Consistently good and tasty, if not fabulous, buns / baos. Loved chocolate, curry chicken, kung pao. Liked Mongolian beef, coconut, apple cinnamon and pork ones. OK for the edamame one (I prefer with meat). Homemade ginger ale is good with them. Wishing now they open one in my hometown! hence, I could taste one of their bowls, salads,soups and dumplings! read more

I'll admit it -- I was wow'd. I got the combo with 2 baos and the spicy peanut noodle (all for $6.29). For the baos, I tried the Kung Pao and Teriyaki chicken flavors. I loved both of them, but I really liked the sweet kick of the Teriyaki chicken. My friends, however, swore by the Kung Pao. The bao tends to be heavier on the breadier side as opposed to the filling side. I think the ratio is perfect. The only thing I found disappointing was the my side of spicy peanut noodles. It is a cold salad and I just didn't like the peanut sauce. It tasted a bit vinegar-y to me... I will definitel be coming back here for quick and yummy lunch. Tips/Comments: - Get 3 to 4 baos will fill you up - Craving a snack at home? Buy the frozen baos. They are easy to heat and absolutely addictive. read more

Mmm mmmm! Tasty! :) A rollercoaster visit. I showed up an hour before closing time - it was nice and quiet. Ordered on the touch-screen terminal outside the front door (a really nice touch and super efficient to use) and then stepped up to the counter. However.... None of my food was available :( Spicy peanut noodles was all out, and pretty much all of the buns I wanted weren't available either. However - this was expertly rescued by the staff, who suggested the other flavors I should go for (while being very encouraging about how tasty they would be!) and also offered me an extra bun for free as an apology. The noodle salad I ended up with (she described it as pad thai but honestly it was nothing like that) was 'ok' - nothing special and rescued from total disaster by the sesame dressing, but the buns were DELICIOUS. Not authentic at all, but that didn't stop them from being really really moist, well-proportioned and super super tasty. I had the mongolian beef and teriyaki chicken. Really really good, and very good value too. Not many sub-$10 dinner places out there in this city! read more

I decided to give this place a try for a late lunch yesterday. Pretty quiet when I came in, but the cashier still was acting really rushed. If you don't know what you want, order outside on the weird kiosk things so you can take your time. I got the mongolian beef bowl and two bao, the bbq pork and the thai chicken. Sooo disappointed when I saw the bowl. Look up mongolian beef on google images. Then come back to me. Not hamburger helper meat right?? Well here they serve you ground beef. The taste was okay but it wasn't what I was looking for at all. I didn't realize that they just use extra bao filling to make the bowls. Mehhh The baos though... I was surprised by how good they were. I love bbq pork bao and this one was really good. Yes, it doesn't taste like a traditional one, but if ya really went to a LEYE chain to get authentic bao, thats on you. The thai chicken was okay too though I'd try a different flavor if I went back. Overall, if I was in the loop and needed a snack, I'd grab a couple bao from here. But not the bowls. Nope. read more

Clean and quick! Shared 6 boas with the boyfriend! Two BBQ pork, two spicy chicken, one chocolate, and one coconut custard! Try the drink special. It was smoky and refreshing at the same time!! read more

Wow Boa is a decent fast-casual if you're craving bao, but one thing that Wow Bao does VERY well (in my opinion) is pork pot stickers. Honestly, I can eat like 20 of those things and not order anything else. However, I wanted to leave this review mainly for the manager here (or at least I think she is). This location is near my office so I come by here often for lunch, and she is always working the entire place, taking orders, calling out orders as they are ready, helping prep food. But most importantly, she does this all with a genuine smile and care for every customer who walks in. I ordered my beloved pot stickers, and she said it'd be a few minutes so they could make more (which I had no issue with). But she went above that and apologized and offered a complimentary drink while I waited. Every time I visit it's the same consistent awesome customer service. I'll try and catch her name next time so I can update my review her to make sure she is recognized for her hard work! read more

Mall food. Not very good but not the worst food I've ever had. Wouldn't recommend to others. The fried rice doesn't seem fried. Seems more like it's sticky rice with flavors. Buns were meh-nothing to write home about. I got the teriyaki bowl with two buns and a soda. My husband got the orange chicken with pot stickers and a soda. Total was $30. read more

I love this place, mostly for the shear novelty. Its a great spot to go for lunch with a few coworkers, especially when the weather is nice because of the large outdoor patio. Honestly, the bao are good, but I prefer the pot stickers. Who wouldn't love pot stickers for lunch? The one problem is that the inside is a mess in terms of layout and design. It can be difficult to navigate and find a table during the lunch hour rush. if its nice, the outdoor area makes it a little easier to find seating. I haven't had the breakfast, but I'm curious and hope to try it soon. read more

