Very expensive and ok food for the amount you get. There are probably better "bao" and chinese food places in london in general, but on a crowded saturday night, this might be one of the only places with seating. I was a fan of the dan dan noodles though, I think they did the sauce very well and had a strong peanut flavor. read more

[Pre-COVID post] Came here just for the lamb skewers, which did not disappoint! We also tried the stewed beef shin rice, which was also good and made me feel like I was eating beef soup with daikon radish because it was very soupy. The place was packed and we fortunately did not have to wait longer than 15 minutes for a table. read more

Baozi Inn - Chinese Near Me - London, XGL

The skewers were really quite nice. Flavour was perfect and just enough spice and "numbness" to the spice! I loved how every skewer tasted perfectly and it's just one of those things that are hard to find these days. It would have easily been a 5 star joint for the skewers alone BUT for like £7 for 5 skewers, that's quite some healthy margin considering that makes it £1.5 for 2 fish balls or £2 for beef tribe which is almost free from western butchers! read more

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I had the pork in chili and it was too salty for me and not spicy enough. I thought the food was just okay. The winter special was cheap tho and came with 3 appetizers. Pics of menus attached. read more

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Four stars for the food which was amazing and cheap! We ordered pork baozi and I ate a full bowl of sichuanese beef noodles soup ( which was supposed to be super spicy but it wasn't ) It was good and you feel really full after it! And it's really cheap for good Chinese food in London BUT the service was really bad !!! The waitress was not nice, made me wait outside ( winter time...) because our group wasn't complete and she didn't want me to reserve the table !!! Not the best to attract customer... Except that food and decoration is nice ! I recommande it if you're looking for cheap and good food read more

Baozi Inn - Sichuanese beef noodles soup - Chinese Near Me - London, XGL

A friend and I were exploring Chinatown on a Sunday and came here for lunch since I was craving Chinese food. We arrived around noon, just as the restaurant was opening, and were the first customers there. The restaurant was a little tricky to find, as it's in an alley off the main Chinatown roads, and the name "Baozi Inn" wasn't written in English anywhere outside; however, my GPS was able to locate it. The inside of the restaurant was bigger than I thought, with 2 rooms of seating. The menu had both English and Chinese. Tea is £1.50 per person, but tap water was free. My friend and I each ordered a house special baozi (filling options that day were pork and vegetarian). We split the pork lotus bun small plate (it came with 2). I also ordered a bowl of porridge (also from the small plate part of the menu) for myself. The baozi is pretty big, and was delicious, as were the lotus buns. The porridge was hot and filling, and came in a small-to-medium sized bowl. The portions were smaller than what I'm used to in America, but my non-American friend was satisfied with the portions. I think the main dishes are also a lot bigger; some other customers at a nearby table were splitting a noodle entrée in addition to getting some small plates. Service was prompt and the food came out pretty quickly; the staff weren't overly friendly and mostly left us to ourselves. The men's/ladies' toilets were only denoted as such in Chinese, but the staff member who gave me directions to the toilets let me know the ladies' room was on the right, so it wasn't a big problem. The staff tended to assume we could speak Chinese at first, but after we responded in English, they switched over too. The restaurant was clean and not too busy while we were there, but more customers started trickling in as we were leaving. There's a £10 minimum for card payment; I was able to use my American bank card. Our total meal for both of us combined was just £12, so we didn't bother trying to split the bill after we found out about the card minimum. I really enjoyed my lunch here and would gladly come back next time I'm craving pork buns. read more

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There have been some nice little restaurants opening in and around Chinatown of late, which are broadening the breadth of Chinese cuisine. Most of the restaurants and takeaways in the UK offer Cantonese fare, usually in an anglocised form and it's nice (even for a ethnic Chinese person like me) to experience more of the cuisine that feeds a quarter of the world's population. Baozi Inn is under the same management as Bar Shu just up the road and it offers the street food of Sichuan and Chengdu. Even the decor reflects the origin of the food with stools and an atmosphere that encourages slurping lovely bowls of noodles but not lingering, which is just as well seeing some of the long queues that form at weekends. It's nice to see that there has been little concession made for non-native palates with the menus warning that some dishes are fiery hot and believe me, they are! My favourite dish is a Chengdu favourite - dan dan noodles (made fresh daily), which is smothered in a tongue-numbingly spicy sauce. Some of the soup noodles aren't quite as hot. The other speciality are the baozi, which give the restaurant its name - steamed dough buns filled with a variety of fillings. So the next time you fancy a change from the ubiquitous anonymous Cantonese places that dominate Chinatown, a trip to Baozi Inn wll make an inexpensive alternative to try. read more

