When the chef doesn't care ... Service and atmosphere: Restaurant looked very nice inside. It was well decorated and offered plenty of seating options. Service was good. Food and drinks: The wonton soup was way too salty and left greasy feeling on the roof of the mouth. Not good. Second course of steamed scallops with vermicelli didn't even arrive. Our server told us that the chef left half way prep for his lunch and didn't bother finishing the dish. When the second chef arrived, it was already 30 min into wait time post the order, so we cancelled that order. Our waitress also advised us that this wasn't the first time this happened and apologised for the bad experience. Old fashioned cocktail wasn't prepared correctly either. Would we return or recommend this place? No. Pricing: $$ but not worth it. read more

Duck N Bao - Old fashioned - Szechuan Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Service was great. Food was excellent. Great vibes inside, well lit and very classy. The spoons are too small for the soup dumpling size, they are 2 bite size and the spoon is much too small to balance. Recommend asking for a small bowl. read more

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Stopped in for dinner at Duck and Bao with a buddy and his kids. We sat outside since the little ones were feeling a bit rowdy--probably not the most kid-oriented spot, but they did great (all things considered). We shared the half Peking duck, and it was excellent--crispy skin, tender meat, really well done. I usually prefer a fluffy bao bun, but his son was all about the pancakes. Making some little duck burritos and tacos, natural born Texans. The pancakes were thin, delicate, and just slightly tricky to separate without turning them into abstract art. We also split some soup dumplings, crab Rangoon, and pork potstickers. All solid, but the duck's the reason I'll be back. I also had the Empress elderflower cocktail--refreshing and balanced, with some nice herbal notes. You can also get a Kung fu panda cockatail in a littler glass. $15 And shoutout to our waitress for putting up with the chaos. She was patient, friendly, and somehow managed to keep everything running smoothly. Duck and Bao might not be your first stop in Rice Village, but it should definitely be on your list. Next time, I might just order the duck -and some buns--no shame. read more

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This place is tucked away in rice village, but if you're looking for a solid Chinese cuisine or dim sum experience you should check them out The interior was well decorated and gave a trendy vibe. Everything was clean and the decor was inviting Our server was phenomenal. She was knowledgeable and friendly with a hint of sassy/funny. Also, our order started coming out a few minutes after we ordered which was neat The menu offers a variety of Chinese dishes and dim sum options. We chose to order a variety and share Some tips: The Dan Dan noodles, pork dumplings, and wagyu Bao buns were delightful Cheers!! read more

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After getting beauty treatments (VIO, Josephine's, and Hand & Stone) today, I walked by Duck n Bao. Noticed the happy hour menu near the entrance and went inside. Sat at the bar. Great service, tasty food, good cucumber lime martini, hot edamame, hot & fresh chicken eggrolls. Great happy hour menu! I head the soup dumplings are good. Will order soup dumplings next visit. $8 happy hour price. Very good. read more

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I had heard great things about this place and had to try it for myself and boy am I happy I did! Uniquely delicious seems like an accurate way to describe this restaurant. The exterior is unassuming, and parking is limited, but definitely worth waiting for. The interior is classy and vivid, making good use of the space. The bar area to the right when you enter is immediately eye-catching as well and adds to the aesthetic. We were helped almost immediately upon entering and the server was extremely friendly. I was very excited to try the Peking duck and am now excited to have a place to continue to try it. The meat was succulent and the bao light and fluffy. The general Tsao chicken, honey walnut shrimp and seafood fried rice were also so so tasty, while the portions were generous to say the least. A wonderful addition to the Rice Village area! read more

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Food was okay, would have expected better for the nice interior. Limited menu, and kind of pricey for Houston Chinese food. Only 6 wraps come with the half duck... was not enough :( noodles were yummy but oily read more

Duck N Bao - Noodles with barbecue pork - Szechuan Near Me - Houston, Texas

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The food was filling and service was great here. We weren't fans the octopus. For me, it was a bit salty. For both of us it was too rubbery. The hot oil wontons were the best. It was so flavorful. Our expectations for the cucumbers were off. It was good even though we were expecting something different. It definitely made the octopus more edible. We went very early so it was empty. Service was exceptional. It seems everyone helped each other. read more

