Find Mooncakes for Mid-Autumn Moon Festival at These Shops in Honolulu

This story was originally published in September 2019. It has been updated for this year’s Moon Festival on Sept. 21, 2021.

Pick up strawberry mochi mooncakes from Sing Cheong Yuan. Photo: Thomas Obungen

On the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, when the moon is full, Chinese all over the world celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival or as it’s commonly known, the Moon Festival. With roots dating back some 3,000 years, the festival is also celebrated in Korea, Vietnam and other cultures heavily influenced by China. The moon is a symbol of prosperity and family reunion, and it is tradition during this season to give mooncakes as gifts to be enjoyed while gazing at the full moon.

In Honolulu, Hong Kong and Cantonese-style mooncakes are the most common: They traditionally feature a tender pastry crust wrapped around fillings like lotus seed paste, red beans (azuki), coconut paste, winter melon, ham and nuts. All can be had with or without salted duck egg yolks, another symbol of the moon, and one that has the mooncake-eating world divided. Being a lover of egg yolk, I encourage you to give it a try.

These places around O‘ahu make their own mooncakes in sweet and savory, traditional and contemporary versions.

SEE ALSO: Food Meets Moment: Mooncakes

Bread House

Photo: Jason Chin

Bread House produces a number of great Chinese-style pastries and their mooncake offering is no exception. These feature traditional fillings like lotus seed paste ($7), red bean paste ($6.30) and walnut paste ($7.50), with or without a preserved egg yolk. The crust is noticeably flakier than some other mooncakes I’ve tried.

1041 Maunakea St., Chinatown, (808) 548-0218

Elvin’s Bakery​

​

Located in the Kapālama Shopping Center, Elvin’s Bakery offers a variety of baked mooncakes including lotus seed paste, red bean, mixed nuts with ham, and squash. A box of four will run you (starting from) $27 without egg yolks and up to $37 with egg yolks. Individual mooncakes start at $6.75 for the red bean paste with no egg. It’s common for bakeries to offer beautiful red and gold boxes with magnetic clasps for gifting; Elvin’s box makes for a pretty gift.

1210 Dillingham Blvd., Kalihi, (808) 848-8118

Harbor Village Cuisine

This longtime Hawai‘i Kai fixture makes mooncakes with traditional fillings like lotus bean, red bean and mixed nuts with dried scallops. Options include eggless, single yolk or double yolk; by the piece, mini mooncake or large mooncakes, with prices varying accordingly. Call ahead to order.

7192 Kalaniana‘ole Hwy, Hawai‘i Kai, (808) 395-2311

Legend Seafood Restaurant

The Chinatown dim sum parlor sells gift boxes of 4 mooncakes: lotus seed with double egg yolk for $32, lotus seed with single egg yolk for $30, pine nuts with lotus seed or red bean or dates for $28, red bean paste with single egg yolk for $30 and double egg yolk for $38. Or you can mix and match.

100 N. Beretania St., (808) 532-1868

Miss Chen’s Cake​

It’s pre-orders only for mooncakes from Miss Chen’s Cake. Lotus, black sesame and red bean mooncakes come six to a box with salted egg yolks, with or without savory pork floss.

808 Sheridan St., (808) 492-1723, @misschenscake

Sing Cheong Yuan Bakery

Photo: Jason Chin

In addition to the traditional baked mooncakes they’ve been making for generations, Sing Cheong Yuan makes bing pi or mochi mooncake (in both regular and mini sizes). Sometimes called snow skin moon cakes for their delicate, translucent appearance, they’re lighter in flavor and taste great chilled or slightly frozen (about 15 minutes). They somehow leave one with a little less guilt than the baked variety. Particularly with their bing pi mooncakes, Sing Cheong Yuan offers non-traditional fillings including mango, green tea, ube, red bean paste with fresh strawberry (think Two Ladies Kitchen), wintermelon and durian. Yes, even the king of fruits makes the lunar lineup. New this year: Okinawan sweet potato mochi mooncake.

Sing Cheong Yuan took over Crack Seed Store in Kaimukī at the beginning of the year, which means mooncakes are available for online ordering and shipping at crackseedstore.com.

Water Drop Vegetarian House

Downtown’s vegetarian Chinese eatery sells mooncakes stuffed with red bean, mung bean, black bean, coconut, pineapple, sesame and green tea fillings ($3 for small, $5 for medium, $7 for large).

801 Alakea St., (808) 545-3455

Photo: Thomas Obungen

We wish you a joyous Mid-Autumn Festival and hope you get to enjoy some tasty treats with family and friends.