First time here and even the kids enjoyed it. We definitely ordered way too much but i enjoy trying different dishes. Husband loved his m when I was ails beef ramen. I ordered the dumpling ramen and loved the flavor, even with no spice. The eggs were perfectly cooked. We order a no spice ramen with chicken for the kids with extra noodles and it was way too much but at least they have lunch tomorrow. Next time I'll just order extra noodles with my bowl. The bbq pork buns were delicious and we all loved they. If anything, i wish there was more. The pork dumplings were also good and super juicy inside. All in all, i like that you order at your table and that the menu had pictures. The staff was super nice and service was on point. read more

No Fountain drinks Fast Service Portions are large Small Restaurant great for a date You order your food on the tablet read more

88 Bao Bao - Chowmein 5/10okay Garlic Green Bean 7/10 tasty Chili Oil Wontons 5/10 worth the try - Asian Fusion Near Me - Merced, California

Excellent spot to get dim sum, noodles, ramen, and snacks. Upon walk in you seat yourself and a server drops off plates, utensils and napkins for your group. Water and to-go ware is self serve. The option to order directly from your table is pretty convenient. Our first dish, the ramen, arrived in 5-7 minutes. Soon after our noodles, then the beef roll and sesame balls. Every dish was freshly prepared and you could really tell. Served hot, crispy, and perfectly seasoned. Not pictured is the tonkatsu ramen. Their seasoned egg was on point! Plus they give you whole egg sliced in half. No skimping! The broth was so flavorful and balanced. Not too salty either. Their single all gender restroom was well-stocked and clean. Other things I notice was that staff is pretty attentive. If the call button was pushed, they addressed the need immediately. After packing up our leftovers, we paid up front with Apple Pay. Overall, a great selection of my favorite eats. Typically I'd have to hit multiple spots to get this combination of items. At 88, you get a bit of Shanghai, Taiwan, and Japan in one convenient location. read more

88 Bao Bao - Sesame balls, Beef roll, Shanghai noodles - Asian Fusion Near Me - Merced, California

After a long day at a conference, my business partner and I stopped into 88 BaoBao, and it hit the spot. I ordered the pork Xiao Long Bao and the tonkatsu ramen, and both were on point. The dumplings were rich and flavorful, and the ramen broth was fantastic -- warm, comforting, and exactly what I needed after a full day on my feet. I didn't grab any photos of the food because we were wiped, but the food genuinely impressed us. Nice little cozy spot. Great service, great flavors, and a place I'll definitely come back to. read more

88 Bao Bao - Asian Fusion Near Me - Merced, California

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Last min attempt for a place to eat on Easter.. gave it a try won't ever come back.. food came out way too quick... egg rolls were cold in the middle... ramen had next to no flavor... potstickers where meh.... My stomach still hurts 1.5hr later. Food lacked flavor and tasted like it was out of a box. The girl at the front who I paid for the meal after was super nice and professional. read more

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Decent Chinese food for this area that satisfied my parents. This fast casual place is efficient with friendly staff that take your order and bring out the food quickly. The vibe is a bit reminiscent of a chick fil a in terms of how casual the setting is yet the food is brought out to your table. Prices are higher than expected for such a casual place but the portions are big and worth it. As for the food, it was all tasty and the portion sizes were large but all could use some improvement in flavor. We ordered the cucumber salad, pork xlb, potstickers, pan fried pork buns, and vegetable spring rolls. - cucumber salad - refreshing starter and balance to the rest of the meal. I'm not the biggest fan of this overly saucy version and prefer to have a little kick from either garlic or red pepper added - pork xlb - good job on the soup. Filling a little too sweet for my tastes. Wish they had fresh ginger for the dipping sauce. Skin on the thick side especially at the top - potstickers - good flavor but no crisp at all so just greasy on the outside - pan fried pork buns - good amount of soup on the inside and nicely crisped on the bottom. Filling is also a little too sweet and breading too thick - vegetable spring rolls - nice and crisp. A little on the greasy side All in all, I'd go back here for a quick meal but keep my expectations at the level of a fast casual restaurant. read more

