Tangmama Pastry

If you're hunting for egg tarts in Melbourne's CBD, Tangmama Pastry makes handcrafted egg tarts in various flavours. It's a dessert bakery built around handcrafted egg tarts in a surprisingly long list of flavours, alongside colourful, flaky pastries, and it's all takeaway from the shopfront.

The Portuguese egg tart is the one to start with. Locals describe silky custard in a crisp, buttery shell that isn't too thick, and one self-confessed egg tart addict who has worked through plenty of CBD options calls this their number one. From there, the flavours get adventurous: black sesame, matcha, taro, pistachio and strawberry, even durian, which one fan singled out. There's a sweet rice tart with a lovely mix of textures, and mochi matcha and taro versions that get a recommendation. Not everything lands equally. We've heard the chocolate lava tart can be a bit mild, and the taro isn't always as pronounced as you'd hope, so it pays to try a few and find your own favourite.

What people return to is the sweetness level. Tangmama's tarts and pastries are consistently described as not too sweet, which is why some folks happily get through two or three in one sitting. Everything is made fresh from the oven, and a local tip is that the tarts keep well in the fridge and come back to life in an air fryer. The Chinese pastries get a nod too, and there's a mooncake following for gifting, with fillings like pudding rice, purple rice with egg yolk and honey yuzu.

Service gets friendly marks, and the staff stay efficient even when the queue is long, though a few customers find the choice so wide that deciding takes a while. Popular flavours can sell out, so if you're set on the original, go earlier rather than later. Prices sit toward the premium end, though most feel it's worth it. One small gripe: the packaging can be flimsy for a couple of loose tarts, so ask for a box if you're carrying them far.

It's open daily, but check the hours before you head in.