I freaking love Boston's Chinatown because of amazing little shops like Mei Sum. I get their Banh Mi every now and then and it is always so satisfying and at only $3.50 per sandwich!! I usually get the beef and everything in it is bomb. Warm beef, tons of veggies, ask for it spicy and they'll add little chili peppers mmmmm. I wish I got more daikon and carrots but at $3.50, who's complaining?? I also got their shrimp cheung fun and it was really good! Keep doing what you're doing Mei Sum!! Next time I'll ask for extra carrots and daikon ;) read more

If you know Banh Mi, you know that this will be the best Banh Mi sandwich in Boston. I like to consider myself a Banh Mi connoseur -- I work in Chinatown/Downtown Crossing, and Banh Mi is the quickest, most delicious and cheapest lunch there is... I've been to 163 and to the newest addition to the Chinatown Banh Mi circuit, "Sub City", both of which are good, but I prefer Mei Sum to both. They also have tasty treats that you can take away, although I've not tried them. The tanginess of the pickled vegetables, paired with the yummy mayo and choice of "meat" (either tofu or beef), is simply divine. The baguette is exquisitely toasted and the staff is friendly and knowledgable. You won't regret trying out this spot if you like Banh Mi. It is sure to rock your world! read more

The best Banh Mi in CTown. The bread that they use is PERFECT. Be careful if you order it spicy since they toss a bunch of the little green chilis in there. The $1 pastries are perfect for dessert. Coconut Roll all day $3 Banh Mi + $1 Coconut roll = Happiness read more

They have the best Viet Subs in Chinatown and my goto fav is the tofu banh mi The limited selection of Dim Sum items are decent for on he go and readily available and of course they are a bakery so they have to have spot on varied Bao and other baked items. My goto is the whole loaf coconut bread You can even call in your order beforehand and pick it up. read more

I'm not sure what is going on with this place. A few months ago I had one of the best bahn mi I have ever had. Today my sandwich looked like it was filled with spam and dog food. So disappointed. They must have given me the wrong sandwich. Back to 163 Vietnamese sandwich. read more

Mei Sum - Contents of my sandwich. - Bakeries Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

I decided to go to this bakery to grab some pastries. I walked in and saw the baker and an other employee having a conversation at the counter while putting the buns into individual bags with no gloves and no MASKS. I was waiting for them to serve another customer ( assume this is a frequent customer) who has his mask in his hand. When it was my turn I reminded them they should have a mask on. I was told only customers need to have masks on and also they will wear one if there are a lot of customers in the store. I turned around and walked out. read more

I came here for banh mi after reading reviews on Yelp. The following things are true: 1. There is a gaggle of elderly asian men hanging out reading the paper and talking. 2. There is no menu. 3. The ladies there are super nice. 4. Stuff is super cheap. 5. It's a bakery and the only hint that they make anything other than baked goods is a sign in the window advertising banh mi which is currently well-hidden by construction scaffolding. 6. I'm pretty sure I don't like banh mi. Let's get one thing out of the way: I'm a picky eater. I know this. Still, I've wanted to give banh mi a try. I mean, $3 sandwich?!? Sign me up! But this is my second experience and I just don't think I'm into it. I need to order without cilantro because I fall into the NO category with that one. So there's one flavor bit missing. I got the cold cut here and it is truly mystery meat. I had NO idea what I was eating. Still, I pushed on. I tried. I really did. It's me, banh mi, not you. I give this place three stars because the staff is great and I tried some sponge cake (3 for $1!) and I'm sure I'd come back for some baked goods. read more

Very big fan of the tofu Banh Mi.

Tried Mei Sum and Saigon for the first time this weekend and I'll say the bun here is better and their cuts are thicker. Their pickles were sweet and the spread was good. Their shrimp and pork dumplings were cheap and tasted better warmed up. Pretty unbeatable for $4. read more

Cheap and delicious desserts? Super nice ladies serving you? Yes please! This is my sister's go-to place for durian cake. I also enjoy their creamy and rich chocolate cake. There is not a lot of seating so take these goodies to-go. read more

This is my first time at this bakery, but so far, so delicious . I have ordered just about every baked good to take home, but while I am waiting, I was given a sweet, warm yellow rice cake to try. It is this delicious warm custard, not too sweet, not too rich. It was perfect on a rainy day. I am looking forward to enjoying all of the delights we brought home and going back in the future. read more

This bakery is pretty small with some seatings. It's not one of the better but their stuff is pretty good. I've gotten their BIG BUNS (Dai Bao) and it was still hot and delicious. I've also had their ball-law bao (pineapple bun but there is in fact no pinepapples in it LOL), tun bao (Dinner bread?) and hot dog bao, gai may boa. Oh, so many buns.... The only thing i didn't like is the place doesn't seem like it's clean. Things are scattered all over the place. I suppose that's just how it is, as I've been to other places and they're very similar. The folks that frequent here are regulars. read more

