Bao food in Munich: Fresh & tasty - Outgoing

In the charming Saigon Deli in Haidhausen, Banh Bao is solemnly translated as steamed dumplings. The dumplings aren't quite that big, but you can try your way through the menu. You can choose between five different bao creations - from traditional ones with duck and cucumber to a vegan version with tofu and two sweet baos with taro or coconut filling.

A dream come true for all Bao fans has opened in Maxvorstadt - the Baoz! Bar. Here, for example, you can put together a menu consisting of two or three baos with a side dish and dessert of your choice. The Baoz! Bar is very meat-heavy, but there are two vegetarian baos on the menu - filled with glass noodles or tofu.

When it comes to vegan bao creations, there is one good place to go in Munich and it is located above Giesinger Berg: Hippie Chay. The small menu is completely vegan - tofu, "duck" (seitan) or Beyond Meat are generally available as substitutes. Bao is offered as a starter at Hippie Chay filled with chili mayonnaise, pickled cucumber, carrots, red cabbage, radishes, coriander and an ingredient of your choice ("duck", crunchy avocado or oyster shiitake). Or you can order the Bao Burger with lamb's lettuce, red onions, tomatoes, avocado, oyster mushrooms, an ingredient of your choice (shrooms or beyond meat) and a side dish - salad or curly fries. Tried it yourself - tastes good, worth it.

With the large menu at Kaen, it's easy to get desperate when looking for bao - so you don't have to: look under tapas. You can get them in a pack of two and combine them with yakitori, Asian herbs and teriyaki sauce. As tough as the decision battle in the kaen can sometimes be, with bao it's made easy for you, because they only come in one version.

The Chi Thu locations have grown in 2021 - Schwabing can now also enjoy this Vietnamese street food store directly on Münchner Freiheit. The menu has also been expanded and you will find all kinds of rice noodle bowls, banh mi and summer rolls as well as two bao burgers. The vegetarian version is called "Chay" and contains lemongrass tofu, hoisin, coriander, pickled radish and carrot (with mayo = vegetarian/without mayo = vegan). If you like meat, order the bao burger with beef pattie, hoisin, coriander, pickled radish and carrot. On the menu under "Steamed" you will also find "Banh Bao" with pork filling - this is a closed dumpling.

In the already respectable Gollierstrasse there is a smart Vietnamese restaurant with a short name: Ha. In addition to many other delicious dishes, you will also find bao taco on the menu. From the name you can guess that the baos are served here as a starter. They are not particularly stomach-filling, but they are extremely tasty and affordable (4.20 to 4.50 euros). The base consists of sauerkraut, peanuts, fried onions, caramelized sauce and homemade mayonnaise. And as a finishing touch, you can choose between tofu, beef tenderloin or chicken breast.

Pretty much everything you get at TiVu is perfected down to the smallest detail - both visually and in terms of taste. So what luck that baos have also made it onto the menu of the Vietnamese tapas store. Behind it are the brothers Thi and Vu, from which the name is derived. The creation of the baos is in the hands of Thi in collaboration with the Polting estate. You can choose between lamb shoulder filling, duck or crispy pork belly. However, it's always worth taking a look at the current weekly menu at TiVu.