Moa's Bao Buns This was hands-down the best food item at Smorgasbord. Anyone coming through should make a beeline for their stall (and seriously consider visiting their actual location too). The purple lamb buns were outstanding. I also loved the chicken and beef options. The teriyaki mushroom wasn't my favorite, but if you like mushrooms, go for it. I skipped the pork for obvious reasons. Everything I tried hit the spot, especially when paired with their hot sauce and soy sauce. The service was fast because it was already made, but it was on a hot wok, things never tasted stale. He being served outside was nice so the atmosphere they're always a part of. I feel like matches what they're trying to do is very festive. read more

See all

Great service and fresh food! We grabbed 6 chicken bao dumplings. They're a great mix between chewy dough and meat filling, however I'd love it they could be a bit crispier. The brown sauce served with it was perfectly salty sweet. I'd definitely return here for their other flavors! Love how they're in different colors. read more

Mao’s Bao - Chicken Bao - Shanghainese Near Me - New York, New York

We ran into Mao Bao at the Bazar next to the natural history museum. There was a long line, but it moved quickly as all the baos were already made and kept warm in a big wok so all you had to do was tell them which one you wanted. We got the chicken, pork, and beef baos. The pork was the best, the chicken was good, but I'll pass on the beef next time. I looked around for some sauce, but I didn't see any. The baos were nicely crisp on the bottom and had a slightly sweet flavor with some juice inside. It was a nice bite on a cold day, but the flavors didn't stand out to me enough to wait in line or pay $15 for again. I also wish the wrapping was fluffy like the jianbaos I'm used to. read more

Mao’s Bao - Meni - Shanghainese Near Me - New York, New York

See all

I tried Mao's Bao for the first time this past weekend at Dragon Fest. Their influence vegan option was the Impossibao, which is filled with impossible meat. The flavor was so delicious, especially when dipped in rice vinegar and sriracha. Also, they're visually so cute. I can't speak to the flavor on the other options, but I enjoyed the veg option and it was one of the few stands at the festival that offered a vegan dumpling. The service was pretty quick since they just put it on a plate for you. Overall, pretty good! read more

Mao’s Bao - Impossibao buns (Vegan bao buns with Impossible meat) - Shanghainese Near Me - New York, New York

Had mao bao buns, specifically beef, chicken, and pork at smorgasburg in Brooklyn, NY. Was very disappointed in the buns. It was moist, unusually very chewy, and did not taste particularly good. read more

Mao’s Bao - Bao buns - Shanghainese Near Me - New York, New York

Got this in Chelsea market for a quick snack. I liked that it was affordable and you can try all the flavors. She also gave me an extra BAO. They were kind of dry by the time I got them though. Chicken - I liked this the best as it was the most moist Pork - also moist and had a nice ginger flavor Mushroom - interesting umami flavor Beef - pretty dry and small Lamb - my sister liked this since she thought it had the most flavor read more

*** 3.5 stars *** The longest line at DragonFest on both days was for Mao's Bao. For me, that meant standing in the sun for 45 minutes. It was worth it mostly because this is the one thing at the festival that I really wanted to try. Normal price is $2 per bun but at the festival they sold them in groups of 6 for $15, with any combination of pork (white), chicken (yellow), lamb (purple), beef (orange) or impossible meat (green). I opted for 4 pork buns and 2 chicken buns. I thought it was clever to have different colors for easy identification of the meat. I was disappointed that the buns I was given didn't have a crispy bottom (it seemed like they didn't really have any chicken or pork ones that did) but they were still pretty good, particularly the pork. They'd be better with some juice inside and if they had crispy bottoms, so I may try to visit the Chelsea location to see if I have better luck. Definitely not close to the best pan fried bork buns that I've had, but among the better that I've tried in the city. read more

I tried some of their food that they were selling at a street fair. They had 5 types of dumplings available on that particular day to choose from for a generous price of 6 for $12. I had a pork, chicken, and beef dumpling. The other 2 that could have been chosen were lamb and impossible meat. They were fried appropriately with plenty of filling present in each one. The pork dumpling was definitely my favorite as the flavor really came through nicely. The beef and chicken ones tasted somewhat similar to me, but both were still appetizing. Will I go back? Sure. read more

Mao’s Bao - Pork, Chicken & Beef Dumplings - Shanghainese Near Me - New York, New York

These dumplings, found right in the Chelsea Market, were pretty good! They were extremely fresh (made to order right in front of you) and they came out pretty quick. read more

So mid at the Miami smorgasbord. Overpriced and wasn't even warm. It was pretty, but would not recommend. read more

