Bao Down

I love bao, and Bao Down makes some very good bao. It’s sad that, as far as I know, this truck is Nashville’s only source of bao. The downside is that as a food truck, I tend to only see them at events or street fairs where the lines are long and the owner has trouble keeping up with demand. Be prepared to wait 20 min after you place your order.
Nonetheless, the bao are consistently good when you eventually get them. My hope is that the truck will be successful enough that they can open a brick and mortar place that can offer more capacity and speedier service.

Internationally (HK, Taiwan, various Chinatowns across the US): servings are adequate and quite tasty. I had two different 包子from the food truck at an earlier Unilocal event this year. I wasn’t overwhelmed by the taste or the mix of stuffing. I would say it’s a good standard, especially with the signature fluffy but just-​dense-​enough 皮。
For Nashville, this has been one of the only Chinese food establishments in town I have heard rave reviews over. (Seriously, where you guys AT?) Taking this into account, Bao Down raises the standards for Chinese cuisine here, including an impressive menu with plentiful offerings.
I look forward to trying more from them, considering it’s the closest I can get to dim sum in Tennessee thus far.

Good quality, but high pricing.

I saw this truck at the Farmers Market on Saturday, so I thought I’d try it out. Having lived in China for seven years, I ate these things on an almost daily basis there. They make a cheap breakfast, so I nearly crapped my pants when I saw the price. Two baozi for $ 8??? I know it is unfair to judge prices based on Chinese prices… But just for a quick little comparison: you could probably get 42 baozi for eight bucks in China. But alas, we are not in China. So I ordered two. I figured there would be a long wait since there were hundreds of people at the farmers market, and I wasn’t wrong. It took them about 20 minutes to get me my two steamed buns. The taste: excellent! It tasted pretty darn authentic to me. But thanks to the price, I probably will not ever have them again.

The owner was a little rude at first, telling the person I was with he’d be ready when he’s ready though the time said he would open at 11am; it was almost noon.
He was great later-​on, we both got the char siu bao with the char siu white rice. The pork was sweet and went well with the rice, my girlfriend added hot chili sauce (you can ask the owner) for extra kick. The baozi bread was soft and warm, very well made. It took around 15 minutes to make two combo orders. We were lucky to get there early because a line/​mob was forming around the truck.

I was looking forward to trying Bao at the ‘Made in Nashville’ festival at Centennial Park this weekend. We ordered and waited 1 hour + and still had not gotten our food. To say it was slow is a massive understatement. There were maybe 10 – 12 people waiting on food for about as long as we did and nothing was coming out of the truck. They continued to take orders but not fill them. I finally asked when we could expect our food. The server/​owner/​cook informed me that they were trying to serve 70,000 people. not quite. I did ask for a refund and not sure if I got it via Square or not, but so, so disappointed. I will not even attempt to order from them again.

Attended a concert in centennial park and they were there. I got the BBQ pork and curry chicken buns.
Mainly went here because they had a Unilocal check in offer for buy one get one. I would say the buns were both about average. Flavors didn’t amaze me and we waited for about 20 minutes for those 2 buns.

If you’ve never tried a Bao check it out! So tasty — the Bun is stuffed with a variety of different deliciously prepared stuffings and the soft pillowy texture of the steamed bao bun is the perfect base from which to experience this unique food.

BAO never fails. Recently, at my local farmers market, I got the short rib steamed bun and the shiitake mushroom bun. Best thing I’d put in my mouth since the last time I had BAO’s. The service is rather quick, and always most friendly. Plus, the price is just right for this amazing treat. I don’t break the budget and I feel like I just bought myself a couple little spots of heaven.

What the heck is a bao… oh great now I’m hooked. Bao Down was one of several food trucks to come by my office the other day, and due to the pour down rain I chose it because it had the shortest line (everyone was lined up at grilled cheeserie; hard to compete with…). They had a few selections of the little bao’s, I asked what they come with because the board was all washed away from the rain and he explained what they were, meaning they didn’t come with anything. I ordered their chicken curry and the BBQ pork. At $ 8 for the two it’s pretty steep, I wish they came on a little bed of rice or noodles or something, I mean the steamer is already going how easy would it be for some steamed rice? Anyway, if you can get over the fact that they are basically a dollar a bite they are super delicious. The little bao dough is so soft and amazing, I’ve never had one before and I loved it. The chicken curry was tender and so fragrant and the bbq sauce on the pork had this amazing sweet peppery flavor. I’m glad I had some snacks at my desk to eat as well, because two of these on their own just aren’t enough to be a full lunch, but I still really enjoyed them.

