I have strolled through Pike Place Market more times than I can count. I have watched the flying fish, smelled the fresh flowers, tasted the juicy fruit, sucked on the sweet honey sticks and bought plenty of souvenirs. And I love it all. But if I only had enough time to stop and buy one thing while visiting Pike Place Market, it would be a hom bow at Mee Sum Pastry.
Mee Sum Pastry is a must try at Pike Place Market. I don’t actually remember the first time I ever visited the stand. It had to have been when I was a little kid. I take all my friends to this place, whether they are in town visiting or are native Seattlites and have never tried a hom bow!
I characterize Mee Sum Pastry more as a food stand, rather than a restaurant or store. The stand is permanent and customers walk up to the counter and order. You can easily see the employees make all the food from scratch. For good reason, there is always a line. I don’t ever mind the wait, and it never feels too long.
Now, let’s talk about the hom bows. What exactly is a hom bow? At its core, a hom bow is BBQ pork mixed with some spices and onions, wrapped in a sweet bread roll. Even though it is simple, this thing is oh-so-delicious! The pork is cooked just right. The BBQ is sweet and savory. The bread roll is soft and fluffy. Hom bows are either steamed or baked. Mee Sum Pastry offers both options. I enjoy both but always end up going with the baked version. One hom bow is the perfect snack. If you are looking for a meal, then just buy two.
I’ve tried hombows at different places but nothing compares to Mee Sum Pastry’s hom bows at Pike Place. Every time I bite into one of their hom bows I instantly get a feeling of being at home. My parents always took my brothers and I to Mee Sum Pastry anytime we visited the market. I also remember my uncles taking my cousins and I to get hom bows here as children and teenagers. I love Mee Sum Pastry because it reminds me of my family and childhood, but I’m also love it because the food is so good.
Have you ever visited Mee Sum Pastry at Pike Place Market and enjoyed a hom bow? Does Mee Sum Pastry serve the best hom bows in Seattle or is there a better spot? We’d love to hear from you! Please leave your comments below or connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Don’t forget to also check out Seattle Bloggers for more great places to eat and drink in the Emerald City!
These are the best! I’m craving them now so I searched Google just to get an image 🙂
Ha! We totally understand, Matt.
Yum, I live in Spokane but went to the University of Washington in the early 90s and whenever I come visit Seattle I always prioritize a stop at Mee Sum.
In Vancouver, BC, the bbq pork bun is simply called “char siu bau” (叉燒包). I’d never heard of “char siu hom bau” until I started reading descriptions from Seattle. Given the context, I realized someone wanted to make the distinction between savory buns (hom bau, 鹹包) and sweet buns (teem bau, 甜包). Fascinating!
I also found that Cake House in the CID provided a good supply of buns.
I was in Pike Place Market almost 2 years ago. As soon as I got home (New Orleans ) I started looking around here for them. But, I’d really love to go back to Mee Sum…
I LOVE the bbq pork buns. For a couple of years I worked in downtown Seattle. I would walk with a co-worker to Pikes Market and buy some bags for lunch, also some to take home.my mouth is watering as I write this. Does anyone know if they ship them? I sure would like to get some. Thank you