Bao Down

This restaurant is a fusion place for sure — don’t go here if you’re looking for authentic Asian fare.
They’re basically riding on the new taco trend (and a number of other food trends) and making great combinations like the baos, which would be the asian equivalent for tacos and an Asian spin on poutine.
The Bao Chicka Bao Bao is pretty damn great — really nicely fried chicken.
Would also recommend the fries. The Japanese fries were pretty great.
Almost a bit too pricey for the value though… And not too much seating. More of an eat and go place

AMAZING BAO! This was the beat bao I’ve ever had, and the nice fresh ingredients made it even better! The Bao chicka bao bao was delicious, as was literally every other option (I got two of everything… for science). The sweet tatoe fries were delicious, all the meat options were juicy and the toppings and flavours combined made each bao have its own unique flavour profile and personality. Right near the gassy Jack statue, the place is easy to find and has brilliant décor! Eating amazing bao while listening to Wu Tang? Hell yea! If you like chicken than the BCBB is great, pork option would be Two worlds Collide, the best fish option was the Jaws (catfish), but again everything was glorious. 10/​10, would recommend.

Baoooooo down !!! Best bao sandies in Canada !
I tried the «bao chicka bao bao» «the two worlds collide» and the «jaws» and they were soooooo good ! The chicka bao had garlic and lemon fried chicken with fried garlic, daikon, fish sauce glaze and garlic scape and carrot mayo ! Yuum !
Jaws was with coconut crusted catfish, cabbage, kimchi tartar sauce and Thai vinaigrette! Unreal ! And then to finish it off came something from the heavens called
«two worlds collide» which consists of braised pork belly, crispy pork belly, hoi sin sauce, chicharron, gochujang and pickled veggies ! Woooooooooow this was amazing, I felt like I was on fantasy island ! My overall experience at this funky, hip hop blasting, amazing baos was greeeeeat ! Thank you bao down, you will be seeing me in the very near future

Mmmmmm how delicious are the baos here. If your looking for a simple snack this is perfect. The price is pretty reasonable for what you get.
I will definitely come here again.

Not wowwed. My foodie Asian stomach was so excited to try this joint but alas disappointing.
I ordered the vevo veggie bao and the kimchi fries. We checked in on Unilocal and got a free serving of bao beignets which held us up from getting our order so that they were the only hot things! SKIP THE BEIGNETS.
vevo veggie bao was good, not great. The kimchi fries had the added pork belly on them (I know I should have asked for the mushrooms but if it looks like someone is ordering vegetarian might someone think to ask?) but otherwise they were good.
The beignets sucked. Hot little pieces of cardboard stale bao rolled on some sugar and cinnamon and coconut flakes. Do not waste calories on these even if it’s a free Unilocal offer!
Small area to sit, friendly staff but disappointing food.

Been dying to try this place… love the concept… foods simple and delish… its like chinese fast food! Not bad for a 1^st timer!!!

Bao Chicka Bao Bao — that’s all you need to know. Fo’ real. Get the Bao Chicka Bao Bao and you will keep singing this verse when you’re eating this freaking good bao sandwich with fried lemongrass chicken. First of all, lemongrass flavor anything is amazeballz. And if you’re gonna use it in fried chicken then by all means please do. And keep doing it. I actually ordered two bao sandwiches to try, the other being Two Worlds Collide which came with pork belly and fried pork belly. I ate Two Worlds Collide first and was impressed. It was awesome. And thought to myself that Bao Chicka Bao Bao had some stiff competition. Negative. I clearly saved the best for last. It was so yummy with the juicy fried chicken, crispy garlic and fish sauce. It was a great combination and the cashier told me that it was the most popular. Now I know why. Two bao sandwiches filled me up for lunch, so was glad that I didn’t try the Kimchi Fries that the cashier also recommended. (Or maybe I should’ve? Am I totally regretting this now?) But next time I’m in Vancouver this will definitely be a stop, so that I can explore more of the menu like them Kimchi Fries.
When I walked by here the first time there was a line outside the door, so I went to a happy hour nearby for two hours and came back. It was a good decision since the crowd had died down — this being in the late afternoon on a Saturday. The place does have a decent amount of seating for the small space, with an upstairs dining area and two tables outside. I imagine though that it can get packed quickly thus forced to get take-​out. There’s bottled beer and if you check in you get free bao beignets.