Awesome idea for a food truck! It’s fresh, light, and full of flavor. I will definitely come back here. Loved the chicken curry! My son loved it, too!

I’ve been eating bao zi my whole life. Bao zi from China, NYC, Boston, my parents kitchen and they don’t even compare to the pork ones from here.

We had hoped to catch the elusive bao down food truck for lunch and lucked out on this beautiful saturday, as it was stationed at the park just down the road from our house.
Any good food truck knows to stick to what they do best, and Bao Down follows that rule. Offerings were 3 types of bao, sweet drinks, and that’s it. We tried the crawfish, onochicken, and hoisin cabbage. The bun has a bit of a sticky mouth feel, which I did not love, but the fillings, for the most part, were delicious. The crawfish filling was spicy and chewy, and the chicken filling was salty and flavorful. The cabbage filling was very tangy, and we missed the wood ear mushrooms that were listed in the description. The little filled steamed balls make a perfect lunch when you’re out and about, as they’re easy to eat and not messy at all.
Three bao and a bottle of water totaled $ 13 even. I think $ 3 may be a more reasonable pricepoint for each bao (each one is $ 4 now, or 3 for $ 11). Still, Bao Down is basically capitalizing off of the fact that bao is not easy to come by in Nashville, so they can really charge whatever they want.
I don’t know how Bao Down compares with bao offerings around the nation, but I’m glad to see them bring this dish to Nashville. I’d throw them a fourth star if they brought the price down a smidge. Even Mas Tacos sold entire tacos for $ 3 out of their truck. Keep working on it, Bao Down!

I was pretty bummed about my experience since I love bao buns, especially the completely enclosed ones (I don’t prefer the taco style some restaurants offer.) I was told that the pork buns would take about 10 min– which wA okay with me. …35 minutes later I finally got my steamed bun. And it wasn’t worth the wait. It tasted frozen, and the meat was tough. Had they not advertised that they were all hand made with local ingredients, I would’ve wondered if they were store bought. Hope it was just an off day for them.

I love Bao and the two I had from Bao Down outside the Christmas Craft Fair didn’t disappoint.
I’ll be following their twitter feed!

The BEST Baos in Nashville, hands down! All handmade, locally sourced meat, and very affordable. I love the traditional pork, curry chicken, cabbage… really, you can’t go wrong with any of the flavors, but my absolute favorite savory bun is the mushroom and my favorite sweet bun is the sweet potato with marshmallows. It tastes just like my grandmother’s sweet potato casserole that we eat every Thanksgiving and Christmas! Like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter to find out their schedule for each week. You will make Bao Down a weekly stop for your bao fix! #eatbaonow

SOOOOOOO GOOD!!!
the prices are great and the food is even better! Coming from the West Coast, i do miss good asian food and this place hits the spot.

Bao Down is delicious! I had never had bao before and didnt know what to expect. The owner was very friendly, service was great. Saw them at the Crieve Hall Farmers Market. Dont miss them if they are around!
I had chicken bao and cabbage. Chicken was my favorite. Both were awesome!

LEGIT! One thing Nashville lacks is good Chinese food and it looks like it’s coming in the form of a food truck. I couldn’t believe my eyes while heading to the library.
Steps quickened.
Memories of China flashed.
I am so happy! The guys are friendly and explained the fillings well. I went for the less traditional crawfish/​cream cheese and the mushroom filled. I’ll be back for the traditional pork and beef in the future. Just as good as what I had in China and they source the meat locally.
Go, eat a boazi and be happy. This is the real deal.

As I walked down the row of food trucks at CMA Fest, I got handed a card out of a little nondescript short bus. «Bao or Baozi is a steamed bun that can have many fillings whether savory or sweet… we are excited to be serving grass fed all natural meat and poultry sourced here in Tennessee.» I was intrigued — enough to turn right around and further investigate.
I ordered the crawfish Bao, and it was so good that I came right back and ordered the chicken curry Bao.
I am a Bao virgin so I can’t speak to the authenticity of their food, but I can say I have a new favorite food truck! I absolutely love that they’re doing something different, that we don’t have a million of already in Nashville (ahem, BBQ joints — I’m looking at you — we’re saturated, enough already!) I love that they sell the Bao individually and that their price point is so low, it’s a great option when you’re facing a row of food trucks with $ 8 — $ 10 options. They’ve acquired one new loyal customer!
Welcome to Music City, Bao Down!