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So whats wrong with a little pork fat? What? You don't eat bacon?
Yeah, and people who complain about the eighty cent buns are also the SAME people who RAVE about David Changs nine dollars pork buns.
Basically, if David made em- he would get a medal for it.
Give me a f*n break.
All you people griping about the pork fat need to go someplace else..I cant have you ruin it for me.
Buns taste the same as it always have. Yum-my!
Went there for dim sum, but selection was so small and you order from a plastified menu. They didn't have the chicken feet and trip - not authentic enough for a Dim Sum place. Half menu was deep fried if that's what you like but would have preferred steamed or anything but deep fried.
My Caucasian friends liked the food because it's Americanized and they'd never had authentic Dim Sum. So good place to go for a newbie.
Did go home with buns and egg tarts, which were fine but not great.
And damn the waitresses were rude. I know not to expect any customer service in Chinatown, but this was over the top. Other places will ignore you or be direct and minimalist. But they were still respectful. Here, they really went out of their way to be rude... as if that'd add to the authenticity of the place or something...
Everybody raves about the roast pork buns (cha sao bao. no, not the right romanization, but closer to how it actually sounds. not the same as plain pork and chives buns, which have a white-ish filling. cha sao bao have a red/orange filling). The filling is well-made and authentic--I've been looking for good roast pork buns ever since the frozen brand my mom used to buy disappeared from the Asian grocery store T.T) Actually, cha sao meat is sometimes describe as Asian barbeque meat. I do not like fatty meats at all, and I found these buns okay. And they are a very good deal at $0.80 and are a quite decent size. An Asian woman ahead of me ordered a dozen to go, so there's proof that locals love it too.
As an important note, order the steamed roast pork bun. Please. Those are snow white, soft, and the real deal. If you get the baked one....Please don't. Then it's basically a dinner roll. Which isn't Asian.
There's a sit-down restaurant area in here too, so consider getting some dishes and sitting down to eat too.
Who would give this place a 2 or a 3?! Pork buns better than Momofuku for $0.80 cents a pop. Try the coconut as well, but you might find them a bit too sweet.
Mei Li Wah is like a filipino institution. Filipinos from far and wide come here to get some siopao (pork bun). I'm not much of a siopao person but if it's from Mei Li Wah then i'll eat it.
What's good about their siopao is the pork which is very tasty and the bun itself is nice and soft, and it doesn't instantly break apart once you take a bite into it, like other places i've tried siopao. I also come here to get some good siomai.
The service is good too. Very fast and these chinese guys, though they don't smile, they are very nice. My family has been coming here for years...and I suppose I will too. Did I mention that it's dirt cheap?
The baked pork buns from here are melt-in-your-mouth savory bites of heaven for $0.80/ea. I sometimes walk to Chinatown just for these buns and some bubble tea.
The bread is always soft and fluffy, the crisp baked layer is slightly sweet, and the inside is not that unnatural reddish bbq meat that you usually get from cha siao bao. The only thing that kind of puts me off is the fatty bits in the pork filling. But it is chinatown, and they do taste good, so close your eyes if you have to and enjoy your bun. Or I'll come over there and take it from you.
This piece of ChinaTown Classic in NYC was around two decades ago when I was a kid, at a time when that "greasy spoon" look inside an eatery below Canal St. meant you could probably find some real venerable, quality cooking inside. It's been updated since to a more modern decor.
I came here after an evening of alternative medicine and spirituality with a craving for steamed pork buns, and while I wasn't disappointed, I wasn't thrilled. Proper steamed pork buns to me don't have the baked pork bun shape, they should have that twisty closure at the top with smaller sizing and a very mildly saccharine taste. OK, but not the past greatness. The fried rice was uninspired / dry and traditional tea / teapots seem to have dropped off the menu.
Still a great value for $0.80 pork buns and $7 for a gargantuan plate of rice, but I miss what once was.
A recent podcast spoke about how what we as Americans know as Chinese food may be a "moment in time" imported from early 20th century Chinese immigrants and frozen ever since. Just like any culture, cuisine evolves, I just wish the pork buns had stayed warmly frozen in time.
Since the bakery was renovated with a new "bubble tea cafe" theme, it has become an even bigger attraction for baked goods. Crowds often line out the door trying to squeeze in and get their hands on an 80 cents roast pork bun or a house special plain bun. Despite a smaller selection (mainly roast pork, plain, coconut, and cocktail) than your typical Chinatown bakery, it is fresher (out of the oven) by far. While it is easily overshadowed by the popularity of the roast pork bun, the steamed lotus paste bun is my personal favorite as a dessert.
