Bao Bakery

Bao Bakery is just steps away from the Joyce St. Skytrain station. It has such delicious steamed buns with an assortment of flavored for stuffing. In my opinion, it rivals Newtown Bakery sio pao!

I’m going to take you back in time… back to the eighties – a time when shoulder pads and fob hairstyles peppered the landscape. It was a time when Chinatown was actually full of Chinese people; buying groceries, dining in Chinese restaurants, and buying Chinese…pastries. At the time, nothing was as beloved as much as the baked apple tarts from Hong Kong Cafe. Lineups for these light, flaky pastries with apple filling would go through the door. Customers would buy them by the dozen and often brought them as housewarming gifts for parties. Well, one day, Hong Kong Cafe closed up and the day of the apple tart seemed to be lost forever. Or at least until New Town Bakery started making them. Their recipe was tantalizingly close to the original and, as years went by, the famous apple tart soon became associated with New Town Bakery instead. Fast forward a couple of decades and now a new shop has opened up in Vancouver that sells the same iconic apple tarts. A few months ago, Bao Bakery opened up near the Joyce Skytrain station and sells not only the infamous apple tart, but also a number of tasty steamed buns and baked pastries. I can’t confirm it, but I think Bao Bakery must be related in some way to New Town because the items here taste very similar to New Town. The apple tarts here (just like the ones from New Town) aren’t as delicately light and flaky as the ones from Hong Kong Cafe but they are still pretty tasty in their own right. The tarts go for $7.75 per half dozen. The baked pineapple buns have a nice, thick, crusty cookie-like topping. These buns, along with the baked bbq pork buns, are fairly large. I’ve been back here a number of times over the past few months and pretty much always grab at least a couple of apple tarts with my order. The egg tarts are $1.40 each while the crescent-shaped fried shrimp dumplings are $1.85 each. I’ve always loved the fried shrimp dumplings from New Town so it’s great that I can find these closer to home now. They have large steamers filled with a few types of steamed buns. My favourites are usually the bbq pork asado ($2.10 each) and the chicken deluxe bola bola ($2.90 each). The bbq pork filling is generous and not the overly sweet type that you find in some dim sum restaurants. They seem to have added a few different items over the past couple of months but I’m always drawn back to the apple tarts and steamed buns.

Well what I have been told is Miss Chan’s son from the New Town Bakery in Chinatown opened up a new New Town Bakery in the Vancouver Filipino Community called the Bao Bakery where their Sio Bao’s are beloved. Smart move next to the St….Mary’s Roman Catholic Church near the Joyce St Sytrain Station. Same Cha Siu or Sio Bao, Apple Tarts, Coconut Buns, Hawaiian Pineapple Buns and Egg Tarts. You can also get a refreshing cold Green Tea Latte. A lot smaller but cleaner bakery. And you wonder why Chinatown is getting smaller. Its because you can find the great Chinatown food in other areas of Vancouver.

This bakery was around the corner from where my wife and I were staying. Stopped in for some Apple tarts and donuts. Both were delicious. There were lots of other good looking treats that we will be back to try.

We were walking by when we noticed a sign for pork buns and knew we had to stop in. Amazing amounts of bbq pork buns, siu mai, and Chinese baked goods including coconut pineapple buns, and bean curd buns all of which we had to…buy and take home with us. The smell in the bakery was awesome, the taste even better. Worth the stop!More

Bao bakery has some items that are similar to the Asian Bakeries with their version of mochi; steamed buns and baked goods. The difference is in the price. This is a bit more expensive than the Asian bakeries.

My sister & I tried their mochi with red beans, and their tarts, etc and they’re just delicious! Reasonable prices too! I’ll definitely go back & this will be one of my fave eating places for sure!

I have only not enjoyed the BBQ pork bun, but I am never a fan of this but I keep trying to find one that I do like. I love the Ube Steamed Bun it is amazing but I also really like purple yam. The…Spicy Pork Steamed Bun is my favorite thing to order for spice, taste and texture wise. I have tried most of the menu from the deserts to the Curry Beef Baked Bun. I do nto order often from here but when I do I always enjoy it alot,More

It’s good. Try their bola bola but not the siomai, seems like full of seasoning but taste good as well.