China’s viral bakery Bao’s Pastry opens in Singapore at Paya Lebar Square

Singapore’s bakery scene has a bold, new contender that’s sending the internet into a frenzy. 

Beijing’s wildly popular bakery chain Bao’s Pastry has just opened at Paya Lebar Square, and snaking queues have been spotted ever since.

Located within Scarlett Supermarket, a grocer specialising in Chinese produce, Bao’s Pastry Singapore is impossible to miss with its striking, sunshine-yellow signs.

At Bao’s Pastry Singapore, the dedication to consistency and craftsmanship is apparent — you can easily peer into its open-concept kitchen, where bakers freshly churn out its bakes consistently throughout the day. 

While this is its first outlet in Singapore, the brand has a staggering 100 outlets in China and is best known for its seaweed floss cake, which doesn’t contain any pork (according to the brand’s website).

Singapore outlet features a trimmed-down version of its offerings in China, but there’s still a good mix of its signatures and comforting flavours that will be a hit among local tastebuds.

Getting your desired bakes at Bao’s Pastry at Paya Lebar is fuss-free: Grab a basket, join the line, and let the staff know which bakes on the shelves have caught your eye.

Don’t know what to get? We’ve done the legwork by braving the queues, downing some buns, and here’s our final verdict.

Our top picks from Bao’s Pastry Singapore’s menu

You absolutely cannot miss out on the Xiao Bei crispy floss cake (S$3.60 for two, S$6.90 for four).

It reminds us of a pillowy floss bun from BreadTalk, but with a twist — it comes with an oozing dose of sweet, mayo-like cream within. It’s not too cloying though, with the fluffy floss and seaweed strips adding a gentle umami finish.

The contrast of its sweet and savoury flavours might not be for some — but it’s an undeniably unique combination of flavours that we haven’t seen here yet..

Another must-get item is the butter mochi (S$4.90 for six pieces), with a subtle buttery kick that makes it so damn addictive.

Crisp on the outside and delicately chewy on the inside, the sweet mochi — somewhat reminiscent of the texture of Chinese nian gao (sweet rice cake) — is oh-so-satisfying.

Tip: Eat while it’s warm for the best gooey bite!

Bao’s Pastry Singapore has an assortment of tarts, too, and a classic pick that you can’t go wrong with is the golden Portuguese egg tart (S$1.80 for one, S$6.90 for four).

The golden brown pastry was just right with its multilayered, flaky crust. 

The custard leaned more towards an eggy one, and was also a tad sweet. While this put me off a bit and fell short of delivering the satisfying finish I had hoped for, those who enjoy their tarts eggy and sweet will probably love this, coupled with the buttery crust.  

Another tart that caught our eye was the velvet taro egg tart (S$2.90 per piece), which will easily win the hearts of orh nee (or yam) lovers.

Its crisp base holds a smooth layer of lightly sweetened taro paste, with a thin layer of purple rice enveloped within. The overall flavour is subtle yet comforting, and tastes like an easy-to-down cross between the well-loved desserts pulut hitam and orh nee. 

If you like all things pistachio, the pistachio croissant egg tart (S$4.50 per piece) would be right up your alley. 

The crust here is similar to that of the egg tarts, and the pistachio-flavoured custard, despite its vivid-green appearance, was surprisingly not too overpowering.

Queue or skip?

So… is it worth the hype?

We’d say yes! The Xiao Bei crispy seaweed floss cake has been making rounds online for a good reason — it hits the sweet-and-savoury spot just right.

But while we’d love to swing by again to try more bakes,  anything beyond a 30-minute wait feels like a stretch. If you’ve been eager to get your hands on these pastries, your best bet is to swing by before lunch hours to beat the queue.

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You can also book a ride to Bao’s Pastry Singapore to try its cult-favourite pastries.