Bao Down

“It was busy, but we didn't have to wait too long. And for all you dog owners out there, the owner has a Siberian husky named Nacho. I met him at the dog park and he's very friendly behind all the tattoos. 😬 Bao Down is a Vancouver-based restaurant known for its Asian fusion cuisine, specifically steamed bao sandwiches and other Asian-inspired dishes. It blends the flavors of the Orient with fresh Pacific Northwest ingredients. They offer a casual dining experience with a focus on quality ingredients and unique recipes. The restaurant is famous for its bao buns, which are soft, fluffy steamed buns filled with various savory and flavorful ingredients. In addition to bao, they also offer other Asian-inspired dishes like burritos and rice bowls, as well as appetizers and desserts. They also offer catering services for events.”

“Love this cute place for brunch! We so needed a cute and cozy spot for brunch in the area. Food was delicious and plated nicely. We had Bourbon bacon eggs benny and avocado toast with poached eggs and scrambled eggs on toast. Absolutely Delicious! Benny sauce was to die for! I recommend this place.”

“We really like baos, and I was surprised to find Bao Down on 2nd Avenue. They have many variety of bao fillings: Fried Chick Bao, Mermaid Bao (tempura shrimp), California Bao (grilled chicken), YVR Bao (ahi tuna), Bing Band Bao (crispy oork), Vevo Bao (tempura avocado and mushroom), Tofuuu Bao (deep fried tofu), Juicy Bao (braised pork), Sweet Chilli Chicken Bao (crispy lemongrass chicken), Brb Bao (crispy lemongrass chicken), Two Worlds Collide Bao (crispy pork, braised pork belly), Mc Dowell Bao (AAA beef patty & cheese), Morning Glory Bao (Filipino sausage & bacon), Jaws Bao (beer battered basa), MC Chx Bao (fried chicken), AFC Bao (Adobe fried chicken), Spammy T Bao (panko spam with nori), Birria Bao (juicy beef brisket & cheese), Hot in Herre Bao (buffalo hot chicken), and Miss Impossible Bao (smash impossible patty). They also offer other items like Pork Gyoza, salad rolls, Filipino Spring Rolls, etc. We got there around seven as we were undecided where to go for dinner. We ordered the Wednesday special 4 baos for $20. Our selection was Jaws, Tofuuu, and Juicy. Tofuuu and Jaws were awesome, the baos were soft and fresh, and the proteins were crispy, really hit the spot. Juicy was disappointingly dry (without fat – healthier than I expected). They were so good, we ordered two more. But the second time around, the baos were undercooked (dry and a bit cold), and the tofuuu and basa were a bit under-fried. That may be because it was almost closing time by the time we ordered the 2nd round. We found the interior depressing, the overhead lights were too bright, and the walls painted black, noise level was crazy with loud music and the kitchen fan combined, not very pleasant. Not a place we can have a casual visit with our friends. There was one outside table – but cars going pass on 2nd Avenue, that's not really a viable spot either. For the first round of baos, I rate them 5 stars as the baos were well executed. For the great variety of baos, they get 5 stars for sure. For the second round, we rate them 2 stars. And 1 star for the interior, 3 stars for service. Third-time unlucky – the take-out was extremely disappointing. The bao's were unrecognizable because most of the vegetables that make the bao interesting were missing. Since they were not busy, I can't think of a reasonable excuse for the missing vegetables except to say that they need to work on consistency.”

“My wife, "How can the food be so bad and the place open that long?" We order 4 Bao, the fried chicken curry on fries, and the adobo stir fry (also with chicken. The bao were fine, nothing special 3-4 stars. The adobo stir fry was dry and just bland. I ended up covering this in Sriracha. Also this came with a fried egg and for some reason I expected it to be runny inside and it was just hard throughout. I think if it was over easy it would have helped this dish a lot. I would give this 2 stars but maybe the egg was supposed to be like that in which case 3 stars? The curry was bad. Overly salty, way too much pepper, and the curry itself was a little gritty. This dish was actually what inspired my wife's comment and the overall score: 1 star. Vibe of the spot was cool and the servers were genuinely nice, but they had the time to be. We were 1 of two tables while we were there.”

“Subject: Complaint Regarding Poor Food Quality and Missing Items Good afternoon, Today I made a purchase at your food trailer located at Burrard Street and Davie. My order included 9 crispy tacos with extra meat — for which I was charged individually — and two tortas ahogadas. Unfortunately, the experience was extremely frustrating and disappointing. The food had no salt, almost no sauce, no pickled onions, and the meat portions were tiny — even though I paid extra for each. Additionally, my order was missing tacos, and the sauce used was not even the proper one for a torta ahogada. This will most likely be the last time I purchase from you. I will also share my experience with others so they are not misled as I was. I paid nearly $140 for poorly made food, missing items, and unacceptable portion sizes.”