When compiling a list of places to eat for a visit in London, BAO came up on my radar though Buzzfeed as a tasty place that had affordable dishes (though can quickly get pricy as you order a number of things since sizes are small). There's a queue that starts across the street. I went around 6-7pm and it was a good 45 min wait so maybe grab a pint at the pub on the same block to drink while in line. Was the food worth the wait? Yes. Is it worth the wait and price? Maybe once awhile. The Pork Bao and Scallops were stand-outs for me. Ambience was easygoing and service was great. The owner sometimes comes out to chat with people. Worth a visit if you can find a time where there isn't a huge queue and you're in the move for some bao. read more

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I'd come here just to have 3 of the classic baos. Such great flavors in a nice fluffy roll. We had a side of the korean chicken but I didn't like the cut of meat that was used so it was not for me. You may have to wait in line outside but it is worth the wait. The only frustrating thing is that you cannot order any food to go, even if you are already eating there you can't take another bao with you to bring home. They barely even want to give you a box if you have anything left that you already ordered. read more

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Bao lived up to its hype. Solidly executed Taiwanese small plates. I wouldn't say the food itself is very traditional, but the dishes are tasty, and the menu is reasonably creative. The fried chicken bao was my favorite. Super crispy chicken, with just the right amount of pickle and spice. The short rib rice bowl (daily special) was really really good. Tender short ribs on an eggy bed of rice. I'd definitely come back! read more

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Bao WOW! Loved the Bao buns. Lively atmosphere, it will be packed, don't expect to stretch out and be cozy, expect great food.

I meant to try this place last time I was in London, but the wait was a bit crazy. This time I came for lunch and was lucky that there wasn't any wait. They keep menu pretty simple, but everything on there is good. You come here for the bao (steamed bun with meat filling). We tried 3 of them: -pork, lamb, fried chicken they also have a daikon, classic and ice cream! I liked the lamb and fried chicken... wasn't crazy about the pork. The service was quick and attentive. If you can avoid the long wait, this place is def. worth it. Can't comment on the price because I find everything in london to be too expensive! read more

BAO - Soho - Taiwanese Near Me - London, XGL

This place is worth checking out even though the wait time is ridiculous. Just have an early dinner or a really late lunch. The lamb shoulder bao, pork confit, and daikon tasted great. The lamb shoulder was my favorite, that I ordered a second. read more

Food was good but we had a big issue with one of the dessert buns. We were seated at the bar and at the end of the meal we ordered a dessert bun. A few minutes later we saw the person sitting next to us get the dessert bun we ordered. We didn't say anything because maybe she ordered one as well. But sure enough the person waves down the waitress and says she didn't order the bun. We kept an eye on the bun (from the bar you can see the kitchen) and saw the chef hold the bun up to a heat lamp to reheat the bun and had the waitress give us the same bun! When the waitress tried to give us the bun we told her we knew the bun went to the wrong person and we wanted a new one. We also told her it wasn't her fault but it's unacceptable and gross for the chef to do what he did. read more

The best restaurant we tried while traveling throughout London. We ordered 3 appetizers to share for a group of 4 people and each ordered 2 baos and we were so satisfied! The food comes out as soon as they make it so you won't get everything you ordered all at once. I can not recommend the fried chicken bao enough! I can't wait to come back to London to eat this again. read more

BAO - Soho - Classic, fried chicken, sweet potato chips - Taiwanese Near Me - London, XGL

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We stopped on our walk by and it did not disappoint. Great service and the confit & fried chicken boa buns were off the charts good. Great time. read more

I went here after reading about their Pork Confit Bao's being a must-try in London, but I think they were overrated. There was a decent amount of pork in the bun, but I would have liked some more to balance out the bun taste. My mom ordered the Fried Chicken Bao, and that was truly delicious! I would definitely go back for those!! There was so much chicken, a delicious sauce and some veggies. The perfect combination! read more

BAO - Soho - Top: Fried Chicken Bao Bottom: Pork Confit Bao - Taiwanese Near Me - London, XGL

