The food here was middle of the road. It was neither bad or great. Picking different flavors of bao was fun and we got plenty to eat so that was all good. It is fine for a quick bite. read more

We ordered a variety of different Bao and the Classic Orange Chicken. Surprisingly, the orange chicken was decent. The texture on the Bao was off or maybe it was how they were cooked. None of the Bao flavors we ordered stood out to me, but none were inedible, either. The staff had a rough time trying to figure out whose order belongs to whom. The kiosk makes it easier to order, because we witnessed the staff struggle at the register too. It's been a few months since we've been here, so hopefully they trained their staff since then. On the plus side, we were in and out in under 10 minutes. Fast food mediocrity at its finest. Will it do in a pinch? Definitely. Should you go out of your way to come here? Definitely not. read more

What happened to this chain? The food is terrible, looks like slop and tastes like slop. The food used to be so tasty and the menu items have changed as well. The bao's were so delicious. Seriously, did someone take it over and change the recipes?? This used to be a treat and now I will never go back, it's a shame. Instead of wow bao, it is such a "Debbie Downer"! read more

I am in absolute disbelief of the service we experienced during our dine-in visit at Wow Bao a few weeks ago. To start, their kiosk which is required to order food was not functioning properly, and it took each customer a long time to place an order. There was a long line, but the employees still directed us to the kiosk and refused to ring up any customers on the registers. As other people were complaining about the kiosk, two employees in particular would just roll their eyes and make comments under their breath in disgust, clearly annoyed with all the customers attempting to place their order. They just stood there waiting for orders to come through and watching customers, including ourselves, struggle to use the kiosk. I would say it took close to thirty minutes to place our order and receive our food, and at least one couple just gave up and left after attempting for about 5 minutes. Once we received the food and we were just starting to eat, there was about fifteen minutes before closing time. There were also other customers dining inside and suddenly we heard the two employees yelling to everyone that we had five minutes to eat and they will be closing. Everyone looked around in disbelief as many of us had just gotten our orders with all the trouble. Then one employee said to the other, "If these people don't leave, I'm going to call security." We, along with the others in the restaurant, were shocked with the hostility used to get customers out of the restaurant (before actual closing time) and the total lack of customer service. I have never had a bad experience at Wow Bao up to this point, however this is beyond disappointing. As we left, I told both employees who had major attitude, "this is not how you treat any customer." One of them responded that they're short staffed. So many restaurants are in the same boat, and yet I've not been berated by any other restaurant's workers just for attempting to place an order and eat my food. I will not be returning to this location, and this might actually be the last time I eat Wow Bao. read more

Really wasn't that good. I got the BBQ pork bao and a sesame chicken rice bowl. The bao dough was very plain, the filling was alright, but you could taste the oil. The rice was old and the sesame chicken tasted off and greasy. read more

Prompt service in early afternoon. Had the roasted peanut noodle and the noodles were delicious. Sauce is tangy and spicy. You can even use your lettuce entertain you gift card. read more

I got food delivered through door dash from Wow Bao. Their food is salty, low quality, and very small portions. I paid $10 each for a bowl, and it was pretty much the size to feed a small child. The bao were made from frozen, considering the hard, dry outer skin. The deep fried apple cinnamon bao were not fried but steamed. All around it was a very bad experience for $90. Unless you want to get scammed, don't buy from this business. read more

As another reviewer wrote: what happened? We used to walk blocks at lunchtime to come to this place because it was good, quality food and I usually had the bowls. Months ago I got a new job close by and went here my first day. The teriaki bowl was basically rice with what looked like teriaki soup with chicken bits dumped on it. Maybe it was an off day, so I gave it a couple of more chances. Nope. The last time I went I ordered the fried rice--hard to ruin that, right? First prepare to pay $8 before taxes for a takeout size that's maybe 2/3 the size of your standard Chinese takeout box--but half full. I understand they can't make everything from scratch but the rice was soggy/mushy, totally unmemorable. So if you want small portions of really mediocre Asian food at fat prices and there's not a Panda Express close by, this place is definitely for you. Also be prepared to be served it by glum-faced employees who appear to be thinking that the only thing worse than working there is the food. What a shame. read more

I got the orange chicken with noodles bowl. The bowl is quite small for 7.99 and there are hardly any vegetables in any of their bowls plus it it was mostly noodles. I would not recommend getting the bowls. Stick with the dumplings and noodle salad and the bao for value. I do like getting the thai herb broth on a cold day or when you are feeling under the weather. read more

