Great spot. Amazing people and great service. This place is always a great time and you can get great shots and cocktails.

Let me start off by saying, if you're looking for a startling atmosphere: then this is the place to visit wether it's lunch, dinner, or a simple happy hour!!! The ambiance is amazing, the staff spectacular, the food out of this world! The cocktails make me feel like I'm sitting beach-side at Turks and Caicos! Overall, this place is a must visit! Nas, and Amir (bartenders) thank you for the implacable customer service! Oh, if you want patio vibes, they got it ;) read more

I love this place for happy hour. It's one of those rare places that has really fun, tasty drinks and good food at the same time -- all on a happy hour menu that doesn't end at 5! Last time I went my bao buns came out really fatty though. I pointed that out to the waiter and he said they're always like that and that's how people seem to like them. I'm not sure how people can stomach eating a literal slab of fat with a sliver of ham in their bao bun, but just be forewarned about that! I didn't end up eating all of mine for that reason and wasn't comped for the fatty ones. That's my only complaint though. Clean restrooms, fun outdoor area, quiet indoor booths (when the weathers nice anyway), and great service. Will return! read more

I have been to Bar Bao a few times and I think the happy hour menu is eclectic, well produced, and in general not too expensive. This is a great place to meet coworkers or perhaps grab a quick date for two hours and enjoy the atmosphere. This is one of those places in Arlington that is probably a must to go to. You can walk around the area afterwards and enjoy Clarendon better. read more

I think I need to come back to visit during happy hour, but a friend and I visited during lunch and we were happy with our choice. The prices are a little high for the amount of food, but they do an amazing job with their buns. It was nice having two options for buns as a vegetarian (avocados or fried tofu). I opted for the tofu, and the buns were delicious! Service was super fast, so definitely a spot you can squeeze into a lunch hour. I think Happy Hour is probably the time to visit so you can get more bang for your buck, but I would recommend if you're looking for yummy bao buns in Arlington! read more

Disappointed and never going back. Slow service, food was mediocre, nothing special about this place. Customer service need work.

Went for a drink with my boyfriend and sat at the bar. It took longer then necessary considering the amount of people that were there. The bartender also took and completed another drink order before ours and I'm pretty sure there was zero alcohol in our $12 drinks. read more

My BF and I came here last Friday night for dinner. As I heard/saw all the hype since the opening, I decided to make a reservation via Yelp. I must say, I am sooo glad I did! We arrived around 6:45 and the place was packed both inside and on the patio. We were immediately greeted and sat in a comfy spacious booth. Our server was very friendly, attentive, and helpful with recommending menu items. Although there was a high volume of people and I can't imagine how busy the BoH was, we still had amazing service. He consistently checked on us and made sure we were taken care of. Even though this place is fairly new, the staff all worked very well together... 5++ Stars!! For the drink I ordered the Pen-Apple Cream. It was delicious and tasted a lot like a good Pina Colada. Also, the drink HH runs until 8, so definitely take advantage of their specials. Unlike a lot of places, they offer HH specials throughout the restaurant (not just the bar). For food we ordered the Fried Chicken, Shrimp Tamarind Baos, and the Wonton Nachos. The fried chicken was okay but the shrimp was so flavorful and amazing. The Bao itself was a little too sweet for my taste, however that's just personal preference. We also ordered the Tuna Poke tacos which were delicious with a crispy wonton shell. The real showstopper was the Wonton Nachos! They were so good in fact that we both channeled our inner "fat kid" and ordered two! Honestly, my BF is a picky eater and he hasn't shut up about these nachos all week. He has been making every excuse to come back here! The wontons are perfectly fried, the ingredients are fresh and the flavors go so well together. I have had these types of nachos at other places, and honestly they do not even come close to Bar Bao. Overall an amazing place with great food, drink and service. It has a fun and lively atmosphere and is a great new addition to Clarendon. Highly recommend and we will definitely back (probably tonight :P). read more

(Nightlife) Good vibes! So I guess Bar Bao is affiliated with the Social Restaurant Group of the DC metropolitan area and they have a few other places opening up this year that I'm down to check out. I felt comfortable here and was having a good time, enjoying the scene, music and crowd. The wall graffiti added a nice urban touch. I love that you can dress up some or be casual and either one fits the feels. Prices arent too bad.. one red bull vodka cost me about $8.50. Pretty sure I've paid $10 for that drink at other places before. Overall, you can surely enjoy a night out at Bar Bao and if it's not working out, just hop over literally to the bars next door. read more

Special cocktail prices for happy hour. The cocktails were great with no added sugar. Quiet spot for a nice evening.

