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    Wanna Bao

    4.1 (863 reviews)
    Closed 11:30 am - 9:30 pm

    Order Wanna Bao Takeout or Delivery

    Wanna Bao Photos

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    WANNA BAO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Hipster
    Casual
    Trendy
    Moderate noise

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    Recommended Reviews - Wanna Bao

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    Tea duck
    Javier B.

    I finally tried Wanna Bao yesterday after it being on my growing list for a while. It's in Midtown (which I wouldn't expect for something so authentic) and there's dedicated parking which is a plus in this area. I walked in and really liked the ambiance - it's dimly lit and the decor fits well with the vibes. I was seated quickly, and decided of course I needed to try the xiao long bao. I thought it was pretty good, maybe even one of the better ones I've tried in a while in Houston. We next tried the green beans and those were addicting. Finally we had the tea duck and that was great, we added some serrano peppers to spice things up a bit. Overall I liked Wanna Bao more than I thought and would definitely return!

    Shanghai Sticky Rice Shumai, [V] Vegetable Dumpling, Pork Xiao Long Bao (soup dumpling)
    Shannon H.

    Came here for lunch with my bestie after yoga, we got pork xaio long bao, green onion pancake, veggie dumpling, and the shomai or however you spell it. We also got the Nutella xaio long bao! I would def get both the xaio long bao again the rest of it I could've done without but I am glad I tried them! The restaurant itself was super cute and clean! Prices were decent

    left to right: Red Oil Dumpling, [V] Eggplant Loves Green Beans, [V][GF] Mapo Tofu
    Anna S.

    I decided to give Wanna Bao another shot and wow... I had to bump my rating from 4 to 5 #characterdevelopment. This time around, I came with more sophisticated taste buds and a newfound appreciation for some of their dishes. 1) Mapo Tofu: (5/5) I've tried this dish at two other Szechuan restaurants in Houston, and Wanna Bao's mapo was hands down my favorite, and at least 3 of my other friends agree too. I've grown to enjoy the spicy, numbing sensation commonly found in Szechuan, and felt that Wanna Bao had the best execution; I like it when my mapo sauce looks like it's been coated in Red 40! Jokes aside, I also like how they didn't use ginger in their ingredients, compared to the other two, but this is definitely more of a personal preference. 2) Eggplant Loves Green Beans (4/5): This was a new dish for me! Overall, it's tasty, but the mapo overshadowed it, and I didn't find it particularly spicy. The day we came, the quality of the green beans wasn't the best, as they had a chewy texture, but it is a go-to dish for my friends! 3) Red Oil Dumpling: (5/5) I wanted a little something for myself, so I ordered these dumplings (again). I didn't find them too spicy, but I thoroughly enjoyed the spongy texture and subtle sweetness; very satisfying overall.

    Tea duck
    Mike C.

    You know a spot is legit when even my Lyft driver calls it popular--she used to deliver here all the time back when she drove for DoorDash. The food absolutely lived up to the hype. I ordered the Pork Steamed Dumplings, Snow Pea Leaves, and the Jasmine Tea Duck. The duck was so good I took the leftovers back to my hotel. No idea what I planned to do with them, but there was no way I was leaving any behind.

    Rex C.

    Very good food. Great customer and great parking in downtown! I'm shocked I'm finally finding out about this place. We enjoyed it! Food: hot fried rice with beef and chicken is excellent. They have a unique dish here. Never had anything like it. Very good. Not sure what region it's from but it's good. The Mongolian beef was good. Different but real good. Same with the general Tsos chicken. Great food all around. We will definitely be back. Customer service is great. Everyone here is top notch. I'll definitely come back soon. Easy five star review.

    Pork Crispy Bottom Bao
    Jordyn N.

    I only got the crispy bottom bao, but it was super super yummy. Would love to come back and try more of their food, definitely go family-style so you can try everything!

    Gregston C.

    Legit Chinese comfort food. Some of the best Chinese food inside the loop. The Xiao Long Bao are juicy with a thin skin. The Crispy Bottom Baos are juicy and filling. Scallion Pancake and green beans are also great appetizers to share. My favorite dish is the Dancing Pork Belly. They pour the pork belly over the rice crackers at the table so that the rice crackers stay crisp. Eat the pork belly with a healthy portion of rice because the pork belly is nice and fatty and the sauce is rich and flavorful. A bit pricey, but worth it for the upscale atmosphere and prompt service. There's a reasonable amount of parking spots in their lot as well as street parking.

