Hmm - I like Bao and this was fast food Bao. Pricing was pretty good - cheap for Chicago I thought. Downside was the texture of the Bao's were a little on the dry tending toward rubbery. Flavor of the fillings was ok, but not great. The porkbelly in the Bun was a little dry and over sauced. It's a quick eat, but I don't think I'd crave this stuff. read more

While on our stroll from visiting Cloud Gate, we stopped here as we love baos. Their pictures really drew us in. There was a freezer that had held frozen baos so you could take it home to steam. There's also a cooler that held a variety of drinks. The menu wasn't extensive and non-descriptive. We were familiar with the flavors and started picking out a few to try. Service was quick and friendly. They were a lot smaller than the traditional baos we were accustomed to. The flavor is not authentic. It was just mush inside a thin layer of flour. Disappointed. We ate the baos on our walk back to parking. Then went to Chinatown to satisfy our cravings. Not worth it: high priced and low quality. read more

I wanted something super quick and not fast food and they did the trick. Offering a variety of different dumplings ranging from most four footed variety you can get fillings that include spicy beef, chicken, pork all seasoned a variety of ways. Some came a little bland but all and all would def recommend grabbing any of the spicy items and the soup is a good complement to mix it up a bit especially on a blustery cold night. The noodles and broth were good if about average but they filled me up and overall had good flavor. My only few gripes were the temperature on the buns were inconsistent at best and a little on the colder side in one case but manageable. The spice level also was a bit on the tamer side but still lacked good flavor. All and all I would grab them again in a pinch but just be more selective on the bow chosen. read more

Wow Bao - Bowl & 2 Bao - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Fast foods style wow bao . I actually love it here, price is not bad at all, very reasonable, bao is full of meats and all warm up. Service is really really fast. You can order and they will call you within 5 min. There are some space for you to eat inside the place. This is a great place for a quick grab snack for light meal if you are craving for Asian foods read more

Wow Bao - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Stopped in a for a quick snack. The Bao were decent and priced right. Really enjoyed the iced coffee and noodles.

I got the kung pao chicken bun. This was tasty but I'm a little mixed with the quality. The filling was delicious, but the bun seemed store bought. I was kind of annoyed that half of the bun got stuck on the paper it was on lol. It took a little while to steam even though the place was empty but I did enjoy what I got. It has a cool ordering system where you order before entering and just pick up your buns to eat there or to take back. I don't know if I'd go back, even though they had interesting flavors. Hmmm. read more

Wow bao is a top tier experience, I loved the atmosphere, creativity of the dishes and the flavor of the bao was delicious. I especially recommend the chicken teriyaki bao, and the apple pie bao, both incredibly delicious. The only reason why I deduct 2 stars is due to the pricing which is somewhat high for the taste and portion, and also due to the portion size which is miniscule. read more

Terrible, cold and over priced! I could heat up my Trader Joe's frozen version for $5 in the microwave and be happier! Great design, marketing and concept. AWFUL execution. Stop opening locations and improve your quality. read more

I have never been to a fast food bao place but this place was pretty tasty. I liked the food and the service was ok but people had trouble ordering and it made things kind of slow if people were ahead of you. But not bad at all read more

We went and ordered Whole Wheat Vegetable Bao and after one bite my friend and I had to throw it away. My stomach hurt for the next 2 days. It was very clearly undercooked and overall just a terrible waste of money. Don't risk it. read more

the foods is not good the chicken teriyaki bowl did not have enough chicken even the soy sauce was horrible. worse than McDonald's is expensive for the quality of food read more

We really had no plans to come here. We just happened to be walking by and saw a bun place and immediately like moths to a flame, we were drawn in. I'm super glad that we did come here though, because the food was so good. We had to be careful as we actually already had dinner plans and buns aren't exactly Keto friendly. (Couldn't do another cheat day). I absolutely love the vibe when you come here, the colors are warm and inviting. They have a ton of different buns you can choose from. They have your standard pork buns, but they get even crazier with breakfast buns, lunch buns, and specialty buns like chocolate or matcha coconut! I highly recommend the BBQ Berkshire pork bun. It may seem like a standard vanilla choice, but the flavor is so much stronger than your standard buns. I also have to give them huge bonus points for having the only Blue Sky fountain soda I have ever seen! That soda is my absolute favorite and I love fountain drinks! read more

Order outside for quickier service and not having to deal with long lines . One teriyaki chicken bao and an order of 5 fried dumplings with soy. Added a fresh ginger ale and I have the prefect meal. When I use to Go to Harold Washington I remembered always going there for lunch when it first opened. Ten years later and I still think it's amazing. read more

