We stopped on a whim and were very happy with this discovery. We found all the food we ordered had really interesting flavours, very different from the usual offering. Although we didn't necessarily like all of them, we were very excited to try something that tasted authentic (at least to us!) and different. We were seated on tiny seats facing the wall, which slightly put us off as all the regular tables were free at the time we came in. The staff was very helpful and polite. Overall a very interesting experience that I'd recommend if you love baos and are keen to try something different!

Very delicious food over here, from a small restaurant, with a well curated menu. We went in a group of 3, and had almost one of each. 2 baos and 2 sides to share per person is enough and around £25~£30 per person

I had to checkout @bao_london to see what’s the hype about. Went in with the expectation that it would be Taiwanese fusion (English) food, but it’s actually a bit more authentic than I thought it would be! Even though everything was modified to cater towards a more global/diverse palate, they definitely were able to capture some of the essence of Taiwanese cuisine. Would recommend to others to try for themselves!

Taiwanese tapas! This is what food made by Taiwanese hipsters is like! Creative takes on Taiwanese 小吃 (small eats) by people who actually care about Taiwanese food deep in their souls. The menu is hilarious. They have Taiwan Beer which is nostalgic to me. Come here for drinks and some snacks in good company. Sit at the bar! Don’t come here looking to make a meal of it (in my opinion). Treat it more like sampling night market food. It’s not extremely comfortable in the restaurant, but neither is sitting on little plastic stools in the back alleys of Taipei (and I’ll do that any time!) It not about comfort, it’s about the food!

Absolutely lovely place, with lovely food, and amazingly attentive staff - they are so considerate of allergies and preferences! All the food we ordered was amazing, and we tried to explore most options on the menu. Overall probably the best food place I have been to in Soho if not in all of London

Loved it! What a great combination of flavours! The duck, the pork, the fried chicken, very very nice! Portions are small and it's a good thing, because you can order a lot of small plates and enjoy so many flavours. There is always a queue so better get there early, staff is friendly and there is no rush despite being packed. Definitely a place to go back again.

TL;DR = Delicious food but small portions. It's a quaint and cosy restaurant with very friendly staff. Makes you feel super welcomed. Food review: Classic Bao = Yummy and the peanut powder is an interesting combination with pulled pork. Confit Bao = Insanely delicious, leaving you wanting more. The pork belly is juicy and the dried shallots adds a crunchy texture for contrast. Easy recommend. Taiwanese Fried Chicken with Hot Sauce = Fried to perfection! The batter is light and very crunchy. The hot sauce has a really satisfying kick to it. This is boneless as well. Highly recommend this. A fair warning that you should expect to order 3 to 4 dishes for each person (depending on hunger) due to the small portion sizes. But this also gives you the option to try a variety of dishes!

Shout out to Tom Ward and his team for the extremely kind gesture after my poor experience at BAO Borough. The staff here were fantastic (special mention to Stephanie and Brenda for also managing a very tough customer situation) - food was great. Soho is always busy and Bao was buzzing on a Wednesday night. Recommended to pop in for some great flavours.

Incredible, cozy, authentic little restaurant in the heart of Soho with mind blowing baos. Amazing prices too! The menu is short and concise, very customer friendly. The staff really helpful and kind. Great budget option in Central London that is both filling and delicious.

Great food, baos are delicious and very original (I would particularly recommend the classic and fried chicken ones). The Mapo Aubergine Rice was amazing, a must try. Expect long lines and waiting times, the restaurant is very small and feels a bit cramped

Insanely good!!! I was super surprised, slowly ended up trying almost the whole menu, delicious! Highly recommend for either slow small group dinner or solo fast snack, very metropolitan.

I had a beef short rib bao and fried chicken bao - the bao buns were soft and tender, and the meats were well cooked. They were tasty but I think the prices were too high for this level of quality and portion. Don’t get me wrong - I’m glad I tried it out but £6 for a bao that was around the same size as my palm? I wouldn’t say it’s good for dinner, more like an appetizer. Be aware of the small portion that might leave you hungry afterwards, and the size of the restaurant is quite small too. It can be busy and packed. However, the service was excellent and the server was helpful and friendly - she helped me to decide which bao I should try.

Good range of delicious bao buns at decent prices. I was particularly fond of the chicken, while I found the pork belly underwhelming.

Great food, had the fried chicken and classic! Very tasty. Peanut butter milk was also delicious. Staff friendly, sat in the window, funny watching people walking by and staff turned off the sign that was lit up next to us for comfort!

SUMMARY Order the fried chicken - this is a the highlight of this place. Don't be fooled by the name of the restaurant! (Note to restaurant: please add more sauce!) FOOD The bao as well as the chicken was quite delicious. SERVICE this is an area where I am a bit split. The staff needs to be a bit more accommodating however at the same time the physical space is quite tiny so I understand why it cannot be avoided that it feels like you are bumping into waiters. VALUE the chicken was decent value however the baos were overpriced. I think the fair price for a bao is about £2.5 per piece and perhaps a bit more if the baos are exceptional. They weren't. AMBIENCE it is quite a tiny and hectic place. It feels very cramped. No privacy and... People here shout too much.

Small place, but to me it translated the atmosphere of a small Japanese place. Nice buns and quirky drinks, I would recommend going for one of each.

A well crafted, simple menu with fast service and an intimidate, Asian-style bar interior. T-shirts available are hilarious too, loved all the graphics and the character of this place.

