Chinatown Bakery London Review: The Hong Kong Buns, Pastries & Taiyaki Worth Taking Home

A trip to London’s Chinatown rarely ends with just a meal. There are bakeries to explore, snacks to bring home and plenty of tempting treats to eat on the way back. On our latest visit, we stopped at Chinatown Bakery on Newport Place, one of two branches we have visited over the years. We have also been to its Wardour Street branch on previous trips, so this was a return to a familiar favourite.

This time, we were shopping for takeaway. We wanted a selection of Hong Kong-style buns and pastries to take home with us, extending that Chinatown experience beyond the day itself.

The bakery was busy, as we expected, with trays of freshly baked goods, a wonderful smell of bread and pastry, and so many choices that it was difficult to settle on just a few. We came away with eight different buns and rolls, ranging from a classic roast pork bun to a pandan lotus paste roll and a spring onion chicken floss roll.

Chinatown Bakery has become one of our regular stops when visiting London. Its appeal lies in the range of traditional Hong Kong bakery favourites alongside newer flavours, creative fillings and Japanese-inspired treats. If you enjoy soft, freshly baked buns and want something more interesting than the usual sandwich meal deal, this is a place worth making time for.

Finding Chinatown Bakery on Newport Place

Chinatown Bakery’s Newport Place branch is at 7–9 Newport Place, London WC2H 7JR, right in the heart of Chinatown and within easy walking distance of Leicester Square Underground station.

The branch occupies two adjoining shop units, which makes the most of a relatively small footprint. One part of the frontage features the bakery’s shelves and counter, while the other catches your attention with its taiyaki machine. Even if you have no intention of buying anything, it is hard to walk past without looking at the display.

There is a second Chinatown Bakery on Wardour Street, which we have also visited on earlier trips. Having tried both, we are familiar with the brand and its wide selection of Hong Kong-style baked goods. For this visit, we chose Newport Place because we were already in Chinatown and wanted to stock up on buns and pastries to take home.

The bakery is well organised, clean and bright. It smells wonderful, with the aroma of freshly baked bread greeting you as you enter. The space itself is quite small, and it can become very crowded, particularly when Chinatown is busy. On our visit, we had to queue to pay, although the overall arrangement made sense once we understood how the shop worked.

How the Bakery Works When It Gets Busy

One of the things I appreciate about Chinatown Bakery is its approach to managing the flow of customers. You enter through one side of the shop, pick up a tray and a pair of tongs near the entrance, then work your way along the shelves to select your buns and pastries. The route takes you through the adjoining shop before you reach the payment counter and exit.

It is a simple arrangement, but a useful one when there are lots of people trying to browse the same shelves. Having a separate entrance and exit helps keep the queue moving and makes it easier for customers to collect their orders without constantly crossing paths.

Of course, the system can still feel a little cramped when the bakery is packed. You may need to wait for someone to move before you can reach a particular tray of buns, and choosing what you want takes longer when there are so many options.

My advice is to take your time, look at what is available and avoid rushing your choices. If you have visited before, it helps to know which favourites you want to pick up before reaching the busiest part of the shop.

The bakery also plays repeated pickpocket warnings in different languages. That is a sensible precaution in such a busy tourist area. With people standing close together and concentrating on the food displays, it is worth keeping your bag and valuables secure.

On our visit, it was close to Mid-Autumn Festival so a variety of Mooncakes were on sale. These are round pastries with sweet or savoury fillings like lotus seed paste, red bean, or salted duck egg yolk to symbolise family unity and wholeness.

A Huge Choice of Hong Kong-Style Buns and Pastries

The selection is one of Chinatown Bakery’s biggest attractions. There are traditional sweet buns, savoury rolls, filled pastries, cakes and newer creations with flavours influenced by other parts of Asia. The range includes familiar Hong Kong bakery staples such as pineapple buns, roast pork buns and custard buns, alongside pandan-flavoured treats and other sweet and savoury options. The official Chinatown Bakery listing describes a selection of more than 80 freshly baked treats across its locations.

