update: maybe it wasn't a soda "machine" rather than a refrigerator, but whatever she was retrieving at the front behind the counter, was still done with unwashed hands! She knows she did it. Talk to your employee. I'm not a liar. I'm just a witness. Taller Asian lady with her hair in a bun. Do not eat here! I was on my way to a yelp event at sizzle house, but stopped at the bathroom. An employee was in the stall next to me. While I was washing my hands, she came out and beelined it for the door without even washing her hands!! She had the happy bao shirt on and when I watched her walk back to work, she used the drink machine to get a soda and never washed her hands even when returning to work!! Just gross. read more

The food and service were excellent. We had the house fries rice, the honey BBQ ribs, and the signature dim sum. We will definitely be back. Highly recommend Happy Bao's. read more

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The breading on the bao was delicious. I love the sesame seeds on the bottom! The filling was just ok. Next time I'll try different flavors. The fried rice was just ok. Nothing special. The best thing I had here was the chili wontons they were so savory with a little kick. The wait was long since the restaurant was very busy! The employees were nice. read more

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So disappointed by my last visit. With 7 tables available, we waited over 30 min to be seated. I think they might've been understaffed because those tables where dirty for a really long time. Whatever, I was like, I'm just hangry. We sit but then realize a mildew funky smell. It was our table. The rag used was not clean and the smell was awful. Thankfully I carry sanitizing wipes so we ended up having to clean our table. We then order and our food comes pretty quickly. The young man bringing it out was quick and amazing ! When we were close to finishing, I see a small roach crawling on the wall next to me. I told my husband and he took care of it. We didn't say anything. I lost my appetite tbh but the food was good so I tried to move on. Then ANOTHER little roach is on the wall behind my husband so I called one of the ladies (the older one) and I told her in her ear and so she killed it with a napkin and said "sorry about that." We just said, no worries and kept it quiet. Then our check was brought by her right after and when they took our card, they were taking forever so we thought we'd get a little discount or literally something for situation of the 2 roaches but nope. Idk. The whole visit was weird and the roaches made us feel gross and icky afterwards. I tried to be nice but I feel like something else could've been done for us. We also were never offered refills on drinks. Like I mentioned, the young man bringing the food out was amazing and the only one attentive. Our toddler dropped something and he stopped to pick it up for her. I hope they handle the roach issues. They were 2 baby roaches so you know that means that there's a mom out there. read more

Wow, so glad I came across this place when I was visiting Phoenix! Was craving Xiao Long Bao and this place really delivered on taste and quality! This place may be small, have limited seating, and be the definition of a hole in a wall; but I left feeling satisfied. The Xiao Long Bao and nice thin skins that held all of the wonderful soup and flavor. The Pan Fried Baos had that nice crispy bottom but fluffy tops. The Lamb Dumplings were also really unique, with that distinctive lamb flavor that was well complemented by the spices and seasoning that they used. If you come when they are busy, expect service to be a bit slow. But even then, I still think it was worth it and would definitely want to come back again next time! :) read more

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I tried this wonderful restaurant recently and came back for some more happy bao goodness. I have no idea what this dish is but it was awesome. It had shrimp, noodles, in a curry type sauce. This dish was unlike anything I've had before and I could eat it every week. The taste is savory and full of flavor with a large portion to last several meals (possibly). I highly recommend. read more

Happy Bao's - So good - Chinese Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

LOVE everything here!! You cannot go wrong with anything that you order. A must get us the Dan Dan noodles!! I love the thinness of the noodles, the flavoring of the sauce and meat, the peanuts, and cucumber slices in the dish. It's so good we always get minimum 2 orders of it with the group. The Dan Dan noodles here are a bit different than the ones we had before at other places. They don't have the numbing flavor which is the reason why I love it! The pan fried buns are super good! Perfectly crisp and the meat inside is juicy. The Xiao Long Bao is really good and they actually have soup in them which is hard for many places to do well in. The restaurant is pretty small and limited seating. We usually go on weeknights or early before dinner time to get seated quickly. We have gotten the food togo and they were still delicious! I have recommended this place to many people before and everyone loves it! read more

