TP Banh Bao

I came in late in the evening and this place isn’t hard to spot. It’s a little hole in the wall and a gentleman was hidden behind the counter but he was gracious enough to take some fried banh bao orders. It was fresh and crispy. Taro banh bao was sweet but it does leave you feeling a tad heavy.

When my family goes to Houston, this is what we all request that they bring back to San Diego! They package them in a big box do you can check in as a luggage at the airport! We buy it and take home a box and 20 containers @9 = 180 pieces ! Flights from Houston to SD is about 3 hours so it’s perfect to give to all of our family! We just reheat in the microwave. Then for the fried Banh Bao, we microwave and when put onto the convection oven to that! Tastes great!!! If anyone loves Banh Bao! This is your most stop! Reason is it’s not too much dough. The filling is flavorful and perfect small size! I can eat 2 for breakfast or 3 for lunch! Everyone be loves it in my family!

Their banh Bao is okay. Nothing special. However the customer service is special! Yes, especially bad! The prices for the banh Bao is also especially outrageous. 14 bucks for the special w quail eggs… really? I find one from the other places that are twice as big for the same price! Overall I think the woman (maybe an owner??) has bipolar? She was mean then started being nice trying to tell us how to keep the Bao from being soggy… will not come back. We only came here cause 2 of our friends rave about it and wanted me to do their banh Bao run for them. Won’t be back.

Regular mini ban bao, pricey for mediocre ingredients. Poor customer service, very unorganized, the store is cluttered with children toys and personal home items. Are they running a restaurant or a daycare? The owner, I’m guessing since he was the one barking orders to the back workers, was very rude arrogant. Do not support idiots that treat their workers like second class citizens.

TP Banh Bao is a hole in the all «restaurant» is Houston’s Hong Kong mall where you can order up tasty banh bao (pork bun) either fried (no idea why) or traditional. I put restaurant in quotes because while you can order some other Vietnamese dishes, this is really more of a to-​go counter for banh bao.
My Overall Rating — 4 Stars (Service, Food, Return)
Atmosphere — Located in the Hong Kong mall towards the Sea Food palace, TP Banh Bao has some brightly colored lettering on the outside, but inside it’s more a counter than a restaurant. You’ll find some small tables and chairs and a room on the side with the lights off being used for storage. Honestly I wouldn’t eat here (sit down). There are too many options in Houston so I would just come here for to go. No Star.
Service — If you don’t see anyone, they’re probably at the back. It took us awhile before some came out to help. Once they did we put in our to go order, got instructions on how to reheat, then we watched the Vietnamese lady proceed to dance and sing… IN FLUENT SPANISH to some Tejano music playing on the radio. It. Was. Awesome. That alone was worth our wait. 1 Star.
Food — Ok, let me declare the State Fair of Texas is in Dallas, so there is no reason to eat a fried banh bao. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I didn’t like TP Banh Bao, in fact it’s the opposite. If you order the fried banh bao, you’re missing out on their AMAZING traditional banh bao. Their banh bao has a sweet, soft bun wrapped around a perfectly marinated pork ball. The meat is not too salty, and if you order the special bun, it comes with a quail egg that is fresh when cooked. These little details are important and make it one of the best (if not the best) banh bao I’ve eaten. If you order it refrigerated to go, be sure you heat it up by steaming it. It doesn’t deserve to be nuked! 2 Stars.
Will I Return? — Yes. I can buy 5 cases to take back home (because I did). It’s the perfect breakfast, lunch, or dinner item if you’re in a rush and need to grab and go. Yes, I’ll be back and next time will buy 6 cases. 1 Star.
My Unilocal Rating Scale (Sum of all parts):
1 Star — Atmosphere — Is it a cool dive? Perhaps an upscale place? No matter the type, atmosphere plays a big part and I’ll give a star if I like it or thinks it has great charm.
1 Star — Service — You can have a great meal with bad service. But that’s also what can make a five star joint drop to four. It’s important to the dining experience that service is great and on point.
2 Stars — Food — I’ll award up to two stars for the food, since this is the main reason we dine out. Sometimes the extra star is given for value, but it’s really all about the food.
1 Star — Will I come back? — If I know for a fact I’ll return, I’ll give this a star. A place has to make an impression for me to return.
Each Category can be given up to 1 star except food (2 stars) because I consider all these categories important to the overall dining experience. I will sum them up to provide my final Unilocal score.