Our server looked sceptical when the two of us last night ordered the spicy cucumber salad, dumplings, dan dan noodles, spicy beef noodle soup and mapo tofu. "Two noodles and a rice dish?" he inquired with slightly less than a sneer. "That's right, we're hungry!" my companion cheerfully replied. He warned us the dumplings would take fifteen minutes. The cucumber salad arrived first, a glorious Sichuanese song of spice, vinegar and salt. I've never eaten spicier cucumbers than these and I adored every bite. Soon after came our drinks followed by both noodle dishes, the tofu and finally, the dumplings. I really enjoyed the dan dan noodles though they were less spicy than most renditions I've had in the past. Given the supreme spiciness of both the cucumber salad and the mapo tofu, I was almost grateful for the respite. Still, the noodles were practically bursting with umami and certainly a dish for which I'd come back to Baozi Inn. The spicy beef noodle soup was fine but not something that excited me nor something I'd necessarily call for again. The mapo tofu, however, was faultless. Quite possibly the nicest version I've sampled in London. The steamed dumplings, though not exciting to look at, were lovely especially with an application from the pot of black vinegar that arrived with them. As the weather in London gets progressively chillier, I can see myself hunkering down in Baozi Inn over a bowl or two of spicy goodness. I'll just make sure to visit a cash point prior to arrival to save myself queuing with the rest of Leicester Square post-dinner. read more

A quaint little restaurant serving northern Chinese dishes, keeping the decor very traditional with it's dark wooden tables and stools, windows and door frames. This was contrasted by the large use of red decorations such as lanterns and firecrackers. Walls were filled artwork showing a huge support to the communism revolution which was a bit shocking. It was a peaceful atmosphere, nice and dark bringing you out the hustle and bustle of Chinatown. It can be a bit too quiet at lunch and the cold service doesn't help and might be off putting to some. However during dinner hours the place is rammed and you often see a queue forming. Three sliver salad Consisted off bean thread noodles, carrots and seaweed which was what gave it that lovely crunchy texture. It was dressed in a lovely fragrant marinade made primarily of sesame oil and a mild chilli oil that gave it the complex flavour which made it very addictive to eat. House special baozi (pork) A very well made bun, milky and fluffy in texture and generously filled with grounded pork inside. The flavours were very balanced and the addition of onions in the pork is what gave it that lovely caramelised sweetness agaisnt the umami flavours. There was the other option of a vegetable bun but we stuck with the traditional pork. Chengdu dumplings in chilli oil and a garlicky sauce One of the finest dumplings in Chinatown won by the thinnest of the pastry and the generous aromatic pork filling. It was incredible, especially the delicate silky texture of the dumpling skin against my tongue before biting into it to release the juices and umami flavours of the meatball. I love the added greens in the meatball to give it more depth and flavour and the garlic chilli oil just boosted the flavours further and added a good kick of heat to it. Fried egg and tomato noodles A very light noodle dish offering a clear fragrant chicken broth with a lovely sweet egginess to it leaked out by the juices of the perfectly fried egg, that's still springy and silky smooth in texture. There was an abundance of sliced tomato to give it some nice mild citrus notes. They were also generous with the egg noodles which were lovely and bouncy. Sichuanese spicy beef noodle soup A much more rich and warming soup noodle dish that was incredibly good for it's price. The soup was rich with complexity from the herbs and beef stock in there, packed full of flavour with a good mild heat in there to make things more exciting. Seasoning was perfect which was hard to believe as many places in Chinatown has even had it too watered down or too salty. Beef were tender with bits of fat attached giving it more umami and egg noodles were cooked to al dente perfection. I do very much love Baozi Inn as it is good decent food at very reasonable prices. It's a place suitable for a quick bite or a meal with friends and so you find both the single diners and the slightly larger groups. The place is small though and can be quite offensive to some to do not support communism. The only thing that let me down was the service, the poor manners, abruptness and coldness from the short hair lady staff but lucky the food made up for it. read more

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We came to this restaurant after reading a much-hyped review in Time Out...and were sorely disappointed. The food was just barely edible and overpriced - especially considering what you can get in Chinatown for much less. The bao tasted as though they had been frozen and reheated. The Chongqiing noodles I ordered were so heavily spiced that I couldn't get through a few mouthfuls - and listen, I handle spice, but this type of spice wasn't even delicious. We won't be coming back! That said, the place seemed very clean was playing trendy music. read more

