What a wonderful little spot! The selections are limited right now due to expanding from Monterey, but they have wonderful signature options that are very diverse & satisfying. My fiancée & I sampled almost the entire menu & everything was fantastic! From the savory to the sweet baos, & even soup & wontons, everything was amazing! Not only that, but the service was exceptional! The cook was very passionate about what she does & we left very taken care of & personally acknowledged. I would 100% recommend this to anyone looking for a good bao spot in Santa Cruz, & it's certainly the best located in the south area of Santa Cruz County. 10/10! read more

So glad Jack's Bao is back! This is my granddaughter Johanna's favorite eatery. She just loves the Pork Dumplings and their flavorful drinks. Thank you for reopening! Our server was so welcoming and kind. We will be back for more. Bless you. read more

Jack's Bao - Popi & Johanna - Chinese Near Me - Aptos, California

My wife has been very sick and was craving a good, clean stock noodle soup. We had to refrigerate it for one day. The beef was very tasty flavorful. She said it might just be the best local soup/ noodle place in the county. Please give them a try, worth every penny!!!! read more

A fast but not so inexpensive or crave worthy option. They have a somewhat limited menu of various Shanghainese noodles and dumplings. Came here for lunch the other day and ordered the Pork Rib Noodle ($17). It was just ok. One medium sized pork rib, some bock choy veggie and lots of noodle. Taste was decent, and noodles had good bite and texture. However, for something close to $20 for lunch, I do need more protein so this was not substantial enough for me. I would have ordered a small wonton, dumpling or pork bun appetizer to supplement, but the only options on the menu were servings for $13-15 portions which would have made my lunch $30+, do I didn't try them. For the price, I can get much better value and quality over in the SF South Bay. Indoor dining only. Order at the counter and they'll bring you your order to the table. Not sure I'd be back any time soon. read more

Jack's Bao - Pork Rib Noodle Soup - Chinese Near Me - Aptos, California

This was the first visit for my friend and I and the food was excellent. We had the 3 bao sampler of pork, vegetarian, and red bean paste and all 3 were quite good. My friend had the vegetarian noodle soup and I had the beef noodle soup and we both enjoyed our soups. We will be back. I'm so glad that we have a place like Jack's Bao in Aptos! read more

We got bao - lacked flavor or even seasoning Lion's head meatball soup - soup was well flavored and good quantity Spicy ground pork noodle soup - Good spice and but lacked umami flavors. Service was excellent and food was served quickly. I dont like to refute a business based on one experience. As this is our local spot, will definitely try it again and may change my review. I really hope they fix their Bao flavors really soon. read more

Excited to hear about Jack's. Disappointed when I eat there... Pork Boa, good size until you bit in to it, and realized that only a third of it had filling. A chuck that tasted like sausage. Chicken rice bowl. One leg two small pieces of a thigh, not even a whole. Roast chicken on the bone. Look ok until you pick all the bone out. No seasoning. I enjoyed the rice and vegetables better than the meat. Will not be back. Sorry just the truth. I do have to say the girl at the counter was very nice and very helpful. to her. read more

Jack's Bao has reopened. I actually had not tried them the first time they opened as all of their dishes seemed to be pork and my husband doesn't like pork. This time they have a wider variety of meats and also vegetarian options. We tried the chili oil wontons and the braised beef soup. The soup was large enough for two people and had a flavor profile similar to pho. Our favorite this meal were the chili oil wontons, they were flavorful and had some spiciness without being overpowering. Mostly they had a mix of spices and were topped with cilantro and scallions. The person at the front counter was very sweet and patient. We came about thirty minutes before they closed and took our order to go. The food was packed nicely and they added a variety of sauces, soy based, chili oil and some other chili sauce and utensils. The place was clean and the order came out quickly. It is by no means a fancy place but definitely a good place to grab a casual meal. I am excited to go again at an earlier hour as they have milk tea and some other drinks, including bottled Asian drinks that looked delicious. I forgot to take pictures of the food but the new menu is below, it isn't the best as it was meant for a text to a family member. Hopefully it helps you make a decision to give it a try. We need more variety in the area. read more

Jack's Bao - Menu on 11/01/2025 - Chinese Near Me - Aptos, California

Our meal was delicious as expected. Very clean all around. Was impressed with the service. We thought they had boba drinks, but they don't. read more

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Tried this new place after looking for soup dumplings. Was very happy with their version of my favorite. Simple atmosphere. Very friendly and helpful hostess Lisa. Will return for sure. read more