Food sucks. The thinking and creativity is all there when it comes to their dishes, it's just totally ruined by their shitty ingredients and heavy reliance on salt. Fortunately, there are several fantastic Vietnamese/Thai restaurants around to go to instead. However, it's a solid spot for drinks and the staff is nice. read more

Stopped in for lunch and met Dave the bartender. Had a great experience ($.99 beers help) and the food was really good. Highly recommended for lunch. Ask for Dave. I'll be back for HH, place is huge. read more

Love the atmosphere and food. Got veggie fried rice, bulging I fries, and fried chicken buns. Mmmmm so delicious. You can sit inside or out. The outside is self seating and was super packed. The staff was very friendly too. It's not a dinner spot though. More of a chill, hang out place. read more

Came here at the recommendation of a friend and it was worth it! The food was great and the drinks were even better. Kelsey and Kaitlynn gave great recommendations and they were really nice. I'll definitely be coming back! read more

Just your typical, average bar. Nothing great, but wasn't terrible either. Came here for happy hour and sat outside the whole time, so can't comment on the decor. I suggested this place to coworkers because it was new and had an overall rating of 4 stars. There was nothing I had where I told myself "Wow, that was terrific, I have to come back." We ordered calamari, bulgogi fries, veggie and chicken dumplings, braised pork bao, fried chicken bao, fried avocado bao, wonton nachos, tuna poke tacos, and Korean Bingsoo. My favorite was the chicken dumplings and fried avocado bao. Fried avocado bao seemed to be made just right and was flavorful. Chicken dumplings tasted exactly like what I had envisioned. There was too much going on with the bulgogi fries. Between the Sriracha mayo and kimchi, just wasn't my thing. With that being said, I still ate much of it because it was food in front of me and I was hungry. The braised pork bao seemed dry to me, but I don't eat pork too often. Tuna Poke tacos were okay, but would have preferred if they were soft tacos instead of the hard crunchy ones. I didn't have many of the nachos cause it just looked like there was too much going on in the plate. I'm a simple guy. The Korean Bongsoo is something I've never had before, so I don't have anything to compare it with. It was basically a combination of green tea ice cream, shaved ice, and some fruit. I would definitely give them another shot, but it isn't going to be towards the top of my list. read more

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We'd wanted to try this place shortly after it opened and only recently got there. The service was great, though there weren't many people in the restaurant as it was just at the start of happy hour. They are owned/operated by the Spanish bar next door, so sometimes they do combined events in the plaza between the restaurants, which is pretty fun. Their happy hour selections are pretty solid and competitively priced for the area. Their special mixed drinks are to die for, though a little expensive. It seems like it would be pretty busy at night, but dinner time was calm and welcoming enough for families with children- I just wouldn't come here too late with kids, as the drunk crowd would start to invade. read more

I've probably come here over twenty times and it never disappoints. The happy hour is the best deal I've found in Arlington or dc, and the only place I love scene a beer with an 11.5% ABV for $5 during happy hour. The brunch is incredible, your mimosas never run dry, and the service is impeccable. It's easily the best kept secret for bottomless brunch in dc or Arlington. read more

Bar Bao - Asian Fusion Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Service was good, food was very good. Definitely recommend the wonton nachos. Tried the Choji's Breakfast. It was tasty, but not $13 tasty... Would rather have it in a glass and save the cost of the gimmicky melon. read more

