The novelty of eating in a random, well-decorated bao house was not lost on me, and Wow Bao earned themselves style points by emblazoning the text "HOT ASIAN BUNS" in their interior. Besides amusingly camouflaged restrooms - discretely labeled with "M" and "W" - this micro chain's claim-to-fame are their cutetastic baos, administered via friendly servers with a cafeteria-style feel. My friends and I felt their bun dough was surprisingly good. Not too yielding, and slightly sweet, the few I ordered - filled with Thai curry and Kung Pao beef - were quite tasty and perfect for a late lunch. My only regret was not going there hungrier so I could try more. Compared to their bao, their sides (tried the salad, and noodles) could use a bit of improvement to make them, er, edible. Wow Bao is classy and hip, and I'd return for their bao (they're open for breakfast!) if I worked in the area. read more

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Overall, wow bao is a nice asian food option in Chicago. I generally get the chicken dumplings or pork potstickers both are pretty good. I like that their food is generally pretty low in calories (except for the bao's). Their calorie information is also readily available if you ask for it or look on their website. I like that they offer lettuce wraps, since it is a great healthy option. I had the thai curry chicken, I didn't like it too much. I thought the chicken was too saucy and salty. I wouldn't recommend it. read more

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

Cute place - trendy ambiance with lots of red and white. It's fun to see the giant metal steamers at work. Their bao are pretty decent and make for some yummy breakfast food. Definitely not on the same level as what my grampa used to make from scratch, but you can only ask for so much in a mass-produced fast-food joint. They apparently also have potstickers and something resembling rice congee here, neither of which I tried. Note to those that stop by for breakfast - apparently they only make up to four of any particular type of bao at a time during their early hours. I tried getting a six pack of the BBQ and the cashier checked on how many were already steamed up before apologizing that I'd have to either wait or pick two of something else. That was fine - I discovered that their teriyaki wasn't bad, either. Two or three of their bao here should be enough to ensure that you're not going to be hungry for the rest of the morning. If you're a glutton like me, you'll wolf down that many right away, then snack on another three until lunch. read more

Wow Bao - Store Inside - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I love steamed buns, and while on a trip here I needed some good food without the wait. They delivered with easy way to order on a touch pad and the service was quick, friendly, and the buns were delicious!!! Absolutely wonderful and don't forget to get some mochi ice cream to enjoy after!!! Definitely planning on coming here again before I leave! read more

I came here expecting a lot of WOW, and left with a MEH. Wow Bao is a Chinese-American buns chain scattered throughout Chicago. I came in here for a quick dinner before a theater show nearby, and was hoping for some good flavors and bites at such a well-known establishment. I've had Wow Bao before during work luncheons, and I have to say that I will never be returning to order anything for myself. The food was simply unimaginative, lacked flavor, and pricey. I ordered two different buns (one honey glazed pork belly and Szechuan Beef. Both buns were prepared almost like they were at Taco Bell... it was just super bland. At $3.99 a piece, I regretted buying both since they were definitely not good. If you have to eat here, go straight for the baos. Otherwise, I would save your money and time for somewhere else. read more

Wow Bao - Pork Belly And Szechuan Beef Bun- very uninspired and bland - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

When my friend and I found Wow Bao on Yelp while searching for food, we were immediately intrigued because steamed buns are delicious! Usually. And it's hard to get them in Miami. I immediately bookmarked one of the locations. Earlier today, my friend and I finally had time to go to Wow Bao after going to the Field Museum and then head to the Navy Pier. This was probably one of the worst decisions I've ever made in my life to eat there. The food weren't "wow"ing :-(, it was worst than frozen entree and food court food. My friend and I ordered the advertised new chicken & kale fried rice, add 2 bao (edamame and teriyaki chicken), and open face bun pork belly. All for $16.47 with tax. When we got the food, the chicken & kale fried rice looked SO SAD (feel free to see pictures uploaded). It tasted horrible as well. Rice was soggy and drenched in sauce. Chicken was dry. Kale was not happy. There weren't even that much kale. The fried rice didn't even really resemble the advertised picture, not even one bit. The baos were soggy, especially on the bottom. Teriyaki didn't taste so good and edamame was just mostly a paste. The pork belly open face bun was ok but definitely not worth $3.99. We left Wow Bao feeling not-so-great. read more

