BAO + BBQ in Cheltenham

Food was really tasty especially the duck bao bun. would say it is slightly overpriced and can expect to spend £100 for 2 people and not feel extremely full but good nonetheless

Great food and freshly prepared on site. Wines are really exceptional too. Everything was delicious. Stay away from the chains and come here.

We stopped in for a lovely dinner and were so impressed with the fantastic service and food. We’ll definitely be back next time!

Really excellent. Delicious food and attentive service. A bit overpriced

Really nice food. Tasty and well presented. Pretty quick service.

Absolutely fantastic, will definitely be back.

Fabulous lunch today at Bao + BBQ. Had the master feast and was wonderful! Food and service fabulous and thoroughly enjoyed our meal. Thank you to Menishe for her service to our table too. Would definitely recommend and return!

The food was good, however not good enough to justify the price.

Very good food as always, Manisha was excellent and attentive checking in on us. Highly recommend 😊

An excellent venue with sublime food, we had the T-Bone platter and it was divine. We are foodie and this is more than enough for 2 people, you could even have a third! I would highly recommend anyone to come here and enjoy a delightful experience

Had an absolutely splendid birthday dinner here. Split lots of sides between 5 of us and had a bao each and was very comfortably full. Staff went above and beyond for birthday girl. Would recommend

Wonderful food, service and atmosphere. The staff are very welcoming and friendly, Menisha who served us was lovely Cocktails are delicious as well as the food. Can't wait to come back.

Food and service was fantastic. Manisha was a lovely host!

Really nice meal to celebrate my partner's birthday - team were friendly and attentive and the bao buns were the best we've ever had.

Great dining Experience, food was delicious, and services was great by Manisha, will be coming back

Was really excited to try this place and it didn’t disappoint! We had 3 x bao buns each and Korean fries to share Duck / pulled pork / brisket bao buns all to die for and the chips were lovely too! Recommend the pork crackling to nibble on before hand! Great service & brilliant food, we will be back!!

Called in on a Friday night with no booking after reading a few reviews and they luckily found us a table for two, and what a treat we had! Staff were extremely welcoming and accommodating allowing us a taster of the wine and a description of the food before ordering. Small dishes and a recommendation to order 3 to 4 dishes per person, so we ordered 6 between us which was plenty. The flavours of each dish were superb and it was a joy to “sample” so many contrasting but supplementary dishes. We had high expectations from the atmosphere and these were more than met by the staff and food, will definitely book in advance and return!

Warning: they take online reservations at 7:30 on Sunday when, come to find out they CLOSE at 7:30. No explanation given when we asked why on earth they would do that. Now we have to find a completely new dinner plan at the last minute.

Absolutely unbelievable this place is a must

..a super pre-theatre experience..great food and service, thank you..

Would definitely recommend… especially the cauliflower!

The food was delicious and service was exceptional. A special thanks to Rustom for his excellent assistance. I would definitely recommend Bao to others and looking forward to visiting again.

Lovely setting. Fantastic food and wonderful service. Will definitely visit again.

Such a lovely little restaurant to share a meal. Relaxed, funky atmosphere. Nice selection of drinks, tasty menu.

Excellent service and we were treated very well from start to finish. Food is fantastic and worth the money.

Such a fantastic meal. The duck bao and arancini were particularly special. We will be dining here again!

Great food, great service. A bit much mayo-based sauces when combining dishes, but all good. Would definitely come back when in Cheltenham.

Excellent food and service. Presentation of food was a nice bit of theatre. There were no tables when we arrived but as promised they called me as soon as a table was available.

We had a great evening! Food was delicious and so were the cocktails :)

Great atmosphere, great food, great service!

Had a lovely birthday meal! Food was amazing and the staff were very helpful and friendly xxx

Great food and service, would definitely recommend!

Beautiful food! Bao buns were amazing!!

It was my first time trying Korean food, and it was really delicious, I love sweet and sour food 😍 The wonderful meat is worth trying

Lovely warm atmosphere, attentive service, delicious food, fair price.

