Chinatown Pork Bun Run

One of the greatest things about living in Manhattan is the variety of cuisines at your fingertips. One moment you could be eating your way through a big bowl of bibimbap in Koreatown, the next saganaki in Astoria or twirling noodles on Arthur Avenue.  When the craving for a pork bun calls, your best bet is to head south of Canal to Chinatown. We recently found ourselves longing for pork buns, and fortunately for us, there are plenty of spots that serve excellent char siu bao.

Our first stop was at 456 Shanghai for what the restaurant dubs “tiny buns.”  Ironically, they’re not tiny at all.  They’re the size of a fist and come eight to an order, each sprinkled with sesame seeds and chopped scallions.  What sets them apart is that they’re steamed, then griddled, which achieves a perfectly caramelized bottom.  Inside, you’ll discover moist meat and delicious juices.  Just a few blocks down, on Pell Street, is one of the oldest dim sum parlors in Manhattan. Nom Wah Tea Parlor was just recently renovated—the checkered tablecloths remain but the grime is gone—and its pork buns are better then ever. The dim sum here is made to order, which guarantees that your buns arrive to the table uber-fresh. Since a meal can’t just comprise of pork buns (or can it?), we recommend the rice rolls stuffed with shrimp as well as the turnip cakes and sui mai.

It’s not a pork bun crawl without bringing a few home to nosh on later. Our favorite grab-and-go pork buns are from what looks like a hole-in-the-wall on Bayard Street called Mei Li Wah.  Their pork buns are exceedingly fluffy and fresh.  They’re particularly prized for their sticky top and filling of of barbecued pork, none of that shredded to oblivion filling that sticks to your teeth. At 80 cents per bun, they are also one of the best deals in the city to date.

456 Shanghai Cuisine
Address: 69 Mott St. btwn. Canal and Bayard Sts.
Phone:( 212)964-0003

Nom Wah Tea Parlor
Address: 13 Doyers St., near Bowery
Phone: (212)962-6047
Website: www.nomwah.com

Mei Li Wah Bakery
Address: 64 Bayard St., btwn. Elizabeth and Mott Sts.
Phone: (212)966-7866

RG Writer: Lauren Bloomberg