BAO Soho in London
53 Lexington St, Carnaby, London W1F 9AS, United Kingdom
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Intimate, wood-furnished space for steamed milk buns & other inventive Taiwanese eats & drinks.
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We were here 2 hours ago for my daughter’s birthday and pre-theatre meal. Absolutely faultless! Excellent food and service. Would definitely come back!
Another favourite of mine. 10/10 as always. The mapo aubergine is completely out of this world, one of the tastiest things I’ve ever had, cast iron 10/10. Pork belly bao also wild. Please have a beer too, one of the best, another 10/10. Would highly recommend this joint.
Excellent cuisine! The fried chicken is delicious and absolutely worth trying. The bao buns are also very tasty. The only downside is that the space is quite small, and the wall hooks for coats aren’t ideally placed—when they’re full, they can be a bit uncomfortable and get in the way. Aside from this minor issue, the overall experience is fantastic. The flavors are authentic, and the dishes are well-prepared. Friendly and attentive staff make the visit even more enjoyable. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a great meal in a cozy setting!
Delicious baos. We tried quite a few; favorites ones were the classic and fried chicken. The lemonade with milk foam was also amazing! We queued up by giving phone number and 15 minutes later got texted with available table. Very smooth and nice process
The lunch set is a nice way to sample 3 different dishes. I liked the pickled and grilled mushrooms. It was perfect if you don’t want something heavy. It had a nice sweet and slightly pickled flavor which paired well with the smokiness from the grill. The confit pork bao was a bit dry and it was lacking flavor. I was expecting rich pork flavors but it was subtle and there wasn’t too much sauce on top. The rice bowl had simple flavors as well.
Tight quarters but quick service. Nice server in middle for conversation if you’re willing. Food came out very fast. Bao buns were delicious and the drink selection was great. Would come back
Interior of this place never disappoints, small but very cute. It is pricey but the food is filling and delicious. Very surprised with the aubergine, thought it wouldn’t be that nice but absolutely loved the flavours. Service is quick and very helpful from when you come in and when you leave too. Beautiful staff
The service was exceptional—staff were friendly, efficient, and made us feel very welcome. The food was fantastic, living up to the high expectations set by its reputation. Each dish was a flavorful adventure, particularly the signature baos, which were perfectly balanced in taste and texture. However, the dining space is quite confined, which can make it feel a bit cramped, especially during peak hours. Additionally, it was quite hot inside, which detracted somewhat from the overall comfort. Despite these minor inconveniences, the prices are very reasonable for the quality of food and service you receive. In summary, Bao offers excellent food and great service at good prices, but the limited space and heat inside are areas that could use some improvement.
Quality buns
Although the staff is so kind and cheerful and buns are amazing, the whole experience is overpriced and exaggerated. The food was ok except for very jelly pork belly thing. But prices again unnecessarily high.
AMAZING EXPERIENCE!!!
Excellent bathrooms
Vegetarian options: // Food
Delicious food and fantastic concept.
Amazing food!
Fantastic bao, staff were so friendly and helpful. Would defo recommend
Lovely !
Amazing! Would defo come again
Great!
Very friendly and efficient staff, worrying at all times that you are well taken care of. The food was very tasty and the baths were incredible. Totally recommended!
great service. great food! loved the bao bans there. the deserts (iced bans) ones were special!
Great food, great service!
Delicious bao (for the price of £6-7 they could be bigger, you need to take 3 to be full) but very good and the atmosphere of the place is great
Vegetarian options: Great Food
Servers are unfriendly. There was a service charge included in the bill, but I wanted to exclude it! Absolutely no intention to revisit Calculation can only be done with QR code, and the fees charged by the site are your responsibility. The bao is very small, so the server recommends ordering at least two. I only ordered one, but the menu came out wrong (Im not even sorry) and I didnt even receive the bill with the QR code in advance (I usually get it right after ordering, so I was the only one in the store who didnt receive the bill). I dont know if I was treated unfairly by ordering only a small amount of food and no drinks, or if it was just a crazy store, but I feel like I will never go there again. The quantity and taste are not that great for the price...? The bread must have been steamed incorrectly, so it got soggy and got on my hands. Its not like Ive had steamed bread for a day or two, and this is a store that doesnt steam bread very well...
AMAZING FOOD AND SERVICE TEAM
love the atmosphere here Vegetarian options: Daikon Bao Food : 4/5 |
It was very satisfying, but I was too full to try the second one despite the fact that it was a bit small. I will definitely comeback here
Loved the fried chicken and buns but service were a bit lacking.
Superb food!
