Little Bao

Honestly, I don’t see what all the fuss is about. The baos are over priced but it does have a cool expat vibe going on. We got the pork belly bao and found it too saucy and oily. The service is a bit subpar for catering towards expats I find. It’s more of a take it or leave it mentality. Good luck.

Cute hipster Bao joint in Soho. Definitely lives up to the hype and better than any Bao spot I’ve tried in Vancouver yet. All of their bao’s are pretty delicious. Their classic is the slow braised pork belly Bao with hoisin ketchup. I think my favourite is their deep fried green tea ice cream and condensed milk Bao. Yepp they really just threw all those ingredients together and yeppp it IS as bombass as it sounds!
The only downside is the no resos /​long lineup situation but turnover is quick. Bar seats only. It’s a eat quickly, loud music bumpin’, feel guilty later for consuming all those calories type of spot. All worth it!

Probably my favorite restaurant in HK! We first went for the dessert and a drink one night (already having intentions of actually eating dinner there another night) and although they had stopped serving food they were happy to accommodate us.
We both got the salted caramel bao and we were blown away! We both agreed it was one of the best things we had ever eaten.
The next time we went we sat at the bar and had a great conversation with the bartender the whole night who gave us a bunch of great local tips, as I am new to HK. We shared he brussel sprouts, truffle fries, hot chicken, pork belly bao, and the caramel baos once again. Everything was amazing and I haven’t stopped craving it since we last went!

I had high expectations before coming here, therefore I was a little disappointed. Food was good, but didn’t wow me. The Baos were so so. The lamb tartare was the best dish. As for the drunken clams, the clams were big and fresh, but I’m not sure how impressive/​special the sauce was… but must eat the clams with the mashed potato, tastes better. I would give a 3.5 for the place.

Oh my! This place is outstanding! The food was on point and the service is really great. We waited for around thirty/​forty minutes to be seated at the bar/​kitchen area. Mind you this place is really small. We ordered the clams, several of the baos & dessert. The clams were hands down the best I’ve ever had and that says a lot because I grew of in the Pacific Northwest. The bartender, Ryan (I think) was super friendly and gave awesome suggestions. This place should be on your list if you are visiting the area, just be prepared to wait a little to get in.

I just don’t get it. Overpriced tiny off the beaten track burger joint. Did I say over priced? $ 188 for a burger that fits in the palm of your hand. I would understand if it were made of Japanese kobe beef but it isn’t. I tried it because it is down the street from where I live while in Hong Kong. Service top notch, friendly for sure, quality for a tiny burger, it was good. Would I go back? No!

Day bao bao. ch. chika. chika!
Perhaps good things come to those who wait! I have heard about Little Bao for a while now, but for whatever reason, just haven’t tried it. Maybe its seeing the heaps of people waiting outside every time I visit PMQ or walk by from SOHO. Whatever the reason may be, the long lines will no longer deter me from this place!
Been here twice now. Luckily and surprisingly both times had no lines, and Little Bao was actually quite empty inside. The first time I was here, we saw that there were actually «Take Out Sets» available. And its much cheaper in price than the usual dine in price. For about $ 150 the set includes your choice of an appetizer, your choice of a bao (think of the white Bun from your traditional Dim Sum restaurant), and your choice of ice cream for dessert. Even if you order «take out» they actually let you eat on the benches in front of the restaurant. Second time we didnt see the take out sets and opted to dine in.
Dishes Tried:
Truffle Fries — first bite had me go wow! Flavorful but not overpowering. Love the seasoning and additional ingredients on the side. Previously I thought the Truffle fries at afternoon tea at The Intercontinental was the best ones in Hong Kong. Little Bao’s now take over my list for top Truffle Fries in Hong Kong.
Beef Bao — very similar to a gourmet hamburger, except the buns were «baos» and the size was small, slightly larger than a typical slider. Juicy beef patty with a gooey melted slab of cheese. I’m satisfied.
Pork Belly Bao — My favorite of the three baos I’ve tried. Juicy and tender. Flavor is just right. But probably the fattiest of all the baos available.
Fish Tempura Bao — Fish taste overpowers the rest of the seasoning. But fried perfectly crispy. Good fish tempura but nothing special in terms of specialty.
Smoked Eggplant Salad — Decent eggplants can taste the smoke flavor slightly. Nothing too special but decent if you want an appetizer.
Salted Caramel Ice Cream Bao — First bite had me go wow! Apparently Little Bao makes their own ice cream every day, so the choices may vary daily. The ice cream was very nice and the Salt wasn’t overpowering. This dessert is served on deep fried buns (think of it as a Donut ice cream sandwich).
Sangria — The only thing that has disappointed me at Little Bao so far. Served with a dried plum inside, the drink was way too bland. Not fruity/​punchy at all. Don’t recommend it!
Needless to say, most dishes here have left me in amazement, I will definitely be coming back to try more!

