Manna One

Two years ago, I had some ham and egg buns from Manna One and it hit the spot. However, since it’s so out of the way and I was too lazy to travel there, I hadn’t been back since. Nevertheless, I kept craving the buns. A few days ago, I finally went back. It was the Friday before Super Bowl Sunday. I wanted to have some buns while I watched the game. Since I didn’t want to travel all the way from Queens to Manhattan just to buy the buns, I stopped by there after work on Friday. I planned to put them in the refrigerator and heat them up before the game.
When I got there, the lady said that they ran out of ham and egg buns but that they would bake some and have them ready for the next day. I returned the next day, the Saturday before Super Bowl Sunday. I bought three ham and egg buns. The total price was $ 2.25. In the back of my mind, I knew it was too good to be true. The next day, Super Bowl Sunday, I opened the three packages. Each of them contained a bun with no ham and egg in it. Needless to say, I was pissed off. Rather than to waste food, I ate it. It tasted like a sweet and stale pretzel.
There were two people who worked there. One of them was an elderly man who spoke little English. The other was an attractive Asian woman WHO SPOKE CLEAR ENGLISH. Before I purchased the buns, I asked for a ham and egg and I specifically pointed to the label that said «Ham and Egg.» I think they intentionally gave me the wrong buns so they could get rid of their inventory. This isn’t the first time that I was conned in Chinatown.

I don’t know much about Chinese cooking, but I’ve eaten a lot of pastries in my life. The pineapple bun I had a Manna One is one of the most delicious. The coffee was great, too. I can’t wait to try the rest of their stuff!

Grabbed the unmemorable but tasty enough ²⁄₁ cream buns here. Clearly I chose wrong.

This place is right around the corner from my house. I use it as a quick breakfast stop if I’m in a rush. I love their egg custard buns and roast pork buns. I come in all the time and always know exactly what I’ll get. Today I came in a bought a whole box of goodies to bring back to my apartment. My family was visiting and I thought it would be a great breakfast before we hit the town.

My boyfriend and I usually go to Mei Li Wah for our morning buns/​pastries and milk teas, but he wanted me to try out Manna One for a change.
Never having set foot in either of the two bakeries, I can’t attest to how dirty or clean the premises are, but my review will be solely based on how good or bad I thought their pastries were.
It’s your quintessential Chinatown bakery with dirty awning and street garbage, but prices are unbeatable. My boyfriend brought back two milk teas, 2 egg tarts, a ham & egg bun, a chicken tail roll, and a hot dog bun for a little over $ 6.
Milk teas are just about the same in all the bakeries. (These aren’t the same as the sugared, powdery ones that you find at bubble tea parlors. They are small 8 ounce drinks, with a black tea bag, hot water, and some whole milk. I tried to get a green tea version but they only had black tea bags… oh well.)
Their egg tarts are a bit fluffier– both the crust and egg gelatin parts! The egg portion of the tart is a bit sweeter than the ones I’ve had at other Chinatown bakeries but I like it just as much.
Their ham and egg bun has way too much egg and not enough ham. The bun is the same as the chaw siu bao bun, and inside is a fried artificial egg batter with a slice of ham. You can hardly taste the ham, which was disappointing. I think a bit of sriracha sauce would have done the trick, to add to the blandness of the pastry, but I was on the road, far far away from my bottle of sriracha sauce :(
The hot dog bun was just a bun wrapped around a hot dog. Not my cup of tea, but my boyfriend loves that sh*! so I let him have it.
Their chicken tail roll (gga-​ee mei-​ee bao) was THE BEST ONE I’VE HAD. I didn’t like the chicken tail roll at Mei Li Wah because the stuffing reminded too much of an Almond Joy, with the stringy coconut. And it was way too sweet. But the ones at Manna One were perfect. The stuffing is not the stringy coconut grinds, it actually is a nice mashed potato-​like substance. And it’s not sweet either, so it’s enjoyable. I would go back for it again!
Until my next Chinatown stop, everyone!

This place is a gem! I don’t review on Unilocal but places like this make NYC livable. Tasty food and cheap. I stop in here every time I bike into work for a warm ham and egg on a soft roll. The only problem will be your day peaked in the morning.

I have been coming to this bakery ever since I was a little girl and this place hasnt failed me yet! I used to live a few blocks from here and now I live in Queens. However, whenever I’m in the area, I’ll buy a Hong Kong style milk tea, roast pork buns, and egg tarts. I’m not a fan of powdered drinks so I’m happy they have fresh fruit smoothies. Everything is around 90 cents — $ 3. The foods are guarantteed baked fresh every day. They sell all the buns for 2 for $ 1 at 6:30pm to get rid of the day’s inventory. Many of the women there have been working there for years and will remember your face if you’re a regular.

For my making French Toast endeavors, I scoured every bakery in Chinatown for the perfect loaf of bread. What I wanted were slices a tad thicker than the regular Texas toast size. I found nothing thick enough any where.
Just before giving up, I walked into Manna One. The lady there managed to procure for me a pre-​cut loaf. Keep in mind that most places in Chinatown wouldn’t even understand what you’re asking for. I was lucky this lady’s English was good and she suggested that if I wanted more, I could call in and tell her to keep a loaf uncut. Lucky find!