We came on a Friday night for Happy Hour after work and the staff was very warm and friendly. There were some errors with our order but the waitress was kind and fixed it. The issue was later with our tab. There were a bunch of added items including items we asked the waitress to return because we never ordered (easy mistakes like I asked for their house Pinot Grigio and received a Cabernet-it was also a Friday night so the music was loud and so she just may not have heard). When we received our bill and asked the waitress about the additional items she discussed it with us and removed the incorrect items which was about $135 worth of errors. Though we were a group of 4, we paid on one card and tipped her the normal 20% in cash because she was honestly a nice waitress. However, about 3 hours later the card was ran a second time for the first amount we disputed. Luckily it's 2019 and fraud alert protected the charge and cancelled the card. When my friend contacted the store they said they were just running the tip but the tip was already included. I'm also still recovering from some weird kind of food poisoning that popped up the next morning. I'm not sure what I ate there but there may be a reason why their Happy Hour food is so cheap. I'm not going back. read more

This place is amazing. My husband and I are in town for the night, searched for restaurants around us and this menu intrigued us the most. We had the crispy pork belly buns, Korean short rib buns, tuna tacos and bulgogi fries and it was all delicious. But the best part was our bartender Dave. He was friendly, efficient, funny and made great drinks. Just a fantastic experience overall. read more

First visit and we had great service from Ivan. Yelp reservation on a Friday night for 2 was no problem and we got seated in a very comfortable booth. Of course, we over ordered - Korean tofu app, Steamed belly/fried chicken/crispy belly steam buns (boa) and Loa rice salad. Steamed pork belly boa was our favorite. I like the steam buns here better than Momofuku since they narrower/taller and feature the filling more. The spice tray was great and the Thai chili oil was our favorite to spice up our Bao. Drinks were house cold sake, but the beer/wine/cocktail lists were good; I'd like to see more local draught beer. Decor was interesting and the art is worth another look. This will be a great lunch spot for the office gang. read more

Great place for a work happy hour / dinner. Veggie friendly options, friendly staff, and we all loved the food.

We were pleasantly greeted when we arrived by the hostess and other staff members. Carlos was our waiter he greeted us with a very pleasant and kind demeanor. He took the time to explain to us some of the popular dishes that most of the diners would order. He also mentioned some of his most favorite dishes. So at the advice of our knowledgeable, very friendly waiter Carlos, we ordered the Wings with the ginger soy sauce, chicken and pork dumplings, Bulgogi cheesteak, fried chicken and fried avocado bao sandwiches. The food arrived fresh and hot to our table, and we found everything very delicious. The decor is so so, but the food more than makes up for that. I highly recommend Bar Bao. read more

One of the best brunch places in Arlington!! I mean they just keep bringing food out and very attentive to the table. Unlimited mimosas are a hit! I love it. read more

Bar Bao is a fun, Asian-fusion concept very close to the Clarendon metro. I have eaten here 3 times already and every time I've been adventurous enough to try something new. I was hesitant to try the fried avocado bao bun, but this has quickly become one of my favorite dishes. The pork belly bao bun a close 2nd. The drinks are creative - one named after an anime character who derives his super power from food! ha!! I also highly recommend the tuna poke taco in this amazing wonton shell. Pork fried rice and their lunch's Orange Chicken bowl is also delicious! read more

We love coming to Bar Bao for the outdoor space and good specials. Alex is our favorite server here! She is always so friendly and bubbly. She provides excellent service no matter how busy it is, and still makes the time to talk to all of her tables! read more

Good location, across from the metro stop, the food was not that great, felt like too many fried options. I was bothered by customer service too, literally after getting food our server was asking us every three minutes if we want something. read more

The bartenders at the back bar are phenomenal. Sadly, if you sit anywhere else, prepare to be overcharged and wait for any drink or food order for 10-15minutes+ beyond the normal wait time. For example, we ordered our drinks while sitting outside and our food was served but our drinks never came (over one hour). This repeated for the remainder of the evening to the extent that we started ordering from the bar directly! Yet we were charged for all of our "ghost drinks" that never made it and some that we never ordered. This used to be one of our favorite places but the waiters and management have really gone down hill. Any who, pay cash and only go to the bartenders unless you want to be scammed. read more

