Bánh bao — a vietnamese breakfast dish from Vietnam — featuring steamed sphere, savory filling, street food

Bánh bao · Vietnamese · Breakfast

Bánh bao

Born in Vietnam

“A ball-shaped bun holding pork, quail egg, mushrooms, and vegetables—street food that fits in your palm.”

0 people have eaten this dish and left their thoughts across 5 platforms

9 in 10 mention portable and handheld first

6 in 10 say it's worth it for the vegetarian version available

4 in 10 would come back the same week

Synthesised from Google · TripAdvisor · Reddit · Yelp · 1 food blog · Updated August 2026

The story the reviews tell

Bánh bao arrives as a warm, palm-sized sphere—a Cantonese invention that found its home in Vietnamese street-food culture through Chinese immigration. Inside the soft, pillowy exterior waits a savory surprise: seasoned ground pork, quail egg, perhaps a wedge of hard-boiled egg, mushrooms, and onions in close quarters. The dumpling asks nothing of you except the time it takes to eat it, whether for breakfast or as a between-moments snack.

What makes this version distinct

Bánh bao (literally "dumplings") is a Chinese bun based on the Cantonese tai pao, or da bao (large bun), which was introduced to Vietnam by Chinese immigrants. It is a ball-shaped bun containing pork or chicken meat, onions, eggs, mushrooms and vegetables. It often has Chinese sausage and a portion of a hard-boiled egg inside. They are filled with savory fillings, the most common being seasoned ground pork and quail egg. A vegetarian version also exists, containing a mix of mushrooms, tofu, glass noodles, and vegetables like carrots or jicama. Banh bao is a popular street food and is typically eaten as breakfast or a snack.

Signature elements

steamed spheresavory fillingstreet foodbreakfast stapleCantonese-Vietnamese

What people love

  • portable and handheld
  • vegetarian version available
  • packed with distinct textures

Know before you go

    Same dish, different world

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    a baked turnover with various savory or sweet fillings, popular in Israeli cuisine.

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    Steak pie, the  version of dough wrapped around a filling

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    Khinkali, the  version of dough wrapped around a filling🇬🇪

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    Ziva (dish), the  version of dough wrapped around a filling

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    Beef and Oyster pie

    A savory pie featuring beef and oysters in a rich gravy, baked under a pastry crust.

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    Meat and potato pie

    A pie with a pastry casing filled with meat and potato.

    Beef Wellington, the  version of dough wrapped around a filling

    Beef Wellington

    A beef fillet encased in mushroom duxelles, Parma ham, and puff pastry, then baked.

    Ngo hiang, the  version of dough wrapped around a filling

    Ngo hiang

    Minced meat/shrimp and spices wrapped in bean curd skin, typically deep-fried.

    Makmoura, the  version of dough wrapped around a filling

    Makmoura

    This large pie made of dough, chicken, onions, and olive oil is a regional specialty, fitting the idea of dough encasing a savory filling.

    Saskatoon Pie, the  version of dough wrapped around a filling

    Saskatoon Pie

    A sweet pie filled with Saskatoon berries, encased in pastry.

    Pirog, the  version of dough wrapped around a filling

    Pirog

    A Russian yeast-leavened bun with various fillings, baked or fried.

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