There are plenty of other places nearby to get banh mi (Vietnamese sandwiches), you don't need to go here. I was asking this lady about a cake there and she was so rude. The other baked goods aren't that good either. read more

I needed to try a new Banh Mi place, so me and the BF grabbed a quick weekday lunch. We both got the beef prepared by a lovely sandwich lady. The beef was nicely marinated with lemongrass, but the cut was super, super fatty. I liked the bread and the peppers especially. There was head cheese in it, which was good and not overpowering. We went on a Wednesday at 12 and there was not a seat in sight, it appeared as if a geriatric men's conference had taken over. We found a park bench in the common and ate in the cold. We also split a custard bun warm out of the oven. The pastry was deliciously crunchy on the top and the custard was good, but closer to vanilla pudding than the egg custard I am used to. Pho Viet at Super 88 definitely has the best Banh Mi in my opinion, the meat is better quality. I'll definitely give them another try. 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

It's pretty discreet when you walk by, but the cold cut Bahn Mis are BOMB. Cheap, filling, and tasty, it's my go-to. Yes, the old grandpas will stare at anyone that walks in, but that's cultural. Best for grab and go, there's only two tables, but get the taro pineapple bun while you wait. They keep them warm after it's baked, so it's always like biting into soft pillows of deliciousness. I always get a box of stuff here to impress friends and coworkers, and it's CHEAP! read more

So my husband and I were in the area and I told him that I had to give in to my banh mi craving soon or explode. I could probably eat one everyday and I had not had one for weeks! I have been meaning to try this place and Mike's for the longest time, having read MCslimJ B. talk about them constantly on every talk thread revolving sandwiches, banh mi, Chinatown, cheap eats, etc. The only problem is that this typically organized and planful Yelper had forgotten where either Mike's or Mei Sum was exactly located. So I dragged my husband down random streets in Chinatown (luckily this is Boston Chinatown and it's pretty tiny), with an inkling one of them was on Beach Street. Suddenly it was like when Harold and Kumar find White Castle . . . there right in front of us was a neon sign that read "Banh Mi Vietnamese Sandwiches." Eureka!!! At this point, I have no idea what shop we are at because I don't think there was actually a sign in English, but nonetheless, our search was over. I didn't care if we were at either shop, but was just happy to have a Vietnamese sandwich in the immediate future. We get inside and there are elderly men sitting around enjoying their tea and coffee on hard metal chairs that look like they were borrowed from a school. I still have no idea where we are until I spot a mooncake box that lists Mei Sum Bakery, Inc. on the side. I get so giddy that I have serendipitously found the place that my husband backs away a few feet. I was seriously like a kid in a candy shop. Although it doesn't seem to be listed, there are only 3 options for sandwiches: bbq beef, cold cuts, and tofu. We both get the beef. While we are waiting for the bread to be toasted, we of course, decide on other goodies to try. Char sui bao (roast pork bun) -- 3 steamed and 1 baked -- as well as a coconut pie. For $10.30, that is not bad for today's lunch and tomorrow's breakfast! Cheap eats indeed. The counter ladies were really sweet as well and I was glad to see that they spoke Cantonese. Side note . . . As we are waiting for our banh mi, a Caucasian guy comes in and orders up a storm. Everything from shui mai and har gow to buns . . . I suddenly wonder if that could be MCslimJ B. I tell my husband and he has no idea what I am talking about since he doesn't yelp. He thinks it is funny that I am on the lookout for Yelp's very own version of the Phantom Gourmet. I decide the guy is probably not MCslimJ B. after all as he orders extra soy sauce and that doesn't seem like something he would do. But it was fun pretending for the moment and it was a diversion as I waited for our banh mi to be created. On to my sandwich . . . since the men occupy all of the chairs and it's a nice day, we opt to take our fare and eat outside. We head to a nearby park and bite into our sandwiches. The bread is nice and crisp AND warm! I have never had a banh mi with warm bread so it was good we ate them right away. It made the sandwich that much better. The beef was good, but in smaller pieces than I am used to so I was afraid they would fall out and I would lose some precious pieces. The sandwich was good, but I didn't taste much buttery goodness spread or spiciness until I got to the last 1/3 of my sandwich. The veggies and cilantro were fresh though which made the sandwich seem healthy. Overall, it was satisfying and a great deal and one of the best banh mi's I have had, but my heart still belongs to Pho Viet's in the Super 88 food court in Allston/Brighton. There is just something about their sandwiches that I have not found in any other banh mi! However, I will return here especially since it's inexpensive and I can pick up other items, such as dim sum, cakes, and buns at the same time. read more

