| Bao Sandwich Bar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Food type | Bánh mì and gua bao |
| Street address | 62 Balsam St, Unit B106, Waterloo 4310 Sherwoodtowne Boulevard Unit #5, Mississauga |
| City |
|
| State | Ontario |
| Country | Canada |
| Website | www |
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]
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]
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]
| 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 |
