I ordered most of what we wanted to try everything was good but if i had to come back again id order only the lamb bao, sweet potato, and horlicks icecream. Although the place had a funny smell and we had to wait in a long queue to get in. read more

BAO - Soho - Horlicks icecream bao - Taiwanese Near Me - London, XGL

See all

Always want to try this place cuz it's been so famous since it opened. Just like what I imagined, the queue was really long even it was a Thursday. We waited around 1 hour for table for three. The food is nice. Really like the fried chicken bun as well as the lamb one I ordered. Was thinking of giving it a 5star but we waited too long. Really hope they can open another one somewhere else. read more

Inventive Asian destination with small plates / dim sum feeling. What I loved was how each dish was creative and flavorful - you could eat forever at this place. The vibe was inviting but hip. I found the servers less inviting, and the quality of the ingredients substandard for a restaurant at this price point. read more

Everything is amazing ... The buns, beef, mushroom, friend chicken.. The food was fast, very cozy little restaurant... People are friendly... Check this place out! read more

See all

Personally I wasn't a huge fan of BAO. I went in for lunch after waiting maybe 10 minutes outside. I ordered the guinea fowl rice, a classic bun, and a fried chicken bun. The rice was delicious, definitely the highlight of the meal. The classic and fried chicken buns were just ok. The best part of the classic was the bun which was super fluffy, the filling wasn't anything to write home about and luke warm. The fried chicken could have been much better if it had more flavor, I found it a bit bland. read more

My friend kept going on about Bao. So we went to check it out. The place is ridiculously small to the point your body will be touching people throughout your meal. As soon as we entered we were asked to queue outside even though there was enough place for us to stand inside and it was raining with heavy winds. The buns were great and they were everything I assumed they would be. Very well priced also. The venue does not have a phone as far as I could see as we tried calling them to see how long their line was etc. IF you have a craving for buns I am sure this is the place to go to but not really somewhere I would go again to have a meal. read more

The classic buns are delicious! I would recommend getting that and the fried chicken! I really enjoyed the food here but I didn't rate this as high cause for the price the portions are quite small. read more

BAO - Soho - Taiwanese Near Me - London, XGL

Amazing food! A bit pricey but totally worth it. Small place, be prepared for long line ups. Highlights include; scallop, lamb bao, fried chicken and fried sweet potato. Everything was meticulously designed and was just delicious!!! read more

See all

The hyped up Taiwanese spot essentially serves what I would characterize as extremely tasty and elevated junk food. You can order almost the entire menu and not break the bank, which cannot be said for a lot of London living. Think Momofuku style fusions, but more reasonably priced. We already have a lot of fun and creative asian food spots here in Toronto, and London is starting to catch up in this domain... read more

This place was not worth the wait... but it was pretty good. Portion was a bit small I recommend some bao, sweet potato fries and fried chicken. Nice little snack not enough for a meal but it was fine because then we went to nandos after. read more

The first thing you encounter in Bao is ridiculously long queue and next thing you think is it worth the queue or should I just go down to Chinatown where I can just walk in and get a seat? But trust me its worth the queue, the best thing I like about is their service "They are nice" not like the Chinatown restaurant where you are expected to leave the moment you finish your dish. I would really recommend trying out their Taiwan beer, its light but taste more like honey beer and believe girls would love it read more

See all

I LOVE BAO. Totally worth the wait in line. I went really late at night and got in with no wait at all. The tea was excellent even thought there was only 1.5 cups worth. They make it the traditional way where you over pour the tea and let it spill all over the sides. The peanut milk was also very sweet and interesting. Definitely sweet enough for a desert. I actually wasn't as crazy about the baos as I was the other items on the menu. read more

I absolutely adore Taiwanese steamed buns and this place doesn't disappoint. No need to waste your time on anything other than the original. The others are ok, but merely a distraction from the main event. The other thing this place has is a dessert bao with ice cream in the middle of what is almost a chewy doughnut on the outside. It's simply outstanding. The first time I went we ordered one of everything and the second time we only got classic bao and the dessert bao. Also, make sure you arrive early because there is no queue if you can be around 15 minutes before they open. It's a small shop with super fast service, but you'll have to wait if you're not prompt. read more

It's rare to find a place in London with such good Asian food, so we were happy to have found BAO. Although portions are small, their signature buns are so delicious, especially the one with lamb. If you prefer quality over quantity, this would be the place for you. The only downside is that their cocktails are overpriced (about 8 pounds or 10 dollars) and the taste is not that good. read more

The place is so good and the food is great! Really authentic and very good for dinner/evening meal with a drink. But not for lunch... Because the food is a bit too salty and it has to go with some beers. read more

The lunch special of the chicken sandwich, side of chicken and rice bowl was the best meal I had in London.