I had really high expectations for Bao as it had been recommended by so many but left unimpressed (and hungry). BAO is a trendy, overpriced Asian restaurant. There's nothing special about what they do here. Having tasted so many delicious baos in NYC, San Francisco, etc., my expectations were set high. Service was meh. It was our waitress' first day on the job (lovely) and there was no one else to guide or mentor her on her first day. We ordered the Beef Soup (with Braised Daikon), the Guinea Fowl Chi Shiang Rice and various types of baos (Classic, Confit Pork, Fried Chicken, and Lamb Shoulder). The beef soup did not taste like a soup. It was beef broth. It had a weird aftertaste too. The Guinea Fowl rice was OK, nothing spectacular; Also, the rice was cold and not hot like it should be. The baos were OK, but again nothing great. I've had really good baos in NYC so was expecting so much more when it came to London. My favorite bao was probably the Classic (Braised Pork, Peanut Powder, Fermented Greens, Coriander). It was good but nothing outstanding. The Confit (Pork Belly, Pork Sauce, Hot Sauce, Dried Shallots) and the Fried Chicken (Soy Milk Marinated Chicken, Sichuan Mayo, Hot Sauce, Golden Kimchi, Coriander, Sesame) were also good, nothing outstanding. It took forever to receive the Lamb Bao (Lamb Shoulder, Coriander, Sauce, Garlic Mayo, Soy Pickled Chili). I think our waitress forgot to put in the order for the Lamb Bao and we ended up waiting at least another 30 minutes to get it. It was OK but wouldn't rave about it. Nothing impressed me, considering it was rated as one of the better restaurants in London. read more

Let's start with... the line is across the street. Not sure why they don't put a sign out so that they don't have patrons going in and asking for a table only to be told there is a long line across the street. I went around 2:30, to avoid the lunch rush but still ended up waiting about 30 minutes. I tried all of the baos expect the vegetarian one with Daikon. The best one I'd have to say is the fried chicken with the kimchi. However, I would not say that the baos here are that amazing, generally speaking. Its a cool idea, serving it in different styles, but in all honesty, I really like the baos I've had in a traditional Taiwanese restaurant and wouldn't necessarily go out of my way and stand in a long line to get a bao here. Also, my favourite dish is not even a bao, but the black pudding with the egg yolk on top, so rich so delicious. The sweet potato fries were good, I would call them sweet potato served tempura style. read more

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Ahhh, I'm conflicted on this one. I applaud Bao for taking a street vendor concept and making Taiwanese food instagrammable, adding modern twists with minimal compromise of authenticity, and their marketing prowess from the logos, the nifty dim-sum style ordering, and beautiful presentation stretches the price point to the edge of reason. In other words, this is millennial Taiwanese food perfection, whereas the old school parents of the same target demographic would recoil in horror. Being an Xennial, straddling between GenX and Millenial, I am cursed to see things from both perspectives. It can appreciate the fact that it is a feast for the eyes but a mere tease for the stomach since even after spending around 40 quid for two, my companion and I were ready to head somewhere else for a complete dinner, and we are usually the type that gets full over one entree and one app split among the both of us. If I were to pick a few items for sampling, the fried chicken bao with the enigmatic black sesame bao and the fried bao w/ Horlicks ice cream are blissful bites, and the pulled pork and lamb buns are a little off the reservation but well executed. The peanut milk is quite delicious although they are pretty stingy even with the volume on this nonalcoholic beverage (a small teacup's worth) Perhaps if money and value was not a factor and I'm eating my heart's content on the company dime, there would be a 1 star bump, but knowing one can eat at least double the quantity of equal or better quality at less than half the price in Taiwan, it definitely detracts from the experience no matter how pretty and how innovative one modifies food offerings whose baseline is pretty close to perfection. read more

Listen, the food is amazing. It's five star. But everything else stinks. 1. You have to queue up to get in. Across the street. 2. You're paying £5 for bao that are 2-3 bites each. 3. You might as well be sitting on friends' and strangers' laps. 4. Very limited menu. 5. Despite maybe 20 people fitting inside and them having what seems like a rediculous amount of staff, they sure don't want to bring you the bill and flip the table quickly. 6. Gratuity is included I'm guessing because it's so oddly set up that you may not want to add it. We had a party of 4 that spent over £70, and the first thing we did after leaving was go find a place to eat. So, if you have money to burn and aren't very hungry anyway... this is the place for you. read more