3 items I always get here which I consider to be the best; plain PINEAPPLE BUN, egg tart, and the little cakes stored in the plastic containers. I tried many places pineapple bun (tai pan, manna bakery, other bakeries on bowery) but this place is my number one favorite.
The egg tart is a must too. The best egg tart is in queens at the new world mall near the supermarket but when I don’t have time to go to Queens, this place would be my first choice.

I give four stars to this Chinese Bakery because:
–Well-​lit, Pretty Clean, Fast Service, and Well-​maintained
–Cheap but filling pastries and baked goods
–Ladies here are patient, nice, and speak good amount of English!
–Variety of Teas, Coffees, Horlick, Ovaltine (All Hot/​Iced Available)
as well as Fruit «Ices» were pretty good. Lots of different flavors to choose
from Grass Jelly, Taro, Mango, Green Tea, etc
–It’s not super-​crowded although they do have lots of customers
coming in and out.
–They have an electric outlet on the wall just in case you want to charge your iPhone or laptop or whatever
–Seating Area is limited, about 5 – 6 High Chairs/​Bar Stools looking facing the
mirror on their wall (See Picture to see what I mean)
All in all, pleasant atmosphere, lots of Chinese customers, a few non-​Chinese customers, and a great option to get coffee/​tea after having a meal in one of the restaurants nearby!

Asian buns are by far the yummiest. Soft, sweet, fluffy and oh so delicious… and Manna One has got it down pat. So cheap and so yummy. I wish that I lived closer to Chinatown!

I love these ladies!!! They are one of my favorite parts of making it to work in the mornings. Not only are they super speedy, but they remember my drink (which varies upon season), and they are always extremely friendly and sweet to me — and this bakery is very clean.
Another huge plus is that the coffee is GOOD. I just get a small — for 90 cents! — and it is a real kick-​starter! haha. I’ve also had my coffee on ice (which I would recommend as well cause they have those mini ice cubes), ginger and honey tea (YUM), and ginseng honey tea (which helped me get better when I was ill). All top quality — and under $ 3.
I don’t eat many sweet pastries or ham products, so I wouldn’t know about those, but the savory meat pies are scrumptious. The chicken ones are like chicken ‘n dumplings (sans dumplings), but for a Southern girl, they really take me back home… plus, the crust itself is not too buttery, just right… flaky and delicious.
They also have a (pot-​roast-​type) beef and a curry beef pastry. (You have to ask for the meat pies — they aren’t in the very front, but in the middle display case.) These are good too, but I am hooked on the chicken ones. It’s like Heaven. I mean, where else am I gonna get a savory meat pie in Chinatown?! And only $ 1.25 :]

I was told that the roasted pork bao (bun) are pretty good here.
So I tried it it three times just to make sure!
Each time I found large quantities of onions inside the filling and some were only partially cook. If you don’t mind you onions partially crunchy raw then you’ll like their roasted port bao. Rated ³⁄₅.
Die Bao– I also tried their di bao (combination bun)., the filling is all chopped up and the individ meats are indisquishable from each other. Rated ²⁄₅
The ham & egg bao is good. Rated ⁴⁄₅.
The hot dog bao is good. Rated ⁴⁄₅.

So as long I stay away from the baked roast pork bun then things are fine. I like to drop by here in the mornings to get a few buns before work for breakfast & lunch. I stick with the ham & egg or hot dog bun which are 90 cents each. The buns are a bit dry & overdone. It should be more moist like any other bakeries in Chinatown. Only reason why I go here is because it’s on the way to work in the mornings. It’s convenient.

I like it here… why?
The workers here are actually nice! Yes they rush, they are busy chinese people. But still, very much nicer than the other frazzled bakeries.
It is a small but much cleaner bakery… also a plus (a big one)
The $ is typical C-Town…you won’t break the bank if you walk out the door with several baked goods as I usually do. I come here not for my typical cravings for sweet buns (but I am sure they are good)… I come here for the more savory breakfast morning items. Croissants with ham, egg, cheese, or buns with ham and egg inside. They have a wide variety of these savory buns (kind of like the things you would find at Taipan but can’t really find on East Broadway area). The bread is fresh.
Also to note, got a coffee from here. Usually they put a heaping of sugar and half of it is cream. For some reason, mine didn’t have sugar. Not that i care… but some of you might.