When I moved in down the street from this place, all I heard was, "You HAVE to try Wow Bao!" Not one to be stupid and ignore glowing recommendations, I headed over tonight and ordered some dinner. Here's what I got: Chicken potstickers with mustard sauce: AWESOME. DELICIOUS. Would go back for more of those. Kung Pao Bao: SPICY! Mongolian Beef Bao: SPICY! BBQ Bao: Yummy! The bread they use for the bao is delicious and I think with flavors that don't set my tongue/mouth on fire, it's a tasty little treat. I just happened to pick some majorly hot items and I'm someone who avoids spice and burning like herpes. I think I'll go back and try some of the rice dishes or salads to get a better idea of the overall quality. read more

This local chain is awesome! Great, affordable, fresh, relatively healthy, fast food. Cool contemporary design, music and general atmosphere, and an efficient, fun way of utilizing technology (app, order kiosk). They should grow it into a national chain, sort of a Chipotle for Asian Food. read more

Healthy and Tasty Bao's! All my friends and family miss the Bao they tasted, when they visited us in Chicago...A Bao as an appetizer, Bowl of rice and Coconut/Choclate Bao as a dessert!! Full course meal under $9!! One of the my fav places and must visit places in Downtown Chicago.. Can't complain about the location!! In water tower place!! Get tired shopping, get refreshed with a couple Bao's :) read more

Good location! Yummy little addictive treats, Mmm to those bao's! Friendly staff. Small selection but convenient location. Very rare have I experienced mistakes by them, but when I have they have done a great job at rectifying the situation. read more

The baos themselves are such a letdown. It was like eating steamed dinner rolls with meh-flavored fillings. I had the Teriyaki and the Mongolian baos and they were both disgusting, the Teriyaki more so. It also didn't help that the wrapper literally stuck to the bottom of the bao so I either had to eat the wrapper or remove nearly a fourth of the bao to get the stupid thing off. Thankfully I had spicy Mongolian beef over lo mein noodles before I delved into those softened, steamed, play-dough puffs, otherwise I would've easily just thrown all that food out. The Mongolian beef and noodle bowl is the only redeeming quality about this place. read more

Wow Bao, how are you so good? I've been a huge fan of Wow Bao since they opened at Water Tower Place. It fills me with joy to see them opening additional locations, including this one. My favorite baos are probably the Thai Curry Chicken and Coconut. If it wouldn't lead to an instant coronary, I could probably kill 2 or 3 coconut bao in a sitting, hungry or not. Their ginger ale is also extremely good, assuming you don't mind the strong natural flavor of ginger (Canada Dry it is not). It also helps that the bao are relatively inexpensive and service is fast. read more

Pretty disappointed with my first time at Wow Bao. I used the convenient machines outside which I thought were great. From order to pick up I wanted about 5 mins, not too bad. I only ordered the Dumpling Noodle Soup. A few orders taken inside but after I completed my order via machine was completed before mine. The broth was very bland, the noodles are tough, and my dumplings were all broken as you can see in the picture the pork is not even inside the dumpling. It would have been a good deal for less than $5 but I didn't even eat it after the first two bites. I'm probably never coming back to Wow Bao again. read more

Wow Bao - Dumpling Noodle Soup. Wasn't good and pork meat was not even inside the broken dumpling - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Have about 8 flavors of Bao you can choose from, not really the traditional type of Chinese Baozi if that's what you are looking for. Not too bad for the price though. read more

Don't try to go 30 min before they close because they lock the door and shut everything down at least 25 min before. They then yell to you through the glass door that they're closed and put their headphones in. So rude. read more

I have been to the Wow Bao at Water Tower Place and fell in love with the locations. When i found there was one a lot closer to my office I so had to go there. One of my co-workers and I decided since it was our one buy lunch that week we decided to go to Wow Bao on Lake and State. Such a great idea. I walked down for the order to go and found that there was a nice little kiosk located outside of the restaurant and thought I would give it a try. I mean how bad could it be to order from a machine, right? It was the easiest thing i had ever done and it takes your payment! Within 5 minutes of having placed the order I was walking out the door. I love the Mongolian beef, but be prepared for it to be spicy. I love the Curry Chicken Bao and I have found a new love for the Coconut Custard Bao. My co-worker had the Kung Pow Chicken and loved it! I can see this as a future lunch place, and more frequent when the weather gets warmer!!! read more