Our vist to BAO & BBQ was nothong short of exquisite! The service was outstanding and the food was out of this world. The Bang Bang Cauliflower was unreal and then we were surprised at the end of the meal with a BAO Bun dessert! We will be back again soon!

Really love the dining experience here, clean and cosy. Food was good with a Korean twist. Friendly staffs around.

The fastest and most exquisite service with fantastic food. Thank you!

Great hospitality. An ideal experience where one has the space to enjoy an amazing meal with attentive service that isn't overbearing or pretentious. The price is right, the meal perfect, with a concise and fitting wine list.

Second time coming here and it was a lovely experience once again. Food is so flavoursome and lovely. My wife and I shared 10 small plates/sides between us and that was more than enough. The bang bang cauliflower, the arancini and the Korean fries were all particularly good!

Lovely food and service. Fair pricing for the quality. Overall a great evening. Some of the food is a littleee spicy though 🤣

Brilliant and thank you for my birthday cake!

The food is delicious. It was my partner’s birthday and they brought him a little cake with a candle which was lovely. Just a small qualm that they do not make it clear when offering water that they are going to bring you bottled water and charge for it so be sure to specify that you want tap water!

Really lovely, tasty food and great atmosphere. Very friendly service from Christian. We will definitely be back when we are next in Cheltenham.

Beautiful environment and amazing food. Immaculate vibes all round.

Lovely restaurant. Excellent food and conscientious service. Minor point - they have clear dietary information on the website but would be helpful to include on the menu too. Otherwise, wonderful!

Have to say that this was the best meal i’ve had in a long while. The brisket burger was perfection, best burger i have ever had and the rest of the food was absolute top-tier. Servers were super friendly, service wasnt slow but wasnt fast-food paced. Lovely restaurant, and I will definitely be returning. Amazing. Highly recommend. (Think they mustve put something in my food- ive never been this enthusiastic about a meal in my life)

Food was amazing and the staff were so nice and welcoming…would 10/10 recommend!!

Amazing food and service. Best restaurant in cheltenham by far!

Delicious food. Welcoming and efficient staff. We had lunch here it was a very reasonable price. I had a beef brisket bao bun, bang bang cauliflower, vegetable dumplings, Diet Coke & cappuccino. My friend had a mushroom bao, noodles, vegetable dumplings, sweet bao & tonic water. We cannot fault the food and will return to try more dishes. We were comfortably full after our meal. All our food & drinks came to £50 for two of us. There were a lunch offers on the menu for £15 & £22 per person.

Great service from Christian and delicious food! Lovely for a special occasion.

Here for the second year in a row for our anniversary. Christian was the perfect host and made it a perfect meal. Thanks the Christian and the team ❤️

Lovely food & great atmosphere. We were served by Christan who was so friendly and helpful.

Had our anniversary meal here and our first time visiting Cheltenham When we arrived we were greeted by Christian who was incredible friendly and helpful throughout our meal The food was incredible (would definitely suggest anyone orders the chicken bao and blackened cod) All in all we are so glad we chose here for such an important day Christian also gave us a small little sweet treat for our special day Thank you Christian and the rest of the team! We will be back

Christian was excellent amazing service, food was brilliant

Such a great place. Highly suggest coming here if you want some good food with a lovely atmosphere and wonderful food (highly suggest the chicken bao buns) Our server Christian was amazing - really helpful and clarified anything that we queried and did a smashing job with our anniversary (he even dropped a little cake that said happy anniversary, even though we didn’t order dessert - so thoughtful!) Great place to dine x

Incredible food, great service. Highly recommend.

Wine was great, food was amazing, but the service was absolutely fantastic. Atom and mikki took great care of us

Just had an absolutely wonderful meal. Food was excellent as was the Service. Will definitely go again. Sue x

Lovely food and great cocktails thank you

Delicious food. Highly recommend.

