Food 2/5 I ordered the Xia Long Bao, and it was pretty standard. The dough was a bit thicker than I prefer, but it wasn't bad overall. My friends tried the noodles and mentioned that they were just okay. Not a bad experience, but nothing really stood out either. Customer Service 4/5 I had a pretty good experience with their customer service. The team was responsive, friendly, and attentive to my needs. Overall, a positive experience! Ambience 4/5 The restaurant was quite spacious, which made for a comfortable setting. However, it was a bit too warm inside. Cleanliness 4/5 The place looks pretty neat overall. However, one of the spoons given to us did have some food residue on it. Wait Time 5/5 The wait time was fair. Cost 4/5 The prices are pretty reasonable for the location. read more

Bao Culture - Steamed Xiaolong Bao/ Soup Dumplings (8 Pieces) / 招牌小笼汤包 (8个) - Asian Fusion Near Me - Riverside, California

Really a 3.5 , I was feeling generous The Won Ton soup broth served with absolutely no flavor. Glorified warm water as you can see in the first picture. After I added soy sauce and spicy oil it became much better. The won tons are good, typical but not over flavorful read more

Bao Culture - Won Wonton Soup (8 Pieces) / 紫菜混沌汤 (8个) - Asian Fusion Near Me - Riverside, California

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We dined here this evening 1/18 around 8pm. Pictured is all the food we tried. Food was good. Popcorn chicken rice bowl was just ok. Only 2 people were working (1 in the front, 1 in the back). We walked in and there were 4-5 dirty tables still. We were given plastic forks. The lady was friendly. It just looked like they could definitely use some help. read more

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Ive been here twice now and would give 3.5/5 as a pretty average place. I enjoy the food, mostly the appetizers and the noodle dishes. I wouldn't order the dim sum options again. It's usually pretty empty so service is fast. However I do find the prices to be steep - I got a scallion pancake and popcorn chicken for $22. The chili oil containers also tend to be on the dirty side read more

Bao Culture - Popcorn chicken - Asian Fusion Near Me - Riverside, California

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How do you serve a customer burnt food. The burntness over powers the rest of the food so you can't even taste the food. I ordered the pork and cabbage and it was extremely bland. read more

Bao Culture - Burnt potstickers - Asian Fusion Near Me - Riverside, California

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I ate here with a group and was able to sample a few items. Full disclosure, my experience with Asian cuisine has been in the USA so not a connoisseur. The pork bao buns were a hit with everyone. The won ton soup was very under-seasoned, but had beautiful tiny baby bok choi. The shrimp balls may be an acquired taste but could be described as shrimp hotdog balls. Sea weed salad was very unique, might have been my favorite; much different than what I've had at sushi restaurants. It looks like actual$ seaweed and has a delicious garlic vinegar dressing. Dumplings were ok, didn't love one of the seasonings they use but that's a personal preference thing. The server was ok. Not especially attentive or friendly but got the job done. Ambiance was like a mall restaurant, pretty sparse/cold. Never having had Taiwanese food I don't know if I'm a fair judge. Many recommend this place. I don't care to go back. The flavors didn't please me except for the pork bao buns and I've had the same at other restaurants. read more

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Service was amazing, food came out quickly too. I would come back mainly for the xiao long bao and pork dumplings. We also got the beef bao and the braised beef noodles which were both really good. We were told everything is handmade too so definitely worth a visit! They had pirate themed decor when I visited too which was fun lol read more

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Surprisingly good. I didn't have high expectations, thinking it's for not-so-picky students of UCR. However the food is very good, not just US-TW restaurant good, but I think it'd make it in Taiwan as well. Everything we ordered was above average at the minimum. Beef noodle soup the 2nd best I've had in the US. XLB pretty much the best in the US outside of DTF, and that's saying a lot! I sincerely hope this place will stay open with the same quality level so we can become patron. read more

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This place is FANTASTIC Great service & staff Genuinely delicious food. We had some beef buns & pork and shrimp buns, wonton soup, & pot stickers I recommend all of the above. I will definitely be going back. read more

