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I ordered the pork buns and was surprised by the price, about $14 for three buns. I realize this is a tourist area and they were made to order, but I still expected a better overall experience for the cost. The wait was fairly long, and when I opened the container, the buns looked noticeably deflated. They resembled flattened soup dumplings more than the fluffy steamed buns I was expecting. I've had plenty of pork buns over the years, and these immediately looked off. Unfortunately, the taste didn't improve matters. The filling was sparse, bland, and unremarkable. It was mostly plain pork with very little flavor or texture. For the price, I would have expected a more generous and flavorful filling, perhaps with additional ingredients to add some depth and balance. I've had traditional pork buns at dim sum restaurants with simple pork fillings that were excellent, but these lacked the seasoning and preparation needed to stand out. The bun itself was dense rather than light and fluffy, and the bottom had become soggy from sitting directly in the container without any paper liner. A good dipping sauce could have helped, but the only options available were soy sauce and chili sauce. A vinegar based dipping sauce would have complemented the buns much better and added some much needed brightness. If you're already in the area and just need a quick bite, these might do the job, especially if you're sharing an order. However, I wouldn't recommend making a special trip for them. The quality didn't justify the price, and the experience felt geared more toward tourists than food quality. The one highlight was the branded reusable bag that came with the purchase. It was well designed, practical, and honestly ended up being my favorite part of the experience. Overall, I wouldn't order the pork buns again. They were expensive for what you received and ultimately left me disappointed.
We've been eyeing this place since it opened but never worked up the courage to come in. We often go to the Aquarium and through the years asian dining options have always been really slim in this area. I'm happy to say that now there is a decent asian place that we can drop by if we have a craving or if we are bringing overseas friends to the aquarium. Very clean interiors, you seat yourself and order at the counter. We had the beef noodle soup, veggie noodle soup, and the XLB. The beef noodle soup was mostly soy sauce based, not too salty, just the right amount of savoring. The meat was not beef shank, but a leaner cut with less connective tissue so don't expect any chewy tendons. And the noodles were cooked with just the right chew. XLB was only okay. Not terrible but not something I would order again. Overall decent, and for Monterey standards definitely a 4 out of 5. Obviously cannot compare to beef noodle shops in the south bay, but this will do if you are spending a day touring the local area and have the craving for noodle soup. No free water here by the way, you'll have to buy a bottle of water at the front counter so plan accordingly.
Pork XLB comes out HOT but they are yummy! Service is quick and the staff is very kind. I'm not from the area but if I was I would be coming back frequently!
Jack's Bao is more or less a fast food noodle place. However, it is chilly outside and we wanted some warm broth and noodles. They were pretty quick to bring out the order out to us so that was good. As far as the food, the won ton soup was surprisingly good. Enjoyed the flavor of that one. The beef noodle soup was ok I guess. Chunks of beef with spaghetti type noodles in a beef broth. The fried won tons were a outta the box type of food, not a winner. All in all it was fast, hot, and decent.
Came here after a visit to the Aquarium. Centrally located on Cannery Rd and plenty of space due seating and easy to order. It does its job if you are wanting a dumpling fix! We ordered two pork soup dumplings, a red bean one, and 1 chilli pork dumpling. The soup dumplings have a thicker outer layer than places like Juicy dumplings or Ding Tai, however still tasty. The chili pork dumplings were flavorful and everyone enjoyed it. The portion of the red bean one comes in 3 big buns...shareable.
We came here on a weekday evening and there were a good amount of tables taken. We ordered our baos to-go and tried a few sitting on a bench across the street in a plaza. My partner said the steamed pork bao was fine, but it only had pork in it and was missing other toppings. The sweet red bean baos were also standard and not too sweet, but the baos themselves a little more on the dry side. This place is fast casual - When you get in, you're unlikely to be greeted and you order your meal at the kiosk. There are plenty of tables and you pick up your food at the counter when your number is called.
Located at Cannary Row, It's in a prime spot. The interior of the restaurant is nicely lit with modern ambiance. Service was self order/pay, basically, they have a food runner and that's it. As for the food, it was a horrible horrible meal....the bao had a very tiny amount of pork, served with chili paste, vinegar and soy sauce. Very disappointing meal.... Had to go to a different restaurant just after....