Both the Classic Bao and the Fried Chicken Bao were excellent! However the winner for me was the Fried Chicken- perfectly crisp, juicy, and so flavorful. The peanuts in the Classic were a bit excessive and took away from the overall bite but was still delicious nonetheless. read more

BAO - Soho - Classic - Taiwanese Near Me - London, XGL

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Back with a vengeance!!! I wasn't disappointed the last time, but this week We braved the queue and got ourselves a decent spot in the restaurant on a Saturday afternoon . Waited 15mins, that's Not too bad! Seems like they've put some new dishes on the menu! They even have a drinks menu with some interesting cocktails in thEre. This time we tried something new: 1. House Pickles 2. Scallop with marinated garlic 3. Fried Chicken BAO (a bit spicy and comes with sesame buns) new favourite 4. Special: Chicken Wing Rice (wild garlic, curated soy egg yolk with macerated daikon) must try!! We also didn't miss out our favourites: 1. Classic BAO 2. Shoulder lamb BAO 3. Horlicks ice cream BAO I think the queues run much faster than it used to, and they kitchen moves quite quickly too. This is still my favourite BAO restaurant :) read more

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I am Gua Bao crazy. Crazy for Taiwanese steamed buns. Soft, fluffy buns filled with mouthwatering ingredients. This is BAO. While in London last year, I made a beeline for BAO, an upmarket Taiwanese eatery located in the Soho area. The restaurant is small, yet cosy and staff are friendly and efficient. BAO doesn't take bookings, instead you have to wait in line... at a designated spot across the street, in front of a man eating bao. (Laughs). When I arrived for lunch on a weekday, the place was packed. Luckily, the service is quick (without the feeling of being rushed), so I ended up waiting in line for only 10 minutes. But, waiting in line for their bao is worth it. Their menu is simple. It consists of Taiwanese small plates - 9 dishes, 5 bao, 4 sides and one dessert bao. When ordering, you simply tick the box next to the dish you want and then hand it over to the wait staff. While I wanted to order all 19 dishes, I only ordered three - the Classic Pork Bao and Taiwanese fried chicken, and for dessert, the Fried Horlicks Ice Cream Bao. The Classic Pork Bao was perfect - a fluffy pillow-like bun of goodness, filled with pulled pork, fermented peanut powder and coriander. Melt in your mouth! The Taiwanese Fried Chicken with hot sauce was also very good - finger licking good. Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. But my favourite dish was definitely the Fried Horlicks Ice Cream Bao - a must order when dining at BAO. It is a scoop of creamy malt ice cream between two sweet buns. Simple, but done well. Plus, it looks super cute! As of last year, I had not seen a dessert bao on an Auckland menu. Now you can get them at Auckland eatery Po'Brothers. Yay! BAO is the creme de la creme of bao. I would highly recommend eating here if you are in London. I cannot wait to go back, just so I can try more of BAO's creations! read more

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Had the classic, Pork Confit and Fried Chicken Bao The pork and Fried chicken was amazing!! For dessert we had the Fried Horlicks Ice Cream. read more