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Duck n Bao was a pleasant surprise! We initially came to rice village for another place, but they weren't open till noon. To kill some time, we decided to get a small catering order for a party here instead. The front of house staff was very accommodating the moment we walked in. I believe it was the manager who helped us with our order, and because it was a catering order, they offer a 10% discount for bigger orders. We ended up getting their eggplant with garlic sauce, and their signature whole Peking duck. The Peking duck comes with the sauce, toppings, your choice of the thin pancakes or the fluffy bao buns, and either the duck soup or minced duck lettuce wraps. All of the food came out perfectly and was well packed in their to go containers. While the Peking duck is their signature item, don't sleep on the eggplant in garlic sauce, it's our favorite! Overall, Duck n Bao was a great place for us to stumble upon in Rice Village. We'll definitely be back again for sure to try more of the menu! read more

Duck N Bao - Full bar available - Szechuan Near Me - Houston, Texas

The reviews steered us wrong with this one. We went to Duck and Bao for a friend's birthday and had an experience that was the very definition of "meh." For the fact that it's called Duck and Bao, there was not a lot if either. I asked if they could do duck with noodles since it wasn't on the menu. The best thing we ate was the garlic cucumber salad, which had a great flavor. After that, everything was just OK. The food came very fast, which was either indicative of it being partially preprepared or rushed. My duck noodles were bland, and the meat of the "wagyu" bao was dry and fell apart. Even my friend's cocktail was not good. And for what we got--amount and quality wise--our bill for three people was very expensive. Houston has great Asian food of every culture and diaspora, so it's just not worth it to go to a place that is just fine. read more

Our favorite Chinese food in the loop! Our kids love everything too! Some of our favorite things are the hot & sour soup (best one I've ever had), their hot green tea, dumplings, etc... honestly, it's all good! Service is VERY nice, quick, and the restaurant itself is clean and more upscale than your average Chinese restaurant. read more

We had an excellent lunch at Duck N Bao in West U. To kick things off, we ordered the garlic spicy edamame, marinated garlic cucumber with yuzu sauce, and the crispy scallion pancake. The cucumbers were super refreshing with a nice citrusy kick from the yuzu. The scallion pancakes were tasty, and kind of reminded me of a Parotta that you would get at an Indian restaurant. The highlight, of course, was the house-roasted Peking Duck. Perfectly crispy skin, juicy meat, and all the traditional fixings. It was very good. I also had the Shanghai stir-fried noodles with bbq pork and the Yangzhou style fried rice with shrimp and bbq pork. Both were delicious, and cooked just right. I'm big on bbq pork fried rice and this it was right up there with Mai's (which to me has the most flavorful bbq pork fried rice). I also tried the Mapo Organic Tofu, which had a great depth of spice and umami without being overpowering. Service was attentive, the ambiance was stylish yet relaxed, and the entire experience was top-notch. We'll definitely be back to try even more of the menu! read more

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I've been to another of their locations and the food was ok. I see they kept up that same level of effort. The service was good and it looked delicious until I tasted it. The fried crab puffs were tasty but the Honey Walnut Shrimp seemed like it just had a lot of sauce all over it because the dish had no flavor. I also didn't like eating the shrimp and biting into the tail which was still attached to the shrimp. It appeared to be a dish I've had multiple times where the tail has been unattached. The place looked very clean and inviting. The best part of the meal was the service. read more

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Ordered Peking duck takeout this afternoon along with Xiao long bao and other items. It was shocking that the duck was cold and dry, both skin and meat! This was not today's duck! It is even more astounding that the chef would allow this order to be sold; I guess because it was a takeout! Shame on you chef and the manager! We know our ducks and have dined in at this and other and locations find the duck to be excellent. So again, shame on you! read more

