Wow, Wow Bao! Ok, this is going to be a long review because I believe context will help paint a picture for my review. Also, I'm going on Google Maps to post this as well. My rating system: cust srvc, cleanliness, food preparation and quality. My aunt and cousin came in from California, invited me to join them for lunch, and allowed me to pick the place to eat. Their hotel was downtown, since I don't eat out much these days, I had no idea 'Food Life' the buffet style restaurant at the Water Tower Place was no longer there. Since we were all famished, we decided to give Wow Bao a try. Sad workers and no customers should have tipped us off to the quality of food being served. Once we got our food and found a place to sit in the Mall, we were very quickly disappointed with what resembled the taste of saw-dust and cardboard in the shape of 'whole wheat vegetable Bao,' 'Green vegetable potstickers,' 'Orange Chicken,' 'White rice,' and 'Hibiscus Ice Tea.' No, I'm sure saw-dust and cardboard weren't actually used in the recipe, but I can't think of any reason why the taste was so bad. We just happened to be under a mural advertisement of Wow Bao, where people were eating their food, smiling, and laughing. My cousin said this was false advertisement since we were definitely not smiling and happy to eat their food. Cust srvc: The person taking the order was awake, that was a plus. He wasn't super cheerful or overly rude, just bland (much like the food). The order was placed accurately, but that was to be expected. 1-star. Cleanliness: From what we could see around the counter and where the food was being cooked was clean. 1-star. Food preparation and quality: "Disgusting," is what my aunt and cousin said. The part that baffled me is that the food looked exactly how it looks in the picture, so that means it should have been good, right? Or at least tasted like food. 0-star. Total average rating: 1 star, at least the guy taking our order was honest about his food experience at his workplace, which was worth 1 star. I ate as much as I could to beat down my hunger, then went to another place where there was a steady stream of customers. At the end, we felt bad about throwing away food and decided to give it to a homeless person whose sign said "will sing for food." He took one look at the bag with the name 'Wow Bao' on it and declined the offer. Wow, couldn't even get rid of it to the most destitute of citizens. read more

Wow bao is a tiny tuck shop like establishment that sells baos (Chinese buns), rice, noodles, salad and even quinoa with curries and stir fries. Soups are also available and their own brewed ginger bee available in a plain and pomegranate flavour. The food is cheap and delicious. And good after a day before shopping or substantial enough before.tpure out shopping at mag mile. I had the sticky kung pao chicken with rice and the kung pao chicken. Both delicious. Definitely going back read more

Wow Bao - Kung pao chicken bao and teriyaki chicken with rice in a bowl for $9.37 - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Super cute restaurant with a pretty seamless food delivery idea. The bbq pork bao are my favorite! Very affordable priced and kinda a fun experience! Customer service is exceptional. For people with nut allergies: the kung pao chicken bao has peanuts. read more

This small stand is curiously located in the main lobby of Water Tower Place. It features Chinese-style steamed buns that can be good snacks for on-the-go shoppers. It's a cute little outlet, but there is absolutely no seating in this area. A sign points the way to seating once you ride the escalators up to the next level. read more

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

See all

Decor = Awful. Food = Decent but overpriced. Price = Overpriced for what it is. Would not come here again. The food was mediocre while the prices were steep for what it is. The kung pao rice bowl was pitiful - there were barely pieces of chicken in it and the rice portion was quite small as well. The baos were okay but not worth what we paid for it. I'll just go to chinatown next time. ALSO, I asked to try the pomegranate ginger ale and the person said no! What the heck? We ended up getting it and it wasn't as great as everyone says it is. read more

Really like this place - I absolutely love steamed dumplings and bao are like an even better version! They are well-stuffed with goodies and you can get a filling small meal without breaking the bank. I've tried all six "savory" types offered at Water Tower Place, and love all of them - my favorites are thai chicken curry and whole wheat edamame. The one thing I will warn against is the thai chicken broth - I probably should have known this, but it's literally just chicken broth served in a paper cup. Not worth $2 - stick with the bao and other offerings. I'm craving more already... read more

This place is a pretty interesting concept. I only got the Bao here and some drinks. I would most likely not order any pot stickers here cause well... They're ridiculously overpriced. First the drinks: Original Ginger Ale - Definitely made for ginger lovers. It's super duper gingery tasting, not like the commercialized ginger ale most people are accustomed to. Hibiscus iced tea - nice and refreshing Bao: Spicy Kung Pao Chicken - Do yourself a favor and don't order this unless you're just curious Mongolian Beef - NOM NOM NOM! I want more. Coconut Custard - Egh well it's coconuty. Pretty standard Chinese Bao. I would prefer to have some crazy flavors you don't traditionally find. read more

I couldn't believe they had a fast-food chain in Chicago that specialized in Banh Baos! Not all baos are equal. I'd recommend trying a 6-pack if there are two of you because the baos aren't that big. If you're paying with credit and you're in a rush to get some "hot buns," there's a cool kiosk next to the pick-up area, where you can order and pay for your food. But be aware that they don't have all the menu options listed at the kiosk. Thai-Curry - Good, but doesn't have the 'banh-bao' taste. Teriyaki - Sweet Spicy Mongolian Beef - Has a definite spicy kick. Hibiscus Tea - I wouldn't recommend the tea cause it was just a bit too bitter and bland. Thai Chicken Noodle Soup - DO NOT GET THIS. It's bland, dry chicken with very small noodle 'chunks." The noodles (if you can call them that) were only about 2-3 inches long each. read more

A is a steamed bun with different fillings. I like the whole wheat edamame bao. The texture of the dough is just perfect. Sometimes on the facebook page, they have a secret saying that will get you a free bao. Fun! read more

Why isn't this concept bigger?????? First, I believe that Wow Bao is part of the "Let Us Entertain You" conglomerate of restaurants, a Chicago based company. That's a good thing, They run great restaurants. If you've never had these Asian buns, you are in for a treat. They are soft, warm, steamy, tasty! When you sink your teeth into them, it's like pressing into a dense cloud of something heavier than cotton candy, like stacks of warm "Wonder Bread"(When I was a Benedictine monk, we had an old monk from England, Dom Austin, who, upon his first taste of American Wonder Bread exclaimed, "it's a wonder they can call it bread!"). Aaaaaaaanyway...... When you get to the center of the bun, you have very tasty, spicy filling. Now, it is HEAVILY seasoned, no matter which "bao" you choose. But I do love the chicken curry the most. SOOO GOOD. Do yourself a favor, when you're in the Loop, order a couple of these. It's the perfect snack. I will say it's a little heavy on the bread and light on the protein or filling for a full meal, even if you buy 3,4, or 5. They're unique, you won't find them in a lot of places. DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE ELECTRONIC ORDERING MACHINE!!! It's actually very efficient, and I always get my order ahead of anyone who's second in the line when personally ordering. read more

3.5 stars. Almost $2 for a tiny bao bun? Would rather spend that money on a more authentic, better tasting dimsum place where prices are way better. On the bright side, the bun itself tasted pretty good. And the service was fast. But probably not coming back. read more

One of the many Wow Bao locations, this particular one right inside the Water Tower entrance is convenient and quick. It's small, but still has all the same goodies, so it's also efficient (not that such a thing matters much for your food-tasting pleasure). I recommend trying the Mongolian Beef and Kung Pao Chicken. The BBQ pork is also pretty good, but easy to get at any place that serves bao. I'm always curious about the desert bao, but haven't yet gotten the courage to try them, instead preferring to fill up on the meat ones. read more

Love the concept and the store display, but I think the place should be called NOT SO WOW BAO. The bao is tiny and fits in the palm of my hand ($2.00) and the taste doesn't come anywhere near traditional. The dumplings were anemic. read more

See all

The Baos now are so gross, and so was the customer service. Whoever that young lady was behind the counter clearly doesn't like her job. Anywho, I use to LOVE Wow Bao but now it's just all bad. Don't waste your life. Just don't. Maybe it was just this location. Maybe. I'm not going to find out. read more

We got the munchies before heading off to the Drury Lane Theater for a showing of the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. While stopping by the Water Tower for a quick shopping trip, we spotted Wow Bao. It's a little stand, reminiscent of those found in a food court, and offers a different take on the traditional Chinese buns that are usually filled with BBQ pork. Behind the glass sat big silver steamers filled with a variety of buns. For a healthier snack, I shared the whole wheat edamame and vegetable bun with a friend. The wheat bun was warm and soft, and the taste of wheat was inviting. The fillings were piping hot with a vegetable mix and little rounds of edamame. The buns are rather small for the price you pay (1.29 for one). You can definitely find buns for much cheaper at a Chinese store, but you probably won't be able to find them in all these different flavors (teriyaki chicken, spicy kung pao chicken, etc.). read more

See all

Love the concept...fast food steamed buns filled with meat. You can order them in the kiosks...ready to eat or frozen for take home. Reasonably price for snack food. The fillings are too saucy and americanized for my palette. read more

Wow Bao - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Wow Bao is located in the Water Tower Place on Michigan Avenue. They have hot asian steam buns (bao) made fresh. These are smaller than the size I usually see at the asian markets. I would say that Wow Bao's size is equivalent to that of a standard cup cake. It fits nicely in the palm. We ended getting a six-pack just because I could seriously finish one in three bites. And I did... These come in various flavors but my favorite by far is the Thai Curry Chicken (top right). It tastes like curry in a ball...which is pretty much what it is. It's not spicy at all but the curry flavor packed inside is strong enough that it isn't masked by bun. My second favorite is the Spicy Mongolian Beef (bottom right). The is a bit spicier, and the flavor here is also strong enough that the bun doesn't take away from the taste. read more

Not authentic. We ordered teriyaki chicken bowl and I received 4 tiny pieces of chicken and a bunch of sauce on some hard old rice. It tasted like I heated up a frozen dinner. The bao bun had more meat in it then the bowl I had. I am surprised wow bai has 500 plus other locations. Will never eat from this place again. Unless frozen dinners are tasty to you, then please disregard my comment. read more

Like any fast food the bao here are strangely irresistible - I know that they aren't great, but I get them anyway because they're good in a way. Satisfies the craving, the dough is good- steamed rice flour is a no brainer, the different fillings are either too goopy, sweet, or something. The fresh ginger ale is really good. read more

Wow Bao - :( - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Good dumplings. They have nothing healthy on the menu... decent selection of hot food. Lots of carbs!

Oversteamed fake chinese food. I'll admit it, I got drawn into Wow Bao the other day by the advertisement of "steamed soup dumplings! $4.99!!" And I ordered it. Stupid, stupid me. As you can see from the picture, this was overly priced, the skin was reminiscent of a regular dumpling, and overly steamed. No soup included. 4 silly "soup dumplings." Sigh. read more

Wow Bao - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This is going to be a quick review. Wow Bao is a good place to grab some cheap, Asian baos. They are steamed pretty well and they hit the spot. I recommend the BBQ pork one. read more

It's okay to eat a quick bite on the go if you crave Asian fast food. The bbq baos are my favorite by far, along with the fresh lemonade. Downside is that there is no close seating available and there is usually a long wait for your order. read more

Wow Bao - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I think this is the most authentic restaurant for people looking for Chinese Bao and salad noodles! Bao with Teriyaki chicken or BBQ pork were our favorite, and I'll have spicy peanut noodles every time! You will find tables upstairs, this bothered us at the first time. Servers are friendly and efficient. There're another 3 WOW BAOs in the downtown, this one is not taking delivery orders, the Wacker Dr one do. read more

Wow Bao - Combo (two BBQ Bao with spicy peanut noodles) - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Ya'll don't know what you got til it's gone. Since I'm not in Chicago, I'm definitely missing this place. It's simple, just straight baos of all kinds. Despite being full, I bought some anyways before heading to the airport. I went right when they opened so I was only able to pick up the breakfast baos. I got a couple the egg and bacon baos. After another hour of exploring downtown we came back right as they were serving up the lunch/dinner baos. Picked up a pork bao and a couple of the chocolate filled bao. The chocolate one was the main reason I wanted to come here. I ate it when I got back home and the they were really good. It held up on the flight and were fine to eat back in the bay. I wish I purchased more. It's a simple concept but they're so good! Sure, it's not super authentic but who cares. Some of the things on the menu are a little out there and I like it! More variety! It's a quick eat, so I'd def recommend trying these out when in the area. read more

Im in love! Tried two different baos: the vegetarian one and the orange chicken and both blew me away. Good for a quick lunch. The bread is so soft. I think i'll go back to try the rest. Yum! Service was quick too. read more

Great place to go to for a quick snack or food on the go. Also great for people who love spicey foods and are coming up with a cold. All their fillings for their Baos and dumplings are all ginger based, so they're spicey. They also serve bowls and soups which I never got around to. The place is the first thing you see in the water tower lobby coming in from Michigan. It doesn't look like they have settings Cuz it's in the main lobby, but they have seatings reserved on second floor up the escalator. Went with the Spicey Mongolian beef and Kung Pao Chicken Baos with Thai Broth. All three are somewhat spicey, but if u can take medium at Buffalo Wild Wings you can scarf these Baos down easily. Overall great snack read more

Wow Bao - Lunch mmmmm - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My friends and I were originally planning to go to Pret a Manger but we walked past this and thought we'd give it a try - just for kicks. I ordered the Pork Belly, Egg & Cheese which came out looking pretty sad. The components weren't put together quite well as it didn't look very appetizing but the pork belly was tasty. The price is a little bit higher so I'm pretty indifferent. It wasn't terrible but it's not something I would run to. read more

Wow Bao - Pork Belly Breakfast Bao - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Fast food bao are a staple in Asia. Why they haven't passed up the taco here is kind of beyond me. This is a first good stab and bringing Asian street food to the street level of one of Chicago's busiest malls. It's a hit and a miss. Hits: The bao are excellent. Steamed well, freshly made, a good variety, from their standard roast pork to a chicken curry to the mongolian spicy beef. The dessert bao are great too. They serve up a wicked home-brew ginger-ale as well. Misses: The restaurant is on the ground floor, but you have to go up two escalators to get to a landing where the mall has given them some table space next to Macys. There are only two employees, so trash mounts up in the bins upstairs and it's impossible for them to check it when they're busy. They need a third in staff to attend to stuff like that. The Thai broth was nicely spicy, but it was salty and it was served in a coffee cup which, for presentation, was a whopping big zero. The chicken rice bowl was heavy in sauce and veggies and light on the chicken. It's a five if you stick to the bao, and you don't mind the escalator ride up to a possibly clean table. This restaurant would also be a five with some amendments to the menu and in a different location. read more

Wow Bao - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I was looking for a quick bite to eat after shopping in Macy's and found this cute little spot. I got a bowl made with half in half Teriyaki Chicken and Kung Pao. It was filling and delicious. The two girls working were super helpful. I can't remember their names, but they helped me pick out what I wanted and got my order ready quickly. I would definitely come back here again. read more

It's a small place with no place to sit so take your food to go... I ate one bbq pork baos thats was good but the kong pao noodles were ok, they had to much Ginger for my taste and kind of bland... I would come here if I'm in a hurry and need a quick bite. read more

See all

My first bad yelp review. The orange chicken had cilantro in it and that's about all I should have to say. Bao was decent though. Only get bao and dumplings if you eat hear and you'll enjoy it. read more

Just beside water tower. Wonderful location and wonderful tasty Boa's.been missing this for so long..TRUELY WOW bao. My first experience with Bao was here and I love the variety here. Chicken teriyaki is my favourite and the soy sauce.Grea to-go option. Usually after shopping or in between would visit this place for a quick bite and lots of to-go. Service is fast! place your order and wait in the front usually 10-15 mins and we get the food! Highly recommended!!! read more

Fresh ginger ginger ale is delicious, not yucky sweet at all. My friend got a Thai curry bun and a chocolate banana bun. Says she feels like she is back in Thailand. Super fast service. Just have to find a place to sit and eat. We went up one floor and sat in a comfy alcove and people watched while we snacked. read more

I never thought someone could mess up a rice bowl so bad, but they did. The rice itself wasn't palatable and the meat on top was way too salty. It seemed like the meat was supposed to be inside of a bao. The bao and soup dumplings wasn't too bad, but don't get the rice bowl. read more

It tasted good but it's a giant rip off. The entrees don't give any meat. $12 for about 2 chicken nuggets. Just go to chipotle.

I loved these baos. The Mongolian beef one was extremely delicious.

It's a delightful treat to be able to fill your belly with warm, soft, fluffy bao while shopping on Michigan Avenue or at Water Tower. I like both the savory (teriyaki chicken, BBQ pork, etc.) and the sweet baos (the coconut custard in particular is so good!). Note: Wow Bao is definitely an Americanized version of bao, so don't expect it to be as good as your favorite dim sum place, but considering its downtown location--it'll do! read more

This place is GENIUS!!! If you've never had bao, it's this little steamed bun stuffed with amazing goodness. The concept is amazing. You place your order at the counter, or at a digital kiosk outside the restaurant. You can order bao or dumplings and then BOOM...your order is ready. The buns are steamed fresh and the fillings are very flavorful. I have tried the mongolian beef, kung pao beef, curry...and probably all the others too. Just awesome. If you like these so much that you can't live without more in your life, you can order them frozen so you can steam them yourself at home! These places are popping up all around the Chicago metro area so keep your eyes open and give em a try. read more

Argh! Someone has 'stolen' my get rich quick plan! I had always thought that bao were the perfect street food to pick up and take away to be eaten easily in hand. I had visions of a franchise selling innovative baos as a snack or more substantive lunch Well, Wow Bao have beaten me to it and they've made a good fist of it. They have some traditional bao with char siew (barbecue pork) but also offer new flavours like spicy mongolian beef and even sweet bao liek coconut custard. I had a Thai chicken curry bao, which was tasty. The dough was bread-like but slightly chewy, exactly what you'd expect in a bao. The filling was distinctive and the proportion of filling to dough was right. You can also get salads and bowls with rice or noodles but I suspect these are pre-packaged and not cooked fresh. I also enjoyed some of that fro yo - they only offer the original tart flavour but the pomegranate sauce with it added a needed sweet edge. Good luck to them - at least they've turned my dream into a classy business. read more