菜还行，服务很一般，只收现金。 酸辣粉很过瘾，凉拌百叶很脆。饺子和包子都一般，麻辣烫的食材和汤汁的味道都不够好。 如果你想尝试一下文革风格的餐厅，可以去一下这家或者附近的"大跃进"。各种大字报，海报，红灯笼和红歌，还挺像模像样的。 我们的服务员态度还行，但有点不靠谱。明明可以点麻辣烫却告诉我们不能做了，上饺子也不给醋，问她要放在豆浆里的糖答应了却忘了拿。 吃川菜的话还是隔壁大跃进味道比较好。 read more

Baozi inn, Sichuaese street food, have I gone to heaven? The last couple of years, after reading Fuchsia Dunlop's memoir and cook books, I've had a fascination with Sichuan cuisine. So getting a chance to try someone else's interpretation was a great treat. After wondering around near where I thought it was I stumbled upon Baozi. We quickly got a table, but you can tell space could be tight in this tiny place. Service was quick and reasonable. I think the people who might have complained about the service are used to have some kind of relationship with their waiter or something, but I saw nothing wrong with the service here. We got some dumplings (Divine!), some spicy noodles, and some Dan Dan noodles. All of it extra yummy. could have had a bit more heat but I'm guessing things are scaled back just a bit for the European pallet. The sauce on the dumplings was great. But the best, mind blowing thing was the ginger juice spinach. You must try this when you go here! It is so yummy I can barely contain myself. I also like the level of garlic in the dumplings. A fair bit of smashed garlic added on the sauce that is put over the dumplings. I'm serving my own that way next time I make them. Just wish this place wasn't so far away! Go and enjoy, but tell them you aren't afraid of the heat or the pepper corns and you'll get a good sweat going! read more

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After a number of drinks, some spicy food is just what you need to wake yourself up to ride off home...or to the next party. Baozi Inn was just the ticket to meet our needs. Despite it being quite full around 9pm, Pam T and I were seated within minutes and apparently just snuck in under last orders. We quickly ordered a range of dishes including (and I'm spelling this phonetically so don't get on my case) Mai Pao Tofu, some sort of sliced beef in chilli sauce with chillies, house special dumplings, and I'm sure there was something else that my wine soaked brain lacks the capacity to recall. Overall, the food was delicious with clean flavours, fiery spices, and sweet high notes to complement the heat. The dumplings were slightly gummy and perhaps could have used a few more seconds in a hot pan for my tastes. I demolished the beef, hoarding the tender succulent slices as much as I could. Luckily my dining partner is semi-vegetarian and didn't mind focusing her efforts on the tofu. Service was overall good although our tea did take an unusually long time to arrive. And it was piping hot which, given the warmth of the day, was probably the wrong thing to try to drink quickly. Burned tongues aside, it was a tasty quick and easy meal and some of the better Chinese food I've had lately. I'm definitely keeping it in mind for those times I want something a bit more substantial than a steamed char siu bao from the vendor just outside their door. read more

Baozi Inn - Chinese Near Me - London, XGL

Very interesting food, but while I'm glad I came here I'm not likely to ever become a regular because if you do not particularly like fish or red meat then your options are vastly reduced! Most interesting looking dish i have had so far this year award goes to the gelatinous eggs I attached as a photo. They squeezed 3 of us onto a two person table. While this was a bit annoying, especially if anyone on the table behind wanted to move... And arranging the various sized bowls and plates that arrived took some arranging...would I have preferred to wait another 10-15 minutes for a more suitable table? Probably not. read more

Baozi Inn - Chinese Near Me - London, XGL

Utilized a Lonely Planet book and found this in the heart of Chinatown/SoHo in London. There was a wait outside the restaurant but luckily with a party of two we were able to get in faster. We ordered a spicy beef noodle soup, pork dumplings, vegetable chicken noodle soup, and spinach with ginger appetizer all for around £30 which isn't bad since we left full! Food was good except the beef noodle soup had lots of fat on the meet but they put a lot of meet into the soup! Definitely would recommend this restaurant for Chinese! Get there early and make sure you have cash on you. Also the staff is pretty upfront and straight forward with you so don't expect your waiters to get friendly. read more