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I'm not sure if I am a fan of this dining style. You walk in and self seat, there's a tablet to self order, servers will bring out your food. If you want water, it is self serve, if you ordered any bottled beverages, you must also grab it yourself from the refrigerator. To go boxes? Self serve. You walk up to pay your tab and there's that option to leave a tip. I couldn't justify leaving any. Sorry. The food was meh. I don't think any of the dim sum is house made. Everything tasted like the ones you can purchase frozen at the Asian market. The fried rice was lacking flavor and they don't carry soy sauce. And a bit pricy for subpar quality. read more

Very convenient to order, delicious food, quick service, and a reasonable price. Would come back when we visit Merced. I think they should make their place bigger. Every time we go, it's always packed. read more

We've been wanting to try 88 Bao Bao since they opened a location in Manteca so we were excited to see it while visiting Merced over the weekend. This particular location is located in a shopping center. We were created upon entering and you order at the counter then are given a number for them to bring your food as it's ready. The restaurant itself is very spacious and the decor features the dishes they offer. We ordered cucumber salad, pork lumpia, pork xialongbao, shrimp dumplings and pork and shrimp shaomai. The cucumber salad came first and it was just meh as far as flavor and freshness I would definitely skip it if I were to go back, the pork lumpia was very crispy and delicious I prefer my filling to be on the lesser side so if you don't be aware these are the thinner lumpia's. The next dish to come out was the pork and shrimp shaomai and this is where our dining experience went a bit south upon removing the top of the steamer basket we realized that there was a long black hair across the top of the dumplings. We alerted the waitress/manager and she asked if we wanted a refund or remake an we informed her we would like a remake. We watched her alert her staff as well as the cook and ultimately throw them away. We were given two complimentary drinks for the mishap and the rest of the meal was ok. Overall 88 bao bao was ok. It's not a place I would crave or go out of the way for but wouldn't object if someone in my party wanted to go. There are definitely better options but this would work in a pinch. read more

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The dumplings are not fresh seem like it's all pre frozen, the sauces are gross the pan fried items are okay

My team stopped for lunch here on the way from Sacramento to Ahwahnee, CA. I was craving Chinese food, and was only able to persuade half the team to eat here. The others went to Five Guys (lame)... They have a varied menu, but I was limited budget-wise. Ramen always tastes good, so I got one with wontons. Dim-sum is always a necessity too, so this time I chose char siu buns. They had just the amount of sweetness I was looking for! read more

88 Bao Bao - wonton ramen - Asian Fusion Near Me - Merced, California

We were in town and wanted to try this spot. I was surprised they offered vegetarian options! We were hungry and ordered the Vegetarian ramen, vegetarian dumplings, vegetable chow mein, and popcorn chicken. Our favorite was the vegetable chow mein - you can taste the char from the wok. Overall, it was okay. I wasn't a fan of their dipping sauce or the dumplings. They seem pretty busy and it's a nice option in town. read more

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Found this cute little place in Merced and decided to try it. I've wanted to try Bao buns, not home made by my Hispanic friends, but every where I've gone only has pork until saw they had other options here! The staff were pretty friendly and quick to provide instructions. I was informed I could place my order at my table if I was eating in or at the counter if I was eating out. The place has several seating options and tablet screens at every table so you can place your order at the table with as much time as you need and with pictures if your not sure what each item is. The prices were fair for the amount of dumplings and buns provided. I tried the veggie bao bun and the chicken and sweet corn steeled dumplings. I enjoyed them. The dumplings were filled perfectly and they were quite tasty. The bao buns were perfectly soft and pillowy but the filling was not exactly veggies, it was just spinach. I would have liked that specified as I would have chosen something else since I'm not a fan of steamed spinach. The dumplings were not out of this world but they were yummy! I'd have to try another bao bun to see their flavors as the spinach, or veggie, one did not hit the spot. I'd come again to try more things and also the ramen next as I see they have raving reviews for the ramen. Over all, they have quick service, the place is pretty casual, and I enjoyed the TV that has beautiful Chinese scenes playing. For now I give it three stars on my current experience but I will try it again and perhaps they might gain a star if my next experience with their food is delicious. read more