At first glance, the food at Jack's Bao looks incredible, and the ambiance of the place is inviting. However, the staff seemed inattentive, which detracted from the overall experience. The photos of the Bao were promising, but unfortunately, the food didn't live up to expectations. The noodles in the pork rib noodle soup were the highlight of the meal, but the BBQ Steamed Pork Bao lacked any discernible BBQ flavor and felt more like a plain pork meatball. Similarly, the veggie Bao was underwhelming. While the Bao bun itself was well-made, the fillings left much to be desired. After trying three dishes and spending over $50, I found my wife and myself only eating 2 out of 6 Bao buns and a small portion of the soup. With a name like "Jack's Bao," I expected a top-tier experience, but sadly, it fell short. read more

Jack's Bao - Steamed Pork Bao and Steamed Veggie Bao - Chinese Near Me - Aptos, California

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I created an account just to leave a review! It was that good! I had the fried wontons with pork. They were so good! Im big on texture, between the crunchy exterior, soft and supple inside, and richness of the addition of soy sauce, this meal was spectacular. There was freshly chopped green onions which also gave it a nice change in consistency. Pros: -Quick -Delicious -Wonderful presentation -Beautiful open seating -Definitely made from scratch, since you can actually look through the kitchen serving window and see them working. -Perfect for family of four seating Cons -Awkward temporary closing times (late lunch is a no go with downtime from 2-4 on weekdays it seems) but if you plan around it, it doesn't matter. read more

Jack's Bao - Seating design and atmosphere, very simplistic yet modern. - Chinese Near Me - Aptos, California

Support this spectacular restaurant! Their dumplings are on SF restaurant level. The veggie bao with its essence of sesame are so bright, you feel virtuous getting your greens this way. The XLB are expertly made, the fried wontons were fried with precision, the crunch with the savory juicy filling is an amazing bite. The wonton soup broth is delicate and bright, deeply comforting and fresh. Let's keep em busy, definitely an asset to the south county food scene. read more

Great service staff is always friendly and welcoming and good food ! Must try crispy wontons !!

Wow this place is amazing! Such a different kind of food for Aptos, Shanghai style and very fresh and delicious. I took my whole family here and even my youngest kid who is very picky went nuts for this place. We will be eating here a lot! Service was great and I loved the modern decor. Highly recommended. read more

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The food was great. We ate lunch in this very clean and neat restaurant. I had the shrimp and pork wanton soup and hubby had pork rib noodle soup. We both loved it. The service was super quick and polite. read more

Pretty good won ton soup. Clean. Good and friendly service. I was the only one there for lunch.

To summarize: The Fried Wontons are absolutely amazing. Discovered Jack's Bao today, service was helpful and wonderful. The restaurant itself was very clean with two different ways to order to go (Via the waitress or through a touch screen). Wait time was also reasonable at 10-15 minutes but it was also mid-day and not too busy. As someone who has tried pork buns and wontons in various restaurants through out the county, these were fresh and extremely delicious. The fried wontons had the right amount of crisp (Though did come with sliced green onion on top...didn't affect the taste) I also got the steamed pork buns and these were well-made and not the generic or over-doughed pork buns I've had at other places. Finding a good Chinese food in our area is a challenge, but this place definitely will see my return business. Highly recommend! read more

It is very exciting to have a dim sum place in Aptos. They have good shanghai buns and their spicy pork noodle soup is delicious. Lisa is very accommodating and makes the experience welcoming. It closed for a while but is back. Great for take out as well. read more

I rate this place a ugh not what I expected the way it looked its the way it tasted (nasty)the only thing I thought was ok was the fried wontons the wonton soup had little googly eyes staring at me little did I know they were tiny little shrimps and way over priced will never ever go back sorry read more

Jack's Bao - Spicy Ground Pork Noodle Soup - Chinese Near Me - Aptos, California

I have waited for so long for a Bao/Dim Sum/Noodle place to open. Yummmm! I love it! We tried the pork Bao, shrimp/pork wonton in broth and the pork dumplings.. all delicious! Seemed hand made, served traditionally in a bamboo steam basket. The deco is modern creative. Love the bamboo steamer basket lamps and wooden panels. Service was excellent, quick, friendly and everything was spotless. Highly recommend for dine in or take out! I also like that they don't close at 7 pm but stay open until 8 pm. Great for a late, quick, and yummy dinner! read more

Food! The pork bao buns are delicious! So flavorful! The spicy pork soup is delicious! The regular pork soup delicious! The pork and shrimp wontons are delicious! And the soup dumplings amazing! The ambiance is super inviting with the green walls and the chairs are super comfortable too. The service is a walk up counter but they bring you all your food to your table! Over all I will be back again! read more

Very delicious spice noodles and dumplings! Xiaolongbao is awesome. Definitely will come again! read more