Baozi Inn - Spicy beef noodle soup - Chinese Near Me - London, XGL

I like the dumpling I ordered and seaweed salad and lamb skewers. Recommended all. Will df try something else from this place. read more

Baozi Inn - Chinese Near Me - London, XGL

We all have our own versions of comfort food and fresh, hot bao is one of mine. Today it is cold, blustery and damp in London and I stumbled upon this place while walking to the train station from a meeting. I first noted the Baozi Inn signage and looked in the window to see lots of people crowding in for bowls of piping hot dumpling soup. Then, I noted that adjacent to it was a small little shop with a forlorn woman sitting behind the counter and a small steam cabinet full of fresh pork and vegetarian filled bao. 2 quid each (cash only) and she puts them into a white paper wrapper. They were warm, steaming actually and quite large although 2 quid seems a bit on the high side to me. They certainly worked well as hand warmers in my coat pocket but I couldn't make the train without ripping into one. I am a purist so I bought the pork ones because vegetarian bao does NOT exist in China (neither do solar gardens, Subaru's, or Jesus sandals) and can only imagine that this was somehow a result of the London Chinatown granola club or something. What I got was steaming hot with chewy dough and juicy pork filling that was quite tasty. It really hit the spot even though I had just eaten lunch! Am saving the other one for a midnight snack when I awaken jet-lagged in the middle of the night bored and hungry. Will definitely go back to grab more of these meat donuts when I am back in the area. read more

Baozi Inn - Line at the front door - Chinese Near Me - London, XGL

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The classic chicken noodles at Baozi is one of the best meals I've had since living in London, and it's a great price. Tons of huge udon noodles covered in a spicy red garlic oil with loads of the best flavored chicken in Chinatown, and garlic pieces that melt in your mouth. I ate my entire bowl in minutes, which caused quite the stomach ache, but there wasn't anything I could have done different considering how delicious this bowl of food was. read more

Visiting London and decided to drop in based on online reviews. Definitely not the expected experience. First--cash only. Second, service was horrible. They were significantly more polite to their non-Chinese customers, and we were definitely on the colder receiving end of service. Not only did we have to change our order (because suddenly an item was no longer available on the menu) but they also forgot to place the order for one of our party, didn't realize until we flagged them down, and never apologized/brusquely set down the order a while later. Lastly, the food was okay; not a tourist trap but also not particularly authentic either. The portions are not worth the money or service; the appetizer of lamb skewers might as well have been only the skewer. Overall, not worth the hype. Your money (and time) would be better spent at one of the many other shops in Chinatown read more

My meal here was a disaster. The seating was crowded, the service was harried and unhelpful. The pork wonton soup I ordered contained an excess of dried krill, which were not listed on the menu. The house special baozi was so-so. They said on their menu they accepted credit cards, and even though we hit the minimum price, they insisted on cash. I would not recommend. read more

Baozi Inn - Chinese Near Me - London, XGL

I've heard some very good reviews of this Sichuanese restaurant and was keen to try it. However I have a problem sometimes with very spicy food is that it makes me cry and my nose run... Enough of that so I thought I would take a chance and go for it. I entered the place which was pretty empty at lunchtime but that was due to roadworks outside. The restaurant was styled In a retro Maoist communist theme with very small and tightly packed tables. I chose a £7.90 set menu featuring Baozi buns, dumplings, soup won tons and a small bowl of cold noodles. The service was very quick. I started on the thick cold noodles which had a lovely peppery but not too hot sauce garnished with peanuts. Followed on by a soup with won ton dumplings which slightly cut the fairly spicy heat of the noodles. Then there was two Baozi dumplings. One was made from meat and the other was vegetarian which was quickly devoured along with two small dumplings. I enjoyed the food as I was surprised by the subtle heat of Sichuanese food on the taste buds. Finally I had a tiger beer. I was impressed by how little I spent (£10.40). I was pleased that I had gone for an alternative to my usual Anglo-cantonese fare. read more

Really, people? 4 and a half stars? Has Mao gotten to you? I refuse to kowtow to the commies and declare this place utterly meh. The staff acted like they'd been hoiked out of a Seinfeld episode 'No Soup for You!' My companion on asking whether any sauce came with his dish, as he had remembered it did, was told no, that is the authentic Sichuan way it is prepared and there was no sauce, EVER. Clearly they were unprepared to ask him did he want any or suggest something else. They certainly had a 'screw you, die now please, but not before paying us' attitude. It amused me, because, truth be told, I do like a bit of dickishness. But I wouldn't go back. Why? Because the menu is predominantly meat, the buns weren't great and I really didn't think the food was that good at all. It was average. However, I agree with Larissa G that it doesn't serve up the same old crap as everywhere else in Chinatown. But now I really must go as the villagers with flaming pitchforks are on their way. read more