Bao Culture - Pot stickers & watermelon drink - Asian Fusion Near Me - Riverside, California

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My sister and I were looking for a place to have dinner near UCR and we walked by Bao Culture. We ordered beef bao buns and chicken Japanese curry. The bao buns did not have too much flavor and was not very impressive. The Japanese curry sauce was really thick and underwhelming. The curry bowl had so much rice and the whole bowl under delivered. The prices were not terrible for the plates especially considering the size. The staff and waiters were super friendly and attentive to our table. I guess good Asian food in riverside might be a bit difficult to come by. Overall, would not come to again but it was def one of the better Asian cuisine options in that area! read more

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03.2022 So happy that we have a new Taiwanese food place in the area! We got seated right away and the lady was so nice. Excited to try their other dishes next time. C1 STEAMED XIAOLONG BAO 8PCS (10.99) deliciously soupy. Definitely get this if you are here. Don't forget to try it with the vinegar. It adds a whole new dimension to the dish. C6 POPCORN CHICKEN (8.99) Also delicious but gets harder as it gets colder so suggest eating it while it's warm still. C7 FRIED FISH TOFU 8PCS (7.99) soft, bland, and chewy on the inside with a deliciously salty outside, this one has a good balance of flavor. C8 PIGGY BUNS 4PCS (7.99) so cute you don't want to eat it. We waited too long to eat it coz it's so cute. Gonna take it home and re-steam it. H1 JAPANESE CURRY CHICKEN RICE BOWL (11.99) satisfied our craving for Japanese curry. Has a lot of veggies tho. Our drinks: Q2 TAIWANESE MILK TEA (5.49) Q3 PASSIONFRUIT GREEN TEA (5.49) my husband liked this the best Q8 MANGO BLACK TEA (5.49) I'm always gonna get this it's so delicious ***soft opening special, it's buy 2 get 1 free (or buy 1 get 2nd one half off. PSA: DON'T FORGET YOUR PARKING VALIDATION read more

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I came here for lunch service on a weekend day. The waitress was very friendly and greeted me immediately at the table. The different dishes that we had were good. Everything was pretty standard fare at a Taiwanese style cuisine. We had the beef noodle soup, popcorn chicken, and chicken curry rice. Everything was hot and quick to order. The only critique I would have is the popcorn chicken being a little bit on the floury side. But the flavors and spices that they were spot on. All of the service was excellent, whether getting everything out on time or asking if we needed something else. At no point did I feel like I had to chase down the waiter or other people were being attended to at my expense. I also had a peach tea at the end as a palette cleanser. It had just the right amount of flavor without being too sweet or too much ice in it. I didn't even need to tell the waitress how to make it. I really enjoyed coming here. I'll have to come back whenever I'm in the area again. read more

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I'm losing track of how many restaurants have passed through this spot in the last six years but I'm always grateful someone takes over and keeps the Taiwanese food tradition alive. Until University Village took a critical hit last year, especially the closing of Mad Platter, a record store that lasted 35 years, I came to the plaza 1-2 times per week. Anyhow, this is the account of my first visit to Bao Culture. We noticed right away that it's a family operation, we were told to sit anywhere and given menus. This is where it was a bit uneven because several people approached us, someone was off making the drinks, and we just wanted to place an order after this hiccup we got the drinks and selected a variety of things including dumplings, the pork belly rice bowl, and one or two other things. Food came out in a strange pattern, my rice bowl arrived first, then nothing for her. Then a couple more things arrived, had to ask for black vinegar and ginger to dip the dumplings into, and finally her dish and vegetable bao arrived. Taste and texture: My rice bowl was pretty decent, I liked the larger cut broccoli on top and the egg hit the spot too. The shrimp dumplings were missing something, especially the fresh shrimp taste, otherwise they're well assembled. I didn't try the bao but the look on her face said it all. They were a bit dry and went home sadly, they weren't very good the next morning. She likes to eat leftovers cold lol. The soup dumplings were our collective favorite, good juicy flavors, but her main dish, the chicken curry bowl, fell short of expectations too. It wasn't bad per say but not her preference. Summary: They're new, and I hope they get better at coordinating service. Conversely, everyone is really, really nice so it's not an issue of rudeness. Secondly, the shrimp need some dialing in to exhibit freshness but the construction of the dumplings was very good overall. The bao I'm not experienced with so no suggestions except they seemed dry inside. The pork belly was good and felt that it does not really need much. We both liked the tea drinks and my collective score is 3.85/5, enough to give some credit for improving now that the UCR students are back to school. read more

