Bar Bao

New to the area and thoroughly enjoyed my experience at Bao! The Clarendon scene was a bit much for me to take in moving to Virginia from a small town. The food was amazing I highly recommended the bao buns and the short rib nachos! The Bartenders were friendly and the music was great! I went on a Wednesday and I love Bachata. Will be coming back for sure! Thank you Balu for showing my friends and I what Clarendon Nightlife is all about!

Overall, the food was decent, and the drinks paired well. The ambiance had a young vibe, making it more suitable for hanging out with buddies rather than a family-friendly spot. The service was decent as well.

This place was so amazing and so under the radar. The restaurant had a beach bar theme in the back with a quieter, yet still hip atmosphere in the front. The server and the hostess were both so attentive and helpful. The bao buns were incredible and small bites were great too. I highly recommend the bottomless brunch on the weekends for $35 all you can eat + 25 cent mimosas! The happy hour menu also has some interesting selections for reasonable prices too.

There's some street parking around, we didn't end up making a reservation but it didn't really matter so it was quiet which surprised me. We opted for the bottomless brunch and the carafe of mimosas which was totally worth it. Our server, James, was awesome. The brunch was $36.99/person and the carafe of mimosas (~8 glasses was only $13.99). We ordered the Calamari, Honey Shrimp, Chicken & Waffles, Bulgogi Hash, Braised Pork Bao, Breakfast Tots, Salmon Benedict, Pork Dumplings, Home Fries, JFC Bao, Shrimp Tempura Bun, Short Rib Bao, Steak Frites and Nutella French Toast. Notables and recommendations: Honey Shrimp, Chicken & Waffles, Bulgogi Hash, JFC Bao, Short Rib and Nutella French Toast were amazing. The other ones were ok and not bad but too salty or the sauce was too overpowering for my taste. Overall, genuinely surprised about how great everything was! Definitely recommend! Total before taxes ~ $88

We stopped by because my friends liked the outdoor seating area and wanted a drink. They have good beer on tap and a nice outdoor space. That’s where the good things. Food is pricy with just okay portions. The kimchi bulgogi fries are $19 with little meat and kimchi but a lot of mayo. The food is not anything special. The service is not consistent and confusing. Your best bet is to order drinks and food at the bar and then wait there until it comes. The outdoor patio is great when there’s nice weather but I would not order food again.

Food was great. Parking is a nightmare! We went there because google listed that this "asian restaurant" is open late until 12-1am. We drive 45min there for family dinner of 8people. Theres no information online saying that the restaurant will close at 10 and turn it into a club. We was shock! After 45min of driving, we have 45min to dine in To super rush on eating and get kick out before 10pm. Some food dish is not even done cooking before we have to get out of there. Our bill is near $250 for a super rush dine in. It was an unhappy experience for our first time visiting the area. A plus for the food but the hours and bar/club info need to be listed clearly and correctly for first time visitor like me who based on google info.

Chose this place based on the large patio and sitting outside was very nice. There is a longer wait for the "back patio" which is more of a scene. The "front patio" is narrower and quieter. The servers genuinely seemed to be doing the best they could with a severely disorganized and understaffed kitchen and bar. They even admitted that the managers were helping to cook. Unfortunately it didn't really help as food came out more than an hour after ordering. It was clear that this was happening at other tables as well. The restaurant took the late items off the bill to apologise. Overall the food was decent, the snacks and bao are better than the entres. Would be willing to try it again because the patio is nice but do not go here if you are in a rush! Happy hour specials are solid for Clarendon including $4 for any draft beer including some heavy hitters.

Weeknight group dinner with an infant. Checked out Bar Bao out after seeing it the night before while leaving Kung Fu Tea. Turned out excellent! All of the baos that we ordered and tried were fantastic. The food was overall great! Ambiance, decor, and energy of the place with many TVs were all very nice. Big roomy place. Service was a little nonchalant but pretty good still. Prices weren't bad. Def recommended and def will return when in DC again!