Very nice banh mi - made with care. A lovely elderly lady made my BBQ beef banh mi. Mayo beef then warmed up - topped with pickled veggies & onion(!) must be a Boston thing because nyc banh mi is onion free. Chilis, Some kind if light dressing on top. All on all not the biggest banh mi but very delicious. read more

This is my go to place for Chinese pastries and snacks. The pineapple bread (no actual pineapple is used in the making of this product, it's given the name since the eggy crust topping gives it a pineapple like exterior) is usually fresh out of the oven and is pillowy doughy on the inside and crunchy on top. A little sweet a little savory, perfect snack for anytime. Their egg custard are a good choice too. Recently tried their dim sum to go and it was not bad.. read more

Mei Sum - Pineapple bread - Bakeries Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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5 stars for being able to pick up a sandwich and some pork buns at the same time without sacrificing quality in either or paying more than one should for banh mi. They didn't skimp on the pate and the baguettes were just the right consistency. It's not trendy and doesn't have boba, or even a menu, really, but the product speaks for itself. The place lacks 'atmosphere' though, so get them to go. read more

Five stars for the tofu banh mi, which is the only flavorful one I've had in the area. As for the meat banh mi, I'd go with another place like 163. read more

The Banh Mi here is very good. As others have mentioned, the bread is perfectly crispy and chewy. The meat is yummy and not as sweet as others I've had but nice and savory. If I had any complaints at all it would be that my "spicy beef" banh mi was not spicy. At all. The ladies here do take their time making your sandwich, which just gives you more time to salivate over their baked goods. I've had the hot dog roll (awesome) and the egg tart (good, but not as good as Eldo's). Next time I'm getting that damn cocunut bun that everyone's talking about. read more

No, no, no. We ordered two "pork" bahn mi, a red bean stuffed jian dui, and a cream roll. Both desserts were bland and oily, but at least they were edible. I guess ham counts as pork? But then it was fatty and tasted like expired deli meat. Vegetables were fresh and bread was great, so I was hopeful, but in the end the taste of expired ham was too much and we had to throw it out for fear of getting sick. Too bad. read more

I've only really visited this place for some good daan tat (egg custard) when i get that craving. it's pretty good, with the light crust. i'm always on the lookout for good daan tat! after reading other yelper's reviews, i suppose i'd need to try their banh mi as well. it's just a shame that i no longer work in the area and need to make a special trip to chinatown for yummy pastries from my childhood! the ladies are always very nice (and more attentive if you speak cantonese). read more

$0.80 for a red bean pineapple-crust bun, still warm! I really enjoyed the cheap, tasty thrill. Bread was a little chewy (I have no opinion of this), but I wasn't a big fan of the red bean filling -- it was a little more fibrous than I'm used to; a different style than the Japanese treatment of red bean. Since I'm guessing this preparation is a cultural difference for which no stars should be deducted, I'm awarding full points of 4 stars. One aspect which made me happy -- at 9am, this restaurant had a good number of little old people eating breakfast. read more

A Oh, my God. That's what I said when I bit into my first bang hi sandwich here. The best banh mi I ever had. Better than NYC definitely. 3 DOLLARS for HEAVENLY DELIGHT banh mi. I came back 30 minutes later because I just had to eat both the cold cut banh mi and the barbeque kind. Both are amazing. Such fresh flavor from the veggies, great meat, nice crispy bread. I'm so glad I found this place. I recommend you go around the corner for some good passion black tea with tapioca to go with the sandwiches. read more

Every birthday I always order here . Very good product. I like it. Everyone there is very nice, very good service.

I'm giving it 3 stars simply 'cause I went on a recon mission to try out their mah binh. My boss had raved about them so we hopped on the T and headed towards Chinatown. $2.50 later, we were out in no time, and I wish I could've tried one of their high-calorie egg tarts - they looked like food porn. Needless to say, I'd hop on the T again in two shakes of a dog's tail. read more

While no Wawa Italian hoagie, the Banh Mi has found a special place in my heart as it is always cheap and usually delicious. That special combo of pickled carrot and daikon, cucumber, cilantro, fish sauce, mayo, and your choice of meat/tofu blends together exquisitely and for $3, you would be hard pressed to find a better deal. So as a newly arrived student in Boston I set out to find the best Banh Mi in the Chinatown area, and Mei Sum has come out on top. Hardly noticeable except for its red awning, you could easily walk past Mei Sum and never know it existed. And even if you do manage to find it, there is no menu to let you know that they serve the best Banh Mi in town. While other shops may serve more varieties of Banh Mi (Mei sum offers beef, tofu, and cold cut), Mei Sum blows away the competition by having the best bread hands down. Their hoagie roll is expertly toasted, resulting in a chewy texture rather than the crunchy mess of most other shops. The marinated (teriyaki?) beef they serve is delicious, and the cold cuts are always fresh and yummy. My only complaint would be that sometimes the cilantro is wilted, but for $3 this is only a minor issue. Mei sum also offers a wide variety of Chinese pastries, and while I'm no expert they seem to stand up against the larger bakeries in town. So if you're in the Chinatown area and seeking out an inexpensive food option, come to Mei Sum and try a Banh Mi. You will not be disappointed! read more

