Bao Sandwich Bar

Bao Sandwich Bar
Restaurant information
Food typeBánh mì and gua bao
Street address62 Balsam St, Unit B106, Waterloo
4310 Sherwoodtowne Boulevard Unit #5, Mississauga
City
StateOntario
CountryCanada
Websitewww.baosandwichbar.com

Bao Sandwich Bar is a bao restaurant in Waterloo and Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. The restaurant serves Vietnamese bánh mì sandwiches and Taiwanese gua bao.[1][2] The menu items take inspiration from a variety of Asian cuisines.[1][2][3]

Bao Sandwich Bar serves sandwiches that include chicken, beef, pork, duck, fish, avocado, and tofu.[1] The sandwiches are either served on steamed bao buns, which are made in-house, or on a baguette.[3] For drinks: coffee, tea, juice, soda, beer, and soju are served.[2]

In a 2017 visit to the Waterloo location, Jasmine Mangalaseril of the Waterloo Region Record tried pork, chicken, and beef-based baos, which were described: "Cottony house-made bao. Crunchy lightly pickled vegetables. Well-prepared and flavourful meats."[2] They also tried desserts: an ice cream sandwich and a "Corn Cookie", which the reviewer found to be "a bit meh".[2] In 2016, Andrew Coppolino of CBC News included the Pork Belly Banh Mi on a list of his 16 favourite dishes of 2016 in the Region,[4] and recommended the dish on a list of sandwich options in the Waterloo Region in 2019.[5]

Locations

Waterloo location

The address of the Waterloo, Ontario location is 62 Balsam St, Unit B106. The restaurant is located near Wilfrid Laurier University,[6] and according to the Waterloo Region Record, caters to "the university student crowd".[2] The restaurant is located under a student residence, which Andrew Coppolino described as "virtually undiscoverable and nearly subterranean".[7] The location is small,[7] and so not all customers eat in the restaurant.[2]

Mississauga location

Following the closure of the Mississauga cafe Cold Pressery in December 2020, Bao Sandwich Bar was announced to replace the retail space.[8] Some interior design elements from the Cold Pressery were retained in the Bao Sandwich Bar location.[8] The location opened in November 2021,[3] and its address is 4310 Sherwoodtowne Boulevard Unit #5, near Square One Shopping Centre.[9] The Mississauga location was created after the Waterloo location.[9]

Coordinates

Address City Coordinates
62 Balsam St, Unit B106 Waterloo, Ontario 43°28′35″N 80°31′48″W / 43.4765°N 80.5300°W / 43.4765; -80.5300
4310 Sherwoodtowne Boulevard, Unit #5 Mississauga, Ontario 43°35′58″N 79°38′29″W / 43.5995°N 79.6413°W / 43.5995; -79.6413

References

  1. ^ a b c "New Vietnamese, Taiwanese sandwich Bar opens in Mississauga | inSauga". insauga. 2021-10-12. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Mangalaseril, Jasmine (2017-11-03). "Fantastically messy delicious Asian flavours at Waterloo's Bao Sandwich Bar". Waterloo Region Record. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
  3. ^ a b c "Restaurant specializing in bao finally comes to the GTA". TasteToronto. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
  4. ^ Coppolino, Andrew (Jan 7, 2017). "Andrew Coppolino's 16 favourite Waterloo region dishes in 2016". CBC News.
  5. ^ Coppolino, Andrew (Jul 27, 2019). "From classic to crafted creations, Andrew Coppolino takes a look at local sandwich options". CBC News.
  6. ^ Coppolino, Andrew (Sep 12, 2020). "Handheld street food snacks around Waterloo region: Andrew Coppolino". CBC News.
  7. ^ a b Coppolino, Andrew (Jan 26, 2019). "Andrew Coppolino's recommended 'hidden gems' and hole-in-the wall eateries in Waterloo region". CBC News.
  8. ^ a b "Popular cafe closing down for good in Mississauga | inSauga". insauga. 2020-12-02. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
  9. ^ a b "This is Mississauga's newest spot for everything bao". dailyhive.com. Retrieved 2022-04-23.