Actual review ~3.7. The staff is friendly and the kitchen is open late night. Although the kitchen closes around midnight, the bar stays open much later even on weeknights. Tips 1) the Boas are good even late night 2) try the bar around back first late night. 3) tell them to hold the kimchi

Food was expensive, dined here about 2-3 years ago for brunch and the baos that they named themselves after weren't impressive or mind blowing. Decent, I would give it another shot at some point, but this place definitely could use some work. Granted this review isn't complete because I was on the patio and never went inside to do the full experience. I do believe they need to do outside maintenance/clean up their area outside a bit. Regardless if you're a bar you do need to show you care about your location - self respect is important.

We came here for happy hour (M-F 4-8pm) and they have decent happy hour specials with food from $4-7, and drinks from $5-10. I got the margarita, a rail drink, crunchy salmon roll, and crab rangoon, and everything was good for the price. Overall, great place for happy hour! Our server was good and attentive. They have indoor and outdoor seating.

A place I'm always passing by; I'm glad I was able to visit this time! Decided with a friend for a late brunch and only one side of the restaurant was open as we came at an odd time around 230/3pm. We were free to sit anywhere and our waiter/bartender was patience has we couldn't decided begin the all you could eat or a la carte. Honestly, the only thing stopping us were our appetite! There were so many good options and could've easily had our monies worth + more including the 1.99 (I think) mimosas. It took a few for our food to first come out and then we went to order more but brunch was done, no heads up. We ordered a couple appetizers as the options to order were limited but we made do. The shrimp bao bun was good but the chicken dumplings were delicious! Also got the crab Rangoon but they were a hard pass -- didn't taste like a lick of crab in them. Would definitely visit again for a full on brunch moment plus they have hookah, though I'm not sure if it's only available in certain spaces like outside.

Ordered the chicken basil stir fry on door dash and it didn't disappoint. So so good. Loved the flavor of this dish. Will def order from here again and try their other items.

This is a great spot in Clarendon if you're looking to get some small plates for a good price. The JFC bao bun was a 10/10. They also had great sushi, but when they say something is spicy, they do mean it. I recommend going during the happy hour and getting some deals on these small plates as well!

Overall, the food was decent, and the drinks paired well. The ambiance had a young vibe, making it more suitable for hanging out with buddies rather than a family-friendly spot. The service was decent as well.

I got the tuna nachos and they were really good! Went for a late night snack (around 10 pm) and they were still serving. The sushi looked really good as well and def want to go back and try it. Fun environment with some arcade machines and a dj. The staff were friendly. Seems like the spot to be when the weather becomes nicer since they have a outside bar.

There's some street parking around, we didn't end up making a reservation but it didn't really matter so it was quiet which surprised me. We opted for the bottomless brunch and the carafe of mimosas which was totally worth it. Our server, James, was awesome. The brunch was $36.99/person and the carafe of mimosas (~8 glasses was only $13.99). We ordered the Calamari, Honey Shrimp, Chicken & Waffles, Bulgogi Hash, Braised Pork Bao, Breakfast Tots, Salmon Benedict, Pork Dumplings, Home Fries, JFC Bao, Shrimp Tempura Bun, Short Rib Bao, Steak Frites and Nutella French Toast. Notables and recommendations: Honey Shrimp, Chicken & Waffles, Bulgogi Hash, JFC Bao, Short Rib and Nutella French Toast were amazing. The other ones were ok and not bad but too salty or the sauce was too overpowering for my taste. Overall, genuinely surprised about how great everything was! Definitely recommend! Total before taxes ~ $88

I came to Bar Bao for a work happy hour. Bar Bao is an Asian fusion restaurant located in Arlington, Virginia. They have indoor and outdoor seating. The outdoor place is really cool but I didn't see any umbrellas to avoid getting roasted by the sun. We had a larger party and sat inside since it was pretty hot out. The happy hour is M-F from 4-7. All of the items in the happy hour menu are under $10! Food: JFC Bao bun was good, crunchy, with a little spicy kick. Cheesesteak Bao bun: not a fan, bland in taste. California Roll: no complaints here. Drinks: Mango Margarita; great just wish it was frozen but they don't have a frozen machine. When we arrived our group was the only patrons there. Our waiter put all of our orders on one tab. I wish they would have communicated that before hand or maybe I missed that announcement. I went to the bar to close my tab and I had 3 margaritas added to my food order?? Overall I thought the food was cool. Now if the music was a little different it would come together and have more of a vibe.

