Casual late-night restaurant and Charleston favorite Xiao Bao Biscuit will open their first location outside of South Carolina in Charlotte’s Optimist Hall next spring. The new location will drop “Biscuit” from its name and be known simply as Xiao Bao. 

The menu will include Charleston location staples like okonomiyaki (Japanese cabbage pancake), som tum (black bean fried chicken, peanuts, herbs over rice and spicy papaya salad), and pad kra pow (Thai style minced beef, green beans, chili, and basil over rice) but with additional focus on Southeast Asian cuisine from Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand. 

Co-Owners Joshua Walker and Duolan Li first gained attention in 2010 with their pop-ups. The following year they opened Xiao Bao Biscuit and quickly gained local and national praise, including being named to Bon Appétit’s Top 50 Best New Restaurants in 2013. 

“This is an exciting next chapter for us, and we can’t wait to share our love for Asian cuisine with Charlotte,” says Walker. 

Xiao Bao will be the 23rd tenant to open in Optimist Hall, and will be located next to Boxcar Betty’s. ––Justin Burke 

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