BaoBao Kitchen — Restaurant in Greensboro

I honestly don't know how they got good reviews. To my surprise, this was not authentic vietnamese food at all. I was disappointed in the food and service. For starters, my cashier seems rushed and aggravated since, I had a few questions about their menu. Its not your "typical vietnamese" menu, and it was my first time there. So I needed a few minutes. The steak pho that I gotten, was so salty. It was overpowering the broth itself. The chia Lemonade was just "ok". Nothing too exciting or bad. Fried Wontons were not good at all. The meat stuffing in the interior tasted weird along with its extremely salty Nước chấm dipping sauce. The kids chicken/noodles was the worst of all things order. It was literally just chicken over vermicelli noodles. It was terrible. My son did not eat it all after one taste. So definitely a waste of money. And not kid favorite. However there were some positive that came out of this. The steak fresh roll and avocado fresh roll were good and nicely flavored. The peanut+hoisen sauce which is typically used for dipping was good. Coming from a Southeast Asian Vietnamese background, I don't think this is quality Vietnamese food. In my honest opinion, they did not deserve a tip. Why there was a tip, was because, you have to order first. Then wait on your food. I tried to give the benefit of the doubt. But with all the tables being dirty. Customers have to clean it ourselves before sitting down. Walk up to pick up our own food(not them bring it out to us), clear our own tables, and disposal of our own food, and never a refill on drinks. It's the first time ever I felt like a restaurant doesn't deserve a tip. It was more self served. I was starving when I arrived, but being new to the area and on a time crunch, I just hurried with my dinning experience. If you're seeking quality Vietnamese restaurant.. I wouldn't recommend it. This is like a Taco Bell version of...

Family of 4 including toddlers and found ourselves roaming the area early in the morning looking for places that would be open, but also wasn't ihop. We landed here.

Nobody was in the restaurant and it was probably a good thing because my kids could not sit still. They were safely contained within the area of the small space while customers occasionally came in to pick up their orders to go. A note worth mentioning in case other parents find themselves in need of a similar situation.

I noticed a bunch of other special items not present on the permanent menu including rice porridge and chicken (looks like congee or kaopiuk equivalent of you're lao/thai) but also banh guon which is like meat rice crepes. I hadn't had it in awhile and got some for myself! Really yummy. I knew it wouldn't be enough so I also ordered a char sui banh mi to share with my hubby. He thought it was the best banh mi he's ever had although it wasn't in the traditional sense because it wasn't. I enjoyed it as well though.

Hubby also had himself some pho. Nothing particularly extraordinary but hit the spot. No complaints there! The kids had the chicken and noodles which was a stir fried chicken over plain rice noodles. It wasn't what I was expecting and a bit lackluster. They mostly enjoyed the chicken and left the noodles alone.

With two juices and a large thai iced tea, the order came out to around $50ish and we felt pretty good about...

Tiny hole-in-the-wall Vietnamese and Thai places are often among the best of their kind, and so I had reason to be hopeful for BaoBao Kitchen despite its limited dimensions. While BaoBao is small (a few tables with limited space between them), the menu is not. Buns, rolls, curries, pho, rice dishes, banh mi, and more are yours for the taking. BaoBao even offers all-day breakfast, a rarity among Vietnamese eateries in the area.

Dining solo, I went with pork bao buns, shrimp fresh rolls, and a hibiscus tea. Though BaoBao was busy, the crew here seems adept at getting food out quickly. I enjoyed most of what I had. The tea was sweet with a tangy note and especially refreshing on a warm day. They definitely didn't skimp on the bao bun toppings, and while their sheer sauciness led to some structural integrity challenges, that also made for a very tasty bite. Unlike other establishments, BaoBao serves three rolls to an order rather than two. However, they are short and smaller. As they were also chewier, this is probably not something I'd opt for again.

Provided that you aren't coming in with a large group, BaoBao seems like a reliable option for modestly priced Vietnamese eats. I've yet to try the banh mi or the pho to see how they stack up, but I'll know to keep this place in mind the next time I'm in the area and want...