Bao Buns באו באנס — Restaurant in Tel-Aviv

Well, well, well, let me tell you about this Chinese joint at the heart of the Old Tel Aviv Central Bus Station. It's like a hidden gem, you know? Every time I pass by it, I think to myself, "I gotta try this place." And finally, last night, I took the plunge, and let me tell you, it was a rollercoaster of a dining experience.

First off, the food. When we first visited, it was surprisingly good. I mean, with all the Chinese workers dining there, you'd expect nothing but the best, right? But the second time we went, it was a different story. The meat was so tough, I thought I was chewing on a rubber tire. And don't get me started on the cooks. Two of them stumbled out of the kitchen, reeking of booze, and with cigarettes dangling from their lips. Are you kidding me? Cooking my food while drunk and smoking? No, thank you.

And then there's the bathroom situation. If you gotta go, you gotta go, right? But to get there, you have to go through the kitchen and a dark, empty room (which used to be an old apartment), and then finally get to a poorly maintained bathroom. I mean, come on, people. If you want to run a restaurant, you gotta make sure the whole experience is enjoyable, and that includes the bathroom.

So, here's the deal. This place has a good variety of seafood dishes, and some meat and chicken as well. But it's like playing roulette. You never know if the food will be good or bad, depending on the cooks' sobriety. And the bathroom situation is just a hot mess. If you're willing to take the risk, go ahead and give it a shot. But don't say I didn't warn you. As one wise man would say, "So, if you want to gamble, go to Vegas. You wanna get Chinese food, go to a good Chinese restaurant. Don't roll the dice on some sketchy joint in the middle of the bus station. You might end up with food poisoning or worse, dysentery. And that's no way to spend your evening, folks."

If you have found this information helpful or useful, please click the “LIKE” button, in order to help others!

My Ratings: Price $$ Food: 1.5, Service: 2.5, Cleanliness: 1.5, Comfort: 2, Bathroom: 1* Will I visit this place...

I swear to god if it wasn't for the sweet waitress I would of flipped some tables! The sweet and sour pork we had was made from ketchup and sugar!! And for 110 shekels in a small plate without rice on the side is waaaay too expensive! We wanted to return the meal because it wasn't to our liking and they refused to take it back!

The cook was smoking and drinking beer while he was cooking (stir frying) and alot of screams coming from the kitchen which gave a really unpleasant atmosphere while there was a huge table of Asian people only drinking beers beside us and they were loud AF! But the restaurant owners told us they were "regulars" and didn't want to tell them to lower there voices...

The only positive thing I can say is that we had one of the sweetest waitresses we have ever met and the dumplings were good but no I won't be coming...

A small hole in the wall serving quality Chinese food. The place is located in the south of Tel Aviv where refugees and work immigrants have settled down and established a nation within a nation. The food here is surprisingly good, especially the dumpling. The portions are large and meant to be shared. However, while the food seems more New York Chinatown, thd prices remain Tel Aviv, which means expensive. A dish here will run 100 shekels and more, a price fit for an upscale restaurant. Having said that, there value for the price, with a shrimp dish that is full of shrimp and meat dishes that can be split between three people (no sides and rice priced separately). Well worth a visit if you are in to genuine Chinese style food (that is Chinese food served...