Mee Sum

I always have their deluxe pork belly over rice and pop corn chicken. Their food is quality and price reasonable. The environment is nice. I usually come here with friends for quick dinner.

Looking for some good boba and snacks on the Ave? You’re at the right place.
Mee Sum makes good drinks and the tapioca, although my favorite stuff to put in my drinks is Mango Pudding. I get Taro Smoothies with Pudding everytime I go there, and it has never disappointed me.
They also serve foods, even though, it’s like impossible to get good seats to eat here. The place is packed during lunch/​dinner/​latenight hours so that’s basically all day? I really like their kimchi-​friedrice with bacon, pork belly over rice and popcorn chicken. I get the same thing every time, sadly, but that’s because they are too good. I tried other things before and they couldn’t beat my mains.
Other than small seating area, this place provides everything else: Free-​Wifi, TV, Asian drink products, Asian Bakery (BBQ Pork ftw!), board games and comic books! On top of that, the second floor of this building has Karaōke. ;) And they do serve Mee-Sum’s foods.

Most of the stuff I like. I ordered their sesame balls… not a big fan.

Stewed belly pork over rice was delicious and so soft. The crab rangoon was a bit on the cold side but still good. Loved their peach green tea. It hit the spot!

Review for bubble tea and popcorn chicken.
Ordered a black milk tea and a side order of popcorn chicken. Total came out to $ 9.26 or something. Kinda pricey, imo. Would have been almost $ 10, if not over, if I got tapioca probably.
The mill tea was okay. Didn’t quite hit the spot compared to other places. Not bad, but not the best either.
If you get the popcorn chicken, try to not order to-​go or else it will lose all its crispiness. By the time I got back to my desk, which isn’t even a 5 minute walk from the store, my chicken did not have any crunch whatsoever. I also want to mention that the wait for my chicken was pretty long. Perhaps 15 minutes. And the amount they give you is not worth the price. The flavoring is better than from Oasis, but it still doesn’t seem to be the same typical popcorn chicken as other bubble tea stores. Most likely will not order the popcorn chicken again, and definitely not to-​go.
If you order actual meals for-​here, they seem to come out reasonably quick. The buns look good, but haven’t tried one yet.
Overall, okay bubble tea. Not great popcorn chicken. A bit pricey. Have yet to try the other foods.

I love their bbq pork buns! A lot larger than what I’m used to. The bread to meat ratio might be a bit too much for some people though.
They also have a huge selection of food and boba for a reasonable price. The location is also great, very close to campus and has lots of seating for studying, meeting, quick meals, etc.

Love Mee Sum, I come here all the time for a quick dinner or lunch and their BBT is some of the best on the Ave.
Passion fruit green tea with tapioca! Yum

Returned to Mee Sum for an actual bubble tea-​tea. Not milkshakes or slushies.
Was going to order my usual, Japanese-​Style, but the Okinawa one (newly added to the menu) had my attention. As explained by the cashier lady, it’s tea with cream and black sugar. She assured that it wasn’t going to be overly sweet (which i hate). Found my new favorite style of tea!!!

I will say, that even after graduating from college, Meesum is still one of my favorite places to hang out, eat, and drinking boba. It’s a small enough place where you still get the intimate setting when hanging out with friends and it’s a large enough setting where things don’t feel too cramped together. Located right next to the American Apparel on the Ave (University St), Meesum is pretty easy to find.
Food and Boba here are reasonably priced. For food, I highly recommend getting the popcorn chicken, hot cross buns, braised pork/​beef over rice and the regular buns! The regular buns (pineapple, beef, pork) are pretty big and tasty. For the hot cross buns… these are strangely addicting. The buns are just toasted buns and you dip them with condense milk. Strange combo but oh so yummy. As for meals, most of them come with soup as a side. If you dine in, a number is given to you and someone will serve you your food. The popcorn chicken meal is never a fail. Always serve with a delightful crunch with various seasonings, this popular dish is always a safe choice to get when you’re hungry and unsure at what to get.
For boba, I really do enjoy their various milk tea and the special drinks. Japanese milk tea is pretty tasty and popular and if you want something light and refreshing, go for an avocado shake (so creamy and good!)
As for service, there has been quite an improvement throughout the years. Just this other day, went to eat dinner with a friend and when his food order got screwed up, the staff acted pretty quickly in fixing the issue and were pretty pleasant to work with.
Overall, if you’re looking for a place to hang out late with friends, play games, or do some school work, Meesum is a nice stop by.

Hi, my name is Jamilah. I have been a loyal customer @ Mee Sum Pastry for many years.
I feel like the «lack» of service that people complain about towards Mee Sum, obviously do not understand the care/​good services and friendships that the people at Mee Sum can and do provide.
I enjoy their tea, good food as well as their friendship.
I feel that because of their long standing history, being stationed in the Seattle/​U-​District area, the people who go to Mee Sum, should begin to develop a sense of compassion/​awareness of how they perceive people of Asian descent. As a person of mixed ethnicity (Filipina-​African American-​Chinese), I find it disrespectful and unwise to complain to those @ Mee Sum, who are also of Asian descent, regarding their «lack» of customer service/​care. The truth of it is: They/​We are All Human, and we deserve as much respect as others, living here. I give praise/​admiration to Mee Sum Pastry, for being a sustainable/​good safe place to chill, have tea, and relax. I enjoy their down to earth atmosphere and company.
Love You, Betty :)

Mee Sum can be very hit or miss with food, and I usually go to Sharetea for my bubble tea nowadays, but Mee Sum’s bubble tea is still pretty authentic and they have some interesting flavors you can’t get elsewhere.
As for the food, this is one of those places where you really need to know what to order. Their shanghai style chow mien is pretty good, and so are there Taiwanese-​style rice bowls like the pork belly bowl. Others, like their Sichuan-​style eggplant dish, are not so great.
They have a very wide selection, though, which is impressive for a place on the Ave.

