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We had already eaten but wanted to stop in and try the soup dumplings. They were good, only served with ginger not soy sauce or chili sauce but still enjoyable.. maybe they had it and they didn't offer and we didn't ask but nonetheless it was clean, customer service was friendly, and overall it was a good experience. We'll have to come back next time we're in the area to try more of the menu. It's also nice to have this option on cannery row and it's quick service
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.
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.
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!
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.
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
1 year ago
1 year ago
Came here for lunch after reading the reviews. The beef noodle soup was ok. The beef was not tender at all and dry. Seems like they didn't cook it long enough to make it tender. The soup had good flavor. The xlb were small and not that much soup in them. It's ok considering it's like a chain resturant. If you are hungry it's a good spot for something fast. read more
1 year ago
10 months ago
nice clean open seating, easy way to place orders. everything was good except their rice. the rice was undercooked so we couldnt eat it. gyoza was more like fried wontons, still good though. read more
Business owner information
Anni W.
Hi Dave, we don’t have gyozas on our menu. We offer fried wontons,…
3 months ago
2 years ago
Business owner information
Anni W.
Thank you Christine, happy to hear you enjoyed dining with us, See…
1 year ago
Delicious spicy ground pork noodles with the fresh spicy yummy soup. Huge serving that will take 2 to 3 people to consume. Service was quick once we ordered, they took about 5 minutes since it wasn't busy today. Bathroom was clean and the table were clean and neat. I highly recommend this place for people who visit down town Monterey. read more
4 months ago
Came in just for a drink. Bought the Lemon Lychee Green Tea. Very refreshing and flavorful. It had actual lychee fruit in the drink. read more
Business owner information
Anni W.
Thank you for the review Mary. All our drinks are made to order with…
8 months ago
Business owner information
Anni W.
Hi Michael, sorry for the confusion, what you ordered was the mini…
2 years ago
Walk in friendly can order in the front or at the table Food came out quick I got the steamed pork xaio long boa xlb Shrimp and pork wonton soup And fried wontons All that plus 2 sodas cost me 55.63 Had my 3 month old baby with me and the environment around me was relaxing were he fell asleep . First time here and I loved it thank you guys read more
2 years ago
New spot on Cannery Tow and it was a delight! We needed a quick snack and decided to stop in to try this place. Yum yum. I saw lots of folks eating the noodles so i will have to try that next time in town! read more
Business owner information
Anni W.
Please stop by again and try our noodle dishes, they are all hearty…
I have been on a bao kick for the past few months so I was super excited to see Jacks Bao in Monterey. The location is great and less than a block from the Aquarium on Cannary Row. The restaurant was clean and spacious. The service was quick and the cashier was friendly. I ordered the steamed Pork bao and my husband ordered the veggie Bao since he is vegan. I was disappointed in the pork bao. The dough was very dense and not pillowy soft like other bao I've tasted at previous restaurants. The pork did not taste freshly made and was just a ball in the center of the bun. When I bit into one of the bao, the pork ball fell out. My husband ordered the veggie bao. The veggie bao was predominantly spinach which didn't match the advertised photo. The dough was thick and tasted overdone as if it had been frozen and reheated. The flavor in both bao was basic and needed the sauces provided. The price was a little high considering the quality and amount of food. Based on this experience, I will most likely skip Jacks next time. read more
8 months ago
5 months ago
We stopped for lunch after morning shopping on the cannery row. We tried soup dumplings and wonton soup. Both were just okay. I have had much more authentic in St. Louis. I was very disappointed to say the least. The restaurant and bathroom were clean. Service was very quick. But if you are looking for good food, this place wouldn't be it. read more
We were craving soup dumplings and found Jack's Bao here on yelp. We came in right when it opened and ordered from the self order kiosk. Ordering was a breeze and we chose the spicy ground pork noodle soup, the steamed pork bao, the shrimp and pork wonton soup and the xiao long bao. The food came out very quick and was beyond delicious. Highly recommend the spicy ground pork noodle soup. The broth was rich and flavorful. Husband and I cannot wait to come back! read more
1 year ago
2 years ago
Perfect afternoon snack for my daughter and I after enjoying the aquarium! The wonton soup was light and refreshing with loads of green onions which we love. The wontons were plentiful and delicious. The teas are perfect - not too sweet! I had the lychee and my daughter had the milk tea. Will definitely come back when in town! read more
OMG THIS WAS SO DELICIOUS! I've tried a lot of dumpling places, but this one is BY FAR HANDS DOWN MY FAVORITE. The juicy soup literally squirted in my mouth right when I bit it. It tasted like pure heaven. I will definitely be coming back and bringing my friends. read more
It was super easy to order because there is a code to scan on the table where you can order for the whole table. We ordered the shrimp and pork wonton soup and the pork bao. THEY WERE BOTH SO GOOD ESPECIALLY THE PORK BAO. Had to take a moment and full bask in the glory of it if I'm being so honest. Overall it was a great meal and the restaurant was very clean and well kept as well! Will definitely be returning with more family. read more
Business owner information
Anni W.
Thanks for your generous review! Hope see you soon with your family!
1 year ago
1 year ago
2 years ago
I would not phone home about these Xiaolongbao. They are subpar compared to Dintaifung for instance: - The wrappers are thicker... and browner? - There's no juice inside. To get juice, sometimes gelatin needs to be incorporated to the filling. The gelatin then melts during the steaming process and the now hot liquid is trapped inside. They don't even provide spoons since there's no juice. - No sliced ginger. However, 4 stars, because: - convenient location near the aquarium - fast service (we got our food within a few minutes of sitting down) - affordable prices. read more
7 months ago
1 year ago
1 year ago
2 years ago
The BEST food/price you can find on Cannery Row. We tried it for a quick lunch, it was so good we went back for dinner a different day and even got to go orders for the trip home. Friendly staff and quick service. The food all tasted great and considering Cannery Row prices is the best value on the entire street. We will definitely eat there again our next trip. My only complaint is that they close a little too early. While we were having dinner at least 4 groups had to be turned away because the kitchen was closed. read more
1 year ago
Very efficient with the self ordering and self serve water. Food was quick to arrive and the staff was helpful is giving us an extra bowl without us needing to ask. The tables are all clean and the space is very open giving chill vibes. We ordered the xlb, beef noodle soup and mini wonton soup all of which were good. The meats were all very savory/flavorful and the soups weren't too salty. I personally don't like cilantro and didn't realize until after that they had it in the soups and wish they had an option to remove it when you're ordering. read more
2 years ago
2 years ago
A couple of friends and I stopped by for a quick bite, and we were delightfully surprised by how delicious and authentic everything was. We ordered the xiao long bao, a must try, as well as the veggie buns. Although the xiao long bao had slightly thicker skin, I'd say the flavor was on par with the renowned Din Tai Fung! The service was great as well, and we even received complimentary tomato shrimp since it's the restaurant's grand opening. The cafe was also very cute and Instagrammable, with fun drinks and customized plates and trays as well. Jack's Bao is a great place to stop by for a quick bite or have a relatively cheap sit down meal with a family. I would highly recommend! read more
Business owner information
Anni W.
Thanks for your review!
1 year ago
11 months ago
2 years ago
This was my first time at this place and I was not disappointed. We ordered then soup dumplings and the mini shrimp wonton soup. Everything was so good! Full of flavor. The broth was made with love. I will definitely go back. read more
Business owner information
Anni W.
Thank you Stephanie, glad to here you enjoyed dining with us.
More info about Jack's Bao
751 Cannery Row
Ste 121
Monterey, CA 93940
Directions
(831) 215-1703
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http://www.jackbao.com
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