Happy Bao's - Chinese Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

From the friendly and quick atmosphere to the delicious dumplings, wontons, bok choy, and bao buns this place will see me again! Our server was quick and provided our chaotic group with everything we needed to enjoy ourselves! The food came out fresh and hot and FULL OF FLAVOR! I saw someone get a plate of rice and that is definitely on my list next time when I go!! No question hands down will be coming back for more! read more

Happy Bao's - Spicy Chili Wontons (6Pc) Bok Choy Sheng Jian Bao Combo (6Pcs) Spicy Chili Dumplings (8Pc) - Chinese Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

Saw so many videos about this place on social media and was so excited to try it! I saw the most hype around the soup dumplings, so I went there specifically to try the XLB! Decided to try traditional and seafood - and they were honestly just okay. They weren't bad but they weren't amazing, so it was slightly disappointing. Some of my dumplings weren't filled with soup :( but I saw some of the other dishes out on other tables that looked so delicious! I may come back to try some of those! read more

Happy Bao's - 9. Seafood Xiao Long Bao - Chinese Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

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I want my first review of 2023 to start off on a good, positive, and happy note: Happy New Year! Let's talk about Happy Bao's! The three of us ordered a little bit of everything: Cucumber Salad, 私房黄瓜沙拉, $6.99 (Fresh, cut cucumber tossed in refreshing and light dressing): Although on the saltier side with no spice, it was moreish. I couldn't get enough! Spicy Chili Wontons (6pc), 红油馄饨, $7.99 (Classic Hong Kong style wontons in chili sauce): Now I really really enjoyed these. They remind me of my mom's wontons and mmm MMM! I wanted an order all by myself. Pork Green Chives Dumplings (10pc), 猪肉韭菜水饺, $8.69: The dumplings here have a thicker skin for sure which isn't bad. You get the bounce and the chew to help tone down that aromatic garlic chive. Dan Dan Noodle, 四川担担面, $9.99 (Spicy minced pork in chili five spice sauce topped with cucumbers, scallions, cilantro and peanuts in egg noodles): I have a weakness for Dan Dan Noodles. This one had good flavor and okay spice. I kept going back for more of these noodles. Hong Kong Fried Rice, 香港炒饭, $10.99 (Crispy bacon and bbq pork with peas, carrots, lettuce, onions topped with alpine nuts): I've never had Hong Kong fried rice but I'm hooked. I need more! Xiao Long Bao (8pc), 鲜肉小笼包, $10.99 (Pork, scallions, chicken broth): These were some okay XLBs. They're no Din Tai Fung but they do an excellent version. I wish all the spicy dishes had that tongue-numbing feel. They also seem to cater their heat-level to more western levels. As for the service, the service could use work. The younger lady that works here isn't the most friendly but oh well. It's a small place and they require your whole party to be present before they seat you. I'll gladly pop back into this place to satisfy my spicy wonton needs. read more

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Got takeout on a Saturday night and the restaurant was really busy! Food came out as scheduled via Uber Eats pick-up. We ordered the beef noodle soup and dumplings combo. The beef noodle soup was flavorful and had a lot of pieces of beef! A little spicy as well. The noodles are the thin kind. Since we got take out we poured everything in a bowl - the portion was huge! My husband enjoyed it. We also got the dumpling combo, which came with 4 types of dumplings, 5 each. It was hard to tell what was what but they were all pretty good. One flavor's filling was a little dry though. Will likely return since we only live 5 minutes away! read more

Happy Bao's - 14. Beef Noodle Soup and 7. Dumplings Combo - Chinese Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