When you're craving noodles but also low-key giving up on life... this place will do. Listen, if you're from the SF Bay Area like me, you're used to hand-pulled noodles that slap you with flavor and maybe a little emotional trauma. This place? It's more like a polite noodle handshake. My daughter gave the Braised Beef Noodle an 8, I gave it a 7, and the noodles gave up trying at around a 6. Pretty sure they weren't hand-pulled unless they were pulled from a freezer bag by hand. Flavor? Solid. Soul-stirring? Not quite. Would I drive to San Jose or Santa Cruz instead? Yes, if I had time, gas money, and a podcast to cry to. But if it's 5pm, you're starving, and your standards are rapidly lowering... this place hits the spot just enough. Bonus: It's self-serve! You order on your phone, food shows up like magic, and you get to bus your own table like it's a team-building exercise, perfect for corporate offsite as the place is big and spacious enough to host 60 people. So basically, it's dinner and character development.
Stop by Jack's Bao for quick grab & go bites on Canary row across from Intercontinental hotel. I ordered steamed pork bao. Came in 3 bao per order. The steamed flour textured is soft, chewy texture, moist as a good bao flour should be, but the pork filling tastes bland and small in size compare to the outer shell. My rose with lychee green tea is very tasty with couples of real lychee on the bottom. Recommended to order this. Like the mint green color with contemporary decor inside. Order process was self service on the computer screen. Wait about 5 mins for my to go order. So, if you looking for an authentic steam bao bun similar to Asia, Jack's bao still not my cup of tea. The lychee rose green tea is delightful though. Would love to go back and actually try others in the future update.
This is a 4 stars for Monterey, a 3 stars if you're comparing to SF Bay Area or CA East Bay Asian food. I honestly want this place to succeed! Our order: pork XLB to share between 2 people, this was around 11am as a small snack to hold us over until our "real" lunch, and we expected this to be kind of tacky but it actually surpassed my expectations! $15 for our order of 8 xiao long bao, $18 after tax and tip. Pros: - Not too bad on the authentic meter! While the food was mostly prepared by young Latinos, it actually tasted pretty good and met my expectations. - Fast self-order at the kiosk or via QR code, fast casual vibes which made this the perfect "quick meal" on our way to another excursion. - Clean, efficient, our food came out within 5 mins after ordering. - Convenient location without much competition - if you're craving Asian food in the area, this might be the best you'll get! Cons: - the XLB were lacking in soup amount, but the soup was present so I won't be too harsh. - Randomly came with a side of....chili salsa? but like actual Mexican salsa? unclear. I thought it was funny and it made me laugh. Not the biggest deal because you can choose to dip your sauces or not - slightly overpriced for what you get, I think I would have preferred to pay maybe $13-14 for the soup dumplings. But again, it's a big touristy area so I get it. Overall I would not mind coming back! And I wouldn't mind bringing my Asian immigrant parents here either.
This place was nice and clean. Everything we ordered was pretty tasty. Only thing was both of the noodle soups came out lukewarm and I like my broths to be extra piping hot, I want to see steam coming out from the bowl. In this case it didn't so we had to send both bowls back to warm them up, one bowl came out the same temp and the other was doable. Soup dumplings were delicious, the sticky rice shumi was decent good for vegans. The spicy wontons were good had a nice sauce to it. Overall good little spot if you want some soup since it gets cold around here. Best thing was the soup dumplings , definitely order that.
It fulfills the stomach if one is yearning for Asian noodle soup by the bay! Their pork flavors of spicy ground pork, meatball and Xiao Long Bao is average. Simple menu. Don't expect much. It's just to satisfy that soup around this area, which is great for that. No competition and it's all about convenience. Self serve casual dining.
2 months ago
The place is nice and clean. Thumb up. Food was decent and service is fast. It is located right in front of hotel continental. read more
14 hours ago
Should have figured a place on cannery row would be a rip off, but reviews were somewhat positive. The food is way overpriced for what you get. Dumplings are clearly frozen, not homemade. The service woman was terrible. Hiding on her phone in back the entire time. They do not give water. You must pay for a drink. It's entirely self service so don't bother tipping, you are already overpaying for frozen Dumplings and no service. Do not recommend. read more
Business owner information
Anni W.
Thank you for your feedback. We wish you had brought these concerns…
2 months ago
Business owner information
Anni W.