Eating here really does feel like you've stepped into Maoist China, only with great street flavour and none of the little red books (though there are posters on the wall featuring children crowding around the Chairman to listen to him). It was also voted as Time Out London's Best Cheap Eats Runner-Up, and probably wasn't all that far from the top spot. I had the Chengdu Dan Dan noodles, a savoury bowl of ground pork and spicy soup that wraps the noodles perfectly, and it had just enough spice to clear up a cold I'd been having for two days. My mate had the Sichuan beef noodles, and her (bigger) bowl looked just as savoury. We also shared some Chengdu dumplings, which may look small (everything comes out at once, so think of it more as a side than an appetiser) but have enough spice and flavour to complement the noodles and, together, will fill you up. Service is brisk, like any Chinatown hotspot. The environment is clean, and the flatware and the stone decor can make you feel like you're in the Asian bathroom section of a home store. We did see a group of 8 next to us, so groups here are possible, but you will get seated more quickly if you keep your numbers to 2, as this is a very cramped place and there are only two small dining rooms. Since you will need water after those noodles, be sure to ask for tap water; we made the mistake of nodding to the question 'still water?', and our bill came out to £18.90 instead of the £14-something we expected. Still, at around £4.50 (price of a lot of the entrees) to £10 (if you split an appetiser with a mate and include tip), Baozi Inn definitely sticks out as a credit crunch way to enjoy a savoury meal. Beware that this place can be VERY hard to find if you a) am stupid like I am and forget to bring a map or b) are not used to walking around the backstreets off of Shaftesbury and Charing Cross Road. From Shaftesbury, the street that leads to it is on one side of the fire station. From Charing Cross, it's north of the tube station, not south as depicted on some (inaccurate) maps (like Time Out's). read more

Now -- I ate at Baozi Inn shortly after it opened, and was very impressed then. After Yee Gan's recent review, I felt I should go back there and write another review -- particularly as I knew I'd be in town on Sunday and needing some food... Before you arrive -- make sure you have cash. Baozi Inn does *not* accept credit cards or cheques! Baozi Inn's speciality is Sichuan/Szechuan cuisine, as opposed to the Guangdong/Cantonese style one usually finds in Chinese restaurants in the UK. The menu is generous, but not extensive -- no lists of hundreds of options, but about 30-40 items in total, including the eponymous "baozi" -- steamed dumpling-puddings containing pork, egg or radish, along with larger meals with soup noodles, dry noodles or rice. I went for the pork baozi, followed by the Sichuanese spicy beef soup noodles (noted as a house speciality) and a green tea. Service was prompt, friendly and correct, taking the trouble to reconfirm my order before leaving my table, the baozi and tea arriving barely a few minutes later, and then a few minutes more before the beef noodles. This came to £9.00 in total -- an excellent price for a DELICIOUS and ample meal! Let's be clear -- Baozi Inn isn't a place to hang about; particularly when there is a queue forming out of the door (yes, even on a Sunday) -- the service is brisk. However, it is definitely a destination for authentic Sichuan food in Chinatown -- if you haven't been, go! read more

I decided to give Baozi Inn another try, after an initially frenetic and disappointing visit one rainy Sunday afternoon several months ago, so I popped in specifically for a bao for lunch today. Quickly seated, I found the cold soya drink I wanted wasn't available. Okay, so I ordered the hot one. Then the radish bao I wanted wasn't available. Hm. I chose an egg one instead. I got some millet porridge to round the lunch off and went to the toilet, wondering if this was indeed going to be any better of an experience than my last. I returned to find all three items I ordered on the table waiting for me. Prompt. The millet porridge was topped off with some goji berries and was pleasantly bland in the mollifying way. The bao was big, flavourful, and springy (although I still would have liked to have tried the radish one with the tiny shrimps). Better yet, the hot soya drink was probably better than any cold one would have been: light, warm and unsweetened. Everything went down together in one fell soothing and hearty swoop and was complemented by some watchful and unobjectionable service. After renewing my confidence, Baozi Inn will see my face again for some more adventurous consumption. Especially since I know Baozi can serve it up, considering all the coughing and eye watering going on at the table of visiting North American pensioners beside me. I would have given Baozi Inn three stars, because, well, I wasn't particularly 'wow-ed' by my lunch today, but it gets the extra star for not serving up the same greasy anglo-canto grub as all the other Chinatown eateries. read more