I got invited to dinner at Duck N Bao and in all honesty, I had never heard of this place. Sad to say because this place was a pleasant surprise. This is one of three locations in the Houston area and is located in Rice Village. You can either street park or park in the attached garage for a fee. We came for dinner on a Sunday with a pretty large group and they were able to accommodate us with a slight wait. One thing we noticed right away was how warm and stuffy it was inside. I then noticed they had large fans set up in the main dining area. I'm assuming the air went out. On a hot summer day, this made for a slightly uncomfortable dining experience, but I am sure this is not a constant thing. Customer service was excellent. We started off with most of us ordering a round of drinks. I typically hit up Chinatown for my duck cravings and am not used to such extensive drink menus out that way. Here, they had a pretty impressive menu with everything from specialty cocktails all the way to premium Japanese cocktails. We did not come in with a game plan on ordering but we ended up doing family style with everything. Everyone just started ordering what looked good to them which meant we had alot items on the menu. On the appetizers category, we went veg heavy with both the regular and spicy garlic edamame. The spicy one won me over as they didn't shy away from the spice or the garlic. Next was the marinated garlic cucumber. This was an excellent, refreshing dish that was perfect on a summer day. We then got the kung pao brussels sprouts. They had a nice char to them and were very tasty. On the Dim Sum category, we went a little crazy with a bunch of items. Let's start with the dumplings. We got handmade pork soup dumplings, black truffle with pork soup dumplings, and pan fried pork dumplings. All of these were good flavor wise. The black truffle had a nice depth of flavor and all the soups were full of flavor. I will say the dough was a little thick and gummy. They were hard to pick up and we lost soup on a few of them. We also got the wagyu beef pan fried bao. This was so good. It was packed with perfectly seasoned and cooked ground wagyu. To finish off that section of the menu, dan dan noodles is always a must when I am ordering. It was full of flavor and the heat had a few of us sweating. What I came for was the Peking duck though. We ordered a whole Peking duck. I'm glad we were able to get one because they are limited. The places I've been in Chinatown sometimes require calling ahead. This came with 12 pancakes and all the fixings. You also have a choice between duck soup or minced duck with lettuce wrap. Our waited suggested getting the minced duck with lettuce wraps. Those that were hesitant about duck quickly changed their stance after trying this and were ready to dig in to the whole Peking duck. The duck came out nicely sliced and ready to assemble into the pancakes. I found the pancakes to be super thin which wasn't a huge deal to me but others did make comments. I'm more of a bun guy anyways. The duck was tender and delicious. We also got hot and sour soup, lo mein, and black pepper angus steak. All solid dishes. Overall, a very delicious meal was had. I would come back without a doubt. Just hope they get their AC worked on for the next visit. read more

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Decent asian food in Rice village great price excellent service with nice ambience Would definitely come back read more

Date night spot! Earlier in the week I watched a YouTube review and decided to make my way down to rice village area (ish) to try out the duck. They did not disappoint. I also had some sake. Very light and refreshing. Service was about average but the food was great read more

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Definitely an unexpected adventure to Rice Village and was actually planning to be somewhere else around the area. But fortunately, the other business's kitchen was closed at 4:00 pm. Out of discovery and recommendations from others, I decided to visit Duck N Bao. Duck N Bao is just around the corner and was very interested on what they had to offer. One thing that definitely surprised me was our server mentioning the cuisine is very authentic Chinese traditional cuisine. Plus he had gone over the menu as our first time in the restaurant. I saw that as a very bold statement and really peaked my curiosity. The restaurant had an interesting layout with bar close to the front and seating close by and a bit further. But I have seen they also have outdoor seating. Also the nice art and figurines is a nice appeal too. I decided to try a few things on the menu: the truffle soup dumplings, shrimp and pork Siu Mai, half order Peking duck and my sister picked the lo mein. I can say this, I definitely say that is a very true statement. The truffle soup dumplings were flavorful and the ginger sauce on top was a great compliment. The lo mein packed flavor too and a nice noodle length and consistency. The Siu Mai is a nice size and the shrimp on top. What really was the highlight for me is the Peking duck. The skin is light, crispy, and the duck meat is tender. Constructing the perfect bite: pancake, 1-2 pieces of duck, plum sauce, cucumber, and scallion. Then fold best as you can and enjoy. It was out of this world good. Overall, my experience at Duck N Bao was a great surprise and success. Though many restaurants in the city offer Chinese cuisine, Duck N Bao sticks to that standard. It is quality over quantity that makes the food above and beyond. So far, I believe they are on my list for top restaurants for Xiao long Bao and Peking duck. It may not be located in Chinatown but great option to pick outside. Would I recommend it? Absolutely. read more

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Heard about this new location in the Rice Village so I had to visit The restaurant is close by Cafe Fellini if you know the area. Nice ambiance and service was good. Food wise was good too. A little disappointed that some items from other location is not available here. Like the colorful dumplings that was like the IG item LOL Maybe they will have it soon. Lunch bento box was a good option and only $15 read more

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Came here for work dinner... alright, not wowed. Portions were very small given the price of each dish. Food was nothing to write home about. We got the duck, eggplant, kung pao chicken, soup dumpling amongst other things. There are definitely better, more affordable places in the area! read more

Went here while in Houston because I was missing Din Tai Fung! It wasn't amazing and definitely not as good, but it definitely did the job. We were a party of 4 so tried lots of things on the menu. The standout for me was the bao. The dumpling dough is extremely thinner than other places. The waitress even brought us a whole new order of the pork truffle soup dumplings because all of ours broke leaving liquid in the basket. Our server was extremely attentive and always came by to take our dozens of extra dishes and swap us out new ones. Overall I recommend going as a group to make your way through the menu! read more