For anyone who grew up eating Hong Kong-style bread and pastries, there are plenty of familiar flavours. For newcomers, the bakery offers a good introduction to a style of baking that is quite different from the crusty loaves and flaky pastries commonly found in British bakeries.

Hong Kong bakery buns are often soft, fluffy and slightly sweet, with fillings that range from barbecued pork and sausage to coconut, custard, lotus paste and other sweet pastes. Some have a distinctive topping, while others are finished with coconut, sesame seeds, crusty cake top or savoury ingredients.

The appeal is partly in the texture. A good bun should be soft enough to pull apart easily, with the filling adding flavour without overwhelming the bread. We were spoilt for choice on this visit, and eventually settled on eight different buns and rolls.

What We Bought: Eight Buns and Rolls to Take Home

1. Roast pork bun

The roast pork bun is one of the classics I would look for in a Hong Kong bakery. The savoury filling gives it more substance than a plain sweet bun, making it a good choice for a snack or a light lunch. It is also one of the reasons I like buying a selection of bakery goods to take home. You can have something sweet with a cup of tea, then reach for a savoury bun when you fancy something more substantial.

2. Cocktail Bun

The cocktail bun is another traditional Hong Kong favourite. It is known for its sweet, soft bread and coconut-based filling, often finished with a decorative topping. This is the sort of bun that works particularly well with tea or coffee. It has a gentle sweetness and a texture that makes it easy to enjoy without needing anything else alongside it.

3. Pineapple bun (Bolo Bao)

The pineapple bun is a must-try for anyone exploring Hong Kong bakery classics. Despite its name, the traditional bun does not usually contain pineapple. The name comes from the distinctive golden, cracked topping, which resembles the surface of a pineapple.

The contrast between the soft bread and the sweeter, slightly crisp topping is what makes it so appealing. It is one of those simple bakery items that deserves a place on the shopping list, especially if you have never tried one fresh from a Hong Kong-style bakery.

4. Sausage bun

The sausage bun is a familiar savoury option, pairing soft bread with a sausage filling. It is an easy choice if you want something less sweet, and one that can be eaten on the move. For visitors exploring Chinatown for several hours, buns like this are handy to keep for later. You can enjoy one between attractions or save it for the journey home.

5. Pandan lotus paste roll

Pandan is a popular flavour in Southeast Asian baking, valued for its distinctive fragrant, almost vanilla-like aroma. Combined with lotus paste, it makes for a sweet roll that brings together two flavours associated with Asian desserts and pastries.

I like seeing pandan used in different forms, especially in bakeries where the selection extends beyond the more familiar custard and coconut fillings.

6. Spring onion chicken floss roll

This was one of the savoury choices in our selection. Chicken floss is a fine, fluffy dried meat topping or filling commonly used in Asian bakery goods, while spring onion adds a savoury, aromatic note. It is an interesting alternative to the usual sausage or roast pork bun, particularly for anyone who enjoys savoury bakery items with a little more character.

7. Plain butter bun

Sometimes a simple bun is exactly what you want. The plain butter bun offers a more straightforward option among the filled and topped varieties. Soft bread with a buttery flavour can be very satisfying, especially when you want something to eat with a hot drink rather than a bun packed with a sweet or savoury filling.

8. Coconut crispy-topped bun

The coconut crispy-topped bun was another way to enjoy the bakery’s combination of soft bread and a more textured topping. Coconut is a familiar ingredient in Hong Kong-style baking, appearing in fillings, rolls and toppings.

With so many varieties on offer, choosing a mixture of sweet and savoury buns is a good way to make the most of a visit. You can try several different flavours at home and work out which ones you would buy again.

Traditional Hong Kong Baking Meets New Flavours

What keeps Chinatown Bakery interesting is the variety. Alongside familiar Hong Kong-style buns, it offers newer creations and flavours influenced by other Asian food cultures, including Japan. This is part of the appeal of visiting a bakery like this. Hong Kong-style baking has its own traditions, but the range of fillings, toppings and pastry styles continues to evolve. You can find classics on the same shelves as newer combinations designed to appeal to customers looking for something different.