Baozi Inn is different from any other Chinese restaurant, and not just in London but anywhere. Their chef is a genius, the decor authentic, unapologetically Communist and contemporary. That's why the queue to get in here on some days reaches the end of the block. Their food is absolutely outstanding in freshness and flavour, but you will not find your average chow main and dumplings dishes here. Having eaten at Baozi on several occasions, I have seen more than once people puzzled at the lack of monotony in their menu leave after having sat down. But that is their loss. Which other Chinese restaurant serves a cold salad starter of the freshest spinach steamed to perfection with added freshly squeezed ginger juice, toasted sesame oil and a few cannellini beans? Deliciously tasty, and healthy, too. Has to be tried, Ginger Juice Spinach won't disappoint. The Beancurd Salad is equally delicious, nothing here is stir fried into conformity. Their soup starters are equally unique, very oily, and the chilli there is the hottest anywhere. My favourite dish is the Pockmarked Old Woman Tofu, served with boiled rice. The sauce is so spicy that the waiter warns you beforehand, and the distinctive, zesty flavour in the red sauce comes through despite the heat. The seating arrangement is somewhat cramped and uncomfortable in that you basically sit on a plank of wood with no cushioning, which I guess keeps the patrons flowing through as you won't be staying after food for a long chat sitting on a wooden stool. Service is fast to the point of harassment. Prices are average, with starters at around £ 4.50 and mains at £ 9. You can not pay with cards here, cash only, and you are not welcome to charge your phone should you need to. read more

Wanted to eat the hot and sour noodles (酸辣粉) from here for a long time because we like their chuanchuan (串串) but was super disappointed. Went for the Chongqing noodles instead and it was so bad!! The noodles were so overcooked and soft and the sauce was super salty. We also had the dandan noodles and spare rib noodles and all were terrible. Will not revisit :( read more

Baozi Inn - Couldn't even finish it because it was so bad - Chinese Near Me - London, XGL

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First of all, allow me to establish my credibility. I grew up in Beijing, where I ate good food everyday and never appreciated it. I moved to Seattle, where good Chinese food was available but rare. I then moved to Houston, where I refused to eat at Chinese restaurants, period. On a silk road trip I had the chance to taste some of the spiciest cuisines known to mankind in Xi'An. I know how a good bowl of spicy noodles is supposed to taste--and how it's not. Baozi Inn knows their stuff. You can tell just by looking at their menu, which is written on individual pieces of bamboo hung on one entire section of the wall. Honest to god I did not have high expectations for Chinese fare in London, but Baozi Inn didn't disappoint the first time and never disappointed me after that. The spicy beef noodles with bamboo was a knockout and satisfied every craving I had. It tasted of home. I might have teared up a bit the first time I had a bowl of xiang la niu rou mian at Baozi Inn. Their soybean milk is homemade (non of that Silk crap), and the small benches and red lanterns remind me of old Chinese movies. It's a great place to bring close friends for an intimate experience, as space is quite limited. The only downside is the waitstaff. There is one lady that is particularly curt who will make you feel like you are doing a huge favor by eating there and that you should finish your meal in a nanosecond to make space for her other customers. You need not be irritated-just slurp your noodles at your own pace and stroll out of there leisurely when you have a full, happy tummy. Seriously, this is real, hearty, humble Chinese food. If you're not any of those, don't come here. read more

Very delicious chicken and noodles. Their vegetable dumplings could have had a better filling. Overall a very great experience! read more

Baozi Inn - Chinese Near Me - London, XGL

This review is a hard review for me to write. On one hand, the rest of my family really liked it and my dad, who can be quite picky, said that this was real traditional Chinese food. I can see that. The rest of my family probably would have given it 5 stars. But since this isn't a review from the rest of my family and is a review from me, I only give it 3 stars. But for me, the food here was just... OK. Nothing special or great. Still tasted good, but I wouldn't come here a second time. The mapo tofu wasn't subtle at all. I really like spicy food but this mapo tofu was just pure spiciness and lacking other important flavors. However, the ginger juice spinach was very good. It went down really well and paired really nicely with all the spicy food that you will most likely be ordering. Also, the spicy wonton was very good. Overall, every dish, while good, just seemed to lack a 2% somewhere. Still, this place is worth a visit to see if it suits your taste buds more than it suited mine. read more

