BAO Noodle Shop

"Bao’s sleek spot on the corner of Redchurch Street is busy with every kind of diner: from solo slurpers all along the window leaning into bowls, to friends and colleagues crossing off menu items from stool seats. Warming beef and vegan noodle soups, rather than fluffy bao, are the main event, though the buns are of course still on the menu. But the real stars of the show are the small plates. Grabbing a spot here with a plate of spiced crispy tripe and a steaming bowl of Tainan-style noodle soup is the move." - heidi lauth beasley, jake missing, daisy meager

"Bao's take on a Taiwanese noodle shop in the heart of Shoreditch is full of comfortable bar seating and window-facing stools. Perfect for putting your head down and getting intimate with something brothy. The Tainan beef noodle soup is a heartwarming bowl of slurpyness—don’t skip the beef butter—and one bowl is a perfect solo meal. It’s also worth knowing their Soho location offers an excellent £20 single diner menu with baozhong tea, a bao, a bite of fried chicken, a rice dish, and a refreshing glass of peanut milk." - heidi lauth beasley, jake missing, sinead cranna, rianne shlebak

"Maximum Capacity: 16 for Downstairs Private Dining Room / 30 for Rear Dining Room Minimum Spend: Downstairs Private Dining Room £250 / Rear Dining Room £500 Bao Noodle Shop is great at everything they do. If they were a person we’d find this wildly annoying, but when it comes to moreish buns, signature umeshu Negronis, and achingly cool branding, you can’t beat them. The low-key Taiwanese noodle shop is a short walk away from Shoreditch High Street station, and has two entertainment rooms for hire. Whether you opt for the large private dining room with Akari light sculptures or the space where you can play your own music is up to you and how tolerant you are of your mate’s attempt to hit Whitney Houston’s high notes. " - heidi lauth beasley, sinead cranna

"Order: Tainan-style Rare Beef Rump Noodle There’s something quite exciting about bowls of food that come with other smaller bowls of food to interact with. We’re not talking about a chopping board burger and a mini basket of chips. We’re talking pink rump beef slices bobbing in broth ready to be dunked in a bright orange soy yolk on the side, or a little dish of savoury beef butter to swirl into your broth and noodles. That said, Bao’s bowl of noodles (only available from their Shoreditch noodle shop) would be delicious without them—they’re chewy, the broth is light but flavourful, and it’s a good size." - jake missing, heidi lauth beasley, rianne shlebak

"Firmly established as one of the city’s most consistently reliable restaurant mini-chains, Bao’s expansion into Shoreditch felt like it had been a long time coming. Their Tainan-style rare beef rump noodle soup—pink rump beef slices bobbing in broth ready to be dunked in a bright orange soy yolk on the side—is a warming bowl, perfect for dreary midweek lunches. It’s a lovely minimalist space on the corner of Redchurch Street, ideal for solo slurping at the bar or something more sit-down." - team infatuation