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MoVal is where I hang frequently but the amount of authentic Asian food is disappointing. Luckily there's a few spots 10 mins away near UCR! This is the only Taiwanese spot nearby and the only one that offers beef noodle soup, a classic comfort for many Asian folks like myself. I have my own recipe which I've tweaked and perfected over the years but when I don't want to go through all the effort of cooking, this will do. It's good, not perfect, but I ate at home and added some dobanjiang, Szechuan spice and some msg for a richer broth. It's just nice to have a spot like this close by! read more

Bao Culture - Beef Noodle Soup (They have popcorn chicken but the one pictured is actually from another place) - Asian Fusion Near Me - Riverside, California

I have been to this place twice now. Service is fast and food is good. Tried a few things. Xiao long bao these are my favorite. I have tried at other places, for the price they are very good. Have tried other places and the meat was fatty. Not here, Beef noodle soup and fried rice nice and they are flavorful. You know it's good when my kids keep asking to go when in the area! read more

Bao Culture - Beef soup and fried rice. Nice flavor - Asian Fusion Near Me - Riverside, California

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Visited on a Friday afternoon after rushing to our appointment around the neighborhood. The place was clean and fairly quiet until construction outside started to drown our conversations. The food was pretty good. We definitely enjoyed the beef braised noodle soup. The beef was so tender and the order was definitely shareable. We also picked on our popcorn chicken all throughout our meal. The beef shumai was very savory and the vegetable dumplings were okay. We also tried the beef steamed buns and the red bean piggies. We honestly decided to come here because of how the red piggies looked. I wished they had a chicken option for the dumplings or steamed buns. We ordered mostly beef since we don't eat pork. Also, it would really help if the food came closer to together rather than receiving the dish one at a time. It was a bit of a bummer that we received our piggies first because by the time we wanted to enjoy it, was already cold. Other than that, we enjoyed our time. read more

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Although my experience was mediocre, I'm grateful to have some decent comfort food nearby, they are a new place working out their kinks, and I can tell the staff was trying their best. We got the top 4 things off of the "specialties" section of the menu. The steamed buns were just ok - the wrapping could have been thicker and fluffier but the filling was good. XLB was good altho some of the dumplings did not have soup inside which made me sad. The siu mai was ok, prob would not get again. Braised beef noodles were pretty good, best part was the broth. Food also took a while to come out, and came out in odd increments. From previous reviews it looks like they are fine tuning things to be more efficient during lunch and dinner rush. I'd say this place is worth a try though, will def come back and see how things are in a few months read more

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The restaurant is always super quiet when I come here. My boyfriend and I ate dinner there last night and it was very tasty.

Had awakening for Bao after watching Joy ride movie. I found Bao CULTURE. WENT Sunday before noon. It was great as I went by myself. Server was awesome. Clean nice spacious. Ordered Longbaodumplings, pork shrimpdhumai pork steam buns and popcorn chicken to start... longbao was soooo good tasty...shumai very good quality ....fresh buns were good then ordered bbq pork buns again satisfied my cravings ...I will return... read more

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Service was really good. The lady, I assume the owner, was extremely nice. Looks like a newer business. Most importantly, I enjoyed the food. Coming back for sure. read more

Bao Culture - Wonton soup, BBQ pork buns, Xiaolong Baos, piggy buns, popcorn chicken rice bowl with minced pork sauce and veggies. - Asian Fusion Near Me - Riverside, California