Another Veggie update (Dec 14) The spinach noodles are gone. The veggie bun seems to be gone as well. They've added (egg) noodle dishes, and put the plain buns back on the menu. I had the winter lunch special: Aubergine & rice with 3 veggie sides. This is good if you want to try a little bit of different things and it's an absolute bargain at £8.90 VEGGIE UPDATE! (Aug 14) A lot has been changing the last month or two. There is now a veggie noodle dish! It's Spinach Strange Flavour cold noodles.in Sichuan cooking, "strange" flavour is usually with vinegar and Sichuan peppers (which is in the chili paste that comes on top) and you mix it with carrots, cucumbers, bean sprouts and mushrooms. Yum! Be warned, it's a lot of noodles. I'm not sure if it's in the restaurant section or just the take away part next door*, but there is now a "green bean" bao/bun with mushrooms and black vinegar. No egg! You can also order a nice portion of the spinach noodles for take away too- for half the price! *As you can't get the giant pork bao in there anymore, just three small ones. You can only get it at the takeaway. -------------- I am nuts about this place (pronounced bow-tzer). I've overeaten here for dinner and came back the next day for lunch. The smell wafting about outside reminds me of those cartoon smell "mists" that go up your nose and caress you as you follow them spellbound wherever they want to take you. This isn't your standard run-of-the-mill Chinese food that surrounds you and that wows me. There are only a few vegan options, but they are so good I don't care; I would eat the same thing everyday. First, whatever your diet, get the hot and flower bean curd soup. It's that wonderful smell outside! Silken bean curd, spicy broth, topped with nuts, fried noodles,and all sorts of textural wonderments. YUM! Get the plum drink! I drank it a lot when I was in China and it was so refreshing. Vegan run down: Besides the soup, get the cold ginger garlic spinach. Delicious and bright. There are a few other veggie plates, but I can't get away from these two. Your mains are limited to the aubergine rice plate (hearty & delicious) and the new Vegetarian cold noodles with "strange flavour". It may be vinegar, but it's delicious. It comes with chili paste on top too. There is also a hot noodle dish you can get without egg (depending on your server). There are some different grilled tofu and veggie stick options. Because they are cooked next door with the takeaway bao, you can see they are usually rattling around with raw meat sticks before they are grilled and also dipped in the same sauce. So have a peak if you are thinking of ordering them or use your own judgement. This also goes if you have a fish allergy! Notes: Sometimes service can be slow. Drinks can take an oddly long time to arrive. EVERYTHING IS COVERED IN SALT so be prepared. I really want to eat one of the baozi that are as big as your head, but I hear they're pretty darn good. Does not accept card, but the HSBC around the corner on Gerrad Street now has a cash machine. read more

A friend took us here, so I really wanted to love it. Unfortunately, I didn't. Nor did my fiance. Baozi's best dish, as far as I could tell, were its dumplings. The dough tasted very fresh, but they only come in pork. Otherwise, the offerings were a little uninspiring. The steamed buns were huge and a little dry. My beef in spicy broth contained very little beef, no spice, but LOTS of oil. The broth was basically oil. My fiance's pork noodle dish contained very little pork and lots of unflavored noodles. So the food was just sort of... bland. The prices are okay, the atmosphere is cozy, the seats have no seat-backs. read more

I think its pretty simple when it comes to spicy beef noodle soups: all that matters is the noodles. You can rank the type of noodle preparations like this: 1. Knife Shaved Noodles 2. Hand Pulled Noodles 3. Fuck it, no one cares If the noodles aren't knife shaven or hand pulled then there is no point. Everyone knows that the broth is crazy oily and you drink it at sever risk to your colon, the beef is unimpressive and the veggies are an afterthought. So, clearly, Baozi Inn doesn't know a god damn thing because their spicy beef noodle soup was delicious even though the noodles were bullshit. Instead, the beef was tender, generous, and complex in flavor. Seriously brilliant. If they had a dish of that beef served with rice and vegetables it might get five stars. The veggies were super fresh and similarly outstanding quality. The broth was average, you can't win em all I guess. But if you dig spicy beef noodle soup this should definitely be on your todo list. I still haven't found a go to hand pulled noodle shop in London but Baozi Inn has given me something to be excited about. As for complaints about the service? Shut up. Stop going to cheap eats places and expecting the staff to be nice to you when you are only going to pay them just slightly above cost for your meal and they are likely working a 12 hour shift. read more