Want to unlock the potential of that steam bun that you only knew from chinese restaurants that «filled» it with one tiny slice of duck?! THEN COME HERE.
Crispy pork belly bun where the belly is fried to crispy deliciousness and veggies offset the heavy meat, meat, meat decadence. This. Is. Spar — - I mean, Bao Down! Yessss!
They are larger than your average white steam bun, but do yourself a favor and order 2 then open wide!
Small shop with a few tables upstairs for dining. The wall art is groovy.

A small, converted loft-​like space. There’s a counter upfront, a small seating area downstairs (a rail along the window with 4 seats, and maybe 3 or 4 other small tables if I recall?), and then there’s some seating upstairs as well. A little tight space wise, but no complaints. Décor/​ambiance leverages the exposed brick and duct work, adding some urban graffiti art and some hip hop playing out of the speakers.
My partner and I ordered the bao chicka bao bao (friend chicken), 2 worlds collide (pork belly), jaws (catfish) and the kimchi fries. I was a fan of everything — the three bao were big, with the steam buns being the size of small hamburger buns. There’s a lot of flavors and things going on in each of them, but not to the point where they felt overly busy. The large size made them a bit of a challenge to eat, but definitely tasty.
Rad little fusion spot with an upbeat vibe, and one of the highlights of my trip to Vancouver.

A small spot dishing out amazing baos! It’s an Asian fusion restaurant taking Chinese baos and making them into sandwiches. This isn’t my first time having them, but this was one of the best spots I’ve tried.
At first I thought $ 6 for a bao was expensive but they’re huge! I had the bao chika bao bao, which is a lemongrass fried chicken with carrots, daikon, and garlic mayo. The bao itself was so soft, and the chicken nice and crispy. I really liked it! I was too full to try any other items but their fries sounded amazing.

Had a great quick dinner here with my boyfriend before a movie. We had heard good things from friends and decided to come for a relatively lighter dinner. We ended up way fuller than expected.
We ordered 2 baos (the YVR and the Big Bang) and a small portion of Kimchi Fries.
I had the YVR, which has seared albacore tuna and an overwhelming amount of greens on top. I couldn’t get a bite without pulling half the contents of the bao with me. Delicious though! Don’t expect to be able to be a delicate eater here. The bao was nicely steamed and sweet the way I liked, and the tuna was tender and well-​flavored. My boyfriend ordered the Big Bang, and the pork belly was delicious. I only got a small bite, but it was as yummy as it looked. Both baos were a little smaller than what we expected, but what made up for it was the Kimchi Fries.
We ordered a small for $ 5 and definitely way bigger than expected. Can’t imagine what the large looks like. We went on the recommendation of precious Unilocalers. Probably my new favourite loaded fries dish, the kimchi fries had pieces of pork belly (crispy and delicious!!) and was topped with bean sprouts, kimchi and green onions. It exceeded all expectations.
We checked in on Unilocal halfway and realized we could’ve gotten free bao beignets with our order, and the cashier was kind enough to still let us get them after the fact. They were topped with powdered sugar and coconut shavings. They were crispy, super sweet, and fluffy on the inside. Might not order them again necessarily, but for free? Hell yeah.
Overall a pretty good experience, the only reason it’s not a 5-​star review is because the tables were still kind of dirty on a slower portion of a Saturday afternoon, and I saw the fattest fly on the west coast put on a big show during my meal. I get that comes with the territory when the door is always open and there’s food involved but it definitely detracted from the experience. The seating is limited but if you want the quaint street food Gastown experience it’s a nice place to be.
TL;DR: get the kimchi fries, baos are smallish, it’s cramped but cute.

Came here today with my sister snd her friends and my sister seemed to like the place. Exclude the part that it was quite small but that’s what I think gave it that comfy and casual vibe for me that I usually dont get in places like this one.
I love the free beignets if you check in! I never tried them before until today and me and my sister loved it. Not too sweet and the coconut was a great pair.
The guy on the front today was friendly. Service didn’t take too long even with the nonstop orders coming in.
Overall interior was cozy, loved the small details and as usual that hipster style. The place was easy to navigate too. Overall food rate, I dont know if its just me who took long to eat my BBQ pork bun because I was waiting until my sister and her friends to arrive but the bottom became soggy so that was quitw unpleasant. The kumote was fresh and delicious though.
This seems like a place that i’d come back to just to try the other menu options

Cheap and cheerful, it’s the food truck brought to life! Can’t say it’s the easiest food to eat, with all the toppings piled precariously on the buns and fries, but they certainly cram a lot of fresh, healthy flavour into their offerings. Great for a quick bite or casual meal. The ambience is fun too, with a big food truck style chalk board, condiments stand and bar seating to maximize the use of space. Worth stopping in if you’re in the area and after a casual feed!

