OC's Little Saigon has a strong banh bao tradition, with bakeries along Bolsa Avenue that serve the steamed buns fresh throughout the day. The city's Chinese-Vietnamese population means the banh bao here follows the Cantonese-Vietnamese tradition with salted egg yolk centers.
Banh Mi Che Cali top-pick
Banh Mi Che Cali's banh bao is OC's benchmark — fluffy, slightly sweet dough with a generous filling of pork, Chinese sausage, and a salted egg yolk center. The bakery's high turnover means the buns are constantly being steamed fresh. Buy a bag of six for the family.
Thanh Huong Bakery best-value
Thanh Huong's banh bao is a more rustic, generously-sized version with a higher filling-to-dough ratio. The pork is more coarsely ground and seasoned with more pepper, and the salted egg yolk is always perfectly cooked. Vietnamese families buy these by the bagful.
Seafood Cove 2 (Dim Sum) hidden-gem
Seafood Cove 2 serves banh bao as part of their Chinese-Vietnamese dim sum menu. The version here is slightly smaller and more refined, with a particularly silky steamed egg topping. It's the banh bao you order alongside other dim sum items. ## Dish Background Dumpling is Vietnam's steamed bun, introduced by Cantonese immigrants. The Vietnamese version is slightly sweeter and typically filled with pork, Chinese sausage, shiitake mushroom, and salted egg yolk. A great banh bao has fluffy, pillowy dough and a savory, juicy filling.nnWhether you are craving authentic Banh Bao or exploring Los Angeles's Vietnamese food scene, these spots deliver the real deal.