I like their Hong Kong style milk tea here. It is not the cheapest but it is good.
The bakery is very clean-​looking compared to some other bakeries in Chinatown.
They have a good variety of pastries, buns and cakes here at low prices.
I enjoy coming here to taste buns and have their milk tea ;)

I don’t come here often since I’m not generally a huge fan of baos and other Chinese baked goods, but Manna does do them pretty well.
Ordered a cake for my grandpa’s birthday, and when I came to pick it up a couple hours later, the cake was almost ready, except for one small problem. I had requested that the cake be decorated with two «Sau» peaches, which symbolize longevity. (Based on a god from Chinese mythology who is often seen carrying a peach. Or something like that. I’m not so good on my Chinese trivia and knowledge.)
Not sure what those peach decorations are made of, but whatever the case, apparently somebody screwed them up and they did not come out well. They never showed it to me, but before I could say anything, one of the nice ladies had the cake boxed and in a bag, and asked if I could go with her to their other location on Bowery where the head chef was, so that he could fix/​redo it. I said sure, and we briskly walked the few blocks over to the other location, where she quickly dashed into the kitchen with the cake while I waited in the café seating area.
It took about 20 minutes, but the cake looked fine when she finally showed it to me. I was really impressed with this woman’s dedication to great customer service, and furthermore, the Chinese are a superstitious bunch and she took the symbolism of those peaches seriously. It would be a bad omen to have crappy peaches that were supposed to symbolize longevity for a nice elderly man’s birthday. So I really appreciated that. And sorry to hate on my people, but the Chinese tend not to be such a great bunch at customer service either, so this was seriously above and beyond anything I ever would have expected.
However, I do have to mention that the cake was merely ok; I’ve definitely had better from Manna and other Chinese bakeries. Also didn’t like that they for some odd reason had gratuitously slathered these big chalky-​tasting sprinkles all around the sides of the cake. That’s generally not something I’ve seem on Chinese bakery cakes. Would’ve preferred the usual sliced fruit on the sides instead.
Even so, mad props to the staff of Manna One for owning up to their mistake, and going above and beyond to correct it.
(Oh, and I had already prepaid for the cake, which they had already given me 20% off for – without my asking too, weirdly enough – but had I not prepaid, I’m guessing they would’ve given me a discount for the trouble as well.)

Manna One is a hole in the wall… and it’s BY FAR my favorite Chinese bakery.
Pineapple buns (baw-​law bao), roast pork buns (cha-​siew bao), ham & egg buns (faw-​chuy don bao), and egg custards (don tots) are all classics that I grew up on, and this place is top notch for these baked goods. The buns are sweet and moist, airy yet chewy, and somehow still manage to melt in your mouth.
My all-​time favorite is their waffle topped with peanut butter & sweetened condensed milk. Pair that with a «ying yang» (½ milk tea & ½ coffee) and you’ll have my favorite weekend breakfast. Yum… tastes like Saturday morning.
Whatever bun, bread, or pastry you decide on… it’s guaranteed to be fresh and tasty. The narrow bakery is usually packed with locals and visitors who are in-​the-​know. Don’t be shy to shout your order! Or, if you don’t know Chinese… don’t be shy to point at what you want!

Manna really is one of my favorite bakeries in Chinatown. More like a chain, with all the weird words added to them in the other ones. «Manna House» «Manna One» «Manna Two»…hey, maybe the next one will be «Mamma Manna». Who is this Manna?
Well, I guess the only thing I have to say is that their hot dog buns and plain buns are a must!
Did I mention that I almost got killed the other day because a pair of fluorescent lights almost fell on me when I was only a foot away from walking into the bakery? Yes, I had little glass pieces on me. Maybe I do have bad luck at this place, and I’m getting very superstitious. They really need to find better construction workers since they *are* a chain.

The popularity of Chinatown bakeries are evidenced by crowds of locals and visitors constantly jockeying for space at glass counters shouting out their orders to the young ladies behind the counter. With a wide variety of steamed and baked selections ranging between $ 1 to $ 2, it is a deal you can’t beat. (Fans of the 5 dumplings for $ 1 deals would beg to differ.) One cannot argue the popularity of Tai Pan and Fey Da bakeries located on the most crowded streets in Chinatown (on Canal and Mott.) However, popularity often has no correlation to quality.
Having tried close to every bakery in Chinatown, Manna excels in the most basic choices such as tea-​with-​milk, cocktail buns, salted plain bun, roast pork bun, and bun with bean paste as compared to its competition in terms of freshness and taste. Did I mention that they are also cheaper?
Memorable:
Milk tea — is actually served with two tea bags instead of one as well as less half-​n-​half than most Chinese bakeries to provide a less creamy but more importantly a stronger tea taste.
Roast pork bun (baked) — is coated with light, buttery glaze that adds a bit of sweetness to the bun before biting into the roast pork filling. The interior is filled with minced roast pork and onions. However, I will caution that on some days these buns are not filled with as much roast pork as one would hope. But I’ll take that risk any day.
Cocktail, Bean-​Paste, and Salted Plain buns — are both coated with a light, buttery glaze that adds a sweet taste, which is not done at other bakeries. In addition, these buns are also slightly larger in size and softer compared those at Fey Da and Tai Pan, which tend to be drier and hard-​crusted. That does not give the impression of fresh-​baked goodness.
Forgettable (Story):
I caution those with the desire to drive to the bakery for a quick run-​in. Traffic vultures, I mean police, are often on the standby waiting to hand out parking tickets. Even if someone is sitting in the car, do not stop on Catherine anywhere between Madison and Henry. Otherwise, your two roast-​pork buns and one milk tea suddenly will cost you $ 78 like it did my cousin.