Jum Mum

Delicious!!! Friendly staff, fast service. Cash only! Must try! Loved sesame tofu and mushroom, chicken was good but pork belly what they are known wasn’t my thing.

Jum Mum is a great place to pick up some pork buns and delicious crispy, fried dumplings! Prepare to face a crowd on evenings, this place attracts the NYU scene.
The pork buns are good, and you can grab 3 for $ 7. I’d say the pork spare rib and the pork belly buns are the best. The pork spare rib is definitely my favorite because it’s served slathered in a tangy and sweet BBQ sauce, yum.
But those dumplings! Fried up fresh, piping hot, served with sweet chili soy sauce, just douse on your sriracha and you’re good to go! I enjoy these more than the pork buns!
Jum Mum also sells other goodies like candies, thai iced tea, kimchi fries and more. There’s seating for about 10 – 12 people, but be prepared to take your food on the run.

3.5
A really good bun for $ 3! 3 for 7 is a steal and a decent meal. We tried the braised pork bun and it was pretty damn good. We’ll be back for sure.

quaint, friendly, and super affordable! i had the kimchi french fries… wow! if i had some tsing tao or asahi to finish off the meal = my foodie perfection. it’s the perfect beer & pizza nasty fatty yummy cheap late night comfort food.
the staff is perky and knowledgable. the food is fast and low-​cost with high flavor and fresh ingredients.
but the downsides? cash ONLY. and very small seating.
overall… come for the food and the atmosphere. a great fun way to share nyc with adventuresome friends.

These were great pork buns! We went in here on a whim and were very pleased.
The restaurant is very tiny and reasonably clean. The staff is friendly and the pork buns were super yum! Sweet goodness with pickles and slaw. The prices were extremely reasonable.
Can’t wait to come back and try the korean beef and fried chicken!

The current record is something like 6 emperor buns in 86 seconds. It’s a feat that’s reasonably attainable yet economically manageable. Alas, the attempt would also ruin my appetite for all the varied assortment of East Village munchies.
Jum Mum offers the one Asian cuisine fad that you currently crave — Pork Belly Buns.
So what makes Jum Mum even better? Buns with duck. Buns with braised pork ribs. Buns with panko fried chicken (PFC?). The buns are relatively small but at 3 for $ 7, it’s no different than ordering tapas. It’s filling enough when ordering multiples and just enough individually whether as a pre-​dinner appetizer or as a last call hangover cure. Admittedly, the composition of the buns are far from being stellar. The flavors can be off-​balanced (sometimes they but too much sauce, sometimes not enough) and the protein sometimes dry. Nonetheless, the inconsistency does not overshadow the fact that Jum Mum is a great place to grab a quick snack. Sure beats the value menu at any fast food chain.
3 Stars — [Original Visit: May 2014]

Jum Mum is not my favorite place to eat in St Marks (tough competition on that street though, to be fair). however, every now and then, i do find myself in the mood for some cheap buns or kimchi fries.
the buns themselves are a little bland in my opinion– the chicken run bun being the most flavorful and favorite for me. slightly spicy and paired with sauce, it’s somewhat reminiscent of baohaus’s birdman bao.
i’ve also sampled their pork belly over rice and found it to be a little underwhelming as well. the kimchi fries are probably my favorite item on the menu. not too spicy, but with a nice kick in it.
Jum Mum is a great place to visit for food on the go. there is very little seating, and it’s pretty cramped and warm inside. so it’s best to grab a quick bite, maybe bring it along with you while you stroll down st marks (:

Jum Mum seems like a good place to grab a quick bite to eat. (keyword being quick!) The place is SMALL. Seats about 5. I’m not sure how busy it is on a regular basis but they did have quite a few customers filtering in and out on a Sunday afternoon around 1. And as you can guess, the seats were filled so it’s really just a matter of luck if you want to sit your buns down.
Speaking of buns…(corny transition, yes I know but IDGAF!) the buns are 3 for $ 7, or $ 2.95 each ($ 1 extra for the duck one).
I tried the Chicken Run bun, which is panko crusted fried chicken, lettuce, tomato & spicy mayonnaise. It was just okay. Since the chicken was thin, it was a tad dry. On top of that, it had WAY too much spicy mayo so that was all that I tasted.
Next time, I think I’ll skip the buns but I deffo want to come back to try the kimchi fries! Wouldn’t mind trying their noodle or rice dishes either.
TIp — If you check in on Unilocal,with a $ 7 purchase, you get a free pork belly bun!