Super-​trendy location with a great-​sounding menu of bao, loft seating, and gangsta rap. Unfortunately, our order was as disappointing as it was photogenic. The bao chicka bao bao ($ 5) was better than the Jaws ($ 6) I’d been more excited about, and both had perfectly fluffy buns, but neither filling was particularly interesting. It was a case where the descriptions sounded so much better than the actual product. Added on the bao beignets (free with Unilocal check in!) and they were hard and border line burned, bearing little resemblance to the namesake treat.

Neat little joint in the heart of GasTown — only seats 30ish people. So good luck getting a seat on a bus day!
We walked in just after they opened and the lady that greeted is was not in a welcoming mood! We had questions regarding the menu and she barely responded, fiddling with her iPad & phone. The only time we got a smile from her was when we started talking about Unilocal and checking in. Hence the 4star.
The menu looks pretty good, many different things to chose from! We ended up getting their #1 ordered food, bao chicka bao bao! It was
!! It’s a doughy taco — kind of a mixture of both a taco & siopao (steam bun). Different & delicious!
We also ordered the Fly Hawaiian Poke bowl — must try. A delicious fresh salad! I’d get this over the steam bun!
And lastly the Kimchi Fries! These were good and extra crispy! I’d maybe pass on the pork belly next time…
Unfortunately, being the first customers of the day, our order did take over 20mins to serve… I find this quite long for place that’s small as turn over should be quicker???
Would I return? Yes!
Recommended? Yes. Food is great! Hopefully you’ll get better service!

Excited to finally make it here but 2 of the 3 items I ordered was a bit disappointing. I had the bao chicka bao bao, kimchi fries and bao beignets. I can’t really complain too much since they totally rocked it with the bao. Bao did come out cold (yes, cold not room temperature) and hot at the bottom where the meat and the filling was. Despite the two contrasting temperature, it was still very tasty. The kimchi fries looked amazing but too bad it did not live up to its looks. Way too salty, and the skin of the pork belly was too hard. The beignets was good, however I did find it to be overly sweet.
The place is small and might be hard to find seating but the vibe is good though.

Been a long time since I’ve been to Bao Down. Menu’s changed a bit (and they opened another location near Olympic Village). Prices went up a bit for their fries but overall still really good value — especially with their weekday special combos.
Bao are big, light, tender, almost fluffy. Two of them together is more bread and meat and interesting-​ness than a comparably priced single gourmet burger at a restaurant, nowadays weighing in at $ 12+.
TIP: Get extra napkins right away.
TIP: Small square tables are really good only for one person if you’ve got a platter of 4 – 6 items. Get a bigger table!
Japayoki Fries ($ 6 small, $ 10 large) kennebec fries, seaweed, fried chicken, cheese sauce, jalapeño, bean sprouts, sweet soy, togarashi
–Something tasty and coconutty in the yellow sauce (cheese sauce?).
–Even a «small» order is heaped high with salad on top and has large white-​meat bites of chicken that it’s big enough to look like a light meal all on its own. (We’re talking ping pong ball sized).
–Chicken chunks fairly tender and definitely not dry.
–Could have used a plate to toss everything together like a salad. As it is, when you gingerly eat the salad off the top, you’re just left with some (still crispy) fries on the bottom, which are now boring. Get some house hot sauce from downstairs to help with the leftover fries.
Vevo ($ 6) tamari braised shitake, sprouts, kale, micro greens, beet, carrot, peanut sauce
–OK tasting. I think it might be better if you strip the sprouts from the top so you can get more of the flavours of the other ingredients.
–Sweeter beets would make this more interesting, as would maybe a clearer flavour of the shitake, which was quite good when I isolated one of them to taste.
–Shrub of sprouts massed on top make this look maybe bigger than it was, and in anycase it was quite tricky to fold the bao.
2016-​Feb-​8 Bao of the Week — Snap Kick, One Punch ($ 8) lettuce, tomato, salt/​pepper, chicken in hot sauce, blue cheese ranch, red onion, jalapenos, bacon
–Tasty and you definitely get that blue cheese flavour, but maybe not so interesting for you to pay a special $ 8 for it when they have other tasty options for $ 2 less.
–Not that spicy-​hot. If you need more heat, try one of the sauces. Even the «mild» Red Eye Chili Sauce is pretty spicy-​hot.
Monday Special ($ 10) Bao Chicka Bao, Small Kimchi Fries, and a can of pop
–Great deal and pretty filling dinner for $ 10, since the «small» fries are really quite a large order.
Bao Beignets ($ 4)
–Get these for FREE with a Unilocal check-​in.
–Basically bite-​sized donuts coated in something snowy and sugary.
–Quantity is really decent — a heap of maybe 2 cups worth.
–Eat them quickly while they are still tender on the inside.
Kitchen a bit slow IF you are expecting fast-​food McDonalds turnaround times. Each item has so many ingredients, so expect a wait. They don’t bring it to your table, though, which means you do probably need to hover near the ordering counter because you may not hear your order number being called over the rather loud music.
Staff are friendly and helpful!

