China Pastry — Restaurant in Regina

Hands down the best Chinese buns I’ve had, and I ate my way through Toronto, Vancouver, San Francisco, and more. It makes zero sense that this family-owned spot is tucked away here in Regina, but I’m not questioning it… just grateful it exists.

Sally is an absolute gem. Her warmth and hospitality make you feel welcome, and the care she puts into each bun is unmatched, including the upselling, which I find genuinely endearing ;)

Soft with the perfect amount of chew, never dry, never greasy, every bun is balanced and packed with flavour. The red bean is my favourite: gently sweet, earthy, and airy. The beef curry is rich, savoury, and comforting. The coconut, mango, and pineapple buns are all on my always-pick-up list.

The earlier you go, the better: you get first pick of flavours (and avoid the guilt of grabbing the last ones while everyone in line watches). They make fresh batches all day, and also offer day-old buns in bags at a more affordable price. They also have almond cookies, tarts, and cake rolls!

Can’t...

Decent baking but service way too slow. Lineup to the door and owner continues to push/upsell to customers even after they’ve made it clear what they want in their order, and that they do not want anything else. You sell out regularly anyway so why waste people’s time this way? And after so many years in business how can you still be this inefficient? Everyone in line behind me was also visibly frustrated and at least one lady gave up and walked out .

While there were only 3 customers ahead of me when I arrived, it took 25minutes to finally get to order. I told her which buns I wanted and she continued to repeat three times what other buns they had and did not have. She wouldn’t stop until I firmly told her I just wanted my 6 buns and to leave.

Do not go on the weekend unless you want to wait in line for awful service and in a space with no seating or even A/C! (Can’t imagine what it would be like to be elderly and trying...

Absolutely horrendous customer service. I was telling the cashier the amount and the type of buns I would like. She would mock me and yell at me “How many do you want!???” As I was trying to tell her I want 2 Bbq pork buns, 1 pineapple bun, and 1 curry bun. She was also mocking me saying, “One this, one that, one blah blah. How much do you actually want!? Five!? Or 10!?”….like am I supposed to get an assorted buns of her choice and not allowed to choose what I want? I was just trying to tell her which buns and how much I want of each type. When I got upset because my patience worn out, she said, “You’re so funny haha” when I seemed upset after she mocked me.

I’ve been a customer at this shop for years and my grandparents, parents, and siblings love the buns at this shop. I’m not sure what I did wrong to deserve such toxic and horrible customer service tbh…I just...