Bao Buns (pronounced ‘bow’ buns) are taking the foodie scene by storm, here’s where to get your fix.
Those steamed dumplings that we all know and love are actually a variation of a dish called mantou that originates from Northern China. Made up of just six key ingredients, the humbled fluffy bao is essentially a bread-like bun, similar to a dumpling, that’s filled with any filling you’d like. Nowadays, you’ll find bao buns all around the world- and some of the best are right in the heart of our city.
Available as sweet, but mostly savoury, lunchtime favourites, you can now get everything from a deep-fried bao bun with cinnamon in to a pastel pink coloured bao buns in Leeds. With more and more options than ever, it’s getting hard to keep track of where we can get a deep filled bao of our choosing from, so we’ve rounded up all our go-to places so that you don’t have to wade through Instagram or aimlessly wander around Briggate to find them.
Power, Corruption and Lies
An Easter special that we’re hoping will remain on the menu, one Call Lane’s best foodie spots is offering the bao buns of our dreams. Made up of Braised Lamb Shoulder, Roasted Garlic Aioli, Mint and Coriander Pickle, we really could snack on these all year round.
Elsewhere on the menu, you’ll find staple dishes like brioche prawn toast drenched in Yuzu aiolo with nuoc cham and fresh herbs; Pork with kimchi and honey gochujang Kimchi salt: the flavours here are well considered and popular with almost everyone that walks through the doors.
Little Bao Boys
It would be impossible to start any bao-bun-related conversation without mentioning Little Bao Boys. The chefs at Little Bao Boys are always there for us at North Brew Taps or Springwell, whether you’ve popped down for a mid-week working lunch or a late night snack, their small team are always ready to take our orders and serve up their small batch bao buns.
Not sure what to order? Usually, we love the Panko Aubergine, made from a vegan buttermilk mix with sesame crumbs, sriracha sauce, iceberg lettuce and spring onion but next week some. Chinese New Year specials are due to drop and we have a sneaking suspicion that they’ll take the top spot.
Read More: The best places to celebrate the Lunar New Year with food in Leeds
Manahatta
Served with sweet potato fries, the Manahatta bao buns are served in an authentic steamer and perfect for a Saturday night dinner. Expect two light and fluffy steamed buns filled with soy and ginger crispy coated chicken, pickled pink onions, julienne cucumber, mango salsa and some sriracha mayo on top. At present, the meal costs £10.95 but is guaranteed to fill you up comfortably even more so than any of the other sandwich and small plate options on the menu.
There’s plenty of Manahatta venues to choose from. In the city centre, there’s Greek Street and Merrion Street then you can also head up to Headingley for a bite at their Manahatta or make the short journey to York, Harrogate or Deansgate and find your baos there too.
Issho
Issho is a contemporary rooftop restaurant with some of the best service around. If you want bao buns and you’re celebrating a special occasion (or just getting through the week), there’s plenty of options for you. Expect Teriyaki Tofu baos, Katsu Chicken, Spicy Pork or Duck Leg Confit with pickled cucumber and spicy sauce as a single, double of portion of four bao buns, depending on your preference.
Offering a contemporary twist on traditional Izakaya Japanese dining, Issho is one of the best fine-dining spots in Leeds. If you’re looking for somewhere for a special occasion that requires a zen atmosphere to unwind and treat yourself, we really can’t think of anywhere better.
Read More: The Issho Ki No Bi menu offers some of the best Japanese fine-dining in Leeds
Yuzu Streetfood
There’s a whopping nine different flavoured bao buns at Yuzu, so you can get that this is one of their speciality dishes. The hardest part of venturing here will be deciding which flavours you want to try first. There’s every mea option imaginable: Korean Pulled Pork to Shredded Bulgogi Beef Brisket, Hoisin Pork Belly Korean Fried Chicken, Hoisin Duck or Tempura Prawn flavoured. There’s also veggie options like Miso Aubergine, Japanese Fried Tofu and a vegan Korean Fried Chicken made from VFC (that’s vegan fried chick*n).
If you need a sweet option, there’ve been cooking up the likes of a Vegan Matcha Ice Cream Baonut in true Veganuary style. To get your bao bun fix from Yuzu, you can find them inside Brew York on New Briggate, or if it’s closer to Christmas time, Yuzu streetfood work in tandem with Thor’s tipi so you can grab your baos on the go.
Blue Sakura
Fluffy steamed buns with diced beef and teriyaki sauce, crispy chicken buns are your savoury options and for dessert, you can get deep-fried buns with a sweet dipping sauce. Grab bao buns for every meal at the all-you-can-eat restaurant, Blue Sakura. In addition to unlimited bao buns, you can fill your plate with the likes of Salt and Pepper Tofu, Mushroom Teriyaki Buns, Chou Rolls and plant-based favourite, the Blue Sakura Vegan Roll.
At Blue Sakura you have two hours to grab as much sushi, sashimi and Asian-style grills as you can possibly fill your stomach with. There’s so much more than bao buns there, though the sweet and savoury options are something worth saving space for.
Mans Market
Inspired by the streets of Hong Kong, Mans Market is bringing a whole new age of authentic Chinese food to Leeds and we’re all for it. Generally there’s three different bao bun options on the menu: crispy roast duck with hoisin, cucumber and spring onion, Char Sui braised BBQ pork with caramelised soy onions and Tempura Aubergine with aioli and caramelised soy onions but on the Afternoon Chi menu, there’s also Panko tofu to choose from before you grab some dim sum.
Mans Market is known and loved in Leeds for its amazing bottomless brunches, instagrammable cocktails and creative flair of brightly coloured decor inside its underground location in Leeds city centre. Their bao buns come as part of the Afternoon Chi menu, served every Wednesday – Friday afternoon and we can vouch first-hand that they’re something special.
Read More: The Chinese afternoon tea in Leeds with dim sum and cocktails
Feature Image- Yuzu Street Food