Craving dumplings, shumai with seaweed salad. First time here. Clean and comfortable restaurant. Friendly server. She stated food is prepared fresh. Food above was ordered and tasted amazing. Seaweed salad had shredded carrots that gave it a pleasant crunch to it. Shumai and dumplings were steamed perfectly. Will definitely go again. read more

Service was slow despite being the only table there, my expectations for the food honestly went rock bottom when the dead silence of the restaurant was broken by the sound of a microwave being turned on. We didn't get waters until towards the end of the meal. I only hope they can get it together for future customers as i will not be a returning one. read more

This was a nice change to see in Riverside. My family and I came for dinner here last night. Their food was tasty. Buns were delicate and flavorful. Green onion pancakes were delicious but could have been a bit more crispier. The popcorn chicken was a perfect appetizer with just a hint of basil. The dumplings were tender and tasty. We only had one issue with the potstickers coming out 25 minutes after we were completely done with our meal. Even being ordered at the same time as the rest of the food, they still came out late. Being that they are a new business (barely a couple weeks of being open) I will not hold that against them. They even gave us a free seaweed salad to try while we waited. Their service was great and the staff was super friendly. I definitely recommend Bao Culture and look forward to coming here some more in the near future. read more

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Friend and I found this on a whim in between rave days and we didn't know what to consume to load us up for day two. We came across Bao Culture, it is tucked away in a college town plaza. We had very low expectations considering we felt as if we were in the middle of nowhere but we were also half zombie mode from the night before. There's plenty of parking, weird that it's a validated parking lot... as of there were lots to do in the area and their lot would get full or something. Service was pretty standard. Not bad, but nothing out of the ordinary. Food was alright! I feel it would be pretty hard to mess up dumplings. No complaints. Would I come back? I mean if I was in the area I don't see why not! Would I drive an hour and a half to come back? Probably not. read more

Bao Culture - Asian Fusion Near Me - Riverside, California

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Food & service were definitely on point waitress was very polite and welcoming. Restaurant was clean and decor was warm. I must say the food was perfectly flavored, well balanced. Portion size was definitely great aswell. Spicy Hot pot Broth was 10/10 as I love spicy Popcorn Chicken was crispy And ofcourse their dumplings were packed with flavor! Just be careful while eating as the broth will be hot Well most definitely have to come back to try their fish tofu read more

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We got the Bao buns, soup dumplings, chicken curry all were so TASTY! Our server was very attentive and gave great suggestions for dinner. Will be coming back for more! read more

This place is our go to spot for beef noodle soup, pot stickers, dumplings and the minced pork bowl is a must. It's delicious. Great customer service & you don't wait long for your food. read more

The food and service are good! My only complaint is the restroom. There is a smell right outside and when you enter, it just takes over you like you're near a sewer. The light is not bright at all and the roll of toilet paper was on top of the dispenser. I came for lunch, so they must've just opened or had been open for only an hour. The soup dumplings are delicious. The braised beef in the noodles was flavorful and soft. I definitely recommend those. read more

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The food looks good in the pictures but I think two stars for the taste is being a bit generous. I came here on New Years Day and it was not too busy. I always try to be considerate to food establishments during the holidays because I know staffing can be difficult to do and because of that, stress levels can be high. There was only one lady working the front but she did an amazing job. I got the noodles with fried onions and a marinated egg. I also got the vegetable buns. It was just okay. The noodles were extremely bland and I had to drown them in soy sauce, sriracha, and black vinegar to make it taste like anything, The same goes for the bun. I am not sure if everything is made in-house, but kudos if it is. Now, I came with a group of 6 and it did not seem like anyone liked their food. My friend got the chicken curry and was expecting Japanese curry; however, the curry was mixed in with the protein (not typical Japanese style) and overall felt their dish was bland. That was definitely the trend for the food. Just bland. I would try to rate this place higher, but there aren't that many redeeming qualities. For an asian fusion restaurant in Riverside, maybe my expectations should have been lower. read more

