Find mooncakes for the Fall Moon Festival at these Honolulu stores

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

ÖOn the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, when the moon is full, Chinese people around the world celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, or as it is commonly known, the Mid-Autumn Festival. With its roots dating back around 3,000 years, the festival is also celebrated in Korea, Vietnam and other cultures strongly influenced by China. The moon is a symbol of wealth and family reunification, and it is a tradition during this time of year to give moon cakes as gifts while viewing the full moon.

In Honolulu, Hong Kong, and Cantonese style, mooncakes are most common: they traditionally have a tender batter crust that is wrapped around fillings such as lotus seed paste, red beans (azuki), coconut paste, winter melon, ham, and nuts. All can be eaten with or without salted duck egg yolk, another symbol of the moon that shares the world of moon cake eating. As a lover of egg yolks, I encourage you to give it a try.

These places around O’ahu make their own moon cakes in both sweet and savory, traditional and modern versions.

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SEE ALSO: Food meets moment: moon cake

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Bread house

Bread House makes a number of great Chinese baked goods and the Mooncake range is no exception. These have traditional fillings like lotus seed paste ($ 7), red bean paste ($ 6.30), and walnut paste ($ 7.50), with or without canned egg yolks. The crust is noticeably fluffier than some of the other mooncakes I’ve tried.

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

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Elvin’s Bakery

Elvin’s Bakery is located in Kapālama Shopping Center and offers a variety of baked moon cakes including lotus seed paste, red beans, mixed nuts with ham and pumpkin. A box of four will cost you (from) $ 27 without yolks and up to $ 37 with yolks. Individual mooncakes start at $ 6.75 for the eggless red bean paste. It is common for bakeries to offer beautiful red and gold boxes with magnetic closures as gifts; Elvin’s box makes a nice gift.

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

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Hafendorf kitchen

This longtime Hawai’i Kai light fixture makes mooncakes with traditional fillings like lotus beans, red beans, and mixed nuts with dried scallops. Options include egg-less, single yolk, or double yolk; Piece by piece, mini mooncake or large mooncakes, whereby the prices vary accordingly. Call ahead to order.

7192 Kalaniana’ole Hwy, Hawaii Kai, (808) 395-2311

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Legend fish restaurant

The Chinatown Dim Sum Parlor sells gift boxes of 4 moon cakes: double yolk lotus seeds for $ 32, single yolk lotus seeds for $ 30, pine nuts with lotus seeds or red beans or dates for $ 28, red bean paste with single yolk for $ 30 and double yolk for $ 38. Or you can mix and match.

100 N. Beretania Str., (808) 532-1868

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Miss Chen’s cake

Miss Chen’s Cake mooncakes can only be pre-ordered. Lotus, black sesame and red bean moon cake come in a box of six in a box of salted egg yolks, with or without spicy pork silk.

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

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Sing Cheong Yuan Bakery

In addition to the traditional baked moon cakes they have 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 because of their delicate, translucent appearance, they have a lighter taste and are great chilled or lightly frozen (approx. 15 minutes). They kind of leave you feeling a little less guilty than the baked variety. Sing Cheong Yuan, especially with its Bing Pi mooncakes, offers non-traditional fillings like mango, green tea, ube, red bean paste with fresh strawberry (think Two Ladies Kitchen), winter melon and durian. Yes, even the king of fruits does the moon alignment. New this year: Okinawa Sweet Potato Mochi Moon Cake.

Sing Cheong Yuan took over the Crack Seed Store in Kaimukī earlier this year, which means mooncakes can be ordered and shipped online at crackseedstore.com.

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Water Drop Vegetarian House

The downtown vegetarian Chinese restaurant sells moon cakes filled with red beans, mung beans, black beans, coconut, pineapple, sesame seeds, and green tea ($ 3 for small, $ 5 for medium, $ 7 for large).

801 Alakea Str., (808) 545-3455

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We wish you a happy Mid-Autumn Festival and hope that you can enjoy some goodies with family and friends.