Moreover, MLW differentiates itself as being one of the best sit-down bakeries with its selection of classic buns (steamed and baked) as well as a coffee shop menu that offers a variety of noodle soups, congee, and dim sum selections that are quite delectable. Unlike some of the experiences some Yelpers have had, my encounters with the staff were friendly and attitude-free.
Lastly, it is also a rarity for Chinatown bakery to be open late into the evening. The opportunity to snack on a fresh bun after 9pm on a weeknight should not be taken for granted. That alone might be worth an extra star!
Yummy Buns.
That could be enough for a review, but I feel like I should elaborate on why this place deserves to be frequented. Steamed buns, baked buns, they're all good. I can eat here for less than 5 bucks and be stuffed! The steamed pork bun is my favorite, and for dessert the baked pineapple bun. At first I thought the pineapple bun was filled with pineapple jelly, but when I ate it the first time, I realized that as far as I could tell, the "pineapple" in the name refered only to the shape of the the sugary coating on top of the bun. I've eaten other stuff from the kitchen, which was good, but the buns are worth coming back for again and again. Just soft, stable, slightly sweetened bread to deliver your filling or topping.
It's remodeled, and the food is as good as any of those other "best places in Chinatown". Some of the best bubble tea also. And, dear yelp colleagues, if you rave about certain thing too much... ...it will no longer be the place it is. So, focus on what is important and noteworthy.
I read about this place in a travel magazine a while back as having awesome bbq pork buns. That is all I had here and that is what my review will be on. The bbq pork buns are good, but nothing earth shattering. For under $1 each though, you can't really expect more filling value. You could make a decent meal or snack out of one or two of these if you wanted.
The baked good bbq pork bun was a lot better than the steamed. The baked one wasn't too doughy and had a nice slightly sweet exterior.
The steamed bbq pork bun was ordinary and too doughy for my liking.
I've been here many times with the family back when I was growing up. To agree with mallory p, it's kind of a filipino institution....with my family going and knowing other family that has gone. I myself am not crazy about siopao (steam buns with pork filling), though every once in a while I definitely enjoy one if they order. I haven't been there in forever, but I always get a nostalgia feeling when I pass by...
POSITIVE
awesome dumplings
awesome iced coffee
awesome pot stickers
awesome food
in the heart of china town
NEGATIVE
horrible employee attitudes
slow service
unimpressive decor - take out feel
WILL I RETURN?
when they get new attitudes
So I don't know what Frank Bruni is talking about when he deems $30 per person a "cheap eat," but I do know that Mei Li Wah is the epitome of the term.
I'm not a huge fan of cha siu bao (ate too many of them for breakfast as a kid); I'm probably one of the few people who come here for sit-down service. I like their "thousand year old egg" and lean pork jook (porridge), which has a fair amount of both those items in it for $2.75.
They also have cheung fun (what are the English terms for these things?!), which are rice noodle rolls with various fillings. The shrimp one is much better than the cha siu (BBQ pork) ones, and one with the yao tieu (fried dough) inside is unique. They're $2.50, with the shrimp costing a bit more.
Tip: I actually really like the pearl milk tea here. You won't get the crazy syrupy flavors that other Chinatown tea places offer, but the regular, plain kind has a malted flavor (Horlicks, maybe?) while the pearls have the perfect texture.
Quick, fast and inexpensive buns. Open later. I prefer the steamed buns, the big one with chicken, egg, pork, etc.
Also a sort of Cantonese cafe, with menu items suitable for late night or morning or whenever snacks.
I grew up going to Mei Lei Wah, the predecessor to this version of the restaurant/cafe. Its new feel is very modern, looking more like a hip, bubble tea place than the old skool Chinatown dingy dive it once represented. Its staff has changed accordingly. Instead of old guys who holler virtually every order across the room or to your face, it's now youngsters in uniform.
A lot of people have said the roast pork buns are not as good as before, but I personally don't see it. I love their buns now just as much as before. I LIKE having the fat in there, it gives texture to the pork and a greasy feel that drier buns in places like Fei Dah don't have. Their coconut bun still rocks my world every time I have it, especially if they just came out of the oven! I'm also ecstatic that they kept their lotus paste bun, which is the bun I grew up with there. I was also happy to see (taste?) that their coffee is still the same brand they used before, nice and deep flavored.
While I'm not a big fan of the "new look" but I still love their food.
Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.
