Food fusion here. Now, if you are from Philly, let me apologize on behalf of Trader Joe's. These do not do a good Philly Cheesesteak justice. But as far as bao go, the dough here is at least as good as the Pork Bao Buns. However, as a combination Trader Joe's Philly Cheesesteak Bao Buns just don't match the hype.
Taste
Don't get me wrong, I was excited to finally find them in my local store. And my local store since they have done an expansion, it's been a bit tough to find where everything is as they are now moving items around regularly. For my local New York people, you'll find me more often than not in Hartsdale.
So I went ahead and picked up 2 boxes of these. And for $2.99 for a package of 4 buns, it isn't a bad deal.
I mean who doesn't love Philly Cheesesteak? It's delish. And Bao, well that is a whole lot of awesome. Put them together and it should be amazing.
But unfortunately, it doesn't work as well. Not because of the bao, but because of the lackluster filling.
Now unlike the Pork Bao Buns, this is a better ratio of filling to dough. But where this Bao falls flat is the filling.
I know Philly Cheesesteaks are often made with shaved beef. But each bite had me wondering, "Where is the beef?" And worse yet the other aspects of what makes a Philly Cheesesteak so magical, be it the onions or peppers, were also chopped up pretty fine as well.
The ones in the picture look truly meaty. The ones I got looked a bit more like a dirty diapers when I bit into them. And then there was an odd kick of spice. I'm not sure if mine were overly heavy-handed with the black pepper but each one I had seemed to have a mild heat to it. And that was also unexpected.
Overall
So what this product wins in the hype, it lacks in execution. But not being one to waste decent enough food, I did polish off the two boxes. Making a quick meal that has a reasonable number of calories has been a priority.
Would I buy this again? I polished off the two boxes of Trader Joe's Philly Cheesesteak Bao Buns but I'm not sure I will be buying this one again. It was satisfactory without any wow.
Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!
Product Photos
The box of Trader Joe's Philly Cheesesteak Bao Buns:
Calories and ingredients
Directions
Out of the package you get:
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Trader Joe's Philly Cheesesteak Bao Buns
Product Name: Trader Joe's Philly Cheesesteak Bao Buns
Product Description: These are pillowy and have a little cheesesteak to it making it an ok bao.
Price: $2.99
Currency: USD
Availability: Discontinued
Summary
Trader Joe's Philly Cheesesteak Bao Buns are a new fusion item in the freezer section
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Taste
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Value
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Worthy of Repurchasing
Pros
- It is a good idea in theory
- Snackable, but could have been better
Cons
- Heavy-handed with the spice
- Could have been executed much better
Alek says
I wish the dough had some cheese incorporated in it.
Beth says
I bought these last week and your review is spot on! Down to the diaper comment Always enjoy your site.
Monica says
I live in NY too and I can’t stand going to the Hartsdale location ever since they expanded!! I rather go to the eastchester location, especially during this pandemic I feel like I never wait on a long line like how it is at Hartsdale. I also wasn’t very impressed with these once I finally got my hands on them just bland and boring to me.
becomebetty says
Hey Monica! I totally understand. Have you ever tried the Larchmont location? Scarsdale the parking lot is so tiny. At least Hartsdale there is parking. By chance when are you usually going to shop? Maybe I can give you feedback as to the best time to shop?