Ekiben

Just dumping fuel on the fire at this point… The Neighborhood Bird chicken sandwich is so good. One of Baltimore’s top 10 sandwiches… The steamed buns are the largest I’ve seen and they are perfectly hot and pillowy. The flavor that hits after you bite into the Taiwanese curry fried chicken is a great surprise. The shrimp for me are a close second, but man, that chicken sandwich… see pic.

Nice small asian fusion casual place. Got the neighborhood bun and loved it! Has a nice vibe– good place to chill with friends/​coworkers and just chat :)
Seating is a bit limited though :/

Food: 5
Ambiance: 4.5
This place came highly recommended from a foodie friend, and we are converts now too!
It’s an unassuming storefront in Fell’s with about 8 seats. Hipster vibe, casual, and almost an exact dupe of Superiority Burger in NYC (just minus the full-​of-​themselves attitude, thank goodness). Staff are super friendly.
We got The Neighborhood Bird on buns, and holy cow this is probably the best sandwich you will eat in Baltimore. Tender chicken breast that’s been marinated in curry awesomeness (not overwhelmingly though), then fried in a thick peppery/​spicy batter that manages to stay crunchy even after a 20 minute car ride in a closed box. Comes drizzled in a spicy sambal mayo, our only gripe being that it wasn’t spicy and was a smidge too sweet.
The Fried Broccoli Salad is delicious. Huge portion and very filling by itself. Huge broccoli florets coated in a thin tempura batter, just salty enough, tossed in aromatic herbs and red onion.
This place is going on our list of favorites, and we will definitely be regulars here!

Finally, able to try out this place. I am a very heavy taste person when it come to food. The initial thoughts was this maybe too Americanize.
I was very impressed as the first bite blow me away. There was so much flavor in each bites. I mean the chicken curry was so juicy.
I would definitely recommended this place for anyone who love try something new.

I like big buns I cannot lie! And the buns here are big, soft and delicious! My bf even wanted to ask if we can just order a bag of fresh buns to go. But anyway, this place has 5 stars for a reason. You will not be disappointed with the food or the staff here. We ordered the original bao and the neighborhood bird bao. Both were very flavorful but the neighborhood bird was the winner between the two. The Taiwanese chicken was so juicy, crispy and came out really hot.
I need and will return to try out more items which includes their sides and also to have an order over rice. I was eyeing other customers eat their rice bowls while I was eating my bun wishing I had a bigger stomach to eat more.
I highly recommend giving this place a try. I don’t think you can go wrong with anything on the menu. More locations coming soon please?! Perhaps in Gaithersburg/​Rockville area ;)

Ekiben is what Baltimore has been lacking. The Asian fusion offerings are great, the buns are the best you can find in the area, and the food itself was perfect. I ordered the original meal on a bun but with a side of rice because I knew it would be enough for two meals. I only wish the restaurant was larger to be able to bring a large group, I am already telling everyone about this location. Great job!

As seen by the high ratings of this place, it was a fabulous hole in the wall place by Fells point. On a Saturday evening, we were able to snag a place to sit and order in at this hip, casual place. The staff was very nice and the food was excellent. We tried The Orginal bao, the curry chicken bao, and fried broccoli with Chinese sausage. The total was a bit pricey for such a casual looking place but everything was delicious so we definitely didn’t mind!
Fried tempura broccoli is just as intimidating as it sounds. A huge heaping portion was brought out to us almost immediately. It was very good though I recommend eating it immediately because after awhile, it became soggy (our faults). Overall it was very good but VERY oily/​greasy so if that’s not something that appeals to you, stay away!
The two baos were absolutely delicious! The bao part was very fluffy, slightly sweet and authentic! The original had a delicious piece of fried chicken in it with veggies and was overall very pleasant. The curry bao really wowed me though. Stuffed with very strong flavors, the flavor of milky curry, lemongrass, and other curry flavors really came through. I wasn’t a huge fan of the texture of the «meatball» form but the bao was still so so delicious!
We were pretty full after these items. I would definitely recommend this place! It’s something special and we wish we found it earlier :)

Back again! Really really wanted to try out the ribs but they did not have it today… Very disappointed… :(
Had the neighborhood bird on rice today. I had the same but on the buns. I like thier chicken on the rice better but it came with a lot of rice for me. I need to ask less rice next time.
My coworker had tofu nuggets today and it was delicious!!! Highly recommended!
I really wanna try the ribs and shredded pork on the buns next time!