Bao exemplifies the saying: 'Good things come in tiny packages.' At around lunch time, there was a significant queue - partially because their Soho storefront just opened, partially because the restaurant only has a few tables and the counter, and partially because - well, the food is popular! Definitely worth the wait. Although the other dishes and foam tea looked delicious, I only came in for Classic Bao: a soft steamy bun filled with succulent braised pork and mustard greens(?), topped with sweet, salty, nutty peanuts. The staff is also friendly, and the vibe is trendy. Really excellent - believe the hype. read more

Bao is amazing, both the classic and confit were spot on. Food is unbeatable. Great vibe, very small restaurant. Worth the wait

The baos are totally average... but maybe this is how all the Chinese food is in London... You can honestly get way better ones in any Chinese cities. It is kinda overpriced for baos, but judging by the prices in London. it's okay. It is a more of a for foreigner/ westerner kinda place. I guess Chinese also go there because there's just not much choices of Asian food in London. Additionally, I just really can't stand the queue for such ordinary boas. read more

Bao is always my first suggestion to friends. I love the atmosphere and the individuality that this small restaurant offers. The staff is always lovely, and the food is incredible. The Classic bao, sweet potato fries, and the scallop are a must. Most times there is a queue that is about 20 minutes so it is not ideal if you are in a rush, or if you have kids. The space inside the restaurant is quite small and so it is not ideal for large groups as you might have to wait even longer. The ideal party size is 2. By far one of my favorite restaurants in London, and always looking for an excuse to go. read more

Brought here by another yelped initially, I thought I would return for some Bao classics. That was rather nice and they had lots of other finger food which I was surprised could fill me up, but it did. The sake was pretty poor though and quite expensive I thought. Overall it appears this little number is well know tourist destination spot and u may have to queue a little outside. You can take in the public health history of the place as the snowy pub will inform those in the know. read more

Small, cute, intimate. Tables are tiny and close to each other. My friend and I stopped by this place before our afternoon tea reservation at the Ritz. We had the classic bao, lamb bao, scallop, pork blood rice cake, and sweet potato fries. The bao and scallop tasted amazing. Egg yolk on top of pork blood rice cake was interesting and bouncy. Overall we were pleasantly surprised, whereas the afternoon tea afterwards was not to our expectations. We'll be back soon to try the others! read more

Great Taiwanese snacks! Got the confit duck & fried chicken bao, pig blood cake, trotter nuggets! All super delicious!! Perfect location and place to some for a break from walking or shopping read more

BAO - Soho - Pork confit bao - Taiwanese Near Me - London, XGL

A solid 4 star place. Minus 1 star because they forgot some of the stuff on our order (twice), and let's be honest, this is pretty expensive place for what they serve. I'm from LA/SF and have been to Taiwan/China. These types of buns aren't rare in either Asia or California, so the price they charge here is definitely on the steeper end. Also, they charge £3 for beef soup. Don't get me wrong, the beef soup is good, but I've had equally good soup for way less. But maybe it's just the cost of living in London (though I thought, coming from San Francisco, cost of living should be similar). We tried basically everything on the menu (pork, chashu, lamb, chicken, dessert). So while the price is a bit high for my taste, it was very delicious and I would definitely revisit. One advice: come early. We came by around 20 minutes before opening and was able to make it to first seating (on a weekday). By the time the restaurant opened, the line was around the corner, and it was gonna be at least an hour to get in (if you come at that time). If it's your first time visiting and you have company, I would suggest try everything if you can, and get probably 3-4 buns per person. Every bun tastes delicious. read more

See all

Really enjoyed the food here, my first time trying this type of food. Came with a friend, we ordered a good amount of food. Had the spicy fried chicken, 2 pork buns, sweet potato crips, pickles, mushrooms and a couple other small dishes. They were unfortunately out of the scallops, which I would have loved to try. Overall, the food was very tasty and the portions were fairly large for a tapas style meal. The restaurant itself is very small, and we came at 9pm on a Monday and still had to wait 20 minutes. Not sure if they take reservations or not, may be something to look into. read more

