molten, deep yellow custard centers encased by a flaky pastry crust that dissolves in your mouth with a slight chew. They’re small — but not the tiniest you’ll see — and come three to an order.
These are the Platonic ideal of dim sum-style egg tarts, which means they’re small — two perfect bites each — with pastry that flakes apart in crisp petals in your mouth. They’re filled with even, yolky custard that balances lightness and richness. These are the perfect mildly gelatinous coda to stuffing yourself with all the other goodies wheeled past your table during dim sum at China Gourmet, and no dim sum experience here is complete without them.
Occupying a cheerful, cartoon-muralled, bright blue corner in deep South Philly, Dodo Bakery peddles an impressive variety of Chinese-inflected baked goods, tea-based beverages, and smoothies. The kitchen makes two types of egg tarts: one in a traditional flaky pastry shell, and another whose egg yolk custard is spiked with pandan for a hint of grassy, coconutty flavor and a neon-green hue. Pop them in the toaster oven at home to revive their jiggly freshness. Dodo also churns out enormous renditions of classic Hong Kong pastries, like the staple Canto-British chicken pot pie and triangles stuffed with chopped, bright red char siu roast pork. Their red bean pastries are also excellent and extremely flaky.
The flavors of pasteis de nata at Gilda rotate according to whims and seasons. All of their Portuguese tarts have a creamy, cinnamon-flecked egg-yolk custard base that is looser, jammier, and almost whipped compared to the harder-set centers of their Chinese-style counterparts. Baked at high heat, Gilda’s natas naturally develop bruleed brown leopard spots. The tarts themselves have firm, flaky crusts that get filled with core custards like lemon-raspberry and dark chocolate with sea salt. In summer, look for natas flavored with corn, passion fruit, and strawberry. The staff here even makes a sweet nata latte to mimic the three-bite treats, using a house syrup infused with vanilla, cinnamon, and a squeeze of lemon juice. All the egg whites the natas generate get fried and stuffed into a soft but crusty mealhada roll with cheese, avocado, and aioli, resulting in the Sammy, one of the city’s best breakfast sandwiches.
This Washington Avenue establishment’s name is not delusional — it truly is grand. This is where you want to bring your 10 best friends for dim sum or brunch, and shout engagingly back and forth with the ladies pushing carts piled high with bamboo steamer baskets. As a bonus, it’s a stone’s throw from Center City and there is parking. Grand Palace has absolutely mastered both steamed buns (their char siu bao is positively fluffy) and egg tarts. Their tarts are larger than the average dim sum rendition, coming two to an order (vs. the usual three). The pastry shell crust is incredibly flaky, with a thinner layer of custard than typical Cantonese tarts. The filling is soft, barely sweet, and one of the highlights of a raucous dim sum experience.
By night, this Race Street restaurant becomes a Peking duck emporium, with white-toqued chefs wheeling roasted ducks through the dining room, announcing their arrival at tables by striking a gong. But by day, Beijing Duck Seafood serves a menu filled with dim sum classics like char siu bao, turnip cakes, spring rolls, and, of course, delightfully and thoroughly classic dim sum-style egg tarts. These are some of the best egg tarts you can get in Chinatown. They’re served piping hot (as all the best egg tarts are), and they have molten, deep yellow custard centers encased by a flaky pastry crust that dissolves in your mouth with a slight chew. They’re small — but not the tiniest you’ll see — and come three to an order.
These are the Platonic ideal of dim sum-style egg tarts, which means they’re small — two perfect bites each — with pastry that flakes apart in crisp petals in your mouth. They’re filled with even, yolky custard that balances lightness and richness. These are the perfect mildly gelatinous coda to stuffing yourself with all the other goodies wheeled past your table during dim sum at China Gourmet, and no dim sum experience here is complete without them.
Occupying a cheerful, cartoon-muralled, bright blue corner in deep South Philly, Dodo Bakery peddles an impressive variety of Chinese-inflected baked goods, tea-based beverages, and smoothies. The kitchen makes two types of egg tarts: one in a traditional flaky pastry shell, and another whose egg yolk custard is spiked with pandan for a hint of grassy, coconutty flavor and a neon-green hue. Pop them in the toaster oven at home to revive their jiggly freshness. Dodo also churns out enormous renditions of classic Hong Kong pastries, like the staple Canto-British chicken pot pie and triangles stuffed with chopped, bright red char siu roast pork. Their red bean pastries are also excellent and extremely flaky.
The flavors of pasteis de nata at Gilda rotate according to whims and seasons. All of their Portuguese tarts have a creamy, cinnamon-flecked egg-yolk custard base that is looser, jammier, and almost whipped compared to the harder-set centers of their Chinese-style counterparts. Baked at high heat, Gilda’s natas naturally develop bruleed brown leopard spots. The tarts themselves have firm, flaky crusts that get filled with core custards like lemon-raspberry and dark chocolate with sea salt. In summer, look for natas flavored with corn, passion fruit, and strawberry. The staff here even makes a sweet nata latte to mimic the three-bite treats, using a house syrup infused with vanilla, cinnamon, and a squeeze of lemon juice. All the egg whites the natas generate get fried and stuffed into a soft but crusty mealhada roll with cheese, avocado, and aioli, resulting in the Sammy, one of the city’s best breakfast sandwiches.
This Washington Avenue establishment’s name is not delusional — it truly is grand. This is where you want to bring your 10 best friends for dim sum or brunch, and shout engagingly back and forth with the ladies pushing carts piled high with bamboo steamer baskets. As a bonus, it’s a stone’s throw from Center City and there is parking. Grand Palace has absolutely mastered both steamed buns (their char siu bao is positively fluffy) and egg tarts. Their tarts are larger than the average dim sum rendition, coming two to an order (vs. the usual three). The pastry shell crust is incredibly flaky, with a thinner layer of custard than typical Cantonese tarts. The filling is soft, barely sweet, and one of the highlights of a raucous dim sum experience.