Mao’s Bao - a person's hand holding a piece of food - Shanghainese Near Me - New York, New York

OK, THANK YOU! Keep them every week please! Sorry for the 1 star but the way you've been neglecting UWS with the chili/red sauce yet charge here the most is so unfair. Please bring back the sauce. And sine you charge us here more maybe bring some of this other sauces here too. Will def edit the review but I neeed your attention. It's been 3weeks that my heart is broken every Sunday! Thank you. read more

Cold. Not bad. Had these little pieces at Smorgasburg at World Trade Center outside of the Oculus. They're $10 for 4 pieces. You can mix and match. Mine were cold and even though they tasted good, they weren't worth the price in my opinion. I suggest trying them for yourself though as writing your own review. I may try them again in the future but they're a decent number of other bao places at smorgasburg so I may seek elsewhere. read more

Mao’s Bao - Pork (tan) and beef (Orange) - Shanghainese Near Me - New York, New York

I visited them at the Williamsburg Smorgasburg a couple of months ago, and it was alright. They only had two woks, so the different bao flavors are mixed and cooked in bulk. It makes sense for the situation, but I wonder if the quality goes down by doing it this way. It's a 5 for $10 deal, which is all you need because they're pretty filling. What I Ordered: Pork- classic goodness Impossibao- not great in my opinion. The regular meat ones taste way better, but it might be because the texture and flavor remind me of beef which I don't like/eat. read more

I'd seen this at a number of food fair places around NYC before trying them today. They're good, not amazing. I do appreciate the fact that they have a vegan Impossible version, and the colors are cute. Without the option sauce you can put on them yourself, they're a little bland. You also have only one option of 6 for $15, which is a good amount of food, but it wound be nice if you could get a smaller group than 6. read more

Tried these are Smorgasbord in Miami. I was attracted to the color of the dumplings. I thought that was unique. I was only able to try the pork and beef bc they ran out of the chicken. First bite and all I got was dough. It was WAY too doughy for me. The flavor of the meat was ok. I wouldn't try them again. Probably the only disappointing meal I had at smorgasbord that day. read more

Ver delicious I had a pork bun it was phenomenal so much pork in it it's perfect just by it's own for lunch

Longest line at Smorgasburg in Brookyln - about 20 people deep all the time and they couldn't keep up with orders. I had one of each of the baos and my favorite was the pork bao - though they were all good. They are pricey and you will probably have to wait. Would I wait this long again? I'm not sure. Am I glad I did? Yup. read more

Mao's Bao is the best dumpling purveyor in all of NYC. They serve up super crispy Sheng Jian Bao daily on the High Line. Formerly, you could only get these tasty bao at Smorgasburg. This location is mega convenient being above the Chelsea Market! What makes this bao so special is the clear love, care, and attention to detail. The customer service is tops here. I've always enjoyed a crispy crunchy bao with a smile from the person on the other end. At this location the bao is cooked in induction pans. The great news is they still hold the wonderful qualities that they are known for. These bao have a history in Shanghai. They normally use this huge cast iron pan. They are steamed and you get to watch the steam rise from under the lids. By the time your bao is finished, the bottoms are so crunchy, the tops are so pillowy, the insides are so juicy. The flavors include pork, chicken, lamb or even the impossible burger (meatless) called the impossibao. They have wonderful prunella, and hibiscus teas too. Today I had the lamb and pork. They were so perfect!! Don't forget to douse your bao in rice vinegar (or spicy sauce if you like)! read more

See all

Not sure why this place would get anything below 5 stars?! Their bao is so delicious and well made. It's fresh, tasty, and authentic. The staff is friendly and the price point seems average. Highly recommend! read more

Mao’s Bao - Chicken & pork bao - Shanghainese Near Me - New York, New York

This little food stand is near the end of the High Line, and right next to Chelsea market. I was super hungry while walking, and decided to try a few of these as a snack. I was shocked at how small the bao were and how expensive they were for their size. The pork one was juicy and delicious, but the bao wrapper on the lamb one was stiff and hard. The lamb filling was also a little dry and tough. read more

Mao’s Bao - Lamb bao (left), pork bao (right) - Shanghainese Near Me - New York, New York

The large bao they offer looked to be something worth reckoning, but for the sake of variety we purchased three different flavors of the smaller bao. They were satisfactory but didn't particularly stick out from any other establishment I've purchased them at. We tried the chicken, pork, and vegetarian options. If you check this place out make sure to try the large one!! read more

Mao’s Bao - (Wrap not purchased at this location) - Shanghainese Near Me - New York, New York