Didn't get a chance to try the banh mi but purchased several baked goods. Grabbed 1 on display with green onions and sweet ham(?) pieces and another with ham and egg. Asked for pork ones and hot dog which they had in the giant steamer. All were good, except for the green onion one. It needed more inside. Even my 18 month old loved the hot dog one! Very reasonably priced at $1 each. read more

A little grimier than some of the other bakeries, and filled with old Asian mean sitting and chattering. I got a banh mi and some meat filled bun with god knows what meat (pork mostly). The meat in the banh mi left a lot to be desired, so take a pass on it when you visit and stick with 163 Vietnamese Sandwiches. The Bun was actually a lot tastier and even had an egg in it. God where is my mom to remind me what this bun is called. Other a chance if you're ok with less than stellar atmosphere. At least the lady at the counter was patient with my indecisiveness. read more

I came at 7am the other day and there were already lots of people having breakfast in the store. I bought breakfast for me and two colleagues. 2 egg tarts, 2 pineapple bread, 1 coconut braids, 1 moon cake and 1 sesame ball only cost me 10 dollars. They were really tasty and definitely worth it. read more

Maybe this is the hangover talking but OMG this might be the best banh mi I've ever had. They don't skimp on the pâté and it's still super cheap read more

The ladies behind the counter are very kind and there's always old Asian people here, which is a sign that it's good haha. My go-to for Vietnamese subs! I don't really know what goes in them (Vietnamese ham? Pickled veggies?) but they're so yummy and a great price! read more

I was introduced to Banh Mi this year, being a student in the area, and I have become hooked. I'm usually not a sandwich-fanatic, but there is something about Banh Mi sandwiches that is extremely appetizing. I have been scourging the Chinatown area in search of a really good Banh Mi store, and I think I found it in the Mei Sum Bakery. The bakery, by most standards (even Chinatown standards), is fairly old and dirty. Don't let this discourage you, as the products are of good quality. The bakery does have a special Banh-Mi section, which is usually watched over by the same, sweet lady. They offer three different types of Banh Mi: beef, tofu, and cold cuts. I have only tasted the beef one, but my friend who has tried all of them tells me that the beef is the best. Unlike most of the Banh Mi shops in the area, the sandwich-lady usually takes very good care in making the Banh Mi. There are not many customers seeking Banh Mi sandwiches here, so she is usually not in a rush to making them. She warms both the bread and the meat in their small oven and then places ample amounts of vegetable/topping on them. The bread is very good; it does not crumble like that of nearby Banh Mi shops (New Saigon), which makes eating them a lot easier. The sandwiches are decently priced a $3 a piece. The bakery also sells baked goods, naturally. Their selection is bit limited compared to Bao Bao Bakery and they tend to sell mostly essential baked goods; they do not sell any special cakes for example. I cannot comment on the quality of the baked goods because I usually do not purchase them. I have tried the coconut jelly, which is decent. I have no basis for comparison, though. If you are ever in the area, please make an effort to visit Mei Sum. It usually is not very busy, so you can be assured of good service. Although it may not seem like the typical Banh-Mi shop, you will not be disappointed and will most likely leave craving more. read more