Never had fried chicken on bun before. It is good! Flavorful, crispy fried chicken and pickled veggie on fluffy white bun = love it. The only down side it it is too small for me. One and half bun would be perfect for me. Also, the location is pretty small. Won’t recommend a larger party then 2 – 3. Must try for Asian Fusion option in Fells. Would love to see this place expand to a bigger location.

Steve Chu is bringing fells a fantastic fast casual shop with perfect steam buns. I was lucky enough to find them as a food truck and knew I was in love. The new spot on Eastern has a a great vibe highlighting the menu and the food. We tried everything — including a few of the sodas and teas.
The Papa Chu’s ribs are outta this world; I suggest you try everything and try it often. It might be gone; you don’t want to miss it. These might already be gone. These are a little crispy on the outside, yet still fall off the bone. «Melts in your mouth; sticks to your ribs». The rich, sweet, and tender ribs went great with the pickled veggies and drunken edamame.
You really can’t go wrong with anything here, but I think the steamed buns are the best. And you are going to have some serious FOMO if anyone in your party orders «The Neighborhood Bird». The Taiwanese curry fried chicken makes me actually like curry.

Just stopped by because I had heard good things. And they’re all true! I got The Original and it was incredible! I only wish I didn’t shove it down my face so quickly… I want more!
Oh, and the time it took me to walk into the door and walk out with my to-​go order was less than 3 minutes.

Bun so fluffy. So much yum!
I’d previously had a taste of Ekiben at this years, Light City Festival. So I was super stoked to try them again while I was in Fells Point.
This go out I tried the Neighborhood Bird, which is Taiwanese curry fried chicken on one of their sweet, delicious steam buns.
The chicken was so juicy and crispy. The taiwanese curry was a great flavor with the spicy mayo.
2 buns down, 2 more to go.
Kudos to Steve Chu for bringing different fare to Fells Point!

This is a cool joint in Baltimore serving up some delicious buns. We ordered The Original, The Neighborhood Bird, and Tofu Brah. The Original is a must order item, with delicious Thai chicken meatballs balanced out by a refreshing papaya mango slaw. The Neighborhood Bird is also an excellent choice, though I would have preferred the chicken to be a tad crispier. The Tofu Brah was my least favorite from a flavor standpoint, and with buns that doughy, you need some textural contrast, which the Tofu Brah lacked. The real sleeper item at Ekiben is the Fried Broccoli Salad. (We got ours with the Chinese sausage for two bucks extra.) I admit, I’m not known for eating a lot of green vegetables, but wow, I could seriously pop those broccoli in my mouth like potato chips, they were that good!
The staff is friendly, the prices are reasonable, and I really dug the vibe inside. I wasn’t a huge fan of how big the buns were, but I’m definitely glad we checked out Ekiben while we were in town.

I would give it 2 839 432 stars if I could!!! I initially checked out this place when it was at Fells farmers market and am so glad that they opened up their own store. It has easily become my favorite spot in Baltimore.
It’s a small store located within fells. There actually isn’t much seating inside and isn’t conducive to big groups. However, food wise… it’s the best Asian food you can find in Baltimore. I’ve had their original meatball, which was good. However, even better is their nighborhood bird, which I would HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend. They do NOT skimp out on meat, the chicken is nicely crispy, fresh, and warm. Their ribs were also super delicious, but when I returned more recently, it was no longer on the menu (please bring it back!). Instead was the pork vindaloo was on the menu, which was good, but did not quite live upto the ribs or the neighborhood bird.
I love buns in general, and their buns are quite delicious and fluffy but personally, I find their rice to be better. Their meat portions with the rice dish is very generous, and their pickled vegetables are absolutely delicious. Price is a little bit on the steeper side with $ 9 for the buns and $ 12 for the rice bowls, but it’s absolutely worth it.
A must try! Highly highly recommend it.