    GF Crispy Spicy Chicken, Shrimp Xiao Long Bao (soup dumpling), Red Oil Dumpling
    Gabriela D.

    I've tried a lot of their entrees and have yet to be disappointed. Our favorites include the crispy popcorn chicken and general tso. We always get dumplings too. The service is always good as well even when busy.

    [V] Nutella Xiao Long Bao (sweet)
    Raven R.

    Wanna bao is definitely a great hole in the wall find in Houston. They are known for their bao buns and dumpling but they have many great entree options to choose from. The entrees are easily shareable thanks to their size. And the dumpling and buns make for an easy way to share food with friends or family. I would absolutely recommend the pork belly burger! The pork belly literally melts in your mouth and it is paired with bao buns that you can build yourself. The Nutella and banana dumplings as a dessert are also an easy favorite. The service was okay, nothing special but the staff is knowledgeable about the menu. I will definitely return next time I'm in the area.

    Spread
    Campbell L.

    This is and always will be my favorite restaurant in Houston. The food never misses. The service is great. The place is always clean and feels somewhat trendy. I will go here time and time again. #1 in my heart and I mean that!

    Olivia W.

    I love getting the mapo tofu and soup dumplings every time I come here. They're flavored well, especially the soup dumplings. However, some dishes are pretty small and pricey. The service is decent and vibe is nice. You do need to waive the waiter down but they will come to you whenever needed. The restaurant has a lot of seating and haven't experience a situation where I had to wait to be seated yet despite it being midtown. One down side is their parking so hopefully you go when it's less crowded.

    Pork Xiao long Bao (soup dumpling)
    Nicole L.

    Stopped in for some dumplings on my way home. It was pretty crowded even an hour before closing. Everything came out very hot and fresh. Dishes came out fairly quick. I wish the sauces were available at the table bc they only provide a small portion and we had to ask for more. The scallion pancakes were light and flaky. Maybe a little too flaky but I really enjoyed the lightness of it. The crispy bottom bao were very satisfying but as with the xlb, I wish there was a little more soup. Nice savory flavor in both bao.

    Zanarah K.

    If you want dumplings, quick and easy, come here! Have a full bar for you, parking in the front for free. Very chill vibes.

    [V] Vegetable Dumpling

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    Wanna Bao Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Wanna Bao

    Can you substitute the pork in the dumplings for chicken or beef?

    We newly have chicken soup dumplings right now~~~

    Any possibility to serve soup dumplings made with chicken/shrimp/beef without pork? On the menu the shrimp soup dumplings are made with pork.

    Yes shrimp

    Do they take reservations?

    I'm sure they do

    Is there usually a long wait at lunch on weekends?

    Not that I know of.

    Are there any gluten-free options?

    Yes. Plenty of gluten-free options including entrees and vegetables. Will be clearly marked on the menu.

    Are there any gluten free items?

    Yes, there are a lot of vegetable and meat entrees available. Fried rice is also a great option. Ask the server to ensure that your food isn't prepped with soy sauce. I'm not sure if you're asking for options available or if you're truly allergic… Read more

    Is there a full bar or byob?

    Beer and wine only.

    View All 10 Questions

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    Hu's Cooking

    Hu's Cooking

    4.5(1.1k reviews)
    3.6 miWest University, Braeswood Place
    $$

    $20-30 We ordered the 3 shrimp egg rolls, beef and broccoli,…read moreand the walnut shrimp. Everything we had was delicious. We highly recommend giving it a try. Food: 5/5 | Service: 5/5 | Atmosphere: 5/5 Noise level Quiet, easy to talk Parking space Somewhat difficult to find parking Parking options Free parking lot

    Look no further for authenticity, flavor, and complexity in Chinese cooking near the med center!…read more Though we opted for more "simple" dishes during this experience, you can judge a place by if they can do their simple dishes well. The mapo tofu is one of the best we've had outside of Bellaire with spicy, savory, numbing, and warmth that you expect from a good mapo tofu. Crispy popcorn chicken is a classic that's spicy, lightly fried, and crisp. It has an authenticity that other places around can't replicate and makes you keep craving more. The portions are also appropriate for their price. Service is incredibly quick, and you can order as you go and receive your dish within 10-15 minutes, regardless of how busy they are. As for the ambiance, it's loud, it's hectic, and it's simple... maybe a stretch, but makes me feel like I'm eating at a mom and pop shop in the heart of China. This place is definitely a go to if I'm convincing a friend of Houston's great food scene! Rating: 4.5/5

