St. Louis: Wei Hong Bakery
Right across the street from the area’s oldest Asian grocer, Jay International, is Wei Hong Bakery. It has been open for several years and has garnered quite a following. Unpretentious and so accessible, being right smack dab on one of the busiest portions of Grand Boulevard. You’ll have to park across the street, though, and it will serve you well to press that pedestrian button, as traffic can be heavy especially on weekends and those drivers won’t slow down for anything but a red light.
Wei Hong is closed on Tuesdays, but the rest of the week you can order from one of the most extensive menus in St. Louis as far as Chinese restaurants go. Some of our favorites: Congee with Preserved Vegetable and Beef, Ha Moon Mai Fun, Roasted Pork with Shrimp Sauce on Rice, Bitter Melon with Spareribs, the Combination Lo Mein is excellent, as is the West Lake Beef Soup, and Salt and Pepper Squid (though the last is really best enjoyed eaten on premises; otherwise the travel home may render it soggy and lifeless). Try the Sizzling Chicken Tenderloins in Black Pepper Sauce. Yum! As is the You Shan Pork. Can’t really miss with anything you order.
There’s a second Wei Hong Branch in Olivette, on Olive Blvd. This one is sparsely furnished, more a take-out bakery than a restaurant like the one on Grand. They do have the usual baked goods made on a daily basis, as well as steamed sugar rice cake, both kinds (white and brown) and deep-fried sesame seed balls. These are very good, but of everyday quality, so don’t expect anything beyond that. Prices run cheap, with not many items over a dollar, so you can splurge on a snack for one or for a group. Take your order home and have some tea.
Wei Hong Bakery and Restaurant
3175 S Grand Blvd
St Louis, MO 63118
(314) 773-8318
7740 Olive Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63130
(314) 726-0360
PS There’s another Chinese bakery on Olive Boulevard, but do yourself a favor and don’t go there. Service is not as friendly, there was a fly zipping through inside the bakery case last time I was there, and when I ordered bubble tea, I was given this tepid chemical-tasting beverage (they all taste that way to some degree but this takes the cake) mixed with some giant ice cubes. Apparently their blender was dead and so was the machine that applies the cellophane lids. They did apologize saying things weren’t working, but if I had been feeling snarky that day I would have asked, “What does?” They should at least inform customers that they’re experiencing technical difficulties before taking payment for the order.
As with any business, restraunt or even home cooked meals with friends, there can be times when things just dont go as we would like. I might suggest that we reconsider posting negative comments and focus on the positive.
Although we eat at both Wei Hong locations, we prefer the one on Olive Blvd. Both locations offer excellent quality of food,service and pricing.
Sunday “Dim Sum” simply cant be beat! In addition to the cuisine, they have an outstanding bakery. I would recommend trying the “Coconut Bun” warm.
I love this bakery, I often stop in for their BBQ pork buns, they are wonderful.
I lived in STL in 2000-02. The location on Grand was one of my favorites. We went a few times a week after work or on weekends. We drove from W County b/c their food tasted great (I’m Asian) and had the best value! When I recently moved back to STL, I was excited to go to the Grand location and the new one. I’m never going back! At Grand, they microwaved my roast duck, chicken, and pork right in front of us! It’s not roasted anymore! I went to the Olive location twice. The 1st was for dimsum and they charged every item as a M or L dish but we had several S dishes charged wrong. I spoke with one of the Chen owners I knew from before (she didn’t remember me). She apologized and said she couldn’t figure out the discrepancy b/c I had paid. The 2nd time I had dinner there they overcharged me again. She told me the menu was wrong when I asked. I will never go back again, I am sad to say!! Royal BBQ used to use these tricks. What a disappointment that Wei Hong has stooped to this level now.
Never, NEVER eat at Wei-Hong on South Grand.
On my first trip to Wei-Hong, I ordered the vegetables and tofu lunch plate. I started feeling ill a few hours later, and subsequently had to be taken to the emergency room and spent three days in the hospital with severe bacterial gastroenteritis. No joke. I have never had any problem at any restaurant before, and after this I am disgusted to think of what must have been in my food to make me that ill. I have always liked to patronize independent, ‘mom-and-pop’ restaurants instead of chains, but I will be thinking twice about where I eat from now on. Do not eat at Wei-Hong.
Dud you actually go into the BAKERY section of the wei hong on olive? there is a separate bakery building on the side of the restaurant and i’ve never had better service! The olive wei hong has much better service than the one on grand, I go to the olive one about once a week and have never had problems. the woman who works there is super nice, and a lot of times will knock off some of the price if its small change. $7.15 will be $7.00, $3.10 will be $3.00, etc. Also, I don’t even know if they serve bubble tea at the olive location, unless you didn’t go in the bakery, you went in the restaurant. I also think you have their phone number wrong.