Mon Hei Chinese Bakery

Good hole in the wall bakery; 1^st Chinese bakery to open in Seattle
Flavors are good, but the texture of the breads are a little bit chewier then the traditional Hong Kong style buns. Overall, still the best Chinese bakery in the Puget sound. Sad to see it gone

I lived a block away from here and would come here all the time. The cocktail buns are the tastiest pastries I’ve ever had and everything else is great, too. After I moved away and heard about the fire it broke my heart. Life really is unfair. I hope they can pick themselves up and start over again. Seattle needs a place like Mon Hei. Thanks for the amazing food during my year in Seattle.

Too bad this place had to close down because of the fire, I miss their cocktail buns the most. Best buns/​pastry in the state for sure! Please come back!

too bad about the fire. hopefully they make a come back
their pineapple buns were awesome.

I hope you find new life elsewhere. In the mean time, I will miss your chicken tail buns.
Good luck, I wish you the best.

Mon Hei is the place to go for Chinese baked goods in the ID, in my opinion. My favorites are the cocktail bun, the egg tart, and the wife cake. But all their stuff is delicious and tastes like Chinese pastries ought to taste (I’ve tried the pineapple bun, custard bun, and moon cakes).
It’s not a great place to sit down and eat at, and they are cash only, like most places in the ID. But their food is good, and is definitely a great deal for the price.

Stopped in for some treats and grabbed their pineapple bun, wife cake, and butterfly crisp (don’t grab the wife cake’s buns by accident). All three were excellent but their wife cake is my pick of the litter. Will definitely be back for more.

Mon Hei Wife’s Cakes are soooo flakey and perfectly done with just enough sweetness without being overpowering or too oily. Everything tasted super fresh :)
ON ANOTHER NOTE,
I left my purse with my wallet, keys, $ 60 in cash, and office badge behind after gobbling down my pastries and the owners went out of their way to find my work e-​mail address to let me know that my purse was safe and that I could pick it up the next morning when they opened. I could not have been more grateful that they saved me from the headache and heartache (sentimental value from items in my purse) of losing my purse. I think that this thoughtfulness says a lot about the owners and the type of establishment they run.
Definitely a huge fan of Mon Hei!

I have only been to a handful of Chinatowns in the country but so far I like Seattle’s the best. It was not dirty, in disrepair, dangerous, not too touristy and can be counted ad an actual community and neighborhood!
Because of this I spotted several authentic Chinese bakeries. That got me to wanting a Moon Cake. I never had one before and wanted to try one. I could not remember if they were offered all year around or just on a seasonal basis and I did not know if I had the time of year right for the Moon Festival where these cakes are consumed. But it was the right time of year but not every bakery in the International District offered Moon Cakes but Mon Hei did.
I got a medium sized Moon Cake with Red Bean to share with Steve. In the middle of the cake was an orange yolk of an egg to symbolize the moon. It tasted great with the cake! At Mon Hei you can get Moon Cakes with two eggs or no egg. They have many different kinds of Moon Cakes with different filling and fancy miniature ones as well.
Mon Hei offered other pastries as well. They had a very fine looking garlic roll but we had to pass since we already ate a lot earlier. Just another reason to go back!
Mon Hei only accepts cash so be aware of that before you make your purchase.

This is one of the better Chinese bakeries in Seattle. Their pineapple buns are perfect. The bread part tastes amazing, and they get the topping just right. Their egg custards are a little floppy and doesn’t have a good balance of custard and crust (not enough crust). I wish they had a wider variety of Chinese baked goods here.

I have been eating coconut buns (cocktail buns) all over North America for the past three years, and yesterday at Mon Hei I had the best. I’ve never seen them disappear so fast.
Their Chinese donut was good too, but I could have happily stopped at the cocktail buns.

Nom nom nom
Came here on Saturday for a coconut crème bun and liked it so much that I came back on Sunday. It’s not the best bun I’ve had, but for $ 1 it definitely satisfies my sweet tooth. The bun has a chewier consistency then I’m used to. Next time I want to try the egg tart.

Hands down one of my favorite bakeries in Washington! This place is oldschool, I have been going here since I was 5 years old. Its a tiny place with very friendly staff. They have the best cocktail buns I’ve ever had in my life! Fluffy, chewy and full of that delicious coconut flavor. All the pastries here are amazing and cheap as well. I always go for the custard buns, cocktail buns and egg tarts… My top picks. I actually get cravings for the treats here. They also have a lot of savory options such as the BBQ pork buns or the chicken pie. There is so much to choose from it gets quite dangerous. This is MUST when your in Seattle.

