I love custard buns. It is not a secret that I have been on a quest to find the best custard buns in Singapore.

A good custard bun (also known as Liu Sha Bao) has soft pillowy dough which is filled with egg custard and salted duck egg’s yolk. There are plenty of dim sum restaurants in Singapore that serve it, but most of them are mediocre. Where can you find good custard buns? Where can you go to satisfy your cravings for this popular dim sum?

Here’s my list of the Best Custard Buns in Singapore.

Imperial Treasure Fine Chinese Cuisine

The Imperial Treasure name is synonymous with good quality and consistently good Chinese food. My girlfriend and I frequent Imperial Treasure Fine Chinese Cuisine at Marina Bay Sands, and whenever we dine there, it is a must for us to order their Custard Bun.

It is one of my to-go places and this one does not disappoint with the combination of soft bun with very addictive custard filling.

#L2-04, Marina Bay Sands
10 Bayfront Avenue
Tel: +65 6688 7788
Daily: 11.30am – 10.30pm
Nearest Station: Bayfront

Jiang-Nan Chun

Jiang-Nan Chun at Four Seasons Singapore is known for serving classic Cantonese cuisine in a luxurious setting. While everything on the dim sum menu is absolutely perfectly prepared, my favourite at Jiang-Nan Chun is without a doubt, the Custard Buns with salted egg yolk.

190 Orchard Boulevard
Four Seasons Hotel
Tel: +65 6831 7220
Mon to Fri: 11.30am – 2.30pm, 6pm – 10.30pm
Sat & Sun (Dim Sum Brunch): 11am – 1pm, 1.30pm – 3pm

Man Fu Yuan

There are many Cantonese restaurants in Singapore, but Man Fu Yuan at Intercontinental Singapore stands out for offering a unique tea pairing service. Here, you can enjoy a range of Chinese tea to go along with the signature dishes and dim sum.

Fans of custard bun will be happy to know that Man Fu Yuan serves two kinds of custard bun ($12 for 6) – deep fried and steamed. Both are equally good, but I prefer the latter.

80 Middle Road
2F Intercontinental Hotel
Tel: +65 6825 1062

Paradise Pavilion

What I love about Paradise Pavilion’s custard bun is that it is always consistently good. I’ve had it on many occasions, and it is always so satisfying. This is the easily one of the best, if not, best custard buns in Singapore. Besides the usual custard bun, they also have a Crispy Custard Lava Man Tou ($8.80) served with vanilla ice cream. It is heavenly.

8A Marina Boulevard
#02-01 Marina Bay Link Mall
Tel: +65 6509 9308
Mon to Fri: 11.30am – 3pm, 6pm – 11pm
Sat & Sun: 11am – 4pm, 6pm – 11pm
Nearest Station: Raffles Place

Peach Garden

This should go without saying, but I will reiterate the obvious: Peach Garden has, hands down, one of the best custard buns ($4.20) in Singapore. Besides their signature Wasabi Prawn and X.O. Carrot Cake, the custard bun is the must-order dish when you are at Peach Garden.

65 Chulia Street
#33-01 OCBC Centre
Tel: +65 6535 7833
Mon to Sat: 11.30am – 2.30pm, 6pm – 10pm
Sun & PH: 10.30am – 3pm, 6pm – 10pm
Nearest Station: Raffles Place

Royal China Restaurant

Another of my favourite in town is the custard buns at Royal China. Its rendition was packed with a generous filling of the molten salted egg yolk custard and it had a certain “oomph“ to elevate it to something truly special.

1 Beach Road
#03-09 Raffles Hotel
Tel: +65 6338 3363
Mon to Sat: 12pm – 3pm, 6pm – 10.30pm
Sun & PH: 11am – 3pm, 6pm – 10.30pm
Nearest Station: City Hall

For more recommendations, read our guide to the best dim sum places in Singapore

It has been two years since my last visit to Royal China Restaurant at Raffles Hotel, and I was glad to finally make a trip there for dim sum during lunch recently.

I’ve said it before and I am happy to say it again. Royal China Chinese Restaurant is definitely one of the best dim sum places in Singapore.

Much has been said about Royal China’s gorgeous interior – it is impossible not to like the Tiffany blue themed restaurant. Prices are very reasonable for the quality of the dim sum, they range from $3.6 to $4.8 for a basket.

We took a quick look at the menu and made our orders: “please give us siew mai, har gau, char siew bao, custard bun, cheong fun, char siew soh, egg tart, and carrot cake.”

Everyone was very excited when the waitress brought the dim sum to our table.

After having the Cheong Fun and Siew Mai, we proceeded with the Baked Pork Bun ($3.6), and it was good enough to make me order it again next time. But if you do not want too many pork items, skip the Char Siew Bao and get the delicious Baked BBQ Pork Puff ($4) instead.

When it comes to Char Siew Sou, I’d rank Royal China’s rendition as my top 3 in Singapore, with the other two being Yan Ting and Taste Paradise.

Having tried the best pan-fried carrot cake from Si Chuan Dou Hua, I felt that the one from Royal China was mediocre.

The few of us were debating on where to find the best custard buns (liu sha bao) in Singapore. Names like Taste Paradise, Si Chuan Dou Hua, Mandarin Court and Peach Garden were mentioned, and after trying Royal China’s version, it is definitely in the same league.

I poked a hole into the liu sha bao to take a peep at the magnificent custard fillings. The bun was too hot to eat, but I put it into my mouth anyway. The golden liquid burnt my tongue, but it felt so good. It was hard to resist ordering a second portion.

Royal China’s Baked Egg Tarts ($3.60) were also very good. Delicious little devils.

If you are planning a visit to Royal China after reading this post, make sure you order their Steamed Prawn Dumplings ($4.8).

They were amongst the best I ever had: the skin of the har gau had the right consistency and thickness, and each dumpling came with a big shrimp which was fresh and crunchy.

Like the other dim sum places in Singapore, Royal China at Raffles Hotel only has dim sum during lunch, and it is a must to make reservations in advance. The must-try dim sum items are custard bun, har gau, char siew sou and egg tart.

For more recommendations, please read my list of dim sum restaurants in Singapore

Royal China Restaurant
1 Beach Road
#03-09 Raffles Hotel
Tel: +65 6338 3363
Mon to Sat: 12pm – 3pm, 6pm – 10.30pm
Sun & PH: 11am – 3pm, 6pm – 10.30pm
Nearest Station: City Hall