Finally the city has a bao place and it hits the spot when bao is the only thing on your mind and you realize you are scatting «bao babao bao bao!» all over town like a madman looking for a fix.
The place gets crazy busy full of people and the orders come out slow and not in order based on your ticket number which can be frustrating when your scatting and baobopping full of hunger pangs, with people scattered all over waiting with white knuckles.
The baos are slightly larger than typical, so you might need two or three or some fries to fill you up, and that’s going to cost you as baos start at 5 $ and go all the way up to 12 $ if you are desiring a special of the day, like the hurricane Ignacio with seared beef, pineapple and bang bang battered prawns. A meal might cost you between 25 – 45 $ for two people.
Being a pretty expensive place to eat, I have to say the flavours could be much better. Most things are heavy on the hoisin or soy rather than any distinctive interesting flavor combos. The baos all have great names you can say all night but don’t live up to the hype. The expensive hurricane Ignacio tasted like two different styles of bao on top of each other that never could meld… a pineapple battered prawn layer and a beef layer with lots of hoisin.
The fries are similar, fun names, and a few decent toppings but not enough melding of the flavours. Most need more sauce.
I’m hoping a few more bao places open up and challenge these guys to do a little better.
Bao bop scat diddly bao!

Bao chicka bao bao — this was delicious. Huge, crispy fried chicken breast with mayo, pickled veggies wrapped in a soft glorious bao.
Kimchi fries — delicious. $ 5 for a size small was an ample portion of fries, kimchi, and pork belly. Well suited to serve 2 people.
Two worlds collide — The pork belly was tender and cooked well, but to me, it felt overpowered by too much hoisin sauce, but it was still good and hearty.
Free beignets — thanks to Unilocal.Wow… I tried to refrain from eating too many of these, but they were just so addicting. Who would have known that bao would fry up so good!!?
The one down fall in my experience was the service. The Asian gal taking the order seemed like she was in a bad mood and resented taking an order… and the service output for food was also incredibly slow. At least the food was fresh and packaged very nicely to go, but I suggest calling ahead to order if you are thinking of taking it to go instead of ordering and waiting in the resto.

Located in Gastown of Vancouver.
The Asian lady that was taking our orders was rude!
It seems like she does not like her damn job, and she was not helpful at all.
We asked what their specials and known for, and she just pointed at the damn menu lol.
A bao is pretty expensive – it was like $ 6 for one.
We did the Bao Chicka Bao Bao (chicken) and 2 Worlds Collide (pork belly).
The Bao Chicka Bao Bao had garlic and lemon grass fried chicken with crispy garlic fish sauce glare topped with carrot garlic and scape mayo.
The one I loved the most was the 2 Worlds Collide – braised pork belly and one crispy pork belly with chicharon, and some yummy sauce.
If you check in and show them, you also get free beignets!
I love the atmosphere of this place; they also play some throwback rnb and rap songs.
Overall, great place, lots of food to choose from, just bitchy employee.