140 HKD for a savory fried fish bao and a tiny salted caramel dessert bao. Not the most economical, but when you’re hungry…
It’s a tiny joint and the seating is along the kitchen or the wall. I was afraid I was going to reek of grease, but I didn’t, maybe it’s because I wasn’t there for a long time. Service was ok. They seemed visibly disappointed when I only ordered a bao. The fried fish bao was as expected. The dessert bao took a while to prepare (it’s weird when you’re sitting in front of the kitchen). It is tiiiiny but good. There were more specials written overhead but apparently not available for lunch time.
Probably won’t come back given the other options in the hood.

Just when i thought salted caramel ice cream on the menu was the norm, I was wrong. so wrong. After my first bite into my ‘salted caramel bao’, I was gastronically shocked and my mind exploded.
Now I realise I haven’t tasted the real salted caramel before until now …
So I have wanted to try out little bao for the longest time but never managed to get round to it as it is almost always packed (!!). Well today was my lucky day, not only were there no queue, the staff was nice enough to let me and my bf sit either inside or on outside bench to try their «take out menu». I love it when staffs are flexible.
We tried a Beef bao+ truffle fries + salted caramel fries. They were all so good I would definitely go back to attempt to try everything on the menu. Apart from the salted caramel bao. I would also highly recommend the truffle fries. They added pickles and herbs on top which creates a very interesting texture and contrast. (it’s even better than the fries I tried at some five star hotels in my opinion)
Highly recommended place !

You can’t go wrong at Little Bao for a flavor-​packed casual Friday dinner. That is unless you’re tight on your calorie intake; here, they have an old world mentality beneath their hipsterish façade where flavors and textures prevails.
Baos: The pork belly baos use a classic spongy mantou (chinese steamed buns) base and sandwich the fatty meat. It is savoury and slightly sweet at the same time. But the meat was a little dry despite the thick layer of fat. The ice cream baos are deep fried, which really enhances the juxtaposition of textures: crispy and soft, hot and cold, and is something of a signature item there for people who have visited, for good reason too! Your meal simply won’t be complete without one! I recommend the salted caramel.
Non-​baos: What did it for me were the non-​bao dishes. The brussell sprouts are wonderfully charred and generously sprinkled with crispy deep fried shallots in a semi sweet fish sauce. The beef rib filling in the dumplings are absolutely gorgeous — succulent, meaty and moist. The hot chicken is equally amazing. It has a crunchy texture reminiscent of Korean fried chicken and is smothered with smoky sichuan peppercorn flavours from the sauce and batter. For hot food lightweights like me, the spiciness was just enough to keep me sweating and still thoroughly entertained.
Other comments: My stars mainly go towards the food.
The price leans towards the pricey side in consideration of food portions, which is just a bit larger than tapas size. But it is not break-​your-​bank pricing either.
Seating space is slightly crammed, as with many restaurants in HK. Unless you’re an XL otherwise you will be fairly comfortable.
There are hooks under the bar table for bags.

I’m always drawn to little bao and have tried it 2 or 3 times but I always come away slightly disappointed. I think the flavours are there but every dish is a little too sweet for my liking. If you have a sweet tooth then I can imagine you’d love this place.

