Review: Bao The Best Steam Buns in London

If you love Taiwanese gua bao as much as me, you have to check out restaurant Bao the next time you are in London. Actually, they have three different venues now, but the original one is in Soho. The two others are in Fitzrovia and Hackney. These fluffly little pieces of deliciousness go under many names, sometimes only referred to as bao (although, that can be confused with the filled baozi buns), and other times steam buns, bao burger, Asian burger, or Taiwanese burger. When we visited the capital of Taiwan last year, we found the most famous spot for gua bao among locals and people in-the-know – Lan Jia Gua Bao (藍家割包). Check it out on my foodie map of Taipei. Bao in Soho is also a highly popular spot for this Taiwanese street food. Londoners line up more than half an hour before the restaurant opens every day, and the queue continues as long as it’s open. They even have a sign, almost like a bus stop, that marks the start of the queue. The Soho shop doesn’t take reservations, so you better be early or expect a long wait.

Once you’ve secured a seat inside, the staff will give you a pencil and a small paper sheet with the menu. You simply write down your selection by putting a number next to each of the dishes you want, and soon after, the waiter comes back to pick up your order. Despite the popularity of this place, I found all the waiters to be very polite and humble. They haven’t got an attitude at all – as you might have experienced at other overly hyped places. These guys seem genuinely passionate about what they do, and happy to please their guests every day. While both the food and venue in itself are highly Instagram-friendly, it’s not just a pretty facade – the food is also extremely tasty.

You order on this piece of paper!
You order on this piece of paper!
Milk foam oolong tea (cold) – baozhong
Milk foam oolong tea (cold) – baozhong

In addition to the classic pork bun, which is filled with braised pork, fermented greens, coriander, and peanut powder (just like the original in Taipei), there are a lot of other equally tempting menu items. I went with the fried chicken in a sesame bun, Taiwanese fried chicken with hot sauce, pork blood cake with egg yolk, confit pork bun, and, lastly, the deep-fried bun with Horlicks (malted milk powder) ice cream. All washed down with a cold milk foam oolong tea. My favorites were the classic pork bun and the fried chicken bun. There’s something magical about that combination of a soft, fluffy bun, with a savory, fatty, and crunchy deliciousness inside. Many bao places mess up by over-complicating the garnish and jamming too much filling into each bun. The trick is to keep it simple. Just like a burger, a gua bao should be easy to eat with your hands. I don’t think I can ever go back to London without another visit to one of the Bao shops. Next time, I’ll check out Fitzrovia.

Taiwanese fried chicken & hot sauce
Taiwanese fried chicken & hot sauce
Classic bao, with braised pork, fermented greens, coriander & peanut powder
Classic bao, with braised pork, fermented greens, coriander & peanut powder

Restaurant Bao in London

Pig blood cake with egg yolk
Pig blood cake with egg yolk
Fried chicken bao. Milk-marinated chicken, Sichuan mayo & golden kimchi in a sesame bun
Fried chicken bao. Milk-marinated chicken, Sichuan mayo & golden kimchi in a sesame bun
Confit pork belly bao with hot pork sauce & dried shallots
Confit pork belly bao with hot pork sauce & dried shallots
Fried Horlicks ice cream bao
Fried Horlicks ice cream bao

What’s your favorite bao restaurant? Please share in a comment below.

Anders Husa

Anders Husa and Kaitlin Orr are food & travel bloggers and creative content creators. From their base in Copenhagen, they operate the largest and most influential restaurant-focused travel blog in Scandinavia.

6 comments

  • I love baos and will try to check this place out next time I’m in London, even though I hate queing in long lines. I guess it must be worth it!

    I had a really memorable experience at “Little Bao” in Hong Kong. It was one of the tiniest and most crowded restaurants I’ve seen, on both sides of the counter. Cool and relaxed atmosphere, and (same as your experience) despite the obvious hype, very humble, friendly and attentive staff. Most importantly, all the food was absolutely amazing! I could have had it as my last meal and die happy. Make sure to check it out if you go to Hong Kong anytime soon.

    • The trick is to queue 30 minutes before they open, get in on the first seating, and pity the ones left outside for another hour after that 😉

      Thanks for the Hong Kong tip. Will definitely check that out, and hoping to go there later this year or early next.

  • Restaurant Bo is good, but really not worth the standing in line when you have the very good chain Shoryu Ramen all around in SoHo, the nearest 50m away on Carnaby Street’s Kingly Court food court. Their 8,50 GBP wagyu, and cheaper pork belly, shrimp and chicken baos combined with very good 24h ramen suffice for 99% of the time.

    • Well, it all comes down to the level of interest, I guess. I don’t mind 30 mins of queueing, to be honest. Much rather that, than eating at a chain restaurant. I think this was well-spent money, but I’m sure there are a bunch of cheaper options if your only goal is to get full.

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