Lian Xiang Lou (莲香楼) — Oldest Lotus Paste Maker

Lian Xiang Lou (莲香楼), established in 1889, is the originator of the lotus seed paste mooncake—a pastry now integral to Cantonese culture worldwide—and still grinds its lotus paste in-house daily using a 130-year-old recipe. The ground-floor bakery sells fresh egg tarts, coconut pastries, and mooncakes at CNY 5–25 per piece, while the upstairs tea house serves full dim sum from 7am. Dianping: 4.6/5. Mafengwo users rate it an "obligatory pilgrimage" for Cantonese food lovers; its signature Lotus Paste Wife Cake (CNY 12) often sells out by 10am on weekends, a 40% faster sellout than the average bakery item on this list.