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Wow Bao Restaurant
Category: Asian Fusion [Edit]
Neighborhood: The Loop175 W Jackson
(at Michigan Ave)
Chicago, IL 60604
(312) 334-6395
- Nearest Transit:
-
Quincy/Wells (Orange, Brown, Purple Express, Pink)
LaSalle (Blue)
Jackson (Blue, Red)
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Lunch
- Alcohol:
- None
99 reviews for Wow Bao Restaurant
Review Highlights
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The food at Wow Bao (or Bao Wow as a co-worker affectionately refers to it) is just way too good to be missed. It's fairly inexpensive and ever so conveniently located near my work.
I'm a big fan of the breakfast bao (all of them), but my all-time favorite item is their chocolate bao! It's so intoxicatingly good - especially with black coffee... The coconut custard bao is pretty darn good too!
The staff here at Jackson/Van Buren are always psyched and really pleasant. There's usually some bangin' hip-hop or other tasteful music playing and they have free Wi-Fi.
The soups are really good and I'm a sucka for their potstickers (amongst other things). The portions (and this cause enough for the 4-vs.-5-star final rating) are a bit skimpy if you're coming in for lunch, but the fun and flavor more than adequately make it easy to forgive the serving sizes.
They also serve a variety of beverages. They have a naturally sweet hibiscus tea as well as green tea ginger ale and a killer hot ginger tea ! This hot ginger tea was so good (but definitely on the sweet side) that I had to check my underwear to make sure I hadn't besmirched them... Bao Wow!
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Who the fuck am I kidding? I fricking love- not "love" love- but, really like this place.
It is true that the meat can be a bit oddly grisly at times still, but for the most part the food is really tasty - and can be cheap or expensive, depending on what you order. Thai curry baos are delicious and I've been eating them all night. Teriyaki ain't half bad either, but the Mongolian beef is pretty gross. I still ate it, but it is gross.
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- Useful (5)
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- Cool (6)
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/19/2008
I am all for the expansion of fast food into the "beyond burgers" categories. Drive-thru chaat?… Read more »
As steamed Chinese buns go, they were tender and tasty, but small (3-4 bites). Nothing like the outstanding baked Chinese buns from La Patisserie P (formerly Hong Kong Bakery) up on Argyle St.
What was surprisingly tasty was the Pad Thai side salad. Kind of odd to have long noodles in a salad, but it worked well. The unsweetened hibiscus tea was also surprisingly refreshing.
If I worked downtown, I'd probably become a regular. Though you don't get a lot of food for the money, it's pretty good quality. I wasn't full walking out, but I'm trying to avoid gluttony anyway. :D
Back in July of 2009 my wife and I went to Water Tower Place and discovered Wow Bao. We were surprised how delicious and filling the bao is. I was full after only eating 2 1/2 of them. We REALLY enjoyed the mongolian beef and the curry was good, but we weren't particularly pleased with the bbq nor the terriyaki.
Just the same we live in Connecticut and saw that we could have them shipped.
I WAS SURPRISED TO FIND OUT THAT WE HAD TO ORDER A MINIMUM OF 36 BAOS (6 - six packs) and was told the price was $65. No problem there really, even though the menu price stated $7.99 x 6 = about $48 plus tax. But the kicker was that I was told the total price would be $165!!!!!! They confirmed that it would be $100 to ship!!!
ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!!!!
You can ship a frozen honey baked ham for under $20!!
I guess we will have to wait for our next visit, which will be in December, and I'll buy them frozen and ship them or carry them myself.
This is easily my favorite lunch spot when I'm in Chicago. The bowls are wonderful - a great size, good rice, and if you like spicy, try the Mongolian beef. It's not "hot," in my opinion, but it has a nice kick to it. I enjoy it so much I haven't tried the other meats, but I hear they are good as well.
The same can be said for the meat inside the buns, of course (there is Mongolian beef for these, as well), but for the buns themselves you have to get a bun alongside your bowl when you eat here. They are fantastic.
Man I am obsessed with their breakfast here. Tried the oatmeal today and it was so good. Nice and creamy, with goji berries, dates, and I think walnuts...something crunchy at least.
Also tried an egg and bacon bao by accident...they gave me the wrong bao instead of what I had asked for, but since the egg and bacon one tasted great too, I wasn't too upset.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/4/2009
Breakfast Baos have to be one of the greatest inventions ever!
I tried the spinach and egg one, and… Read more »
I went to Wow Bao twice and ordered the bao and some noodles. Not wow at all. Total "meh".
