Glasgow's Best Lunch: Review of Bao on Bothwell Street

On the hunt for Glasgow's Best Lunch, I decided to make my way to Bao on Bothwell Street which serves Taiwanese food after I saw they had a lunchtime menu of Katsu curries. 

I arrived shortly before 1pm and they were definitely experiencing their lunchtime rush. There aren't many seats inside but they were almost all full, but this was fine as I was getting a takeaway anyway. 

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There isn't much space and upon entering I was almost immediately asked what I wanted to order. I had seen the sign outside already offering a lunch-sized portion of four varieties of Katsu curries for £6.95 and decided to order the potato Katsu, which I'd never had before. 

The waitress who took my order was friendly, but after ordering I realised as well as their full menu, they have a lunchtime menu which offers several different lunch options for the same price. 

I wasn't offered the menu on arrival and it wasn't clearly visible - I saw it just sitting on a table - and it was a little annoying as I may have ordered something else if I had a chance to look. 

After ordering I had to stand by the door and wait for my food. Between waiting staff bringing food to tables, other people waiting on their takeaway food, and people coming in and out of the restaurant, I had to shuffle about a lot to move out of the way.

Thankfully, my food was ready within three minutes of ordering so I didn't need to feel like a nuisance for too long.

The meal came in a bag with napkins, a fork and a spoon without me having to ask for extra cutlery. 

The portion was very generous for a lunch and was more food than I would normally eat at that time. There was a good serving of rice - not too much, not too little - and there was a mixture of both boiled potatoes and breadcrumbed potato patties which I wasn't expecting but liked.

Sometimes I find there can be too much rice or salad when ordering Katsu curry and not enough sauce but this wasn't the case here at all and there was enough curry sauce for the whole meal. 

Although the experience of ordering was a tad hectic, it was more than worth it for this delicious lunch. 

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What's the verdict?

Value for Money: 5/5 - For £6.95 this was a generous portion and was more than enough for lunch. There was plenty of rice, potato patties in breadcrumbs as well as boiled potatoes, a good amount of salad and lots of sauce. 

Taste: 5/5 - I am a big fan of Katsu curries and this is among the best I've had in Glasgow. The potato was cooked really nicely and the sauce was thick with a rich flavour. They also didn't bulk it up with too much salad. 

Atmosphere: 2/5 - Bao is small and it was a little awkward standing and waiting by the door during the lunchtime rush while waiting for my food. I felt a tad in the way while the staff were trying to serve those who were sitting in.

Service: 3/5 - The service was friendly, and the staff didn't seem to mind when I felt I was getting in the way while waiting. But it was quick and I didn't have much time to have a look at the menu before ordering which meant I missed the full lunch menu. However, there were only three minutes between my ordering and getting my food which is excellent timing for a takeaway lunch. 

Variety: 4/5 - Despite me not realising until after I had ordered, there is a good-sized lunch menu alongside the regular menu. There are really five different items on the lunch menu but each comes in a few different varieties.

Overall score: 19/25

Got a suggestion for our next lunch review? Let us know where we should go in the comments below or email Nicole.Mitchell@newsquest.co.uk.

@glasgow_times We’re on the hunt for Glasgow’s best lunch - where should we try next? You can read our full review of Bao at glasgowtimes.co.uk 🍛 #glasgow #glasgowtimes #glasgowfood #myristorantecreation ♬ Canyons - Official Sound Studio