Bao On The Block – Quezon City

Hello everyone! It has been a long time since the last time we shared an EATSperience in Quezon City. We have been guilty of just going around areas near our place like Makati and Bonifacio Global City. But since our baby’s pediatrician is based in Quezon City and we have to visit her for the monthly checkup, it gives us time to EATSperience restaurants that we rarely go to, and just simply appreciate what that side of Metro Manila has to offer. In this edition of EATSplorations, we will share with you about our latest Quezon City food find, Bao On The Block. It is located in Sgt. Esguerra just across ABS-CBN. This place serves up baos and rice bowls perfect for lunch and after work chow downs. We decided to visit Bao On The Block on a weekday lunch (during our school break) and it was pretty easy to go to. The place is small but it was decorated nicely, for diners who are simply looking for a place to dine at after a long day’s work.

Bao On The Block can accommodate around 15-20 diners inside and they also have some tables outside that they share with the other tenants. The place may be small but it’s good enough for a place to enjoy a couple of baos and a bottle of beer.

We obviously weren’t hungry, right? Well, the heat during that day was too much to bear and it got us starving. Good thing, one of the owners of Bao On The Block was there to help us on what to get. That’s why we got some siomai, a couple of baos and rice bowls, and dessert. Looks too much for two? Not!

[Mr. Eats] I love simple things like siomai. This was good but it could have been better if I ate it right away. Even though it lost its steam, I was still able to eat around 5 of it because of my intense love for dim sum. Make sure you eat it with the soy chili for a spicy EATSperience.

[Mrs. Eats] I too am a dim sum lover like my husband. And siomai will always be a favorite mine. Their siomai was good for me, however, I would have had a better EATSperience of it if I ate it while it was still hot. When you want something filling while waiting for your baos, order their siomai and dip it in their soy chili sauce. 

[Mr. Eats] These baos were really good. First, I loved how big each were. Second, the pork belly and the chicken were big enough to match the size of the baos. Third, both baos tasted mighty fine especially the BOTB Classic. The Bao To The King had a bit more pepper than I expected. I was expecting it to be more on the sweeter side since it had teriyaki sauce. The BOTB Classic was simply divine. It was a modified version of your usual cuapao with braised pork in Chinese restaurants. If I had to pick one, I would keep coming back to have the BOTB Classic because it was more on point flavor-wise and I love anything porky.

[Mrs. Eats] To have a better EATSperience of their baos, eat it right away while it is still hot. Both baos were soft and fluffy. In terms of flavor and filling, my favorite was the BOTB classic. The pork belly was tender and easy to it, and the hoisin sauce gave a classic taste to it. As for the Bao To The King—it had a good amount of filling, but it would have been better if the teriyaki sauce was sweeter just like the usual one. But all-in-all, I enjoyed the baos.

[Mr. Eats] If I loved the baos, I think I loved the rice bowls more! These rice bowls destroyed whatever plans of dieting I had that week. I am not joking, the Chicken Chop had the right crunch on the outside and it was a bit dry on the inside but the homemade fried rice (sweet and salty, teriyaki-like taste) made the difference. The Fish Wasabi was surprisingly good! I am not a big fan of wasabi but this one had the right combination of creaminess with a kick. My hands down favorite among the two toppings is Fish Wasabi but the rice is the real MVP.

[Mrs. Eats] After having the baos, I still had room for their rice bowls. The fried rice gave a comforting feeling, as we were able to EATSperience a homemade tasting rice. What I liked about their rice bowls was, it had a generous amount of rice and meat, may it be the chicken or the fish. Both were able to fill-up our hungry tummies. Among the two, my favorite was the Fish Wasabi rice bowl. The fried rice complemented the tender fish topped with Wasabi mayo. I will definitely order this again when we come back!

[Mr. Eats] This was one BAO-tiful creation! It reminded me of the fried cuapao with condensed milk. This one was way better though because of the ice cream and chocolate drizzle. The best way to end a Bao On The Block EATSperience!

[Mrs. Eats] I was like a kid in a candy store when I saw this bao creation on our table. Fried Bao with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup? Yes please! Best eaten when it is still hot with the ice cream melting. Another favorite of mine that I will surely order when we come back.

We were happy that we took the time to visit Bao On The Block. It was a rare Quezon City EATSperience but we loved it. Thanks to the owners of Bao On The Block for having us. We had a nice exchange of thoughts about the dishes that we tried, that we loved and things that in our opinion needs some improvement. All in all, we enjoyed our Bao On The Block EATSperience. We will surely come back for more baos and rice bowls. TIP: When you visit them, make sure you are really starving and order one bao and one rice bowl for that filling EATSperience. That’s it for this edition of EATSplorations! Till our next EATSperience!

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Bao On The Block

52 Sgt. Esguerra Street, South Triangle, Quezon City, Tomas Morato, Quezon City

+63995 783 9797

Facebook / Instagram

Opening Hours:

11:30pm to 9:30pm (Mon-Sun)

Budget: below 500 php for two