Yes, I am talking about the baked pork buns from Mei Lai Wah Tea House....oops, I mean Mei Li Wah Bakery.
Sure it's alot cleaner than it used to be (when in actuality it probably was never clean in the first place). Who cared if the restaurant itself was older than The Beetles (not the band, the life form) and looked as if it was cleaned by Master Po from "Kung Fu"?
But now it's much more modern looking, the lighting is much brighter, and you actually don't mind sitting down and eating.
As for the siopao, I think they've actually improved it. Gone are the little paper wrappers that used to be on the bottom and would actually take off half the dough when you pulled them off. And in it's place is a cleaner, fresher and I think a thicker baked porn bun. Back then, it would take me about 3 or 4 buns to fill me up. Now I get filled up just eating one of these buns.
And yes, the steamed pork buns and the baked rolls are still good as well, so don't forget about those!
I'm glad that the Tea House - i mean the Bakery - is back.
$0.80 WILL GET YOU THE MOST DELICIOUS ROAST PORK BUN!!!
OMG...freaking great....for $0.80....
I felt like buying like 5 to take for lunch for the next week...but it would not have been the same..i needed to warm chewy goodness of the bun!
This is where I get my Pork Buns. I recommend getting the Special Bun which includes the following: Chicken, Pork, Mushroom, Salted Eggs and Sausage. I don't care what everyone says, this place is good and for only $1.60 for the special. You got a lot more to sample.
After reading all the great reviews, I expected more from their cha siu bao. The bread had a nice chewy texture -- held up well to the meat. But the pork wasn't flavorful enough. And when I can immediately tell that there's a big piece of fat in my mouth instead of meat, then i'm not swallowing it! Overall, it was on the small side.. more of a light snack -- I don't even feel guilty for indulging!
I also had the gai mei bao (cocktail bun), which I liked better. It, too, was on the small side. The bread was springy but not too soft, and I really liked the filling, even tho it's a bit different from what I'm used to. Instead of a separate sweet layer of buttery coconut paste, it's more like coconut paste baked INTO the inside of the bun. It wasn't overwhelmingly sweet or buttery, and I would definitely come back for it again.. but today guess I just wanted something more decadent.
I much prefer the baos at 9 Chatham Sq.
I had long been a fan of Mei Li Wah. Then I saw that they were shut down for health issues about 6-8 months ago and I rooted for them. After the signs about the temporary close down, I saw signs about upcoming renovations, and I got excited.
After moving away from New York about 6 months ago, I finally returned and went to see if my favorite bakery for steamed cha siu bao had reopened, and it had! The inside is still configured in the same way, but instead of looking dingy and run down, it looks really nice and cozy -- a nice place to step into on a cold winter day.
Then I ordered my steamed bbq pork bun. Bottom line: I think Mei Li Wah spent too much money on their renovations and now cannot afford to make buns that aren't at least 50% fat. I'd be willing to pay more for their old quality (soft, squishy buns filled with tender, well-season pork and just a touch of fat around the edges), but right now their $0.80 buns can be found more deliciously elsewhere. (Check out May's on Forsyth and East Broadway.)
Obviously, after their renovations and change in ownership, their pork buns do not taste the same prior to the changes.
However, for their low prices and other cheap eats(love their dumpling noodle soup & Singapore noodles extra spicy) it's a great place to crash and fill up your belly.
Mei Li Wah is alright, but I'm going to keep looking.
I couldn't wait to try this place because of the great reviews, plus I moved to NYC from the San Gabriel Valley in Southern California, where Asian culture/population is huge (I'm Chinese-Vietnamese). I'd been scouring Manhattan for decent food, including pork buns. Unfortunately, even though Mei Li Wah has promise, I really can't vouch for them because there's just a ridiculous amount of fat in the filling. Pork buns do NOT need huge chunks of fat to be tasty, that should all be in the seasoning that saturates the meat. I was pulling out pieces of fat that were bigger than the pieces of meat. The dough, however, for both the steamed and the baked buns are very good.
Mei Lai Wah Coffee House (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) has reopened, but under a new name, Mei Li Wah Bakery.
The place no longer looks like an antiquated coffee/tea shop from the 1950's (the antique cash register is gone, I miss that thing), and has been reincarnated into a bubble tea shop replete with neon celing lights.
The workers now wear orange Mei Li Wah uniforms instead of their white cooking coats. It looks weird as I'm not used to it.
The place no longer has the nostalgic ghetto feel to it. That was definitely part of the appeal for Mei Lai Wah. Though the pork buns are still 80 cents each.