    Photos
    Hu's Cooking - Spicy chicken, clear noodles with red pepper sauce, and stir fried green beans

    Spicy chicken, clear noodles with red pepper sauce, and stir fried green beans

    Hu's Cooking - Open til 11:00pm on Wed, Thurs, Fri and Sat

    Open til 11:00pm on Wed, Thurs, Fri and Sat

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    Mala Sichuan Bistro - 红糖糍粑 Brown Sugar Sticky Rice Cake

    Mala Sichuan Bistro

    4.1(1.1k reviews)
    10.5 miChinatown, Sharpstown
    $$

    Food - 10/10 I really enjoyed everything I ordered. Seriously. So much flavor. I got a bunch cause…read moreI wanted to try a little bit of everything plus I was using it for meal prep anyways. I'm not the biggest fan of the numbing pepper but there wasn't a lot, just to give it some flavor so I enjoyed everything. The cumin lamb was yummy and I really liked the fish. The lotus root was crunchy and the water spinach was the usual sauted with garlic. The garlic bacon was fun to eat and I really liked the sauce. Service was great as well. Very quick to get the food out and my server was very nice when I asked questions about different items. Ambiance - 8/10 It's definitely an older restaurant. It gives me like 90s Chinese restaurant vibes if that makes any sense. I'm coming back either way. Gotta try other things.

    The food here is fantastic! When we walked in it was very busy, but we were seated immediately as a…read moreparty of two, which was impressive. The food came out quickly and everything we tried was delicious. The only reason I'm giving 4 stars instead of 5 is the service. It was extremely busy and it seemed like there were only two servers handling the entire floor. If you didn't ask for what you needed when they initially came by, it was very difficult to get anyone's attention afterward. We had quite a bit of leftovers and couldn't get anyone to come over for to-go boxes or the check I ended up having to go to the front to ask. Overall, great food and a good experience, but they definitely need more staff if it's consistently this busy.

    Photos
    Mala Sichuan Bistro - Dining area

    Dining area

    Mala Sichuan Bistro - Spicy and Crispy Chicken

    Spicy and Crispy Chicken

    Mala Sichuan Bistro - Inside of restaurant

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    Inside of restaurant

    Mala Sichuan Bistro - Garlic Cordyceps

    Mala Sichuan Bistro

    4.0(715 reviews)
    0.8 miMontrose
    $$

    I had a great experience dining here. A few things I loved:…read morePlenty of parking Beautiful wall art Extensive menu options Menu with images Good service Delicious food It was my first time, and as a first timer I had a lot of questions and didn't know where to start, but our server was very helpful and gave us excellent recommendations. We ordered : Dan Dan Noodles 8/10 Bok choy and mushrooms 8/10 Kung Pao chicken 9/10 Dry fried green beans 9/10 The food looks beautiful and tastes even better, I loved they present the food very pretty. Oh! And The portions are shareable too! I will definitely come back , there is a garden on the side that looks very pretty when you are dining inside, maybe next time if the weather is nice we can sit outside:)

    Get the eggplant! Been obsessed with Sichuan food lately,…read moreand my friend recommended this place. I think we may have went on an off day because I have tried takeout form this place that was delicious, but on this day the food wasn't my favorite. We did overall enjoyed our experience and time and I would recommend giving this place a try! We ordered a total of 5 dishes and everything seemed very authentic to Sichuan cooking. With Sichuan cuisine though, a lot of the food will be on the oily side, so keep that in mind. - Eggplant In Spicy Sauce (5/5): Definitely order this dish! You can tell the eggplant was prepared well because it retained its beautiful purple color and luscious shape. The flavor was sweet and savory seeped well into the eggplant. My only comment would be that there wasn't a strong garlic flavor, but it was still so tasty I think it deserved that 5/5! - Mapo Tofu (2.5/5): I came here specifically for the mapo tofu but was left a bit disappointed. The flavor was pretty good and had that strong Sichuan pepper spice that lingers after a while. My issue with the tofu was the consistency of the sauce. I found it to be very thick and clumpy in an unpleasant way, almost like eating little gelatin pieces. I would probably come back to try it again just in case this was a bad batch, but it's hard to compete with wanna boa's mapo tofu. - Spicy and Crispy Chicken (4/5): Pretty juicy and crispy chicken with a slight kick. I love anything fried chicken so I did enjoy this dish but it was pretty standard and there wasn't much to write about. - Red Oil Dumplings (3/5): Pretty standard oil dumplings. They weren't really spicy which would be good for people who can't handle spice. I think I would've liked a bit more meat filling but overall not bad. - Dan Dan Noodles (3/5): I loved the texture of the noodles but I found the sauce to be kinda slippery which made it hard adhere to the noodles. I also thought the flavor could've been a bit stronger. Service/Ambiance: the interior of this place was super cute, especially the upstairs area. I loved the dim lighting and tiny table lamps which gave this place a cozy romantic feeling. The outside was also interesting with an all black exterior and no sign. That might make it hard to notice or find the restaurant, but that did give it a more hidden feeling which was nice. Parking was also abundant and service was great!

