Have you been to Chinatown in Los Angeles? Surprisingly, after a year and a half of living here, I’d never bothered to stop by. The 626 and Rowland Heights are known for their amazing Taiwanese food scene, so sadly Chinatown hadn’t made it to the top of my list… until now.

Baohaus puts a creative spin on the traditional Taiwanese Gua Bao (割包). Located in the heart of Chinatown, the restaurant recently launched their new Cheeto Fried Chicken Bao. 

Wait what, Cheetos? You heard me right.

Appropriately launching earlier this week on 4/20, this colorful hot snack is made from all-natural fried chicken, brined for 24 hours, then breaded with Crunchy Cheetos and served with lemon garlic aioli, pickled chili slaw, and cilantro.

We stopped by today to try it out, to my delight, it tasted exactly like what you’d want to eat after a night of partying. The fried chicken was juicy on the inside and super crispy on the outside, and you definitely could taste the cheesiness of the Cheetos. I’d actually love to try a HOT cheeto version of the bao! The taro fries were so delicious as well; the perfect slightly sweet complement to the fried chicken bao.

The Cheeto Fried Chicken Bao will be available through the rest of April, as well as all of May as a participant in Jonathan Gold’s LA Food Bowl. (Side note, have y’all watched City of Gold yet? If not, do so immediately!)

Big thanks to @eatswithanthony for inviting us to try out Baohaus!