As for the pork buns, they are the same shape with no more annoying paper on the bottom. The side walls seem thicker now, with less pork inside. I may be wrong about this. Until I see that their pork buns have a consistency of having the same amount of pork and thin side walls, I can only assign Mei Li Wah 4-stars.
Just as Forrest Gump famously observed that you can tell a lot about a person by the shoes they wear, you can tell a lot of people by the way they consume a Mei Le Wah baked pork bun.
For example:
1. The Utilitarian - The utilitarian methodically consumes the pork bun, taking care to evenly distribute equal amounts of savory pork filling in even balance with the sweet, fluffy bun in each painstaking bite. An internal existentialist battle may take place, as they contemplate the reality that the volume of pork filling has declined after Mei Li Wah rose from the ashes of the DOH smack down. Kant never had it so hard.
2. The Defeatist - These poor tortured souls have the unfortunate absolution in knowing what they like, and knowing that it comes in finite resources. The defeatist may be seen attacking the succulent pork center of the bun, while neglecting the sweet crust, all the while lamenting their short and insignificant existence. Parents be warned, if you notice your kid cutting the crust off of their PB&J sandwiches, or throwing away the crust of their pizza, I would advise exposing your child to a rigorous regiment of readings from the works of Trotsky, Marx or Liebknecht.
3. The Hedonist - The hedonist knows all well that these pork buns are like, what, 80 cents? Enjoy yourself, and get another because it's cheap and tasty as hell.
Its been here for ages but it is now sporting a new, cleaner, look.
Loyal fans were saddened during the renovation uncertain about the fate of Mei Lai Wah, now Mei Li Wah.
Are they closing for good?
If they are renovating the place will it be the same owners?
Will it still taste as good?
Well the verdict is in! Same owners, same quality.
My favorites here:
- The Baked Char siu pao (one of the best, if not the best around)
- Steamed Dai pao (big bun) with everything including chinese sausage.
Cash and carry.
I stopped by for the first time earlier this week and had the pork buns thanks to a friend's suggestion. Amazing. The confluence of salty, sweet and savory is a flavor explosion that makes your eyes roll back. I also had the fried rice, which was different from what I was expecting. The rice was fluffy rather than sticky, and I could taste things other than soy sauce - perish the thought!
We sat in the back, and the waiter was pretty nice, but the language barrier kept things strictly business. The decor is more on par with fast food than actual dining, but two pork buns and the biggest plate of fried rice I've ever seen set me back like $8, so it's a very worthwhile trade-off.
Augh, it pains me so. *shakes fist at DOH* Back when it was Mei Lai Wah they had some of the best steamed char siu bao I'd ever had, but when I went back after the renovation it was "meh" at best. The filling was about half fat and not as flavorful as it used to be. The bun was great--not dry, great tearability, has that wonderful un-flavor--but not as good as it used to be, and the whole thing felt like a slightly cheaper version of what it used to be. Ah well. Maybe because it's busier now that they serve boba they make them faster and therefore with less care. Still, not terrible for 80 cents each.
New (minutely changed) name. Newly renovated with a new style of operation. they have little colorful uniforms now, a new menu posted, but the same grampas still ignore me at the counter. have a milk tea!
I haven't sat down for any dim sum yet, but I doubt that cat is still running around given the new shiny decor. I guess that's positive, but I often find health violations add character. and flavor!
The buns are still good, still 80 cents. and make sure you ask for BAKED or brown to get the best bun experience possible. none of that steamed business. the grampas fight with each other back there too. they don't have the best system of service. but you endure.
a couple of ladies were getting like 6 dozen buns each in front of me so we had to wait forever for that amount of buns to slowly be born from the back. I originally only wanted a few, but ended up getting a dozen after standing there for 45 mins. I felt hungrier by then, I also wanted to spite the ppl behind me and felt I had earned more bao. The grampas serve one person at a time mostly, oblivious to what the other is doing. they steal the buns from the tray to fill their orders, yell at each other, "ring" you up by scribbling the math on box or bag and then another person who may speak a bit more english handles your cash at the register.
Tried one of their famous pork buns (the baked one) today. It was good, but not the best I've had. Can't beat 80 cents though. I have to say the bread is pretty good, but the filling was average.
Def a good place to stop for a cheap eat when you're looking for something hearty. In this economy, can't beat something so cheap!
OH MY! All I have to say is there is no better way to spend 80 cents in all of NY than on a baked pork bun especially when it comes right out of the oven! The bread is soft and slightly chewy and the filling is juicy (you'll definitely see the fat chunks in there).
