About BAO Soho
BAO Soho opened on Lexington Street in 2015 and invented the London Taiwanese-restaurant template that has since produced several imitators and a substantial JKS-backed group (BAO Fitzrovia, Borough, Noodle Shop). The original Soho site remains tiny — around 30 covers — and runs on a walk-in-only policy that produces a queue most evenings.
The menu is short and essentially fixed: the signature classic bao (confit pork), a fried-chicken bao, a peanut-ice-cream bao, a handful of skewers, and a pork-and-century-egg rice bowl that rivals the bao for best-in-category status. Pricing is genuinely honest — a full meal for two with drinks runs around £60.
The room is counter-seating-heavy, well suited to solo dining, and the queue culture has become part of the experience — regulars arrive before the door opens to secure bar seats. A Taiwanese beer and sake list rounds out what is otherwise a food-first programme.
Best Occasion Fit
BAO Soho is a confident first-date pick for anyone who wants to signal that they know London dining beyond the Mayfair circuit. The queue, the tiny room, and the cult-status bao combine into an experience that feels genuinely London-current. Also one of the city's better solo-dining counters for a quick, serious meal.
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