I love the food here. I usually have an appetizer and bok choy with a different sauce every time. The food is always fresh, the service is always top notch. The only thing I wish they would do is provide better takeout containers. They put the food in the usual styrofoam takeout containers and by the time I get to my office, half the sauce spills into the bag. They should use containers with tight fitting lids. Other than that, I highly recommend Happy Bao's. It has a great variety of food and all the dishes taste great! read more

My favorite Dan Dan noodle dish of all time. It beats all my other favorite Asian restaurants in CA and NV. I take my friends and family from out of town here and they seem to agree that it's solid. They use a good amount of minced beef with chili oil and cucumbers on their Dan Dan noodles. Noodles are cooked to perfection and are of the thin type, my favorite. Portions are large. They don't use the mala spice, so I'm not leaving the restaurant all sweaty from the spice. It's a perfect blend. Other dishes are great here as well, but I come for their dumplings, baos, and noodles. ...so their entire menu. Haven't found a bad dish. It's an AZ must try. It can get very busy, so if it does, you can take the food to go and sit in the food court. read more

Happy Bao's - Chinese Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

All their food is great!!! Great portions too! Egg drop soup, orange chicken and so much more. Great service as well! Highly recommend this place! read more

We came in on a hot Mesa day. I had a pot of hot green tea... loose leaf . Yum! Very refreshing. My friend ordered the pork dumplings and I had the shrimp/chicken bao( pictured) Both dishes were awesome! Full of flavor and ample servings. Service was prompt smiling and knowledgeable ! Always a plus. We will be back for more. Happy Baos is located just inside the Mekong plaza and is memorable! read more

Happy Bao's - This is a shrimp chicken bao at Happy Bao. I recommend this spot inside the mekong plaza - Chinese Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

I tried Happy Bao's the other day and unfortunately wasn't impressed. I was looking forward to trying their food because it had good reviews but unfortunately was disappointed with the quality of dumplings and bao buns. They were all super dry and really didn't have a whole lot of flavor. However, the service was great and the restaurant looked like a typical Asian restaurant. It's located in the Mekong Plaza so obviously nothing too flashy but waiters were very attentive and courteous. read more

This is a smallish place inside a mall. But it wasn't loud. Service was fast but had to ask for the chilly sauce that came with the order. Maybe they assumed we wouldn't like it? We ordered the bao and dumpling samplers. They were good. The veggie dumplings tasted better than the veggie bao. The bao was pretty good, never had a crispy bottom bao before. The dumplings were okay, they all pretty much tasted the same regardless of the meat filling. That chili sauce wasn't very hot. I'd say it was good, but I'd probably hit another of the restaurants in the mall on my next visit. read more

Happy Bao's - Chinese Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

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I like the food here, especially the Xiao Long Bao. The wait here is basically always insane because the seating is so limited. Definitely do not come here with a big group of people. As much as I like the food here, I do question whether a 20-30 minute wait is worth it every time. Service is pretty quick generally and I think the prices are fair. Parking is super easy, just be prepared for it to be busy! read more

Me and my twin love to go out to eat together and we decided on this little spot that is located in a small mall with other little restaurants. I'm so happy we chose this place. We both ordered the beef noodles and dumplings with pork and veggies with a chili sauce to dip in, soo good! Only recommendation I would say is just cook the beef in a little longer so it can be a little more tender for the noodles. The waiters were very attentive and never sat in one place. They continuously moved around and so if we needed anything, if one wasn't there another was & ready to help! I would recommend this place and is definitely worth the hype read more

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My fiance and I got the Happy Combo, it was a substantial amount of food for a good price. It definitely seems like most stuff is made in house. We also got the Thai tea which was fantastic. The servers were quick and friendly as well. 100% recommend if you want some good baos and dumplings! read more

