Mean Bao

So glad Mean Bao opened up in our neighbourhood! It’s a great place to grab a quick lunch that packs in a lot of flavour. We normally order their bao’s and all of them have been great. I would say two is enough for one person! You can pick the level of spiciness, but we usually go with mild as I like to taste the flavours of braised meat itself. The staff is also helpful in opening the door when I drop by with my daughter in the stroller, although I do wish they had high chairs if we were to choose to have lunch there (especially being in a neighbourhood with a lot of families).

First customer in at 11am. Greeted by cheerful hipster guys. Ordered the pork belly and beef. Perfect size for breakfast. Great flavours. And the soya ginger spicy relish at condiment stand. Amazing. ! Was getting busy when we left. Gr8 value for the depth of yummy ness. $ 9

Just moved into the neighbourhood and was walking by when I saw a sign that said «Mean Bao» on my way to shoppers. On a spur of the moment, I decided to take some take out. Décor inside was clean and pretty, I had my dog with me so I couldn’t really dine in. Staff there was friendly and efficient. I ordered a pork belly bao, shrimp dumplings and sui mai.
Pork belly bao was smaller than I expected it to be since Ive been to Banh Mi Boys a few times, but to me, it tasted better. Not the meat and ingredients in itself, but the bao. The bao was soft and a perfect ratio to the meat inside, unlike Banh Mi Boys bao where I find the bao to be too thick and heavy. I ask for no peanuts but there were still peanuts inside. Im not allergic or anything but just don’t like the taste of them, but the crunch had a nice texture with the fatty pork belly and soft bao so if you are a peanut fan you would love this little bao. To me it could have used a bit more hoisin sauce but nonetheless a great little treat (its better to have less sauce and ask for more than for it to be drenched in it!)
The sui mai was a bit disappointing since I ate the bao first. I don’t know what it was… It felt too tough? It looked right, but maybe its because I ordered take out so it didn’t taste as good? I don’t know… I have to try it again dining in to really rate it.
Shrimp dumplings were my favourite out of the three. It was just a simple shrimp dumpling that was not overcooked and just was so yummy! I ask for the sweet soya sauce on the side and had some hot sauce at home and it was like a perfect dim sum «hai how». So happy to have discovered this gem.
Definitely will be back to try all the other items!

Fast service and good food. What more could you want. My favourite is the dim sum.

So good. Great baos & dim sum for a good price point. This location is way nicer than the Bathurst location– there’s actual pleasant seating. It’s not a place you really stay for long anyway, but a grab & go. I’ve tried all the baos and the pork belly is my favourite.

Came here with my BF to grab a quick lunch. It’s a small but cute restaurant. The staff were very friendly! We ordered the pork belly bao, tofu & enoki mushroom bao & the sticky quinoa! The pork belly lacks some flavour as I would’ve preferred a stronger taste. However when paired with the rest of the ingredients the overall taste was satisfying still when you’re hungry. The tofu & enoki mushroom bao had a stronger flavour due to the marinade the tofu was saturated in. Taste wise, it wasn’t bad but if you compared it to Banh Mi Boys steamed baos, Banh Mi Boys packs a more flavourful punch! The Sticky Quinoa was recommended by the staff but my BF wasn’t a fan of it. I didn’t mind it too much since I love lap Cheong! The quinoa was an Asian fusion touch but it was too soggy for the texture compared to the regular sticky rice used. A tad bit salty for my liking but a unique concept! Would recommend coming here to grab a bite as a snack but not a full on meal!

My friends have told me a lot about the mean bao chain and I finally managed to go. I was intrigued at a western concept of chinese steam buns.
The Leslieville location is small and very intimate that seats roughly 20 people at max capacity. Its located in a random location you wouldn’t expect to find a good restaurant. This is the place I would go to for a quick lunch with friends but not for a full out meal.
Everyone raves about the hosin pork belly, and though it was tasty i found the flavor was heavy and hard to swallow after a few bites. My personal favorite is the tekken chicken a nice combination of sweet and spicy and meaty chicken thigh paired with a pickled daikon.
The snacks are abit pricey I found, for the size that you get but if you’re looking to enjoy light lunch out with friends, this is the place to be!

I came back and tried other items.
No, other than the tofu bao, everything else I had thus far tasted pretty bad… They look pretty, but dont taste fresh. The cold noodle was very soft and wierd…
The service is really really great and the food is still cheap. So for a snack, yes. But dont order a bunch of stuff…

So just tried this place today for my first time after finding it here in Unilocal.Ordered the one tofu and one pork belly for take out. I have a feeling I’m gonna regret this decision… as the flavour combinations were amazing and I can see myself now craving these little gems. I will be back very soon!

This place is really awesome! The pork belly bao here is really delicious. They also have dimsums. You can go with two baos and one dimsum, which is around $ 12. The siu mai is huge and filling. I will definitely visit again!

Great addition to the East End! Will be returning frequently for a tasty meal on the go :)

I work at Leslieville & I always look for lunch spots. Loved «Back of House» originally but was sad that it closed down. Walk by the store few days ago and was surprised that «Mean Bao» was going to open soon. «Mean Bao» means chinese buns and they have lots of variety to offer. Each item is $ 4 or less and $ 10 typically means a good lunch. Jerk chicken is only available at this location & I’m looking forward to try the cold noodles!