    Photos
    Mala Sichuan Bistro - Bar and dining area on first floor

    Bar and dining area on first floor

    Mala Sichuan Bistro - Red oil wonton

    Red oil wonton

    Mala Sichuan Bistro - Mala Tofu Pudding with Fish Fillet

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    Bamboo House - Twice Cooked Pork Belly

    Bamboo House

    4.4(734 reviews)
    14.8 mi
    $$

    I have heard great feedback about Bambok House and and their authentic Chinese Cuisine. The first…read moretime I visited I planned it to the T and when I visited their bar was not operational any longer, and that was apart of my planning. So I left. The second time I visited, I had the Hong Shao Rou with mushrooms (Braised Pork Belly) to-go, not a huge fan of takeout and this didn't disappoint and it was good. The takeout team member was pleasant enough. They feature an open kitchen with two tops closer to the wall/glass and larger tables more toward the middle of the restaurant. From the outside it features the traditional Chinese architecture with western building base. I look forward to yaksying the rest of the menu this year.

    I've eaten at Bamboo House enough times to know that the food can be a hit or miss depending on the…read morenight. When it's done right, the flavors are bold and satisfying. But the inconsistency has been an issue for me, and the flavors aren't as good as they once were. Dishes I regularly ordered like Kung Pao Chicken, Mongolian Beef, Japanese Egg Tofu, and Honey Walnut Shrimp haven't stood out as much as of lately. Dishes like Szechuan Spicy Chicken is still one of my favorite, and Garlic Snow Pea Leaves are delicious when in season. Bamboo House still holds its place as great spot for group dining. The portion is generous, prices are fair, and overall a solid restaurant that's still worth recommending.

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    Bamboo House - Inside

    Inside

    Bamboo House - Peking Duck + Pancakes

    Peking Duck + Pancakes

    Bamboo House - Outside

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    Outside

    X’ Kitchen 川香阁 - Lamb Dry Pot

    X’ Kitchen 川香阁

    4.5(21 reviews)
    10.7 miChinatown, Sharpstown

    X Kitchen is located in a strip center in the epicenter of Bellaire's Chinatown and is on the right…read moreside of the street if you are headed in the direction of Alief away from downtown. ( about 1 big block from the beltway.) It is a small space , but very clean and very friendly wait staff. I was greeted as I entered and seated very quickly for an early Friday night, with no issues. I ordered the sliced pig ears in chili oil, pork tripe dish also in red chili oil and an order of crispy spicy fish! All were very large portions, ( enough for 3 people ) and were quite tasty, but I felt that it lacked the numbing sensation and flavor "punch" that you get from , and come to expect from , Chinese Sichuan food! Thus the 4 stars instead of 5.. Also this is an alcohol free locale as well. So keep that in mind. But overall good food and good service too!

    Updated review. Still absolutely stellar, one of our favorite Sichuan/Szechuan places in town. The…read moreportions remain fantastic and the dishes are loaded. On top of our normal crispy chicken/twice cooked pork order... Eggplant (5/5): Great sauce to cut the heat from other dishes. Mala Duck Stew (4/5): Flavors were great, tofu was actually fantastic. The duck pieces were a little too fatty/skin heavy for me but the ones that were meaty were delicious. Mapo Tofu (5/5): Texture, spice, they've nailed it. I'd do a family style meal here rather than a multi course small plate meal in the Heights 9 times out of 10.

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    Wanna Bao - szechuan - Updated June 2026

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