Two Words… MIND BLOWN! Now you know when somethings good even after you have the highest expectations. Places like this deserves recognition. Four college graduates who started at a hotdog stand, saved up to open the store front in Fells Point and giving back to the community. What more can you say about that! WOW! I think I found my new favorite spot!
How I found out about this place:
Yesterday my friend had suggested trying this new place Ekiben in Baltimore. He applaud how good the food is and the best Bao he’s had. That being said, a few friends and I drove all the way from Virginia last night to see what all the hypes about. Usually what happens when people hype places up is me having high expectations and left disappointed at the end. With that said, before arriving, I kept thinking to myself that this place is going to be a disappointment because now I have high expectations and this is not going to be the best Bao I’ve ever had.
With that said, we decided to order one of each item on their menu since it was rather small and limiting. They had 4 items on their menu to choose from and you can either get it as a bun/​bao or get in as a rice bowl. We decided to get two rice bowls and two baos and here is what we ordered and listed as my favorite to least favorite, but they were all exceptionally GOOD…
1.The Neighborhood Bird (BAO): Taiwanese curry fried chicken, spicy sambal mayo, & pickled nappa cabbage.
2. Crispy Tofu (BAO): Spicy peanut sauce, papaya slaw, & herbs
3. Thai Chicken Meatballs (RICE BOWL): Thai chicken meatballs, coconut sauce, papaya slaw, & fresh herbs.
4. The Bollywood (RICE BOWL): Pork Vindaloo, cucumber, & yogurt.
Sides: Roasted Broccoli w/​Chinese Sausage and Tempura Broccoli
This place definitely meets quality, appearance, touch, texture, temperature, and taste when it comes to the properties of food. I recommend all of the choices on the menu because they were all so good and different in flavor. But if it’s your first time and you can’t decide what to get, my two personal favorites were the Curry fried chicken and the Tofu. However, if you’re getting Tofu, I would recommend getting that in a rice bowl instead of the bao. All the small components of that dish can get messy and fall out of the bun.
Furthermore, it is not frequent to come across a new spot that really stands out from the rest of the bunch married to the food industry. You can tell these boys have done their research. I love how they embody culture in the concepts of their food, and that really shines in their product. I have to admit that I was very impressed with my overall experience with their food and customer service, and I will certainly spread the word to my friends and families.

It took me a while to check this place out. I’ve heard about them for a while and my friends would faithfully go to the Fells Point Farmers Market just to get these buns, but unfortunately my Saturday mornings were always busy. One Saturday afternoon I spotted their shop and decided to finally see what all the hype was about.
When you walk it, there isn’t anything too fancy. Seating is along the wall on stools and the menu on the wall is pretty simple — white board with basic black letters. While this place isn’t really a sit down joint, it is definitely worth the visit. The buns are a must — warm, soft, fluffy, and mildly sweet with so much goodness stuffed in between. At first I was skeptical how much could fit in a bun, but it exceeded my expectations. I ordered The Neighborhood Bird and I was surprised by how generous they were with their meat — they don’t skimp here. The chicken was freshly fried, had a nice crispy exterior and wasn’t too greasy. It reminded me of Taiwanese fried chicken on a stick from the night markets which I’m sure is what they were going for. I’m not entirely sure I tasted the curry — it might have been covered up by the spicy mayo — but it was still delicious.
Just be aware the each bun is around $ 9. It’s a little pricier than I would like it to be, so I can’t have this as often as I would like, but I think it’s still worth the occasional visit.
Overall I’m excited to see more and more Asian fare in the neighborhood.