We came here on a Thursday night where they also have trivia at 7pm. We were able to get a table quickly and the service was fantastic; the waiter always checking up on us and they bring the card machine to the table so you can pay right there. They also have one of the longest happy hour deals, 4-7 (although he said it was good until 8). I got the JFC bao and it had a kick to it but was good. I also tried the eggrolls which were ok but the wonton nachons were great; I would get those again. Not a bad place in Claredon and I would recommend going.

Food is really okay for the price and quality. But the happy hour deals make up for the place! Overall friendly staff and prompt service. Great options for seating larger parties and perfect for lounge vibes. Would argue that this place does not have authentic food, but you should come here for the fun vibes. For the Happy Hour prices the quality of food is actually very good for the price! Would recommend for casual gatherings.

I have dined in and ordered take out several times and the food is always delicious and prepared on time. I do wish they had more seating in the dining room instead of the bar/outdoor area.

Asian-fusion spot that doubles as a club at night The place is a little grimy, and the seating options are not great (the majority of them don't have backs), but the food here is very tasty I came here with my GF for dinner and the people were very friendly and the food came out very fast as well Have a bunch of outside seating also

It's a great spot for happy hour and they have really good drink deals. I personally haven't tried the food but I would go back for happy hour given the good service and fun time.

The inside looks like a college bar, and you wouldn't think they served food. We sat down and were greeted by a STRONG stench of cigarettes. But, the wait staff were very nice and attentive. And the food was shockingly really good! We had the friend chicken and the avocado buns, and they were great! We had the tuna nachos as well, and they were pretty good. Overall, good food! Just not too great in that bar.

We go quite often for the Thursday night trivia! Great food and drinks and lots of fun!

Nice ambiance and interesting Asian fusion cuisine. They have trivia on Thursdays at 7pm, which can get pretty crowded so plan to get there in advance. Trivia is done via an app and can get a bit loud. Happy hour has a nice assortment of drinks and food. Side note: I think the step leading to the kitchen is a potential hazard - I think there needs to be some kind of sign there to ensure people don't fall... I'm wondering how the servers don't mind having to watch their step every time they enter the dining room?

We got take out. Sushi, lomein, beef and broccoli, and a bao bun. The lomein and beef was good and a large portion. The bao bun was cold and not a great texture, I would not get again. The sushi was ok. The inside was modern and a little bit of a chaotic scene with a lot going on. The food was ready fast but they forgot chop sticks. We didn't take pictures.

Have a great happy hour and nice outdoor seating. Love their bao buns. They also play reggaeton music on Sunday nights and it's a great crowd

Rating is based solely on the food. My friend went here on a weekend night. It was difficult to find parking in the Clarendon area on a weekend night. When we eventually arrived at the place, there was another bar next to it. Bar Bao was absolutely packed while the next door bar had more availability. There were no tables available inside or outside at Bar Bao since it turns more into a club-like scene at night. With permission of both restaurants, we were able to order food from Bar Bao and bring it to the next door restaurant since it was more empty. I ended up tipping the bouncer/server well. The pork belly bao was delicious and flavorful, but the rice with stir fried chicken was not worth it. It was bland and oily, and I did not end up finishing it. Water - you serve yourself.

Came to visit Clarendon corridor from Los Angeles and this place was the most expensive out of every spot we went to. Will not be coming back. The other places are better and so much more affordable. Save your money and skip this place. So many more fun and affordable places around here. They wanna charge LA prices for Arlington entertainment..

Come for the trivia and a beer, eat elsewhere. The service is slow--we had to order items multiple times, never received some dishes, even though they showed up on the bill. Also, PSA, they include service on the bill? Not sure if that's always. Overall giving this a 3 because it's work it for trivia but I wouldn't come here otherwise.

