The story
BAO Soho opened on Lexington Street in 2015 as the first of the BAO group. It was conceived as a poetic translation of the Taiwanese xiao chi house – a place for small plates, eaten with hands, ordered one by one. The space is compact, with counter seating and a strict walk-in-only policy that keeps things casual and immediate. There is no booking; you queue, you eat, you leave happy. It is the kind of place that feels both thoroughly modern and deeply traditional.
Since its first year, BAO Soho has held a Michelin Bib Gourmand, now for nine consecutive years. The award recognises good quality cooking at a reasonable price, and it fits a restaurant that delivers refined Taiwanese comfort food without formality. The Bib Gourmand is not given lightly, and BAO Soho’s consistent presence on the list speaks to its ability to turn out dish after dish that satisfies.
While the menu changes with the seasons, certain dishes remain tied to this location. The Guinea Fowl Rice, Egg Yolk takes inspiration from the turkey rice bowls of Chiayi City – the guinea fowl is blowtorched and dressed with goose fat, then served with a rich egg yolk. Pig Blood Cake with Soy Cured Egg is a classic xiao chi: a slice of pig blood cake made with glutinous rice, topped with a soy-cured egg yolk that adds umami. The Grilled Beef, Chi Shang Rice features 40-day aged Denver beef steak, finished over charcoal and served on Chi Shang rice. Even the Battered Sweet Potato with Pickled Plum Ketchup, available across the group, feels essential here – the ketchup, made from pickled plums, cuts through the crisp batter.
Lisa Markell of The Independent wrote: "A standing ovation. If Michelin got off its starched-tablecloth arse and got modern, BAO would be a shoo-in." It captures the spirit of a kitchen that takes Taiwanese food seriously but never stiffly. The food is precise, the flavours are bold, and the setting is unpretentious.
Recognition
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History
good quality, good value cooking
It may have started out as a ‘gazebo with a cool box’, but the dinky original branch of hot-ticket Taiwanese bun specialist Bao is now something of a legend among the capital’s ‘walk-in’ restaurants. Long queues snake down Lexington Street whatever the weather, but it’s worth the slog once you’re inside and have the tick-box menu in front of you. Fluffy steamed bao buns are the main event here, ranging from the classic braised pork with peanut powder and fermented greens to fried chicken marinated in soy milk with Szechuan mayo and golden kimchi. Just add some tantalising xiao chi snacks (pig’s blood cake with soy-cured egg; mapo aubergine on chi shiang rice), plus sides such as sweet potato chips with plum pickle ketchup. Also order a glass of homemade peanut milk and don’t forget to put your final tick against the fried bao filled with Horlicks ice cream. Although the food is made for sharing, this branch is perfect for singletons and even has a special ‘long day menu’ promising ‘a perfect moment of solitude for the solo diner’. A shot of bao-friendly ‘weeping saké’ does the trick or you could investigate the kooky ‘dream drinks’ (grape soda with aloe vera foam, say).
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