I love this place! You have the option to use their two kiosks or go to a cashier to order. I used the super fast kiosk. I LOVE their little hot buns! You can get them in several different flavors and the service is super fast. I was just there about two weeks ago and I am craving more. The best is their homemade ginger ale with real ginger. It is so good and better than the usual Coke, Sprite, etc. options. What was special about this particular location was, I accidentally spilled my heavenly ginger ale drink on the floor. It was a total accident! I told the workers at the counter so no one would slip and fall on it. Not only did they mop it up right away, but they automatically gave me a brand new ginger ale drink at no extra cost. I was willing to pay for another one since it was MY fault. Kudos for the yummy, fast food but also the superior customer service!!!!!! :) Thank you, Wow Bao! read more

After spending the last 2 years in China I was surprised to find this place not far from my work. I must admit I was skeptical but this place is pretty awesome! They are pretty busy during lunch hour on weekdays but have a pretty good system for moving people through the line pretty fast. You can either order at one of the 2 kiosks outside or at the counter inside. I tried the 6 set of baozi with a glass of their homemade ginger ale. The ginger ale was phenomenal! I would come back to this place solely for it! For the baozi I mixed it up with some Thai curry, BBQ pork, teriyaki chicken, and the coconut desert one. Not surprisingly, my favorite one was the one frequently ate while in China, the BBQ pork. It was sweet and mildly spicy with a generous portion of delicious pork inside. The curry ones were really good as well although couldn't hold a flame to the BBQ pork ones. The teriyaki chicken one was my least favorite of the flavors that I tried. I'm sure if you love teriyaki chicken you will probably like it more than I did. The coconut desert bao wasn't too bad either. It was a nice finish to the meal but I think the next time I'll substitute it for another meat filled one. You can also order rice bowls and pasta dishes and combo them with 2 baozi if you are looking for something a bit heavier. The friendly staff and delicious food will keep me coming back again and again! read more

Great fast snack or meal. We tried the teriyaki chicken, spicy Kung pao chicken (very spicy), and bbq pork. Great place to grab a snack. 2 are plenty. 9/29/18 - I am in Chicago so I went back to Wow Bao. Once again, the food was excellent. I tried the noodle dumpling soup. It was tasty, but the dumplings are steamed and pan fried like they look in the picture. read more

I received the wrong order. After returning to the restaurant, the staff was unapologetic and unhelpful.

Went with 2 friends. I got the veggie rice bowl, which was absolutely unpalatable. It was an extremely small serving of vegetables on rice without any noticeable flavoring or sauce. I asked the server if they could do anything to make it more flavorful but was told they couldn't. I tried adding soy sauce and chili sauce but that didn't help. We were also told to leave 5 minutes after sitting down to dine as the restaurant was about to close. I wish they would've informed while we were ordering dine in. The service left a LOT to be desired. Won't go again. read more

I really love their potstickers and crave the dipping sauce. The baos are also very good.

I've always seen such long lines at water tower for this place and was happy to see it on my way out of train station so I stopped in for dinner yesterday it was really great ! Unfortunately I'm giving low scores for customer service I've never been there before and the women at the register was so rude and jist didn't want to be there I needed so help or suggestions or maybe some bundle options and she just wasn't having it I didn't even know you could take any home frozen until I was looking for something to drink so I ordered a orange chicken bowl And 2 teriyaki boas it was all really good and I definitely want to come back but idk I didn't even know they served sauce until I heard someone ask for it and when I finally did ask for sauce the guy w the longer hair Cooking stepped up and was really nice Maybe he should be in front helping ppl. It just made the whole experience aggravating. read more

Hot Asian Buns Come on, that's the best tag line ever! Slightly pricy but the food is definitely a couple notches above basic Chinese fare. The bao were perfect, with different filling options : predictable BBQ pork, Kung pao chicken, Mongolian beef, veggie, and ooh couple good dessert options. My mind said no but my taste buds said yes yes yes to the chocolate bao. Oh, I checked into foursquare before ordering so got a second bao free! read more

First time in so I sampled way more than an ave person should consume at 11:30am. The cashier recommended 4 bao (dumplings) for a meal. I think 2-3 would have been plenty. I especially loved the chicken curry bao and the spicy Mongolian beef bao. Quick, fast and a decent meal for under $10. I found the BBQ and teriyaki too sweet for my taste. read more

Wow Bao - My favorite Bao (dumplings) are the spicy Mongolian beef and chicken curry. Yum. - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