After reading about Mei Sum in a couple different articles, I was quite excited to check this place out. However, I was quite disappointed with the food I ate from here. I had the beef bahn mi and the butter cream cake, both of which I threw out after a few bites. The beef was extremely fatty. The butter cream cake had the texture of a dry sponge. If you're looking for a bahn mi in Chinatown, there are certainly better options. read more

I did not care for this place. I ordered some coconut bread thing which was dry, lacking in coconut and crumbly. read more

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Two things about this place - first, I came here because of the rave reviews for the banh mi sandwiches, and Mei Sum sure lived up to them. Fresh, zippy fillings, chewy french bread - perfect! But while I was waiting for my sandwich, I noticed the ladies putting out pans of huge raisin-studded sweet rolls. They smelled so good, I had to buy a pan. And OMG. The sandwich could have tasted like dirt and I'd STILL go back just for those rolls. I go every week, and always keep a pan in my freezer. Deeelish! read more

I remember coming in here a lot with my mom when I was a lot younger to get chinese buns. As I got older (and was able to explore on my own), I started branching out to the other bakeries in chinatown thinking that I would find better buns in a bakery that wasn't wedged in a grunge-y location next to a parking garage. Overtime, I forgot all about this bakery. Fast forward to the other day when I was out and about and bored, I decided to grab buns from 4 bakeries in chinatown and do a taste test. I got a custard bun, hotdog bun, and roast pork bun from each bakery. Long behold, Mei Sum won. Not only did the smell of the bakery make me reminisce on the days I used to come in with my mom but as soon as I bit into the custard bun... boy, oh, boy. I don't know why I ever thought I could do better. Another plus is that their buns are only $1 each (at least the ones that I got.)! Whereas the buns were $1.20+ at the other bakeries. They offer a wide selection of items but I'm not the most adventurous person when it comes to chinese baked goods so I can't speak on anything else. read more

This place is great! I first came here a while ago when I searched on Yelp for cheap banh mi sandwiches near my workplace. The sandwich was really good, maybe not THE best I ever had, but very good and highly recommended. Plus, for $3 you can't beat it. But what's kept me going here are the bakery items. They are superb! BBQ pork buns for 80 cents, egg custards for 80 cents, rice cakes and red bean cakes for less than $1...all reasonably priced and all delicious. I'm planning on trying some of their other food items too like shumai and the shrimp rice noodle rolls. One time I went in and got 5 steamed BBQ pork buns but when I got home I found out they were the regular pork buns with egg inside. I was a bit disappointed about that and in my opinion they were definitely not as good or tasty as the BBQ ones. But in all I love this place! read more

I had been searching for some egg custard tarts and since this place didn't have a menu online I was skeptical. It looks really tiny but people were buying pastries & desserts like crazy. The line wasn't long at all & I was there on a Friday night. Those egg custard tarts were just what I was hoping for. The custard was perfect & the crust was flakey around the edges & really enhanced the custard. read more

So, this was the first viet banh mi I have ever had in my life... which means I have nothing to compare it to... but it was damn good! The bread was soft and amazing, the pickling was really tasty, and the combination of the meat and veggies was effortless. The other thing that made it great were the ladies who worked at the counter. They were very friendly and welcoming (which is not my typical experience in Chinatown). They clearly knew that it was my first time and were really interested to see how I liked it (not frustrated when I asked questions). For those of you who don't know (I didn't) a banh mi is a traditional Vietnamese sandwich with pickled carrots, cucumbers, cilantro, chili peppers, mayonnaise, pate, and your choice of meat or tofu. I chose pork. And it was only $3!! Find yourself wanting to try something new in Boston? Go explore Chinatown... but be sure to grab a banh mi from Mei Sum's and maybe a custard bun or some bubble tea from some traditional Asian bakeries. read more

I tried Mei Sum's roasted pork bun and taro bun. Both were cheap and big! For $2, I had a great brunch. I highly recommend this place, and will return back soon. read more

The Banh Mi was disappointing because the bread was not the traditional crisp French Baguette that has is crispy crust outside and soft inside. The flavor of the meat was descent but very skimpy on the patte. Also tried the Sticky Rice (Chee Fahn) which was also disappointing because the rice was too wet and mushy. The filling was okay but they could have used a little more of the pickles. I wouldn't go back since there are other places make the Banh Mi and Sticky Rice better. read more