This place is cash only. It is located near Sea Food Palace and pretty hard to find.
In general, their Banh Bao is really good. For the fried banh bao, you need to eat them when they first came out (a little bit greasy though). The price is $ 12 for 9 Fried Banh Bao or $ 2 for each; must get at least 3 (i think this is a reasonable price).

Do stop by here if you’re in the Chinatown, Houston area for the sake of trying out their famous Fried Banh Bao. Sounds crazy right? No worries I thought this was a joke at first because I honestly have never heard of such a thing until I visited Texas.
TP Banh Bao is tucked away at the end of the Hong Kong Mall but I wouldn’t say that it’s a hidden jem. The place is rather messy or at least during the time that I visited because either the head honcho or one of the other employees brought their daughter and she had ALL her toys ALL over the kitchen floor.
In case you’re wondering, fried banh bao essentially tastes just the way you would probably imagine it to; crispy on the outside and softer after you bite into it… sort of like a macaroon I suppose ha. Can’t quite say that it’s worth it for you to go out of your way just to get your hands on some since you can easily fry up some banh bao at home yourself, technically.
And just like with any other fried food, you definitely got to eat it fresh while it’s hot and crispy. Dare wait another second and you run the risk of losing its crispy touch.

Good banh bao especially fried banh bao mmMmm but they make you buy more than 3 to have them fried and it’s about $ 3 for a small one. Quite expensive, last time my co works found a piece of plastic wrap inside the bao when she bit into it. Makes me wonder…

This place is located inside Hong Kong Shopping Strip. I had to stop by to check it out since I’ve seen so much positive reviews about this place. It’s a small hole in the wall place where they have only steam buns on their menu since it’s their speciality.
I ordered 3 fried house special buns & 1 steam bun. I just wanted to taste the difference since I’m already there. After I got my order and ate the fried bun I wasn’t a fan of the fried bun. I thought it was pretty greasy even thought the meat inside was pretty flavorful. The steam bun was good but more chinese sausage could have been added inside the bun.
I’ve heard that the seafood buns are the best but I was too full to try another bun. Maybe another time.

This place has became a regular stop for me every time I go to Houston. The fried banh bao is my usual request. It’s crispy and warm on the outside, and full of meat and eggs on the inside. I love this place. We bought 6 boxes to go for our family and friends in Fort Worth, and they all love it!

How can I describe a TP banh bao? Have you ever had a Spanish empanada? A pork mixture filled bun that is either steamed or flash fried and eaten hot. It is a savory delectable treat for breakfast or snack. How TP is different? Their buns are bite sized and tastier than others that I have had. They also sell vegetarian and different fillings but I only have had the combination one. The buns come in boxes of 9 for 8.50 cold or add .50 for warm ones. If you never had a fried banh bao and I think this is the only place that does that it’s a must and kiss your diet goodbye for a day.

When I was planning my Houston eats, I had to ask a friend to remind me what’s popular in Houston. I love banh baos, so I’m glad she reminded me of the fried banh baos here! I ordered a box of them. They’re small, but the perfect snack size. Even though I feel guilty for eating this fried goodness, I couldn’t stop at just eating one.

You know you are in the heart of Texas when you can get a fried banh bao. Now, I know that it may sound foreign to those of you from a state that doesnt fry butter, beer, bubble gun, coke or everything else for that matter… but oh goodness it is deliciousness in every bite! So wonderful that after I took some friends to try it out for the first time, we made a second trip to TP within the hour to get more.
They don’t batter these buns, just a simple dunk of the steamed pillows into a vat of oil to flash fry. The final product is a bite of ever so slight crisp exterior, then a fluffy and chewiness from the white steamed bun, and finally, warm juicy meat center. Mmm… mmmm…good. Now THAT is asian comfort food!!!

