12 Best Handmade Bao Stalls In Singapore To Try

Best handmade bao stalls in Singapore

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.

1. Johore Bahru Ye Zhi Mei Handmade Bao

This 24-hour Jalan Besar eatery is known for their affordable dim sum and handmade bao. Their signature Ye Zhi Mei ($4) bao is the star of the show here—the XXL bun puts other da bao to shame with its generous filling, comprised of minced pork, lap cheong, mushrooms, and half an egg. If you’re not up to chow down on this behemoth, there’s also smaller buns available in classic flavours such as Char Siew ($1.10), Lotus ($1), and Red Bean ($1).

Read our Johore Bahru Ye Zhi Mei review.

Address: 208 Jalan Besar, Singapore 208894
Opening hours: Daily 24 hours
Tel: 6294 2210
Johore Bahru Yi Zhi Mei Handmade Bao is not a halal-certified eatery

2. Traditional (Home-made) Pau

Image credit: Traditional Home-made Pau

Traditional (Home-made) Pau is a bustling bao stall located in an Ang Mo Kio coffeeshop. Their items are largely priced under $1.50, with flavours such as Lotus, Red Bean, and Char Siew available on the menu. What’s unique, however, is the fact that the stall sells Coffee 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 to siew mai.

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.

3. Man Ji Handmade Pau

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: Daily 7am to 7pm
Man Ji Handmade Pau is not a halal-certified eatery.

4. Hao Ji Bao

Image credit: Pohboon Yeo

Hao Ji Bao is something of a hidden gem in Toa Payoh. They are only open for four days a week and from 5:30am to 9am 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.

Address: 210 Lorong 8 Toa Payoh, Singapore 310210
Opening hours: Tue-Wed, Fri-Sat 5:30am to 9am
Hao Ji Bao is not a halal-certified eatery.

5. Hua Ji Bao Dang

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 ($0.90), a bite-sized beauty with a smooth, almost molten lotus paste filling that wasn’t too sugary. Another must-try is the Big Pao ($2), packed with chunky bits of marinated pork, chives, and a slice of hard-boiled egg.

Address: 115 Bukit Merah View, #01-63, Singapore, Singapore 151115
Opening hours: Tue-Wed, Fri-Sun 6:30am to 3pm
Tel: 9181 5180
Website
Hua Ji Bao Dang is not a halal-certified eatery

6. Beach Road Handmade Dim Sum

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 ($0.70) 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 ($1.60) 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: 115 Bukit Merah View, Singapore 151115
Opening hours: Tue-Wed, Fri-Sun 7am to 2pm
Beach Road Handmade Dim Sum is not a halal-certified eatery.

7. 146 Dim Sum Handmade Bao

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, both priced under $1. 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 10pm
146 Dim Sum Handmade Bao is not a halal-certified eatery.

8. Hong Yun Bao

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 ($1.80), both of which are excellent as a snack or as a quick breakfast. The Char Siew Pau ($0.90) 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.

9. Le Ji Handmade Pau Dim Sum

There’s not much on Le Ji Handmade Pau Dim Sum online, but that doesn’t mean the stall isn’t worth visiting. In fact, it’s one of the more popular dim sum haunts in Toa Payoh. Dishes here are priced under $3 across their extensive menu, so you can really eat your fill without breaking the bank. Of all their handmade bao, we suggest going for their Braised Pork Bao ($1.40), a lor bak bao filled with a thick slab of juicy, fatty pork belly braised in a savoury soya sauce.

Address: 21 Lorong 7 Toa Payoh, #01-298, Kim Keat Palm Market & Food Centre, Singapore 310021
Opening hours: TBD
Le Ji Handmade Pau Dim Sum is not a halal-certified eatery.

10. Fu Kee Traditional Handmade Pau & Dim Sum

Those living in Woodlands can hurry on down to Fu Kee to satisfy their bao cravings. Some fans claim the Big Pau ($1.80) 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 $0.70 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.

11. Ipoh Hand Made Pau

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 ($0.80), with a fluffy, kopi-accented bao dough, and their Amy Yap Big Meat Bun ($4), a whopper of a bao that can easily feed two. Some fans claim their Char Siu Pau ($0.90) tastes like the sort you’d find at Hong Kong dim sum houses too—we’ll let you be the judge.

Address: 611 Geylang Road, Lorong 31 Geylang, Singapore 389550
Opening hours: Wed-Mon 6am to 6pm
Ipoh Hand Made Pau is not a halal-certified eatery.

12. Ru Fa Bao Dian

Image credit: Rise&Shine

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 to Yam Paste, Chicken Cheese to Otah. Buns are priced under $1.50, and flavours can be seasonal.

Address: 44 Holland Drive, Singapore 270044
Opening hours: TBD
Ru Fa Bao Dian is not a halal-certified eatery.