BaoHaus
“I got the Chairman Bao (pork belly) and the Uncle Jesse Bao (deep fried tofu with Haus Sauce).”
“I flew all the way from California to try cuz I am also reading Eddie Huang's book and this place was recommended by A. Bordaine.”
“Everything was on point and I cannot believe how tender the porkbelly and how crispy the fish baos were.”
BaoHaus
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Caters: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Under $10
8 reviews
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This place is TINY. I'd seen so many pictures of the baos here on Instagram and wanted to swing by. We weren't hungry so just got one bao each- the pork belly & crispy fish. Both were really tasty and full of flavor. I think the pricing is a bit steep though, around $4 for one bao that's pretty small. I would say it's worth trying at least once but the price would keep me away from returning over & over again.
The interior is cool with walls filled with stickers and Polaroid photos. Servers were really great and friendly.
Maybe sobriety was not the answer?
Was drawn in on a Sunday afternoon to experience the much ballyhooed bao buns at BaoHaus. As a good Asian, made sure to order the pork belly, but decided to give the fried chicken bun a try. As luck would have it, the chicken bun was hot, spicy, crispy, and actually stole the show from the rather pedestrian pork belly bun (compared to the chicken, as well as to its NYC Chinese, Japanese, and pseudo-Korean competitors).
Worst of all, both buns were tiny! Priced at essentially a dollar a bite, maybe money would be better spent going for cheap sushi?
To be fair, I was rip-roaring sober during my experience. Perhaps perceptions differ with a heavy alcohol pregame?
Was a bit surprised when I saw BaoHaus has a 3.5 rating. The main reason why people seem to be upset over BaoHaus is the price. But hey, you're paying for quality.
BaoHaus brings back memories. I didn't give it much thought when I first came here because this place is a big time Asian Fusion restaurant. But damn were the baos good!
When my friend and I got our order, it looked just like any other fusion place (with the weird colors and weird set presentation), but the taste of the baos really hit home. The essentials that make a good Taiwanese bao (peanut powder, GOOD slow cooked pork with the fat, a soft bun, the right amount of herbs, and etc.) are surprisingly all in the bao.
I'd suggest you come here if you're from Taiwan. It isn't the replica of a "bao" in Taiwan, but close enough.
We ordered 3 baos and they were all pretty damn good. All three had strong distinct flavors.
Chairman Bao – Braised all natural Berkshire pork belly served with Haus Relish, crushed peanuts, Taiwanese red sugar, and cilantro. $4.05. This one was very flavorful but it did seem like you got more fat than pork.
Dumpling Bao – $4.55 Lots of flavor in this one too and very unique.
Birdhaus Bao – All natural fried chicken. Brined 24 hours, served with Haus Seasoning Salt, lemon-garlic aioli, crushed peanuts, Taiwanese red sugar. $3.55 This one was probably the best one and should be a must try.
Overall the place is decent place to get a quick snack. It is pretty small, dark, and covered with stickers. The bathroom is tiny and disgusting so I would try avoiding to use it if I came back. I would come back, but wouldn't go if there was a line.
I did not expect much when coming to BaoHaus. I mean seriously, what's so good about pork belly on some buns? Little did I know how awesome these bao's were!! I came here on a Thursday Evening and the line was out the door! It is the teeniest, tiniest place with only two people working. One is taking orders and the other is preparing the orders. The line was moving very slowly and when it was almost my turn to order, there was a complete pause for anyone's order to be taken. I thought it was a little strange how the cashier had to stop taking orders to help the other person catch up on tickets. There probably needs to be at least one extra person working behind the counter for when it gets busy. If you know who Eddie Huang is, you probably would know that this is his restaurant. It's a tourist attraction + a place for New York residents to grab a bite and go. I would expect this place to be a little more staffed due to the popularity of it. Anyway, on to the bao's…
My boyfriend and I ordered 2 Chairman Bao's and 1 Birdhaus Bao.