Dietary restrictions: No Food
Vegetarian options: .. Food
Incredible food. Some of the tastiest bao I have ever tried. The food really is the thing that recommends this place, as the service is friendly but a bit lacking - we got all our food but the drinks never arrived, but were still on the bill (however they were removed when asked). The place itself is a very clever use of space, although the coat hooks directly over the tables are an odd choice, and when youre seated at a small table with a giant winter coat looming over it, it does take away from the atmosphere a bit...
Go for it! It s magnificent!
Perfect!
Very decent Taiwanese bao
Best exp ever
Everything was really good but prices were surprisingly expensive I have to say for such casual/street food
Unreal! The food here can genuinely dissolve any minor tiff you and your loved one might be having. Every morsel is an explosive example of why we are on this planet. Lu is a total legend and we love her!
It was amazing!
Will defo return.....especially for the horlicks bun...out of this world. You wont regret it!
Absolutely devine!
Delicious!
Delicious and quick! Fantastic customer service.
Vegetarian options: There s Food
Vegetarian options: Love Food
Absolute gem of a place! Quick, great quality and cosy place to sit in. Horlicks ice cream bao is a must-try.
Very tasty little things.
My first time at Bao, I wanted to love it but its all bit of a rip off. I understand high prices for good quality and good atmosphere but this is not it. The food is good in the sense its not bad. Ultimately ita bao buns, which its good regardless but its a difficult food to make EXCEPTIONAL because it is a cheap snack food, on the go, and its main ingredients are made in bulk. The ingredients and fillings are good here (though I found a bone in my Classic Bao, which was a bit sloppy). This location only serves Bao and small plates, and its cafe style, so youre paying on average $50-60 per person (with drinks & service) to eat in a cramped noisy room (and we were facing a wall). One suggestion!! Please put content sizes (ml) on your drinks. At the very least your non-alcoholic drinks!! I ordered the cold brew roasted oolong tea (£4.50) and what arrived was a 200ml glass, half full with ice, and about 100ml of liquid. I was expecting oh I dont know, a decent sized glass? Its iced tea!! I asked the staff to please top me up and make sure the exposed half of the ice is covered with liquid. They topped it up with water. I sent it back saying it was diluted. And then we were treated to a lecture by the staff member saying that is their standard amount, and etc they could not change it because its the standard amount. I said back, hey if you had put the size of the drink on the menu and I knew I was only getting 100ml of ice tea I definitely would not have ordered this drink. The staff took the drink back and made one with less ice and it was fine in the end, but thats just what should have been done in the first place!! We didnt need a lecture, just fix the problem. Thats what service is. So on my last Classic Bao there was a bone in the bao and that just made me feel a bit disappointed about the whole experience. Go here if youve been and you love it and you think its the best bao, fine. But avoid if you want a satisfying experience because this whole experience was unsatisfying in a way I was just not expecting. Vegetarian options: Not a lot of vegetarian options for bao - only Daikon. In the small plates theres a few but they really put the SMALL in small plates. For the price, theres few thats worth it for vegetarians. The aubergine on rice looked good! Only becaue it came with rice and is substantial
Amazing as always!
Great as usual
Great yummy bao s at very reasonable price :)
Simply delicious!
It has been one of the best dinners I ve had recently!!! Top quality food !!! Don t forget to take hot man margarita !!!!!!!!!!
Even with a peanut and raw egg allergy it s absolutely stunning. The food, the staff, the atmosphere, the price. I would definitely go again, and again and again.
This is a small restaurant and we were seating at the bar with my friend. We ordered few baos and starters. It is quite pricey but really good. It is more a restaurant where you enjoy good food and then leave as it is quite small and they make you feel that you need to leave quite quickly. The decoration has nothing exceptional but the food is good. If you have a big stomach it might become quite pricey though!
YUM
Always great
Vegetarian options: Vegetarian rice, sweet potato, daikon bao Food
It was delicious thank you for that nice experience !
Absolutely delicious as always, staff and food are 100/10 !! Amazing place, thank you
Amazing food and super friendly staff
Absolute favourite spot for a quick lunch when Im in London by myself. Never disappoints. Very friendly staff.
The service at Bao was excellent. The servers were attentive without being overbearing. The food was good. Some dishes (the Short Rib Bao & fried chicken Bao) were exceptionally, others were good but not mind blowing. All in all, a great meal!
Great food, love this place
As always the staff were incredible as was the food. Specially the duck Bao special
Best Taiwanese food
Totes awesome. Everyone looks like a scientist. I love science Vegetarian options: Yum Food : 5/5 |
Amazing food and great hospitality! Thnx Brenda
Food and services both exceptional, thank you
Nice
Dietary restrictions: Good!!!! Food
Amazing food, nice staff, place is too small
Wonderful!
Loved it here
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