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Hopia Enjoy The Best Mooncakes Ever!
With the Mooncake Festival coming up, here’s our top 11 places to buy the best hopia to celebrate!
Even though the pandemic’s not letting up, that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy a hopia or two to celebrate the Mooncake Festival. Mooncakes or hopia, unlike Tikoy, aren’t sticky and have a lot of fun fillings. They have chocolate, strawberry, red bean, mongo, and the best and all-time crowd-pleaser kind of hopia: salted duck egg! Plus, it’s a good snack to have with the kids while they’re either playing the dice game or watching the Netflix movie about the Moon Goddess – Over the Moon.
To save you from the stress of digging for a good place, we’ve compiled a list. Here are the top 11 places to buy the best hopia:
1. Manila Marriot Hotel
As an international hotel, it’s no surprise that Manila Marriot Hotel’s got a gorgeous Mooncake Chest filled with their specialty mooncakes. Their mooncakes come with pecans, walnuts, cashews, and a variety of fillings. Plus, they make good business partner gifts if you add a bottle of Whisky for an additional PHP 520. It’s 2,998 for the whole chest and it’s a good buy if you’re building good business relationships. It’s also a way of passing luck and fortune to your business partners.
We suggest you pre-order to beat the rush. You can call them at (0917) 624-5980 or order through their website at www.manilamarriott.com.
2. Manila Peninsula
Shipped straight out of Peninsula Hongkong, these mooncakes are a limited item in the Manila Peninsula menu. And considering how long they’ve survived even during this pandemic, you know that these hopia will be quite a treat. Plus, it’s straight out of native Hongkong’s kitchen! It’s pretty much got the seal of approval that it’s the real deal. In true Hongkong-style cuisine, their hopia is an egg-custard hopia which are sold at 3,888 for four pieces and 4,888 for eight. They have other selections which you can find on their menu by emailing them at [email protected] or messaging them here.
3. Ho-Land Hopia
Those who went to Chinese schools would remember this nostalgic hopia. Ho-Land Hopia’s known for that flaky texture like a puff pastry with different mongo flavors. Most of us who have tasted Ho-Land would probably remember how some of those hopia were sold in pizza size. But don’t worry, they have it in bite-size in the different flavors. They also have the authentic Lotus Cream flavored one. They do deliveries and you can just order through Pick-A-Roo.
4. Eng Bee Tin Chinese Deli
Eng Bee Tin’s found everywhere and if you’re not in the mood to buy a whole box, they sell them in little packs like Oreos. They’re like the “gateway” hopia brand before tasting other kinds. Since their approach to hopia’s a little more modern-tasting, they have chocolate, strawberry, ube, and sometimes even cheese. But they still have some traditional flavors like the mongo bean one and the salted duck egg one. It’s pretty good if you’re just looking for a quick fix.
Eng Bee Tin has kiosks in malls like Fisher Mall. But, you can also order from their main branch in Binondo from their website.
5. Monteland Hopia and Bake House
Chinese can be quite habitual as to where they buy their hopia. For as long as their favorite bakery since 1970’s is still open, they’ll head over to Monteland Hopia and Bake House for all their baked goods. They also have an assortment of other Chinese pastries like Fortune Cakes, Siopaos, and Da Baos (literally means Big Bread and is the mama version of the Siopaos). We recommend just using either Pick-A-Roo, Lalamove, or Grab to pick it up in Masangkay St, Binondo, Manila. The streets are kind of skinny to pass through but the hopia’s well worth the buy.
6. Salazar Bakery
If you’re looking for authentic Chinese, Salazar Bakery’s been in the hopia business since the 1940’s and has been selling hopia to all the old Chinese families in Ongpin. While Salazar Bakery did expand to other baked goods like Siopao and Cuchay Pao (it’s kind of like a vegetable siopao and it does get kids to eat their veggies), their hopia is still a family favorite of some of the old Chinese families. They have several branches from both North and South which you can check on their FB page here. They’re also available on Grab and FoodPanda if you’re really craving.
7. Diao Eng Chai (DECS)
While they are more famous for their dimsum and dumpling platters that served as a staple for our kids’ school lunch, DECS does sell a lot of other Chinese goodies. They sell smoked duck in trays, but also sell a variety of Hopia. Right now, they’re offering different Alay Bundles which has not only food for a full Mooncake Feast but also hopia to enjoy eating while watching a movie or the moon. For the bundles though, they do pre-order so you’ll have to file it in through their form.
8. Big Little Store
The name’s a bit of a contrast but they’re big among the Chinese families in San Juan, New Manila, and maybe those living along Gilmore street. Right across PC Gilmore, Big Little Store’s not only a restaurant that serves home-cooked Chinese food but they also have Chinese goodies like Hopia. Parking can be a little bad but you can order out for delivery and just message them on FB if you want to avail of any of their goodies.
9. Echague Bakery
Another one of the authentic and old players in the Hopia baking scene, Echague‘s been baking Hopia since 1962. Similar to Ho-Land Bakery, Echague uses a more flaky pastry and has their signature sweet bean filling that doesn’t get stuck to your teeth. You know it’s good hopia if there’s not fibers inside the filling and it doesn’t stick to your teeth. It does get addicting though and it’s best enjoyed with some hot Jasmine tea. They do deliveries though but best to order before 4 PM. That’s their cut-off time.
10. Polland Hopia
Poland‘s got quite the balance between the sweet and the savory kind. Although they have the traditional flavors, they have a pretty interesting one too known as the Hopia Mahu. Remember the flaky stuff on BreadTalk’s Floss Bread? Chinese call that Mahu which they sprinkle on top of the hopia. For the best results, toast it for 2-3 minutes and enjoy a savory-sweet treat. They have a spicy version too if you want to turn up the heat.
11. Marco Polo Hotel
Marco Polo makes Lung Hin’s hopia now available in different flavors and arrangements. It’s a pretty good gift to give especially to your loved ones during the Mooncake Festival if they can’t join you for the virtual or physical dice game. They have yummy flavors like red bean with salted eggs (their best tasting one!) and ones with the traditional lotus filling. If you want to order, you can call (632) 7720-7777 or email [email protected] and get a discount when you preorder!
Hopia, The Good Pastry of the Mooncake Festival
The name “Hopia” literally means “Good Pastry” in Hokkien and nothing fits the bill more than these 10 bakeries. Especially with Mooncake coming up this September 21, you’ll want to prepare a little something after the Hungry Ghost Month. Besides, it also ushers in the good luck and cheer during this wild mess of a pandemic. And once you order your hopia, there’s also some fun activities to enjoy..
Curious about more Chinese customs? Check out our other articles!
5 Ways How to Celebrate the Mooncake Festival at Home
10 Fun Trivia To Know About Hungry Ghost Month
“My kid Wants To Date a Chinoy!” Here’s What You Need To Know