The matcha range is particularly tempting for anyone who enjoys the Japanese green tea flavour. The Matcha Oreo Cream Bun and Matcha Lava Cake are two creations worth looking out for. Matcha’s earthy, slightly bitter character can work well with sweet cream and chocolate biscuits, giving these pastries a different flavour profile from the more traditional coconut, custard and lotus paste options.

There is enough variety here to make repeat visits worthwhile. You could come back several times and still find something new to try, especially if you enjoy sampling different fillings and flavours. For a first visit, I would start with a few Hong Kong classics, then add one or two unfamiliar items. That way, you get a feel for the bakery’s traditional offerings while leaving room to discover something new.

Taiyaki: The Fish-Shaped Japanese Treat

One of the most eye-catching features of the Newport Place branch is the taiyaki machine at the shopfront. Taiyaki is a Japanese fish-shaped cake made from a batter similar to waffle or pancake batter. It is cooked in a mould that gives it the familiar fish shape and traditionally comes with a sweet filling.

At Chinatown Bakery, the freshly made version is available with fillings such as red bean, Nutella or custard. The open-top version can also be served with soft-serve ice cream. It is a fun treat to watch being made, and the fish shape makes it especially appealing if you are visiting Chinatown with children. It is also the sort of snack that catches the attention of passers-by, even if they came in intending to buy only a few buns.

There is one important tip if you order a freshly cooked, filled taiyaki: give it a little time to cool before taking your first bite. The filling can be much hotter than the outside, and biting into it straight away can burn your mouth.

Personally, we prefer the taiyaki wafer cones filled with soft-serve ice cream. You can choose vanilla, green tea or a mixed flavour, depending on what is available. The fish-shaped cone adds a little novelty, while the soft-serve makes it a refreshing treat as you walk around Chinatown.

If you want something to eat immediately rather than a box of pastries to take home, the taiyaki and ice cream are worth considering.

A Good Place to Buy Celebration Cakes

Chinatown Bakery is also worth remembering when you need a birthday cake or another celebration cake. We have been impressed by the cakes displayed in the window. They are beautifully presented, with colourful decorations and designs that make them stand out from the more conventional cakes you might find in a supermarket.

The bakery offers made-to-order celebration cakes, so it is an option to consider if you are planning a birthday or family gathering. The combination of attractive presentation and fresh bakery goods makes it appealing for anyone looking for something a little different.

If you are thinking of ordering a cake, I would recommend checking directly with the bakery about designs, flavours, sizes, lead times and prices. A made-to-order cake needs more planning than a spontaneous visit for buns and pastries.

For us, this is another reason to keep Chinatown Bakery in mind. It is a convenient place to pick up everyday treats, but it can also be useful when you need something special for an occasion.

Chinatown Bakery vs Kowloon Bakery: Which Should You Visit?

We have been visiting London’s Chinatown for years, and one of our longstanding stops has been Kowloon Bakery on Gerrard Street. It remains a favourite for traditional Cantonese bakery goods and desserts, and we still return for familiar choices such as the Bolo Bao, egg tart and custard bun.

Kowloon has a more traditional feel. The bakery shop sits alongside its restaurant, and its range appeals to those looking for classic Cantonese pastries, snacks and desserts. Its approach to service is more old-fashioned too: items are selected with help from the server and boxed for you. On our visits, payment has been cash-only, and the individual items have not been wrapped in the same way as those at Chinatown Bakery.

Chinatown Bakery has a more modern, self-service setup. You take a tray and tongs, choose your own buns and pastries, then pay at the counter. The goods are individually wrapped, which makes them convenient to carry around or take home.