I am delighted to learn (from previous reviews here) that I'm not the only Banh Mi-crazy gal in Boston. After trying out all the Banh Mi joints in Chinatown, it is strikingly clear that Mei Sum and Mike's are the winners. Mei Sum does have the better bread - it is super fresh, even after the sandwich has languished in the fridge overnight (I don't just get one sandwich when I go; I stock up!). Also, the Thai chilies here trump the jalapenos at Mike's - I love their lingering spicy aftertaste, it's like experiencing mini goosebumps on the tongue. Mei Sum also makes a very decent vegetarian sandwich, with a generous amount of baked tofu. The thing that Mike's does better is they really stuff the baguette with pickled veggies, which I'm shamelessly addicted to. And I prefer the cold-cut sandwich at Mike's, just because they use better quality cold cuts. But all critiques aside, Mei Sum's laidback atmosphere and their yummy banh mi make me unspeakably happy. The ladies behind the counter are sweet and patient; they are always bantering with the other staff/customers, which leads me to believe that they enjoy their work. The banh mi here is assembled with attention and care, not just thrown together without a moment's thought. You can really taste the love! And the love does not cost you an arm and a leg, either - I paid only $5.50 for two sandwiches. That's two meals - what a deal! I haven't tried anything else in here because the banh mi is so satisfying. Although, as Festher C. pointed out, I'm quite intrigued by their "Aapple pie"... read more

My best friend and I have are banh mi obsessed. One particularly hungry afternoon, we went to 4 or 5 different banh mi joints in Chinatown and ate at every single one of them. This is something that I admit with no shame. We have a rolling scale/point system for which we rate our banh mi experience and this place has the BEST banh mi sandwich in town. I didn't realize this bakery had a name, for the longest time we just called it 36 on Beach Street. Anyhow, their banh mi is great, especially the spicy cold cut kind. You must eat it with sriracha sauce. If you ask, they will also give you a small container of fish sauce for dipping. We have also tried other items in the bakery (aapple pie, spelled like so: aapple pie, shao mai, shrimp dumplings) all are not nearly as delicious as the banh mi. Not much in terms of drinks/beverages lest the occasional Vita drink (boxed tea, so refreshing) in the coolers towards the back, but who cares, their banh mi is THE BEST! read more

I've come here dozens of times and had a great experience. The banh mis, in all 3 kinds (beef, cold cut, tofu), are great, as are the pork and pineapple buns. But today, in my cold cut banh mi, one of the pieces of ham had a clump of hair follicles growing out of it that grossed me out nearly to the point of trauma. It looked like about 20, half-inch long, stiff, white hairs coming out of the meat. So I probably won't go back. The 3 stars is representative of my average score. several 5 star experiences, and one -25 star experience. read more

Best tofu banh mi in Boston. Sandwhich is vegan when ordered without butter. You can also get some vegan desserts here like jin deui (sesame seed ball) and jianshui zong (sweet sticky rice dumpling). read more

This place is definitely my go-to when it comes to their Chinese buns. Yeah, there's other places that probably have a same selection, but this spot specifically will win my heart. The Asian women here are always pretty nice when I visit and offer to heat up my buns too, which is nice. Most items are about $1 range, which is a great deal for the quality you're getting yourself into. It's kinda funny how every time I ask my friends if I can just grab a pork bun (if I'm around China town), they look at me weird going into this secluded area that's right next to the parking garage. But once they try some buns, they appreciate the good life. read more

Mei Sum is a Chinese/Vietnamese Bakery/Food Shop. It is a old place in an old building. It is a bit run down, but they are usually busy. Very busy. They have tables and chairs that look llike they bought from a elementary school that was remodeling, and their clientele tends to stay there a long time drinking coffee or eating food. Mostly senior citizen men. Despite things that may detract you from entering this establishment, you should visit this place. They have probably the best viet banh mi in New England. They also have a variety of pastries and cakes. Their cakes are on par with the best chinese bakeries in Chinatown. I don't particularly care for their egg custard tarts, but their deep fried crullers are great. read more

If I can give a NEGATIVE rating I would put negative million stars. I bought a birthday cake from the store yesterday for all the March birthdays at my work. It was a beautiful fruits decorated cake for 15-20pp with whipped cream and fruit filling. As we cut into the cake a fishy smell arise from the cake, upon carefully inspecting the cake, the whole cake smell like fish, the smell starts to fill up the room. We had to throw the cake in the trash and empty our trash to get rid of the smell. DISGUSTING!!! We did not expect to a fish flavored cake!!! I called to store to tell them the cake I bought smell like fish and demanded a refund. The lady answered the phone said co Lan is the manager and she is not available. She provided the manager phone number, I called several times and no luck getting through. I would not recommend anybody buying anything from this shady bakery. read more