BAO - Soho - Taiwanese Near Me - London, XGL

This place is delicious - definitely some of the best baos I've ever had in my life. Like the name implies, they specialise in baos, so I'd definitely stick to ordering that vs. trying other things on the menu. I found some of the other dishes to be hit or miss, but loved all the baos. Moral of the story is don't diversify in food selection - just get 3-4 of the baos and you'll be a happy camper. Your wallet will also be happier. First, the place is tiny so be prepared to wait in line, across the street from the restaurant. Don't come with a party greater than 2-3 people because you won't fit -- maybe max of 4 people, but it will be harder to get a table. I came at 1 pm on a weekday and had to wait about 15-20 minutes. Baos: I tried 2 of them, the classic pork and the pork confit (pork belly). Both were fabulous, but I liked the classic one the best because of the peanut powder on top. The pork belly was also really delicious and I loved the dried shallots on top - the pork belly meat wasn't overly fatty and it was really good. My friend had 4 of the baos and he liked them in this order (best to worst): classic pork, daikon, pork confit, lamb. The bread of the baos are the best, fluffy and soft so it feels like you are biting into The other dishes were fine, they were not terribly memorable to me. The scallop was good, but not £3.75 good, for just one piece of scallop. I liked the fried chicken pieces but to be honest, I've had other fried chicken that is better, so I'd rather just save my stomach room for the baos. We also got the guinea fowl rice which had a perfectly runny yolk, fried shallots, and pork, and it was good but nothing quite to write home about. The biggest disappointment was the special that was roasted shrimp with green onions. We were told what the special was, but failed to confirm that it was a bao. To our disappointment, it was not. It was a bowl of tiny shrimp that you had to peel each one individually. For £6 per bowl, it felt like such a waste of money, stomach space and time. We thought someone was pranking us and laughing at us in the back, watching us peeling tiny shrimp. My friend said the shrimp was the right size if you were a mouse. Needless to say, if this is the special, skip it. I had the fried bao with ice cream for dessert but didn't think this was anything super special. It was like eating a cold donut shaped like a bao with a scoop of ice cream inside. The ice cream was kind of a sweet milk flavor, and it was good. I love sweet things over savory but would have rather had one of the savory baos instead. In short, come here, with only 1 or 2 other people, expect to wait about 30 min or so for lunch, and get only the baos. Get all of the flavors that they offer for baos - they are all so different and delicious. It's not cheap though, my half of the meal for lunch ended up being about £30 ($42 USD). I'd definitely come back here again though! read more

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This place met up to the hype!! As many reviews here claim... the hype is REAL!! Considering we waited in the queue for ~30-45 minutes in the freezing cold, the whole experience was not tarnished (to my surprise). The waiter kindly escorted customers in queue across the street in to the restaurant. The seating arrangements were extremely packed and tight. I figured it was all part of the experience (make sure you level your expectations in terms of elbow room lol) We ordered 7 baos (3 for the lady, 4 for the guy), shared Korean fried chicken small plate, had a bottle of beer, and a cup of milk tea. That was perfect to share for two :) The bao: Classic (you may need at least 2 of these delicious baos) Pork belly (this and Classic are must have's for first-timers) Lamb Fried chicken (you're better off ordering the Korean fried chicken appetizer!) The buns were extremely fluffy and soft. Most buns I've tried end up with a slightly dry skin - but these buns at Bao remained soft even when the baos cooled down. The meats were flavorful - I especially liked the pork belly with the fried onions (pork belly flavors really came out). My friend was a huge fan of the classic buns because there was a variety of flavors. I'll admit this place came out more expensive than I expected but I still dream about the baos after returning back to the States. :') read more

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The pork belly bao melts in your mouth. The flavor and the bao dough was moist and fresh. The chicken bao were good too. We tried most of the baos on the menu and everything was delicious. Line starts across the street and the restaurant is small so you will have to wait in line and if you come with a big party it's hard to set with each other. Don't forget to try their fried bao ice cream. That's the only thing you can order to go. read more

BAO - Soho - Taiwanese Near Me - London, XGL

First restaurant I try when I got arrived from the King Cross Saint-Pancrass station, I was so hungry. When I see so little plates I was affraid that it weren't enough for me and to expensive for the quantity. At the end, it was so tasty. I never tried and met something so unique. That was delicious and so creative with some minimalism. It deserved its renoun. It's too bad that there is not bigger location. We wait about 30-40 minutes for it. And sometimes, you need to wait outside, there is a queue but it worth so much the waiting. read more

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TL;DR: great place if you want to try lots of different flavors in one meal! Slightly expensive for the portion sizes, but fantastic plates. If you're hungry, you will definitely need to order at least two buns (and I mean it) because everything is portioned out for ant-sized people. Our waitress recommended two buns each (upwards of £4.75) and 4-5 sides to share between the two of us. We followed this and it was a perfect amount of food. We tried the classic bao (the best of what we tried), the fried chicken bao, and the confit pork bao. We also ordered the Taiwanese fried chicken, the pickles, the nuggets, house salad, and the two dessert buns. The classic bao was by far our favorite and we will absolutely order again. The fried chicken is a must try as well, while everything else was good but not overwhelmingly delicious. The ice cream dessert buns were more of a donut texture but very yummy after lots of savory foods. Worth trying if you love bao buns and want a delicious meal. However, not sure it'd be worth the 30+ minute queue which can build up outside. Drinks wise: we only got the milky tea which was iced green tea topped with a whipped cream. Really refreshing! read more