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The food is very good. I love to get Wonton Ramen and chicken chowmein. The service is friendly. The ambiance is casual. I highly recommend this restaurant read more

Great food limited seating, always packed. Best Ramen in the Merced Area Favorites: Tonkatsu Ramen, Black Garlic Ramen, popcorn Chicken, pork and shrimp dumplings Large portions! I wrote a song about this place, listen on the link below 88 Bao Bao song: https://suno.com/song/3b45f62d-0ad4-43c0-a168-a50b477046bd?sh=TY1cerV6f9bHS2GO read more

88 Bao Bao - Tonkatsu Ramen spicy - Asian Fusion Near Me - Merced, California

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We found this place en route to Yosemite National Park. You can order to-go or from your table when you arrive. The place was busy which speaks to the yummy food and friendly staff. Our meal came quickly, which was perfect since it was a quick pit stop. Flavorful ramen and robust dumplings! read more

88 Bao Bao - Veggie dumplings - Asian Fusion Near Me - Merced, California

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After a few days at Autocamp cooking ourselves, this is a godsend. It's about 5-10 minutes off 140, but if you're tired of American food this is probably the most authentic Chinese you'll find in these parts. Quick summary: + Order at the counter, get your own water and choose your own table makes this a no frills type of restaurant which means tipping not necessary just like in Asia. (5 stars) + XLB here is top notch outside of the bay. The skin is a little thicker than Ding Tai Fung but the soup and meat is very hearty. My 10yo daughter ate 7 of these bad boys! (4 stars) + Shrimp egg fried rice is the simplest dish and you can't go wrong which is why this is one of our regular orders when we long home cooking. (4 stars) + String beans with garlic here has that lightly fried sear and compliments the rest of our order. It's standard fare for us too. (4 stars) - Tonkatsu ramen here lacks the deep pork flavors of Japanese style cooking. Their char su also has a bit of ham like flavors. However it is a complete meal with bamboo shoots and mushrooms though I'd skip it next time. (2.5 stars) I'll keep this place in mind for our next Yosemite trip. By the way, their air conditioner here is very cold. I'm sitting right below a much needed cool breeze so be sure you pick a spot that's comfortable for you. read more

Came here for lunch as I was craving something Asian. Found 88 Bao Bao as one of the newest spots to open up in Merced and immediately knew to take the SO here to try it out. Located off of Yosemite in the same plaza as Em-Tea and Raley's, 88 Bao Bao is a fast-casual dim sum restaurant serving various dumplings and ramen. The day we went, the line to order was out the door in which we stood for a good 15 minutes before making it to the register. Whether you order to-go or dine-in, patrons will have to stand in line. If you dine-in, you place your order and receive a number placard so the servers know what to give each table. We ordered: Wonton in chili oil - pretty silky wrapping and the chili oil isn't too spicy. The meat inside had a "rougher" texture. It was very much Italian meatball vs. smooth meat paste filling feel, which I'm not sure is the norm. Still tasty Pan fried pork buns - one of my favorite dishes in general. The ones here had the same "rough" meat but still super tasty. The wrapping also wasn't too thick and the bottoms were perfectly crispy. Pork XiaoLongBao - these had thicker skins than preferred, but tasted great with the vinegar and garlic soy that is provided on every table. Black garlic ramen - the SO loved this and actually demolished the whole thing. The broth was so rich and comforting. Service was quick and the people placing dishes at our table were nice, too! Definitely a great lunch, and wouldn't mind coming back. read more

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The bao buns, cucumber salad, gyoza, and beef rolls were all absolutely delicious and so satisfying. Everything was fresh, flavorful, and beautifully prepared. Service was quick and efficient, making the whole experience even better. Highly recommend! read more

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Better than Panda Express, better than what I had since Hunan Restaurant. . plus top service in town. Shrimp Fried rice my go to. Service Girls HOT Con: Doesn't offer Kimlan soy sauce. read more