A coworker convinced me to go again yesterday so I grabbed a chicken "summer roll" from the to-go case. It was the first satisfying thing I've had there, and it was good enough that I'm going back today.
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When I changed jobs several months back I was despondent that I would have to give up my coffee and rice bowl weekly breakfasts at Wow Bao on Wacker. After some Yelp research I was relieved to discover that low and behold there was a location on Van Buren!
The staff is always friendly and though Wow Bao itself has made some changes (new packaging, cups, etc.) over the past few months, the quality has always been there. I opted for some breakfast bao one time because the rice was still cooking (good for them for not rushing it and serving undercooked rice) and though they were tasty, only 2 bao does not fill me up.
Other menu items I recommend are the fresh fruit cup (they've made it a bit smaller and the price is a much more affordable $1.49) or the Thai Iced Coffee for summer. Yum.
The food is decent but I always leave still hungry and I don't eat that much. I could order more but then I'm paying one and a half times or more for what I pay anywhere else.
I walk past this corner everyday and about once a week I hear some tourist snicker at the "hot asian buns" sign.
I was a bit worried at first that I wouldn't really get filled up from the two small baos and salad that comprise the $6 ($7 post-tax) combo. I will happily admit that I was proved wrong.
The baos were pretty small, but packed with filling. I got the Mongolian beef and teriyaki chicken (though I ordered the Thai curry chicken). The teriyaki was a bit too sweet, but the beef had a good spicy kick to it. The side salads were surprisingly large, almost as big as the two baos. I got the spicy peanut noodles which really brought the heat, which contrasted well with its cold temperature.
Authentic? Yeah, right. But since I can't find any Chinese bakeries downtown from which to pick up a delicious bbq pork bun, Wow Bao isn't a bad alternate.
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the chicken teriyaki & chicken curry r def the best pair of buns Ive ever had inmy mouth :/.. to tasty & for <$1.50 a pop I can get 3 & be full!
I dont care for the home made ginger ale though... tastes like celtzer water with a lil
Very, very disappointing.
I've worked in the same corner of the Loop for more years than I'd like to count. This has left me continually looking for places to add to my lunch rotation. Wow Bao will never be part of this rotation.
I should've gone with my gut and played it safe once I'd read the menu; the veggie choices are uninspiring. Here's an example:
Bao choices:
Teriyaki Chicken
Spicy Kung Pao Chicken
Thai Curry Chicken
Spicy Mongolian Beef
BBQ Pork
Whole Wheat Edamame
The sole veggie bao seems like a complete after thought. I was hoping that the description didn't do it justice, but just as it sounds the veggie bao is about as exciting as eating a rice cake - and that was the highlight of my meal. By the way whatever bao you get they are tiny; I've had bigger cupcakes!
I also ordered the 5-piece green vegetable potstickers, which were so awful I only could stomach 3. I was never asked if I wanted my potstickers pan-seared or steamed or what sauce I would like with them. The sauce they chose was fine, but the texture of the potstickers killed it for me. They were chewy with some crunchy bits, potsticker was sticking to my teeth the way some hard candy does - gross! I couldn't tell if they were pan-seared AND steamed, over-seared or what, but ick! I couldn't even tell what the green vegetables inside were, one was possibly spinach.
I saw that they have homemade ginger ale and decided to take a glass to go. It was ok, but not what I was expecting. It's heavy on the ginger, more like a ginger beer, than ale (yes, there is a difference).
Maybe if I were a meat eater I would've had a better experience, those items sounded more flavorful and since they were priced the same, definitely a better bang for your buck.
Bottom line: I spent $9 on a lunch that was truly disappointing and am still quite hungry. I can think of a number of places I could truly stuff myself for the same amount.
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I love this place and all the hot buns goodness that it provides! The buns are great for a snack after work when you can't wait til you get home for dinner, or paired with a salad for lunch.
This is the only location in Chicago - thusfar- with the breakfast bao, so I'll comment here: bacon bao has not a lot of bacon, but the flavor is throughout. The spinach bao was kind of bland. Spicy sausage was my favorite.
At 8am, there were surprisingly no people in the store yet. They have a coffee + 2 bao combo, so it's a great place for a quick breakfast.
fyi - It's better to enter this location from the Van Buren entrance of the building.