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Only open a week and already a snaking queue at opening time for dinner tonight. That's partly due to the limited space inside this new restaurant but Bao have built a solid reputation from their previous ventures and there have already been some enthusiastic blog postings I made sure to get there 20 minutes early and soon, the polite, friendly and very well informed staff were shepherding us to our tables. There's a mixture of small tables and counter seating. Decor is modern and pared down, which is reflected in the menu Ordering the Taiwanese street food is done by marking a menu card with pencil, which stays on the table. The staff then mark items off as the food arrives and you can use it to order more food. The eponymous bao come in 6 flavours, all explained on their own menu. I went for confit pork, which contained confit pork belly, pork sauce, hot sauce and dried shallots, all wrapped in their pillowy steamed buns. It was a lovely mouthful and the other diners on my table were going ga ga over the fried chicken bao The staff recommended 2 dishes per person from the small plates section to accompany a bao. I chose the Taiwanese fried chicken with hot sauce due to my love of fried chicken. The thigh pieces had been deboned and fried in a crispy well flavoured batter though the smidgen of hot sauce could be more generous My last dish grabbed at the extreme eater in me - pig blood cake. Described as Chinese black pudding mixed with glutinous rice, it arrived with an unexpected egg yolk on top. This dish didn't really work for me with the creamy yolk making the heavy cake taste even heavier However, there are so many more interesting dishes on the menu that I can't wait to come back and try. So, expect an update in the near future! read more

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Tasty, unique food. Dishes came out very fast and the place got very good vibes inside read more

BAO - Soho - Taiwanese Near Me - London, XGL

This place is to die for... (which we almost did waiting an hour in line in the cold...!) Normally I would not have the patience to wait in line, but I really wanted to try this place. I even came back a second time to see if the line was shorter alas it was not. BAO has managed to create a fun tapas style dining experience that allows for you to try many different dishes. The flavors that the chef imparts in these dishes are truly a work of art. If you want to take your taste buds on a culinary journey then I'd highly advise you to check this place out!! read more

Needed to have a very early dinner, so why not try a place you normally need to queue at? To Bao! I had had Bao's bao once before when they were a stall, I think at Netil Market. I remember thinking it was decent but not overwhelmingly better than, say, Yum Buns, which I love. I thought the restaurant was better than the stall. We had: Classic bun, pork confit, fried chicken bun, aubergine, house pickles, Taiwanese fried chicken, scallop. The scallop was tiny but really tasty. My fave buns were the classic and fried chicken buns, the tomato pickle, and my drink, a foaming (read: cream foam) cold tea. Really tasty. Bao was good, but I probably won't be consistently as it's not a ton of food for the price. But perhaps the occasional treat if you're not famished. read more

BAO - Soho - Taiwanese Near Me - London, XGL

Alright. You going to have to lineup but it's definitely worth it. This was one of the most delicious lunches I have had in London. Grab yourself a coffee/beer/champagne piccolo and lineup properly- make it part of your bao experience. When you get a table (yay!) you order from a cute Taiwanese style 'fill in the number' menu. Be hungry and order as much as you can if not everything. They will tell you which ones you need to order '1 per person' of. The space is teenie tiny so eat in pairs or three max or you probably won't fit. It's light and it has maxed out on space utilisation. On the menu you have 4 types of bao; classic (with a nice dusting of peanuts), confit pork (melt in your mouth pork belly), lamb (wow), fried chicken (which is more like a small slider). and an icecream bao. You also have lots of delicious starters and sides. There are the most amazing mushrooms, peppery scallops, pig's blood pudding with an egg, trotter nuggets, an aubergine dip Taiwan style, fried chicken, beef and guinea fowl rice. Then there are sides of calvero nero with salted egg, pickles like you have never had them before and sweet potato chips. If I were to chose something to recommend then I would say all of it. The bao is soft and fluffy. There is a great spice through all of the dishes and there is a nice balance of fried and veg, soft and crunchy. All of the staff are great. The drinks list looks good. I'd start lining now... read more