Yummy dumplings and ramen. Love that there are several veggie options. The new order at the table made it less stressful to pick out for our undecided family! read more

Disclaimer- 2 stars for the food mainly Ambience is nice, good decor. Customer service good but a bit confusing on decisions that you order at the counter first or you sit down at a table then when your ready - you go back up and order food at the Counter. This is confusing or usually is a lack of restaurant experience from the owners. Usually you do one or the other so it is streamlined and more efficient. Food: We order an array of food: Pork xionglao Bao- Looks good but flavor is okay- wouldn't mind but it needs to be more juicy. When you bite into it- not enough broth liquid to squirt like how a good xionglao bao should be. Beef ramen- very good and typical. Can't go wrong with it but broth is more or less not traditional. Not your typical Japanese flavor but it was a good flavor. Stir fry rice noodles with vegetables only- Very good. Good simple flavor - would order this dish again . Cucumber salad- warning to all my Asians whole love this typical style Chinese salad- do not order it if you know ow what I'm talking about. Flavor is very bland, the sauce it is is very sweet and not enough soy sauce. Not good if you know this dishes already. Just overall not the right flavor and seasoning- just sweet and bland. Only thing good part is that the cucumbers is still very crispy and they use Persian cucumber instead of your typical cucumber where you buy at any grocery. Would not order this again- wrong flavor - not well excited for a beloved Chinese cucumber salad. Season beef with special soy sauce - The beef is flavor from the broth is cooked in. Nicely sliced but overall bland . The most disappointing part is the special sauce. Nothing special about it. It's primarily the same sauce they use for the cucumber salad. Just sweet and bland. Didn't enhance the beef or anything. The beef by itself taste better. Overall disappointing if your Asian and know how this type of cuisine should taste like. Maybe they are catering to the demographic around it but overall if you know the flavors- you'll be very disappointed at the price your paying for and how it taste like. 2 stars due to the price value for the execution of a certain type of Chinese cuisine - the baos are so so, the Xiong Lao bao needs to be more juicy- the flavor could be improve. The Ramen which is probably your safest bet as of right now. Wouldn't return for the Chinese food but for the ramen only. read more

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Cute little spot. Staff was friendly. I love that you can order your food on a little tablet at your table. Good portions and pricing. Very tasty and had a great time overall! read more

Bao Bao! Hello and welcome to Merced. We are sorely lacking Asian options so we were so pumped when we saw you were coming. The Xiao Long Bao was on point. Decent size. Decent price. Taste great. Shrimp Dumplings (Har Gow) is standard fare which is great. It was good. Pork & Chives was good though whether someone likes it will depend on the purpose. Lava Bun was good but probably not something I'd order again mainly because it's expensive and little too sweet for my taste. I'm sure those who love sweet things will love it though. All in all, it was a good experience and I have a feeling we will come back many times over. Partially bc the food is good. Partially bc well what other Asian choices do we have! See you soon! read more

This is my third time at 88 Bao Bao and it was amazing as always! I tried the Wonton Ramen this time and wow. It had wontons, ramen noodles, bok choy, and egg. I definitely recommend it! Also, I always get sesame balls 10/10. The service is great, the food is quick. read more

88 Bao Bao - sesame balls - Asian Fusion Near Me - Merced, California

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A must try in Merced! It has only been open a few months and it is always busy! The ramen is creamy and delicious. The chili oil that they have at the table is also great. read more

88 Bao Bao - Seafood ramen spicy - Asian Fusion Near Me - Merced, California

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The staff are always nice and polite, even in a rush. The chowmein and soup dumplings are to die for! It does get kinda packed inside and a little overwhelming for myself but Togo orders are very convenient and fast... you can even do it online! read more

This place was great. The place was busy and the staff took care of everyone quickly and with such poise. I'd loved it! The food was great! Lots of flavor! Pipping hot! And super quick! The place was clean and well stocked. I'd love to come back! read more

