I ordered won ton soup and potstickers through DoorDash. Delivery took forever because DD forces drivers to stack orders. The order was packaged neatly, with everything you need - soup spoons, napkins, sauces - in their cute little bag. The soup comes in two parts - the liquid, half-filling the container, and the won tons separate and you put them into the liquid & the container is full. It had, to me, almost no taste. The wontons were slimy and weird and the soup base was pretty meh. Not worth it. The potstickers, however are FANTASTIC IMO. Nice big size, perfectly chewy, perfectly browned, and a bargain for what you get. I'd get them again for myself, but they'd also be great to take to a party or holiday dinner. read more

The place was clean and their ordering setup looked efficient. Counter person and server was not so friendly. Since they have a limited menu, we thought that they would have presented their best items. We were the only ones there and it took about 15 minutes to get our order. Unfortunately, it came short of our expectations. The braised beef noodle soup lacked flavor, soup was so dark and looked like watered down soy sauce. The steamed pork bao had a "meatball", with just a brush of sauce, the dough was okay. They didn't even have hoisin sauce! There was no vibe since it was just us and a couple of ladies at another table who came in later. Really hope they improve their food as this is the only joint of its kind along a major street full of steak, seafood, and pasta eateries. read more

Nice Xiaolung boa. Nice dumplings in soup. Could have used more seasoning (garlic? salt?) Service was good. read more

Came in after going to the aquarium because the family loves dim sum and it was a very quiet restaurant. I have no idea how this place isn't packed all the time! The bao was incredible! Super clean location with a lot of space between tables to give everyone breathing room. The menu is small, but, if you do something well enough, you don't need an expansive menu. read more

Service was good and our food was yummy. It was pretty busy but our food didn't take too long. Only negative was the pork did not have much seasoning/flavor. It was good but I was hoping for a little more. The veggie bao was very good. read more

Jack's Bao - Pork and Steamed Veggie Bao - Shanghainese Near Me - Monterey, California

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Food was fine, nothing special. I guess they played the promise of having something unique in a tourist spot, charge premium prices, and provide the most average of food. Had the XLB (not very soupy - so whats the point?), fried wontons (so much so that it felt like they had been deep fried to the point of being hard and all crunch), and mini wonton soup (good, but basically in the most basic of broth and loaded up with green onions and seaweed to give some flavor). Overall, promises the impression of Shanghai style with none of the flavor. While the staff were nice, the format promotes zero service. Order at the table, they bring it to you, buss your own table after, and water was self serve. Only positive was the cleanliness of the restaurant. Quality is not worth the price and so we won't be back. read more

Wenton itself has a strong smell, I think it is because of the pork! and the vegetable with beef noodle soup is not even cook...

This place is alright. Just don't come with high expectations like Din Tai Fung or Dough Zone. Expect food court style as if you're at the mall. I ordered the food myself on the self serve kiosk and yes I left a tip even though it was self served but they are going to bring me the food and clean the table so I left a tip. I checked into Yelp AFTER I paid and didn't know there was a 15% check in offer! The lady working said it was too late...darn because I ordered a lot! The food is alright. It's at a good location literally down the block from the aquarium. If you're hungry and craving for XLB and stuff, then come here for a quick bite. The food was just alright. You will be paying premium price though because anything on Cannery Row costs an arm and leg. If you want cheaper eats, then head into the South Bay at a real sit in restaurant. But if you're in the neighborhood, come on over. All I can say is the quality of the food is basically food court mall food. The service needs help. We weren't greeted when we came in and the server looked like she was miserable. Maybe because she was eating her noodles in between helping customers so she didn't have a real break to enjoy her food. I placed another ordered but this time hoping to use the 15% off coupon and at first the worker was hesitant and told me maybe it's another place called Jack's and I said NO IT SAYS JACK'S BAO nicely to her. Like bro, if you're post a deal on your Yelp page, you gotta honor it! After I showed her no it says Jack's Bao on my phone, she honored it. She did bring me extra napkins when I requested so that was nice. I said bye to her two times but she ignored me lmao. They have a restroom and it was pretty clean. Lots of tables and seatings inside here. Overall, the food here is basically food court quality at a premium price and the service here needs help. I did not feel welcomed. The worker looked miserable and you can feel that vibe. She did not say bye to me when I said thank you. Normally if I don't have a good experience I won't leave a review but I wanted to share my experience with everyone and I'm rooting for this place to improve because I love supporting local mom and pop shops. read more