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I'd been here on a few occasions, primarily for the crystal shrimp dumplings. However, on one of my return visits, I ordered the barbecue pork bento box. That pork was absolutely the toughest meat I've had in my entire lifetime. I returned the box and ended up getting the fried rice and crystal shrimp dumplings. The rice was nothing special and extremely bland. I was only able to stomach about one quarter of the rice. Further, As I was eating the shrimp dumplings, I noticed they had a weird taste. I open one up and noted that the shrimp had not been properly cleaned and had a really weird texture, almost as if it wasn't cooked all the way. The service was really bad as well as I had to keep returning inside to get the attention of staff for almost everything I needed. I will not be returning. read more

Overall it was just ok. Service was great at first but then they kept disappearing when we needed something. The duck lettuce wrap appetizer was good but watch for bones. The soup dumplings were pretty good too but kept breaking. Dan Dan noodles were good. The shrimp lunch special was not my favorite. The sweet sauce in the shrimp was thick and doesn't look appetizing. It just sat on the shrimp so that was odd. I will be back to try the duck and update review. The inside is cute and there is an outdoor patio. Nice decor. Nice clean tables. read more

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delicious food, duck soup is the best host looks mad sucks to eat somewhere with a person angry face read more

Food - Scallion pancakes: (5/5) probably one of my favorite orders. It had a good crisp without feeling too greasy, and the taste of scallion was prominent! - Pan Fried Pork dumplings: (4/5) I also liked how these dumplings were cooked, however, I felt like it would've tasted just fine without the additional sauce/oil that can be seen underneath the dumplings in the photo. While the presentation looked nice, it did take away from the taste just a bit, and I prefer how other restaurants prepare their pan fried dumplings. Overall not a bad appetizer, but wouldn't order again. - Mongolian Angus Beef: (3.5/5) Not a bad dish, but kinda forgettable and a bit underwhelming. It was cooked well and it's a safe dish to order, but I feel like Duck n Bao has other meals in their menu that outshine the Mongolian beef. - Dan Dan Noodles: (5/5) My friend & I enjoyed the noodles a lot! It was very peanuty and the spice definitely packed a punch. Would order it again! The portion is reasonable for one person, but could easily be split between 2 people. - Spicy Fried Chicken: (4/5) I liked the way it was fried for the most part, but was a bit hard to chew at times. But overall, the spice was good and would order again. The portions are family style so it can be shared with the table! I hope I can try one of their duck dishes one day. Service: (4/5) Fine in general, there were a few hiccups but nothing that ruined my experience. Ambiance: (5/5) Felt a lot more luxurious than expected! Ample seating, bright lighting, doesn't have a "cozy" feel and gives off more higher end vibes, but nice decor overall. There is garage parking (which you must pay for) or you could park in the street, which is a bit of a downside. Final verdict: While Duck n Bao isn't my favorite, it is nice Sichuan restaurant if you're in the Rice Village area. They also have other locations in the Houston area! read more

Duck N Bao - left to right: dan dan noodles, spicy fried chicken, Mongolian beef, scallion pancakes, pan fried pork dumplings - Szechuan Near Me - Houston, Texas

The stand out dish was the green beans. Very fresh and perfectly seasoned. Soup dumplings and fried rice were also a solid choice. My MIL liked how the Peking duck had leaner cuts of meat (she does not like fat). read more

First time here, walked in and was seated in about 5 minutes. This place is attached to an apartment building with it's own parking garage @$2.35 an hour. Place was clean and nicely decorated although the base of the tables were odd making your knees bump into the base. Ordered the half Peking duck, pork soup dumplings, and garlic bok choy. Soup dumplings were good although not as soupy as the ones at hi trendy dumpling. I do however like these soup dumpling wraps which seemed less thick. The Peking duck was good, nicely sliced and not all fat. The garlic bok choy was delish. All 3 dishes ended up being 60ish bucks, a bit pricey but par for the course. Would still return and try other dishes. read more

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Really cute spot in rice village. Nice decor and clean inside. Everything was good! Although the pan fried dumplings were too oily and not crispy. The rice noodle with beef I imagined something else but it was also a bit bland. The highlights for sure were the green beans and the yuzu garlic cucumbers for me. Soup dumplings were solid. Pancakes were crispy. The hot and sour soup was flavorful. Would love to try other items here! read more

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Absolutely terrible trashy service. Extremely excessive wait times for seemingly nothing. Would never recommend this business to any living soul read more

I didn't enjoy the beef tendon binto box. It was one of their lunch specials tht cost me over $17 and nothing was special about it.... Salad, white rice and potatoes topped with 1 ounce of mushy oily and tasteless beef isn't special. The ONLY thing manageable was the white rice and salad. The protein was absolutely DISGUSTING. Way too oily, bland, and barely any meat. I ended up eating the salad and egg roll and trashing the rest. The young lady at the bar also failed to acknowledge me at all when I came in but was very friendly and nice to the customer tht walked in a few minutes after me. Just bad vibes followed by bad food. I won't be back. Giving two stars bcz the inside looked nice & I like the area. read more