This place is welcome addition to the list of loop-lunches I'm making. I recommend the combo meal with Thai peanut noodles and 2 bao's. Bao's will here henceforth known as "little dough-things of joy". They're good. They're addictive. You may be tempted to challenge your friends while you're there to a "nobody can eat fifty Bao's" contest - "Cool Hand Luke" style. You can get your Bao's with all kinds of stuff in them:
-teriyaki chicken
-spicy kung pao chicken
-whole wheat edamame
-thai curry chicken
-spicy mongolian beef
-bbq pork
Oh, and my buddy who took me there told me that they have their own kind of ginger ale that they make on-site? I'm kind of skeptical of that, since it's a chain, and that sounds pretty work intensive. If anybody can confirm or refute this, let me know...
Good place, and worth trying if you work downtown.
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This place is OK- a little pricey for the tiny portions. It is, however, a nice change from the plentiful burger and sandwich shops peppered around the Loop.
I had the kung-pao Chicken rice bowl and a teriyaki bao. The bao was good, but the rice bowl was basically that- rice. I think there was one sliver of peanut and one piece of chicken in it.
Meh.
I had authentic bao growing up all the time made in Chinese restaurants and home made. I think the bao here is better! My favorites are the bbq pork and the coconut custard.
Their rice bowls and dumplings are also worth trying. Quick, friendly service + very clean + good quality inauthentic Chinese food + meal for under $10 = a close to the office favorite for breakfast, lunch, or a snack!
My only complaint with wow bao is that I didn't come up with this brilliant concept myself.
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I think I'm running out of GOOD locations to eat lunch in my section of the Loop - because even though I'd been here before and knew it would be horrible, I decided to visit Wow Bao again just to get a fresh batch of fodder with which I could write a full review.
I went with my usual (if three visits total ordering pretty much the same thing counts as 'usual') order of the bao 6-pack. Two chicken teriyaki, two mongolian beef, and two bbq pork. I like cramming as many different animals into a meal as possible. The last time I was here, I also went with a 5-pack order of pork/cabbage potstickers.
To be honest, I liked the taste of the potstickers. I ate in, which meant I had access to their sauces available on the table. My only issue was paying 80 cents per piece, as a 5-pack is $3.99. Even purchasing overpriced potstickers frozen in a grocery store is a much better deal. Find the cheaper potstickers in the frozen section, or visit a local Chinese market and you'll find GREAT deals. These 'stickers may have been tasty, but not mouth-wateringly delicious enough to warrant the price.
Likewise with the bao. Well, just the complaint about the price - $7.99 for a 6-pack, which means they're each $1.33 without tax. And the bao aren't even tasty, so you're pretty much throwing away money. What you will find in the box they hand you are little doughy lumps that pretty much look like something pumped out of a Play-Doh Factory.
That's right, Play-Doh. And someone's even put up a picture of a bao already - look at the little design on the top. That is in NO way representative of somebody crimping up the sides of dough around the pocket of filling. That is completely representative of this thing being extruded from a machine like a white lump of Play-Doh.
For further proof, bite into one without eating any of the filling (which is quite easy to do as they each have very little filling) and you'll be reminded slightly of EATING Play-Doh (if you've ever eaten Play-Doh before *looks embarrassed* you'll be reminded even more than if you're just imagining the comparison).
Then maybe you'll get to the filling and you'll notice the rather-blandness. The mongolian beef is nothing like a real Mongolian Beef you would eat in any standard Chinese restaurant or even crappy Chinese buffet. The bbq pork is abysmal and make me shed a tear that I had not spent this money in Chinatown where a REAL BBQ Pork Bun costs almost half the price of this Play-Doh facsimile and is three times as big and a hundred times tastier. The teriyaki chicken filling was actually decent, though when you consider that I had to pay $7.99 for approximately TWO TABLESPOONS' worth of tastiness, you can see why my overall rating of this place is two-stars.
The only way I could recommend this place is if you are deathly allergic to entering a REAL Chinese restaurant, cooking REAL Chinese food from frozen bags, and have been BANNED from Chinatown. If that's the case, then you will have no comparison point and you can freely enjoy your expensive Play-Doh Bao without remorse. Since I fall under neither of those categories, I expect it will be a long time before I make the mistake of entering this place again.
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Go hear and get the Chicken teriyaki with peanut noodles. If you are really feeling fatty grab yourself a couple of bbq chicken bows and chicken teriyaki bows.... they are like a small orgasm in your mouth
I can definitely see how someone might not care for the doughiness of the bao. However, I quite enjoy doughy stuff, and the fillings are generally very tasty. It's simple food, easy to eat, pretty cheap, filling, and ready fast.