It’s the name of the store… Banh Bao. So that’s what you need to order.
Their banh baos are smaller than what most people are used to, but I love it because it’s a good portion. Try them fried and yeah, they’re super fatty but worth it! We threw them in our toaster oven the next day and they were still pretty darn good.
PS I have only tried their original flavor. I cant comment on any other flavor.
CASH ONLY

Fried banh bao? Houston no wonder yall got some swole people in the city lol
Since I’m from dallas, anytime my friends go here i asked them to bring me some of them fried baos. This time, the boo and I happened to be in Screwston so it was our turn. This place is located inside Hong Kong Market. You see banh baos everywhere waiting to be sold or fried. They fry them to order so you will receive piping hot banh baos.
Houston, keep up the obesity rate. Ppreciate Cha

**CASH ONLY**
Yes I’m a little late… but better late than never!
Had some phở on a Sunday afternoon with a out of towner guest. When I told our guest we have fried steam buns… he had to try some. According to our guest, ppl in San Diego are health nuts.. He was in heaven to be out of the health but zone.
So we both tried it for the first time & it hit the spot. Well he ate 2. I’m pretty sure he could’ve ate more but we only ordered 3.
The BBQ was ok… a little bland to my tasting. you can’t really taste much of the xa xiu (Chinese BBQ) I think the deep frying took away the BBQ flavors.
I’m not sure if the steam ones are yummy, but a few couple after us came & bought some Togo.
It’s definitely a mom & pop joint… well there was like 7+ ppl in the kitchen making buns. not sure if they’re trying to turn this place into a restaurant. I saw that they have bun no hue, but not a soul eating there & not much dining space. Ill be back next time~

I love the banh baos here! It’s the best place that I know in the Houston area that sells banh baos and they are reknowned amongst the Vietnamese community. My sister and her coworker from Dallas always requests for 10+ boxes if they know I am coming up to visit. Their banh baos are a bit smaller than the ones you’d find in other Asian bakeries or supermarkets. However, the taste definitely makes up for it! The inside is filled with the right amount of meats, egg, etc. We generally order a few boxes to keep around for snacks during the week. The best way to eat it after it’s been refridgerated is to resteam them, but reheating it in the microwave is just as good. Just don’t don’t heat it too long or the bun will dry up on you. No more than one minute per banh bao should suffice.
If you order a box of 9 banh baos hot it costs $ 8.50 but if you get it cold (to bring home and eat later) there is a 50 cent discount. Not sure if they changed prices but it seems like I paid $ 9 a box at one time. Maybe they’ve lowered their prices recently?
Anyway, I have never tried to fried banh bao or any of their other food so I can’t vouch for it, but trust me what I say that this place sells the best banh baos in Houston. =) Oh and the place is a bit of a hole-​in-​the-​wall but I never stay to eat. I always order the boxes and take it to-​go.

FRIED Banh Bao Chien: ⁵⁄₅ — excellent! a great savory flavor
BBQ Bao: ¹⁄₅ — horrible, dry, lacked flavor
We reheated the fried bahn bao chien in the oven for a party the next day and they were great. Of course it would be best to eat straight out of the fryer there.
CASH ONLY

— - REVIEW FOR FRIED BANH BAO ONLY — -
What’s this rave about a fried banh bao? Is it THAT good??? Hmmm. yea!!!
I was already full from phở and drinks. After looking at the fried banh bao, I was still skeptical about the hype. I also thought in my head, «Man, this banh bao is kind of expensive for its size.» Then I cut it in half and I was like, «It looks like a regular banh bao to me. but just crispy on the outside.»
Then I took a bite and OMG! It was so so good! I don’t know what it is but the banh bao tasted so good! It was crunchy on the outside and it was the kick that made the banh bao that much better!
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The fried banh bao is small so reconsider about sharing.
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Eat the fried banh bao while it’s still fresh!
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I admit it, I was a Hater even before I tried it. But when my cousin said he wanted to get some Banh Bao Chien Gion (Fried Banh Bao), I immediately said «EEEeeew! Only in Texas!»
But moments later we found ourselves at T.P. Banh Bao to pick up some standard Steamed Banh Bao ($ 6 for 9) and Banh Bao Chien Gion ($ 11 for 9). As we ordered, you could hear the oil sizzling in the kitchens so I was glad to find that our Fried Banh Bao would be fresh.
Moments later, our box came out and although I was stuffed from Dim Sum, I knew I had to make room for a few bites. The Banh Bao were piping hot so we split them open to cool them off. I was pleased to find that they were quite filled with pork – no skimping here! After a few moments we bit into the Banh Bao and I was a convert! WOWZAH! The «bread» was crispy and not the least bit oily like I had imagined. It was definitely a different dough they used from the traditional steamed banh bao — thinner and slightly sweet. And the filling was really flavorful.
Huh…who would have thought. Those Texans… they’ll fry anything! :)
ps. The store smelled really FUNKY when we were there… I’m hoping it was just because of all of the boiled eggs.