Kim Loi Banh Bao

Heard about this place through a coworker. Ordered their combo pork steamed buns. Probably the best I’ve tasted since coming to California. Meat was seasoned and made well. Breading was fluffy, not dense, white, and paired perfectly with the meat! Next hit, steamed chicken bun!

My dad used to make and sell banh bao (chinese buns) in Vietnam. The ones he made were always so fluffy and delicious, so I’m a harsh critic when it comes to buns. Although Kim Loi’s banh bao are not as pretty as the ones my dad made, they are similar in texture and taste. They are fluffy with a fresh egg inside. It is incredibly difficult to find a non-​dim sum place that makes decent banh bao. Most places I’ve seen make the dough too tough and dense, the egg inside is usually old, and it looks messy (they just clump it into a ball).

Hu Tieu is a simple noodle dish that is a combination of savory pork goodness, slight sweetness and simple ingredients.
Kim Loi is pretty clean in comparison to the food places in Lion Plaza and surrounding areas. The menu is easy to order from with large font, tons of pictures and prices easily viewable.
I ordered the Hu Tieu Mi with rice noodles and it had a simple, clear pork broth that was slightly sweet and savory. The noodles were good and comes with marinated pork slices, ground meat and shrimp. It comes with a side of the bones used to make the broth and extra broth. The soup tastes great with just a bit pickled jalapeño and chili sauce.
The steamed buns here are awesome! I love the Banh Ngot which is the sweet egg custard, it’s the perfect amount of custard vs getting mostly steamed bun.
Price is cheap for a good bowl of noodles and the place is clean!

They have a really fresh make food… Their bun is ok!!! Might be back if I’m in the area

Came here during CNY weekend and it was dead… that should have been a sign to go somewhere else…
However, the pictures they post outside were so convincing for my nephews and I, we took the risk. The photographer/​advertising company should really get 5 stars!
Tried the bun rieu and it was nasty… nothing about it was impressive whatsoever… I need to find a good Viet family to make the real thing for me. =P
Ban bao was also not impressive… pricing for the bao seemed like they were different for to-​go orders vs. eat-​in orders…
Plazas has A LOT to choose from. Go somewhere else.

I’ve been getting buns here since I was a little girl and it’s what gets me coming back. Their buns are DELICIOUS. They are also relatively cheap (I haven’t been anywhere else). I love the Xa Xiu and the Sweet buns. Best things in the world. It hurts me to see it so empty. This place has kept its look from the get go and I think it adds value to the place. I HIGHLY recommend their buns!

Got food poisoning after this. My friend and I. I don’t think it was from the food. It was the MAM RUOT (shrimp paste) that u ask for on the side to add to your BUN RIEU. It was watery as shit. Had to stir it up for some color. Paste is supposed to be thick! Will never eat anything here again due to the bad experience. Been sick now for 4 days. Maybe the customer service woulda helped with the stars but nope. Not great at all.

one of my favorite places in San Jose to get banh bao. Definitely on the pricey side, but when i’ve got a craving while visiting family in SJ, this is the place to be. No frills but friendly enough for an Asian stand.

I’ve been coming here since I was a little girl and I still go here for their banh baos! It’s super yummy and is always cooked to perfection!
I always get the steamed sweet buns and the combination steamed buns! They are delicious!
The steamed sweet buns comes in 3 and they are yellow in the inside! The combination steamed bun is one large bun which contains meat, Chinese sausage and half of a boiled egg.
Cheap and yummy! Must tryyyyy (:

Delicious banh bao! I tried the combo one and bought a bunch for the family. It tasted great when I first bought it and after keeping some in the fridge a week later, they still tasted great after warming them up in the microwave.
Each banh bao has just the right amount of fluffy dough and the meat filling is absolutely delicious. It’s seasoned well and the banh bao are fresh. I will definitely be back for more :)! YUMMMMM!

this place is okay. I think I should have gone to golden chicken again, but wanted to try something different. I had the meatball, pork, liver soup. It was okay, I think the service was fast, but they did not offer me any tea though which sucked. They did to the other customers though. The soup was nice and hot though which I liked. I would go to golden chicken next time for the crab soup much better I think.