Happy Bao's - Chinese Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

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My friend had suggested we try this place since we were in the area for a quick lunch. Located in the Mekong Plaza, the restaurant, very small and very popular, had friendly staff greeting us. We were able to get the last table before I noticed people waiting by 12:00 p.m. The restaurant seem very clean, menu was quit extensive. We ordered the Chili Dumplings and Beef Chow Fun. The dishes came out very fast and all looking good, The Beef Chow Fun was hot and tasted excellent. The Chili Dumplings looked great but were not at all hot, temperature wise which was a disappointment. The skin was also very thick, more than I liked. I should of returned them, but didn't. I did take note other tables dumplings came out steaming hot. I would come again but try other dishes. read more

Happy Bao's - Chili Dumplings and Beef Chow Fun - Chinese Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

I have eaten here several times. Pork bao is my favorite the honey ribs, and the mixed dumplings are delicious too. My husband really enjoys the Dan Dan noodles we've tried their fried rice and other noodle dishes, but we didn't care for them very much. The only downside of this place is it's very small kind of cramped. They do have a few tables outside at the restaurant. That's usually where we sit. read more

Post boba, we were ready for a light dunch (dinner lunch). We decided on some baos since I haven't properly tried them before. It was easy to place our orders for takeout and it took about 15 minutes to be ready. We decided to eat in the food court as there was plenty of seating. I ordered the Sheng Jian Bao which has mushrooms, carrots, cabbage, celery, lettuce, and potato vermicelli. I loved the green color to indicate the veggie flavors and that the bottom was coated in sesame seeds. The dough was light and flaky, and the bottom was crunchy so I enjoyed it. The filling was good but it needed something else to change the texture, a crunchy or chewy component, possibly adding some stronger flavors like curry or turmeric. My dunch companion ordered the combo bao, which came with two pork, two chicken, and two veggie. She was kind enough to trade me a chicken bao, since I wanted to try that as well but I don't eat pork so I didn't order it. The chicken was interesting, I wasn't expecting a chicken meatball inside but the flavor was good, distinguishable. I would've loved to order 3 veggie and 3 chicken, so maybe they'll offer the choice to mix and match in the future. Overall I'm glad to have tried this spot. It was consistently busy while we were there and almost all of the table were full when we had arrived. Service was friendly and efficient. read more

Happy Bao's - #11. Vegetables Sheng Jian Bao - Chinese Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

The food and service was great! The honey sauced ribs were very meaty and flavorful. The spicy dumplings had the perfect amount of heat. I loved the flavor combination with the cilantro. I'm generally not a cilantro fan but it really complimented and added a great flavor to the dumplings. read more

What is going on here?? We ordered some fried dumplings and frozen dumplings to go and we've been waiting 45 min for our order and still haven't received it... the front waitress keeps going in and out, seems confused about our order. The restaurant is only half full. read more

What a cute little bao restaurant! Happy Bao's menu just lured me in to have lunch. They have a pork-filled bun with a crispy bottom (Pork Sheng Jian Bao). Genius! They also have delicious noodles. I am used to a mild chicken-based broth with wonton noodles. But here at Happy Bao's, the broth was thicker and resembled like a tonkotsu ramen broth to me. The wonton and broth were absolutely delicious together. I tried dan-dan noodles at many places but enjoyed Happy Bao's the most. It wasn't drenched in sauce and was topped with plenty of meat. The noodles were perfectly flavored. It was spicy but didn't overpower the whole dish. Service was outstanding. I can't wait to come back to try other menu items. Everything looks so good here. read more

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It's really hard for me to review dumpling places since I've been spoiled by this 5 star place called "Dumpling World" in Austin. If you are craving dumplings in Phoenix, Happy Bao's was still very good 4.5 star and tasty. read more