This is my first bubble tea place on the Ave but I’m pretty sure it’ll be my go to from now on for the bubble tea.
I ordered the matcha milk tea with tapioca and it came out exactly how I wanted. It wasn’t too sweet and wasn’t just filled with a lot of ice. The matcha tasted absolutely perfect. The drink came out to be $ 3.75 with tapioca.
However, I also ordered a pineapple bun which was okay. The egg crust part on the top was too hard to eat and the bottom of the bun was also hard. Maybe it’s cause I came extra late and it has been sitting all day. The ones from Chinatown are better and also cheaper. This was $ 1.65 here but usually $.85-​$ 1.00 in Chinatown.

Good cheap pastry for when you just need something small. Their food is actually QUITE good but it is better to eat at other places since this is kind of a café more than anything. This is very Chinese of them to have a café/​restaurant.
My Personal Restaurant Rating Key
One star: the food was bad and I had a negative experience.
Two star: I had a more negative experience and would not come here again but the food was good so I may.
Three store: Everything is good except one thing. Example-​the food is good, the price is more reasonable but the atmosphere is lacking class. Or the food is good, the atmosphere is good, but they over charged us. These three stars are actually my favorite types of restaurants to go eat at if the reason is due to the atmosphere because they are usually delicious and reasonably priced.
Four stars: Everything is great, food and experience. However the price is definitely on the upper end. I would not recommend this first to Obama unless he didn’t like my five stars. These are restaurants you can take your boss or your mother-​in-​laws to impress them, however they still don’t fit into the five star category. A bit fancier than my three stars, hence I don’t often eat here unless there is an occasion for it or there is a groupon that gives me a bit of a discount!
Five stars: I would recommend this to Obama. The price may be on the upper end but the experience and the taste is so exquisite, it is actually worth every nickel and dime.

Meesum is my go-​to for black milk tea, earl grey milk tea, and grass jelly milk tea. I don’t know how many stamp cards I’ve gone through over the past few years! I honestly go there mostly for those drinks, so I can’t say much about the rest of the drink menu. It’s one of the more authentic black milk teas I’ve had in the U District, and their tapioca usually have the perfect QQ texture and sweetness.
Occasionally, I’ll come here for their pork and century egg congee, pork and mushroom over rice, or popcorn chicken. But for the most part, it’s just for one of those three drinks. Some of their drinks, including the earl grey, take longer to make, because they actually steep the tea when ordered. The cashier is usually pretty good about letting you know if it takes longer though.
NOTE: $ 5 minimum on cards. They also charge a little more if you ask for no ice.

Meesum on the Ave is one of my favorite places, hands down! I love bubble tea and while I can’t say they have the best milk tea, their food is freaking amazing!!!
Over the past six years, I can honestly say I’ve frequented this place at least 100 times… whether I come first thing in the morning after a long night out (the spicy beef noodle soup cures hangovers and pissy moods) or late at night while pulling all-​nighter during finals week, my meals have always been on point!
Few of my favorites:
— spicy beef noodle soup: this is the best thing on the menu! Thick noodles in a hearty beef broth with thick slices of brisket and cabbage… mm I’m salivating just thinking about it!
— popcorn chicken: way better than KFC, this Asian twist on fried chicken is magical!
— honey walnut prawns: sweet, creamy, crunchy and delicious!
— beef chow mein: thin egg noodles perfectly seasoned with a generous amount of beef strips and veggies
— all the hom bows: the filling perfectly complements the chewy flaky bread

I dont understand how the best milk tea place deserves only 3 stars!
Their milk tea is the best. Especially their original black milk tea.
Honey walnut shrimp and honey pork ribs were also my favorite dishes in college. Yes, the portion is not huge, that is why i deducted one star.
Popcorn chicken is also delish

One of the best and most authentic bubble tea places on the ave for sure. My staple bubble tea drinks are the black milk tea or jasmine milk tea, both half sugar, light ice, with tapioca. It’s too sweet otherwise.
In terms of food, the menu selection is pretty decent and I’ve always been able to order something I’m in the mood for. I like to order the Shanghai stir fried noodles, the rice cakes, the tomato egg with beef, or popcorn chicken for a snack. The hombows are also great too!

One of the only places I know that serves rose milk tea, and it’s delicious and not too sweet.

What used to be a very frequent dine in experience in college has transformed into a lazy Sunday evening delivery meal.
Mee Sum Pastry offers decent baked goods and bubble tea, but their Taiwanese meals are the real hidden secret. Most recently I had a Popcorn Chicken Meal, Taiwanese Sausage Fried Rice (Really moist, lacking flavor), and Shanghai Noodles. The whole meal was around $ 33 delivered! And that was enough for 5 full meals. The Popcorn Chicken is a wonderful, salty, crispy bite, and I love the fried Basil. The Shanghai Noodles were very flavorful and reheated like a champ.
If you are in the U-​District stop in, play some board games, have a bubble tea, or if you are browsing from Eat24 order without trepidation!

Over the years, I’ve been to Mee Sum Pastry about a dozen times for bubble tea. This week, I finally tried their food for the first time.
They are incredibly slow, so be ready to wait (for bubble tea about 5 – 10 minutes and for food about 10 – 20 minutes). I took my food to go and was surprised to find that my pork entrée came with a side of rice, vegetables, as well as a small container of soup but there wasn’t very much actual meat in it. The quality of the food was OK, definitely less flavourful compared to some of the Chinese restaurants in the international district.
Because of it’s convenience, I will likely come back to Mee Sum for bubble tea and lunch but only on days when I’m not in a hurry.
Paid street parking is available nearby.