A beloved Chinese Filipino pop-up is finally opening a new permanent location in Ontario
One of Ontario’s favourite food pop-ups, serving Chinese Filipino fusion cuisine, has officially secured a new permanent location.
You don’t need to be an expert on Toronto’s food pop-up scene to know Bao Mama. If you’ve found yourself at a food festival any time in the past three years, or at the Harbourfront Centre this summer, you’ve likely come across this spot.
Co-founded by cousins Niña Galarde and Elizabeth Buenaventura, the concept was born in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic when Niña, after being laid off from a restaurant job in Alberta, moved to Ontario and began experimenting with bao filled with Filipino-inspired flavours.
Anchors like juicy braised beef brisket, crispy battered shrimp, and barbecue pork all take starring roles on the menu at Bao Mama, always placed between pillowy-soft steamed bao buns.
With a Scarborough-based ghost kitchen managing its delivery and catering, a stall at Market at 70 King in Oshawa and, of course, its limited-time location at the Harbourfront Centre in Toronto, Bao Mama has quickly become one of the GTA’s favourite bao spots — thanks in no small part to the distinct blend of flavours and cuisines that Niña and Elizabeth serve up.
Despite all its popularity, though, Bao Mama’s growth in terms of locations has been relatively slow and intentional, which makes the news that it has a new permanent location on the way all the sweeter.
Set to open its doors this fall, Bao Mama is taking on Mississauga next, gearing up to open its latest location in the food court at Square One Mall, filling in the bao-sized hole that’ll be left behind once the Harbourfront pop-up closes on Sept. 4.
This isn’t the bao business’s first rodeo when it comes to Square One. Last winter, the owners set up shop in the mall’s food district for a limited, month-long run, which, suffice it to say, was received with wide open arms, paving the way for the new permanent location to move in.
In an Instagram post announcing the new location, Niña and Elizabeth emphasize that their ability to open a new permanent location is “all thanks to YOU,” meaning their clientele and supporters.
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“To our family, our friends, our incredible staff, and our loyal customers who believed in us through every pop-up, every lineup, and every fire comeback… THANK YOU. You made this dream a reality,” they write in the caption of the post.
While the exact opening date has yet to be announced, with an expected Fall of 2025 timeline, the wait shouldn’t be much longer.
Bao Mama Square One
Address: Square One Shopping Centre Food District — 100 City Centre Dr., Mississauga
Opening:Â Fall 2025
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