Before reading Grace's review, I had no idea the fillings were made fresh daily... I once saw them with a large bag of something or another at the WaterTower location, and it broke my heart. It was like finding out about Santa or the Tooth Fairy... I wanted to believe that the filling just magically/mysteriously found itself inside the bun, much the way peanut butter does in a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. For a short time, because of the painful experience of seeing that bag full of mongolian beef, I was under the impression that a factory was producing these heavenly white buns of joy*. Now I can go back to knowing, in good faith, that the copper steam apparatus behind the counter are a Willy Wonka-esque magical bao maker. Oh but for a Golden Ticket under a future thai curry chicken bao so the empire, aka the whole shootin' match can be mine!
I was going to give it 4 stars, but noticed that they have a push-button fork dispenser, for which I've granted an additional star. It took every fiber of my mature, adult being not to just stand there and repeatedly push the button, ejecting dozens and dozens of forks from the wall onto the counter below until I was asked to leave.
*"Heavenly white buns of joy" was my nickname in college
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I almost always get the thai chicken curry in any combination of bao or rice bowl, but I have to ask, do they add a little fee for using Debit? I've never been told they do, yet my receipt is always suspiciously inflated. My own fault for not yet asking, but I intend to.
Also, what is with the music here? It is almost always laughably terrible, and cranked up so loud, it's bizarre. Am I at this little fast food bao place, or at a club? Maybe I just go in at a bad time when the staff is unwinding after the lunch rush or something.
Also, what happened to their old dessert bao with apples and cinnamon? I loved it so, and now it's coconut instead, which I do not love.
But still, Wow Bao is such a great alternative choice for lunch in this area. Especially great if you're not starving and want a quick snack.
This place isn't as good as it should be. It's like sweet dogfood with dye in heavy wowbao doughdough. The noodles are really awful. Dumplings- meh. Greasy potsicking skin wrapped around gingered pork scrap. (well, that's about what it's supposed to be, they just make it real soggy)
BUT! The concept is incredible. I'm so torn between absolutely loving this kind of food and hating what they've done to it that I've been too generous with the stars and now feel guilty and need to go.
If you've never been to chinatown or are scared of people who aren't like you, go here cause you'll probably like it.
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Alright, I feel that there are two camps here: those who refuse to eat here because it is not real Chinese food; and those who will look past that fact and want to eat here because it is quick and yummy. I'm in camp number two. You have to be kidding yourself if you walk in and think this is going to be authentic, partly authentic, or even remotely authentic Asian food. It bills itself as "Asian fusion," and in my limited dining experience, I have come to believe that Asian fusion pulls very little from Asian cuisine. Come on, you expected the Lettuce Entertain You folks to put out completely authentic stuff? I like the LEY group as much as the next person who doesn't have the money to try their most expensive restaurants, but I can't give them THAT much credit.
It's good for its original concept: relatively inexpensive, pretty yummy quick lunch food. I had the combo with two baos and a side. I think this combo was $5.99, and it was very filling. You may also get this combo with potstickers instead of the baos.
I asked the cashier what the most popular order for the combo was, and she said a teriyaki chicken bao, a bbq pork bao, and the spicy peanut noodles. I really enjoyed the bbq pork bao, and I'm typically the type of person who really does not like steamed dumplings (I prefer pan-fried). The bbq pork had a good amount of flavor. I can't tell you exactly what it was, but it was good and I was hungry. I put a little of the red chili sauce they keep on the tables on it, which was also delicious. The teriyaki chicken bao was a bit too sweet for me - I will likely opt for the spicy mongolian beef bao the next time I go. The spicy peanut noodles were about a cup and a half of plain noodles with cilantro and about two ounces of peanut sauce. The sauce had just the right amount of heat. I'm glad they put the sauce on the side - two ounces was about twice as much as I needed.
My fiance had the chicken potstickers. They were pretty standard, but the mustard sauce that came with it was very tasty. It was a thinned out chinese mustard with cilantro - very, very good.
I'll be back to eat here when I'm in the mood for baos. I suppose it's like dim sum, but really, these dumplings are in a category of their own, and if you ask me, that category is DELICIOUS. (I'm assuming they would also be in the TOO MUCH SODIUM category, but ignorance is bliss, my friends.)
Passable lunch place in the loop. I had some bao at another location that were ok tasting but quite pricey. Just tried the pork and vegetable potstickers with spicy peanut noodles. Potstickers were possibly a small step above frozen potstickers you make yourself. Although it seems like not that much food it was enough to be full for lunch, although I could totally go for more potstickers.