Love hearing the bao beat your expectations, and that the red bean…
I ordered the pork buns and was surprised by the price, about $14 for three buns. I realize this is a tourist area and they were made to order, but I still expected a better overall experience for the cost. The wait was fairly long, and when I opened the container, the buns looked noticeably deflated. They resembled flattened soup dumplings more than the fluffy steamed buns I was expecting. I've had plenty of pork buns over the years, and these immediately looked off. Unfortunately, the taste didn't improve matters. The filling was sparse, bland, and unremarkable. It was mostly plain pork with very little flavor or texture. For the price, I would have expected a more generous and flavorful filling, perhaps with additional ingredients to add some depth and balance. I've had traditional pork buns at dim sum restaurants with simple pork fillings that were excellent, but these lacked the seasoning and preparation needed to stand out. The bun itself was dense rather than light and fluffy, and the bottom had become soggy from sitting directly in the container without any paper liner. A good dipping sauce could have helped, but the only options available were soy sauce and chili sauce. A vinegar based dipping sauce would have complemented the buns much better and added some much needed brightness. If you're already in the area and just need a quick bite, these might do the job, especially if you're sharing an order. However, I wouldn't recommend making a special trip for them. The quality didn't justify the price, and the experience felt geared more toward tourists than food quality. The one highlight was the branded reusable bag that came with the purchase. It was well designed, practical, and honestly ended up being my favorite part of the experience. Overall, I wouldn't order the pork buns again. They were expensive for what you received and ultimately left me disappointed. read more
We've been eyeing this place since it opened but never worked up the courage to come in. We often go to the Aquarium and through the years asian dining options have always been really slim in this area. I'm happy to say that now there is a decent asian place that we can drop by if we have a craving or if we are bringing overseas friends to the aquarium. Very clean interiors, you seat yourself and order at the counter. We had the beef noodle soup, veggie noodle soup, and the XLB. The beef noodle soup was mostly soy sauce based, not too salty, just the right amount of savoring. The meat was not beef shank, but a leaner cut with less connective tissue so don't expect any chewy tendons. And the noodles were cooked with just the right chew. XLB was only okay. Not terrible but not something I would order again. Overall decent, and for Monterey standards definitely a 4 out of 5. Obviously cannot compare to beef noodle shops in the south bay, but this will do if you are spending a day touring the local area and have the craving for noodle soup. No free water here by the way, you'll have to buy a bottle of water at the front counter so plan accordingly. read more
2 months ago
Pork XLB comes out HOT but they are yummy! Service is quick and the staff is very kind. I'm not from the area but if I was I would be coming back frequently! read more
Jack's Bao is more or less a fast food noodle place. However, it is chilly outside and we wanted some warm broth and noodles. They were pretty quick to bring out the order out to us so that was good. As far as the food, the won ton soup was surprisingly good. Enjoyed the flavor of that one. The beef noodle soup was ok I guess. Chunks of beef with spaghetti type noodles in a beef broth. The fried won tons were a outta the box type of food, not a winner. All in all it was fast, hot, and decent. read more
3 months ago
Came here after a visit to the Aquarium. Centrally located on Cannery Rd and plenty of space due seating and easy to order. It does its job if you are wanting a dumpling fix! We ordered two pork soup dumplings, a red bean one, and 1 chilli pork dumpling. The soup dumplings have a thicker outer layer than places like Juicy dumplings or Ding Tai, however still tasty. The chili pork dumplings were flavorful and everyone enjoyed it. The portion of the red bean one comes in 3 big buns...shareable. read more
1 month ago
15 days ago
We came here on a weekday evening and there were a good amount of tables taken. We ordered our baos to-go and tried a few sitting on a bench across the street in a plaza. My partner said the steamed pork bao was fine, but it only had pork in it and was missing other toppings. The sweet red bean baos were also standard and not too sweet, but the baos themselves a little more on the dry side. This place is fast casual - When you get in, you're unlikely to be greeted and you order your meal at the kiosk. There are plenty of tables and you pick up your food at the counter when your number is called. read more
6 months ago
Located at Cannary Row, It's in a prime spot. The interior of the restaurant is nicely lit with modern ambiance. Service was self order/pay, basically, they have a food runner and that's it. As for the food, it was a horrible horrible meal....the bao had a very tiny amount of pork, served with chili paste, vinegar and soy sauce. Very disappointing meal.... Had to go to a different restaurant just after.... read more