Wow Bao - orange chicken with noodles - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Adorable Asian fast food place. It's in a very small and unexpected location, but functions very efficiently. You place your order via touch screen stations, and there's a staff member who can help out if you need. Then, when your order is ready, it shows up on the screen. You tap the little glass compartment with your name on it to pick up your food. There are a few seats available inside, but I think most people usually do take-out. read more

Wow Bao - soup and baos - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This is my second time having bao and it was...okay. I ordered the dumpling soup, 4 baos, and Thai coffee with boba. Their boba is hard, so I wouldn't recommend that but the Thai coffee was really good. The dumpling soup was just okay. I wasn't really a fan of the broth or noodles, but I really liked the chicken dumplings. As for the bao, I was disappointed. I ordered a mangolian beef bao, 2 Kung pao chicken baos, and a chocolate bao. The chocolate bao was filled with what tasted like chocolate chips and it wasn't very good. The mangolian beef bao tasted of peanut sauce and not great. The only redeeming one was the Kung pao chicken. If I came here again it might be for the drinks and dumplings/potstickers, but not the bao. read more

Crab Rangoons were undercooked with raw batter/dough. Completely inedible and potsticker sauce is flavorless.

WOW! This place is the definition of innovation. The concept of the place is very cool. The first thing you may notice upon arriving is that there is no staff. All orders must go through the kiosks they have and sent directly to the kitchen. Now you may be wondering "well who bring my food to me if there is no staff". They have these super cool screens that display your name once your food is ready to be picked up. Can't wait to return. read more

I was hoping for a lot more from this place for some reason, but was sadly disappointed with the taste mainly. I ordered the bowl + 2 bao. For the baos I got the spicy Mongolian beef and the spicy Kung pow chicken. They were not spicy and I couldn't tell the difference between the two. If fact, they tasted like a standard pork bun you would get normally from other places. For the bowl, I got lo mein noodles with teriyaki chicken. It tasted like spaghetti with meat sauce. On a good note, I thought the portions were a nice size for the cost. read more

This place is right by the train station, convenient location. Came before they closed at 6pm on Sunday, half of the selection of Bao are out. So I ended up getting 6 pack bao of whatever they have left. (teriyaki chicken, kung Pao chicken and curry chicken two each). I can't give any compliment to any of these baos, the flavors are very off. Not sure what I was eating. We also ordered two bowls, one is hunan beef over lomien, which is off the regular menu, you will need to look at the screen, they have rotating ads showing what's special. I have to say all the meat dishes taste very similar, some spicy and salty , nothing special nothing stood out. The lomein are over cooked, very soggy doesn't have good texture. The food is nothing like asian food. Just everything done wrong. Staffs are friendly tho, but not recommend at all! read more

Wow Bao - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Fast food baos and bowls, amongst other things. And wow was it fast! It was 6 pm on a Wednesday, so barely any other customers but as soon as I put my order into the kiosk it was up in no less than 2 minutes! Granted, I only got 3 baos - 2 bbq pork and 1 chicken teryaki. And it was very affordable - only about $2 each but they tasted low quality (you get what you pay for). If I had to choose between the 2 fillings, I liked the bbq pork better. Previously, I've tried their ginger ale and it was awesome. Definitely try it if you're looking to get a drink. There's also ample seating at this location, but it's super basic/nothing special. So if you're looking for quick, affordable asian style bowls or buns, this place gets the job done (2.5/5 stars). read more

Wow Bao - 3 baos for $6.66 with tax - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Wow Bao did not wow me. It seems to try to be cool, but its not. You can order outside on a kiosk. We got the combo- 2 baos and a bowl. We chose the bbq pork bao and beef bao, as well as the kung pao chicken bowl with multigrain rice. You then seat yourself and wait for your number to be called. The baos were not great. I dont even remember which bao I was eating, both were salty and unmemorable. The kung pao chicken bowl did noy taste great. It had a lot of peanuts and was just blah. Wow bao is mediocre at most, I would call it average bao instead of wow bao. read more

Wow Bao - The inside - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I ordered Wow Bao through Uber Eats. It was the worst food I have had in a long time. I could barely eat any of it and ended up throwing most of it in the trash. Don't eat at this restaurant if you value your digestive system. read more

This place is terrible with over priced bland dumplings and workers that have no customer service. The fried rice was super greasy and the serving size is so small for the price. Not sure how this place didn't close down after the first store opened. read more