My family and I went to this Asian Strip Mall and saw this Happy Bao place and we all wanted to check it out. It was Sunday around noon and it was pretty busy but we were lucky enough to get the last table for 5 of us because it was a small place and not really intended for big groups. We ordered a variety of things. We got the combo for the baos and dumplings so we can try them all! We also ordered beef noodle soup, spicy won ton, XLB, and Dan Dan noodles. We enjoyed everything but all of us really enjoyed the spicy won ton with chili sauce the best! The pork and shrimp was very tasty! The spicy sauce was just right. Beef noodle soup was good and meat was very tender. When the XLB came we were excited to try and expected the XLB to be more flavorful but it was a bit lacking. We added some sauce then it's ok. All the other dumplings were delicious and the dan dan noodles were full of flavor and had a good kick to it. Service was good and will come back next time we are Arizona! read more

Happy Bao's - All the food we ordered - 3/24/24 - Chinese Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

I wanted to get some dumplings and noodles to celebrate lunar new year but sadly did not have the best experience at Happy Bao's. We came on a Wednesday night during dinner time so we expected a longer wait which was fine. We waited for about 40 minutes for a table. The table we got was outside the restaurant next to the two kiosk for take out orders and waitlist. It was a little awkward eating and having everyone that was waiting in line stand so close and watch us. Ordering was easy since it's done through the QR code on the table. We had to wait for about 20 minutes between each dish that came out but everything was almost cold by the time we got our food. Dan Dan Noodles (4/5): This was definitely the best dish that we tried here. I loved the five spice seasoning and it reminded me a lot of other Chinese dishes that I've had. The sauce was full of the flavor and the cucumbers and peanuts added a nice crunchy texture to the dish. Signature dumplings (1/5): These came out cold! It was very doughy and the presentation of the dish was also not there. Sheng Jian Bao Combo (2/5): I only liked the flavor of the pork bao. The chicken bao was very dry and chalky. The veggie bao tasted like chemicals. Sheng jian baos are supposed to be moist and have soup in them but these were all very dry. I wish I had a better experience here. Coming from California, I have high expectations when it comes to Asian food and have yet to find a good Chinese restaurant in Arizona. read more

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The food is absolutely fantastic at this location The help is very good but the restaurant is small so they might be a line out waiting for a table read more

I moved from LA to AZ recently and needed a dumpling fix. Happy Bao's looked promising and did not disappoint! We ordered: Dan Dan Noodles ($10.99), Pork Xiao Long Bao ($11.99 for 8), Roujiamo ($8.99). Very good place for dumplings. The XLB pleasantly surprised me. Thin wrapper, pretty big size, and flavorful. I'm pretty picky when it comes to XLB, and I would come back here just for these. The Roujiamo is braised pork with cilantro, scallions, and green pepper in a toasted bao bun. We normally don't order this but it was good! There was a decent amount of meat. We felt like it was a little dry. The Dan Dan noodles had thin noodles and were not saucy like other Dan Dan noodles we have had in the past. I enjoyed this variation a lot! More texture and chew. The Sheng Jian Bao looked yummy so I'd like to come back to try those as well. Overall, a 4/5. Service was alright. Our part of 2 waited about 30 min for Saturday lunch. The restaurant is inside Mekong Plaza. read more

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Talk about tasty, carb-load galore. Happy Bao has a delicious menu of various dumplings and noodle dishes that will satisy whatever flavor you're craving. My visit here consisted of items that didn't include any sort/type of Bao unfortunately. Despite my inner struggles of whether or not to order the steamed baos and Xiao Long Baos, my cravings for Dan Dan Noodles, Chili Wontons and their Signature Dumplings came out on top. As a bonus, I also ordered the Zha Jiang Noodles. Each item did not disappoint! The Chili Wontons were delectable with the lighter chili oil and awesome sesame seeds that adds texture in each bite. The Signature Dumplings had a nice ratio of meat & vegetable filling to wrapper. Dipping them into the provided dumpling sauce or the leftover chili oil from the wontons were oh so flavorful and enjoyable. As for both noodle dishes, the Dan Dan Noodles were a lot lighter in flavor from what I've had in the past. Which wasn't bad thing at all since I didn't feel so heavy after eating them. The Zha Jiang Noodles were also very tasty. The savory and fermented soybean flavorful was not overpowering. All dishes were on the savory side but not all too savory where you feel parched and feel a need to chug a pitcher of water after the meal. All the Noodles were also cooked to perfection and the texture/firmness was ideal. This establishment resides inside Mekong Plaza and has a small space inside for dine-in customers but there are additional tables just outside. The staff are all friendly and attentive which leaves me no reason to not come back and visit again. Next time though....I'll HAVE to try their baos :) read more