On my way out (10 feet from the front door), I realized that I forgot to say goodbye to a friend. So I turn around but the bouncer by the door grabbed my collar and yanked me out of the bar. I wasn't even drunk or did anything deserving of it. Extremely rude. I will not come back.

Tasty lil apps! My friends and I came here for some lunch on Sunday after a spin class nearby! We didn't want to order too much, so we opted out of the bottomless brunch and ate a la carte. However, I would definitely recommend bottomless brunch if you are coming out to eat and chill with a group of friends, as you'll get more for your buck. That being said, the appetizers were small and a bit pricy. I love the lil bao buns! The meat is flavorful and the buns are soft and airy. Besides the food, our server was attentive and friendly. Also, the background music and wall art made it fun to eat there!

Security is unprofessional and rude. Needs to be retrained in deescalation and how to actually make patrons feel in a positive and safe environment. Instead of being allowed to live out their power trips. Won't be back.

Actually insane that you get a mini portion of soggy food for $19. They could've at least filled the bottom of the box with rice. Bar Bao, I hope you love your family more than your customers.

Such a classic, suppose to be fun, vibe. But super sketch place. The bartenders take advantage of the drunks and upcharge and include over 20% charge tip. For example: I went to 3 different bartenders, order the same stuff. 3 different prices. One was $47 one was $33 and one was $23. Just a heads up to everyone, PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT YOUR PAYING. If they don't get held accountable then they'll just keep doing it, unfortunately. So disappointing because we actually had fun

I've been here a couple times and always had a good experience, staff are always nice, during summer I love to seat outside and enjoy their brunch!!! Please try their French toast you won't regret it

We visited Bar Bao at around 10:30PM on a Tuesday, so maybe it was an off night. But the vibe inside was so weird. It was like a small college bar. Also it was unclear if someone was going to come and take our order or if we had to go to the bar. The food was definitely the most disappointing part. We came here hungry and unfortunately the baos barely had any substance! I'm not kidding the shrimp tempura bao had ONE shrimp. The fried avocado bao had ONE slice of avocado. The pictures looks like the baos are pretty full, but don't be fooled! The toppings are sitting at the top! The bottom half of the baos are practically empty! At $4.50 per bao, they're probably making crazy margins!

Random Monday night got hungry and stumbled upon this Asian-Fusion gem. Food was really good! We ended up getting the Lava roll, General Tso Chicken, Chili basil stir fry and chicken dumplings. The two entrees could have been a little warmer in temperature(I love my food piping hot) but it was decent. The Lava roll was delicious paired w/ spicy Mayo. And the dumplings were great. Over all food was 8/10. We both ordered two drinks each.. I thought they were strong, my boyfriend on the other hand has a different opinion. The ambiance was cute; a nice patio-like seating on the outside which is where we sat and more seating on the inside. They also had a few slot machines for the gamblers! Service was top tier, they were very attentive to our needs! We ended up receiving a little shot on the house.

Great food and great service The wings were perfect with just enough sauce. The fries were golden brown with the perfect crisp. Lastly, the tuna tacos were delicious. Justin was working sooooo hard. He provided service above and beyond

The only question I really have is, how could the drinks here be this expensive yet so mediocre? My friends and I came here on a Wednesday night to share a couple cocktails to treat ourselves for making pass the halfway mark of the week. The cocktails here were $15 each, so we were hoping they would be pretty worth it in terms of taste and/or quantity. We were eyeing the "Mochi Paradise" since we all enjoyed a nice coconut and pineapple drink, and... mochi?? How would that be incorporated into the drink? We were enticed by this and definitely wanted to try it out. We also wanted to try the "Uzamaki Manhattan" because my friend is from NYC, HAHA. There was no good reason why we ordered this drink. "Mochi Paradise" - this honestly just tasted like a pina colada. We expected some sort of mochi balls or mochi taste, but there was neither. We are extremely confused why this drink even has the name "mochi" in it. Overall, it was a nice sweet drink and we couldn't really taste a strong kick of alcohol. However, it was pretty small and probably not worth $15. "Uzamaki Manhattan" - this drink was pretty nasty as all of us gagged and immediately reached for our iced water upon the first sip. The alcohol taste is very strong, so if you don't like whiskey, we definitely don't recommend this drink. The after taste lasts for awhile, so we just kept drinking our water and waited for the ice to melt in the drink so it would dilute the nasty flavor. We kept drinking this because we didn't want to waste $15. The size of the drink was pretty small too, but maybe that was a good thing for us because it was disgusting. Overall, I would not get the cocktails again. They're pricy, overall mediocre in terms of taste and the quantity was small. If I come back in the future, I'd be down to try some of their signature baos as I hear it's quite popular.