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It's great to have a dedicated bao shop in the Monterey area. That said, the food was very mediocre, honestly kind of plain and lacking in spices, and at Cannery Row prices. We tried a little of everything and nothing stood out. Service time was reasonable; they stayed busy but had the food out in 5-10 minutes. My only other thing to point out is that there is a single restroom down a hall at the back of the shop. There was a line for it the entire time we were there. Personally, I will stick with the Chinese restaurants in the area that bring in bao on weekends or just go to San Jose, which has some very tasty and more affordable shops. read more

Fast, quick, and delicious service! Got some steamed pork bao and a pineapple tea! Yum!

This is a very short walk from the Monterrey Aquarium. If you are looking for something quick and have another appointment to run to, then this may be for you. This place is a bit confusing regarding how you order. There appears to be 3 ways. There's a sign with a QR code in front with a waiting area with seats. The sign says Order Here. I figured this was following a trend with newer restaurants to be cashier-less. The QR code takes you to a toast tab in which you order. This could be for takeout only. You can seat your self and scan a QR code that is registered to the table. Finally, you can just go up to the cashier and order. Probably can stream line this a bit or just have a sign like: "3 ways to order: app and seat your self, at the table, or upfront". This way there would be less confusion up front on the proper channel to go through. Anyways, the indoor seating as a very modern aesthetic with plenty of seating when we arrived around 1 pm on a Saturday. The app and menu has images of what you are getting. These images are not reflective of what you will get. Our table ordered: Wonton soup, 2 Steam Pork Bao, and pan friend dumpling. Everyone left the restaurant disappointed. First, the wonton soup is a bit unique. It does not taste like your typical brothy wonton soup and has an overly strong seaweed taste to it. Perhaps there were liberties taken with the dish to make it more reflective of Monterrey. I'm not sure but it wasn't really for me on what I did get to try of it. The wonton itself was nothing to write home about. Nothing bad nor good to say about it. My main order was the Bao. For a place that is called "Jack's Bao," you would expect this to be their best dish. The images on the menu showed it to be a normal freshly steamed Bao and that was what I was expecting. I honestly think that is a very basic bar to meet. It came out as some sloppy joe, sad, droopy, deflated, bao. I'm not sure if it was just steamed and reheated or it just some package bao that was microwaved and served. Lastly, the pan friend dumpling. I didn't personally have a taste of this one but the person in our party who was eating it only could say that the crispy wrapper was good. Interpret that as you will. With that said, I wouldn't really trust this place with a more complicated dish like XLB. Aside from the dishes, the service here was all over the place. There were maybe 5 other table's seated apart from ours. Some already served while 3 surrounding ours were waiting for food. In the span of 30 minutes, our own table got an extra order of some noodle dish. We told the server that we didn't order this and they promptly took it back to the kitchen along with all the utensils required to eat the dish that was correct (e.g. chopstick, spoon, napkins). At least leave the utensils. They took it back, had a conversation in back in Chinese and then re-served the noodle dish to the table sitting right next to us. As we were eating, the table on the other side of our group was complaining about not wanting their food being take out, a consequence likely of the confusing ordering channels I guess. As I was leaving, the server was about to serve the wrong tray of dishes to the wrong table again only to be told by a member of the party seated in another table that the dish was there's. All in all, the server's could use some training or have a better communication pipeline on who ordered what. I'd stay away. If you never had baos before, this is not something I could recommend for anyone's first experience. If you had baos before, then you are likely going to leave disappointed and confused. read more

Hi Anni! Food was okay but what really stood out is that one of your employees was open to adding noodles to the won ton soup and my kids loved that since they can't handle much spice (#weak sauce I know). If you added the option for a kids broth and noodles only I think you'd attract some tired parents who just got back from the aquarium but don't want their kids eating anymore diabetes inducing cheese pizza and ice cream read more

Service was amazing but the taste fell short. I ordered the pork xiao long bao and pork/shrimp wonton soup. The presentation was decent but both dishes did not taste authentic AT ALL. It tasted like frozen Asian food that you'd buy at Costco and heat up at home like Ling Ling potstickers. In short, it would be decent only if it was frozen food from a grocery store but not something you'd ever pay for in a restaurant. Plus, the pricing is awful. For what you'd pay, you can get so much more at a dim sum restaurant. read more

