Harpers Bread House
Bakery · Chinatown ·
Pastries, rice balls, and Portuguese egg tarts at great prices
Pastries, rice balls, and Portuguese egg tarts at great prices
"The decades-old institution remains one of Chinatown’s top bakeries, a place for ultra-affordable Chinese pastries. Hot dog scallion buns are always a smart move, as are the freshly made onigiri rice balls. But the chief draw is a warm egg tart (dan tat), filled with custard dense with the richness of egg yolks and with the top bruleed for a Macao-inspired treat. Also, look out for the ham-and-omelet breakfast sandwich." - Eater Staff
"In the midst of greater Chinatown on the traditional Lower East Side, Harper’s Bread House specializes in dan tat (egg custard tarts) and onigiri (Japanese rice balls). But a range of premade sandwiches includes ham and egg, a submarine-shaped roll made on the premises, with a porous slice of omelet layered atop for a few dollars. A simple slice of ham goes inside as well. It’s a minimalist marvel." - Eater Staff
"I send people here for the dan tat: about a buck gets you a golden, warm, jiggly custard in a soft pastry shell — a masterful egg tart worth seeking out." - Ryan Sutton
"After initially appearing closed, I confirmed that the decades-old Chinatown bakery at the corner of Grand and Forsyth streets is open again after a roughly two-week closure; earlier attempts to reach it by phone failed because the line was disconnected and the shop briefly appeared empty and devoid of furniture. Considered by many to be Chinatown’s best, it’s known for traditional Cantonese pastries like the egg tart presented with real Hong Kong flair — offering the classic pale yellow dan tat, the original Portuguese-style tart with a firmer, flakier crust and intensely yellow custard, and a Brazilian version made with coconut milk — and it also specializes in Japanese rice balls. Eater critic Robert Sietsema has singled out the ham and egg sandwich and recommended desserts including the matcha sponge cake and the taro waffle." - Tanay Warerkar
"For dan tat I point to a stand-out spot on Grand Street where the egg tarts are praised as being as light as a marshmallow, a strong benchmark for that item." - Ryan Sutton