Mr. Bun

The walls of Mr. Bun, a Shanghainese spot in Bensonhurst, are decorated with cute anime characters contemplating equally cute, smiling dumplings. We understand the impulse to make art inspired by the food here. The chopstick wrappers even offer a step-by-step guide to drawing Mr. Bun himself. All of these elements lead to a lot of excitement when an order of pan-fried juicy pork buns that look just like the restaurant’s namesake arrive at your table, but you shouldn’t stop at the buns. The xiao long bao, sticky rice shu mai, and wine chicken are all great. This place may look cute on the outside, but what comes out of the kitchen is serious business.