2.5 stars, but rounding up to 3 because it was dirt cheap.
Mediocre buns, but when you’re drunk and need something to eat, it’ll do. We ordered two pork buns and tofu bun. We redeemed the Unilocal check-​in deal for a free bun, but the workers here must’ve been buzzed from all the residual pot smoke wafting down St.Marks. She kept trying to tell us to get the three bun special because it was cheaper. I ain’t no Einstein, but I could figure out that $ 2.95 + $ 2.95 + $ 0.00 for the free bun was cheaper than the $ 6.50 special for the three buns.
The pork in the bun was kinda dry and the tofu bun had a weird sweet sauce. Sure it wasn’t the best pork bun I’ve had, but it’s definitely the cheapest. I would probably come back if I was inebriated and broke, but otherwise a pass.

I ordered the Street-​Style Rice, with a Chicken Run Buns, and Kimchi Fries for $ 10 and my friend ordered Pork Belly Over Rice and a Emperor Bun for $ 8. I enjoyed my rice dish, my bun, and the fries. The kimchi fries were really good. The buns might be a little smaller than expectation but honestly with the rice, bun, and side combo I was really full, I wasn’t even able to finish my rice dish. I didn’t try my friend’s combo but it look good too. I can’t wait to come back to try all the other buns and dishes they have to offer!

Eh. When you throw in the price, I’m not at a big fat N-​O.
Cool concept, great choices, but just eh. For $ 7 for 3 tiny buns, my stomach and my wallet are not satisfied. The buns are small, the piece of meat, even smaller.
Not sure if it’s even worth giving it a try, but there’s nothing about these buns that make me want to come back for more.

Maybe I was really hungry, but it was so good when I had it! It’s a tiny place in St. Mark’s, with no more than a handful of seats, that serves buns! This place was pretty awesome, until I found out they take only cash. But that’s okay, I’ll drop by the bank just for this!
Order their Pork belly and Fried Chicken buns! These two are the best. The duck is pretty descent as well. Salivating as we speak. Cheap eats are always one of my favs!
Solid 3.5! They need to implement some sort of technique to accept credit cards. Rarely do people carry around enough cash these days! seriously.

I’m coming back and I’m skipping the rice and noodle dishes. I opted for the spicy noodle dish and decided to grab a bottle of sriracha, after one bite, I quickly put the bottle back and thanked the heavens that I had a delicious pork bun come with my meal to subdue the spiciness swarming in my mouth.
I can’t wait to go back and try every flavor of Pork Buns. The staff was great and so friendly. I loved watching everyone come in and out and leave with smiling faces.

Stumbled upon here yesterday with my sister. I was drawn in by the little TV screen they had displaying Tom Yum soup. I’ve been craving some.
When we entered, the girl behind the counter was very friendly and asked if it was our first time. To which we nodded yes.
We ordered everything she recommended. She was very convincing «For another $ 2 you can add a dish… you can get a bun, just add $ 1»
Street style noodle — pretty good. I like the dried shrimp
Emperor bun & Roasted duck bun — the bun was rather thick but not bad.
Dumplings (steamed) –very bland and soggy. However; the sauce was tasty
Tom Yum noodle soup — she didn’t recommend this but I guess it isn’t the most popular item for a reason… Of course I’m expecting Tom Yum from Lotus of Siam (In Las Vegas) but it doesn’t even taste like bad tom yum. I had no right ordering tom yum in a bun & noodle place. Serves me right.
This is a good place to grab a quick inexpensive bite if you’re in the area. But bring cash. CASH ONLY!

