Manna House Bakery

Clued-in locals lamented when Grand Street’s Manna House Bakery folded in 2010 due to lease issues—luckily for neighborhood egg-tart mongers, there are three other locations of the custard-pushing chain sprinkled throughout the neighborhood, including this quick-service Mott Street outpost. Crammed between fruit stands and seafood markets, the small shop does justice to Hong Kong–style buns and pastries, drawing in a boisterous crowd of Chinese natives in the AM when sesame balls, cocktail buns and sponge cake are piping fresh from the oven. The egg tarts are a quick sellout, with a buttery, shattering crust encasing a soft-set center that tastes purely of egg and sweet milk. For a delicious on-the-go breakfast, grab one of the popular pineapple buns—despite the name, there’s no pineapple involved—doughy puffs filled with sweet cream and finished with a crusty, powdered-custard topping; and a kiwi bubble tea. Instead of a made-from-mix situation, whole kiwis are chopped per order behind the counter and blended into a refreshingly tart sip.