Walk into Tai On Coffee and Tea Shop on Canton Road and you might not realise you are standing inside a cafe that has been here since 1969. The mosaic floor tiles and wooden booth seats are original. The ceiling fans are the same ones that cooled customers half a century ago. But the espresso machine behind the counter, the hojicha egg tarts in the display case, and the duck breast pineapple bun on the menu tell a different story. This is a cha chaan teng that almost disappeared, saved by a new owner who decided to keep the soul while reinventing the food.
How Tai On Got a Second Life
Tai On (大安茶冰廳) operated as a traditional Hong Kong bing sutt for over 50 years before the original family emigrated to Australia. The shop was about to close permanently when Tiffany Yeung, a former finance professional, took it over in 2022. She shut it down for renovations, adding air conditioning and electric ovens, but preserved the 1960s interior that gives the space its character.
The result is a cafe that feels like a time capsule with better food. Yeung describes her approach simply: rather than making mediocre milk tea the old way, she decided to do something different. Tai On now serves specialty coffee alongside traditional bing sutt noodle dishes, and the menu crosses freely between Hong Kong nostalgia and modern cafe culture.
The Egg Tarts That Changed Everything
Tai On’s egg tarts are what put the revived cafe on the map. At HK$28 each, they cost about three times what a regular bakery charges, but they are a completely different product. Each tart is oversized, closer to a small bowl than a snack, and arrives with a flowing, molten centre.
The classic flavour is rich and custardy, but the rotating specials are what keep people coming back: black sesame with a liquid centre that oozes when you break through the crust, hojicha with a roasted tea bitterness, caramel with a glossy burnt sugar base, matcha red bean mochi with a chewy surprise inside, taro coconut milk with sago, sweet potato basque cheesecake, and milk tea flavour that tastes exactly like Hong Kong’s signature drink in dessert form. The flavour lineup changes regularly, so every visit feels slightly different. Some flavours sell out early in the day, particularly on weekends when the Keung To fan crowd arrives, so arriving before the afternoon rush improves your chances.
Beyond the tarts, the elevated French toast with ice cream and the duck breast pineapple bun are worth trying. The Horlicks coffee is a fun crossover drink that blends the malted flavour of the classic Hong Kong beverage with espresso.
Beyond the Egg Tarts
The egg tarts get all the attention, but regulars will tell you the savoury menu is just as strong. The fried chicken pasta in lemon butter sauce (HK$84) has become a quiet hit, and social media reviewers have started saying the pasta is actually more impressive than the tarts. The scallion oil char siu noodles (HK$80) are another standout, giving a classic bing sutt noodle dish a premium twist with quality barbecue pork and a fragrant scallion oil base.
The matcha pineapple bun deserves special mention. Tai On takes the beloved bo lo bao and fills it with a thick layer of matcha cream and red bean, turning a HK$5 bakery staple into something closer to a Japanese-Hong Kong fusion pastry. The duck breast pineapple bun from the original menu remains popular too, offering a savoury alternative. For drinks, the Yuen Yang latte (HK$46 hot, HK$50 iced) blends Hong Kong’s signature coffee-tea hybrid with proper espresso, and the Horlicks coffee is a fun crossover that works better than it sounds.
The Keung To Effect
If you have visited Tai On recently and wondered why the queue stretches down Canton Road, you can partly thank Keung To. The MIRROR member and Hong Kong’s biggest pop idol publicly endorsed Tai On as one of his favourite spots, and the effect was immediate. On social media, posts tagged with his recommendation routinely pull over a thousand likes, and the cafe has become a pilgrimage stop for mainland Chinese fans visiting Hong Kong specifically to eat where he eats.
The celebrity boost has been a double-edged sword. Weekends are noticeably busier than they were a year ago, and some of the rotating egg tart flavours sell out by early afternoon. On the plus side, the increased foot traffic has helped Tai On expand its menu and maintain the quality of its ingredients. If you want to avoid the crowds, weekday mornings before 11am remain the sweet spot.
Getting There
Tai On sits on Canton Road in Yau Ma Tei, a short walk from MTR Yau Ma Tei Station (Exit B2). The cafe opens at 9:30am and closes at 6:30pm daily, with last orders at 6:00pm. It is a compact space, so expect to share tables during peak hours. Weekday mornings are the quietest time to visit.
For expats living on the Kowloon side, this is an easy lunch or afternoon tea stop. Pair it with a walk through the nearby Yau Ma Tei fruit market or Temple Street for a full neighbourhood experience.
After Dark: Clan and Co
One thing most visitors do not realise is that Tai On has a second life after sundown. At 7pm, the cafe transforms into Clan and Co (五味堂), a cocktail bar concept that runs until 2am. The vintage bing sutt interior takes on a completely different atmosphere under dim lighting, and the menu switches to craft cocktails, bar snacks, and a curated drinks list. It is the same space, same mosaic tiles and wooden booths, but with a nightlife twist that makes it worth two visits in one day.
Quick Info
| Location | G/F, 830 Canton Road, Yau Ma Tei, Hong Kong |
| Opening Hours | Daily 9:30am to 6:30pm (last order 6:00pm) |
| Price Range | HK$28-80 per item |
| Getting There | MTR Yau Ma Tei (Exit B2), 3-min walk |
| @taion_coffee_and_tea | |
| Payment | Cash, Octopus, WeChat Pay, credit cards |
| After Dark | Clan & Co (五味堂) cocktail bar, 7pm-2am nightly |