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I don't know what it is, I'm aware that Wow Bao is Chinese American and is obviously not a traditional Chinese spot or whatever, but man I love their food. Normally I get teriyaki chicken with rice, but I decided to switch it up and have the chicken on top of noodles instead and it was quite tasty. And of course I always gotta have a Bao cause the baos will really make you go wow! Fun fact, the bbq pork Bao is my fav and it's stellar. Every time I come in I love how they maintain their cleanliness and the staff most of the time is pretty nice. Last night was an exception (negative part I'm sorry) but the guy working didn't smile or say hi and didn't even start asking what can I get for you. It wasn't a big deal for me nor did I care, but I can imagine another customer taking it the wrong way. That's why a good attitude is important! Besides that little thing, I still give it 4 stars cause every time I came before it's always been a good experience. read more

Wow Bao - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

On my last trip to Chicago, our living quarters was literally right around the corner, so each day when we got on the rail we would walk right past it. It was not on my places to try so we just kept on walking. On this particular trip it wasn't on our list of places to check out but we were about an hr earlier to go to the airport so we decided to stop by for a late lunch. We ordered a wide variety of baos. My gf had them on her last trip and swore by the bbq pork. Luckily, I didn't dive all in because we both agreed they were just meh this time around. I tried the mongolian beef and curry chicken baos and both were terrible. I was ready to write this place off until my very last bao. The coconut custard! DAMN this thing is amazing. I had to get 2 more to go, which was devoured at the airport. Skip all the meat ones and just get the coconut dessert bao. read more

Serves a variety of Bao, most very tasty. Very unique - hope we can get one near us soon! read more

Wow Bao - Wow, bao! - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Very disappointed. We ordered 2 teriyaki chicken bowls with no veggies, and we got(what we think) is Mongolian beef?? No utensils or napkins and missing our dumplings! read more

My teenage daughters wanted to try this place while we were downtown. Nice variety of Bao buns. Would definitely try again.

I've been to other Wow Bao and always had good service and this location was no exception. The buns were fresh and not dry and steamed well. I really like the pork and the chocolate buns. The chocolate is actually quite good! Thai Tee is a bit sweet and not quite as authentic as I like. This however won't stop me from going again. read more

We ordered three things: the coconut custard bao, the kung pao bao, and the passion fruit ginger ale. The kung pao bao was "meh." However, my hubby was in with the coconut custard bao and I was in love with their passion fruit ginger ale. I think we stopped by Wow Bao about four times during our weekend in Chicago just to get these two over and over again. These two items are probably the only reason they deserve four stars, everything else on the menu just doesnt seem significant enough for me to want to try. TIP: This location has a touch screen order system right outside the door. It's so easy to use and your order is pretty much done by the time you finish paying. I ordered once and saw a line inside and my food was done way before the people in the line. I guess they didnt see the machines right outside the door. read more

Wow Bao - Coconut custard + Kung Pao bao - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Me and my brother were tired after going to comic con the previous day. Had some chinese food craving. Excellent place. We ordered the Spicy teriyaki bowl with jasmine rice, bun with sri racha chicken and bao with kung pao. Pao in Bao (Has a nice ring to it right?) It is a wee bit pricey, but the service is fast, place is hygienic and the meat/food quality was good and it was all delicious Go for it, you won't have any regrets read more

Wow Bao - Teriyaki jasmine rice bowl, sriracha chicken bun, kung pao bao - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Very yummy, right near Chicago theater. Just got off the train and hit the spot. Was pretty fast and casual. Some of the lemonades (ginger I think) were a little too sweet, the hibiscus was good tho. read more

Wow Bao - The O. G. BUN-dle - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I picked up a large catering order from Wow Bao for lunar New Year. At first when I tried to call in my order, the employee was not sure if they could accommodate my requests for 6 flavors among 84 bao so I was told the manager wouldd call me back. I definitely appreciate that the manager did call me back and we worked through our order together!! It was really easy to place my catering order through the phone after that and here is what I ordered; Curry bao Teriyaki bao Coconut bao Bbq pork bao Mongolian beef bao Kung pao bao My favorite was the classic bbq pork and coconut bao!! I came at 12 pm,, and the food was already prepared and came in large serviing trays. The bao was piping hot which was a good sign! Additionally all of the bao are individually labeled which made it eAsy to eAt. I appreciate that they served tongs with the bao as well. I would definitely get wow bao again read more