Don't bother with the steamed buns. Not so great and kind of dry. I have yet to try anything else.
Watch out for the lines... this place is always packed.
After Tasting Table's glowing review of the baked pork buns, I have been dying to come try one for myself. I have an idyllic childhood memory of going to a hole-in-the-wall SF Chinatown bakery with my parents and getting the most amazing steamed pork buns, devouring them in an alley, then going to the fortune cookie factory, so I was kind of hoping for a magical experience. Well, I got the steamed pork bun instead of the highly recommended baked ones, and thoroughly enjoyed it, but it was not magical. The dough and the pork independently were both delicious, but together the ration was off. I felt there was too much dough, and the pork in the middle could have been saltier. So, they were good, but not amazing. I'll have to go back and try the baked ones (oh darn!...)
This place probably deserves four stars, but I'm not exactly planning my next trip, which is what sets apart four-star places from three-star places. Still, it does NOT mean Mei Li Wah is not awesome 'cause it is, especially if you like pork buns. I'm not a huge fan of pork buns, but I still thought they were damn good, both steamed and baked. Plus for 80 cents each, you pretty much can't beat that price. The buns are big too, two should be enough for most people. $1.60 for a meal in this day and age? Forget about it.
Stopped in to try their Baked Pork Bun. Service was fast and friendly. Unfortunately, the meat was too fatty. Now, I am not one to be paranoid about fat by any means. Need some fat to get that flavah! But I swear I didn't experience any meat. At $0.80 a pop, though, you can't really complain too much!
BEST BAO EVER! Steamed and baked pork buns...cha show bao.
'nuff said!
80 cents will get you the most savory and meatiest Roast Pork Bun in Chinatown. It you want something a little leaner but all the while tasty, try the shui mai. Beware of the Filipino people ordering DOZENS every weekend.
Honestly, this place used to scare the crap out of me when I was little; it was dark in there and they had cats, which I'm terrified of. But they do have the best cripsy egg shatters ever! My aunt and I would come here like every other weekend because they make them so delicious. I don't think I've ever had anything else from here before because I'm always flattered by the shatters!
never mind the past times, people being snobbish/nazi i have read in your reviews. the place is renovated and new. it could be unfortunately that the attitude have changed or the old is gone but the goodies are still there. we hope for history to stay but things have changed. it looks cleaner now than before. i came here for food that they made them known for.
You people disgust me. For shame. I feel bad for the owners of Mei Lai Wah, you've ruined their name and put them to shame. First off, sure the place is renovated and it appears more modern. However I actually like the place back when it was before. When it was dimly lit and the place was a bit cramped and run down. I didn't mind the chairs being mummified with duct tape or the cracks in the walls. I actually liked the conversations I held with the senior citizens that served me food. We had good laughs. This place was part of a child hood memory for me, my parents would always take me here when we came to chinatown for a snack. But you ruined that wonderful memory of mine. What happens now? Everything is overpriced and you have TERRIBLE waiter service. First off, the butter buns aren't even WARM nor toasty. In fact it was cold and hard. I used to put butter in my bread and it would automatically melt, back in the day when the owners of Mei LAI Wah was in charge. Now, it doesn't even melt nor even thaw out. Second, you just threw the plates of bread on the table, without a care at all. Third, you serve everything in plastic cups and paper cups. What happened to the ceramic cups and the glasses? I ordered a longan ice drink, not a jelly/tapioca drink. I taste NO longan at all plus I did not ask for jelly nor tapioca or sugar water. Back in the day, I'd get my longan drink in a glass and it had a tasteful quenching flavor of longan. Now you just throw me a plastic cup of crap. If I wanted a jelly/tapioca drink I might as well walk down to ViVi's bubble tea or Quickly's. Also your coffee is not roasted well at all, in fact it lacks a coffee taste to it. Not only that, you charge 20 cents more if the coffee was for here instead of to go?!? WHAT THE BLOODY FUCK. I GIVE YOU TIPS AND YOU CHARGE ME MORE? SHOULDN'T IT BE LESS? You all lack morals. You all disgust me. I hope you go out of business by the end of this year. You've put everything to shame. You're even lucky you got my business, but now that I know things have changed. Have fun catching flies while you wait for customers. I wish it was possible to not give stars at all but too bad yelp asks me to play nice...
ah, nothing like the people who fight in line to buy a porkbun.
that totally indicates that you have come to a good place.
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