Sorry to disagree with the other reviews here but I found my second visit here distinctly underwhelming. Everything was just a bit off. Service: so-so. Waiter was attentive but the table was not properly cleaned, with a tacky feeling all over. Food: Bland. I had an egg bun and the pork and aubergine noodles. The bun was a little bit hard and dry on the outside and slightly bland tasting, and the noodles were overcooked and in a sauce that was mostly just salt, with hardly any meat in it at all. My green tea tasted strongly of bad quality tap water. Also something odd I noticed was that their food was quite literally superheated. I burned my hand picking up the bun, and 5 minutes after cutting it open it was still too hot to eat. The prices were somewhat reasonable but I am sad to say that I'll have to avoid this place until I hear of improvements. read more

This place is my religion. Called Bao Zi Inn in English but '人民公社' - 'The People's Canteen' in Chinese (a tongue in cheek joke about life in communist China during the latter part of the 20th century.) This is, in my humble opinion, the one of the more authentic of the Chinese restaurants in Chinatown. Its menu is small and modest and consists mostly of noodles, dumplings, cold salads and individual rice dishes. The restaurant is small (don't bring a large party here!) I come here often for lunch and order dan dan noodles, zha jiang noodles or beef and bamboo noodles. Their noodles are excellent and very authentic, certainly the best I've eaten in the UK. Some of the spicy dishes are very spicy so beware but if you're a fan of Sichuan cuisine, maybe ask them to add extra chilli is it's not quite THAT authentic. ;) The fact that this place is always filled with Chinese expats and students longing for a taste of home should be pretty telling. Do not expect to find the kinds of dishes you've become accustomed to at your local takeaway or at many of the other restaurants along Gerrard Street. The seating isn't very comfortable but this place is really designed for a quick meal rather than a long drawn out affair so I've never found t to be a particular problem. Service is curt, not rude but it's a Chinese restaurant after all so I don't complain about service unless someone has been actively mean spirited in some way. 12.5% service charge is included. Minimum charge per person is something like £8 so that you don't come in and just order a bowl of £7.50 noodles. Get a pot of tea and everything will be under a tenner. 2 people can enjoy massive bowls of noodles or a rice and meat dish for a very reasonable £16-17. What's not to love about that? read more

Bao zi nothing special Dan Dan -- it's not even the right color Mabo tofu rice -- best dish here Soy milk meh Dumplings pretty good Niu Rou moan are u kidding me Fen zen pai Hu bland Spinach whatever read more

Tasty food - TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE. I would not wish this kind of attitude and service on anyone....it is certainly not worth it to endure even if the food was excellent. Our issue: we were a party of three adults and two small children (ages 2 and 4) for a mid- afternoon snack (14:30) and were seated at a small table for four. When we asked for an additional chair for the two-year old, the waiter said the table was only for four.....in other words: you can leave or not feed one of the kids??? Then upon ordering he stated that there was a minimum of £8 charge per person.....barely making a concession that the children could not eat an adult portion of anything. If he could've stated this policy when we were seated, we would've selected another restaurant. One side note: we didn't feel too discriminated upon....we observed another patron being scolded for helping himself to an extra spoon. read more

Before you went in..the staff will greet you with CASH only. Another typical chinese restaurant. There are some good selection of foods; I particularly like the spicy noodles with pork. For the starter, I love dark Century eggs and the cold salad with chili oils. Good place to have a quick foods and go. read more

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This place is new and I feel is as good as it gets in terms of the food, which deserves 5 stars! The service probably deserves 4 stars because it's okay but not brilliant and because you cannot pay by credit card which is a big pain from my perspective. The toilets, which I think are worth mentioning, are incredibly clean and pleasant. Certainly the best I have found in China Town. These by themselves deserve 5 stars. So, overall, a 5 star rating. read more

3.5 stars really for: 1. Having garlicky seaweed salad (not that awful sweet kind that you get at Japanese restaurants) 2. Generous portions Unfortunately, the "house special" spicy beef noodles was neither spicy nor special. The wontons were alright but the flavor got lost when drowned in chili oil and garlic :( Bar Shu has tastier broths but WAY smaller portions so pick your battles... read more