Says they close at 9, drove 30 minutes there just to be only told they closed at 8. Reviews were bad anyway. Save yourself the time. Staff wasn't friendly. read more

Several years go before I discovered America's foodie scene, my wife and I discovered Wow Bao in Chicago. It's a trendy fast casual chain only in Chicago serving bao and pot stickers at an affordable price. You order and pay from a kiosk, quick and easy. Literally three minutes later, you have your food. This location is in an office building. It seems small, but it surprisingly has a lot of seating. Their bao is fine. Not the best you'll have but it is tasty (I recommend the BBQ pork bao of the kung pao bao). They also have dessert chocolate bao. That used to be my dream but they but shredded coconut in the chocolate filling adding an off putting texture and flavor. It's not true chocolate! read more

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Meh on the food itself. Walked by a huge line today outside of the store not knowing it was National Bao Day aka free lunch at Wow Bao. I'm always down for free food, especially when it means trying something new! I ordered 3 bao: spicy Mongolian beef, Thai curry chicken and bbq pork. I liked BBQ pork the best- most flavorful and least dry. The dough itself is definitely lacking. Having studied abroad in China, I had plenty of bao... so maybe just a tough comparison. read more

I am afraid that I cannot give this location anything but a lousy review. Knowing it to be a takeaway location for dumplings I placed an order on its website, and set out to pickup my dinner. I live in Buffalo Grove and Evanston is a good 45 minutes away. My wife and I usually go downtown for dim sum so this was a chance to find someplace a little closer. Having arrived at the address my wife and I tried to find the location with great difficulty (no signage nor visible street numbers). We finally got there and even though we already paid for the order online, they claimed to have no record of the purchase. Wasting my time giving me various people to call and make a claim, I got extremely angry since no one wanted to address the issue I finally left. The next day there was a refund on the account although god only knows how it got there. I have learned that Wow Bao is now in my local supermarket freezer section and although I have yet to try it they are available. I will never try their restaurants again. read more

Order from the tablet out front. 3 bag should work for a basic meal. Good variety. Atmosphere is kinda meh, but it's unique fast food.

To preface, I gave this a shot via Walmart (frozen food section) and chose the BBQ pork. Two ingredients of my own (separate from the packed dumplings) made this doable: fresh cilantro and fire hot habanero sauce. Otherwise, this would have been like eating a surgical glove with a little bit of "meh" pork. Buyer beware! read more

Got kung pao bowl + potstickers + bao for lunch. It was amazing. The bbq bao is authentic as what I could expect from a Chinese dim sum place. Order pickup was quick and accurate; staff were extremely helpful. read more

I went to Wow Bao for their free lunch event and I thought it was just okay. I ordered the Thai chicken curry bowl with zucchini oodles and overall I thought it was okay. The curry was more watery than I was expecting and on the bland side. The portion was also pretty small, especially for $8ish dollars. read more

A big wow for bao! I was so impressed to find a restaurant (casual setting though) that was dedicated to bao. I love bao. So I was so thrilled with all of their selection. Hopefully I can buy some to bring home. I bought 2 pieces: a whole wheat veggie bao and the Mongolian beef one. They are pretty good. I loved how they are all ready in their respective steamers, so there is no wait time unless you are ordering a gluten free one because that one takes a bit longer to prep. Don't have a lot of time? Order yours to-go. If you have some time to eat-in, there is a fair amount of seating inside. I grew up eating bao/steam buns from different ethnic cuisines and I've always really enjoyed the taste and texture of them. I wish they would open one of these where I live. read more

THIS IS THE BEST place for some HOT ASIAN BUNS! The baos here are on point! They are always warm and toasty and taste super fresh. I went three times in the past month, and I never had a bad experience. The bbq pork is my favorite along with the yummy chocolate bao. This is a clean fast food place that always delivers. The pop is a tad expensive! The pop is 2.79!? Just for a fountain drink? Common. The baos are also rather expensive. For a pack of six it is $11.79 but it's worth it for a great treat. Plus, you only really need 2-3 to fill you up! They also have a great rewards program that is worth signing up for! read more

