Where to get the best Bao Buns in Vienna

Housed in a  little shop front across the way from the mothership, Mochi’s takeaway Asian eatery/ store does a lot of things well, but we visited for its Baos. Having served up the fun buns before the craze started to sweep into the city, just like most things attached to the Mochi name, their Bao is the real deal. The selection is limited when it comes to Baos, but you want be left desiring much more once you try what they do have (unless you’re vegetarian – there are no veggie options on offer). The Pulled Pork Bun is number one here in our book, while the Beef Bun, with its delicious Chimichuri mayo, definitely earns a mention.

This is a takeaway in the truest sense of the word with no tables and chairs inside, however outside they line their shop front in summer with some seating and a few drink crates. And there’s a fountain across the way, which is a popular spot to sit and dive into your Bao. The shop also has a selection of Asian drinks (and you know how weird and exciting they can be for our Western tastes) that you can wash down your bun with, and we’d highly recommend you get one of the 2.50€ Mochi balls for desert.

Bao Bar on Zollergasse is a small take-away deli that is serving a handful of variations of this Asian steamed yeast bun sandwich. There are three different variations on the menu, including one filled with pork belly, crispy chicken, or tofu. (garnished with spices, crushed nuts, sauces and vegetables). To this, you can add some side dishes, like their delicious sweet potato fries, or the soba salad (a noodle salad). The service here can be quite abrupt so you won’t really feel the love here, however the bao buns are more-ish, and we have no doubt you’ll get a hankering for them on a regular basis after your first time.
There’s about 5–8 seats inside and a few seats out front in the sun, otherwise just get it to go – it’s a great alternative to the dirty Döner.

Bao? Wow! This Taiwanese specialty has one signature feature: the bun isn’t baked, it’s steamed. And at Yong Streetfood, they come in either pork belly, or pulled chicken, and are garnished in the traditional way – with pickled veggies, like cucumber or daikon (an Asian type of radish). To this, a sprinkle of crushed peanuts, coriander, cabbage, and a squirt of hoisin sauce is added. The buns are small and fluffy and have a very soft and spongy texture – the sensation of biting into one of these for the first time resembles soggy, doughy bread; but they are damn delicious. These palm-sized cute little guys are convenient to eat on the go, but it also means you will need 2 or 3 of them to fill that Bao-like belly,of yours (just kidding, we love your little love handles).
The Bao being served up at Yong’s came recommended to us from our favourite Vietnamese sandwich Banh Mi dealer, so it doesn’t get anymore insider than that!

We also recommend… you consider doing a take-away kind of visit here, as the place is tiny and labeled as “street food”