Gu Long Bao Artisan Bun Shop

About Gu Long Bao Artisan Bun Shop

Gu Long Bao is an old-style Teochew steamed-bun shop, and this is its Song Wat branch at 983 Song Wat Road in Samphanthawong, on the old riverside trading street next to Chinatown. The original shop is on Charoen Krung Road near the Mo Mi intersection. Guides describe a century-old recipe and buns hand-pleated by a baker with more than 40 years of experience. The buns have a soft, pale-yellow dough.

The menu is mostly steamed buns: minced pork, pork with salted egg yolk, red pork, taro, and sweet bean with white sesame. You can also get khanom jeeb (siu mai) dumplings, sometimes sold as a set with Thai tea, plus a mini-bun box. Wongnai reviewers note that baked buns are sold only at this branch. Prices are very low, with a pork bun at about 17 to 26 baht, and Wongnai puts most spending under 100 baht a head.

The shop is takeaway only, so it works best as a snack stop on a walk along Song Wat, with its cafés, old shophouses and street art. Pick up a bag of buns and eat them as you go. Queues can build up, and one reviewer suggests coming at a quieter time. Go in the morning or early afternoon, because the shop opens at 9:00 and fillings can sell out.

Why it works for a date

• Soft pale-yellow dough in the traditional Teochew style
• Generous, tasty fillings
• Very cheap
• Baked buns are sold only at this branch

Good to be aware of

• Takeaway only, with nowhere to sit
• Queues at busy times
• One reviewer found the buns just decent and the siu mai too peppery

What to order