Banh Mi Boys will soon open Lucky Red, a new bao shop in Chinatown
Old-school banh mi fans may have been disappointed by the recent closure of Cali Bánh Mì & Chè in Chinatown, but all is not lost. The brothers behind Banh Mi Boys—David, Philip and Peter Chau—have taken over the space at 318 Spadina Avenue, just north of Dundas, and they have an intriguing new project in the works. Lucky Red—not to be confused with Susur Lee’s upcoming restaurant, Luckee—will specialize in Chinese-inspired steamed buns, known as bao.
The precise concept is still being ironed out, but David Chau tells us the new restaurant will bear some similarities to Banh Mi Boys, but with an entirely different menu. “We’re going to keep the fusion thing going on,” he said.
The boys are setting up right next to Nguyen Huong, a banh mi shop owned by their parents. They’re not too worried about intra-family rivalry, though. “It’s not competition,” Chau said. “Even though we’re beside each other, ours is different.” The Chaus hope to launch Lucky Red by April 2014. Meanwhile, Banh Mi Boys continues to expand—we’re told to expect at least one new location to open this year.
![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://torontolife.com/food/banh-mi-boys-opens-lucky-red/&title=Banh Mi Boys will soon open Lucky Red, a new bao shop in Chinatown&picture=https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/700_4075-624x395.jpg&description=[caption id="attachment_258193" align="aligncenter" width="656"] The braised beef cheek steamed bao from Banh Mi Boys (Image: Gizelle Lau)[/caption]
Old-school banh mi fans may have been disappointed by the recent closure of Cali Bánh Mì & Chè in Chinatown, but all is not lost. The brothers behind Banh Mi Boys—David, Philip and Peter Chau—have taken over the space at 318 Spadina Avenue, just north of Dundas, and they have an intriguing new project in the works. Lucky Red—not to be confused with Susur Lee’s upcoming restaurant, Luckee—will specialize in Chinese-inspired steamed buns, known as bao.
The precise concept is still being ironed out, but David Chau tells us the new restaurant will bear some similarities to Banh Mi Boys, but with an entirely different menu. “We’re going to keep the fusion thing going on,” he said.
The boys are setting up right next to Nguyen Huong, a banh mi shop owned by their parents. They’re not too worried about intra-family rivalry, though. “It’s not competition,” Chau said. “Even though we’re beside each other, ours is different.” The Chaus hope to launch Lucky Red by April 2014. Meanwhile, Banh Mi Boys continues to expand—we’re told to expect at least one new location to open this year.){kind=link}