Can you say stale bakery?! My goodness- I ran in there for a cake and asked if they had it fresh. Of course, the woman behind the counter said, "yeah- fresh,fresh." Boy, biting into it is another sad story. The cake must have been out for at least a week. Everyone had to spit their first bites back out. All the Chinese people know their bakery isn't the best, but they're open pretty late, so an emergency cake to look at is good, but think twice about eating it. I guess you can buy coffee or drinks from them...that at least will be edible. read more

Durian cake with green layer is so damn good. Other pastries are kind of so so. This place is old, and dosent seem that sanitary. Maybe they should update a little bit. read more

Delicious - never would have gone in if it weren't for Yelp! The Bahn Mi was good and when they say spicy they mean it! I also tried the Shrimp Noodle and they were ok, but probably better fresh out the cooker. I will definitely add into my lunch rotation! I want to try some of the bakery goodies read more

My absolute favorite place for a bahn mi. Get the BBQ beef, ask for it extra spicy and you get it. While you wait order the shumai - 3 for $1. That and the sandwich will run you $3. You can't lose! read more

Not really a big fan of this place. Its nice that they have a few things that other Chinese bakeries don't have such as Banh Mi, some cheap dim sum and rice pastry all in one roof....however, none are that good. Don't have the right kind of bread for Banh Mi--should be crispy and the fillings were not as fresh. Dim sum is subpar. Rice pastry is not bad. Pastries are not as fresh or good. Go here if you are too lazy to walk around for all that other good stuff and want everything under one roof. read more

So delicious! Kind of an awkward set up as many other yelpers have noted lol (long table wih random old men sitting and talking ) but fully worth the moment of initial doubt. I ate the best bahn mi ever (beef - awesome bread, as many others noted - totally makes or breaks it!) and also had a pork bun (fantastic!) for the total cost of $4.90. Wish I'd found this place sooner! The pork buns were so delightful that I ordered four more to go to share with friends, as well as a few of the other more unusual items in the case. Everything was delicious! And so incredibly cheap, it's practically baffling. Highly recommended!!! read more

Their little white buns (made of sticky rice) with shredded coconut on top and peanut/sugar filling ("law mai chee") - located in the glass case in front of the server - is mainly the reason I come here. It's only $0.80 and they're quite tasty. The other stuff that I've tried here is just ok. I've gotten their white sponge cake thing several times hoping it'll be good but it's just ok or not great. read more

First time noticed their cup cake(individual plastic bag) put it on the top of the counter have mold on it. Otherwise everything's okay.

Been going to this bakery since I was a little girl. They have great pastries. My favorite is the egg custard bun (always warm and fresh in the oven) Their fruit cakes are also yummy, the cream is so good! My boyfriend and mom loves the green coconut cake. My family has been ordering cakes from here since the ice ages, I swear. They also offer a parking rebate here, so don't hesitate to ask! The workers speak a billion languages, which is no surprises considering all asian shop owners do. Love this place, you won't regret giving it a try! read more

Mei Sum - Bakeries Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

I think the sandwiches here are the best in Boston chinatown.

Their banh mi bread reigns SUPREME!! That's the only thing I've had so far. It was so good. read more

OMG. I was looking for a great Vietnamese sub place in Chinatown and read some of the reviews. I just took a bite of my Vietnamese sub and it's sooo delicious and perfect. Thank you fellow Yelpers for your honest opinions! This is definitely the place to go!!! read more

Best Banh Mi in Chinatown, and one of my favorite places to get lunch. Good fillings (Cold cut, beef or tofu), Good veggies (Although they could stand to add more cilantro), Good Pate (with the coldcut). But the secret? It's the bread. To be honest, the bakery is pretty middle of the pack, but their banh mi more than makes up for it. read more