Wow Bao - Teriyaki Chicken boa, 5 fried potstickers with a Homemade Original Ginger Ale. Prefect meal. - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

In my opinion, you can definitely get better boas in Chinatown for nearly half the prices. Ordered some for the kids, they seemed to like the dough! I ordered one for their spicy chicken dishes with rice - wouldn't recommend read more

This is the first and last time I buy anything from Wow Bao I ordered orange chicken and I was super disappointed this is not what I was expecting. It literally has actual orange peels in it and the cilantro was a little weird for me read more

Wow Bao - Orange Chicken - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Have walked by here many times wanting to try it. The Ofer kiosk where out of order so we ordered at register 2 people working and it was busy and they were stressed I felt bad for them customers getting upset about orders and time it took not there fault that's a manager thing for scheduling only 2 people on a Saturday around 1:30 I was not in hurry and our order was filled pretty fast Got 2 pork buns and 1 wheat vegetable bun and one coconut Pork was pretty good the vegetable lacked flavor and coconut was good Pricing was reasonable read more

For the price of one bun here ($1.39), I could get a bun three times the size and much better tasting in Chinatown, but Wow Bao makes buns accessible to those in the downtown area and that's a good thing. They're open for breakfast and lunch and the self-serve order kiosks right outside are really convenient. Pay outside and wait for your order to be called. You can also order online or pick up some prepackaged buns. The menu includes potstickers, rice bowls, soups and combos with salads. They have sweet buns (e.g., chocolate, custard), vegetarian buns and savory buns. In the morning you can get 2 steamed buns & coffee for $4 - what a cute way to start the morning. They even have Greek yogurt. The ambiance is polished and contemporary, with the logo, hot Asian buns and reddish lighting, an open kitchen and an impressive number of metal steamers. It has a very corporate feel but still offbeat and playful. The type of bun is printed on the paper on the bottom of each bun. * Dumpling noodle soup - your choice of dumplings: $3.99 for dumpling noodle soup seems cheap but the portion is small (not enough to fill someone up, more of a side), comes with three dumplings. The dumplings are long with thin skins and look like potstickers. The chicken ones were reasonable tasty with ginger. The broth wasn't bad either, light and soy based, with soft thick egg noodles, scallions and some chopped cabbage. Hot sauce and soy sauce are provided at each table. * Thai chicken bun - This was the best bun that I tried, quite flavorful though too salty, I could detect a bit of coconut milk but it wasn't too overwhelming. The bun is really small but the dough was light, slightly sweet, and not oversteamed. The inside wasn't too saucy. I didn't like how small the chicken bits were. I also spotted some tiny bits of bell pepper and onion. * Teriyaki chicken bun - The sauce is really dark and salty, tiny chicken bits again * Mongolian beef bun - This was okay but the beef bits were really small and the sauce was too salty, surprisingly, it's somewhat spicy What I'd like to see in the future: larger buns, larger pieces of meat - Asian buns should be bigger, meatier and juicier. read more

Wow Bao - chicken dumpling noodle soup - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Visited this place before heading out of the city. I was craving Asian food, so of course I look into Wow Bao. I would think that they specialize in baos, so they should be pretty good. Unfortunately, I didn't feel the same way. The prices were also steep for what you get. I asked the worker there to recommend some items. He didn't seem like he wanted to help and didn't explain the items too much. I ordered the combo with two baos and a salad. The baos I tried were the Whole Wheat Edamame and the BBQ pork. I also tried the Vegetarian salad. To top the meal off, I ordered a Homemade Ginger Ale as well. Whole Wheat Edamame: this one was the bao that I liked more. The edamame with the whole wheat worked pretty well. Pretty much had a sort of edamame paste with your typical veggies, similar to what you would find in a veggie eggroll. I thought that the whole wheat actually complemented the filling inside. Lighter and more flavorful option, would recommend over the other bao. BBQ Pork: I am comparing the BBQ pork to the ones that you find at your typical dim sum joint. Unfortunately, the flavor was lacking. It tasted a bit funky--I typically expect a semi-sweet flavor with tender bits of pork. Not the case here. Didn't get the sweetness, and honestly tasted like it was trying its best to imitate dim sum buns but was not successful. I definitely don't recommend it. Vegetarian salad: pretty solid. The dressing was good, and it came with small bits of cut-up dried noodles. Yet, it's a pretty typical salad. There's nothing out of the ordinary that I wouldn't be able to get at another salad joint. Homemade Ginger Ale: interesting taste. It has a VERY heavy ginger flavor, so if you're not into that, I would not recommend it. It's basically a ginger drink that is pretty carbonated. Doesn't taste like your typical ginger ale in a bottle--it's less sweet and carbonated. I thought it was a good complement to the meal. Overall, I was not extremely impressed by the shop, especially since my meal cost around $10 and I still was not full. Perhaps it's because what I ordered wasn't too heavy, but I feel that the quality and quantity could definitely be improved. Not sure if I will be back again. read more

