19 editor picks across China.
19 bakeries worth the trip across China, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All China guides.
Park Hotel Bakery inside the Art Deco Park Hotel on West Nanjing Road in Shanghai draws block-long lines every day for its bagged butterfly crackers.
TipEach bag holds five crackers for about ¥30, from some 2,500 bags made a day; buy two if one is a gift.
Daoxiangcun's Zero Store on Dongsi North Street in Beijing opened in August 2021 as a food-heritage shop and bakes its hand-made pastries on site.
TipQueues of an hour or two were reported before the January 2023 Lunar New Year, so go on a weekday morning; Ctrip lists the door-number cake among the items.
VERIE Bakehouse on the ground floor of Xintiandi Style II in Shanghai bakes buttery viennoiserie under Quebec pastry chef Frederic Jaros, ex-Da Vittorio.
TipSit on the dog-friendly terrace outside; TING, chef Frederic Jaros's chef's table, is on the floor above.
O'Mills Sourdough Bakery & Bistro on Yongjia Road in Shanghai bakes sourdough loaves and sourdough pizza, with plant-based dishes and fermented foods.
TipThe sourdough olive bread is the loaf most often recommended; the bistro menu leans healthy, natural and plant-based.
Kempi Deli moved in November 2025 to the Liangma River side of Beijing's Kempinski Yansha Center, keeping its European breads, sausages and Black Forest cake.
TipA terrace on the Liangma River opened in June 2026; mornings run to coffee and baked goods, afternoons to cakes and sandwiches, evenings to wine and bar snacks.
The Mandarin Cake Shop, on the second floor of WF Central beside Mandarin Oriental, sells hotel-baked pastries, cakes, chocolates and bread in Beijing.
TipThe shop is a takeaway counter on the second floor of the east wing; in July 2025 it added a pet cake range for dogs and cats.
Butterfly Patisserie, the jewel-box boutique of Rosewood Beijing, sells artisanal chocolates, seasonal cakes and pastries with 40% less sugar in Beijing.
TipThe shop closes at 19:00 and dress is smart casual. Handcrafted chocolate gift boxes and hampers are sold for gifting.
Shen Da Cheng on East Nanjing Road in Shanghai has sold glutinous rice pastries, dim sum and spring qingtuan since 1875, with a queue at its street counter.
TipIn spring pick red bean paste for the classic qingtuan, or salted egg yolk with pork floss for the savoury one.
Xing Hua Lou on Fuzhou Road in Shanghai is the flagship of a century-old Cantonese brand, known for its mooncakes, dim sum and seasonal qingtuan.
TipIn spring the pork floss and salted egg yolk qingtuan draws long queues, with a limit on boxes per person.
BasdBan on Yuyuan Road in Shanghai bakes its popular croissants inside a design forward stainless steel and concrete storefront with a dog friendly patio.
TipSeasonal specials rotate often, but regulars keep returning for the plain, flaky croissant.
Luhui's Dongsi South Street shop in Beijing bakes loaves and lye rolls, including a Mojiang purple rice and chestnut loaf, and now has newer branches.
TipA litsea, pickled-chilli and beef cheese lye roll cost about ¥20 in April 2025; flavours differ by branch (The Box on Chaowai Street, Duiwai Jingmao), so ask.
Kaisiling on Nanjing West Road in Shanghai has sold its whipped chestnut cake since a 1928 copycat of a Tianjin cafe opened at this address.
TipBeyond the chestnut cake the case holds eclairs, cream horns and millefeuille; this is the original site, now in a newer building.
Taikang Foods on East Nanjing Road in Shanghai is a long-standing counter for freshly fried pork mooncakes, plus red bean and malted milk qingtuan in spring.
TipIn spring look for the red bean and malted milk qingtuan, a local favourite alongside the pork mooncakes.
Fuhuazhai Pastry Store is a time-honoured Beijing brand, and its Huguosi branch sells handmade imperial court pastries on the ground floor of Huguo Xintiandi.
TipCtrip puts it 50 metres east of Huguosi Snacks, and the city's time-honoured brands citywalk lists the two as stops on one route.
Sol Sourdough bakes country loaves, scones and cinnamon rolls in a single-storey building on Jianguomenwai Street in Beijing, with seating beside the counter.
TipThe Cheese Trio is the signature loaf; the dining area next to the counter lets you eat in, and coffee and other drinks are on sale.
Michael's German Bakery in Cuigezhuang, Beijing, bakes German breads, rolls and cakes by hand, and The Beijinger's 2025 Christmas list names its stollen.
TipThe shop is closed on Wednesdays and shuts at 17:00; the phone number doubles as its WeChat contact, so message ahead for stollen before Christmas.
Lao Xiang Zhai on East Nanjing Road in Shanghai bakes a looser, crumblier butterfly cracker, sold by weight, that travels better for gifting.
TipBuy by the 500 gram bag, about ¥110 to ¥130; the lower-moisture recipe keeps longer for travel.
Money Shops on historic, protected Yuyuan Road in Shanghai bakes a Hong Kong sized egg tart alongside French breads, tarts and cakes every day.
TipThe Pudding Français egg tart, about ¥42, could feed a family of four; the first-floor counter handles coffee.
Comptoirs de France in Xingfucun, Beijing is a branch of a French bakery that sold galette des rois in three sizes for Epiphany 2026, from ¥42 to ¥298.
TipIn the Epiphany 2026 window the king cake came as an individual (¥42), a medium (¥198) or a large (¥298); ask whether it is still in stock outside January.
Private tour · 8 hours
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A hands-on introduction to Chinese pastry-making where you learn by doing. In small groups, you will discover traditional techniques step by step and bring home a reci...