Why people love Hong Kong-style egg waffles and best places to eat them

Hong Kong-style egg waffles are one of the city’s most beloved street snacks. Called gai daan zai – “little chicken eggs” – in Cantonese and also simply “egg puffs” in English, these golden treats have been around in Hong Kong since the 1950s. Unlike Western waffles, which have a grid-like pattern, Hong Kong’s egg waffles are covered in small oval-shaped bubbles, which may have inspired the name “little eggs”. The batter is typically made with eggs, flour, sugar and evaporated milk. When cooked just right, the waffle has a thin, crispy layer on the outside and a deliciously contrasting soft and chewy texture inside, as well as little air pockets where the “bubbles” are. The street snack is a uniquely Hong Kong one that occupies a special place in many Hongkongers’ hearts. “I used to beg my mom for egg waffles after school,” says Queenie Chan, a 46-year-old Hongkonger who still buys them occasionally to relive her childhood memories. Though people of all ages love the snack, students in uniform lining up for egg waffles after school is still the most common sight at shops today. Hong Kong-style egg waffles developed as the city recovered from World War II. It is said that the city’s street vendors adapted Western waffles to local tastes and budgets. Since eggs were expensive at the time, vendors often used broken eggs in the batter. They created a special bubble-shaped mould that gave the waffles their distinctive look and texture. According to Ng Wai of Hung Hom Pancake – an egg waffle stall in Kowloon that has been in operation for more than 40 years – the original egg waffles were traditionally cooked over charcoal fires. By the 1960s, egg waffles had become a staple street food. Today, a quick search on OpenRice – Hong Kong’s largest dining guide – shows over 100 egg waffle shops in the city. Diehard fans continue to hunt for the city’s best egg waffles today. Online communities like the 46,000-member “Hong Kong Egg Waffle Concern Group” on Facebook serve as hubs where enthusiasts share photos and review shops across the city. The snack has gone through some significant changes over the years. Nowadays, most vendors use electric waffle machines instead of iron skillets and charcoal fires. Taste-wise, while the classic version remains popular, modern vendors experiment with new flavours by modifying the batter. Some interesting flavours that have come about in recent years include mala, matcha, salted egg yolk and even pineapple bun. Some of Hong Kong’s most successful local egg waffle businesses are expanding abroad. One stand-out is Mammy Pancake, which began as a small shop in Hung Hom in 2009 and gained fame after being recommended in the street food section of the Michelin Guide for Hong Kong for six straight years. It opened its first overseas location, in Taipei, Taiwan, in 2017, and is now set to open a shop in London later this year. “We have consistently invested resources to develop overseas markets, aiming not only to grow our business but also to bring pride to Hong Kong,” said Irene Wong, COO of Mammy Pancake. “In addition to Southeast Asia, the UK serves as our first stop in Europe due to its rapidly increasing Chinese population. This also allows us to tell Hong Kong’s story well. “In the coming years, we have many groundbreaking plans.” For those looking to get started on their egg waffle journey, below are some of the most beloved gai daan zai shops in Hong Kong. Master Low-Key View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ying Ying (@ying0815) Master Low-Key’s egg waffles have an exceptionally thin, crispy shell and a soft and chewy centre. Its main shop is in Shau Kei Wan, where people start queuing long before the store opens. At its Causeway Bay outpost, there are fewer people but the egg waffles are equally good. Popular flavours include salted egg yolk and chocolate hazelnut. Shop B3, G/F, 76A Shau Kei Wan Main Street East, Shau Kei Wan Mammy Pancake View this post on Instagram A post shared by Taste Buds Abroad 🌎 (@tastebudsabroad) Mammy Pancake started in Hung Hom in 2009 and now has 12 locations. Its extensive menu includes avocado chocolate chip, matcha red bean, and pork floss with white sesame. Shop 1A15, G/F, Whampoa Estate, 99 Dock Street, Hung Hom Lee Keung Kee North Point Egg Waffles View this post on Instagram A post shared by Emma Choo • Food, Lifestyle + Travel (@vancouverfoodie) This shop’s main location in North Point is a traditional, hole-in-the-wall stall where customers order through a small window. Its long-standing popularity is emphasised by the celebrity photos and news clippings that cover the shop’s exterior. To this day, handheld iron skillets are used to make crispy, airy waffles. It also has a shop in Tsim Sha Tsui. G/F, 492 King’s Road, North Point Chicken Egg Boy View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jason Lau (@jason_lau_ka_on) Chicken Egg Boy is a newer shop that recently went viral for combining two of Hong Kong’s favourite snacks: egg waffles and pineapple buns. Each of its egg waffles’ bubbles is coated with the sugary, buttery crust that normally tops a pineapple bun. Shop 2, G/F, Nam Wo Hong Building, 148 Wing Lok Street, Sheung Wan Hung Hom Pancake View this post on Instagram A post shared by nte.eats · nat (@nte.eats) Hung Hom Pancake uses a family recipe more than four decades old to make not only classic egg waffles, but also some interesting variations, such as tricolour egg waffles. You can ask them to make your egg waffle crispier or softer. Shop 2, G/F, Polly Court, 53 Bulkeley Street, Hung Hom

Why people love Hong Kong-style egg waffles and best places to eat them

Also known as gai daan zai and egg puffs, this popular street food occupies a special place in many Hongkongers’ hearts