Great service, everyone is super friendly and the food is beautifully presented and delicious. We were in for lunch today and had the bang bang cauliflower, dashi noodles and chicken skewers - so tasty. Every time I come here it feels like a treat!

Delicious food, fabulous service what more could you want. Our server was Christian and he was so lovely.

We went here for my fiancé’s birthday and it was some of the best food and service we’ve ever had. We were served by Christian who was brilliant all night!

Amazing food and experience, will be back again!

Been here twice now and neither time has disappointed. Food is beyond excellent and getting to watch it being made in the open kitchen is a great experience. Mikki has looked after us both times and his, along with the rest of the teams, service was top notch. I can highly recommend this restaurant to everyone and can’t wait to come back.

Absolutely wonder. Great food cocktails and amazing service. Highly recommend

Great food and service, thank you!

Booked a last minute table. My first impression was the friendly host who greeted me amicably. I was truly accommodated with a pleasant service by the manager Micky. The food was amazing! You have to try the drunken crispy duck Boa Bun! The cod & Korean fries was flavoursome & tasteful. Thank you Bao + BBQ for an awesome experience!

Lovely meal, great choice of options, excellent value for money

We had an excellent meal! Christian was a great server

Fabulous service, amazing food. We will definitely be back 😊

Visited for the first time…, for lunch …, beautiful food… my 12 year old daughter had a wagyu beef burger absolutely delicious food

Our server Tan was amazing, great food

Have been looking to pop in to Bao+BBQ for ages and so glad that we did. Food and staff amazing and service impecible…Somu and the team really looked after us.

First visit and we really enjoyed it. Service from Dan was polite and attentive. Food was great and atmosphere was nice and relaxed. Would happily recommend and will definitely be back again soon.

Amazing meal for my girlfriend’s birthday. Food was genuinely great, especially the bao buns; the restaurant gave my girlfriend a birthday plate with a free cake which was an amazing touch, and Tan gave us quick and friendly service all evening. Value was great as well, 10/10 would recommend

Had a lovely pre show meal. It was really lovely. Dan served us he was very helpful.

Really yummy food, good wine, and a very relaxed atmosphere. We will be back!

Came for birthday celebrations with my family and it was absolutely perfect! The food was delicious with great portion sizes - we particularly recommend getting a sharing platter and trying lots of different things! Our waiter Tan was so attentive and lovely, and even brought over a little cake for me and sang happy birthday!! Also special shout out to the incredible Rhubarb Margarita 🍹🩷

Great food, fab atmosphere and incredibly accommodating staff! Fantastic!

Amazing restaurant, great food and great service, thank you Somu

We really enjoyed the meal, prompt and courteous service. Look forward to coming again.

We had a lovely meal to celebrate my birthday. Service was great, from the warm welcome to the farewell. We were sat right by the kitchen which was a treat for the senses. You select a varied range of small dishes from the menu and they are brought to your table as they are ready. Tasty bao buns, the arancini rice was delicious. Desert is well worth leaving a little room for. The meal was quite expensive for two, but with the delicious food and great service it felt like money well spent.

Delicious flavours and great choices. We'd been meaning to come for ages, and finally made it! The bao buns are delicious, and the mains are just right: perfect portions, fresh, sizzling and tasty. It's a small place so get your booking in promptly!

Great service and food. Felt very looked after and they made the extra effort for my friends birthday 🎂

Splendid experience at Bao and BBQ with my close friend. From the outside you’re not sure what to expect but this is fine dining meets your most wanted comfort foods. We were greeted by two lovely hosts, I don’t remember their names!! But they showed us to a table as we didn’t have a reservation we had a bar table. The food was immaculate and the atmosphere even better. There’s such a bargain for food as well. This is a perfect mother’s day or date night location. I recommend the ribs they were beautiful. Value for money

Incredible food, highly recommend

A great place to eat! The atmosphere in the evening was wonderful, cosy, relaxed and very trendy! The plates are small but the idea is to have the experience of lots of different dishes, which we loved! The food was wonderful, great flavours and the quality was excellent.. The restaurant was very clean and the staff very friendly. I will be back!!

