I love Chinese bakeries! Growing up in Scarborough lead me to a quick discovery of this magic. What more could a kid want other than sweet, golden, glazed buns - and all for about 50¢. That's economical use of allowance money, that's what that is. As an adult the nostalgia is real and I still love grabbing a tray and tongs, ready to pick out an array of savoury and sweet treats.

Ding Dong Pastries sits as the #1 Best Chinese Bakery in Toronto as per blogTO. Plus it's located in Chinatown. This is all that I needed to hear!

I visited on a Thursday evening with full intentions of having Chinese bakery as my dinner. Everything about the shop was ticking all of the right boxes. Location in Chinatown? Yes. Dingy questionable storefront? Yup. Interesting cleanliness factor inside? You know it. This is exactly as it should be and the only way that I'll have it. They've got a sign posted out front that details their "all day specials" - as if it could get any cheaper than it already is. Keep your expectations low when entering this bakery. It's not supposed to "look like" anything. And it doesn't. All you need to worry about are the rows of cases that contain good, good buns. Yes, the plastic cases are murky to look through - this just means that they're doing it right. It should be noted that Ding Dong is a cash-only establishment. They do have an ATM in the shop but it'll likely be out of order. The number one thing synonymous with Chinese bakeries is the tray and tong system. You'll find a stack of plastic trays and a row of tongs at the entrance of every Chinese bakery and Ding Dong is no different. You grab your tray, grab your tongs, and go about loading up your tray with whatever strikes your fancy! You then bring your tray up to the cash where your bill is tallied and your treats are either boxed or bagged.

I began to cruise the aisles like a shark. First I wanted to see everything, then I'd make my selections. All of the usual suspects were present; baked buns, steamed buns, breads, little pastries - all sorts of things. Eventually I had a tray full of delicious delights that I couldn't wait to dig into. I brought my tray, loaded with twelve different items, up to the cash and was charged a whopping $6 for all of it. I proceeded to feed my entire family. Ding Dong has a small seating area with a few glass-top tables at the back of the store. The ambiance is great. The stained tiles seem to be clinging to the ceiling for dear life and there are stacked boxes nearby. But if it didn't look like this it wouldn't be quite right.

We began to devour the buns, taking bites of everything! This is what we selected:

Sausage Bun (50¢). This one is a real guilty pleasure for me and the one that I truly crave and long for the most. We got three of them because there would be no sharing. This bun has a hot dog inside of it. And this hot dog is wrapped in a golden, sweet, pillowy bun. This version was perfect and it was everything that I dreamed for it to be.

Steam BBQ Pork Bun (80¢). I've definitely had better bao in my day. This one seemed a bit dry, like it had been sitting out all day. The filling was decently good but I would probably skip this one next time.

Chicken Sticky Rice Cake ($1). We got this in an attempt to even out our selections with more variety. I loved the banana leaf, which truly added flavour and maintained the moisture within. The rice tasted good and worked as a nice little side dish.

Taro Pastry ($1). This swirly little purple guy seemed special because they sat right at the counter and are slightly more expensive than the rest. It was very good! The taro paste filling tasted authentic and I enjoyed the light, somewhat flaky pastry.

Sesame Ball (Red Bean) (2 for $1). A Chinese bakery staple, you'll always find these seedy orbs. The pastry is soft and chewy with a red bean paste centre. These are always good.

Milk Jam Bun (2 for $1). This sweet bun is glazed to perfection and stuffed with a custard-like filling. Just about as good as sweet buns get!

Vegetarian Spring Roll (3 for $1). We got three of these because of the deal. I question whether these are actually vegetarian because I swear that we found some meat in these. Crispy and good, I liked that there was something to eat that contained vegetables. I only wish that some kind of dipping sauce had been available.

Pork Dumpling (2 for $1). This golden fried savoury pork treat seemed new to me and I enjoyed the lightly crispy outside, the chewy inside, and the tasty pork within.

Just as we were leaving I noticed one more bun that I wanted to try. Sweet Corn & Ham Bun (50¢). Is that mayonnaise on top? I'm not sure! I liked the corn and ham but still prefer my favourite hot dog bun the most.

Overall, Ding Dong Pastry is exactly everything that I wanted it to be. The place is a bit dingy, the lady working wasn't especially personable, but the buns are legit. There are so many to try and they've got all of your favourites. I'll definitely pop in once in a while for a treat.