‘Glorious’ dessert chain is set to open 10 new restaurants across UK

If you thought the bubble waffle craze was over, think again as a popular Asian chain is coming to London to reignite the hype.

Mammy Pancake is a street food chain based in Hong Kong that specialises in ‘egg puffs’ which have more commonly become known as bubble waffles.

The business was founded by Brendan Ho and Donald Lai in 2009 and now has more than 20 sites across Asia. And in an exciting turn of events, its very first international location is set to open in London’s Portobello Road later this month.

The new UK restaurant will be serving up some of the chain’s most popular products including the original and earl grey egg puffs, as well as exciting new flavours like pistachio, strawberries and cream, sticky toffee pudding and crème brûlée.

There will also be a range of drinks on offer, including Hong Kong-style milk tea.

Core ingredients for the street food business will be sourced from Asia in order to keep everything tasting as authentic as possible. However, the team have said that select UK produce will be used in order to create exclusive regional flavours.

If the business proves successful, there’s a chance we could see more unique bubble waffle flavours becoming available as the Asian menu also features the likes of red bean, ube (purple sweet potato), matcha and salted seaweed sweet corn. 

For those curious as to whether the waffles are actually any good, it’s worth noting that the business was awarded the Michelin Guide’s Street Food recommendation for six years in a row between 2016 to 2021.

And online they’ve garnered quite the fan base, with those who have tried the products hailing them as ‘glorious’, ‘so yummy’ and a ‘must try’ on social media.

Speaking about the launch, co-founder Brendan told Propel that the business already has plans to launch more than 10 new sites across the UK over the next three years – so watch this space.

He said: ‘We want to give Londoners and the wider UK market access to genuine Hong Kong street food, executed with the same quality and heart that made it a staple of our childhood.

‘We’re not just bringing a product over – we’re bringing a culture and a legacy and this is just the beginning.’

He adds: ‘We hope to open additional locations and make Mammy Pancake a household name across the UK.’

This isn’t the only food company from abroad that’s set up shop in the UK of late. A fast food chain from the Netherlands revealed its going to be opening 100 new sites across the UK in the next 10 years.

Fat Phill’s, which is said to be home to Amsterdam’s ‘best burger’, quietly launched in Clapham Junction in London at the end of 2024, serving up smash burgers, American style sandwiches, loaded fries and mac and cheese.

And it’s just been announced that a new restaurant will be opening in the Republic of Ireland in June, located in Dublin’s Temple Bar.

The chain, also known as Fat Phill’s Diner, is still relatively new, having only been founded in 2019 by Armin Vahabian, but it’s already got 18 locations across the Netherlands. 

It’s been brought over here by Freshly Baked Ltd, the franchisor behind pretzel joint Auntie Anne’s UK and as part of this deal there are plans to open several more sites on London high streets in the near future and develop up to 100 sites nationwide over the next decade.

Multiple sites also look set to roll out across Ireland by 2030.

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