If you go, be prepared for good food, but be prepared to queue for a while (45 minutes minimum). The line starts across from Bao (in front of the Pret a manger type restaurant's window). Don't be deceived if you think "oh there's no line" because you are looking at the Bao door. You will be turned away and the folks across the street who have been waiting there will give you guarded watch. If you go at 10 minutes to closing, you may queue for less time, but that's a gamble. I arrived at 5:15 pm on a weekday the first time, and waited about 40 minutes. I arrived at 2pm on a Sunday, and waited about 45 minutes. The food is delicious. We ordered 5-6 bao (pork belly, lamb, and original are my favs), a peanut milk (yummy), sweet potato fries, 2 ice creams, and I think one other thing for about GBP 55 for 2 folks. It does take a bit to get the food out - but great unique concept and good flavors. The staff is extremely friendly - the first time we waited in the rain and the host manning the queue offered us umbrellas. read more

I had been to the stand before and the restaurant was even better. All the Baos were good, with each one having a unique flavour. The tritip cap with white soy was my favourite, but all the small dishes we tried were good to outstanding. read more

I loved their stall at Netil Market so was very excited to see them launch a restaurant. I l went on a Tuesday night with my sister. We waited about 40 mins. It's a simple and delicious menu! I really recommend the classic bao and the rump steak. Everything we had was delicious however these were the stand out dishes for me! The service was good, the space is small and simple. I will definitely be back! read more

This is probably by favourite restaurant in London. No, actually it is my favourite restaurant in London. You never want the mouthful to end. From cocktails to dessert, I'd eat here everyday if I could. It's baomazing. read more

Quick. Full of flavour. Have been multiple times. Not healthy, but not billed as such. Have settled on the classic bao and sweet potatoe fries as the go to's read more

I wanted to love this place but found the food to be just OK. Menu needs a bit more variety. My favorite was the fried horlicks dessert Bao - WOW. read more

Took 40min to serve and charged 12.50% for Discr. Service Charge £1.94 for a £15.50 meal. Ridiculous.

Worth a try, at least once. I showed up at opening for dinner time. Although the restaurant was empty, the hostess asked me to queue across the street. I waited in the queue for 30 seconds and then the hostess retrieved me from across the street to sit at the bar. I found humor in how technical Bao approached seating tables. The taste is great, but the portions are small. There's also an automatic 12.5% service fee added to the bill. Cool logo and experience, but unless you spend over 20GBP, you will be hungry later. read more

This small place is one of the best to eat buns in London. They have everything in buns also some veggie options. You have to make reservation because it is always crowded. read more

I had attempted going to Bao about 4 times, before I decided to try one last time before giving up. Yes, Bao is that popular right now! If you want to get a seat within 10 minutes of waiting, instead of 1 hour +, you should get there on a weekday before 11am. That's guaranteed! Ordered all the baos including the Horlicks bao. Amazing! read more

Bow down to the Bao! This tasty stop is guaranteed to be a hit. Expect a line (even if it's freezing out). It's just that good. You'll HAVE to try their ice cream bao. It's so unique and you'll love every bite! read more

Loveeee it. The buns are so soft and the fillings are great! There isn't a huge amount of choice of fillings, but definitely enough to suit most people especially as they are alllll so tasty. The buns are very little so you need at least 2 each I would say. The only thing I didn't like was the peanut crumb on my pork bao. It was sugary sweet which I don't enjoy with savoury. I would order it without that next time. read more

BAO is a personal favorite!! I always suggest the pork. Only negative is the line, but shows people love it.

Sometimes simplicity is best. Bao has an a la carte menu that contains not more than 20 items in total. This is why every single item is so delicious! I tried the scallop, trotter nuggets, Taiwanese fried chicken, fried chicken bao, and fried Horlicks ice cream bao. The ice cream bao is to die for! I would recommend to order a bao for yourself and share some appetisers with friends. The restaurant is quite small but they turnover quite fast. We came here for dinner on a Saturday night and ended up waiting in queue (which is across the street from the restaurant) for only about 20 min. Overall, highly recommended for all the bao lovers out there! read more

The savoury bao is good enough, but the ice cream fried bao is a real pleasure if you're a sweet tooth.