Yangyang Baozipu — Beijing, China

Bao (filled, steamed buns) are enjoying something of a newfound popularity on Western shores, but in China - its country of origin - this common street food is being elevated to restaurant fare.
The latest opening to epitomise this movement, is Beijing’s Yangyang Baozipu. Here, the capital’s version of the bun is served amongst a theatrical space designed by Lee Hsuheng and Zhao Shuang of local design firm Golucci International, who have made bao a literal concept for their blueprint of the restaurant. This is most evident in the rounded layered ceilings, which bear a heavy resemblance to the traditional stacked circular bamboo steamers used to cook bao, and even feature linear slots which imitate the gaps through which steam would escape.
Tall shoots of bamboo act as pillars throughout the room, which is punctuated with China’s favourite hue — red — seen everywhere from the walls to sporadic stools. In a space with the capacity to serve popular cuisine to 120 diners, Yangyang Baozipu could have been easily slipped into themed vulgarity, yet considered touches such as walls lined with grey brick salvaged from an old factory prevent it from doing so. Terrazzo flooring, rattan pendant lighting, and bamboo screens sectioning off intimate nooks each inject the space with a sophisticated ambience. Dumplings have never been so sexy.
ADDRESS
Luhua Road, Daxing District
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
Wild sauna, anyone? The ultimate guide to exploring deep heat in the UK outdoors
‘Wild Sauna’, a new book exploring the finest outdoor establishments for the ultimate deep-heat experience in the UK, has hit the shelves; we find out more about the growing trend
-
Highlights from the transporting Cruise 2026 shows
The Cruise 2026 season began yesterday with a Chanel show at Lake Como, heralding the start of a series of jet-setting, destination runway shows from fashion’s biggest houses
-
Behind the design of national pavilions in Venice: three studios to know
Designing the British, Swiss and Mexican national pavilions at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 are three outstanding studios to know before you go
-
Tour the best contemporary tea houses around the world
Celebrate the world’s most unique tea houses, from Melbourne to Stockholm, with a new book by Wallpaper’s Léa Teuscher
-
Prada and Wong Kar-wai dream up a cinematic restaurant in Shanghai
Prada partners with Wong Kar-wai to bring Mi Shang Rong Zhai to life, a dining experience influenced by the arthouse director’s seminal oeuvre
-
Enjoy heritage views and contemporary brews at a new Beijing café
JM Café, White Pagoda Temple by B.L.U.E. Architecture Studio nods to the history of the Xicheng District while injecting a shot of vitality
-
Must-visit cinemas with award-worthy design
There’s more magic to the movies at these design-led cinemas, from Busan Cinema Centre’s ‘flying’ roof to The Gem Cinema Jaipur’s art deco allure
-
China’s Alila Shanghai hotel is a stylish hub of idle tranquillity
Alila Shanghai, the brand's first urban resort in Greater China, is a serene bolthole amidst the pulse of the Jing'an district
-
2025 getaways: where Wallpaper* editors will be travelling to this year
From the Japanese art islands of Naoshima and Teshima to the Malaysian tropical paradise of Langkawi, here’s where Wallpaper* editors plan to travel to in 2025
-
Travel back to the Ming dynasty at Beijing’s new Mandarin Oriental hotel
Mandarin Oriental Qianmen merges traditional culture with contemporary needs in a 600-year-old historical building complex
-
Inside Palazzo Versace Macau, a lavish, mosaic-rich hotel
Palazzo Versace Macau, the brand’s first hotel in Asia, continues to preserve Donatella Versace’s swanky hospitality vision