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This place is so good. A bit pricey unfortunately, but worth it. The first time I came to this place, the queue was an hour long at 7 on a Friday night. I wasn't expecting this, but I guess I should have. I decided to come back another time, and came when it opened for dinner. Still had to queue about 30 min, but much for bearable. I ate the classic and confit pork bao, had the 40 day rump cap, the Horlicks bao, and peanut milk (which is tiny. Smaller than the small glasses they give for tap water). That was just over £20. The food was incredibly delicious, but small in serving size. I was full after that, however. I came back the next week with my bf and we ordered the Guinea fowl rice, chicken bao, and Taiwanese fried chicken in addition to some of the above mentioned items. They were all excellent as always. The restaurant itself is small and constantly busy, but the staff is quick, helpful, and cheerful. Anyway, long story short, lots of queueing and expensive, but definitely worth it. Try it once and see if you end up coming back. read more

BAO - Soho - Taiwanese Near Me - London, XGL

I was very scared walking up to Bao because there were so many large crowds outside, but I wouldn't totally despair at this sight since a lot of the people are drinking outside the bars nearby and in line for neighboring restaurants. Given the crowds, it's also difficult to know where to queue; I talked to one of the servers inside and she led me to the end of the line, about 8 people/3 parties long, across the street. They also give you a small discounted drink menu that is exclusive for while one is waiting in line, which I thought was a good idea to keep diners engaged and high-spirited. Since all the drinks are just £3 on this special menu, the spiked soda is the best deal. It tasted like generic red flavor and whatever alcohol was in there was not strong, but it was refreshing. My friend and I waited around 25 minutes total, not at all a long time when there is a lot of catching up and chatting to do! The menu is short and simple, which I appreciate. My Taiwanese friend back home said that the classic pork and lamb shoulder were a must, so I ordered those two along with the pork confit bao. My friend and I shared the fried chicken and trotter (pork) nuggets as well. The food came out swiftly. The classic pork was my favorite for its peanut crumb topping. I also liked the tender fried chicken pieces with its coarse crunchy breading. Since it's a small restaurant with tables very close to one another, it gets quite loud inside. Even though Bao is clearly very popular, there are no elite attitudes or egos--the staff are very friendly! The wait time was not ridiculous on a Thursday evening, and the whole process is smooth since they clearly have their operations down. read more

BAO - Soho - Discount drinks while waiting in line - Taiwanese Near Me - London, XGL

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I am seriously obsessed with Baos! I just want to eat all the Baos in the world, so when i found out about this special place i knew i had to try it. But apparently i wasnt the only one. I already knew this place is always crazy busy with loooong queues... Eventually decided to give it a go as was finishing work relatively early, or lets say on time! Got there for 6pm.... Still too late, an hours queue on the other side of the road.... But we waited... Patiently... Ohhh, it was worth it! Awesome menu - a selection of 5 savoury baos & lots of little sides. Wonderful - the baos were great - we tried them all (except the veggie one!). Couldnt pick a favourite to be honest, porks are classics but chicken was surprisingly good and of course the lamb! Actually one dissapointment (aside the queue!) The ice cream bao. Really nothing interesting, super ordinary. Basically ice cream with a bun! Would have prefered anothet chicken bao :) Wonderful choice of sides as well - check out the photos to see what we tried, all wonderful! Couldnt pick a favourite either. Ive got to go back to have some more of the same and try the rest of the starters... But need to figure out whens the best time to go and not queue, im assuming weekend late afternoon... I dont know but i need more bao in my life! Side note to the staff - all particularly smiley and friendly!!! read more

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Open in April 2015, Bao is one of the new trendy 'it' places to go in London. Queues start at the opposite side of the road and lasts for around 30 mins. Inside it is toasty and cosy with basic ikea style furniture. The menu selection is pretty small - around 15 items to choose from. The waitress recommended we have 2 bao's each (a sort of Chinese burger) and 10 other items to share between the 4 of us. We ended up ordering 2 bao's each and 7 items to share between us which was plenty! The items we ordered were a bit hit and miss (hence the 4 stars). The chicken bao was crazy delicious but the pork bao was too fatty and the lamb bao was just ok. From the shared items: again the Taiwanese chicken was delicious as was the scallops in yellow bean garlic, but the aubergine won ton was way too salty and the beef soup disappointingly unbeefy. Prices per dish range from 3-5 pounds, but they are small and add up quickly. Service was helpful and friendly even though it was rammed pack. Overall I'm glad we went but wouldn't do the 30 minute queue again! read more