88 Bao Bao - Asian Fusion Near Me - Merced, California

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I have been waiting for a place like this for a very long time. You can get the best of all worlds here well, at least when it comes to Asian food, it lives up to the name Asian fusion. Of course I had to start off with the bao. It's the first one on the menu and these dumplings are made with love. Then I got some Shanghai noodles along with the Takatsu Ramen I get it with the whole kick and it was delicious. Don't skip out on the lychee drink. You won't regret it. Apart from the food, the service is fantastic. I even had person come up to me and ask how I like the food and you can tell they take care of there customers. Very lively you're lucky if you get a seat. read more

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I love this place! The bbq bao buns are amazing and the ramen is great! Always bursting with flavor and the food is always consistent. The last time I went i ordered family style with my friends and we got the chili oil wonton, black garlic ramen, bbq pork buns, pork dumplings and 2 beef ramen. Overall the experience was nice and the workers were friendly and attentive, and the ambiance was nice! Would definitely recommend. read more

A welcome addition to Merced but a little low on the quality. You can definitely tell it's a chain restaurant... the ramen is more of a light soup and not anything close to a rich ramen flavor and the pork was super chewy and low on flavor. The soup dumplings were ok but the skin was way too thick for a top notch xlb. The veggie chow mein was tasty but it's pretty hard to screw that up Cleaning products in the dining area and a shoddy self serve "to go box" area that let you know you are definitely still dining in Merced Service was very friendly. Given all this I will still return and try some more stuff read more

88 Bao Bao - Pork xlb - Asian Fusion Near Me - Merced, California

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Must try!! Went here for the first time with a group of 4. Ordered at the register. It was really busy but we were still able to get seated right away. The food was absolutely delicious! We shared everything as a group as the portion sizes were large enough to do so. Very kind people. I will definitely be going back. read more

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This place has been very popular since they open so we decided to check out. The place was packed, but we were attended quickly, and the staff went out of their way to make sure everyone had a place to sit. We ended up taking our food to go just because we didn't want to take up a table. The portions are generous, and the food was hot. read more

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So glad to see this come to Merced! There has been a huge need for a dumpling and ramen place! There's a long line out the door for a reason. When you get there, you might have to wait in line. If there's a line, they'll take down your info and call you when they're ready to take your order. Unfortunately you'll have to wait in line again just to place your order. I'm sure the team is figuring a way to streamline this process, going to give them a couple months to figure it out because it can be confusing. If you're not sure what you want to order, there are menus outside on a chair! Once you order and sit, food is served pretty quickly. Water is self-serve, which I LOVE. They also have garlic oil, vinegar, and chili oil on each table. My group ordered a couple dishes to try: - Black Garlic Ramen (5/5): the broth is pretty decent for what it is. Considering that this isn't necessarily a ramen joint, it's still a great bowl of flavor. - WonTons in Chili Oil (5/5): collectively, my group's favorite dish. It has great flavor and texture! - Pork XiaoLongBong (5/5): one of my top choices here. Beware! There's soup in the dumpling and it can be HOT! Poke a hole with your fork first to let the heat out and then use the red spoon they provide to slurp it all up! Great flavor! - Crab & Pork XiaoLongBong (3/5): the flavor is great and is pretty much a pork XiaoLongBong with a dash of crab on top (the orange stuff). For an extra $2 compared to the pork XiaoLongBong, I just don't think it's worth it because the added flavor is way too subtle. - Pan Fried Pork Bun (4/5): these are pretty good. It's almost like eating stuffed bread and the crisp on the bottom of the bun is *chef's kiss*. It was just a bit too much dough for me personally. - Grilled Squid (2/5): our group collectively agreed that this was our least favorite dish. The sauce is this weird sweet n sour flavor that kinda takes away from the flavors of the squid. My uncle did like the texture of the squid though. - Pork Potstickers (4/5): pretty good if you want it a little bit crispy. If not, just get the pork XiaoLongBong :) Overall (4.5/5). Would def come back and looking forward to the restaurant improving as it settles in. read more