Went for lunch at 1pm on a Sunday. The place was mostly empty, only one person working the front. Food was edible but not great. Ordered a bunch of items including the xiao long bao, shu mai, pork buns, beef noodle soup and spicy hot pot, and fried squid balls. There aren't many dim sum type places in this area of course, but I wouldn't go back here. read more

Me and my boyfriend decided to visit this place and try something new. We decided on getting steam buns but saw a large selection for different meals. It was very yummy! I got the popcorn chicken bowl. 10/10 My favorite was the piggy bun! read more

Bao Culture - Piggy bun - Asian Fusion Near Me - Riverside, California

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Super friendly Service!! The food is really good. Definitely recommend the Pork Soup Dumplings and The popcorn Chicken and the Egg rolls !!!! Pretty quiet space to enjoy food and relax and just have a good time ! read more

Bao Culture - Soup Dumplings and popcorn chicken !! - Asian Fusion Near Me - Riverside, California

If you're looking for a chill spot with good dumplings and delicious food, look no further! Not only was the food great but the service too! Our server was so kind and attentive to our inquiries. We started out with some popcorn chicken and squid balls, which was the right crispy-ness level. The shumai and Xiao Long Bao (soup dumpling) were delicious and fresh! The dough was the right doughiness level and the inside hot and tasty. Definitely recommend dipping it in a mixture of soy sauce, vinegar, and chili oil. For the main entree, I got the braised beef noodle soup. The meat was soft and the soup flavorful. The serving size was perfect! To go, I got some Taiwanese milk tea with boba and their Kokonut (coconut pudding) dessert. The boba had the right chewiness and the milk tea sweetness balanced. Can't wait to come back again! read more

Bao Culture - Popcorn chicken snack and squid balls. Delish! - Asian Fusion Near Me - Riverside, California

My xiao long bao didn't have soup in them so it made the texture a little dry:/. I also had the steamed pork bun which was okay, flavoring was bland and could definitely taste the green onion as it overpowers the entire bun. It's a nice shop but I might not come back for the xiao long bao or steamed pork bun. The service was great due to the vacancy in the building read more

Bao Culture - Xiao long bao - Asian Fusion Near Me - Riverside, California

This place is excellent!! Stopped by here for lunch and was lead to a table. After looking over the menu, I decided to go with the braised beef noodle soup. It's SO good. Savory broth, perfect noodles and extremely tender beef. I will definitely stop by again to try out more of their items. The service was also great, the lady made sure to check in with us for the quality of the food. Ambiance is nice too, very clean establishment. read more

Bao Culture - Braised beef noodle soup - Asian Fusion Near Me - Riverside, California

A Hidden gem. Their soup dumplings are a must. Their drinks divine. The service from Daisy was amazing. You're definitely missing out if you skip this place read more

Bao Culture - Asian Fusion Near Me - Riverside, California

Only ordered a Braised Beef Noodle Soup to go this time and OMG it was soooo delicious. So sad I didn't get any dumplings but I will definitely order some next time. The guy at the cashier was a gentleman. Appreciated the kindness. And I got my soup quickly! Thank you! read more

If you're in the mood to spend $1.50 on a tiny square of fish tofu or $1.80 for a single (very mild flavor) wonton, this might be your spot. I paid $11.99 for eight small pieces of fish tofu and $10.99 for six wontons that, unfortunately, didn't have much flavor. The portions were really small for the price, and the taste just didn't match the cost. I really wanted to like it, but it just wasn't worth it for me. Hoping they improve in the future! read more

Good food, a little on the pricier end for Bao and dumplings, probably because of its location near campus. Parking for customers 2 hours free in the lot. Considering there was only one guy working the front of house, he was as fast as humanly possible. Very friendly, but definitely working hard. Xlb was tasty as were the braised beef noodles and onion pancake we had. read more

My fiancé and I have been here several times now & I feel motivated to write a review.. the food is the best in university village, in our opinion. All of the dim sum is perfectly cooked & the flavors are on point. The beef noodle soup is & they also have a variety of these flavored iced teas we love. I would come everyday to eat if I could. I hope this place never leaves university village. read more