Seongsu Taiwanese restaurant: waitlist and parking, Bao Seoul Seongsu

How I came across Bao Seoul Seongsu

I'd recently visited another Seongsu-dong restaurant and shared photos with my sister, and she brought up Bao Seoul Seongsu, a Seongsu hotspot with Taiwan night-market vibes?! She herself hadn't managed to eat there yet because of the wait, but people around her kept recommending this Taiwanese restaurant as a Seongsu must-visit?!

And apparently it's run jointly by people trained at the CIA culinary school in the US and Le Cordon Bleu in Paris ~

I'd been into Taiwanese food lately anyway, and figured a Seongsu hotspot would guarantee the taste too, so off I went to Bao Seoul Seongsu ^^

How to get to Bao Seoul Seongsu from Seongsu Station

Bao Seoul Seongsu is close to Exit 3 of Seongsu Station, and it's easy to find since it's on the block that continues straight down from the end of the Konkuk lamb-skewer alley. Coming down from Seongsu intersection toward the main road and turning into the alley by IBK bank, the exterior already gives off that hidden-Taiwan-restaurant feel ^^

Bao Seoul Seongsu weekday opening queue, waitlist and parking

If you have the Catch Table app installed, you can put your name down for Bao Seoul Seongsu ahead of time. We arrived around 11:25am on a weekday and luckily got first place haha. There's no parking in front of the building, so keep in mind there's a paid lot about 2 minutes away ~ (paid lot: Seongsu A-One Knowledge Industry Center, first 20 minutes free / ₩1,000 per additional 10 minutes)

Inside Bao Seoul Seongsu

Bao Seoul Seongsu has both bar seating and table seating, so it's comfortable for solo diners too, and both the outside and inside carry that Taiwan feel ^^ Pets are welcome, but a carrier is required!

Bao Seoul Seongsu menu

Bao, the Taiwanese-style burger with meat and vegetables tucked between steamed bun bread, isn't just one type — there are several depending on the meat patty. There are also noodle dishes like Taiwanese beef noodle soup, intestine noodle soup, cold peanut noodles, mazesoba, and dry noodles, along with a good range of rice dishes like dongpo pork rice bowl, mapo tofu rice, and lamb rice bowl.

Looking at the menu board alone, it's often hard to tell what things are, but there are menu photos lined up on the wall, so it's easy enough to order by picture ^^ For two people, the signature set (dongpo pork rice bowl + beef noodle soup + classic bao + 1 drink) seems just right.

What we ordered: dongpo pork rice bowl, beef noodle soup and classic bao

Since it was my first visit to Bao Seoul, I wasn't sure what would suit my taste, so I ordered one of each signature dish — and after eating, I realized this being a Seongsu hotspot wasn't a coincidence, I'd worried for nothing >.<

What does the classic bao at Bao Seoul Seongsu taste like?

This was my first time trying bao — the filling was moist, the outside soft and chewy, about the texture of the flower buns (hwajeonbbang) that come with spicy shredded pork stir-fry, so a chewy, fluffy bread packed full of meat and vegetable toppings ~

Honestly it's closer to a dumpling than a burger, I'd say — you could call it a dumpling haha. The taste is nothing like a burger, but it has its own charm separate from a regular burger, and I got why they put 'bao' in the restaurant name! Trying every kind of bao here would take quite a while >.<

Taiwanese beef noodle soup and dongpo pork rice bowl

The beef noodle soup, with its rich broth and tender meat toppings, had chewy noodles, a deep broth, and thick yet tender meat all coming together really well ^^ Even mixing rice into the leftover broth was great haha.

The dongpo pork rice bowl had well-braised meat with no gamey smell, melting soft with its sauce — the kind of dish any Korean would love. The occasional crunch of vegetables mixed in was fun too, and the sauce over the rice wasn't overly strong, so it seems perfect for kids too.

Who should go to Bao Seoul Seongsu?

Every dish just melted right into my palate — this place really nails Korean tastes ^^ It's a Seongsu-dong restaurant featured in various magazines and the Seoul city guidebook, so my expectations were already high, and it really is a Seongsu restaurant that doesn't disappoint!

Based on authentic Taiwanese and Chinese cooking adjusted for Korean tastes, it seems like a comfortable place even for first-timers to Taiwanese food, making it a great spot to visit with family or a partner.