Hawaii Hong Kong Café Opens in Taiwan: Must-Try 192-Layer Flaky Egg Tarts and Hong Kong-Style Pineapple Buns

Reported and photographed by Huang Shiyuan, Taipei

The first Taiwan branch of the Hong Kong café Hawaii Coffee (Hawaii Hong Kong Café) has officially opened on the B1 level of Taipei Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store, A11 Xinyi. It officially opened on May 5. In addition to fully replicating the authentic Hawaii Coffee experience, the must-try items include the 192-layer flaky egg tarts and Hong Kong-style pineapple buns.

Taiwanese people often associate egg tarts with the once-popular Portuguese egg tarts, but the egg tarts at Hawaii Hong Kong Café are not Portuguese-style—they have a unique Hong Kong flavor. Their most distinctive feature is the 192-layer flaky pastry, which is light, crispy, aromatic, and with clearly defined layers.

▲ The must-try 192-layer flaky egg tarts and Hong Kong-style pineapple buns at Hawaii Coffee.

Yang Shaoye, the second-generation successor of Hawaii Coffee, explained that the tart shells are made by chilling the prepared water dough and oil dough overnight, then laminating them the next day to create 192 layers. To ensure a clear distinction between the dough and fat layers, the dough is refrigerated for another night before being placed in tart molds the following day—then refrigerated for yet another night. The entire process of making the flaky crust takes three days. Because of the labor-intensive process, it’s also hard to replicate.


▲ The flaky crust of Hawaii egg tarts alone takes three days to make.

As for the egg tart filling, it uses only simple ingredients such as eggs, water, milk (imported Dutch Dutch Lady sweetened condensed milk), and sugar. These are mixed in a special ratio to achieve an egg aroma, milky flavor, and a texture similar to steamed milk custard.

“The fragrance of sandalwood has not yet reached that of coffee; the island nation has now become the land of egg tarts.” This is a well-known couplet of Hawaii Coffee, illustrating that both egg tarts and coffee are the café’s two signature offerings. If you’ve been to Hong Kong, you’ll notice that most Hong Kong cafés list “Hawaii Coffee” on their menus. This menu item originated from Hawaii Café, referring primarily to its innovative preparation method at the time.

The coffee and milk tea served at Hawaii Coffee require expert “tea-pouring” (撞茶) techniques. The purpose of tea-pouring is to let the coffee (or tea) collide with air, making it smoother while enhancing its aroma. However, Hawaii Coffee still keeps its exclusive coffee formula—a secret that remains unpublished to this day. Yang Shaoye said that both coffee and tea are imported from Hong Kong.

Taipei’s Hawaii Café also offers Hong Kong-style roast meats, steamed dim sum, clay pot rice, and stir-fried dishes. For the first month after opening, two chefs from Hong Kong will be on-site to provide guidance.


▲ Hawaii Coffee must go through the “tea-pouring” process to achieve a smooth texture.


▲ Hawaii Coffee.


▲ Imported Dutch Dutch Lady sweetened condensed milk.


▲ Hawaii Hong Kong Café officially opened on May 5.

Hawaii Premium Egg Tart: NT$35
Hawaii Pineapple Bun: NT$50
Hawaii Coffee: NT$90 (same price for hot or cold)

Address: B1, No. 11, Songshou Rd., Xinyi District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-6613-1013 (waitlist only on-site)

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