Mei Lai Wah Bakery

Mei Lai Wah Bakery is a hidden gem in the hustle and bustle of the city, and despite the intimidating line, the experience was surprisingly smooth. The line may seem daunting, but don't be discouraged - it moves fast, especially if you're paying with cash, allowing you to skip the credit card kiosk queue.

Once you've placed your order and paid, there's no need to wait for a text notification. Instead, you can head straight inside to claim your food. This streamlined process ensures that you get your hands on those delectable buns promptly.

Speaking of buns, they are the real stars here. Freshness is key, and Mei Lai Wah delivers. The pineapple BBQ bun, in particular, stood out with its perfect balance of sweetness and savory flavors. Each bite was a delightful experience, making the wait in line well worth it.

My family has been coming since we immigrated to the US in the 90s.

Best char siu baos at an affordable price too!

Best time to go is early in the morning - it's a gamble, but you could either beat the rush or wait a little bit before there's space inside. But they are constantly baking throughout the day, so I haven't had to hear that an item is sold out, just might have to wait a little.

Inside has enough room for maybe a half dozen people comfortably. I suggest looking up what you want ahead of time and confidently order when called up to the counter.

My favorites are the baked roast bun (char siu bao), famous bun (just a delicious plain bun), big bun (steamed bun filled with pork, chicken and egg), and the pineapple bun.

They're getting even more popular now for the pineapple bun filled with the char siu.

After reopening, I waited too long to try their roast pork pineapple bun and it was so disappointing, mouthful of pork fat and some pieces of meat in a soggy pineapple bun. The mushy textures of the bun was not for me but it's quite popular among many. Will stick to my bakery and dim sum buns & pastries.

I'd still say a trip to this iconic old school bakery is worth your curiosity because we all have different tolerances. Mouthful of fat is just not for me. There are lines at certain times but moves quickly and you could order using credit card at the kiosk outside.

Came here before it blew up in popularity. They have the best BBQ pork buns in the world. I mean the WORLD. LA, China, Hong Kong, SF chinatown... nope this is the best BBQ pork bun you'll ever have. They're also famous for their pineapple pork buns. Both are DELICIOUS. The line can get long sometimes, but this is the real secret: if you're paying cash, skip the line and head straight inside. If you're paying card, there are THREE machines. One outside and two inside. All the tourists see this place on Instagram, and stand outside to use the outdoor kiosk. Just walk straight inside to the kiosk to pay with a card. You can also order ahead of time by placing an order through apps on your phone. They take your name & number and you'll get a text when your order is ready. They also have a rewards program now. 2 for BBQ pork bun. Such a great price!!!!

As you walk through the classic cityscape of Chinatown, you'll easily spot Mei Lah Wah Bakery because of the line forming out the door. Despite the compact size of the store, people will eagerly wait. After trying them, I can see why.

Once you pass through the doors, go immediately to one of the handful of tablet stands to place your order. This makes ordering so much easier and quicker as you can see all the visuals, descriptions, prices, etc. of their baked goods. After you get your number, you'll wait to the side if you can. As you wait, you'll take in all the loud, lively sounds of people chatting, workers calling out numbers and orders, the sounds of trays clattering as fresh baked pastries get pulled out or placed into the ovens, etc.

For the quality and size, the price is very fair for what you get. I picked up a pineapple bun and baked roast pork bun. The pineapple bun has a flaky, crunchy exterior with a pillowy soft interior. Of course, it has that lovely, subtly sweet taste. There is a nice balance of sweet and savory pork filling and the exterior pastry bun. You can tell there is years of experience in the making of these pastries.

What a busy place. Thankfully they have ordering via tablet outside and two more inside along with a cash line inside. They could put some signage up about this right.

Okay, I wanted the pineapple bun with custard but they were sold out by noon already so I went with the pineapple pork buns, cocktail buns and their house special bun and an added chicken bun.

I waited awhile (15 minutes?) and finally asked for my order. It was a full box that was put in the bag on its side. By the time I unpacked it from hubby's backpack, everything was smooshed but still good. Today is the pineapple bun and the chicken bun as the rest are for a family visit tomorrow.

There is a nice crispy pineapple topping and flavorful bbq pork a plenty. The chicken bun is legit with a good portion of chicken, a bit of hard boiled egg, a circle of lop cheung, a shiitake mushroom and a surprise piece of char siu. Oh and the we'e pieces of green onions too.

I'm looking forward to trying some of the other goodies and returning again for the pineapple custard bun.

Please support this local business because their goodies are legit.

The outside ordering booths are really convenient and the food quality is so good it's worth the social media hype -- beware not to get the dried shrimp roll if you are looking for the one they sell in dim sum places because it's not the same! Portions are fair & Everything is delicious though.

We had some great eats in Chinatown, don't judge me but TikTok was our food guide LOL!

We sought out Mei Lai Wah for their pineapple bun with roast pork as the TikTok fam was hype about these. There was a decent size line when we got there, we stood in the line, but after further inspection we determined the line was for people who were placing there order at an outside machine. However, you could also use the inside machine which was what we did and was much faster. We got our pineapple bun, took pictures of it of course and it was time to taste! Well, I hate to go against TikTok and whoever else, but we did not like this. It was way too sweet, we could not taste anything but sweetness and ultimately threw it away. We were so disappointed, perhaps if we try other items they would be better, but at this time we have no desire to go back.

Sorry yall!

This spot is a must visit when in Chinatown, we spotted this place on IG as one of the top 10 places in NY to hit. We came thoroughly hungry after a day of sightseeing, and duly noted the tip -avoid the lines if you pay cash.

We went for the ever popular pineapple/pork bun (what they are known for), regular pork bun, and the shrimp dumplings.
The pineapple/pork buns were sweet as well as the bun itself. I preferred the regular pork buns. The shrimp dumplings contained a good size shrimp and came with soy sauce. A chili dipping sauce would be perfect, but they do not offer any.

Can't complain...service was fast, food prices were very reasonable, pay cash to avoid lines, and overall... food was good.

WOW! I'm usually not a huge fan of pork buns because I feel like the bun part is too much bread, but this bread was light and airy and the pork had the perfect amount of meat to fat ratio while still being saucy and juicy. The sauce wasn't overly sweet either!

When you walk in there's going to be a huge crowd of people, ignore them because they're most likely waiting for their order number to be called. Order on the kiosks, there are 2 inside. The kiosks say they'll text when your order is ready but this spot moves so fast that the texts come way later than when your order is actually ready so make sure you listen for when your order number is called!

We got the pineapple pork bun and the baked roast pork bun. Pineapple crust was too sweet for our liking but still delicious, we favored the regular one more though. Really cheap too! Must try when in NYC