There are few dim sum items as versatile as bao. You can have these filled buns for breakfast, a quick midday snack, or a full-on meal. While most kopitiams and food courts in Singapore get their bao from a central supplier, there are a handful of hawkers islandwide who are still keeping the craft of making bao by hand alive. Here are some of the best handmade bao stalls in Singapore.
Hong Ji Handmade Dim Sum Bao is a hidden gem stall in a nondescript coffeeshop at Bishan Street 11. They make their bao from scratch, including the dough and fillings. Choose from over 30 items, starting at just $1 each—a steal in this economy. Out of all the dim sum we tried, we recommend the following: Egg Custard Bun ($3.60), Char Siew Bao ($1.10), Red Bean Bao ($1), Coffee Bao ($1.10), Siew Mai ($2.60).
Read our Hong Ji Handmade Dim Sum Bao review.
Address: 150A Bishan Street 11, Singapore 570150
Opening hours: Daily 5:30am to 2:30pm
Tel: 8358 4590
Website
Hong Ji Handmade Dim Sum Bao is not a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: Traditional Home-made Pau
Traditional (Home-made) Pau is a bustling bao stall located in an Ang Mo Kio coffeeshop. Prices start at $0.80 for their classic Lotus and Red Bean. You’ll also find a Char Siew bao ($1) on the menu. What’s unique, however, is the fact that the stall sells Coffee ($0.80) bao, where a coffee-accented lotus paste filling is wrapped with a coffee-tinged bao dough. They also have other small dim sum bites, from Fan Choy ($2.20) to Siew Mai ($0.90).
Address: 446 Ang Mo Kio Ave 10, Singapore 560446
Opening hours: Daily 7am to 5pm
Tel: 9728 2665
Traditional (Home-made) Pau is not a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: @manjihandmadebun
Yishun residents looking for an affordable but quality dim sum fix can turn to Man Ji Handmade Pau. The humble stall has a wide array of handmade dim sum items steamed on-site. While they’re very popular for their dumplings, do consider getting their bao offerings to complete your meal. The Da Bao ($1.60) is generously filled with minced pork that’s steamed till juicy. Otherwise, you can get the usual bao flavours for under $1.
Address: 233 Yishun Street 21, Singapore 760233
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 7am to 7pm, Sat-Sun 7am to 4pm
Man Ji Handmade Pau is not a halal-certified eatery.
Hao Ji Bao is something of a hidden gem in Toa Payoh. They are only open for four days a week and from 6am to 12pm each time. The early bird definitely gets the worm here, as Hao Ji Bao’s handmade buns are fluffy, affordable, and generously filled. We recommend their Char Siew Bao ($0.70), with a sweet-smoky diced pork filling, and their Lotus Bao ($0.60), packed with a bean paste that isn’t too sweet.
Read our Hao Ji Bao feature.
Address: 210 Lorong 8 Toa Payoh, Singapore 310210
Opening hours: Tue-Wed, Fri-Sat 6am to 12pm
Hao Ji Bao is not a halal-certified eatery.
Established in 1988, Hua Ji Bao Dang has become quite the household name for regulars of 115 Bukit Merah View and Food Centre. The second-gen stall owners start their day at 5am to make all their bao from scratch, from the dough to the different fillings. Our favourite was the Lotus Bao (price TBD), a bite-sized beauty with a smooth, almost molten lotus paste filling that wasn’t too sugary. Another must-try is the Big Pao (price TBD), packed with chunky bits of marinated pork, chives, and a slice of hard-boiled egg.
Read our Hua Ji Bao Dang review.
Address: 115 Bukit Merah View, #01-63, Singapore, Singapore 151115
Opening hours: Tue-Wed, Fri-Sun 7am to 2pm
Tel: 9181 5180
Website
Hua Ji Bao Dang is not a halal-certified eatery
Image credit: Jas Lee
Tucked away in a food court just shy of Golden Mile Complex is Beach Road Handmade Dim Sum. The stall is immediately noticeable because of all the giant steamers dotted around its premises, each guising handmade dumplings and bao. The Red Bean Pau ($0.80) is a classic, best enjoyed freshly steamed so that the red bean paste middle gets a little oozy. Bag yourself a portion of their Big Pork Bun ($1.80) too. While smaller than most of the da bao offerings we’ve seen, it’s still extremely flavourful thanks to the well-seasoned pork filling within.