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The food here is DELICIOUS. The super friendly staff sat me and didn't peep even if I said I was still waiting for a friend (and that friend turned out to be 15 minutes late), if you know how busy this place gets you'd know why this is a big deal. It was lunchtime and it was packed, and I hear if you come here at dinner you're very likely to find a queue outside the door. The place is extremely small, they've managed to cramp together a few tables so they might fit at least 15 people. Some of the seating spaces are around the bar, and at the end of the room there's the hole in the wall from which you can spy on the kitchen. I ordered a classic bao bun (they suggest at least three per head but...diet), one of their rump steak small plates (my favourite thing so far, even though it's probably no more than 50g of beef) and the mushroom and egg thing. Of which I forget the name. My friend also ordered the aubergine with the wonton fries and it was indeed tasty. One thing that really threw me off (but that's me) is that you could see they were washing glasses and they were LEAVING THEM OUT TO DRY WHEN THEY WERE STILL SOAPY. I do not understand why people in the UK do this. WHY PEOPLE, WHY U NO RINS? Anyway, I think it's super weird but they're not the only ones so not worth taking down another star for that. The one missing is merely because of how tiny the space is, and I do like a bit of space besides my elbows when I eat. Also, the portions are a lot tinier than what they seem on the pictures. Amazingly tasty though, will definitely go back. read more

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Bao really had me trying hard. First I arrived at 1530 to find out about their break from 1500 to 1730, then I bounces of the door on a Sunday. Today, having done my due dilligence (incl waiting half an hour in a queue) I finally tasted what this place has to offer. As indicated by the rating it was worth the wait. Having tried some od the Bao(lamb and classic, especially the latter is wonderful mixing peanut saltiness with the full body of the meat), the Pig Blood Cake (dont let the name scare you off, it is fatty but tasty), Scallops (bite size), fries(nice twist to it) and the Ice Cream(delicious combo of vanilla ice cream and the toasted bao bun) I can certainly recommend this place. The portions are very small but each one is interesting, distinctive and delicious. read more

BAO - Soho - Classic Bao - salty peanut crush wonderfully complimenting the meat - Taiwanese Near Me - London, XGL

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Holy smokes I have been here twice already in the space of a month, notwithstanding that horrendous long queue across the road. So how was it? MMm I kinda like Bao as you can get stuff here which reminds you of SE Asia which you can't really get anywhere else around Central London. Highly recommended items to order: Peanut Milk (Yes, a glass of milk, with peanuts in it) Horlicks Ice Cream (This reminds me of Fried Man Tou (buns) which Chinese people use condensed milk to dip into) Confit Pork bun - I love the almond toppings, gives it that hint of sweetness, beware sometimes this gets oily The aubergine crisps are quite cool to order once to try. I didn't like pig blood with the egg on it, sorry. Fried chicken was too deep fried for me. Also it was quite spicy. Service is fast. Place is tiny. If they didn't have fast service that queue outside will be even more horrendous. Come in a pair of 2. You will then get seated quickly. If you turn up at 11:50am you will get seated even more quickly. If you get there at 12:05 prepare to wait 10 minutes. Don't think that if you come at 9pm you will get seated quickly. No, there will still be a queue outside. All day long. There is one toilet and the way you get in reminds me of toilets on airplanes. Interesting!? PS: The lady who deals with the queue is so awesome. read more

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Great little place to go in Soho if you're craving some cheap and tasty small bites! We arrived at 8pm and there was a 30-40 minute wait. We followed suit with others in the queue who were grabbing drinks from the pub next door which was a great idea.. even if it did mean that we were a little tipsy by the time we were seated in the restaurant! We ordered quite a big variety of food as we were so hungry by the time we made it in. The spicy fried chicken and the pork 'nuggets' were pretty tasty. I'm not usually a fan of fried foods but the fried chicken tasted like good quality chicken breast (with no bones). We got an order of the sweet potato fries, which were coated in a light batter making them nice and crispy. My husbands favourite dish was the guinea fowl rice- it was very flavourful and came as quite a substantial portion. It does come with pickles on top which I found a little overpowering - I'd ask them to leave these off next time. My favourite dish was the scallop- it came served on a clam shell and had a really interesting zesty dressing! As for the bao, we shared a lamb bao and a confit pork bao. Both were delicious- the lamb bao has a Mediterranean flavour to it which I particularly enjoyed. We also finished with the ice cream bao. I have to say that I didn't love it.. but maybe I'm just not a huge fan of Horlicks..! Overall we had a really nice meal- we ordered one too many dishes for the two of us as we left feeling rather full! We will definitely be back, perhaps not at peak time as arguably I don't think it is worth a half hour wait... read more

