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Bar Bao, Arlington, VA
Bar Bao, Arlington, VA
Bar Bao, Arlington, VA

Bar Bao

4.2
4.2
106 Reviews
$30 and under
Asian
Bar Bao, where East meets West with its creative take on traditional Asian fare, brings an exciting bar and culinary spirit to the heart of Clarendon.

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Unfortunately, this restaurant is not on the OpenTable reservation network.

If you like, we'll notify you by email if this restaurant joins.


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Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Asian
  • Hours of operation
    Mon–Fri 4:00 pm–12:00 am Sat, Sun 11:00 am–12:00 am
  • Phone number
    (703) 600-0500
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Business Casual

What 106 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

4.2
4.2 based on all time ratings
  • 4.3Food
  • 4.2Service
  • 4Ambience
  • 4Value

NoiseModerate

106 Reviews
  1. MarielaI

    Mexico City

    2 reviews

    1.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on June 20, 2023

    overall1food1service1ambience1
    The restaurant was closed, why would open table allow a reservation and confirmation of a venue that is not in operations?

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  2. OpenTable Diner

    Washington DC

    10 reviews

    vip
    1.0

    10 reviews

    Dined on May 14, 2023

    overall1food2service1ambience1
     Absolutely the worst experience ever. Denied our reservation at first had nothing arranged for us. Understaffed and untrained servers, food took over two hours on Mother’s Day with the restaurant only a quarter full, we paid for food we never got. Stay away!

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  3. Richie

    Washington DC

    4 reviews

    4.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on May 14, 2023

    overall4food5service3ambience5
    Nice place, good food. We went for Sunday brunch on Mother's Day. We chose Bar Bao because we figured a lot of moms would be taken to some more conservative places, and hopefully it wouldn't be too mobbed. It wasn't - the restaurant was about 2/3 full. We loved the unlimited small plates brunch with the $2 mimosas. We didn't love the very slow service. A small plate is only a bite or two, and it seemed like we were waiting 10-15 minutes just for a waiter to come back to take an order for the next round of small plates. But the sun was shining, the company was nice, so we were happy. Just wish the service had been quicker.

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  4. OpenTable Diner

    Washington DC

    4 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on April 16, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Always a pleasure to go to bar Bao and have a good time with friends! We always leave planning when we will be back!

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  5. Zakffx

    Washington DC

    6 reviews

    3.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on April 15, 2023

    overall3food3service4ambience3
    Depends what you want. There was an outside patio which was full of young people having a good time. Food was ok, nothing special. Portions were good. I would not go again

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  6. gaitie

    Greensboro

    11 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    11 reviews

    Dined on April 14, 2023

    overall4food5service5ambience3
    Our food and cocktails were delicious and reasonably priced. The service was unexpectedly wonderful- very attentive and accommodating; however, the ambiance was not quite what we’d hoped for. It was more of a late-night bar vibe with loud music, even though it was early on a Friday evening and not at all crowded in the dining section. The bar (in a separate part of the restaurant) was busy and crowded and I understand loud music there, but we wanted to talk while we ate, so it was jarring. Still, the accommodating staff turned the music down at our suggestion, which really helped. Delicious bao buns and great “Kama Sutra” mango cocktail. Definitely worth a visit.

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  7. OpenTable Diner

    Washington DC

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on April 9, 2023

    overall1food1service1ambience1
    When I made the reservation, there was no warning that the restaurant itself was closed and only the bar side was open. I wish I would have known that when making the reservation. Didn’t end up going, and went to eat somewhere else. On a day where the restaurant is open, this place is great.

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  8. OpenTable Diner

    Washington DC

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on March 19, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Great service. Server was nice and food was delicious

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  9. PatienceN

    Baltimore

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 25, 2023

    overall1food3service1ambience1
    They should not have the option of a 9pm reservation time…. I came into the dining area as they were cleaning up for the night crowd. They told me to go to the other side of the bar where it was dark music blasting no servers, no where to sit, no host, no one ordering food, and loud. We came back over to say that no one could seat us and remind them we had a reservation. The server at host stand looks at me and says we can’t do anything about that can not seat us. As we are going to the door to find another place to eat a bartender asked us if we wanted to sit, the servers looked annoyed at this, we sit down and he puts our order in, food took forever and before ANYTHING even came to the table. He sat down a check and stood there until I put in my card to pay. I thought he would leave it there but he’s like I’m sorry I need it right now. I tipped 18% (pretty good for not doing anything or not wanting us there for our reservation) and when counting money with servers I hear them complaining about people who don’t tip 20%. It made us so uncomfortable we left. I’ve never had worst service as this. When you make a reservation and get their promptly (paid for an Uber) and told they can’t seat you or serve you and out of pitty have one employee step up to do the right thing. This was terrible all around. Never spending another dollar and I would like the managers to find out but it seems they were there and did not care at all. And the sushi tasted like it came from the grocery store after the long wait I wouldn’t be surprised if they made a run there. Never again.