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They put the yum-yum into my heart They send my soul sky high when the munchin' starts Yummy taste into my brain Goes a bang-bang-bang 'til my feet do the same But something's bugging me Something ain't right I know you went downtown last night Left me sleepin' in my bed I was dreaming, but I should have been with you instead. Pick me up a yummy wow bao When you know that you'll be downtown Pick me up a yummy wow bao Forget this time, and get punched in the eye Pick me up a yummy wow bao I'm not playin' don't act brand new, now. Pick me up like 4 wow baos And some pork postickerrrrrrrrrrrrs I want some desserrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrt (yeah, yeah) [inspiration: "Jitterbug" by Wham] read more

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There's certain guilty pleasures associated with hotel stays. Room service, roof top partying, bubble baths, trysts, chocolate chip cookies, and my personal favorite: Wow Bao! To say I was a little obsessed with Wow Bao during my Chicago trip is an understatement. I think I stopped by every day for a week. It first started off with a potsticker snack and then it fueled to every day baos. I tried all the flavors and mixed and matched. We first did individual meals and then said, "Who are we kidding?" Six packs it were! Wow Bao was all too easy to acquire and consume. It was located across the street from The Wit and near the el train. We could have baos in two minutes if we wanted. On one of the nicer days we washed them down with hibiscus iced tea while sitting in front of Crown Fountain. Very refreshing and relaxing. Wow Bao is not exactly authentic Chinatown dim sum. It's Americanized and for the masses. However, I liked it. I liked it a lot. It was affordable and delicious. The bao was like pillows of dough and stuffed with tasty innards, all with a distinct flavor. My favorite was the thai curry chicken. The whole wheat edamame was also good. They were really all great and I wouldn't limit myself to just one or two flavors. We even tried the dessert ones. Wow Bao is perfect for lunch. They have salads and soups if you need something a little more filling. If you want to avoid the line you can even pre-order at the computer kiosk outside of the shop. Inside is sleek and clean. Service is friendly and quick. I prefer Wow Bao much more over Potbelly. So yum! read more

I have always like Wow Bao and have a hard time saying no to a good Bao. This particular location is great being located in the loop it is convenient for most everyone on a busy working day. In addition to this the pace that the Wow Bao team works at you are guaranteed fast service! Beyond all of that I am particularly pleased with how friendly the staff is and how clean everything is. I frequently visit the location at the water tower place and only wish they had their own seating but that is not a concern at this location. That being said from Baos to Bowls, Wow Bao is absolutely a great place with delicious food and a place I love to eat at! read more

Wow Bao - There is a lunch rush week days 11:30 - 1:00 - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Good food. Ordered a 6 pack of buns and ended up playing bun-roulette because we didn't know which bun was what.

I hyped myself up to eat Wow Bao ever since I moved to Chicago but I was let down. I think my expectations were too high. I was probably more sold by the marketing/logo/interior design than anything. Now this makes me question what the big hype is about Wow Bao; the food or the logo?? I guess if you needed something quick to eat, then by all means step inside and be my guest. Service was friendly and quick though. Most of the food is already pre-cooked so when you order, it's already done a few minutes after ordering. I went with a combo meal and chose a Teriyaki Chicken Bowl with two Baos (Spicy Mongolian Beef and BBQ Pork). My Teriyaki Chicken Bowl was kind of questionable. It consisted of minced chicken and I guess teriyaki sauce? It was lukewarm and it just made me sad overall. I was hoping the baos would be a bit better but that was a letdown too. The Spicy Mongolian Beef was reaaaalllyyy spicy and had a mushy texture... I couldn't even finish it all (and I usually finish my food!!). The BBQ pork was tolerable but I've had better. Sorry Wow Bao... you're cute and all but this is the first place I had some expectations for and was let down immensely. :'( read more