Cheap, delicious baked goods? Yes please!
I’m super cheap when it comes to baked goods, which mostly means me passing by bakery windows, drooling, and walking away cuz I refuse to pay over $ 2 for a piece of sweet anything. I grew up with my grandpa bringing home oily pink boxes filled with egg custard tarts and BBQ pork buns, and know what good quality baked goods taste like.
Mon hei hits the mark! Cocktail coconut buns are soft, fresh, with perfectly flaky coconut crusty innards. A dollar each. Pineapple buns are beautifully baked with sweet crusty flaky top and soft, sweet insides. A dollar each, too. In fact, almost everything is a buck each at mon hei.
If you enjoy pineapple buns, try the pineapple custard bun. Ten cents more and there’s a nice thin layer of creamy custard inside. Sooooo delish.
Glad I found a cheap delicious spot to fulfill my nostalgic dessert needs.

Really wasn’t impressed by the pastries here. The best Seattle has to offer? Too bad.
I had a pineapple bun, and something that was dyed a shocking, fake pink. I found them somewhat bland, and the texture of the bread wasn’t as good as I’m used to.
Granted, I’m from LA. To really satisfy your Chinese bakery fix, head over to Kiki Bakery in Redmond!

I am IN LOVE with this little bakery; this bakery that sits on the side of nondescript street, just sitting here waiting for you to visit. I love the owner, a good family friend, Annie, who is always smiling and friendly to any and all who visit her beloved bakery. And I love the delightful pastries that are produced from this tiny, unassuming little bakery.
When I can make it out to the ID, I ALWAYS stop here (& Kau Kau) to get my Chinese pastry fix. The prices are good, the service is top notch, and ALL of the pastries are absolutely the best you’ll find in the area. I am partial to the coconut buns (my absolute favorite pastry in the whole world of pastries), and Annie makes them to perfection here. When you go, because you HAVE to go :), make sure you get a few extras so you can heat them up later during the week. They taste amazing fresh, but still so yummy the next day. I believe they only take cash, so just be prepared for that. Other than that, enjoy!

Average at best.
I guess I’ve been spoiled by Chinese bakeries in Chinatown SF, NY & LA, but i felt that the pastries here were just all right.
Ordered the cocktail bun, chinese donut, egg tarts, pineapple bun & the white sugar dessert thing you find at dimsum.
I’ve got to say the cocktail bun & pineapple bun were the best of the bunch. Maybe to Washington standards, this place is bomb, but to the well traveled, it is just okay.

Why didn’t I come here sooner!!!
This bakery has been on my list to try for months. I finally had some free time so I stopped in around 12 last week.
Parking in the ID Sucks, but I got lucky and grabbed a quick spot out front.
there was no one inside when I entered. I had to wait a few minutes before the counter lady realized I was there.
I bought 2 cocktail buns, 1 twisted bun, 1 butter creamy bun, and 1 coconut roll (all for just under $ 5)
Everyone raves about the cocktail buns, AND while they’re good, they’re not my favorite. The twisted bun is where it’s at! Holy white bread heaven Batman!
I had to stop myself from eating them all in the car before I even got home.
Minus one star for parking and them being cash only. Other than that they’re perfect. I can’t wait to go back… (probably this week…)
Edited 10÷13÷12, I have since been back to Mon Hei and they have to lose a star.
I showed up at 10 am on a Saturday (they’re normal business hours) to find them NOT OPEN. I waited 15 mins and then called them. The woman who answered said they would be open soon (not specifying a time).
I waited 5 more minutes (now 10:20) and ran back to repark my car. At 10:30 they opened their doors and only had a fraction of baked goods for sale :(Don’t bakers usually get up at the ass crack of dawn to start baking so that everything is available for sale?!
I went home with only a portion of the pastries that I intended to buy.
I stopped by around 12 this week to find an unmanned counter. I probably waited 5+ minutes for anyone to even acknowledge my presence.
the customer service and product availability is shoddy at best here.
time to start looking at other bakeries now :(

Searching high and low for the best cocktail buns…
Ding ding ding, winner winner chicken dinner…
They have the best cocktail buns other than sf. So yummmmyyyy perfect texture in your mouth…
I had to go back and order a dozen.

I have yet to try more than just the cocktail bun (omg wonderful), the red bean bun and the almond cookies here but they are all pretty great. The bonus is that the ladies behind the counter are always nice to me, too.
Each time I’m in the I.D., it’s mandatory that I come and stock up on the cocktail buns before heading home. Someday I’m sure I’ll finally pick something else, but maybe not…