One of the many hole-​in-​the-​wall types that line the streets on St. Mark’s. Their sign said they specialized in buns which interested me so I decided to go in.
The location is very small, can’t be larger than 10×15 ft seating area. There are only 3 tables and a counter, lucky for me it wasn’t crowded when I came in. I ordered the kalbi over rice and their «Red Devil Bun» which was stuffed with lettuce, kimchi, and kalbi.
The Good:
The order came out lightning fast, I was barely done sitting down after placing my order at the counter! The portions were large and the price was very reasonable, an entrée and a bun for less than $ 8.00.
The Bad:
I found the kalbi to be pretty lack luster. Maybe I’ve just been spoiled by the korean bbq in korean areas, but this kalbi was tough, chewy, and not very juicy or flavorful. They used the same kalbi in the bun so similar deal there. The kimchi was merely average. CASH ONLY — this is almost always an auto –1 star for me. Its 2014. Get with the program. The food needs to be truly exceptional if I am to ignore this., which in this case it wasn’t.

Cheap fare and generous portions, but unfortunately taste is not great. Three buns for $ 7, a bun and dish for $ 8. I had the emperor bun and street style noodles. Bun was decent and straightforward — pork belly with sauce. Noodles were pretty greasy and the tofu and pork made a decent flavor but made me feel a little dirty for eating them with all the oil.
I’d come back if I were low on funds and in the area. Cash only.
3.5 stars

While 3 stars is probably more accurate, I tossed an extra star in because the food is pretty decently priced and they execute the buns well.
I recently got the three bun special which was about $ 6.50 and got the Tofu Bun, The Beef Bun, and the Fried Chicken Bun. I ate them in that order. The Tofu Bun was really decent. It was flavorful and well executed. The beef bun with kimchi was ok. It did not blow my mind in any way. The fried chicken bun was tasty. Ironically, it was the Sesame Tofu bun that provided the most surprise. I dropped my soda after the cashier gave it to me and it started spraying. She gave me another one. She was very helpful.

Buns buns buns. Stop here for a quick snack in St. Marks! The Emperor and Chicken Run buns are filled with flavor and enough to annihilate hunger for 2 hours. Before you order, be sure to check out the combo menu to save!
I would stay away from the rice items. I ordered pork belly over rice and there was literately 2 pieces of pork and a whole lot of rice. Plus the item delayed our order by 10 minutes.
*Note 10% off for checking in!

The concept excites me.
The menu excites me.
The beautiful pictures of pork fat arouses me.
The execution… disappoints me.
I’ve been here a few times, exploring the menu, refusing to give up, hoping that I’d find something to love, but each and every time, I’ve felt disappointed. The food isn’t horrible, it’s just far from good.
* All buns are excessively sweet and lacking in all other umphs. Maybe the other flavors are there, but it’s hard to taste anything pass the sweetness.
* Noodles were also sweet and lacking in all other seasonings.
* Dumplings were bland beyond words.
Asian cuisine is so flavorful. I would hope Asian Fusion places capture the best of each culture and merge the cuisines to create even more complex flavors, while maintaining the distinct essences of the classic dishes. It didn’t happen here. Plus, nothing complemented each other and everything was drowned out by sweetness or the excessive use of sauce toppings.
I don’t care for the food, but I love that this is a spot that serves Asian street food. That’s what’s saving it from my One Star Wonders list. Well, that and the pork belly.

I like this place! Its a small place in les… So we stopped by sat afternoon when it wasn’t crowded.
To preface, the food wasn’t spectacular but it was good enough and it was cheap! The good was the flavors of the buns jelled well together and had good contrast in texture. My favorite was the chicken run or the emperor.
The bad thing about the baos were the buns were sometimes a little soft/​soggy… definitely not as good as buns from like, ippudo but not bad overall
I also got a kbbq over rice. This tasted like something I could make on my own but that’s not necessarily a bad thing haha.
Simple, and decent tasting. 4 buns and a rice dish and a drink for 16… That made a party of two full! Overall its cheap and tasty, I see no reason why I wouldn’t come back :)