I tried 4 different baos and they were all OK. The Thai Curry was by far my favorite and worth going back for... I also tried the mogolian beef, kung pao chicken, and bbq pork. The other three all had decent flavors but I couldn't tell chicken from the pork if I wanted to. It was very mushy. But tasty still. They have a 6 pack, I don't think I could eat more than 4 of these in one sitting. After they started to get cold they got less and less tasty, and even start tasting a little too doughy... So I wouldn't unwrap them until you're actually eating them. Their combos don't seem to be significantly cheaper than ordering a la carte (a 6 pack saves you maybe 30 cents vs ordering fewer individually). One of the owners was standing by the line answering people's questions and chit chatting... The line wasn't so bad when we showed up, and moved pretty fast (though the line was out the door still). Once ordered, our food was up in less than a minute. By the time we sat down with our food, the line was at least 50 people long out the door, crazyness. Despite the crazy crowd, there was adequate seating available. I had the homemade ginger ale, which was pretty good... Though there was a lot of ice in it so I was still thirsty once I was done with it. Price-wise, the baos being $1.29/each, the place is pretty decently priced if you ask me. I like that they have breakfast baos, I imagine I'd only want one, maybe 2 anyway for breakfast, so that's an inexpensive breakfast. Next time I think I'll get the combo with 2 baos and spicy peanut noodles... On another visit I had the combo of 2 bao and spicy peanut noodles. Annoyed to get back to the office and realize they didn't include any utensils! The noodles were decent. Last time I went they had added mochi ice cream (didn't try, but they're usually store bought anyway, i'm sure they're great!!!)... and a new dessert bao... the chocolate one. it's fantastic! chocolate and coconutty goodness read more

I don't quite think these bao were wow worthy. Pros: kiosks outside speed up the ordering process, little waiting time for food, the bread was soft and overall nicely textured Cons: the kiosks were confusing to use, the fillings left a lot to be desired. To elaborate, I ordered two terriyaki chicken bao and one chicken curry bao. Neither of the fillings were very tasty, and both were dry. Perhaps the potstickers are better, but I won't be back anytime soon. read more

Wow Bao - 3 bao and one kung pao chicken noodle bowl - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Expecting that the flipper would've been more Asian, the ball was very small as well as the baos not worth the high price paid

I ordered dumplings they sent potsticker! My Teriyaki Chicken Bowl was the size of an EZ Bake Oven jr. size. They don't have a phone number! I WIll NEVER ORDER FROM HERE AGAIN! read more

Modern concept on bao, laid back place to hang out and grab a bite! Had the following: Homemade original ginger ale: this drink is so awesome, and refreshing, do they sell this by the gallon? Pork and cabbage potstickers with soy-ginger sauce: these were delicious, but nothing special Six pack bao consisted of: Teriyaki chicken, Spicy kung pao chicken, Whole wheat edamame, Thai curry chicken, Spicy mongolian beef, and BBQ pork. My favorites has to be BBQ pork, teriyaki chicken and spicy mongolian beef. The others are also delicious, but I prefer the others. Count me in on the next visit! read more

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Very quick service, and a straightforward menu! I ordered the combo meal with teriyaki chicken baos, lo mein noodles, and orange chicken. The service at this location is excellent - my friend dropped his food, and the employees made him another one for free. Another employee also warned my friend about leaving her purse around without watching it. The service is also very quick. The food in my opinion was nothing special. The baos are steamed well and soft, but the meat is not particularly flavorful. The lo mein and orange chicken were lacking in both flavor and portion size. In terms of Chinese food, this place was far from authentic. One of my friends ordered a spicy meat entree and said the food wasn't spicy at all. There were no hot sauces to add to the food. The price was alright, but I probably won't stop in here again. Giving 3 stars because of the service, but the food is more like 2 stars. read more

I know Chicago isn't known for Asian food, but damn, this place sucks! I had the 3/4/5 which gives you a little taste of everything they make., and The Mongolian Beef was like a sickly sweet form of Mabo Tofu, the BBQ pork bun wasnt all that bad (but its nothing to write home about), and the peanut noddles tasted like cold spaghetti without the peanut sauce (because they forgot to give it to me). Once I got the sauce they were tolerable, but nothing I'd recommend to a fellow Yelper. I was surprised that this place had such great reviews, considering how horrible my pallet experience was. I hope they read this and make some changes pretty quick, because I think Panda Express does Asian better, and that's not something to brag about..... read more

I came here for dinner earlier this week, and generally found the buns to be *FAR* too dough-y / heavy / not proper seeming texture / too thick - too American-ized. Can I say all that given I am not Asian, btw?! If someone would like to correct me and school me (and they know more about bao than I and/or are Asian - i.e. know about it from years of family heritage / tradition / history) - by all means, please teach me/us. But generally, comparing this experience to restaurants in SF, I wasn't a fan. I sampled all 6 options, minus the 2 dessert options: - Teriyaki Chicken - Spicy Kung Pao Chicken - Whole Wheat Edamame (did not like!) - Thai Curry Chicken - Spicy Mongolian Beef - BBQ Pork The homemade ginger-ade was good, though. And it was cool to see a non-American food fast "slow" food. Props for variety. Not to mention the move away from predictability. (Also, I'm not a huge "American" [read: "American Traditional," not "American New"] food fan - if by this we're meaning hamburgers, hot dogs, and apple/cherry pie - or whatever [Also, what *IS* "American" food, since we're a country of immigrants?) read more

