Wow Bao

Visited this place before heading out of the city. I was craving Asian food, so of course I look into Wow Bao. I would think that they specialize in baos, so they should be pretty good. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel the same way. The prices were also steep for what you get. I asked the worker there to recommend some items. He didn’t seem like he wanted to help and didn’t explain the items too much.
I ordered the combo with two baos and a salad. The baos I tried were the Whole Wheat Edamame and the BBQ pork. I also tried the Vegetarian salad. To top the meal off, I ordered a Homemade Ginger Ale as well.
Whole Wheat Edamame: this one was the bao that I liked more. The edamame with the whole wheat worked pretty well. Pretty much had a sort of edamame paste with your typical veggies, similar to what you would find in a veggie eggroll. I thought that the whole wheat actually complemented the filling inside. Lighter and more flavorful option, would recommend over the other bao.
BBQ Pork: I am comparing the BBQ pork to the ones that you find at your typical dim sum joint. Unfortunately, the flavor was lacking. It tasted a bit funky – I typically expect a semi-​sweet flavor with tender bits of pork. Not the case here. Didn’t get the sweetness, and honestly tasted like it was trying its best to imitate dim sum buns but was not successful. I definitely don’t recommend it.
Vegetarian salad: pretty solid. The dressing was good, and it came with small bits of cut-​up dried noodles. Yet, it’s a pretty typical salad. There’s nothing out of the ordinary that I wouldn’t be able to get at another salad joint.
Homemade Ginger Ale: interesting taste. It has a VERY heavy ginger flavor, so if you’re not into that, I would not recommend it. It’s basically a ginger drink that is pretty carbonated. Doesn’t taste like your typical ginger ale in a bottle – it’s less sweet and carbonated. I thought it was a good complement to the meal.
Overall, I was not extremely impressed by the shop, especially since my meal cost around $ 10 and I still was not full. Perhaps it’s because what I ordered wasn’t too heavy, but I feel that the quality and quantity could definitely be improved. Not sure if I will be back again.

Ok. Pretty damn good for fast food. Kung Pao like it should be, kinda specie spicy, like a specie spicy meatball… only good. Fluffy soft bao dumplings actually very very well cooked. This is the type of thing that can get either too gooey, or too dry in a hurry. I was impressed. REALLY REALLY expensive for one or two. I suggest getting ten for $ 11 bucks and splitting the order with someone. That is a price point that is pretty good. But if you get em individually at _​HOLY SHIT_​$ 1.89 EACH… that is a ripoff. Well I guess if you are a 90lb hipster with skinny jeans… So this is my new dinner when I have to drive from the loop for two hours and need to eat something that is not messy. It would be fun to be able to inject these things with a syringe full of hot sauce, but seriously the Kung Pao are totally awesome. Cheers.

Great customer service! Bought to-​go food and realized after I was back at work they did not include 2 baos I ordered. I called the store and who I assume was the manager said «No problem, we will deliver these to you.» Not only did she include the two baos I ordered but some dessert baos as well!

Wow these baos are so delicious! I was in town for a conference a couple of weeks ago, and props to this establishment, because their name definitely caught my eye. An entire restaurant dedicated to baos? What could be better?
You order the baos at the kiosk outside then you go in to pick them up. It’s an interesting system, but it works. I was on my way to an architecture boat tour, and these were the perfect snacks to have beforehand! I had the spicy mongolian beef and bbq pork baos. The spicy mongolian beef was definitely my favorite. One bao packed in with so much flavor! The bbq pork was good too, but not too memorable or special in any way. I wish there were places like this in Atlanta!

I hyped myself up to eat Wow Bao ever since I moved to Chicago but I was let down. I think my expectations were too high. I was probably more sold by the marketing/​logo/​interior design than anything. Now this makes me question what the big hype is about Wow Bao; the food or the logo? I guess if you needed something quick to eat, then by all means step inside and be my guest. Service was friendly and quick though.
Most of the food is already pre-​cooked so when you order, it’s already done a few minutes after ordering. I went with a combo meal and chose a Teriyaki Chicken Bowl with two Baos (Spicy Mongolian Beef and BBQ Pork). My Teriyaki Chicken Bowl was kind of questionable. It consisted of minced chicken and I guess teriyaki sauce? It was lukewarm and it just made me sad overall. I was hoping the baos would be a bit better but that was a letdown too. The Spicy Mongolian Beef was reaaaalllyyy spicy and had a mushy texture… I couldn’t even finish it all (and I usually finish my food!!). The BBQ pork was tolerable but I’ve had better. Sorry Wow Bao… you’re cute and all but this is the first place I had some expectations for and was let down immensely. :’(