Address: 1 Beach Roadd, #01-4757, Singapore 190001
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 7am to 6:30pm
Beach Road Handmade Dim Sum is not a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: @msbearpawzzz
Located in the heart of Potong Pasir is 146 Dim Sum, an underrated gem for affordable dim sum. While fans flock to the stall for portions of their chicken’s feet, dumplings, and cheong fun, the bao offerings here are also equally deserving of attention. Though the stall sells all the usual flavours, you also get really unique treats such as their Coffee Bao and Hotdog Bao. If you’re unfamiliar with the latter, think of it as a riff on the old-school hotdog buns you get at local bakeries, with steamed bread instead of brioche.
Address: 146 Potong Pasir Ave 1, #01-127, PP881 Foodhouse, Singapore 350146
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 7am to 9pm
146 Dim Sum Handmade Bao is not a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: XY Wen
Another low-key handmade bao gem is Hong Yun Bao in Bedok. They have only two bao flavours: Char Siew and Big Pork Pau ($2), both of which are excellent as a snack or as a quick breakfast. The Char Siew Pau ($1) here is decently sized, with a tender, sliced pork filling tossed in a sticky sweet-and-savoury glaze. Bits of fatty pork are laced through the filling for an extra juicy bite.
Address: 216 Bedok North Street 1, #01-36, Singapore 460216
Opening hours: Thurs-Sun 7am to 2pm
Hong Yun Bao is not a halal-certified eatery.
Those living in Woodlands can hurry on down to Fu Kee to satisfy their bao cravings. Some fans claim the Big Pau (price TBD) is among the best they’ve had, thanks to the flavourful pork-and-egg filling, while others praise their sweet, bite-sized bao filled with lotus and liu sha (from $0.90 each). Aside from their handmade bao, you can also find a variety of interesting dim sum items here, from century egg dumplings to beancurd rolls.
Address: 39 Woodlands Close, De Tian Coffee Shop, Singapore 737856
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 5:30am to 2pm
Fu Kee Traditional Handmade Pau & Dim Sum is not a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: Ipoh Hand Made Pau 怡保手工包
Ipoh Hand Made Pau is a relatively new stall in Geylang that has made quite a splash for their cute graphics and tasty buns. The stall is best known for their aromatic Coffee Pau ($1), with a fluffy, kopi-accented bao dough, and their Amy Yap Big Meat Bun ($4.50), a whopper of a bao that can easily feed two. Some fans claim their Char Siu Pau ($1) tastes like the sort you’d find at Hong Kong dim sum houses too—we’ll let you be the judge.
Read our Ipoh Hand Made Paul feature.
Address: 611 Geylang Road, Lorong 31 Geylang, Singapore 389550
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 6:30am to 5:30pm
Ipoh Hand Made Pau is not a halal-certified eatery.
For unique bao flavours, a visit to Ru Fa Bao Dian is due. They’ve got a variety of dim sum bites, but what really makes them stand out is their creative array of bao flavours, ranging from Curry Chicken ($1.40) to Yam Paste ($1.10), Chicken Cheese ($1.20) to Otah ($1.40). Buns are priced under $1.50, and flavours can be seasonal. Each bao is hand-shaped by hand, too!
Read our Ru Fa Bao Dian review.
Address: 44 Holland Drive, Singapore 270044
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 6:30am to 3pm
Ru Fa Bao Dian is not a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: Crosby Ong
Tanjong Rhu Pau is a popular family-run shop that’s been running since the 1960s. You’ll find their OG outlet at Jalan Batu, near Mountbatten MRT Station. Everything is handmade in-house, from the dough to the bao filling. Their Char Siew Bao ($1) is a must-try; this bite-sized bao comes with a sweet barbecued pork middle. For something more satisfying, you won’t go wrong with their Big Pork Pau ($1.80), which comes with a well-seasoned meat filling.
Read our Tanjong Rhu Pau review.
Address: 7 Jalan Batu, #01-113, Singapore 431007
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 10am to 8pm
Tel: 6348 3817
Website
Tanjong Rhu Pau is not a halal-certified eatery.
Now that you’ve got the rundown on all the best bao stalls in the city, check out our guide to the best dim sum in Singapore.
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