When you're craving noodles but also low-key giving up on life... this place will do. Listen, if you're from the SF Bay Area like me, you're used to hand-pulled noodles that slap you with flavor and maybe a little emotional trauma. This place? It's more like a polite noodle handshake. My daughter gave the Braised Beef Noodle an 8, I gave it a 7, and the noodles gave up trying at around a 6. Pretty sure they weren't hand-pulled unless they were pulled from a freezer bag by hand. Flavor? Solid. Soul-stirring? Not quite. Would I drive to San Jose or Santa Cruz instead? Yes, if I had time, gas money, and a podcast to cry to. But if it's 5pm, you're starving, and your standards are rapidly lowering... this place hits the spot just enough. Bonus: It's self-serve! You order on your phone, food shows up like magic, and you get to bus your own table like it's a team-building exercise, perfect for corporate offsite as the place is big and spacious enough to host 60 people. So basically, it's dinner and character development. read more
Stop by Jack's Bao for quick grab & go bites on Canary row across from Intercontinental hotel. I ordered steamed pork bao. Came in 3 bao per order. The steamed flour textured is soft, chewy texture, moist as a good bao flour should be, but the pork filling tastes bland and small in size compare to the outer shell. My rose with lychee green tea is very tasty with couples of real lychee on the bottom. Recommended to order this. Like the mint green color with contemporary decor inside. Order process was self service on the computer screen. Wait about 5 mins for my to go order. So, if you looking for an authentic steam bao bun similar to Asia, Jack's bao still not my cup of tea. The lychee rose green tea is delightful though. Would love to go back and actually try others in the future update. read more
2 months ago
This is a 4 stars for Monterey, a 3 stars if you're comparing to SF Bay Area or CA East Bay Asian food. I honestly want this place to succeed! Our order: pork XLB to share between 2 people, this was around 11am as a small snack to hold us over until our "real" lunch, and we expected this to be kind of tacky but it actually surpassed my expectations! $15 for our order of 8 xiao long bao, $18 after tax and tip. Pros: - Not too bad on the authentic meter! While the food was mostly prepared by young Latinos, it actually tasted pretty good and met my expectations. - Fast self-order at the kiosk or via QR code, fast casual vibes which made this the perfect "quick meal" on our way to another excursion. - Clean, efficient, our food came out within 5 mins after ordering. - Convenient location without much competition - if you're craving Asian food in the area, this might be the best you'll get! Cons: - the XLB were lacking in soup amount, but the soup was present so I won't be too harsh. - Randomly came with a side of....chili salsa? but like actual Mexican salsa? unclear. I thought it was funny and it made me laugh. Not the biggest deal because you can choose to dip your sauces or not - slightly overpriced for what you get, I think I would have preferred to pay maybe $13-14 for the soup dumplings. But again, it's a big touristy area so I get it. Overall I would not mind coming back! And I wouldn't mind bringing my Asian immigrant parents here either. read more
This place was nice and clean. Everything we ordered was pretty tasty. Only thing was both of the noodle soups came out lukewarm and I like my broths to be extra piping hot, I want to see steam coming out from the bowl. In this case it didn't so we had to send both bowls back to warm them up, one bowl came out the same temp and the other was doable. Soup dumplings were delicious, the sticky rice shumi was decent good for vegans. The spicy wontons were good had a nice sauce to it. Overall good little spot if you want some soup since it gets cold around here. Best thing was the soup dumplings , definitely order that. read more
2 years ago
It fulfills the stomach if one is yearning for Asian noodle soup by the bay! Their pork flavors of spicy ground pork, meatball and Xiao Long Bao is average. Simple menu. Don't expect much. It's just to satisfy that soup around this area, which is great for that. No competition and it's all about convenience. Self serve casual dining. read more
1 year ago
The first time we saw this place months ago, i actually passed up this place on purpose thinking there couldn't possibly be a good Chinese place in Monterey...and especially NOT near a popular attraction like the Monterey Bay aquarium. But, I caved in when my parents were given a bday coupon to use. And I'm SO glad we tried the food here. In fact, it was so good, we ended up ordering FOUR times in just 2 days. Beef noodle soup hands down was one of the best if not the very best we have had. Beef was perfectly tender and the sauce they add to the beef and noodles is phenomenal! It has a slightly sweet and savory flavor that made the broth really stand out and the noodles were soft and a perfect compliment. We ordered this 3 times bc it was that good. Second time tho didn't have as much beef seasoning and was a little bland but still good. We needed up putting on le order on ice to enjoy the next day at home nd it was still very delicious! They did a great job of packing everything separately which I love so that things don't get soggy and so that you can more easily add or subtract items. Also tried the cold noodle peanut dish. It was ok but it's a little bit too peanutty with a lot of peanut butter and peanuts. I was glad they did pack everything separate tho so that you could add what you wanted. To go orders come in a cute reusable bao bag that you can use to put your Monterey items in. They have door dash, uber and are on toast. Portions here are very generous and easy to share. Too bad this place is so far otherwise I would frequent this place often. Next time I'm in Monterey I'm definitely coming back read more