Needed a quick bite on my way to an appointment so I stopped in. Having frequented this location in the past, I had what I thought was a reasonable expectation of quality. I guess not. Granted, it was around 2:30 PM, that awkward time between the lunch and dinner rush.
Ordered at the kiosk outside the restaurant — a few bow and a Thai iced coffee. My order was ready when I walked in. First, let me say that there was so much sugar in the coffee that I had to spit it out and rinse with water. The bow were served at room temperature. They were puffy, doughy balls full of kind of goopy gunk. By comparison to lunch rush, they sucked. Leftover crap they hadn’t tossed yet. Staged like KFC.
Kind of turned off by the whole experience. Even the chocolate and custard sucked.

Mmmmmm delicious, satisfying, reliable wow bao. I have an obsession with carbs and doughy foods and when one of these craving kicks in wow bao always hits the spot. I’ve tried a lot of baowiches or bao tacos since bao has become all the rage in Asian fusion type places but I still find myself coming back to the classic, original good ol’ bao wow. even if it’s just a chain this place has the formula just right: perfect dough to filling ratio where you can still appreciate the delicate flavors of both, enough filling to be hearty and flavorful with enough bao dough to balance the flavor of the filling which can often be too sweet/​spicy/​salty on its own. Now to my favorite part, the dough mmmmm theirs is just right, soft, chewy, fluffy, never tough even after sitting out for a while, not that I let this happen often lol these bad boys are gone quick around me, and the flavor — slightly sweet, nicely bland to balance the flavors on the inside.
My go-to’s are the spicy Kung pao chicken and bbq pork
Have yet to taste a better bao, go here for a quick satisfying meal you won’t regret.

pretty good buns and meals! I like how convenient and fast you can order and all you have to do is sit down and wait for your number to be called.
i ordered teriyaki rice bowl and some buns i like it specially the BBQ hot buns its pretty good!

This place is so much fun. I try to come here whenever I’m in Chicago to grab a delicious Bao. The concept is very quick and easy. They have about 10 flavors of Baos (Chinese buns filled with stuff). My favorite is the Mongolian Beef and Kung Pao Chicken. They are about $ 2 a piece and are roughly half a tennis ball in size. Great for snack personally, but I suppose they could be a dinner as well.
They also have frozen packaged Baos that you can take to-​go and steam yourself at home. I’ve done that before and they come out great.
If you have never been here, give this place a shot. It is great!

Service was efficient because there are terminals outside the restaurant through which customers place their orders with the option of prepaying. Then I got in line and within moments was handed my food.
Staff is extremely friendly and courteous. Self serve refillable drinks, frozen buns available for takeout. Wow Bao makes 8 varieties of Bao and potstickers. Small selection of soups and noodles and bowls are avaaible. Food is good, but not great. The chief asset is that it is faster than going to China Town. A dim sum lover might be disappointed.

I made a quick pit stop and got the pork bun — a staple dish. It was good (met my expectations). It’s also pretty cool that you can order through a kiosk!

A modern, quick serve, fusion asian bun place??? Coming from LA, I’ve seen a lot of bao places but nothing like this! I loved the modern touch of this asian fusion restaurant as not only do they serve bao but also other asian noodle and rice dishes. I also love how they have multiple locations throughout Chicago, so you’re never too far from one! My only critique about this place is that their hours aren’t good as they should be open for breakfast hours! I wanted to get a fresh bao for breakfast just like I would get for dimsum but then I go all the way to any of their locations, and the earliest they open was 11am!
Bao is traditionally served as part of dim sum and that’s in the morning, and I know that they would be serving a lot of bao in the morning as a quick breakfast treat.
Each bao is a little more than $ 1.50 each which is actually quite pricey for these little things especially compared to an asian restaurant. I got the bbq pork, whole wheat edamame, and apple cinnamon. I love how they have such an assortment of bao and really took bao and modernized it to include other flavors.
I’m a fan of the bbq pork and the edamame one but the apple cinnamon was just gross. Maybe I couldn’t help but think that the apple filling was like an apple pie but I was eating bao. For me, the flavors didn’t mesh well.