My family loves potstickers and bao. After 2 bites my son asked what is this and proceeded to say he's full...not a normal thing for him with dumplings. The bao order was incorrect but the ones we did get just tasted like mush. The potstickers didn't come with the normal sauce or any ( no big deal usually they are full of flavor) nope the ginger chicken ones also just taster like mush. We won't be back read more

I ordered Mongolian beef and a chocolate bao with a cup of broth on the side. It was all really yummy! The bao was smaller than expected, but two were enough for a light dinner. The restaurant has a fast food vibe. You order at a kiosk at the entrance and wait for your food at the counter. There are public restrooms. I really want to try the other dessert bao next time I go, but I definitely recommend the beef. read more

It took me quite a long time to try this place somehow as I end up at chinatown most times when I crave for Chinese Food.Well this place is a easy to pick something quickly and grab a bite while you are on your way back. This Spot is right in middle of downtown and spacious enough to accommodate 20-25 people.You can order at the counter or at the kiosks outside the store.There are good number of choices for Bao and Bowls as well. I like the Kung pao bao and coconut cream (my fav) and they seem to have Nutella filled bao too. The Kung Pao bowl is spicy and is very filling.Good thing is you can pick the food and eat at the lake. Pros: Quick Service Tasty Food Pick your food and eat on the go. Pick your grab read more

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I wish I had one of these in my home state! I ordered from a touchscreen kiosk, paid, and my food was ready in less than 2 minutes. I ended up just getting the teriyaki and kung pao chicken bao and they were both pretty bomb. The flavor was really great in both and the Kung pao had a nice kick to it. read more

Wow Bao - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

5 stars for service from the long black hair lady at front cashier area. On point, helpful, just enough in charge. Made eating here great. Only two stars for the food, all noodle dishes are shit. Don't order. Baos are just mediocre. Best item is the dumplings with meat mix filling. Quite good. But the rest of the food was so bad it ruined lunch. Won't voluntarily ever go back read more

A big let down. Everything we ordered was cold upon pick up and we weren't late- the bao and the potstickers both dead cold inside. The boba in the Thai iced tea was not cooked at all, couldn't even chew it. The ginger lemonade was selter water (???) with a lime wedge in it and a hint of ginger flavor - very weird and no where was it mentioned the lemonade would be carbonated. Flavors of everything - chicken potstickers, veggies potstickers, beef bao, pork bao, chicken bao, sauces- just were off which was super disappointing because at minimum chicken teriyaki should be easy. read more

Was excited to try this place while visiting Chicago, but we were disappointed. Orange chicken was bland and does not look appetizing. Boa buns were very salty and raw. read more

Wow Bao - Orange Chicken Bowl with lo mein. - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I was excited to find this place. We ordered 2 of the 6 bao. What we got was a pile of raw mush. read more

Wow Bao - 2 runny and raw bao - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

First time having bao and I really like it. The kung pao chicken was supposed to be spicy but it wasn't. I got the noodle kung pao chicken and my bf got 4 buns. The beef was the best one. The teriyaki was my least favorite. The lemonade was delicious. read more

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Express Bao and Asian Fix Bao was good but was kinda confused coz they didn't actually tell us which was which. Looking to try the rest of the menu. read more

Wow Bao - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The pork cabbage pot stickers were delicious! The sesame-mustard sauce I got to go with it made it even better as well. However, the only bao that stood out to me was the pork bbq. For some reason the spicy kung pao chicken and thai curry chicken left an unpleasant lingering taste in my mouth. If you get the bao fresh, then the outside of the bun was fluffy. The price was decent, considering it's Chicago. The service was great because it was a fast-food style. It's a good place to hit up if you're on-the-go or have a short lunch break. read more

Wow Bao - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I had the bbq pork bun and the teriyaki chicken bun. They actually tasted the same, or just really really similar. These baos are also anything but authentic. They didn't taste like Chinese buns at all! I still have them two stars cause they were pretty hot and fresh. read more

Overall eh. Orange chicken bowl did not taste like orange chicken and some of the crust from the orange chicken was rock hard. And there was 95% noodles and 5% chicken. And it look like it was crumbs of chicken. Not even like pieces of chicken. The Mongolian Beef Bao was blah. Just tasted like a sloppy joe mix in a piece of dough. Only thing that was decent was the potstickers. But i don't even know how you can screw up making those. Wouldn't go back unless I had a taste for a cheaper Panda Express read more

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

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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