-The Chairman: There's one full pork belly smothered in a bao with crushed peanuts and cilantro on top, and relish on the bottom. The pork belly was unlike any other pork belly I've ever tried. It was tender, had so much flavor, and all the toppings complimented it really well. Did I mention how tender it was?? You HAVE to try the Chairman if you're a fan of pork belly.
-Birdhause: This one has fried chicken and a citrusy-lemony flavor. My boyfriend enjoyed this bao but I personally would just go for the Chairman if I ever come back to NY.
I gotta admit, the prices for the bao's are pretty expensive for the small size of it (almost $4 per bao). However, Eddie Huang prides himself in having quality meat that has no added hormones or GMO's. You're paying for quality, not quantity.
Baohaus had been on my radar for awhile now, because of the meteoric rise of everyone's favorite human panda, Eddie Huang. Fresh off the boat from Texas, I was a fan of his writing and now – I am a fan of his food as well. The Chairman Baos are loud and packed with flavor. The Manager's Meal rice bowl, lets you sample the red cooked pork belly, minced pork stew, Chengdu Chicken, and Birdhaus fried chicken over rice. This shop is tiny but overflowing with character.
The hype was real. This little bao place is SO GOOD. I want to come back to get some more baos as I am typing this. I ordered two different baos, the fried chicken one, and the pork belly one (chairman). Both came out fast and both were super good. It is a really small business with a few seating areas inside, but its totally worth a try. I haven't had any other baos besides with duck, so being a first timer with these baos, wow I loved it. They do get a little pricey since its just a bao and the meat, but I think if you wanted to try it, no matter how much, it would be worth your money. Highly recommend.
Eddie Huang is the mastermind behind this ridiculously tiny but super tasty Chinese bun restaurant. The things that we tried included:
-Chairman Bao: classic pork belly in steamed bun with pickled mustards
-Coffin Bao: fried mantou bao (it has the shape of a coffin when sliced in half) and we chose to have fried fish in there)
-Uncle Jesse Bao: fried tofu bao with peanut sauce
-Sweet Fries: you can choose between what I believe was black sesame and Pandan – we chose Pandan because it's a favorite flavor from our local SE Asia hometown
Chairman Bao:
PROS
-very good quantity: it's super filling as a single bao for one person
-nice combination of flavors: sweetness of the bao bread, the saltiness of the pork belly, and then the tartness of the pickles
-meat was not over-cooked: this was important to me because pork belly is easily over cooked and then it becomes dry. No matter how much sauce you put on it, it is still too dry.
CONS
-It's so good that I wish it wasn't just one bun per order.
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Coffin Bao:
PROS
-super large: the bread on a "mantou" is already bigger than your typical taco-style bao so this was extra filling.
-fried: I love fried mantou or fried bao skin, particularly if it's like the spun woven bao ("silver thread bao" or ying si juan)
-very easy to share
-generous with the toppings like the cilantro. However, if you're not a fan of cilantro then you're probably a bit out of luck.
CONS
-this may have been my fault, but there wasn't enough flavor in this bun compared to the Chairman Bao. I think though that this has to do with the fact that I chose fried fish.
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Uncle Jesse Bao: Organic fried tofu served with our Haus Seasoning Salt, crushed peanuts, Taiwanese red sugar, cilantro, and Haus Sauce.
PROS
-good and filling for a small to moderate eater. Not shareable because it comes one bao per order.
-tasty given that it's tofu: I think that Haus sauce is the key to this.
-generous with two slices of tofu when they could have easily given one.
CONS
-it's a tad bit small for $3.55 but then again, it is organic tofu.
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Pandan Sweet Fries
PROS
-large quantity: definitely shareable
-good for dessert as it's not fries in the way that people think they should be
-it consists of fried bao strips as "fries" which is really tasty on its own.
CONS
-I like pandan, but the syrup was kind of gloopy and it was way too sweet.
….
I'd totally come back again. I like this type of bao. Truthfully it's probably not too difficult to make your own pork belly buns. But it's so much nicer to have someone make them for you. I do like the fusion aspect of it and I think it's better than some other acclaimed places just a few blocks down.