What’s the vibe?
The Bao, located on St Mark’s Place, is slightly chaotic with tables squashed close together and that slight panic in the air that comes from only having two servers for a whole lot of hungry people. There’s nearly always a bit of a queue out the door but things do move quickly as this isn’t a place people linger. You’ll order, get your food, eat and be out again in 30 minutes probably, but it’s well worth it for the delicious dumplings alone.
What to order?
The dumplings at The Bao are some of the best we had in New York – and we had a LOT. The Kung Fu Xiao Long Bao are an absolute must order as they are near on perfect with thin skins, fresh pork, and a superb soup. We also loved the attention to detail in the presentation; instead of the usual paper under the dumplings, which can often stick to the skins and lead to spilt soup, here they are on a cloth material. This means a smooth easy pick up each time, especially with the supplied tongs! Big points here.
We also loved the wontons in chilli oil, the smashed cucumbers salad and the scallion pancake with slices of beef. It was our first time ordering General Tso’s Chicken too, a dish that everyone in America goes on about which turned out just to be sweet and sour chicken. Not that exciting then, but a good version nonetheless. In all honesty, we’d say just stick to the dumplings and pancakes though.
Want more? Check out our Ultimate Guide to New York