Simply stated, the food is over-priced and average for what you pay. We ended up paying £50 a head and that was sticking to the Bao (none of the steaks), one set of chicken skewers, a plate of rubs, five beers, and the Korean fries. (In fact everything was shared between four people e.g. only one portion of the chips between the four of us so no blow-out and this gives further indication of the price-value equations.) For our tastes, the food was far too salty, and the meats, in some instances, over-charred and dry. £7 for a salty chicken skewer with four nuggets of chicken? Well we weren't happy. The ribs? The box of ribs from Waitrose are far better - tender, moist and nicely sticky. These ones were not meaty, they were dry and certainly overdone as can be seen by the blackened bits. We won't be going back again. Sorry. (Also sorry for the poor quality photos but this was because I was underwhelmed.)

Absolutely fabulous venue, from the initial help organising a large table over Cheltenham Races, to the welcome on the day, to the service throughout the meal. The food was fantastic, and the whole experience a delight. Can't wait to visit again!

Really tasty tongue tingling food. Glad we found it.

Fantastic experience, great tasty fresh food served at a high standard. Friendly helpful staff. I would definitely recommend

We had gorgeous bao buns and small plates. Everything was super tasty. Cute little place, feels elevated and tasteful. Lovely friendly service.

Real urban luxury feel. Menu is one of the most unique and exciting I've seen for a while. Servers were all attentive and personable without feeling in your face. Clearly ran by people passionate about what they do. Yes it's certainly an expensive place but for the most part you get what you pay for - we ordered the £50pp platter and the meats (steak, chicken, pork) were all outstanding. I am deducting 1 star as, like a few others, I felt like some dishes were disappointing value. One of our side dishes was literally half a piece of corn and for £6-£8 each that is just not doing it for me, even in the fanciest of places. I would recommend it for groups of 4-6 for a special night out.

Having visited a few times in the past, I booked a table for lunch with a friend who hadn’t eaten at bao & bbq yet. The food is good, although a little on the expensive side (a bowl of fries with a drizzle of mayo is £7 for example). The cocktails were amazing. The service wasn’t anything to complain about or compliment. The food comes out as it’s ready which didn’t matter as everything was ready at a similar time. The bill was just shy of £85 for the two of us to have 1 cocktail each and the suggested 3 dishes each. I paid my part of the bill in cash after my friend paid by card. As I didn’t have the right change I gave more than the amount due. The waiter didn’t return with the change. I likely would have left the change as a tip anyway but felt this was really bad practice to just assume the change was a tip! I’ve worked in the hospitality industry myself for 12 years and wouldn’t dream of doing the same thing. I emailed to bring it to the attention of management, not as a complaint just to let them know as it could have been received in a much more negative way by someone else. I’m still yet to have a response, 5 days since my email. There’s an air of superiority about the restaurant chain with my most recent experience being the cherry on top for me. With so many amazing places to eat in Cheltenham, it’s unlikely I’ll return in a hurry if at all.

Food is incredibly over priced for what you get. £16 for one small chicken skewer doesn't sit right with me. We came here as a birthday treat and I was left really disappointed. We ordered multiple bao buns and the ribs too, all of which has the exact same 'smoked' flavour...there was no variation, and if I'm honest it all tasted a bit bland. I had eaten here once before about a year ago and it was excellent, hence why I wanted to come here to celebrate my birthday. It seems the quality of the food has gone down while prices have increased. Staff were really lovely, it's a shame the food let the place down.

Excellent food, and they can make great cocktails, but definitely not a cheap night out.

Hi Ovidiu, Just like to say thanks to you and all your staff we all enjoyed our time there it’s a fantastic restaurant and the food was delicious.

I wouldn't recommend. We spent over 50£ each to eat three Bao Buns each (basically, sandwiches) and a bowl of fried cauliflower. Food is processed, certainly not fresh. The waitress was a nice lady but the chef (or owner, not sure) was quite rude. Not a nice experience.