Lucky Bao, Mermaid Beach: Lucky Bao certainly set the benchmark when it opened as the Gold Coast’s first-ever dedicated bao bar back in late 2016. While its menu extends well beyond bao (we’re looking at you, Sichuan lamb spring rolls), the pillow-soft buns of goodness remain the hero here, with fillings like confit pork belly, Taiwanese fried chicken and wagyu brisket. Plus, the team are always pushing the boundaries with sneaky specials – American-style hotdog bao, anyone?

Jimmy Wah’s, Burleigh Heads: Handmade fresh every day, Jimmy Wah’s steamed bao buns are a true delight and definitely need to be on your radar. Get your mitts on the braised-beef short rib with pickled cucumber and fried garlic, or the soy-braised mushrooms with fried shallots. Oh, and if you haven’t had Jimmy’s sweet fried bao with cinnamon sugar, salted caramel, peanut ice-cream and perilla, then you haven’t lived.

FuFu, Mermaid Beach: FuFu’s bao spread caters for everyone, with a bunch of dairy-free, vegan and vegetarian bao combos making the cut. Choose from the likes of lemon-honey chicken, hoisin beef cheek, panko cauliflower with chilli (oof) and Moreton Bay bug. If you head in on a Wednesday night, you can tuck into $5 baos, beers and wines. That’s right, five smackers. Oh, and there are usually a few Whitney Houston bangers woven into the playlist, so yeah. You’re welcome.

Backbone Bar, Tugun: Baos and beers – name a better combo. You’ll find both in abundance and done well at Backbone Bar. The super-soft baos shine bright on the Asian-inspired menu, served brimming with fillings like soft-shell crab, grilled haloumi and beef brisket. Wash it all down with a schooner of locally crafted amber goodness.

Noodle Bao & Bar, Robina: Keen for hamburger baos? This is where you’ll find them. Nestled on the top level of The Kitchens, Noodle Bao + Bar serves a bunch of different bao combinations, from tempura tofu to chicken karaage and Chinese barbecue duck. Finish on a high note with a sweet crispy bao with pandan sauce, topped with crushed butter cookies and pickled pineapple.

Ally Chow, Nobby Beach: It’s no surprise that the Ally Chow team take great pride in their bao offering. Sink your teeth into the pork-belly katsu bao (yep, it’s true), the agedashi tofu or the crispy tempura chicken bao, which is topped with a prawn cracker for extra crunch.

Mamasan Kitchen + Bar, Broadbeach: Be sure to work some of Mama’s tasty steamed baos into your Asian feast –  there’s twice-cooked pork belly, pulled wagyu beef with pickled mustard, soft-shell crab with Mama’s tartare sauce, or Asian hash browns with pickled carrot and daikon. Yes please and thank you.

Bao Burgers, Isle of Capri: In case you didn’t know, breakfast baos are a thing. Of a morning, Bao Burgers fills its buns with the likes of crispy bacon, folded egg and tomato chutney, before more traditional combinations surface later in the day. Think slow-cooked pork belly with green apple coleslaw and hoisin sauce, fried Szechuan chicken with coleslaw and sriracha aioli, and soft-shell crab with Asian slaw, sesame seeds and wasabi mayo.

Bistro Lamp Deux, Mermaid Beach: This gem is known for it’s delicious authentic Japanese fare. You’ll find a cheeky bao section on its menu … and it’s bloody terrific. The baos are jammed with combinations like deep-fried chicken and wasabi tartare (or a really spicy sambal mayonnaise), plus there’s a slow-cooked pork belly bao with mustard mayonnaise and a teriyaki flat-mushroom variety.

Hideaway Kitchen & Bar, Broadbeach: You won’t leave here hungry, so make sure there are a few bao buns woven into your pant-splitting Hideaway feast. Served in pairs, there’s duck bao, pork with Asian pickles and a delightful crispy tofu variety. Wash it all down with a coconut-water mojito, okay?