Wow no... can't comment on service or ambiance bc I ordered delivery but the bao buns were undercooked and were huge compared to the actual protein inside the bun which is unfortunate bc the protein I could taste was good. The peanut noodles came with a side of the peanut sauce but noodles themselves completely bare with small amt of cilantro and cucumber. Once I combined the sauce and noodles (not enough sauce) the flavor was super bland. Orange chicken was okay but their so called famous fried rice was overly fingered and celeried with very little veggie and egg. Was not expecting authentic or amazing but not even really edible is what it was. read more

Absolutely terrible! Ordered for delivery. The restaurant took much longer than stated when the order was placed, food arrived cold, AND -- EVERYTHING WAS COVERED IN CILANTRO. If you are going to cover everything in cilantro completely, it should be stated in the menu so those ordering with severe allergies won't get a meal delivered to them that they can't eat. I will never order again, but I do suggest allowing for customization of cilantro or no cilantro in the future for others. read more

Super fun experience! My friend and I were walking along the streets and thought let's check it out. You get to choose the type of bao [bun] and dumplings that you want to eat. Within a few minutes your order appears on the screen and you grab and go and enjoy! Definitely will come back next time I'm in Chicago! read more

Wow Bao - Pot stickers and buns - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Don't come here if you want good customer service!! The two stars were only for the baos. They are snack size & they taste okay for a fast food type bao, read more

READ BEFORE YOU CHECK OUT THIS HOT SPOT: All Stars: this location is efficient and focused. The young AA female cashier is to the point and knows the menu well. For a fast food place the food is decent, the Bone Broth is a great pick me up on the go. My stars are obviously not for the food as this is a quick spot, to complain about the food is silly. My stars are for great service, cleanliness, menu knowledge by staff, and the efficiency and accuracy of my order whether online, in person, or through the app. read more

Absolutely price/performance place. Foods are good, service is fast, location is great. You should try combos

Please update your business hours on Yelp. We stopped in at 8:15 PM - nobody in the store but the door was unlocked so we walked in. We were told the store was already closed! The staff were not very friendly - said 2 words - 'We're closed' and looked annoyed. Not a good first impression of this chain restaurant even though we were curious to want to try it. read more

These are just not right. The dough is perfectly moist, but lacks any chew, or any flavor at all. The beef filling is ground beef, which is just not right or good. read more

My boyfriend and I were walking around and noticed this food chain that serves specifically steamed buns. I love Baos so I wanted to stop by and try a bao. I'm so glad my boyfriend was willing to stop by here with me. I'm trying to culture my white boyfriend by having him try Americanized Asian food. Haha. Anyways, I didn't have high exceptions because hello, it's a fast food place. You shouldn't come here thinking this place is authentic but hey, it was decent. It had flavor. The baos weren't big but they were decently priced. I wouldn't come back here because they had nothing to die for but I'm glad I tried it. read more

Wow Bao - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I've heard about places like this in Asia, but have never come across a true self-service restaurant like this in the US. I had fun with the novelty of it - placed my order on the tablet and watched as my bao magically appeared in my designated cubby. I didn't love the bao, however. If they could improve the quality of the food, it would probably bring in more traffic. We were the only people there. read more

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absolutely the worst place I've ever eaten. was so excited to get a budget friendly dinner in downtown Chicago... but NO amount of budget saving was worth this. I don't think my gut health will ever recover. Possible poison in that orange chicken. Spicy bao was dough ball filled with red hot bile. Their water bottles were good. terriaki chicken was made out of literal horse knee cap. Plz save me from what wow bao is doing to me on the toilet rn. #isurvived #wowbaoincidentof2024 read more

When visiting Chicago this past weekend with family and friends, I had a lot of lofty goals. Each meal was planned out. But sometimes on a trip, things take some unexpected turns. On Saturday, we were going to tour a house and then eat lunch at the Chicago French Market before heading to Oak Park for the afternoon. However, our detour into Eataly meant that we didn't really have time to stop at the Chicago French Market. When I realized this, we were across the street from Wow Bao. So we thought: Why not? It'll be quick and we can move on. First of all, they have these two machines so you can order outside the restaurant. We thought we had to use these (incorrectly), so we struggled to use them until an employee came out and said that we didn't have to wait in line to use the machines, that we could order inside. Unfortunately, we were almost done at this point, so we just finished up, not really sure what we had ordered. We ordered a bunch of different things (dumplings, bao, rice bowls). Everything was fine, basic Asian fusion. Nothing in particular worth writing about. Yes, it's fast casual. But this isn't above average fast casual. It's in a very convenient location. That's its biggest pro for sure. read more