Unfortunately, we are very disappointed with our takeout experience at Bar Bao and even more so with the lack of customer service for takeout orders. I prefer to work things out with the business before posting a negative review on Yelp. Gives them an opportunity to fix the problem. I have tried several times to call the business, twice on the night my fiancé and I ordered food. No one answered the phone, so I left a voicemail. I also went a step further and online they have a contact page, so I sent them a general inquiry with my email and phone number so they could contact me back. Gave them a full day (day 2) to respond. The third day I tried calling twice more at a different time of day around 4:30pm a little after the business opened. No one answered the phone. No one has contacted me and it has been 4 days. I think 4 days is a reasonable amount of time to wait for someone to give you a call back or send an email. The issue is we ordered their calamari which was tasty at first, however, I went to put my fork into what looked like a piece of calamari on my plate only to find out it was a piece of plastic!! A battered and fried piece of plastic. I had to pull it apart to realize it was plastic. It was quite unsettling and very disappointing. Unfortunately I found the plastic on my last piece of calamari, so my fiancé and I had already eaten most of it. Attached are the pictures. You can see it there next to the chicken lo mein we ordered. Please work on your customer service especially if Bar Bao is going to continue to do takeout orders! There is no way for someone to contact you if there is an issue with their order if no one answers the phone.

Went back for dinner again. I will say that the inside of the establishment was much quieter even though it was later in the day, on a Saturday night, and with more people. We sat outside on the patio. The food was still fantastic though! Drunken noodles were great. Tuna roll was good. The boa buns are where it's at though! The service was friendly and attentive too. Sitting outside, it started to rain a little and the waiter offered to move us inside multiple times. (The rain blew over) We'll probably become regulars here!

Had brunch here with some friends and it was a great time! We got bottomless mimosas and a ton of food - Nutella French toast, chips and guac, potatoes, and about a million baos and dumplings. We weren't the biggest fan of the breakfast bao or veggie dumplings, but really enjoyed the tofu and jfc bao and the chicken and pork dumplings. Very fast and friendly service and a super cool atmosphere/decor inside. Would definitely come back!

Everything was delicious, happy hour is a good time to enjoy a variety of dishes, my personal favorite was the Crab Rangoon. The Mango Margarita was fabulous. What I love the most was the ambiance and the service everyone is nice and helpful and Geovanni our bartender is awesome! I highly recommend it!

This review is for the food only!! Have not been to their Thursday Trivia Night, but it sounds fun. Came here for a quick bite and ordered the JFC, Braised Pork, and Short Rib baos. All three of the baos were saltier than I'd like. Personally, I thought that the Braised Pork and Short Rib had too much sauce on top, which overpowered the bao. Although also salty, I actually did like the JFC bao because the flavor was good. That being said, the vibes are pretty cool here. I would probably come for a happy hour or trivia, not for the food itself.

This establishment was pretty nice. Visited on Saturday @ 6pm, music was very loud which is why I chose to sit outside. The waiters were very attentive but security could have been much nicer. The food was ok, everything seemed to be rushed which I did not like. The buns were cooked way too long and once you order the waiter was trying to take payment instantly. They were serving hookah which would have been a nice but who is paying 60$ for hookah in Virginia. I would recommend trying their brunch, I hear it's really good.

