Bar Bao

This place was so amazing and so under the radar. The restaurant had a beach bar theme in the back with a quieter, yet still hip atmosphere in the front. The server and the hostess were both so attentive and helpful. The bao buns were incredible and small bites were great too. I highly recommend the bottomless brunch on the weekends for $35 all you can eat + 25 cent mimosas! The happy hour menu also has some interesting selections for reasonable prices too.

It's all about the trivia. Bar Bao has a fun trivia night on Thursday and tables fill up so you need to get here by 6:45 or earlier if you want one of the booths. The happy hour specials are decent but they serve everything in plastic cups. No one wants to drink wine out of a plastic cup. But we do for the trivia. Sushi and dumplings are good for snacks and I do like their brussel sprouts appetizer. There's an outside patio area too which is nicer than the inside IMO. Definitely a fun spot for trivia, maybe happy hour.

A few weeks ago, I went to Bar Bao for someone's birthday. The nightclub scene was really awful. It got crowded to the point that we were packed like sardines. I kept getting pushed by people every 2 seconds. Some belligerently drunk guy spilled a drink all over my delicate velvet dress and didn't even say sorry. I left shortly after because it was too overstimulating and annoying. The patrons were very aggressive. I wouldn't return.

Overall, the food was decent, and the drinks paired well. The ambiance had a young vibe, making it more suitable for hanging out with buddies rather than a family-friendly spot. The service was decent as well.

If you want a skunky, beer, overly bland and salty sushi and the need to double check the bottom of your check to make sure you don't tip them twice on accident due to the service charge automatically added on. Then this is the place to go. I won’t be coming back, management, you should require your servers to disclose the tip is already on the bill when it comes time to pay. It felt shady.

There's some street parking around, we didn't end up making a reservation but it didn't really matter so it was quiet which surprised me. We opted for the bottomless brunch and the carafe of mimosas which was totally worth it. Our server, James, was awesome. The brunch was $36.99/person and the carafe of mimosas (~8 glasses was only $13.99). We ordered the Calamari, Honey Shrimp, Chicken & Waffles, Bulgogi Hash, Braised Pork Bao, Breakfast Tots, Salmon Benedict, Pork Dumplings, Home Fries, JFC Bao, Shrimp Tempura Bun, Short Rib Bao, Steak Frites and Nutella French Toast. Notables and recommendations: Honey Shrimp, Chicken & Waffles, Bulgogi Hash, JFC Bao, Short Rib and Nutella French Toast were amazing. The other ones were ok and not bad but too salty or the sauce was too overpowering for my taste. Overall, genuinely surprised about how great everything was! Definitely recommend! Total before taxes ~ $88

We stopped by because my friends liked the outdoor seating area and wanted a drink. They have good beer on tap and a nice outdoor space. That’s where the good things. Food is pricy with just okay portions. The kimchi bulgogi fries are $19 with little meat and kimchi but a lot of mayo. The food is not anything special. The service is not consistent and confusing. Your best bet is to order drinks and food at the bar and then wait there until it comes. The outdoor patio is great when there’s nice weather but I would not order food again.