I was once part of the hot asian buns team at the Wow Bao on Jackson. Working in food service, I would expect to end up hating everything, but I rather liked most of the food at Wow Bao for most of my short-lived employment there. The food is extremely fresh - they start preparing ingredients at 5 or 6 am everyday, and even the sauces are made from scratch in-house). I think this place sets a good standard for the future concept of fast food - fresh, healthy and mindful, but inexpensive and served up quickly.
Even my own mother seems to think that the bao (steamed buns with sweet or savory fillings) at Wow Bao are better than the ones that she's been making for years on passed family recipes and stacked bamboo steamers (mostly impressed by the texture - very soft, fluffy and chewy). If you aren't accustomed to the concept of a bao, then it's worth a try...they are only about a buck fifty each and nothing too far out and crazy (I might describe them as little Asian White Castles). Also - the recipe for the veggie bao, to my knowledge, was altered a while back and now suits a vegan diet.
Apart from the bao, they also have a noodle/rice bowls, potstickers and a pretty different and tasty salad selection. Really a great place for a lunch spot, in my opinion. It also has a clean and pleasing interior, and they play good music.
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I eat here many a' tuesday for lunch as I have a 3 hour break between classes. Everything is pretty good and for being right in the financial district, its surprisingly not a hastle to get through the line at the register. The food is great, probably some of the best pot stickers ever (i'm pretty sure people saying how awful they are, are not usual pot sticker eaters....b/c these are pretty amazing, make sure you know if you dislike an entire type of food vs. a specific restaurant's) I tried the home made ginger ale too, wasn't amazed by it, but I may try it again just to verify.
The atmosphere is pretty neat, very minmalistic with alot of white and red, not to mention the cool fork dispenser! Its definitely a great place to eat, but make sure you like pot stickers/asian food before you say its the worst ever.
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Got the 2 Bao combo(mongolian beef, kung pao chix) and an asian veggie salad. The Bao's were decent as was the salad. Typical downtown lunch prices and still was hungry when I left. Probably wouldn't go back unless I had coupons or coworker dragged me in. How come so many Caucasians own/operate ethnic restaurants? You never see Chinese people open up a deli or pizzeria.
The "Hot Asian Buns" sign always gives me a chuckle... Passed the several times but never stopped in.
Finally, I was scheduled for election judge training down the street and was able to stop in for some buns.
Got the cold Thai noodle and buns special. The Baos were soft, and warm. The dough is light, slightly chewy and lightly sweet. Pretty close to the real thing. There is nothing traditional about the stuffing though. But the choices were decent, modified for the American palate.
I would go back again, skipping the noodle to try the rest of the flavors of bao.
Love this place! I realize it's not "super authentic" Chinatown-style Chinese food (I'm Chinese!). But, I do appreciate this place for what it is--I love the tasty, fresh salads (with fresh basil and fresh mint leaves). I also like the bao and the potstickers. The food is always fresh, great, and affordable. It's nice to get this type of fusion-style Asian without paying the prices of a sit-down restaurant with wait staff.
They always have innovative items (especially at breakfast) and I can tell they are always trying new things. 5 stars for Wow Bao on Jackson for their salads, their baos, and their steamed egg breakfast bowls! Love it!
Wow Bao is a good option for a somewhat healthy lunch. It is not overly filling, and overall is better than anything else in this area (aside from Roti, the love of my life).
The portions aren't super huge, so the calorie/fat content of a rice or noodle bowl is right around 500 calories and 12 grams of fat. The Mongolian Beef rice bowl is the healthiest option, but I also found it to be the greasiest. Go figure.
The baos are solid, except for the dessert ones. Yuck.
I recently tried their fro yo, which got rave reviews in Time Out Chicago. My coworker and I both agreed that it tasted faintly of rotten milk. No thanks.
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More like Holy Shit Bao.
I wish there were more places like this around that were fast/good/cheap/different. Actually, fast/good/cheap/different sounds like a pro/con list of women or something.
In any event, I LOVE dim sum. When I'm in the neighborhood/mood, Wow Bao tides me over until I can get to a place with carts.