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  10. OpenTable Diner

    Washington DC

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on February 5, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    We had a blast, and Adrianne (not sure if that’s his name’s spelling) was great. Very great price point and attention to the guests, we never had to wait for anything.

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  11. CynthiaR

    Washington DC

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 14, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Super nice server Sofia she’s the best

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  12. AndrewN

    Washington DC

    7 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    7 reviews

    Dined on September 11, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    Can highly recommend for the Bottomless Brunch - great service, great food.

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  13. AleciaL

    Washington DC

    5 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on September 7, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Pork Bao was amazing. Great happy hour food and drinks. Waitress was super nice.

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  14. OpenTable Diner

    New York Area

    3 reviews

    3.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on August 26, 2022

    overall3food3service4ambience3
    Service solid, food decent, drinks were shockingly bad. I can’t speak to the entire drinks menu but the Old Fashioned and Manhattan were watered down and effectively served on crushed ice in rocks glasses. I’ve definitely had worse drinks, just not for 15 bucks.

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  15. Marcy

    Washington DC

    2 reviews

    2.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on August 17, 2022

    overall2food1service3ambience2
    We were outside. The Chardonnay was heap, poor flavor. The food was fried to death! We had bao buns and they were filled with horribly fried avocado and something else. The tuna cubes were served again in a heavily fried wafer type thing! This restaurant needs to serve sautéed, fresh, steamed and grilled food. We won’t be going back!

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  16. Alex

    New York Area

    1 review

    vip
    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on August 9, 2022

    overall2food2service4ambience4
    Food was no good but the restaurant was fun and nice.

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  17. Kat18

    Washington DC

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on July 24, 2022

    overall2food5service1ambience3
    The food was amazing, but they forgot our reservation and the waitress had an attitude. Next time I’ll do take out.

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  18. KirstenB

    Washington DC

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on June 4, 2022

    overall5food4service4ambience5
    Food was great, there was a DJ who played great music. Nice spot for chill atmosphere with music and hookah.

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  19. JaeM

    Washington DC

    19 reviews

    5.0

    19 reviews

    Dined on June 4, 2022

    overall5food5service4ambience5
    This was my 3rd or 4th time at Bar Bao for their bottomless brunch and it's awesome everytime. I came with a friend and it was her first time. She also loved it. This is my go to spot for a delicious affordable brunch.

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  20. Gdon

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on June 2, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    Happy Hour from 4-8pm, Monday-Friday. Also have trivia night on Thursdays. Definitely check if out if not just for the happy hour

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  21. OpenTable Diner

    Washington DC

    2 reviews

    4.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on May 22, 2022

    overall4food5service5ambience3
    Food and service was great but they put the music so loud that I couldn’t even hear my friends that were right next to us.

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  22. Mystery

    Atlanta Metro

    2 reviews

    2.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on May 8, 2022

    overall2food3service2ambience3
    Went for mothers day, half the food never came out, was only checked on twice, and food came out EXTREMELY slow. Would i recommend for brunch? Never again. For late night? Def

    1 person found this helpful

  23. OpenTable Diner

    Washington DC

    6 reviews

    3.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on May 8, 2022

    overall3food3service2ambience3
    Interesting menu, but the food took way to long to reach the table and when it did it was either cold, or sometimes the wrong order.

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  24. RosaS

    Washington DC

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on May 1, 2022

    overall4food3service3ambience3
    Have been to other restaurants that do small plates so maybe my expectations were set too high. After putting in the first order for brunch with ladies (unlimited dining) we waited 15 min before the first round came out. And the mimosa pitcher that we ordered also took a good 15 minutes to be sent to our table. I could have understood if it had been packed but it was our table of 8 and maybe 3 other tables dining. Maybe the kitchen wasn’t up and going yet! Food was ok. They kept bringing out extras of the same plate that was ordered so seemed a bit disorganized. Overall food was ok and flavor was good. Mimosas were also basic/orange juice. Seems a bit overpriced. You could visit Pallet in Shirlington and get more bang for your buck. To be fair one of the girls at brunch had recommended Bar bao. And she said that this time around it wasn’t a great experience but her past 2 times visiting it was amazing. So maybe we just pulled the short straw this time. Would give another try but not on my top 3.

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  25. OpenTable Diner

    San Francisco

    1 review

    vip
    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on March 29, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Booked a birthday dinner for friends as the birthday girl was very excited by the menu. We had Marlon and Otto taking care of us. They went above and beyond to make sure the experience was extra special and a ton of fun. The food was delicious and we all left full and happy. Will definitely be back in the future

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  26. ThuyN

    Washington DC

    13 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    13 reviews

    Dined on March 27, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    For the price of bottomless brunch was great. Our service was great.

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  27. OpenTable Diner

    San Francisco

    8 reviews

    5.0

    8 reviews

    Dined on March 19, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Great place to dance off of you want some action , and to dine in on the patio.

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  28. OpenTable Diner

    Washington DC

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on March 6, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Loved the staff!