The only reason to come to this place is for the banh mi. There are much better places to get chinese bakery items. The banh mi, however, really rocks and probably is the best in the area. They don't have the variety as some of the other shops but they have the standards (grilled beef, pork cold cuts, and I believe tofu). Easy on the wallet and yummy for the tummy. read more

needed a moment alone when eating my cold cut sandwich. super crispy, warm bread. crunchy vegetables. just spicy enough. so delish. i used to come here with my mom back in the late 90's. i picked up a sweet bun just for old times sake. the women that work the counter are so nice and patient. i love all the old guys that hang out here and drink their coffee. coolest place ever. LOL! read more

I used to stop in this bakery from time to time but it's been a while. Was in a snacky type of mood last week and thought I'd poke in and see what they had. So much to choose from! Bao, cheung fun, banh mi, steamed dumplings, fried snacks, congee, assorted pastries and cookies. YUM! I was feeling like fried stuff, so got a few of the fried doughs and a 3-pack of boot jai go. The sweet fried dough was really good, and the boot jai go is just as good as Ho Yuen's. I'm already thinking about what to get when I hit it up next week again! Very friendly ladies there too (unlike Hing Shing, see my other review). There are some tables set up, but there are usually a bunch of old guys sitting around gossiping. Adds to the old school atmosphere of the place. read more

Mmm.. banh mi. This one offers the option to make it 'spicy' ..go for it! But, trust me, it is spiiiiicy. :) A nice toss of additional flavor to the sandwich to go along with the pickled radish and mmm cilantro. Anywhere that offers a banh mi is pretty sweet. I still place some other establishments before this one for my favorite, though. :3 ^.^ read more

Love this place. They make the best bahn mi in Boston. The tofu bahn mi is the absolute best. They also have delicious baked goods - their red bean buns are amazing! read more

Wanted to try the bahn mi here and see how it stacks up compared to the other places in chinatown. Had the cold cut & beef vietnamese sandwiches here, along with the shrimp rice roll. With the vietnamese sandwiches, probably the biggest difference between this and other places is that Mei Sum uses hero rolls instead of baguettes. Not sure why the beef sandwich contained radish, whereas the cold cut one didn't, but I felt the radish contained a bit too much vinegar, which gave the beef sandwich, an overall weird, inconsistent taste. The beef was supposed to be "bbq grilled beef", but didn't taste anything like it. It hardly contained any marinade and just tasted like pieces of beef. I definitely enjoyed the cold cut sandwich more over the beef one. As for the shrimp roll, it actually was not bad and exceeded my expectations for getting it on the go. I thought for $2.50, it might have been a bit too pricey, but there was actually a good amount of food. The skin of the shrimp roll had a good consistency and there adequate pieces of shrimp inside. The only thing that wasn't standard was the sauce that came w/ it on the side. It was a very light colored sauce that tasted a bit bland--not the typical dark, sweet soy sauce that I'm used to having w/ the shrimp rolls. Overall, I think I still prefer 163's bahn mi better. Their grilled beef actually tastes marinated and I like the fact that they use the standard baguette and splatter their sandwiches w/ plenty of vegetables. So I'm not really sure I would go out of my way to get something at Mei Sum, but if 163 was closed or ran out of bahn mi, then I would definitely consider Mei Sum a second choice. read more

ok..i am a major Banh mi fan..I have had banh mi in over 15 different states not about to count the cities.. But everywhere I go, it is a must for me to find a good Banh mi.. So after all the reviews i read..i had to go try it here...What a Disappointment... Yelpers, what is wrong..drive a little to dorchester and try the 1 of the 4-5 different Banh mi places there and you will never come back here again..or walk down the street to new saigon sandwich and you will get a better tasting one there... i got the beef banh mi here and the beef had no flavor and was so chewy..and as a yelper had mentioned he found a chunk of hair, white hair coming out of the meet...I found the same thing.. ugg..threw it out...gross... I do give 4 stars to the green coconut cake though..it is the best..so flavorful and just the right amount of cake, filling and coconut... Plus it is the most uncomfortable atmosphere...old men sitting around, staring at you...another gross... read more