Here is how we see the difference:

	Chinatown Bakery	Kowloon Bakery
Style	Modern Hong Kong-style bakery with newer creations	More traditional Cantonese bakery
Shopping	Self-service with tray and tongs	More traditional counter service
Takeaway	Individually wrapped buns and pastries	Items are boxed by staff
Payment	Card payments accepted	We have paid cash on previous visits
What we return for	Variety, new flavours, soft buns and taiyaki	Bolo Bao, egg tarts and custard buns
Best for	Browsing a wide selection and buying treats to go	Traditional Cantonese bakery favourites

Both have a place on our Chinatown itinerary. If I am after a particular traditional Cantonese treat, Kowloon remains a favourite. If I want a broad selection of individually wrapped buns, new flavour combinations and a fish-shaped ice cream cone, Chinatown Bakery is an easy choice.

You can find Kowloon at 21–22 Gerrard Street, London W1D 6JH. For Chinatown Bakery, the Newport Place branch is at 7–9 Newport Place, and the other branch is at 25 Wardour Street. Opening times and payment arrangements can change, so it is worth checking before visiting.

Is Chinatown Bakery Good Value?

Prices in Chinatown have risen over the years, and bakery treats are no exception. Chinatown Bakery may not feel as inexpensive as it once did, particularly if you arrive intending to buy a large selection. That said, I still think it offers good value by London standards. You get a wide choice of baked goods, and the buns are convenient to take away, eat on the go or save for later. Buying a few different items also gives you the chance to sample several flavours without committing to a sit-down meal.

If you are exploring London and don’t fancy stopping for a full lunch, a couple of savoury buns and a sweet pastry can make a satisfying alternative to a typical sandwich meal deal. The individually wrapped items are especially useful if you want to keep walking and sightseeing.

The trick is to choose carefully. With so many options on display, it is easy to fill your tray with more than you planned. Decide on a few favourites, then leave room for something new if you spot a flavour that catches your eye.

Our Tips for Visiting Chinatown Bakery

• Visit with an idea of what you want to try. The selection is large, and it is easy to spend a long time browsing.
• Expect crowds. The Newport Place shop is compact, and queues can form at busy times.
• Use the tray and tongs. The self-service layout takes you through the shelves towards the payment counter.
• Bring a card. Card payment was available on our visit, making it convenient if you don’t carry cash.
• Buy a mixture of sweet and savoury buns. Roast pork, sausage and chicken floss rolls make good savoury choices, while pineapple buns, cocktail buns and pandan rolls cover the sweeter side.
• Let freshly cooked taiyaki cool slightly. The filling can be extremely hot straight from the machine.
• Ask ahead about celebration cakes. Check availability, flavours, prices and ordering times if you need a cake for a particular date.
• Keep your belongings secure. Chinatown is busy, and the bakery itself warns customers about pickpockets.

Would We Return to Chinatown Bakery?

Absolutely. We have visited both the Newport Place and Wardour Street branches before, and this latest stop reminded us why the bakery remains on our London Chinatown list.

The shop was clean and well organised, the selection was extensive, and the staff were friendly and welcoming. Even with the crowd, the system of entering through one side, picking up a tray and working through to the other shop before paying was easy enough to follow.

Our eight buns and rolls gave us a good mixture of traditional Hong Kong flavours and savoury options to enjoy at home. We also like that there is always something else to try on another visit, from the matcha creations to the freshly made taiyaki and soft-serve ice cream.

For us, Chinatown Bakery is part of the pleasure of visiting London. You can pick up a few treats, continue exploring the area and take something home to enjoy long after the trip has ended.

If you are visiting Chinatown, I would recommend making room in your plans for a bakery stop. Go for the Hong Kong-style buns, look out for the newer flavours, and don’t leave without taking a look at the fish-shaped taiyaki.

Location Information

Chinatown Bakery – Newport Place

• Address: 7–9 Newport Place, London WC2H 7JR
• Other branch: 25 Wardour Street, London W1D 6PP
• Specialities: Hong Kong-style buns, savoury rolls, pastries, cakes, taiyaki and soft-serve ice cream
• Best for: Takeaway buns and pastries, snacks on the go, trying new Asian bakery flavours and celebration cakes
• Payment: Card payments accepted on our visit
• Official website: Chinatown Bakery

For the latest opening times and branch details, check the official Newport Place listing before setting off.