Charleston favorite Xiao Bao joins Optimist Hall lineup as the latest tenant
Xiao Bao, a “love letter” to Asian cuisine, will bring Southeast Asian flavors to Optimist Hall next year.
Xiao Bao is an outpost of Charleston favorite Xiao Bao Biscuit, a restaurant from Chef Joshua Walker and Duolan Li designed to satisfy their cravings for their favorite Asian foods.
The stall at Optimist Hall is slated to open in spring 2021 and will be the 23rd tenant at the food hall.
Xiao Bao Biscuit first opened in 2011 and was inspired by Walker and Li’s honeymoon across Asia. The name Xiao Bao means “little one” or “little babe” — Walker’s nickname for Li. The restaurant aims to capture the tastes they experienced on their travels and the comfort foods from Li’s childhood.
Okonomiyaki, a Japanese cabbage pancake and one of the concept’s featured dishes, is prepared in a style the couple learned while farming in Japan, according to the Charleston restaurant’s menu. Other featured dishes include som tum, a dish with chicken and peanuts served over rice and spicy papaya salad, and pad kra pow, made with Thai-style minced beef and vegetables over rice served with a sunny-side-up farm egg.
The Optimist Hall concept will bring an added focus on Southeast Asian flavors from Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia.
“This is an exciting next chapter for us, and we can’t wait to share our love for Asian cuisine with Charlotte,” Walker said in a statement. “This is a big moment in the city’s restaurant scene, and we couldn’t be happier to be a part of the great community at Optimist Hall.”
The stall will be located next to Boxcar Betty’s and is the restaurant’s first expansion outside of Charleston.
XIAO BAO
Optimist Hall, 1115 N. Brevard St.
Instagram: @xiaobaobiscuit
Xiao Bao is set to open in spring 2021.
This story was originally published July 28, 2020 at 11:14 AM.