Good place if you are into Asian fusion. Our waiter David was friendly and helpful. The portion sizes are small but delicious . Definitely worth going to read more

I am really disappointed! The food here was really bland and tasteless. The service was good and the ambiance is pretty cool so I'll probably come back and get drinks but other than that... didn't live up to the hype. read more

The day started off well with good friends and good drinks. Food was good except we kept saying no scallions on the food bc of allergies, but food kept coming out with scallions. Then worst of all, Sara or another member of the waitstaff took stole something of mine after I left a $35 tip on top of $12 automatic gratuity on a $63 bill. No need to steal. That's just disgusting and rude. If you wanted it you should have asked for it. read more

Wanting to try a new place I came across this on yelp. When we arrived we were given the choice of seating in the front or back, definitely up front in the comfy booth. Our waiter was Elias, he was friendly and attentive without being overbearing or hovering. We had the calamari, cheesesteak , friend chicken bao, the avocado buns(which was crazy good), chicken skewers and chicken dumplings. Everything had incredible flavor and I loved the choices of sauces to go with everything. And it was happy hour so we were able to enjoy those specials. Our glasses were never empty and no empty dishes stayed on our tables for long. It was obvious that the employees enjoyed working there. The bathrooms were also very clean which I super appreciated. I'll definitely be back read more

The Bao and bulgogi fries are the most popular item on the menu. I enjoyed the food especially the bulgogi fries, but as someone mentioned in their review the fruit flies made it hard to enjoy anything. read more

Went for Happy Hour on a Thursday around 5 when it was empty. It got packed pretty quickly as it was trivia night. Our server was nice and the food was amazing! Took off 1 star as I feel like the happy hour menu can be improved especially since Clarendon is such a competitive area read more

They have weekend happy hour! Such a great dinner spot. My favorite dumplings in the area by far! You definitely have to get the bulgogi fries. read more

Bar Bao - Asian Fusion Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Went here for Happy Hour last Friday. Special cocktail came out in a cool glass, but the drink was nothing special. Hubby was happy about the $4 draft of golden monkey. Boa buns were delish and only $5 for 2 - I prefer the chicken over the pork belly. Also recommend the wings and dumplings (only $2.50 for 2). Great spot for outdoor HH, but get there early to get a seat on the patio. Good service. We'll be back. read more

Tasty Food which arrived promptly and warm. Great Service and customer care. Must try!!!

Hey hey! I remember the first time I visited this restaurant, I was so impressed! Every time I I've came here the service and food was outstanding. I'm actually here right now haha and I just want to give a shout out to Petter for his outstanding service and cheerful vibes. Today is the first time my boyfriend has ate here and he can't wait to come back especially since it turns into a club at night with hookah haha Thanks so much!!!!! read more

Five stars all the way. My wife and I were in town the other night for her competing in a cocktail competition. We were both browsing Yelp for places to eat and after a couple seconds of looking at this menu, we knew this was where we needed to go. We were greeted immediately by Dave when we walked in and sat at the front bar. I had a gin and tonic and my wife had a beer and they were both great. Dave was such an excellent bartender and was not only attentive but funny and really made our trip here memorable. The food was so terrific that I wish we lived closer so we could come here more often. In fact, we had to come here after she finished the competition for a nightcap. We definitely will be back and if you are in town, do yourself a favor and stop in.....and ask for Dave. read more

Went to Bar Bao last Saturday night for dinner and drinks. The service was very good, the food was....alright. We ordered the Bulgogi fries, the Korean tofu buns, the avocado buns and the Chinese broccoli. The bulgogi fries had great flavor but were relatively cold and the cheese was already starting to congeal when they got to the table. I didn't try the tofu buns but I did have an avocado bun and it seems my friend and I had the same critique of both. They had good flavor but the bun as well as all the contents were soft. There was no variation in texture and both really could have used some crunch. The Chinese broccoli was very tasty. We both got cocktails which were very tasty. I'm not sure I would go back here to eat but I would definitely stop by for a drink or two. read more