Where to get the best bao in Glasgow

We’re all into gut health these days and nothing makes your second brain happier faster than a big dose of fermented food. If you’re so over kombucha and kefir, sink your teeth into some tempeh, made via a natural and controlled fermentation process, by binding soybeans into a cake form. The good people of Suissi Vegan Kitchen in Partick, have seen fit to pack the stuff into a bao, along with some leafy greens and their chef’s special sauce. It’s a top choice if you want a plant-based bun that’s as good to your body as it is to your taste buds.

If you’re in the city centre and hungry for a bun, check out Sushi Ya. It serves hirata buns, the Japanese version of bao, with the same light and fluffy consistency that we know and love. It’s a mere £6.50 for two, packed with your choice of teriyaki chicken, teriyaki roast pork, chicken katsu curry and croquette. Pair your hirata with some sashimi, a poke bowl, some ramen, or a bento box that’s a neat solution to your lunch hour. Family-run and authentic, this venue has been feeding hungry Glaswegians for over two decades now. 

It’s all about the buns here. From breakfast bao to broccoli bao and beyond. However, if you’re not feeling the dough, you can also get salads, rice dishes, tempura, donburi, noodles, katsu and more. With a brightly coloured frontage and a simple interior accented by a neon sign (that matches the facade), it’s evocative of a city cafe in Taiwan, the island whose food it replicates. On Bothwell Street, in the heart of the city, Bao is a handy stop-in for grub to go after the pub, a casual catch-up with mates after work, or for a slightly different date location (with a more fast food style, you won’t feel obliged to linger longer if the date is not going anywhere).

Steamed and sticky, Bar Soba’s bao buns have some of the most varied fillings in the city. Here you can opt for a pop bao with crispy, spicy chicken and spring onion, a sate bao with chicken, satay sauce, sweet soy and spring onion, a cauli bao with cauliflower bites, sweet soy and spring onion, or a spicy bao with kimchi and chilli. And if you want more for less, pop along at lunchtime for their middle-of-the-day deal, offering two for £7 (among other deals). Bar Soba’s mission is to pay homage to Southeast Asia’s street markets, and boy do they hit the spot with these boa-d boys. You’ll find outlets of the brand in Merchant City, Byres Road and Mitchell Street.

Bring the kids, bring your pals; all are welcome at Big Feed, a travelling street food collective. You may have spotted it popping up at boutique festivals and events, but now they’ll be hosting regular pop-ups at the glitzy Princes Square shopping centre. The suppliers change frequently to keep it fresh, but you’ll find a number of regulars and dishes like tacos, pizza and bao buns are very much part of its (movable) feast. This is a winner if you just love bao but the rest of your party isn’t keen. As you order from trucks and stalls, everyone can hone in on what they like, grab their scran of choice and return to the table to continue the banter, without having to rely on a single genre of cuisine.