This place used to be the spot to get Banh Baos. Been getting the chicken and sweet custard steamed buns since I was a little kid. Now that I live in San Jose, this place is just ok. Prices have gone up a lot and the meat portions aren’t that great.
I ordered 3 pcs of chicken and sweet custard late at night. The lady ended up giving me some old orders, even though there were nice and fresh ones in the back of her. She asked if I wanted the food hot, and of course I said yes. So she popped the Banh Baos in the microwave. AHHHH!!! Not a fan of microwaving food for paying customers. This place used to be 5 stars back in the days but now they are a 2.5 stars rounded up. I’m sure there is competition out there that makes better steamed buns.

This is in regards to the Banh Bao spot inside Call Me Dragon.
I’ve been getting my Baos here since I was 5. 16 years and going. Delicious.
I always get the BBQ Pork and the Combination Bao. The best in town.
5 Stars!

Yummy, I always come here when I’m craving Bun Rieu but don’t have time for a home-​cooked version. Usually, bun rieu NEVER tastes really good when you eat it anywhere outside of home. However, this may be the one exception. The soup base is delicious and extremely tasty! The crab/​shrimp balls are decent, but their pork bones are good though — meat falls right off the bone. So far, this is the best you can get from a restaurant. Believe me — I’ve tried it at many many other places too.
Also had their Chao and their Bun Mam — both were pretty good too. I have yet to try all their other items.
One thing you MUST MUST MUST get when you come here is their Banh Bao Ngot. Now this is the absolute best banh bao dessert I’ve ever tasted. Fluffy and moist on the outside, with a very sweet delightful filling on the inside. Comes out nice and hot, and one bite keeps you coming back for more. An order comes with 3 small ones and I can definitely eat one order all to myself, maybe even two! :)

Bun Rieu — Didn’t offer shrimp paste. twas a bit bland.
Steamed Xa Xiu Baos… was okay. good, not great.

I’ve been coming here ever since I was a kid. The Lion Plaza food court used to be the place to go on the weekends for lunch.
I love getting banh baos for snacks. It’s just the right amount. They offer chicken, BBQ pork, sweet egg custard and a mixed combo with ground pork, Chinese sausage and egg.
The BBQ pork is a nice salty and sweet snack. This ain’t no Texas BBQ I’m talking about. This pork is glazed with a sweet, red sauce. Can’t go wrong with this one.
For dessert I love to eat the sweet egg custard bun. It’s silky, creamy and sweet inside. I could eat a ton of them in one sitting.
Even the dough on the outside has a nice flavor. It’s soft while still giving you some texture.
I’m hungry for a banh bao right now! I wish they were open 24 hours. =P

Had great crab soup. Quick service. Takes cash only.

The banh bao is definitely 4 stars: I like the small xa xiu (Chinese barbeque pork) banh bao/​buns the best. But the combination/​thap cam buns/​banh bao are really good as well. My mom really likes the chicken ones too. The bun part is always moist and fluffy. They are not soggy on the bottom. The stuffing inside is always moist and cooked well, not raw or dry.
The other food here is more like 3 stars. I had the vegetarian chow fun, and it was pretty good. My husband had the vegetarian pan-​fried egg noodles, and that was good too. A bit too much celery for our taste, but perfectly tasty and not noticeably oily or greasy as some other reviews state here.
We will return for more banh bao.

*********************** REVIEW 430 ************************
Hands down 1 of the best BANH BAO in town! Bánh Bao means «covering cake» is a bdome-​shaped stuffing with ground pork or chicken, onions, mushrooms, Chinese sausage, ¼ of hard-​boiled egg/​quail egg, and vegetable inside. It’s savory fillings, tasty, and perfect when it’s hot, first baked! You can get full from just 1 Bánh Bao!
Kim Loi also offers smaller size with BBQ pork, chicken, and other dumplings as well and very reasonable price here. They also offer sit in dining room for other soup and rices dishes here. BUN RIEU — crab, shrimp, meat, pork blood rice noodle soup with tomato, is another good dish here!
Bánh Bao used to be 1 of my favorite breakfast when I was growing up in Saigon. So I always come to KIM LOI Bánh Bao to get my fix!
CASH ONLY!

Mmmmmm, pork buns! Went here for lunch with a good friend of mine. Since she knows the area & the food better than I do, I let her pick the place. So she took me to the food court at the Lion Plaza strip mall thing. (It’s tucked away in the back, I would have never found this myself!)
My ability on speaking Vietnamese is horrible, (Hey I only know how to say hello to old women, Happy New Year, thank you, and you’re welcome, I’m somewhat limited — but give some credit to whitey here) but I tried my best. I ordered a couple of chicken and one pork for $ 2.50, and they were yummy! I never had chicken buns before so that was a nice treat. Nice and hot and great flavors!