Came here for the second time tonight and was very disappointed with the service and value of the experience. I tried 2 additional cocktails — different from the last time I visited — and these were overly sweet for my palate as well (Chris’ Lemonade and Gin & Juice). We had the truffle fries, LB fries, Brussels sprouts, and 2 baos — the beef bao and the fried chicken bao. The food was super heavy — which is just what you have to be in the mood for if you come here, as there are no options on the lighter side (it’s a diner concept, after all, so I get it). But the fried chicken had a thick layer of FATTY skin on it which was just unappetizing to me and my dining partner in crime. The beef bao (basically a big slider) was pretty good though.
The service was the real dampener of the evening though. When we arrived, we ordered 2 cocktails while we were waiting and the server/​host forgot to put our order in. Then halfway through or meal — before the baos and truffle fries arrived, we were asked if we wanted dessert. We said no, we’d rather wait to finish our meal first and then decide if we have room for it later. Waters were left empty, dirty plates were left cluttering the small dining space afforded to us (which we had to ask them to clear away), our truffle fries were initially presented to us as «lamb tartare,» and we had to ask for our check twice. There just seemed to be a lot of confusion, awkwardness, and lack of confidence emanating from the service staff –which killed the smoothness and eloquence that one expects from a $ 760 dining experience in a glorified diner (our total bill for 2 persons).
The food overall is good, so I don’t want to ding Little Bao down to 2 stars because I like the flavors that they’ve got going on, and I still dig the concept. Unfortunately, I probably won’t be back given the poor service, cramped dining space, heaviness/​greasiness of the food (with no lighter menu options to balance out the richness/​heaviness), and overly sweet cocktails. :(

I had an amazing dinner at Little Bao during a trip to Hong Kong.
Little Bao does modern takes on bao (buns). We had the Szechuan Chicken Bao and the Beef Bao. Both were amazing. The flavor on the chicken bao was great and the beef in the beef bao was very tender. The baos are not that big, so we also got Short-​rib Dumplings to share between the two of us. Additionally, we had the Green Tea Ice Cream Bao, which was super unique, cute, and tasty.
Little Bao is tiny restaurant in Central. The wait to be seated was about 10 minutes when we went. It is casual and trendy. There were lots of young couples the enjoying a casual meal.
Little Bao is a bit expensive considering the portion sizes and that it is a causal place. I think we spent about USD 50 for those four items. But I would definitely still recommend it!

Four stars because of those damn deep fried ice cream baos. Soooo good. I came back a few times just for those bad boys.
If there wasn’t those ice cream baos on the menu, then I would have rated them three stars. Small, pricey portions with quite delicious items and mediocre service. My favorite item on the menu was their brussel sprouts because they were so darn delicious. I normally hate brussel sprouts but I couldn’t stop eating theirs, which is crazy to me.
I loved their mac and cheese too. It was cute how they incorporated Chinese elements to make the dish fuse with an American classic. Rice rolls and cheese? I would have never thought of that combination.
I wasn’t really impressed with their savory baos because I personally do not like the Chinese bun texture very much. Their fillings were yummy though! My pick is the pork belly bao. My friend loved her sichuan pork bao though.
As for their interior, it’s warm and inviting. You can sit at the bar and watch them make the food, which might not be a great thing. I loved seeing how they make their food. But my sister who is serve safe certified, kept pointing out what they were doing wrong and left me with less of an appetite.
COME FOR THEIR ICE CREAM BAOS is all I can say.

Cute place, interesting and tasty small plates (especially if you venture further than the baos), and an overall fun, hip environment. Staff/​owner is very pleasant and patient in describing anything on their menus. Just show up early or late to avoid the wait because the place is pretty much just counter space. Almost reminds me of East Side King/​Paul Qui back in ATX, but a little more elevated hipster and delicate, and a little less food truck/​comfort food decadent.

Good spot for a casual bite. No reservations and short wait, so better to go in small groups. Service was decent-​to-​nice with the waitress we had but only went once to try so far.
Loved their ice cream baos the most but definitely on the pricey end for bao (savory or sweet) eating. See my pics and bill for prices. However, the trendy little spot does offer up a very clean and neat bao eating experience for those who never had it before.
Recommend for your non-​Asian out of town guest who need a small bite to eat and a drink.

this place, I didn’t quite like — and I don’t think it worth all that new york hype surrounding it, though there were some pretty-​darn-​good dishes, like brussel sprouts charred with shallots and garlic (OHMYGAWD I could eat brussel sprouts forever), and fries that were well-​seasoned and fried till crisp and golden (almost as good as long john silver’s, which I think already fantastic).
but their signature buns — almost the entire menu is buns of some sort, which is sort of overkill — were pretty meh. the steamed ones were dense and filling, and rather too thick for its relatively skinny filling of some fried meat or another — and even the dessert was ice-​cream between buns (not bad, for at least they used a fried bun here). I don’t know about you, but there’s only so much bread I want to eat at a go.
there was also a mentaiko mac-​and-​cheese, but it was too creamy and wet (like a soup) — not quite what I’d call a good rendition. the place is packed, and the queues get longer as the sun sets — and I’d venture that you’d be better off eating at yardbird down the road (even though it has even longer waiting times).

