Euljiro Taiwanese spot: classic bao and draft Budweiser at Bao Seoul

Where is Bao Seoul Chungmuro, and is it easy to get to?

Bao Seoul Chungmuro is a hip, trendy, casual Taiwanese restaurant tucked between Euljiro and Chungmuro. It's a very special spot where you can soak up Taiwan right in the middle of Seoul, and it has become a hotspot with a steady stream of visitors thanks to word of mouth about how well it recreates real Taiwanese flavors and atmosphere 🐯

It's also very easy to reach by public transport. It's an 8-minute walk from Euljiro 3(sam)-ga Station, 3 minutes from Chungmuro Station and 8 minutes from Myeongdong Station. Sitting at the center of a triple station area, it's easy to get to, which makes it a great Euljiro, Myeongdong and Chungmuro eatery for get-togethers with close friends, romantic dates or company dinners 👍

Does the Bao Seoul Chungmuro interior really feel like Taiwan?

From the exotic exterior that grabs your eye the moment you arrive at the door to the detailed interior touches throughout the restaurant, Bao Seoul Chungmuro has a thoroughly Taiwanese feel.

With cute little tables and chairs, quirky props and an atmosphere that feels like a local night market or neighborhood eatery moved straight to Korea, I got a real thrill, as if I'd actually come on a trip to Taiwan. When you're worn out by a busy life and want to run off abroad but don't have the time or means, this Taiwanese restaurant lets you relax with no pressure and feel, for a moment, like you've hopped on a plane ✈️

What is bao, and what are Bao Seoul's signature dishes?

As the name Bao Seoul suggests, the signature menu is bao. For anyone still unfamiliar with it: it's a dish of fluffy white bread stuffed with plenty of meat and fresh fillings, like a Western burger, so it's easy to think of it as a Taiwanese burger.

I hear that because the bun is folded in half, it looks like a tiger opening its mouth wide to bite down on a plump pig, so in Taiwan it's also called hu yao zhu (tiger bites pig).

At Bao Seoul, I'm told the classic bao is the most basic yet overwhelmingly popular item: Korean pork belly slow-cooked for hours in a special sauce that took a long time to develop. The shrimp bao, with its plump, bouncy shrimp texture, is another best seller among seafood lovers 🍤

Beyond bao there are plenty of hearty meal options too. The beef noodle soup (niu rou mian), said to come piled high with US Excel Choice grade beef shank, and the sweet-and-salty dongpo pork rice bowl (braised pork belly over rice), which hits the Korean palate right on target, are both beloved must-try dishes.

What we ordered at Bao Seoul Chungmuro

This time at Bao Seoul Chungmuro we ordered the dongpo pork rice bowl, the classic bao and the Taiwanese beef noodle soup, with two draft Budweisers. I came with high expectations and wanted to feel the full range of the place, so I ordered a generous spread: the hearty rice dish, the foundational classic bao, and the hot-broth Taiwanese beef noodle soup 🍜

• Dongpo pork rice bowl
• Classic bao
• Taiwanese beef noodle soup
• 2 draft Budweisers

Once the cool, crisp draft Budweiser that's a must with rich Taiwanese food arrived, dinner was perfectly set 🍻 As I looked over the tidy table setting and the colorful, appetite-stirring food one dish at a time, happy memories from my old trip to Taiwan kept coming back to me.

How does the dongpo pork rice bowl taste?

The big pieces of meat in Bao Seoul's dongpo pork rice bowl fell apart along the grain at the lightest touch of a spoon, and they were so tender they melted in my mouth like cotton candy. The rich sauce coating the rice grains wasn't too salty or cloyingly sweet, just right for mixing into fluffy white rice, and I finished the whole bowl in no time without ever putting my spoon down 🍚

Is the classic bao well balanced between bun and meat?

The bun of Bao Seoul's classic bao was chewy and springy yet soft and fluffy like a cloud, so the texture was excellent. I held the warm classic bao carefully in both hands and took a big bite: the thick meat filling the bun with no gaps was moist all the way through with the sweet, salty umami of the special sauce. The plain bread and the juicy meat blended together in wonderful balance, and my mouth was full of delight.

Taiwanese beef noodle soup with draft Budweiser: a good pairing?

Bao Seoul's Taiwanese beef noodle soup has a little black vinegar in its hot, rich broth, adding the fresh, tangy flavor typical of Taiwanese cooking and waking up my sleeping appetite. It felt like the crowning touch of Taiwanese cuisine.

The generous beef shank on top of the noodles gave off savory juices and a gentle meaty aroma the more I chewed, and above all, the deep flavor of the clear yet hearty beef broth was flawless. Every big spoonful of soup left me refreshed, and gulping down the ice-cold, fizzy draft Budweiser alongside made everything go wonderfully with the beer, so all my built-up fatigue and stress seemed to fly away.

Is Bao Seoul Chungmuro worth going back to?

Bao Seoul Chungmuro comes close to perfectly recreating local flavor and mood, so my eyes, mouth and heart were all healed during a lovely time there. If you dream of escaping your routine in the city and want a different, satisfying food experience, I strongly recommend that you don't hesitate and pay Bao Seoul Chungmuro a visit.