4* - Located inside the Renaissance Hotel but right off State street 2* - thai noodle soup with chicken. Not authentic at all 2.5* - Kung pao chicken bao. Filling is kind of mushy but the bun was soft (not soft & slight sweet like the real deal) 3* - chicken pot stickers. Taste like generic frozen potstickers. Best thing is the ginger dipping sauce 3* - bbq pork bao. Bottom line- always go to a chinese establishment for your baos. read more

The baos are delicious, definitely worth repeat. The BBQ pork bao though not authentic to the real thing, its close enough. Some items are more closer to asian fusion than chinese. I enjoyed it, definitely would recommend the place. read more

Wow Bao - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Still love the idea but they have lost the shine to the place. They were good but not pipping hot. Just before the lunch crowd you'd think they would be ready for the rush. Still fun to go to but for a lite lunch, $24 is a little steep when they are not on their A game. Minus 1. read more

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Saw this place and decided to try it out, I'm a vegetarian and I ordered the Lomain with vegetables and it was very plain. The noodles were very plain and stale, they did not have any sauces. I ordered the edamami bao and it was good but not best. It wasn't worth it. read more

While staying in a hotel across the street, I originally thought that I would just eat here out of convenience. What a delicious surprise! We got a 6 pack assortment of buns and ALL of the flavors were absolutely delicious! We also tried the potstickers and they were just as awesome! I had never had bao buns before and now I know I've been missing out! I will definitely be back! read more

I got some of their food on door dash and was super excited to try some local Asian food. I was disappointed by the rice bowl it seemed like it was a microwavable frozen dinner. The Bao was decent overall I didn't enjoy the food as I hoped to. Unfortunately I won't be eating here again. read more

Just average nothing spectacular to say about this place. The bao buns were ok I have had better. However it was late and when everything downtown Chicago was closed, it was doable. read more

Had lunch at Wow Bao. First time having a Bao, was pretty impressed with the flavor. Even my co-workers that have experienced Bao in the past thought they were good. Also had the chicken bowl...very good. Will probably go again, nice that it's right around the corner from work. read more

I was too excited to eat bao, but about 1 1/2 bao in I started feeling nauseous. There was an excessive amount of dough, and the filling were so bland that I couldn't finish the rest :/ I guess if you want some quick, fast-food-style bao on the go this would be a good stop, but I will most-likely not be returning. read more

This is a great place! Everyone is friendly, it's open late, and it's great food! I went in at 6:45 on a cold January night, 15 minutes before closing. They were out of the Peanut Thai dish, but they let me get the dressing (the best part, IMHO) with the asian veggie salad. And the 2 baos were taking a while, so they gave me a free small soda while I waited! Also, don't forget to check in on Foursquare, you can get a free bao with each checkin! read more

I love to call this my "GrubHub Gem", and for many reasons. There's a reason as to why it's called Wow Bao: because wow, their baos. The first time I came here I ordered myself a teriyaki bowl with lo mein, a barbecue pork Bao and a chocolate Bao, and a homemade ginger ale. Their bowls are pretty decent, good flavor but I find the texture of the chicken to be grainy in a way, but the baos totally made up for it. They are so tasty and come with so many different fillings as well, so everyone could find something they like! I find the chocolate Bao highly underrated. it's filled with a gooey dark chocolate with bits of coconut and it is a perfect way to finish your meal: it's like a warm chocolate chip cookie! Their ginger ale was great as well: very sharp and have a nice smooth flavor. I ended up leaving with another chocolate Bao and a pomegranate ginger ale! The atmosphere of it is really nice: very modern and pretty. In addition, they offer frozen baos to take home and a fridge section for various hibiscus drinks and Argo teas! I'll admit the location is pretty difficult to find: the address give will get you to the hotel, Renaissance, that Wow Bao is connected to instead of the restaurant itself. You can find this location right under the State/Lake stop and right by Potbellys and Chik-Fil-A. A fair word of warning for Yelpers with allergies to peanuts--Wow Bao uses peanut oil to cook their foods, with the exception of the dessert baos, so if anything ask first about the food and its contents! read more

Amazing food. Amazing service. Point blank period. If you're looking for a quick bite grab some bao for sure. If you're looking for a dinner you can still come and get a bowl, with a side of bao of course! You just have to get bao If you come in!! read more

I absolutely love Wow Boa!! The Baos are delicious and the teriyaki bowl is to die for as well. The staff is not The friendliest, but if you're looking for a quick yummy Asian lunch, Wow Bao is the place to go!! read more