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I cant believe this place has such high ratings. This place is not Chinese food! Its white chinese food. But hey, thats just me. If you want steamed buns, go to Chinatown. The potstickers didnt taste good. The noodles were mediocre. And the prices are outrageous! Check out 65 Asian Kitchen at 111 W Jackson instead for better Chinese fast food (thats better than Panda Express)
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I really like the concept here and the price and atmosphere are both great, but...the food is another story. I have tried most things on the menu and almost everything has a synthetic, chemical aftertaste. My friend pointed out that the small, square shaped pieces of meat creep here out and now I can't eat any of the rice or noodle bowls without also getting a weird, Soylent Green feeling. If you are a vegetarian go somewhere else - there are few veggie options and the ones they do have are pretty subpar. All in all this place is not good.
I lu-HUV the pot stickers at Wow Bao, I swear they are crack-tastic! My other favorite thing there is the freshly made ginger ale.
They are definitely getting better with streamlining the ordering process, controlling the flow of traffic and getting orders out in a timely fashion. Don't forget your Lettuce Entertain You Frequent Diner card!
The bao is ok. Everything else is forgettable. I'll be back. I can only take some many cheese cheese burgers.
I admit that before I went here, knowing it was fast food Asian, I started off with the same pretty low expectations that I would have with normal fast food. I was happily surprised to find out that for $5.99 (about the same price as a burger value menu), you can get food that is much, much better for you, and pretty tasty. Everything tasted fresh and our food was ready basically immediately after we ordered. Also, the setting was very nice and clean compared to your usual fast food restaurant, which added to the appeal. Maybe the only reason I have it lose a star is the fact that the space is a little bit cramped. In addition to loving their potstickers, I tried their homemade pomegranate ginger ale, and it was delicious!
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Atmosphere: Asian Chic
Price: Reasonable
Service: Fast
Food: Excellent
I love this place for lunch! I do not like the dumplings to much dough! I love the Bowls, soups, salads and pot stickers!
Great change of pace over your typical lunch fare!
I am so confused by this concept. I've seen it in Water Tower but never paid attention until we recently ordered it for a work lunch. The menu startled me. There's categories and charts and boxes to check... There's "combos" and "Asian dumplings?" I don't get it.
I don't even know what I'm talking about. But somehow I managed to order something edible and it was decent. Kind of fast-foody, I guess because it is fast-food.
Eh. They have a cute logo. It reminds me of Sanrio, in the non-cell phone jewelry way.
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Wow Bao has finally arrived in the South Loop!
I've been waiting for this place to open for a while now. I'm a big fan of their Water Tower location so when I found out there was going to be a second shop opening not more than 2 blocks from the office my Baometer starting humming.
The concept is identical to their other location. Steamed buns called Bao are stuffed with Chinese and Thai mixtures like curry chicken, mongolian beef and kung pao chicken. Priced at $1.29 a piece they're quite a deal for the flavor and consistent quality they offer.
I got the two bao combo which gives your choice of three salads (pad thai, spicy peanut noodle or eight vegetable) and any two bao. I opted for the spicy noodle and then a bbq pork bao and a mongolian beef bao. The salad was a cold soba noodle mix with chopped chicken as well as a really tasty, pretty spicy peanut sauce. There were sliced cucumbers for decoration and to complete the whole thing. For $5.49 I was blown away, it was really delicious and WAY worth the price.
Service was a little slow but as the manager told me they had only been open for 20 minutes so today was their first live dry run. I'm sure the small kinks I experienced, mainly the speed of service and the fact that I waited for five minutes while they replenished the noodle salad supply, will be ironed out
Definitely hit up Wow Bao, it's the best bang for your buck in the area and you won't be disappointed.
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Sadly, I cannot eat the Bao. Soft squishy dough just doesn't work with my stomach plumbing. Potstickers and Steamed Dumplings are pretty iffy too, so when a couple of friends decided to go to Wow Bao for Lunch, I was like "Eh". but, I figured a fun lunch hour of knitting and chat was worth picking my way through dumpling innerds. My downtown knit friends rock! Hi Lynette! Hi Becky!
However, they do have non-Bao and dumpling dishes, much to my delight. I ordered the BBQ Pork over steamed napa cabbage. The cabbage was still firm, and the BBQ was excellent - just a little on the spicy side. Unforunately, the cabbage was pretty "wet", so I ended up with cabbage soup about half way through my dish. Still yummy, just a little tricky to eat with a fork. The hibsicus ice tea was also excellent, although a bit pricy for 1.69.
If you walk up the Tortureous Wind Tunnel of Hell, otherwise known as Jackson, you've never seen this location. That's because the entrance is on Van Buren. The space is airy, and while it was pretty busy, I never felt crowded. It's definately worth a reasonable lunch time walk.
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