Horrendously overpriced to start - little amount of food for the prices they offer. We were waiting 30~ minutes for our food to arrive and even 10 minutes just to get a can of Coke (which was staring me in the face in the fridge). Lastly, they didn't even get the flavors right. Instead of black vinegar, which literally everyone with a sense of sanity eats with dumplings, they had soy sauce. Absurd attempt at Chinese food. Jack-just retire. read more

We stopped by for a quick snack on Friday afternoon. Not too busy. There was a self-help kiosk and a human kiosk to order your food. We only ordered the bao and it came out very quickly. It was pretty good: good ratio of bun to meat, the filling was pretty sweet, good amount of juice. Looking forward to trying the xiao long bao and noodle soup next time. read more

Jack's Bao - Steamed pork bun - Shanghainese Near Me - Monterey, California

I really wanted to like Jack's Bao, but it missed the mark completely. The menu is extremely limited, which would be fine if the food stood out--but it didn't. The soup dumplings tasted like they were filled with boxed vegetable broth--bland and watered down. The mushroom sticky rice shu mai was flavorless and had no trace of mushroom. Just dull and forgettable. To top it off, the bathroom was disgusting. There was a water leak, the whole space was filthy, and--no joke--there were fences attached to the toilet seat. Not sure what that was about, but it was not sanitary. At $15.99 an order, this place is overpriced and overhyped. There are much better options in Monterey. I won't be coming back. read more

The soup dumplings were great! We live in an area where we just don't have access to good Asian cuisine, so this was a refreshing find here in Cannery Row read more

The xiaolong bao is very juicy and soupy. Delicious. Unfortunately, the 狮子头was taken out of the menu. Everything else is authentic. Will be back to try the vegi bao! 加油！ read more

This is more about attitude than food. The food is actually my favorite but the problem is consistency. My favorite restaurant was the Jacks Bao in Aptos. It opened, closed abruptly and then closed again after having very spotty service. I would often call the Monterey Jacks to see what was going on with the Aptos store. Despite it being the same business, the staff at both were always put off by my genuine questions. Especially given that I LOVE thier food and have written very positive reviews. When I called to find out why the Aptos location closed again without notice, it was like I was majorly inconveniencing them. Maybe, thank you for your loyalty. I literally ate their food at least 4 times a week. And I will go to the Monterey store to get those little dumplings I love so much. But maybe instead of treating customers like their love of your food is an inconvenience, have some skills at turning the experience to a win. So I ask here, why did Jacks Aptos shut down again? read more

The food was horrible. Center of my bao was cold and they were incredibly flavorless. So expensive for horrible food. There was barely and meat in my pork bao read more

Cute and sweet. Menu and food is straight to the point. I was starting to get hangry and they had options with no pork which is a plus for me! Mushroom based rice bundle was delicious. Environment was welcoming and clean! Service was fast and helpful. Lovey place! Bathroom was also clean and cute. read more

We were walking by and saw the doors open and the sign on. We've been waiting for this place to open. They've done a fabulous remodel of the space. Opening the front ordering station into the kitchen was an incredible choice. The clean white walls and grey floor pair seamlessly with the rattan inspired teal furniture. It's so bright and welcoming and cleanly. I didn't take any pictures of the food cause we were too busy eating it. We ordered the Xiaolongbao, and the pork steamed bao. Both were very good. The Xiaolongbao didn't seem to have broth in them, probably slightly over steamed, but were still delicious. The chef gifted us the veggie noodle soup and some veggie bao buns and they were delicious. The veggie buns especially. Great place. I hope it succeeds! Nice to have some more Asian influence restaurants in this historic area! read more

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Pork buns were really dry and the filling was practically nonexistent, for $13 I expected something at minimum above the grade of cafeteria food. read more

Nice interior. Clean. Quick service. Unfortunately, food was not very tasty. Wonton soup too shrimpy and seaweed-y. Beef noodle soup had NO flavor and I wasn't a fan of the thick soggy noodles. The only thing with decent flavor were the regular steamed wontons. Although , thick over steamed noodle on the outside. As someone said... food court taste or worse. