I tried a couple of these little steamed buns and was less than wowed. Maybe I will try them again the next time I find myself at Water Tower Place. In other words, I will probably never try them again.. read more

I freakin love this place! I've been to this particular one twice and it is just so urban! I love the ordering system you do not have to wait in line if you dont want. You can order at the kiosk as well. I love the Bao (buns).. These things are so good! Im happy I can order them online now and have them shipped to Cali. I'll be placing my order soon. I cant say that I care for any other food because I am very picky. You have to experience this place if you're in the area shopping! read more

Well, this is a place to certainly AVOID. A fast food Chinese restaurant (no seating) located in the entrance lobby of the Watertower Shopping Mall. Ok, maybe my expectations are set too high but at the very least the food needs to be hot and fresh. From my experience the food was boiled as a method of cooking and completely bland in flavor. Clearly frozen vegetables were in use so if that is your thing - enjoy! I would NOT recommend eating here unless at the point of extreme hunger or desperation. I think enough said ! P.S the food was ice cold and I had to go back and ask for it to be redone. read more

Fast snack, fast food, fast self-ordering touch screens.... man! It's pretty awesome. The steam buns are soft and yummy. Mongolian beef? spicy and good! The teas are a bit sweeter than they should be... like Southern Sweet Tea! Other than that... the food is pretty legit and service is pretty decent. Whether you want a quick snack or order a dozen frozen ones to go... this is the place! Oh wait, chocolate bun? Dude!!!! Dark creamy chocolate and asian steam bun...... drool... read more

Wow Bao has excellent bao, I love to grab their wheat edamame buns or the thai curry buns to go while I am shopping. They are always perfectly cooked. I do not, however recommend any of the rice dishes. I have tried them but they come with such little meat that it feels like an incomplete meal. I guess with the price point, you can order two if you want more. Service is awesome. I love that you can order your food yourself and check out, it keeps things moving and I wish that more restaurants would adopt this style of prep. The great thing is that the bao is always fresh and ready to go, so it hardly takes any time. read more

I love Wow Bao, quick, good, and lots of choices. I really like the Chicken Curry and the Teriyaki, and the chocolate bao is awesome! read more

Wow Bao - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great spot for quick fresh takeout! now serving cinnamon apple bao! I just like the light airiness of the bao, the potstickers are a bit on the greasy side but delicious nonetheless. I like this this location is just grab and go and so quick, so don't let a long line fool you, I had 10 people in front of me and only waited one minute after ordering! read more

The Bao was thawed from frozen and still ice cold and hard like rock. The noodles tasted like cheapest cup noodles. The Baos were sweet like donuts. These foods are probably made or imported from China. Cost me over $30+ that was not even worth $10. I would rather eat $1-$2 quality Korean noodle cups. I am an Asian BTW and will ever eat any Chinese fast food again. read more

So good!! Quick too! Love that you can just order in kiosk and pay & it was ready right away! read more

Wow Bao - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I strolled into the Chicago Water Tower on a recent business trip, only to find that the stores had just closed for the evening. I was sadly approaching the exit when an interesting fast food counter caught my eye. I turned to take in the Asian wonder that was Wow Bao. The quick-serve menu was full of healthy, steamed dumplings, stir-fries, multi-grain rice, and more. I was unfortunately full from a large lunch and was planning on a fantastic dinner, so I regretfully decided to pass on a Wow Bao sample. At least that was the plan until I spotted their poster advertising homemade Ginger Ale. I used to love that sugary soda, but had cut it out of my diet because of its poor nutritional value. However, this blend was made from real ginger root. The enticing beverage was available in Original, Green Tea, and Pomegranate. With a lack of willpower, I ordered a glass of the Pomegranate for the road. I popped my straw through the plastic lid and headed out to Michigan Avenue. I took a casual sip of my spicy soda and almost stopped dead in my tracks. The beverage possessed the perfect amount of sweetness and such a natural flavor. I was in love. I even went out of my way for a repeat visit before I headed back to New York. I can only hope (and dream and pray) that Wow Bao heads east so that I can sample their nutritious menu and be reunited with my sassy ale. read more

Baos have good filling and are cheap. dough was a little thick.

When you shopping all day and need a quick snack, these americanize bao are pretty good. I like the kung pao because of the peanuts and spicy but I was hooked for a while on their pad thai salad. It was so tasty and I really wish I came up with that idea. read more

I love the IDEA of wow bao. like the fact they put dishes (mongolian beef and kung pao) in a bao. HOWEVER, this place is WAYYYYY overpriced. you can get a bao that is triple the size in chinatown for less than half the prices. do the math. seriously! But I usually will pick one up if Im at water tower or on free Wednesdays. I just would definitely not buy too many of them as they are super priceyyy read more

Easy to find around Chicago and a nice change to snacking than hamburgers or junk food with a good variety of fillings. The BBQ, Curry and Teriyaki were one of the better tasting Bao's. The only negative thing is they look like they are not hand made and sort of like a manufactured frozen type. Great concept and great name and logo. read more

I like coming here for a quick snack. You don't have to wait too long and you get a delicious bao. Per piece it is like $1.70. That is pricey in asian standards, because you can get 2 of those for that price at an asian place. The ratio of filling to bread is good and the size is not to heavy for a quick snack. I like the whole wheat veggie bun. Give it a try. read more

Fast, efficient, many different kinds, always a great place to grab a few on your way out of Water Tower Place. Thai coffee too sweet not that great. read more

This is the second time I've had Wow Bao since they opened over 10 years ago. I was surprised that the flavors were pretty much still the same. They may have added 1-2 new ones. They are interesting and fun snacks but not super delicious. We also tried the teriyaki bowl which we tossed after 1 bite. We opened it and it looked like it was almost black. It was congealed sauce with tiny bits of chicken on top of a bed of rice. I would go here if I needed a quick snack but thats it! read more

I love Wow Bao dumplings! I've tried both the pork and the garden vegetable. The vegetables were still crunchy and even identifiable! Not mush like other places. I like that they have two size options. I do wish there were a couple choices of sauce for dipping instead of just one. A Thai Peanut sauce would be great. read more

Man, go to Min's Noodle House in Bridgeport and get their pork Baos. This place is Americanized, overpriced, and overrated. I can't say their Baos are that bad, but it's just not authentic, and that little tiny bao cost you 2 dollars, bruh! read more

I love Wow Bao! I used to come here back when I worked around here, after they first opened. Usualy I go to the ones in the loop, but the other day I was doing some shopping and got hungry. Didn't want a bao but I was happy to see that here you can get nappa cabbage in your bowl instead of rice! I got that with teriyaki chicken and it was super-delicious. I just wish that the other locations offered this option as well. read more

Hot Asian Buns. There I said it. My cousin couldn't stop saying it without laughing. I don't know if it was just amusing to her or the fact that we had a major retail therapy session along Michigan Avenue and we were giddy from hunger. These are a great on-the-go snacks. I tried the bbq pork and the Thai curry. Both were very good and I liked the flavor. The dough was light and soft, not at all soggy. I was very curious about the bbq pork one because my mom makes a great siaopao (Filipino version of bbq pork steamed buns) and I wanted to compare. The biggest difference I noticed was that Wow Bao's bbq had a hint of spice. I really wanted to try the ginger ale and the sweet ones, ahhh, that will be for next time Wow Bao! read more

Just WOW. What more can I say? Everytime I'm in Chicago, I just have to go get some Wow Bao. Not too many options, but try the chicken teriyaki (it's my favorite). They even have a vegan bao! Man, that is awesome. There are usually lines, but that's why they have a kiosk :) read more

I've been a Wow Bao fan for years now. Think of it as a tasty little asian sandwich. I thought I had tried them all when, bao, there's a new sweet - apple cinnamon (very good) and a brand new breakfast menu! Now I just have to plan an AM shopping trip. Wow Bao is a great place to grab a quick lunch or dinner. I've only tried the bao, and they are delicious. The spicy kung pao chicken and the spicy mongolian beef are my favorite. If the bao is too dry for you, order a side of broth to dip them in. Quick, easy to eat, and cheap! (which is hard to find around this address!) read more

The buns here are tasty, filling, and cheap. I particularly like the curry chicken and (to my own surprise) the coconut custard. I love that the small size of the buns lets you customize your order to be snack-, meal-, or binge-sized. Some of the buns can be a bit dry, and I wish they had a more extensive vegetarian selection for when I roll with my herbivore homies. read more

Um-um-um! Where did you get those buns from! For a quick and filling snack packed with deliciousness Wow Bao is a must have. You can pay at their machines if the line is way to long at the counter, you can get a variety of boas and best of all -there is DESERT! Some locations have more items on the menu so why not do a little WOW BOA hop in the city? read more

I love bao! Wow Bao is wonderful. Conveniently located at the entrance of Water Tower Place, it was really easy to find and get to from our hotel. There was a line to order, but WB also has kiosks where you can order electronically and there was no line there. They were easy and fun to use. I ordered two bao, the curried chicken and General Tsao's. Both were excellent, though curried chicken was definitely my favorite. My sister ordered a curry bowl and it was really good too! We shared an order of steamed dumplings that we also enjoyed. I wish we had Wow Bao in Utah! The value and quality were both great! read more

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this place! When I first heard mumblings of it opening I was way excited. I *love* bao and everyone knows it. Infact, my favorite thing to eat in Hawaii is the hawaiian version.... manapua. Anyhow, I think wow bao is such a great idea. Expose busy city folk and tourists to yummy chinese buns! LEYE did a good job with the flavors, although they are americanized they taste darn good. Favorites: Thai curry, teriyaki, and kung pao. I also LOVE their fresh gingerale and often come just for that. Add pomegranate flavoring and get a super refreshing summer drink. A little factlet: years ago I wrote the owners of Wow Bao a letter telling them that they should have certain flavors (I suggested Pizza, Sweet potato, custard, etc.) as they do in hawaii. I got no response... BUT Yesterday when I stopped by wow bao, I noticed they are sporting a new custard dessert bao. I was so excited as I have made the assumption that this new development was ALL because of my letter sent roughly 3 years ago (^.^). You can thank me in bao. ;) read more

What a great idea! I'm from Minnesota and we don't have these in our state... but damn! I wish we did. Being downtown for an interview and needing a quite bite to stave off my nerves, i thought I'd give these a go. The edamame bao was super tasty and the teriyaki chicken bao was also really good. If I'm ever down in that neighborhood again, I think I'd have to give every one a go. Granted, they're not super authentic, but that's ok. For fast food, they're decent as heck. read more

Cheap, fast , filling and good! These things are hard to come by when you're spending the day in the loop, so when my sister and I needed a place to stop for a quick bite between wedding dress shopping, I picked this spot. It's in Water Tower Place and the seating is upstairs, but they make up for that inconvenience with the easy, touch-screen ordering. The bao buns were all tasty with the Spicy Mongolian Beef and the Kung Pao Chicken being my faves of the savory, and the coconut custard bun being a nice, sweet finish to the meal. We also ordered the cold peanut salad which would have been better if they'd remembered to give us the peanut sauce that went with it. My fiance was halfway through the salad before I mentioned that I thought somehting was missing and he ran down the flight of stairs to get it. I also tried some specialty drinks this trip for the first time. My green tea ginger ale fell really flat, but my fiance's hibiscus iced tea was pretty tasty. I still think I'd rather have the cheap, free water or a diet coke, but I'm glad we tried them. Overall, I have to say it's a nice value and non-traditional place to grab a bite to eat downtown. I'll be back, though I'll pass on the chicken curry bao which is the only one I've found that I really, really don't like. read more

So I am giving this 4 stars given price... I was visiting Chicago on a business trip. I had not had much of a lunch and wanted a snack. While my coworkers kept shopping, I finished shopping early and ordered from the kiosk. I decided to get 3 so I could try a few different flavors. I got the BBQ Pork, the Teriyaki Chicken and the Spicy Mongolian Beef. I also got the pomegranate ginger ale. First if you have never had buns like these they are basically a soft dough that is filled with chopped meat and sauce and then steamed. So they are tender, fluffy and a bit chewy. 3 would be filling as a lunch for a woman, but for a bigger appetite I would say go for 5. I tried all three... and BBQ Pork was by far my favorite. The meat was chewier than I expected but diced small and very tasty. The chicken was just okay. I think the sauce was too sweet and overpowering and meat not what I expected. I didn't really care for the mongolian beef, but I think at that point, I really just wanted more of the pork! The homemade ginger ale is not really like Canada Dry. It has a much more distinct ginger flavor. I was glad I tried it, but its not something I really wanted to drink a big glass of. I would try again... hopefully at one of the bigger locations. read more

When I come to Chicago, my family and I stop here at Wow Bao located at Water Tower place main lobby. We normally buy the Teriaki Chicken or spicy Mongolian Beef. I like the concept of the dough with the meat encased inside. The price ranges fro $1.99 each for one wow bao to $4.99 for a bowl combination. Since I am such on the run, I have yet to taste the bowls. I enjoy the flavor and it is a quick way to kill your hunger on the go. read more

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I stopped by Wow Bao for a quick lunch and tried a bowl and a bao. The bowl was a little lackluster; the noodles weren't very flavorful and I wasn't a fan of the meat. BUT, the BBQ Berkshire Pork Bao was absolutely delicious. Service was very quick. read more

I love your hot Asian buns Wow Bao. I wish there were more locations of you to tempt me. Fast, cheap and flavorable. My favorites are teriyaki chicken and mongolian beef. read more

I really like this place. Especially at this location. I had been starving the whole day looking for a place to eat but do my errands at the same time. Somewhere I could go, grab the food, and eat and walk. Not mcDonalds or Subway. Wow Bao was just downstairs and I grabbed 2 asian buns. I'm asian. I've had homemade ones. And these weren't far from them :) surprisingly. I was really shocked at how good the BBQ Pork were and the spicy mongolian beef. It was actually really good. The vegetarian one was also really good. read more

I have to admit that I love their little buns...I could eat them until I can no longer say wow bao. Seriously, I had some the other day for the first time and I cant believe I have never had these little pockets of deliciousness. Normally I am not a fan of chain, fast food type places.... Alas, I found one that I have to say....I will be back (in an Arnold Schwarzenegger tone). read more

like the starts say...meh i'd rather ask my mom for some homemade ones. I guess it's alright but if you've had the real bao or sia pao to filipinos now that stuff is amazing! Easily imitated but never replicated, taste is off read more

This place is overrated. I tried their spicy mongolian beef and coconut custard bun. I love the concept but they do not compare to the original buns found at dim sum restaurants. read more

Wow Bao - Spicy Mongolian beef and coconut custard - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Cheap, delicious, quick. What more could you ask for? Great location in the water tower for a pick-me-up snack. Only complaint would be that there should be a little more meat in the buns, but for 1.20 ish per bun, I guess I can't complain much. My friend ordered two of each bun. The standouts were the kungpao, the thai curry chicken, and the mongolian beef. read more

It is what it says, so if you like the kind of strange consistency bread, its an okay little steamy snack. $1.67 for one read more

Pretty good fast food concept since you can just scoop up some Bao's and head straight into the mall. Everything is pre-made in batches so that probably explains why my food wasn't particularly fresh. They have your traditional BBQ pork but they also have other flavors like Kung Pao. The Kung Pao had a soft enough bread portion but the texture was off, didn't have that springy feel too it. The filling was decent, but overall I would say it was what you would expect from an Americanized bao. The good thing about this place is that their food is fairly priced, I think I spent just a little over a dollar for a bao. read more