I was pleasantly surprised to find a delicious Peking duck outside of Chinatown! As a bonus, their interior is beautiful. Duck: Juicy and delicious, not too salty. My only complaint is that the skin was inconsistent: sometimes it was crispy, sometimes soggy. They also didn't give much cucumbers or spring onions, although they do allow for unlimited refills (the refills are also small, however). The wraps (pancakes) are super super thin and individually wrapped -- I've never seen them so thin at a restaurant before. Duck bone soup: Heavenly and reminds me of homemade broth moms make when you're sick. Comes with the whole duck, or the half duck for $10. It's worth every penny! It's mild but has a complex, nourishing flavor. Perfect if you're not feeling well for any reason: hangover, illness, sleep deprivation, etc. The soup comes with vermicelli noodles, napa cabbage, and pieces of duck. Overall I love this restaurant so much that I came twice within two weeks. While the Peking duck in Chinatown is better (skin there is consistently crispy), the location of Duck N Bao can't be beat. read more

Duck N Bao - Duck bone soup - Szechuan Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Food was so amazing! We drove past while we were going through Rice Village and their photos out front caught our attention we came in the atmosphere was beautiful and the service was amazing. Definitely a hidden gem! 10/10 very reasonably priced read more

Duck N Bao - Lo Mein Combo Tray General Tso's Chicken - Szechuan Near Me - Houston, Texas

Absolutely delicious. So fresh and flavorful. We had the duck, several dumpling orders and a beef and noodle dish. We will absolutely be back. And the wait staff was outstanding.? Very very fair prices. read more

This was our first trip to Duck n Bao. We had been looking for a restaurant that served authentic Peking Duck and Duck n Bao was recently featured on Chris Shepherd's program, "Eat Like a Local", our primary source for discovering hidden gem restaurants in the greater Houston Area. We were not disappointed. We started with some excellent dim sum before moving on to the Peking Duck with a side order of Bao. For the two of us, a half duck was more than enough. Kudos to Jocastha, our delightful server, who took such good care of us and to Chef and the back of the house for such a delicious meal. Highly recommended. read more

We had a great meal at Duck N Bao today! We ordered the Dan Dan Noodles, pork soup dumplings, and half Peking duck. All were delicious! The ambiance and service were great as well. The decor feels more upscale than we expected which was a nice surprise, and this is very specific, but we loved the chairs - they were very comfortable and stylish. Overall, we really enjoyed it! There were so many other dishes that we wanted to try, so we will be back soon. read more

Duck N Bao - Half Peking duck - Szechuan Near Me - Houston, Texas

We came on a Friday afternoon for lunch to celebrate my husband's birthday. The place is clean and special enough to celebrate a birthday. We were quickly seated, and we took no time in ordering food. We had half Peking duck and walnut shrimp bento. The duck was delicious! It comes with pancakes, but we substituted it for bao. We ordered additional pancakes as well! So good! Shrimp bento comes with hot and sour soup. Everything we ate was 5/5. read more

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Food and ambience are both ok. But what soured our experience is they pre-added tip on all our checks for a party of 5 then were quite deceiving and allowed us all to add another 20%. AND they'd already complained that we asking to split the bill evenly between us. That doesn't seem like a huge ask when the restaurant was otherwise not busy and we'd been respectful and spent plenty of money. None of us will ever be back after this weird deceitful behavior. Would avoid as there's plenty of better places who wouldn't steal your money. read more

The Peking Duck at this restaurant is fantastic! And, it's relatively reasonably priced. Yes, Duck N Bao looks like just any other strip center Chinese restaurant, but don't let appearance fool you. The food here is delicious! The ambience is fast casual, and the interior lighting too bright for my preferred atmosphere, but I will definitely come back for takeout. read more

Amazing as always! Great sichuan, everything I've had has been fantastic. Don't sleep on the soup dumplings. read more

Duck N Bao - Chopped pepper little octopus - Szechuan Near Me - Houston, Texas

Decent Asian if you are in the area. Waitstaff is incredibly nice and gave tons of recommendations. Not the best peking duck, but a few slices were succulent and tasty. The duck salad that comes with the whole duck was very delicious, some of the XLBs were tasty, and the fried rice, although not flavorful was light and good. Dan Dan Noodles had a bit too much vinegar, but was decent overall. read more

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