Food +A Service +A Ambiance +A Accessibility +A Those short rib baoBuns are amazing . There's also Guinness on draft. Enjoy

Bar Bao is certainly a really fun place to go and hang out and has a great patio in the summertime. The food is good, but it's not great or particularly memorable. I think you can definitely get a better price for the quality. I've never had an issue with the service but have also never had an exceptional experience. It's definitely a fun atmosphere for a happy hour or grabbing drinks with friends, but I'd suggest looking somewhere else for a nice dinner.

Went to brunch with a fellow colleague. There was a nice outdoor seating area and staff wore masks. I entered the restaurant and wasn't promptly greeted but the restaurant was just opening so I understood the staff was busy. Service was ok, had to wait a little bit before the waitress came but food came out fairly quick. Not everyone in our party wanted bottomless brunch so we didn't do that, def would have been worth it to get it thought because the portions are in the smaller size. I ordered a handful of items - the baos were good, benedicts were ok. Note: they do not serve coffee so if you're looking for coffee with your eggs, you'll be disappointed. Overall an ok experience with decent food but I left still feeling a little hungry.

Great place! They have a wonderful outdoor area to sit in when the weather is nice as well as indoor seating. I sat outside and enjoyed the food as well as the music that was being played. I would highly recommend this spot especially as the weather continues to warm up

This place is sketchy when it comes to checks. Make sure you take a copy of your bill. First they will include gratuity on all checks, not just large parties. If you catch that, pending charges will still be greater the following day after posting. Bartenders increase their tips at the end of the night. Avoid this place at all cost.

Came for a happy hour in the middle of the week. Rail drink prices were pretty good so no complaints there. The bartender was pretty insistent on recommending the half off dumplings to every new patron (drinks until 8, but food until 7), though I wasn't feeling it. Went for the wings since I was feeling low carb. Probably not the best choice since my one order took 30 minutes while three parties after me got their dumplings before. The wings tasted super off - the chicken had a funk to it, so not sure if it was old or something messed up with the oil. 100% do not recommend, but that's what I get for ordering chicken at a Bao place.

Not what I expected. I've had Bao before in NYC with short ribs (even only as appetizers) and this is sub-par. Super tiny for the price and not as good.

Came here the other night with a friend and absolutely loved it. I'm not a super cultured eater so i was worried but very happy with how it turned out. Drinks: I had the Mochi Paradise and it was amazing. The perfect amount of sweetness in a drink for me. Food: For food we started with the fried dumplings and they were sooo good and I wish we got more. I tried the chicken bao bun and the cheesesteak one and they were both pretty good. The real winner of the meal was my friends spider roll. I have always been iffy about sushi but I loved it. Service: Werner was our server and he was amazing. He was very attentive and just overall a cool guy.

I stumbled on this place on accident and discovered it just in time to participate in their Happy Hour special!! They even have bottomless brunches on Saturdays. For only $35, you can enjoy a large selection of asian appetizers. Mimosas are .99 each but they're constantly topping you off which is awesome! I've never seen an Asian restaurant with a bottomless brunch like this, I will definitely be coming back! Food: For $7, the sushi roll was the best deal from this happy hour menu. The Spicy Salmon Crunch had a strong flavor, a little on the dry side though. The pork braised bao bun was AMAZING. Perfectly tender and juicy, the bun was deliciously warm. It was so good that I ordered another one to-go. Service: Awesome service. The employees were young and friendly. Very expedient. Atmosphere: They have bar seating, tables, and booths, perfect for any occasion. Very spacious location. The booths are along the wall of windows which provided an amazing view of the city.

This place is to be avoided. Pretensions of a much more hip place but they've gotten the math all wrong. Wrong place, wrong vibe, wrong execution of food and service, confusion over their theme (bao restaurant but not, hookah bar but not, fun bar for a mixed clientele of Clarendon and broader Arlington folks but not. At all. Not sure exactly what they are going for but poor experience on every level means they're not even accidentally getting anything right. I feel like it was a waste of both time and money.