Mei Li Wah Bakery

THE Spot for Steamed Buns and Shumai. Fil-​Ams within the NYC/​NJ Area flock to this place for a taste of home. The Steamed Pork Buns and the Big Buns are reminiscent of the «Siopao Asado» and «Siopao Bola-​Bola» that one can find in almost every corner in Metro Manila.
I rarely miss the chance of passing by here whenever I am in Chinatown.

I had a roast pork bun, words cannot describe this delicious, succulent treat. Think of a bread dumpling, you know how when u bite all the juices burst right out and you taste the porky goodness, well that was exactly what happened. So much so that i was not able to take a picture of it
This bun was fresh out of the oven, the pork had bits of fat, onion and a nice amount of sauce that is mysteriously injected into the bun, it is to die to for. The outside was pwrfectly baked with the dough having a slight hint if sweetness in the back end. Definately an amazing marriage of pork, spices, and a sweet bun all baked into a perdect bite. I have not had one in a very long time and today it just brought me back to childhood memories of when i used to come to this shop like ions ago.lol.
If you are ever in Chinatown, this place is a must stop for a quick snack.

Sometimes you don’t review a place because you have been going there literally your whole life and it never occurred to you. Then you peep them on Unilocal and they have 3.5 stars. WUT.
I’m obsessed with cha siu bao here. I’ve eaten so many in so many places, it’s a miracle I can even fit in to this tiny little shop. This is by far my favorite of all the ones I’ve tried. They have this caramelization to them. If you’re familiar with deep dish pizza, this is like the butter crust of pork buns. So good.
I had never tried any of the dim sum until recently, but it’s actually pretty good. The wonton noodle soup killed the game. Rice crepes are what you’d expect fro any decent place. I once sat at a communal table with a couple of Chinese teenage girls who seemed to really like the congee.
Overall, this treasure of NYC history is a do-​not-​miss. I have been known to swing by for a pork bun and a milk tea to hold me over until my number is called to shove tons of dim sum in to my face at Jing Fong. It’s a solid move, you’ll do me proud if you do the same.

My first time into this place (in 2016), I did not come in as a customer, but as an observer. A friend of mine, and myself, had decided to link up, after I had finished my lunch, so that she could have company during her lunch… forgive the convoluted, albeit true, story arc. Personally, after discovering a plethora of cheap food options scattered about Chinatown (dumpling shops, soup spots, and rice noodle joint (s)… oh my!) in 2015, I thought I could never be in wanting for another cheap and tasty food option. Looks like this place proved me wrong.
After seeing my friend buy a pork bun for only $ 1, and after seeing her exclaim «there’s so much fat in this bun!!» as she proceeded to spit out (what I considered to be) tiny and tolerable pieces of pork fatty… I knew I would need to give this place a starting spot on my cheap @ss eats rotation. And as a man who knows what he wants, yours truly once again visited this place (to wit, the day of this review actually), and ordered himself the appropriately titled «Big Bun.» It is a bun. It is big… and it runs .60 more cents than the smaller pork bun. If you want my opinion, it’s .60 cents for a good cause.
Piping hot out of the steam room, plump, and fluffy… the big bun is like a big savory and salty marshmallow. Just one of the best things you can wrap your lips around, and for a negligible $ 1.60. Filled with pork, mushrooms, and salted egg… with but a hint of ginger… the damn thing will take you one minute to rip through, and warm you up on a cold day. The bun is big, as advertised by its namesake, but if you have a big appetite, I suggest you walk away from this place at a brisk pace… as you very well may be tempted to drop another $ 1.60 for another one of these big (possibly unhealthy, albeit filling) delicious messes of a bun.

PORK BUNS. Must I say more? The baked roast pork buns with the spicy chili sauce is hands down my favorite. And it’s only a dollar! Incredible price for and incredible meal. They also have a variety of other buns you can cop, which is pretty incredible. I’ve only tried one thing beside their buns and it was the fish ball noodle soup – not really a fan, as it was quite flavorless. Definitely wish I lived closer to this place.