If you like finely cut onions, cilantro, fried scallions, pickled stuff, and hots, this is THE place for you. Chances are, whatever entrée you order will be generously topped with all of the above (see all the pictures) and since I happen to love all of those, it was like a dream come true.
Although the premise is like, Asian Fusion «fast food,» the finely cut/​diced up condiments above really make it look and taste a lot more «gourmet» than expected. The prices are pretty good for the appetizers (broccoli tempura was great) at $ 3 – 5 for a decent portion, and at $ 12 – 14, the entrees (tried the «original» and the meatballs are huge, the fat noodles were the cold noodles) were ample enough to be shared with 2 people. I split my lunch entrée with a friend and then ended up with enough of the Original to take care of dinner.
It appears they change their menu and the specials, so be sure to check their Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for updates. They allowed us to call and order ahead for pickup. Parking is going to be tough, but if you just carry out, you can probably keep an eye on your car outside the shop, run in and out…

The Fells Point Farmers Market favorite, Ekiben opened up a spot in Fells point and I couldn’t be happier. Last summer I regularly made it a point to head over to the Farmers Market and have one of their delicious rice bowls. Being able to consistently grab a bowl or bao whenever the crave strikes is an absolute game changer.
Ekiben is set up so you order at the counter and then take a seat which works perfectly with their small menu. There are four protein options and you can have them on either a steamed bun (bao) or in a rice bowl. I have had The Original as a rice bowl before and I loved it, so I opted to order The Original Bun. The steamed bun was topped with two Thai chicken meatballs, coconut sauce, shredded papaya, garlic, fried shallots, and herbs. Each bite of the bun was a party in my mouth. It was absolutely delicious.
To accompany the bun, I ordered a side of Tempura Broccoli. Broccoli isn’t my vegetable of choice, ever, but the fresh herbs, red onions, and rice vinegar combination was freaking awesome. This is probably the best broccoli I’ve ever had, sorry Mom! It wasn’t overly fried so the dish gave off a slightly healthy vibe.
I returned to Ekiben a few weeks later and tried the Roasted Broccoli which is the same dish except not tempura fried, and while it was very good, I prefer the tempura rendition. The main difference for me was that the tempura version was served warm and I preferred that.
When I did return with TheBaltimoreFoodJournal, I ordered the special bun, The Big Moooo. This was another flavor bomb with slow cooked shredded beef brisket, soy mirin gravy, roasted onions, and roasted shallots. I loved this and hope it becomes a permanent fixture on the menu. The beef was tender and it was also packed with flavor.
I honestly couldn’t tell you what my favorite thing on the menu was because everything was beyond delicious and packed with flavor.

Hands down; one of the best Asian restaurants in the city that I’ve eaten at so far. It’s about time some Asian fusion made its way to Baltimore. Not only is the food delicious, but also you can taste the quality and Asian authenticity. My husband and I ordered the fried chicken bun and crispy pork belly rice bowl. We fell in love with the food so hard that we ordered the same thing to-​go as our dinner.
Juicy chicken is the best chicken. My first bite into my fried chicken bun was amazing. So crispy yet so juicy at the same time. topped with an amazing sauce (yum!). Crispy pork belly wasn’t as crispy as I’d like it to be, but that could be due to the fact that I ended up eating some of my husband’s leftovers. Still tasty though (: As a bonus, the owner gave us an order of the Broccoli tempura! I’m so glad that he did, because I initially wanted to but then chickened out LOL. Just like everything else, it was refreshingly different and tasty. It isn’t your typical tempura that you’re imagining in your head right now. It’s lightly battered and extremely flavorful. At first glance, you’d thinking nothing of the broccoli. In fact, you’d probably question whether or not it is even tempura. This is definitely a unique dish that I would enjoy over and over again. They also include «Chinese-​styled» sausages which I was pleasantly surprised by. This is not something easily found in Baltimore.
For any first timers, I would totally recommend the fried chicken on the bun or rice, along with an order of the broccoli tempura. Ekiben is a must try for anyone who enjoys and appreciates Asian food!

Decided to try this place out today with my husband and kids since we’ve been following them on IG. It is a tight knit spot if it was busy and there isn’t that much seating. They do have complimentary water and restrooms for you to use.
We ordered 2 of The Original buns and the chicken nuggets. The buns were big and so flavorful! The bun itself was soft. The chicken nuggets comes with sauces on the side and it was very good too. Will definitely come back to try the other buns and their rice bowls.