Bao Noodles

As a DC native, I’m not used to working hard to find good Vietnamese phở, but I feel this is different in NYC. Thankfully a friend directed me to Bao and since my boyfriend is a phở-​fanatic, we went for a celebratory dinner one night. We started off with the lollipop chicken since fellow Unilocalers raved about it… and they were right! It was tasty (albeit spicy for me) and delicious. A great start to our meal. Their wine was decent and they had a good beer selection.
Of course, he got phở and said it’s the best he’s had in a long, long time (success!). I got the chicken vermicelli and while the chicken was seasoned nicely, the dish overall was luke warm and bland. Sadly, I was not impressed with it. I should’ve gone with the phở as well but I digress.

They are closed!

Bao Noodles is great. The food was great and the service is fantastic (even though it seemed like it was taking long to get our orders out in an empty restaurant). The owner of the place has got to be one of the nicest restaurant owners I have ever seen. He does not look like your typical owner of a Vietnamese restaurant. This tall 6 foot plus, Japanese speaking, Spanish understanding, white dude (possibly Irish) walking around is not some crazy guy just hanging around the restaurant, he is the owner. He is usually sporting stains on his shirt because he is the type of owner who does everything from washing dishes and taking out the trash to buying the ingredients they need in Chinatown. As creepy as this guy may look, he knows his stuff. If he is in the restaurant and you are struggling on deciding what to order he will be the first person to make friends with you and offer a recommendation. The owner is also a professional alcoholic, so you know they will have decent drinks.
I had the spring rolls, lemon grass short ribs, the salt and pepper squid, and the Bun bo Hue. All dishes where superb. Just a tip when eating the lemongrass shortribs, chew on the lemongrass stalk that the short rib is wrapped around to get the full flavor of the dish. Definitely coming back my next time in NY.

After a week long trip to Africa, I knew I had to have Vietnamese food. Bao Noodles was just down the street and I thought I’d give it a try since it looks all cozy and inviting from the outside. When I first walked in, I really liked the cool rope lights and the old country music playing inside.
I ordered: Bun Bo Hue (Hue-​style beef noodle soup) and a side dish of Xoi Ga (sticky rice with chicken). Both were delicious, although the sizes were smaller than the usual Viet portions. The Bun Bo Hue actually had both pork and beef, and the meat was tender and fresh. The Xoi was simple, but addictive as it always is. I really love that Bao gives the right amount of fresh garnishes for soup like basil, bean sprouts, and lime.
Overall, flavors were on point. Nothing too salty or overdone. Really enjoyable dinner. Service and pricing were satisfactory. 4 for you, Bao Noodles!

I would never have found this place if not for the Groupon from a few months back.
Decent, but ultimately, forgettable Vietnamese fare. It’s not easy to mess up a bowl of phở, and there was nothing wrong or special about mine. I was quite surprised to find that there was pandan panna cotta for dessert. Actually, it seems that the dessert menu (which changes often) is where most of the culinary creativity is to be found at Bao Noodles. Also featured were housemade ice creams in ‘Asian’ flavors like coconut, taro, etc.
My pandan panna cotta was pretty good — not too sweet, and the subtle pandan flavor (which resembles coconut) was lovely.

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I only tried one of their beef stew banh mi sandwich but it was pretty good. The meat was nice, and everything in it was flavorful.
$ 7+ for one sandwich? kinda expensive though.
NYC banh mi has been disappointing so far …

I was craving a Banh Mi and the closest place that had one was here. I decided to get the traditional with the Pâté and Meats. I always get this every place Vietnamese place I go. You can tell a lot about a place if it’s good or not on how they prepare a simple thing.
The Banh Mi wasn’t really that good. They put more pâté in than daikon, cilantro and cucumbers. All you really tasted was the pâté. It really overpowered the sandwich and made it a salty. I opened it up and only saw a one ore two sprigs of cilantro. Banh Mis are supposed to be crisp, tasty and delicious. This was neither of them. Instead I got a cold, flavorless and really depressing sandwich. I was really disappointed.
Definitely not worth the $ 6.50!

I was pleasantly surprised by the food here considering the ratings. I passed by here and just wanted to get a banh mi to go. I got the chicken one for myself and the pâté one for the bf; also ordered the Taro Fries and papaya salad.
The bahn mi was pretty good. I think I still prefer the cheap $ 5 dollar one in chinatown at saigon bakery but for murray hill area… definitely a to go choice. The taro fries were delish… they were very flavorful and the dipping sauces was just an added bonus!
The only thing I could have done without is the papaya salad, the sauce was a bit too sweet for my taste but not bad to any extent.
I may come back here just to eat the taro fries… yum!

My friends and I were walking home from flag football practice and we spotted this place and we went in to have dinner.
I got the brisket phở and it was alright. The meat is nice and tender, but I wasn’t completely «satisfied» when I was done though. A friend got the chicken curry and THAT was really good.
Dessert — Got the banana spring rolls. It’s basically fried banana. It wasn’t bad, but the fried dough had more flavor than the banana. It was nice and warm though. The mango sorbet that came along with it, delicious! Next time I’m getting just the mango sorbet.
Interior is nice and cute! The lighting is dim, but not dim enough so everything looks really dark.
Pricing is reasonable — would probably come again to try other things on the menu, or get the chicken curry. (:

I’ve been to Bao Noodles about five times and the past 4 times I’ve been ordering their Saigon fried rice. The first time I ordered their pork bánh mì, phở with beef and pork soup.
The bánh mì was very salty and dry. I don’t recommend this. The pork soup was good and the phở was mediocre.
The Saigon fried rice is where it is at! At under $ 8 you get fried rice with sweet sausage. Initially the portion and size may look small but trust me, its definitely filling and plenty.
Bao Noodles gets 3 stars this time because of their service and it’s always the same guy. He doesn’t come to refill your water and he doesn’t come to check up on you. Other than that the Saigon fried rice is really good.

I’ve recently taken a great liking to this little place. Something about the atmosphere is absolutely perfect to me. It’s the greatest place to cozy up during a rainy day, and what a plus — the food is good and not overpriced!
My favorite thing about eating at Bao is the chicken phở. It hits the spot every time when you’re either feeling sick or just plain need to be warmed up. It may be seen as a bit bland but to me its very refreshing. I’ve tried their pork bahn mi several times and it’s always consistent and delicious, I love the sauce they put on it and the bread is very fresh (good sandwich harmony). They have a $ 10 lunch special — a small appetizer and a soup or a sandwich. Their Vietnamese spring rolls are to die for, they always come hot and crispy as well. The only thing I’ve ever been disappointed with is the fried rice dish (keeping in mind I’d never had Vietnamese fried rice), I just felt like it was over seasoned and too spicy.
The service is always friendly and the place is never overly crowded. In my eyes it’s definitely a hidden gem of the neighborhood.