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Really yummy food! I got the soup dumplings, bao buns and fried rice. I would've given them a 5 but I wasn't impressed with the bao buns I feel like there wasn't enough flavor but the other stuff was great I'd go back! read more

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Beef noodle soup was spicy and ok kind of oily. The beef chow fun was really greasy, not much beef and little flavor. Expensive, portions were too big. Would keep looking. read more

Inside Mekong Plaza. Bao made by local chef. We had a trio of bao ( pork, chicken, veggie), chicken dumplings, and the veggie soup- add chicken. They have their own bao sauce and soy. Check the photos for the menu. Quick service - place was busy and gave extended service to the hallway outside to accommodate ppl. All the food was excellent. Highly recommend the chili as a side. read more

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Happy Bao's is usually packed, so give yourself extra time to put your name on the list and wait. They won't seat you unless your whole party is present. I live in Tucson and there's not a whole lot of decent Chinese food, much less authentic, but HB is great. When I was growing up, my family was always in Chinatown in San Francisco and we'd be eating a lot of pork wonton noodle soup. It's good for brunch or a late night out with friends and HB's version is just like I remember. HB's soup is savory, not oily, and contains the right amount of noodles, veggies, and wontons. The wonton wrappers are the perfect consistency/thickness, and not eggy, throwing off the overall taste. I could use more bbq pork in the soup, but that's just me being a glutton. The beef chow fun is also just like my mom's. The noodles are always tender, as is the beef and veggies, nothing is chewy. The XLB/soup dumplings are good, probably better than those you can order at a big chain restaurant. I just need to perfect my dipping sauce, it's either too vinegary or too much soy. Anyhow, remember there's usually a wait to be seated, but the food is authentic and super comforting. read more

Only had their xiao long bao. Very juicy however there wasn't much flavor at all. The broth was only greasy tasting. The rest of their menu looks phenomenal though! Definitely would go back to try out other things! Location is inside a cool Asian mall! Staff was very attentive and friendly! read more

Happy Bao's - Chinese Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

We ordered takeout because we saw the food pictures and the reviews. We ordered the Custard Xiao Long Bao, Zha Jiang Noodles, Pork Cabbage Dumplings, and Xiao Long Bao. The Custard Xiao Long Bao was good, the Zha Jiang Noodles were delicious after mixing them, the Pork Cabbage Dumplings was good, and the Xiao Long Bao. I would recommend any of those on the menu. We later dined in on a later date and the service was okay. There were a lot of people eating and the food tasted better than when we did takeout (of course). The chow fun was delicious and probably our go-to item to order. The chili dumplings were not bad (should have ordered the chili wontons instead) and the Liang Pi was good. Happy Bao's was good and we will be back in the future. read more

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Loooveeee the food! I've been here twice and the food never disappoint! Service is excellent. I would keep coming back but it's too far from my house. read more

Came to Happy Val's on a Friday night around 630pm-7pm. There are only about 5 tables inside the restaurant and 2 tables outside. It was already full. We waited about 30-40 minutes for a table. The seating guidance and policies there were a little annoying, which is why I took away one star. It is not open seating. When you get to the restaurant, you have to be seated. Go directly to the desk and write your name and party size on the clipboard. Alternatively you can order takeout, and eat at the tables in the common food court area. The food and service was otherwise very good. The food came out pretty quickly and was really good. The pork soup dumplings were our favorite. Will definitely go again to try out different dumplings. Restaurant hours are until 9pm, but the kitchen closes at 830pm. read more