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When I heard this place was going to open in Merced I was skeptical. Ramen in Merced? HA- I was right. We placed an online order for lumpias and ramen. The ramen comes in two separate bowls for you to mix yourself. Makes me question how they prepare the bowls. The flavor itself was barely there; I ordered mild and it had little to no flavor. The lumpias were also so thin and small a little disappointing. If you want lumpias I highly recommend Jeffs Cuisine in Atwater. If you think this is good ramen, Im sorry for you- read more

88 Bao Bao - Tonkotsu Ramen - Asian Fusion Near Me - Merced, California

Relax!!! They just recently opened literally a few days ago. They are still working on their kinks. The food is good for sure. We finally got to try this new restaurant in Merced. The way they seat people is a work in progress. All the tables have numbers on them (which isn't in order by the way) and you have to tell the person when ordering what table number you are so they can bring your order. Even with that, we see servers getting confused trying to find the table to give the order. We got here at around 130pm on a Saturday and waited less than 10 mins to get seated. We ordered: S1 Pork XiaoLong Bao, S8 Shrimp and Pork Siomai, F5 Wonton in Chili Oil and P2 Pan Fried Pork Bun. We also got 1 drink. All that cost $59 and some change. The prices are cheaper by a little bit compared to Din Tai Fung which we always go to when in LA area. Our order came out right away. All were good and very flavorful. The Wonton in Chili Oil is a winner!!! That is now our favorite. I'm glad that Merced has a dimsum, decent Chinese food now. We will definitely be back here again and try other things. read more

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We have tried MANY things here and have loved them all. I highly recommend their wontons in chili oil, pork xiaolongbao, black garlic ramen and pan fried pork buns. Their shrimp chow mein is also delicious with so many shrimp. Most of their dishes are things you can split. When my daughter and I go, we get 2 dishes and finish them or if we order 3, we take home leftovers. The staff is very friendly. Some items (pan fried vs steamed) can take a little longer, but we never wait long. read more

88 Bao Bao - Pan fried pork buns, vegetable chow mein, wontons in chili oil. - Asian Fusion Near Me - Merced, California

I've gone to this location twice now. Once for dine in and once to go. The chain in northern CA was one of my favorite places to for wonton chili oil and the Merced location did not disappoint. When you first arrive you order from the counter and let them know if it's done in or take out. If there's a wait, check in for dine in is needed so you can get a table number. Dine in wait time is usually 15ish minutes, not too bad. The first time we went we got: - wontons in chili oil (5/5) -chicken & corn dumplings (3.5/5) -Beef roll (3/5) -cucumber salad(4/5) -black&gold lava bun(5/5) -beef ramen (2.5/5) The wonton in chili oil always hits and make sure to add some vinegar to each bite to take flavors to the next level Chicken and corn was good. Filling was a little bland but reminded me of chicken &corn soup. Added to the chili oil because why not. Also good dipping in the garlic ponzu sauce Beef roll- the pastry wasn't a green oil pancake and that made me sad. It was okay and the beef didn't have much seasoning. But like dipped in the chili oil, it was phenomenal. Do you see a trend here. Cucumber salad was fresh and refreshing. Black and gold lava bun is an egg yolk bun that gives you that sweet and salty dessert. Careful when eating it hot, the yolk does ooze out. Beef ramen was alright. The broth we got was super salty but noodles were good and veggies were cooked well. The second time I went for lunch: -wonton in chili oil (5/5) - steamed leek/pork/shrimp dumplings (5/5) -cucumber salad (5/5) All hit and best believe I just added the dumplings to my wonton in chili oil bowl The wait time for to go was pretty long. I saw those who got there at the same time as me for dine in, already sitting and eating their food by the time I got my food to go. read more

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Wrong order given. I told guy at counter they made a mistake he said sorry and he said he fixed it and sent me away. He gave me items cheaper than what I had ordered and missed the main dish i had ordered. Kinda annoying. I returned and they apologized and made the missing item. Annoying to see the item I was missing going out piecemeal to other tables when they should just given me a ready one as I had to wait 50 minutes from when i originally ordered to get my food. Food is good but spot definitely has some growing pains. Hope they can improve read more

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The service here was very good but the food was food was good but not great. Busy place . The portion on the noodle was good but apps were small portions read more