Mei Sum Bakery: Boston's Hidden Gem for Delectable Pastries and Sandwiches

Been coming here for years and the old lady always ask how I’m doing and miss seeing me . They have the best bao with pork , sausage and eggs inside . I usually ordered 10 to go sometimes. Their congee is also good with a thousand years egg inside , scallions and pepper . Good for the morning breakfast and hangover . They have some dim sum items also. Good breakfast to go here and can’t go wrong. The best in Chinatown for bao.

I got a cold cut banh mi and 2 containers of beef rice rolls. First off, I think the rice rolls are overpriced at $5 each. They're pretty good, but this price is more than at dim sum, imo Second, the banh mi has good points and bad points. PROS: * pate! delicious meaty pate, you can definitely taste some of the liver * the cold cuts are pretty hardcore - I definitely got a slice of some terrine with a slice of pig ear which I loved CONS: * bread. Ouch ouch ouch, I could actually taste the scratches on the roof of my mouth after this sandwich. I think if you're more careful and eat more slowly it wouldn't be as much of an issue. * cold cuts are sliced pretty thick, which isn't the end of the world, but leads to less than stellar distribution. Overall, while this banh mi feels less "polished" than New Saigon Sandwich, the pate and the quality of the cold cuts are quite good. I would say Mei Sum and New Saigon are objectively equal but have their own pros and cons. NSS' bread is better and everything is cut and distributed a bit better, but the protein isn't as impressive.

I would rather come here for a $6 bahn mi than go to Panera a $12 sandwich. Apparently it’s the longest standing bahn mi shop in Chinatown. I have come here twice for pork and beef bahn mi (they also have tofu for protein) and both were nothing but fresh, filling, and flavorful. Add milk tea & sweet rice donut for an extra dollar and you have a whole meal. Pretty good deal! PS there is usually a long piece of cucumber in the sandwich. No cucumber in the photos because I asked them to take it out.

It seems some reviews are not factoring in price and value. It's easy enough to spend 2x the money on similar foods. Certain items will be better with a quick heat in microwave. Pork buns are top-tier as is, and only $1.50 each.

I bought egg tarts from 3 bakeries and this place had the best one - dense, fluffy crusts with a not-too-sweet custard. Highly recommend.

The durian, pan-dan, and taro cakes are absolutely amazing!!! I love these cakes and get them for special family events. The pastries here are great. I always come here when I’m in Chinatown.

Wonderful authentic Chinese food. Delicious. I enjoyed trying their food and friendly locals enjoyed me being there.

Very authentic - even the desserts were minimally sweet. The little ladies were so eager to please. Very different from the other bakery I went where even the bread was sweet. This is more old school tastes.