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  29. OpenTable Diner

    San Francisco

    3 reviews

    3.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on February 26, 2022

    overall3food3service3ambience4
    The Bao buns were amazing but the General Tso’s chicken was HEAVILY breaded. So hard I felt like the combination of the breading and spices punctured the roof of my mouth. Take 80% of the breading off and it’s a winner.

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  30. OpenTable Diner

    Washington DC

    2 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on February 5, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    great food and service!

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  31. KHTwumasi

    Atlantic City

    4 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on January 29, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    We recently dinned at Bar Bao for my husbands birthday. The restaurant was very accommodating and not to crowded; plus the service was great! The food was excellent. The menu is really designed as small plates to be shared across the table, the stand alone entrees took much longer than the shared plates to arrive at the table. The cocktails were good, just small.

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  32. OpenTable Diner

    Washington DC

    14 reviews

    vip
    2.0

    14 reviews

    Dined on December 11, 2021

    overall2food2service2ambience3
    I've been here a few times. I took my friends from out of town here for brunch yesterday and it was like we were invisible when it came to food. It was five of us and we were watching all the other tables get full orders and we're just getting bits and pieces. We did bottomless and I probably received maybe four of my small plate orders. Even that came after we sat like an hour waiting for food. I was so embarrassed. They were so amped up to take advantage of bottomless brunch and it didn't go that way at all.

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  33. OpenTable Diner

    Washington DC

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on December 4, 2021

    overall4food4service3ambience4
    birthday brunch. service could be a lot faster since it is bottomless.

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  34. JBarr

    Washington DC

    31 reviews

    5.0

    31 reviews

    Dined on November 20, 2021

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    Our waiter was excellent and gave us expert suggestions on what to order and when. If you have become bored with standard brunch fare, the bottomless brunch mixture of Asian inspired small plates intermixed with a few standards is delicious, interesting and a good value.

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  35. Ainsley

    Washington DC

    12 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    12 reviews

    Dined on October 30, 2021

    overall4food5service3ambience3
    Went for a late lunch around 2:30pm. Was not told when I called that menu was going to be extremely limited. The only food available were the bao buns, which were INCREDIBLE, but we were looking forward to trying more of the menu. Absolutely will go back for dinner, but only wish we had had a better experience.

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  36. Ginseng

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on October 17, 2021

    overall3food3service3ambience3
    The food was good, but the menu does not describe well enough each item, because one member of our party had a nut allergy and ordered the Honey Shrimp, which had no mention on the menu that the topping had walnuts! Luckily she was ok, but that could have been tragic for someone else. Overall it was a good brunch, but with so many small plates coming out, it got a little confusing at times. I always had a plate in front of me. I actually think that it would be a good idea to serve the food like a Dim Sum restaurant and put it on carts!

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  37. BrianS

    Baltimore

    8 reviews

    5.0

    8 reviews

    Dined on October 16, 2021

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Great choice for brunch. Bottomless small plates and great variety of 1.99 mimosas! The menu had great choices and every dish was delicious. Service was amazing. Definitely a great spot to enjoy with friends. Will definitely be back!

    1 person found this helpful

  38. OpenTable Diner

    Washington DC

    6 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on September 17, 2021

    overall4food4service3ambience3
    The service was great, the food was so good especially the JFC bao

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  39. OpenTable Diner

    Caribbean

    22 reviews

    5.0

    22 reviews

    Dined on August 15, 2021

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Great authentic dishes and excellent drinks using various Japanese liquors serve a young, diverse, beautiful crowd. The atmosphere is energetic, summery, with an open air feel and DJ directed trendy house vibes in the heart of Clarendon. Impressive.

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  40. KrisW

    Washington DC

    57 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    57 reviews

    Dined on August 14, 2021

    overall4food4service4ambience4
    A unique Asian Fusion culinary experience. Everything we ordered was delicious. The service was great and the ambiance fun.

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Safety precautions

  • Cleaning & sanitizing

    • Surfaces sanitized between seatings
    • Digital, disposable or sanitized menu provided
  • Physical distancing

    • Limited number of seated diners
    • Extra space between tables
  • Protective equipment

    • Waitstaff wear masks
    • Diners must wear masks unless eating or drinking

FAQs

Bar Bao does offer delivery in partnership with Postmates. Bar Bao also offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (703) 600-0500.

Bar Bao is rated 4.2 stars by 106 OpenTable diners.

Not available on OpenTable

Unfortunately, this restaurant is not on the OpenTable reservation network.

If you like, we'll notify you by email if this restaurant joins.


Is this your restaurant?
Claim this listing

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for Bar Bao

3100 Clarendon Blvd, Arlington, VA 22201

Additional information

  • Neighborhood
    Arlington
  • Hours of operation
    Mon–Fri 4:00 pm–12:00 am Sat, Sun 11:00 am–12:00 am
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Asian
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Parking details
    Public Lot
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Late Night, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Weekend Brunch
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