Best banh mi in Boston! And for only THREE DOLLARS! Not much in ambiance, but it's Chinatown. You didn't come here for ambiance. You came here for good, cheap food. And it doesn't get better or cheaper than Mei Sum's banh mi. Hot crispy bread. pate, pork, pickled vegetables with fresh cilantro and little green chilies that pack a punch. Oh, man, this is good stuff. Definitely check this place out. read more

I had been really wanting to try a Vietnamese sandwich. I was visiting Boston for one day and staying in a hostel near China town so I googled Vietnamese food and set out to try a restaurant called my siagon. it was early in the morning and the sandwich shop I wanted to go to was closed. I was disappointed but I can be flexible so I walked around Chinatown a little bit until I stumbled upon Mei Sum bakery. they offered Vietnamese sandwiches and have decent reviews on yelp. I usually eat vegetarian so I ordered a tofu sandwich. the counter ladies were nice. while I was waiting for one lady to make my sandwich I ordered coffee from another woman. I got the sandwich to go and took it to my hostel. I bit into it there and this is my impressiom. the baguette tasted fresh and it was crispy ( I watched the lady toast it at the shop) and I didn't mind the tofu, it was steamed triangles laid across the baguette. the pickled veggies and the cilantro were tasty. the thing is; they put some nasty sauce on the bread that tasted to me like mayo. it overwhelmed any other flavor and I couldn't finish the sandwich. I will look else where for Vietnamese sandwiches! read more

Just polished off my tofu banh mi an hour ago and I am inspired to write a review because it is SO GOOD. Crunchy and salty and cold and amazing. The combination of flavors has an incredible unami taste that completely hits the spot. Also, I love that they are not huge, I feel perfectly satisfied after instead of suffering from food hangover. The only reason I only give it four stars is that I've only ever eaten banh mi from Mei Sum so I have nothing to compare it too! I keep considering going elsewhere, but it's so hard to pass up an amazing $3 sandwich to try someplace else. Someday. read more

Mei Sum's banh mis, plain and simple, are bomb. I usually get the pork banh mi but the tofu should also be good. They can be spicy though, so I always get a coconut pie too, to finish off the meal. The sandwiches are a great size, simple and the flavors and textures do not back down, they are powerful and they are delicious. Everytime I walk in to Mei Sum, which is a small little place usually with a lot of men congregating at the table, I am happy but I always leave happier. Did I mention that the banh mi's are, what? $2.75 and the coconut pie is $1. Plus they have a bunch of other savory and sweet baked goods. Love it! read more

The tofu banh mi here is amazing! I recommend getting the "spicy" version.

Great Viet Sandwich. You can also find cantonese pork buns and "cheong fun" on the cheap at this amazing place. Friendly lady boss, but speak slowly if you speak only English. Apparently they communicate better with Cantonese and Mandarin. I think this is a good place for quick take out and budget lunch. read more

Ditto on the durian and taro cakes made to order. Perfectly moist and generous with the filling , the pandan green frosting is great. Other items like the steamed buns and chinese tamales are great. read more

The big bun is really good and it is inexpensive. Although it is a small place, many senior citizens are seating in the bakery shop in the afternoon. I strongly recommend you try it! read more

The food is pretty good. I had a barbecue beef banh mi, a black bean roll, a pineapple cake, and a pork bun for $6.75. The price is impossible to beat so I really have no business complaining. For the price it is phenomenal. However, I kind of want to buy their business and renovate it. People would pay slightly more for slightly better food. The is good, not GREAT, but they seem to have everything you need to make things great. The sandwich had too much bread compared to other ingredients, the pineapple cake had too much dough and just a sliver of honey pineapple glaze (I threw out most of the cake after eating the top). The black bean roll was actually pretty perfect, a little greasy, better if warm. I saved the pork bun for later. Long story short though, the price is the driving point. I will probably come back for another banh mi some day, but I would probably be coming back to try another assortment of their items that are not banh mi. It is primarily a bakery, after all. read more