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I, or rather we, knew there was definitely going to be a queue. So the plan was to set the maximum waiting time and discuss coming up with a contingency plan. In the first 45 minutes we did not move at all. Then just as we debated whether to leave or not, the queue moved and we edged forward a teeny weeny bit. It was both encouraging and frustrating at the same time. Do we leave now or should we stay on? So, as you might gather, BAO does not take reservations. BAO has only 30 seats - all very cosy. Even the tables and chairs are mini size but were luckily, quite comfortable; a few stools around the bar, a couple by the window (one which we frantically prayed we never seated at because you are only a glass window away from the queuers. Hence, eye level when seating is the bum level of the queuer. But we were a company of trio so we were safe, phew!) and a few tables closer to the kitchen. The menu? BAOs were the star of the show but there are plenty of side dishes for nibbles; with the exception my fried chicken; it is a strictly no sharing dish for me. We ordered almost the whole menu except for the soup, scallop, pickles and the fried chicken bun. The dishes are small portions and were served as and when they were ready. There are quite a number of tea, beer and cider choices. No wine. Few non-alcoholic (I find) interesting beverages are foam teas and peanut milk. I love BAO in everyway. The entrepreneurs themselves are laudable. Growing from a humble beginning in the street food scene until a permanent location in Soho with queues that every restaurant craves for, they are a trio that still are as down to earth as any soil. When we left, an hour and a half later, there was still a queue. read more

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Mr Yelp London himself spoke of this place to me, I did;t know that they'd opened their own proper sit down place, so we gladly headed down. Since then, I've been there twice. As with I think, any other place on Lexington street particularly, in the heart of soho, they don't take reservations, (see: Mildreds, oh yes) it's tiny (even complete with a caravan style toilet) and amazingly delicious, do expect a queue. But, it's worth it, annnnd, if the queue is long, they're happy to serve you bottled drinks whilst you're stood there, which tends to keep people happy, and knowing that you get to stick your face in tasty buns at the end, makes it all worth it. When I say this place is small, it's not me being bitchy because I was born out of london in suburbia with sprawling countryside and big, grand old pubs, i mean it, shared tables, and bag hooks above you on the walls to save as much space as humanly possible. You quickly realise that you're sharing your personal space with other people, but it's pretty quick to get used to when you can smell the food... Paper menu, with little pencils, tick off what you want, sometimes there super efficient and hand this to you in the queue, if you're hungry, it's worth doing. Now you're sharing your safe-space radius, prepare to share your food, you don't have to, but I would recommend it, you want to try as many things you can off the menu. In the three times I've been there, I've tried: Trotter nuggets, ***** Pigs blood cake, **** Fried chicken (this is very hot sauce, so you know),*** Rump cap, **** Scallop, ***** Aubergine wontons, **** Confit pork Bao, **** Sweet potato chips **** Daikon Bao, **** Lamb Bao, ***** FRIED HORLYCKS ICE CREAM BAO ********* With the ice cream, the bao is deep fried, hot and crispy, and the scoop of ice-cream inside, you are going to get sticky, the ice cream is going to try and jump out like those weird jelly sausage thinks you played with as a kid, just get in there, then lick your fingers afterwards. So good. They do run out of things, obviously the earlier you go, the less likely you'll have to queue or miss out on your faves. It's cheapish, definitely worth it. read more

BAO - Soho - Taiwanese Near Me - London, XGL

Waited in line for about 30 minutes with a buddy of mine, not too bad for a Saturday. I had the scallop, original bao, chicken bao, porkbelly bao and the horlick bao. Lives up to the hype and would go again. read more

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3.5 stars for food 2 stars for price The baos are good, but I wouldn't go back and pay such a high price for such small portions after having waited in such a long queue. Even my tea was served in a tiny vessel - for two pounds I would expect more than a few sips. read more

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