Stopped in here on a whim to try something new for the area. Went with the steamed pork bao, pan fried dumplings and wonton soup. The bao were absolutely nothing special. The fried wontons were over cooked to the point of being hard eat. The soup was simple in flavor. What threw me, and this is on me, were the tiny shrimp with their tiny beady eyes staring back at me in the soup broth. They had self-serve water. Bathrooms seemed to be closed. I liked the ordering style, where you can order at a kiosk or at the table, but that was about it for me. read more
1 month ago
9 months ago
1 year ago
This place is a bit mediocre in terms of taste but if you're craving dumplings / beef noodle soup it isn't too bad. The XLB was a bit overcooked so I didn't enjoy them too much. I thought the beef in the beef noodle soup was really tender and it was pretty decent. They gave us a free rose tea with our order. read more
Staff is so friendly and helpful. We were debating what was in the cold noodle and the tofu was incredible. I could eat an entire bowl myself and not share. We always do family style dishes. Pork boa were light fluffy and super rich flavorful minced pork filling. The lychee lemon tea is light and refreshing. We also had xao long boa soup dumpling my daughter almost an entire basket her fav and they soup was rich flavor, lots of soup and a thin wrapper. The ambiance is bright and clean and they keep their bathroom so clean. Definitely worth the go for a quick meal. read more
Stopped by for a quick snack before the aquarium. Super easy, can order online or on the machine at the front! Steamed pork bun $12.99 for 3 of them. Touristy prices. Pork bun was pretty good! Flavor of the pork was delicious! The bun is soft and fluffy! Can't go wrong :) Easy and fast food option! It comes with a nice, small, reusable bag! read more
Business owner information
Anni W.
Thank you Sheila! Please visit us again when you are in the area.
4 months ago
Near Cannery Row? Looking for something warm to eat in the cool weather? The service was fast and efficient, food came out nice and hot. There is a fair amount of indoor seating (no outdoor), with a lot of takeout activity. We ordered the WonTon soup, soup dumplings (Shao long bao) and spicy pork noodles. The Soup Dumplings came out super hot (surface of Sun hot) as they should. Don't let them sit, we let ours sit for a little too long and the dumpling broke and drained. They were tasty, just eat them before they drain. I chose the spicy pork noodles, so I'll focus on this dish. The noodles were good, the pork and broth were also good. The soup came out very hot (heat wise), however on a scale of 1-10 (where 10 is super spicy), the spicy pork soup was about a 2 on the scale, which was a little disappointing (I'm usually a medium spice eater). Overall, it's a good place especially in Cannery Row on a cold day. read more
I heard a lot of good things about Jack's Bao. It is a nice addition to Cannery Row food scene. I hope it can survive. I ordered at the counter and sat down but it looks like you also sit down and order via a QR code and they will bring you the meal. Service was pretty quick for a Sunday afternoon. The restaurant is open seating and very clean. I got a window seat so I can people watch. I ordered Pork Xiao Long Bao (soup dumplings) ($15) and a pork Rib noodle soup with a deep rich broth ($15). The Xiao Long Bao was good though trying to eat 8 by myself was a challenge as the soup seemed to solidify as it cooled. A bit pricey than I would pay in the Bay Area but I understand the location. The Rib Noodle soup had chewy noodles and the soup base was hearty. Also ordered the Lychee Lemon-Rose Green Tea which was refreshing with a couple of lychee fruit in it ($5). If you are looking for something different on Cannery Row, give them a try and be patient when ordering. read more
11 months ago
6 months ago
6 months ago
5 months ago
Good Chinese food directly across from the Aquarium, in the heart of cannery row. This is a fast casual eatery with basic sterile plastic chairs in the dining room. Xiao long bao is the main titular dish. They also offer a variety of soup noodles. Everything tasted good and was prepared right. If you are already in cannery row, this is a solid choice for a meal. read more
8 months ago
expensive & flavorless, even the drink we got was flavorless (somehow..?) good for a quick bite but wouldn't come back again for the food. you order on the kiosk & a worker is there to help you but there aren't many opportunities to interact with the server besides that read more
2 years ago
Food arrived quickly and location is very close to the aquarium, so convenient if you want to get a meal outside! I got the mushroom and veggie noodle soup, and while it did have plenty of mushrooms in it, the dish overall was a little too sweet for my liking. The soup base itself is pretty sweet, which in turn made the mushrooms and tofu very sweet and a little overwhelming. My boyfriend got the pork rib noodle dish, and while the soup was better the pork was dry. read more
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More info about Jack's Bao
751 Cannery Row
Ste 121
Monterey, CA 93940
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(831) 215-1703
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http://www.jackbao.com
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