Nintendo-Themed Baoser Starts Steaming Buns on SE Hawthorne

The new restaurant from the expansive Quarterworld arcade, Baoser, is now open at 4809 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Owner Phil Ragaway kept with the vibe old-school arcade: Baoser’s theme centers on Bowser — the villain in Mario Bros. — and it serves bao — fluffy steamed buns with a variety of fillings.

And not just any bao: Bao by Alan Torres, the chef who turned a NoPo crackhouse into the popular, now-shuttered Baowry restaurant.

Baoser officially threw open the doors the first week in June, and it operates daily from noon to 3 a.m. — likely the latest late-night food on the boulevard. At $4.50 apiece or three for $12, the bao range from Southern to Asian, from simple to complex. One comes simply with the “perfect egg,” scallion sauce, and roe, and another, with brisket, pho gravy, and bok choy. Find something called the “Yosh Steak” and a few sides, too.

Check out the full menu:

Baoser

• Baoser [Official Site]
• Is a Nintendo-Themed Bao Restaurant the Perfect Match for SE Hawthorne? [EPDX]