Was actually at their stand at Atlantic Antic in Brooklyn this year. They had a pretty long line, and I could see why - they just had every type of dumpling you could want. Well, in theory. They were out of their Impossible dumplings by the time I got there, but I still got to try one of everything else. The lamb was my favorite, but the beef, chicken, and pork were all delicious as well. Quick service, and a great way to sample a bunch of stuff while being travel-friendly! read more

See all

Fried pork baos are very average. They certainly are enjoyable and the customer service is good. Average affordability makes this a good alternative when you are near by and have a craving. The other baos were not available! read more

Was super excited to try this after a long trek on the High Line. It was $5 for 3 and I decided to stick with the traditional pork! The price wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either. Size was a lot smaller than expected. Overall the Bao was very nice and crispy on the bottom! However, there was no soup inside! I'm not sure if this was on purpose or not, but Shengjian Bao usually does (which is what was advertised). The pork itself was great, but overall the Bao was more on the dry side. Definitely want to come back and try again to see if this was an off day. Also a tip: Apple maps will not lead you to the right place if you use their address listed on their website! Use google maps. Otherwise, it's located at the south end of the High Line by Chelsea Market. read more

Mao’s Bao - Pork Bao - Shanghainese Near Me - New York, New York

See all

The lamb and beef bow buns are amazing! The vegan one is OK. The server at Smorgasboard was really friendly and engaging. Totally recommend trying it. read more

Mao's Bao are pretty and colorful. The pork baos were my favorite. The balance of skin to meat ratio was good. They were great with the hot sauce. I liked that they were small and I could try four for $10. It was surprisingly filling. The girls working were very friendly and helpful. read more

See all

So I gave them another try....Really not my thing. I liked the concept but the fillings were dry and flavorless. Sauce offering ls were weird and just didn't work with the other flavors... wish I could've liked this better. Also the customer service was really rude and the cashier made a remark when I didn't tip. Smh. read more

IF YOURE GOING TO GET THIS, get the lamb and the pork. Those are the best ones in my opinion. The other ones aren't worth the price. They are already pricey, but if you want to get the most bang for your buck, get pork and lamb. read more

An absolute favorite to visit at Smorgasburg. I tried all five flavors this time and could not pick just one as the best. All SO good! Will miss them while Smorgasburg is closed. read more

Mao’s Bao - Assorted Mao Bao - Shanghainese Near Me - New York, New York

really really just not good and now i'm nauseous. had them at the famous food festival and they were so underwhelming, the bao was not even the correct texture. bad. read more

Had this at Smorgasburg and it was SO YUMMY. I had the impossible bao which is exciting because i love trying impossible meat in other foods. My boyfriend got the pork bao and he thought it was a good representation of a "Sheng Jian Bao", but it was small and more like "Xiao Long Bao" sized. Flavor on the pork bao was good, but not life-changing. The baos are pricy but I guess that's expected in NYC. read more

Mao’s Bao - Shanghainese Near Me - New York, New York

Got the impossible Bao... it was fine but nothing that great... don't think I'd go back for it.

I'm so surprised this place has decent reviews, because it is simply not good. Dumplings lacked flavor and what little flavor they did have was unappetizing. The servers were friendly but it took forever to get my food. On top of everything, there was a hair in my food. This was a disappointment in my book, and a waste of money. There are much better options in the market. I'm not one to write negative reviews, but this rubbed me the wrong way. read more

Mao’s Bao - Dumpling ft. hair. ABSURD. - Shanghainese Near Me - New York, New York

I had it at Smoragsburg, is that why it didn't taste good because it didn't come from the kitchen? I had two vegetarian and two chicken, both were dry and while warm, it just was not that great. $10 for 4 pieces is steep and definitely not worth it. read more

VEGANS BEWARE!!! We walked by their stand at the 9th Avenue Food Festival and were about to order the "vegan" bao option on their menu. However, we noticed THEY COOK THE VEGAN BAO WITH THEIR MEAT OPTIONS! Unbelievable! When I asked about it, to my horror, the server assured me in confidence that that the baos are "protected" from the meat. As if some magical being is there stopping the cross-contamination from happening. How are they protected from being contaminated with meat when they are cooked together in the same oil and pan? Riddle me that Cross-Contamination Expert! I'm pretty sure this is a complete health code violation - unbeknownst to the restaurant - let alone false advertising. Please, don't call it vegan if it is cooked with the meat. This is very misleading and can potentially get someone very sick! Nonetheless, I think it is awesome they tried to have a vegan option, but they need to cook it separately from the meat. Get it together people! read more

Yay finally a good veggie dumpling! Super tasty dumplings + staff was very accommodating to our group of special education students. Thank you! read more