Was walking around downtown Chicago, so decided to get a snack and try out Wow Bao. Ordered the chicken teriyaki, spicy Mongolian beef and the Thai curry. Was not impressed with the baos. If you enjoy authentic steamed baos, don't waste your money and stomach on this place unless your desperate. Flavors were lagging and honestly a bit weird in a bao. read more

Wow Bao - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The food is great as always, but the service was above and beyond. Asked me if I wanted a water and had the food ready lickity-split! The place was nice too, lots of windows! read more

Agreed with most of the reviews that the food is "meh" but the convenience and the reasonable cost make this an "a-ok" dining experience overall. I appreciate that they have the calorie counts displayed everywhere, so it's easy to see the nutritional value (or lack thereof) of your options. The baos themselves are doughy comforting goodness. I found the orange flavor in the orange chicken a little too overwhelming and artificial. But the spicy mongolian beef was a great salty/sweet/spicy flavor combo. As others have said, these are not the most authentic bao you'll have, but the convenience is unbeat. If you dine in, your bao will be served in an "authentic" bamboo steamer basket, which is a cute touch. I won't seek this option out, but will come back if I'm looking for a snack in the future. read more

Wow Bao - Orange chicken and spicy Mongolian beef - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I don't think anyone should come in expecting to get fresh authentic Chinese bao's. Once you set that expectation aside though, food isn't "bad" here. The buns are generally very soft and fresh - stuffing could leave a little to be desired depending on what you get. Out of everything I've tried the best are definitely the pork bbq and teriyaki (in that order). Sometimes I come get their dumpling noodle soup ($4.99) if I'm in a pinch for lunch, it gets the job done on a cold winter day. It's surprisingly gingery - I've never tasted anything like this with authentic Chinese food haha. But it's passable. Conveniently located on the north end of the loop so could be a great place to grab a bite on your State Street shopping spree. Location is a bit hidden even though there's a big Wao Bao sign; go in through the revolving door on the southeast corner of the building (right next to the El entrance/exits). read more

I have been to a couple different locations (I am a sucker for bao), so when I was in the area this was an easy choice to make for a late lunch. If you have been to the chain before, you know what to expect. The spicy Mongolian and the pork bbq are my favorite savory options and the coconut custard is a favorite for everyone in my family. I will say that the staff at this location are really on top of things. The lady at the front counter (I am sorry I did not get her name, but she is working at 1:30 on April 4, 2022) was so nice and friendly. Food came out super fast. read more

Outstanding value and taste experience! Excellent menu and convenient locations! Dine in or carry out! Something to please everyone on this menu! read more

Me and some of my co-workers when here after discovering that existed in the area. If you are not from the area there may be a possibility of getting lost and the downtown Chicago area. We did not fail to do so. We did finally locate the restaurant as it was tucked away in a building which we had walked past a few times. You go up to the counter and look at the menu with various items located on it. Most are combos. I finally decided on what I wanted which was a chicken base Bao. The BAO is stuff with chicken with dough. I also got the rice and a drink. The nice thing was that the manager the person behind the counter gave us $5 off each order. The food was just okay. It was feeling for lunch but it was not the tastiest of meals I've ever had. I guess you can consider it fast food. If you ever want a quick meal and good customer service you should visit and give it a try. read more

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One of the better fast food options out there. Some locations are fully automated (read: less human error/getting the wrong order) but at this one you stand in line and order just like at any other fast food place. I've ordered 4 types of baos, and these are how I'd rate them, best to worst: Thai Curry Chicken: 4 stars. Delicious mix of ingredients and my go-to order now. Teriyaki Chicken: 3.5 stars. Pretty darn good and what you'd expect for teriyaki chicken in a bun. Spicy Mongolian Beef: 2 stars. The meat is wayyyy too minced and ends up being a nasty paste. But the flavor is alright. BBQ Berkshire Pork: 1 star. Just not my favorite, flavor-wise. The baos are quite bready and not authentic flavor-wise. But it's an interesting concept not unlike kolaches. read more

Wow Bao - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I enjoy the food here but they have poor quality control when it comes to takeout/delivery orders. In the five most recent times I've ordered from Wow Bao, I've had the five-piece dumplings substituted for the eight-piece dumplings twice and the dumplings missing from the order once. That is a very high rate of error. I keep ordering because I believe they'll eventually work out the kinks and also because it is one of the tastiest lunches you can get in the Loop. read more