Jack's Bao - Chinese Near Me - Aptos, California

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I recently moved to Santa Cruz, and a friend recommended this new restaurant. The place has a really unique and clean vibe, the staff is super friendly and welcoming. I ordered the xiao Long Bao and spicy pork noodles, which are their signature dishes. I highly recommend both because they taste just like what I had in Shanghai, maybe even better. The owner told me that the spicy pork is made with fresh pork and special chili sauce, and the Xiao Long Bao have their own unique recipe. The prices are reasonable, and the food is delicious. Overall, I really love this restaurant and would definitely recommend it to my friends. read more

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Once I walked in, the staff was very welcoming. I ordered our food. For beverages, they have free water cups, can soda and bottled beer. The restaurant was clean and cute. Food was great. I'm thankful I live up the street because I'll be back often read more

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please bring back your beef noodle soup! i will be a repeat customer if you do! so yummy. (I called last night and was told taken off your menu) read more

Exceptional experience! Delicious, fresh dumplings and soups. Refreshing drinks. Vibrant clean interior. And helpful, cheerful staff. We will be coming back many times for sure! read more

Emphasis on Shanghai style - many Americans don't know the differences among regional Chinese cuisine. The pork bao are not char siu (Cantonese bbq pork) which is the more popular filling. But these bao come with sauces that you can spoon in for added flavor and juiciness. The spicy pork soup was bursting with flavor and the xiaolongbao was perfect in texture for the wrapper and a delicious umami broth pork dumpling on the inside. Will return! read more

Great food, service and very nice and clean! Prices are reasonable, we ordered from each section of the menu to share and everything was fresh, hot, and delicious Highly recommended read more

Really wanted to like this place. Super bright, looks clean from what you can see since the kitchen is blocked off, and the customer service was awesome. It's the food. One it's super expensive for very little. Second, it has no flavor. We got the three steamed pork bao's and inside is a small meatball size of pork. For 12.99 for three there should be more meat. It's not filling and literally I was still hungry after. This is the kind of place either you love it or it's not for you. Unfortunately I wouldn't go back. read more

The food is really mediocre for the price. It tastes ok, but not any better than frozen Bao from the Safeway across the street heated up in the microwave. Also, there is SO much plastic waste. Every order comes with a thick plastic bag. read more

Honestly, disappointing. So few choices, mostly pork. Very expensive for what it is. The soup dumplings were okay, the sticky rice dessert was very oily and gave me a stomachache. They had run out of wonton soup, which I would have ordered. I might try it again, but a chicken dish and more than just two veggie offerings perhaps would entice me to return sooner. Also the place needs better ventilation, it was airless. Staff was super-nice, and it was clean. UPDATE: Owner literally just reinforced my criticism about only two veggie offerings in her comment. read more

Yay! Our local Bao house is open! Weeknight bao and noodle soup was such a comfort to me this difficult week. Plus, sweet sticky rice as a final indulgence, Everything freshly made, and the restaurant is cute! I love the enthusiasm of the owner/manager who took my order. It was a to-go order, prepped very quickly. I also love the take-out bags! Very re-usable, and joy-inspiring. I'm so happy Jack's bao is in town!! Try it out, I think you'll love it, too! read more

really disappointing - everything is was awful - food is mediocre to poor and simply not good! we will not be returning! read more

Disappointed because the store staff was not honest and food is not good. The "Bao" was previously frozen, not freshly made at the store as the girl at the front desk claimed.. read more

Soup dumplings looked homemade. Wontons were fire . Veggie bao not it . customer service felt judgmental even though we (two people) got there an hour before closing. asked if we wanted it to-go (empty restaurant). read more

Really good water Jasmine tea and service.But all the bao smelled like dishwasher and seemed not handmade.The pork and shrimp bao had a pork and shrimp meatballs inside of them which fell out and was slimy.The vegetarian bao was bland with greens and barley any mushroom pieces. The fried wontons were all right but some came out cold and some came out warm like they were Re heated. read more

It's clear very little is actually made fresh or from scratch at this restaurant... The baos are probably from the frozen aisle of an Asian market, the sauces are probably off the shelf too. The things that were cooked on site were made poorly. Noodles were way overcooked, pork was chew and not breaded at all. Feels like I just paid $50 for someone to make me something I could have made in my dorm room in college. Service was fine and ambiance was nice and modern. I guess place like this will have to do in this area. read more

I'm giving them three stars for at least refunding my order. Without that, I'd give them two for getting my order wrong, the xiao long bao were not cooked through (almost frozen), and I won't return to a place that won't just put their takeout in paper bags. No one needs a mini reusable bag that'll likely just be thrown out, the cost of which is likely being added into the overall meal. read more

The pork and shrimp wonton soup was good, tender wrappers. The steamed pork buns were ok, didn't knock our socks off.