Bao Express, the restaurant x bakery x hidden bar by Bao Family in Paris

Published by
Manon C. · Photos by
Manon C. · Published on January 20, 2023 at 07:19 p.m.

The Bao Family has just opened a new restaurant called Bao Express, coupled with a bakery, Bao Bakery, and a hidden bar, The Underpool!

The Bao Family seems to be unstoppable and has been opening, for several years now, restaurants as good as beautiful, we think of course of Petit Bao, Gros Bao and Bleu Bao! In this new year, Céline Chung and Billy Pham ‘s team has just opened a fourth devilishly naughty place in Paris… and this one is far from being a simple restaurant!

On a surface of 500m2 (!), a few steps away from the Place de la Bastille, it’s for an old button factory, disused for more than 20 years, that the Bao Family has fallen for, modernized as it should be in a vintage and retro 70’s style by architects Tala Gharagozlou and Virginie de Graveron. Thus was born Bao Express, a pretty restaurant in the style of a Hong Kong diner with soft mint colors. But the place is not only that; lovers of Chinese flavors, you will be served!

Open from 8am to 2am, perfect hours for both early risers and late sleepers, Bao Express makes it a point of honor to satisfy all the cravings of sweet and salty mouths! From the street, gourmands and gourmets can discover Bao Bakery, a bakery where they can fill up on pineapple bao, airy bao buns topped with a cracker and available here in sweet (coffee/peanut, pineapple/lime, green tea/black sesame; 7€) and savory flavors (char siu pork stuffing; or Parisian style with ham and comté; 7€).

There is also plenty of room for the famous baozi and bao of the House, which have been a success for years, such as charsiu bao, vegetarian charsiu bao or vegetarian baozi with pumpkin and shiitake; but also for the cookies (the black sesame ones!) that can be tasted on the spot or taken away, while sipping a typical Hong Kong coffee milk tea, prepared on the spot, or even a ginger latte.

Then we head to the restaurant to discover what the chef Grégoire Seguin has in store for us. And as each restaurant of the Bao Family has its own specialty, here it is the fried and steamed dim sum that are highlighted through a nice selection of Chinese specialties such as har gow, chinese spring rolls and siu mai that can already be found on the menu of the other restaurants of the group.

But also exclusive recipes such as ham sui gao (excellent little fritters made of glutinous rice dough and stuffed with a tasty mixture of chicken, salted radish, shiitake and cebette; our favorite!), wontons filled with shrimps, water chestnuts and Chinese spring onion; and you tiao (ultra-crispy little fritters with shrimps).

Before going to discover the bar The Underpool hidden in the basement, we fall in love with the signature dessert of Bao Express, the fabulous Hong-Kong French toast, a fried bread filled with salted egg yolk; a small wonder.

After 7pm, it’s time to discover what’s hidden in the basement of Bao Express, the carefully hidden bar The Underpool, with its inverted pool look – take a look at the wavy ceiling made of mirrors and signed by artist Supakitch, you’ll understand what we’re talking about! Open until 2 am, this bar with a minimalist and raw look unveils a menu of Chinese-influenced cocktails, straight out of the mind of bartender Nicolas Lasjuilliarias.

So, let’s go for the Rubis de Chine (campari, calvados infused with coconut oil and red vermouth), the Vert Pandan (vodka infused with granny smith apple, lime, Thai basil), the Yellow Corn (buffalo trace bourbon, corn, clementine, gentian and yellow lemon), or the Black Rice (3 star plantation rum, algebra coffee liqueur, homemade black rice orgeat syrup, lemon, sumac, cardamom)?

Whether you’re in the mood for Hong Kong-inspired Chinese pastries, baozi to eat at any time of the day, traditional hot drinks , dim sum and other authentic specialties served directly from the cart, or a cocktail while enjoying a careful selection of music, you’re bound to find everything you want at Bao Express!

Alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health. Drink in moderation.

Alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health, please drink responsibly.