Home to the famous $ 1 BBQ Pork buns, Mei Li Wah Bakery lives up to the hype. The buns are not only cheap but uniquely flavorful and packed with filling. I’ve eaten BBQ Pork buns in Hong Kong, in Vancouver, and in San Francisco, and these stand out among all the rest.
A modern take on the baked BBQ Pork bun adds a sweet finish. For example, if you got to the Michelin-​rated Tim Ho Wan in Hong Kong, their BBQ Pork bun has a perfect honey glaze on top, making it a bit more like the BBQ Pork pastry (cha seew so). Mei Li Wah goes the other way.
Mei Li Wah’s BBQ Pork filling has a saltiness that is just as good. Maybe it’s the fattiness of the pork, or the richness of the sauce, but it provides a different finish than the modern sweet buns. It’s purely a matter of taste, but the saltiness of the buns here stand out to me in a good way.
The buns also stand out for how much filling is in each bun. A lot of buns have a big pocket of air or only have BBQ pork in half the bun. Not so here, where literally every single bite has BBQ pork goodness. Every. Single. Bite.
Overall the famous buns live up to the hype. A must-​stop for any NYC Chinatown cheap food crawl.

One star is for the poor customer service only.
I usually go there and get beef crispy dough rice noodle roll TO GO. It’s very yummy, but it’s becoming oily every time I go back. I’ve had 2 dine in experience and I will never dine in ever again.
This lady who present as the «manager» of the restaurant is very rude. Who throws change on the table and our food. Our food almost slid off the table, and she tend to give customers attitudes.
I went in 12/​13/​2015 to get 2 rice noodle and 2 buns, they messed up on my order and the lady who charged me said «we no accept pennies.» I told her she can’t deny these type of payments and the «manager» lady murmured «rude bitch». First of all lady, you don’t EVER speak to your customers this way. Second of all lady, I really hope you get fired for your poor attitude and unsanitary habits at work space.
Also, I found a hair in my pork bun.

Best roast pork buns, they are addictive and are only $ 1. A small little place in Chinatown, the servers might seem a little rude but this place is worth a try. I also ordered shrimp dim sim, which were okay but I wish I ordered the pork ones instead.
Overall this place is a must try.

Been going to this place years. Food is pretty cheap and the portion is good as well. I usually get a Coffee, Pineapple Bun, and a Preserved Egg and Pork Congee. Oh yeah — make sure you come here early enough to get the Pineapple Bun as they sell out throughout the day!
Seating is pretty limited so YMMV. I only eat in when there’s a seat, otherwise I just bring it to go.

The best pork buns I have tried. Only 1 $ too! If you want something small and savory this is it !! So much quality ! But get one so you don’t overwhelm yourself. Bring your friends here but I think only the pork buns are worth it. The other dimsum stuff seems pricey and also 15−20% tip so take it to go!
Again, the cha Siew bao is amazing! Much worth.

Nom-​ness goodness the cha siu bao here and they’re only 1 buck! As you can see from photo, meat is bursting outta bun and they’re so flavourful. I can eat 4 of them straight in a row but I was on a food crawl. I will definitely always stop by here when I’m in Chinatown NYC again. I’d get other baked goods too!

Clean place
Slow service if you’re eating in (which I will just avoid next time)
But whatever. none of that matters… cause BEST pork buns ever for $ 1! They don’t skimp out on the meat either. The inside the saucey and tasty.
This is officially my shortest review ever. But I’ve said all that needs to be said.

*CASH ONLY*
Make sure you have at least $ 1.00 to try their DELICIOUS PORK BUNS. My friend said she loved pork buns and I had them once before but steamed and wasn’t a fan. So when we looked on Unilocal and saw it said BAKED I said guess I’ll try 1. What a mistake that was to just get one. After I was Done devouring it in less than five seconds my mouth watered for more. I was so very lucky that my friend ordered 2 more for herself and I had to steal hers. Sorry!
The buns are sweet & warm with a nice sweet/​salty filling of pork in a yummy sauce. What a perfect taste. Best part, $ 1.00 is all it cost for 1. I craved them so bad that i drove downtown on my meal break from queens, Ha and got 8 of them!!!
Hope you like them & enjoy!