This was a great experience!! All of the food was incredible and our server was hilarious. We had a great time and would go back in a heartbeat. We particularly loved the fried chicken and the fried chicken bao. We were recommended the mapo eggplant (aubergine) and did find that a little bland, but everything else was stellar.

Mini dishes, mini tables, big reputation that it lives up to. The baos are what you go for, but the side dishes and drinks are also novel. Don't fall for the QR code payment fee.

- EXPERIENCE: Should make a reservation if you’re planning to dine in. Thankfully, they have a take-out option which is extremely quick and allows you to go to a nearby park and enjoy the food. - FOOD: Pork confit bao (roughly £7) was the best bao I’ve ever had. The Taiwanese Fried Chicken (£9.50) was one of the best fried chicken I’ve ever had. Delicious.

We reserved a table ahead, which I highly recommend due to its popularity. Bau serves up an incredibly refreshing take on Taiwanese cuisine, emphasizing fresh, straightforward ingredients that truly shine on their own. The star of our dining experience was the short rib Bau, a dish so perfectly executed it leaves a lasting impression. Equally surprising and delightful were the mushrooms, offering a delicate flavor that was both unexpected and thoroughly enjoyable. The pickles, though delicious and tangy, felt slightly overpriced. However, the Taiwanese chicken stole the show, boasting a level of crispiness that far surpasses its American counterpart, making it a must-try dish. I've fallen in love with Bau for its authentic flavors and warm, inviting atmosphere. It's a spot that captures the essence of Taiwanese cuisine with a masterful touch. My experience here was nothing short of wonderful, and I'm eagerly looking forward to my next visit. If you're in London and craving some genuine Taiwanese dishes, Bau in Soho is your go-to. Can't wait to come back again!

I cannot recommend Bao highly enough. The food was amazing, the staff was friendly and provided recommendations, and I left feeling satisfied and that I'd gotten my money's worth. We tried a lot more than what is pictured here, but we couldn't stop eating long enough to take the pictures.

The highlight for me was the peanut milk. It is so refreshing. The baos are very good and the fried chicken. The mushrooms were too salty. Small space but we were seated quickly without a reservation, so that was great!

An incredible and delicious dining experience. Unique in the finer details, you can tell a lot of thought goes into the experience here.

Love this place! The food is amazing and very full filling. The bao buns are delicious and the little tapas you can order apart are incredible. Is very nice if you feel like trying a bunch of things 👌

Such a gem. Light bites while shopping were perfect. The seating process was a bit disadvantaged. If you follow the signs direction to wait outside to be seated, 5 people will ignore the sign and get seated while you politely wait. Not ideal, but after a few tries we were seated and enjoyed ourselves.

Tried all their savoury bao buns and loved them all. This busy place offers nice small dishes with excellent taste combos. Also loved the cocktails. Not for a romantic night out, but great if you want to try something new. Super friendly staff. Will definitely go back to one of the Bao s when I ‘m back in London.

Good food but truly ridiculous policies. Ordered a mushroom & century egg dish which only came with mushrooms. When asked, I was informed that it was the old menu and it has since been changed to only mushrooms. Why didn't they update the menu or inform me when I ordered is beyond me... Also, I was given teaspoons to drink the soup. In what world is that even normal?

What a lovely restaurant experience! I went here on recommendation from a travel book about London. I've been to Taiwan before, so I HAD to try this place. It was full when I got there, so I say down in the freezing winter cold outside. I didn't expect to get an indoor seat since it was completely full, but it didn't take too long before (to my great relief) I was offered one. The good was incredible and the place had a really cosy atmosphere. Still, I think that the very best part of my experience was how warm and welcoming the people working here were. I got the feeling the people here genuinely cared about the customers. That felt very valuable to me. Have recommended this place to friends in London and would definitely come back on my next visit to the city (:

Such a great experience! It was not only delicious but the service was formidable and very kind. The environment is like being is a cozy Taiwanese tavern. A great place to eat in Soho for 25£. I ordered: the soup, the rice with egg and the classic bao. So yummy!

Been here in August. One of the best places to try out Taiwanese cuisine in London. When we arrived, there were no free tables, but one of the staff members allowed us to make a quick reservation on their tablet. After about 30 minutes while we were walking around the block, we were informed via SMS that our table was free. During our visit, the menu was explained efficiently and we enjoyed our three course meal. The portions were not big (so as the restaurant), but it was okay for us.

Authentic cuisine; their buns and the fried chicken were my favorite. I strongly recommend you to make a reservation in advance. I also recommend you to try one of their drinks, they are made from scratch with unique flavors.

The only downside to this is that they don’t have that many to choose from, however, what they offer is yummy and delicious anyway! Went with my friend and we got the aubergine with wonton crisps, sweet potato fries, and from the buns we got the classic, pork, and chicken and they were so good - the bun was fluffy and the filling was so flavourful. Really great combination of flavours. You usually have to wait for some time but that’s not surprising considering the restaurant’s location, and who would mind waiting for great quality food? Plus, have you seen their website?! What a masterpiece!

Good Bao place, tasty food and good service. We were lucky enough to get a table without waiting as we arrived early (noon). I’d recommend booking to guarantee a spot. Spent roughly 30 pounds per person, which seems a bit steep for the amount of food.

Very good experience at Bao ! The staff is very nice to helpful, it is not a traditional restaurant in the sense that you’ll not be seated for 1h30, you eat quite quickly but the food is good and changes from what you can experience elsewhere.

Really enjoyed the pork jowl, beef butter rice, classic bao. The fried milk tea bao was also an excellent dessert.