Me and my brother were tired after going to comic con the previous day. Had some chinese food craving.
Excellent place. We ordered the Spicy teriyaki bowl with jasmine rice, bun with sri racha chicken and bao with kung pao.
Pao in Bao (Has a nice ring to it right?)
It is a wee bit pricey, but the service is fast, place is hygienic and the meat/​food quality was good and it was all delicious
Go for it, you won’t have any regrets

My friend and I had just arrived from the airport with our luggage, and were walking to our hotel in the rain. We stopped here just for a quick bite. I ordered the spicy chicken steamed bun and she ordered the pork belly steamed bun. The spicy chicken was just chicken covered with sriacha. A bit pricy for what you get as well. Ehh, pass

May 2015
We were downtown and starving. We needed something quick and Unilocal said Wow Bao was nearby. They are like the fast food of Steamed buns and noodle bowls and dumplings. You could get a fountain soda or Drinks that were pre-​poured and stored in a cooler and were very well priced. So was the food. We got both our noodle bowls and dumplings in a fast and efficient manner. The seating was comfortable and clean.
The person taking our order was pleasant and professional.
Good for a lunch on the run.

The worst the pork open bao I ever tried. The pork is dark and hard to chew.
I also ordered dumplings and a normal bao. They were okay.
At least this place is very fast. We got the food 5 minutes after we ordered.

Wow Bao tends to be a tasty and reliable lunch or dinner option when I’m downtown. I think the star rating is pretty spot on — Wow Bao is A-​OK.
This location is incredibly convenient, and the service is usually pretty speedy, even during the lunch rush. I love the kiosks right outside the door that allow you to order electronically. Just follow the prompts on the touch screen, make your selections, run your card, and then wait for you number to be called. In my experience, ordering this way tends to be faster than ordering from the person at the counter, though it does mean that you have to use a card instead of cash.
The chicken noodle soup has a generous serving of noodles and is pretty tasty, especially on colder days. It has been my go to lunch at Wow Bao all winter. The chocolate bao are pretty tasty if you are in the mood for dessert, just be aware that they are incredibly sweet and a little messy to eat. I also like the spicy Mongolian beef bao and the BBQ pork bao, though I’m not a huge fan of the curry or the teriyaki bao. I love to sip on the Thai herb broth when I’m sick — it is warm and delicious and makes me feel better. I am not a fan of the potstickers or dumplings, however. Both always seem kind of sad and flavorless. And the different bowl options (rice, noodles, etc) tend to be hit or miss.
I do recommend double checking your order if you are getting carry out, as I have arrived back at work excited for my lunch, only to open the bag and find the wrong order one too many times.

This place, along the lines of Chipotle and Noodles & Co, is delicious! All of the options are tasty and the menu is very simple. I’ve been here a handful of times since I live next door and I’ve always had a good experience — quick service and hot food!
I’ll usually get a rice bowl with a couple of baos and share it with my hubby — it’s plenty of food for two for lunch. It’s right on par price-​wise with any other QSR. I’d definitely recommend giving this place a try if you haven’t already!

I liked this place even though my and my friends order got a little screwed up. It was fine because the baozi we ordered was good. Lucky we didn’t get a mix up with one we don’t like. I love love that you can read which baozi is which from the wrappers on the bottom. That’s so handy! And cute.
Sorry but their ginger ale is disgusting. I like ginger ale but obviously, I’ve learned, just the soda stuff you get in supermarkets. This homemade stuff was terrible. Guess it kinda hurts that I hate ginger. Ha ha whoops.

Wifi unacceptably slow. Pan fried potstickers were sub-​par: falling apart, dry on the edges as if it came right from freezer to pan, the skins were also way too floppy. For 8 potstickers at $ 7, they could have done better.
So this place was just ok. House music in the background was alright but a bit loud.

Hier gibt es frische asiatische «Dumplings» mit unterschiedlichen Füllungen über heißem Dampf gegart. Schmecken leicht, herzhaft und würzig, am besten die mit «spicy mongolian beef probieren»!