Tucked away in a quiet corner of Koramangala, Bao To Me feels less like a restaurant and more like a well-kept secret you’re glad someone let you in on. With a glow of soft lights bouncing off wooden accents, it’s the kind of place that invites you to slow down, exhale, and let your chopsticks wander.

Bao To Me is the brainchild of three friends – Chef Wan Ming Li, Foo Ming Li, and Vishwa Teja who grew up in Bangalore, but clearly have Pan-Asian soul running through their veins, dishes out not just homemade baozi (based on treasured family recipes, no less) but a full-fledged menu that celebrates Chinese, Japanese, and Southeast Asian comfort food, without losing that homemade heart.

Food here is simply Bao wow. The Char Siu Bao is a must: fluffy, hand-folded bao cradling sweet-salty caramelised pork belly, glazed to perfection in a Cantonese BBQ sauce that lingers in all the right ways. Then there’s the Tori Katsu Curry Rice, where crispy panko chicken meets a rich, cozy Japanese curry that tastes like it’s been simmering for hours, probably because it has. But the dish that had me low-key emotional was the Truffle Cream Cheese Dimsum. Think soft dumpling wrappers hugging earthy mushrooms, cream cheese, and just enough truffle oil to make you pause mid-conversation. They come with two house-made sauces: a punchy garlic one and a herby scallion-coriander that you’ll want to bottle and take home.

Even the desserts feel like stories waiting to be told. The Mizu Shingen Mochi, also known as the raindrop cake, is delicate and almost too pretty to eat (almost). Drizzle some kuromitsu (Japanese black sugar syrup) and kinako (roasted soybean powder) over it, and you’ve got a dessert that whispers, rather than shouts. And if you’re still hungry (or just greedy), the Custard and Black Sesame Baos are warm, soft, and quietly addictive.

The vibe? Minimalist Asian decor with just enough Bangalore warmth to make it feel familiar. The kind of place where you could come on a casual weeknight or bring your folks on a Sunday afternoon, and it would feel just right either way. The best part for me was that Bao To Me wasn’t trying to be trendy, it’s trying to be meaningful in its own little ways. And it succeeds. It’s a restaurant built on memory, friendship, and the belief that really good food doesn’t need to shout. It just needs to be shared.

Where: Bao To Me, 2nd floor, CNA Arcade, 37, 1st Main Rd, 1st Block Koramangala, Bangalore.
Call: 070195 65453.