Okay I’m from NYC, and this was my first meal — and really my first experience dealing with people that live/​work in Hong Kong. A friend that’s been living in the city for 2 years told me I needed to try this place, and I wouldn’t regret it — but it’s a little pricey.
The place is very small so I had to wait an hour after putting my name down before being called in. This was 9PM, so it was kind of expected. I walked up the street and ended up in a bar killing time and getting drunk for free on some expats tab.
I sat at the bar, which is definitely the best place to sit. You get to see the chefs at work, and food is served right to you, no need for a waitress to help you. They have a great beer list (All Day IPA in HK!), awesome music selection, and the people that work and eat here all seem very cool.
My friend and I started out with the Truffle Fries w/​Shittake Mushrooms. The hostess recommended it. At first I was a little skeptical of getting fries in Hong Kong, but these were fantastic, and the shiitake mushroom sauce was great for dipping everything else in.
Next was the shortrib dumplings. My friend recommended I get this. these dumplings were great! I had been eating a ton of pork all throughout Asia –and a change to this short rib beef was very welcome. The dumplings were also super crispy.
I got the pork belly bao, it was so deliciously porky and soft. My friend got the fried fish (with tamarind palm sugar glaze!) bao, and only took one bite. I’m glad she didn’t eat it because it was also phenomenal!
Also shared the eggplant and sisho pork tempura. A great side to go along with everything.
I finished off with the salted caramel ice cream bao. The desert was so good. Don’t skip it!
The bill came out to around $ 70 USD which isnt cheap given the portion size, but where it lacked in size it made up for in amazing flavor.

Quite expensive for what you’re getting — around $ 80 for ONE steamed bao. But I guess if you’re around Central, you’re not paying any less anywhere else.
The baos are pretty good. I tried the original, and they weren’t stingy on the pork belly. Good flavours.
Tried the short rib pan-​fried dumplings too. Super filling, very rich, well-​seasoned.
Would go again.

I like it because it’s small bits of bites of heaven. Really try the ice cream bao though. Pretty chronic. The crunchiness of the bao works well with the ice cream. Remember to add some caramel on it.

Ah, Little Bao. You either love it or you hate it. Situated just above the hipster haven PMQ, Little Bao is an establishment surrounded by other larger and more affordable eateries. The best way to enjoy your dining experience here is to come as a group, that way you can get to sample all that Little Bao has to offer — or at least half of that if you’re short on funds, in which case, don’t bother coming here without a bit of coin.
When we went for dinner as a group of 4, the line was terribly long. It was so long. And it was raining. It was a hypebeast convention outside, attracting a hipster crowd that wore bucket hats (suddenly en vogue again) and beanies in the middle of the summer. Once we got in, the place was noticeably small, like studio flat small. I didn’t mind the size too much but I do wish they’d just take reservations, even for just half of the restaurant.
How many baos does it take to satiate yourself? Around four. Or five if your last meal was breakfast. This is where the kicker comes in: the baos may be small, the interior might be small, but the taste is balling at large. If you never had a bao in your life, I’m telling you, this is the place to eat your first bao — it will serve as your yardstick. The pork belly bao is the bao’s bao; the OG bao, the bao boss, the bao to order every time you come here. The meat was juicy, tender, and flavorful — in that order.
The chicken bao was a great spicy addition to the savory pork bao. It had coleslaw and I’m always a sucker for coleslaw so I might be a bit biased there. Looking for a seafood bao? They got you covered with the fish bao which has a nice and sweet crispy touch to it with a bit of lemongrass. Will I be back again to sample more baos from the menu? Of course! While it may not be for everyone, Little Bao shines as the best place to eat and enjoy a great bao — at least in my book.