Neat idea -- nice atmopshere, hip decor, quick service buns that are decently sized. Tons of flavor choices like teriyaki chicken, bbq pork, spicy mongolian beef, coconut custard, chocolate, thai curry chicken, etc. The bun itself isn't bad but for me the filling falls quite short of expectations. More like a Panda Express or Noodles & Company type flavor instead of an authentic asian flavor. If that's the taste you like, you will absolutely love WoW Bao. read more

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The Bao's are awesome. None of them suck, but hey unless you are a really fatty 2-3 should be all you need. The bowls are where it is at. They are all good. Perfect for a quick and not expensive meal. Do it. read more

Way back when, like during Qin's Wars of Unification--you know, the war when the Qin state conquered the six other major states in China to unify the country under the Qin Dynasty (see Jet Li's 2002 movie titled "Hero")--all those Chinese warriors woke up to sharpening swords and munchin' on their Boazi, a breakfast food in China. Likely, those baozi were probably the last things those warriors ate prior to sacrificing their lives for Emperor and country. Wow Bao has accurately captured this precious notion. When I walk into the Renaissance Hotel lobby, order my Wow Bao form two robots outside, and pick up my food without ever having to talk to a human being, I feel like the bao was specially made for me, and I get all warm and fuzzy inside. (they're alright) read more

May 2015 We were downtown and starving. We needed something quick and yelp said Wow Bao was nearby.They are like the fast food of Steamed buns and noodle bowls and dumplings. You could get a fountain soda or Drinks that were pre-poured and stored in a cooler and were very well priced. So was the food. We got both our noodle bowls and dumplings in a fast and efficient manner. The seating was comfortable and clean. The person taking our order was pleasant and professional. Good for a lunch on the run. read more

The food here has a unique concept. It's fast paced and fun yet still good quality. You can buy single items, making it perfect for quick/small meals and snacks. The food tastes fresh and there are gluten-free and vegan options available. I would totally make this place my regular spot if I lived here. Really enjoyed it. Finishing the meal with the coconut boa was the best choice I could have made. read more

Wow Bao - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great system of ordering and food is almost immediately ready after ordering! The food itself was alright though but good enough for the price. I'd recommend if you're in need of a quick bao trip! read more

Wow Bao - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

In Near West Loop, restaurant offerings waffle between quick food and big box. Not a fan of either, and certainly not ever in the mood for a "fried" lunch, I was surprised to find a Wow Bao in the area. Thai curry rice bowl. Thai curry bao. Homemade ginger ale. Neither Thai options put me in the mind of any Thai curry dishes I have had. I like the rice bowl and the bao nevertheless. As to the ginger ale, when the cashier says to get it fresh instead of in the bottle, the recommendation is a winner. Wow Bao is not authentic Chinese or Thai. What they do is good enough, though. If you are looking for authentic Chinese, then China, San Francisco, Vancouver, and Toronto are where you'll find it. I'll even go as far as to say Chicago's China Town, but go with someone from China. Wow Bao is a pleasant Westernized escape in the meantime. read more

Terrible food- we ordered the combo+2 baos, a thai bone broth and a dumpling noodle soup. Dumpling noodle soup was doused in sesame oil, noodles were stiff, starchy and tasteless. Dumplings were alright but nothing to write home about. Combo was orange chicken Lo Mein + 1 teriyaki bao and 1 bbq pork bao. Again, the lo mein was starchy, hard and basically non-edible. Baos tasted like the regular frozen ones you can get at any asian grocery store, except these are way overpriced. Bone broth was alright. My husband didn't like it but my toddler didn't have any issues with it. I thought the soups at wowbao in general are too salty. The company obviously spent a lot of marketing- great marketing to fool me into thinking there's a remotely authentic chinese fast food place in downtown Chicago. The food is so mediocre that I will never again return to this joint. read more

Wifi unacceptably slow. Pan fried potstickers were sub-par: falling apart, dry on the edges as if it came right from freezer to pan, the skins were also way too floppy. For 8 potstickers at $7, they could have done better. So this place was just ok. House music in the background was alright but a bit loud. read more

Wow Bao - Bland potstickers with no body - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois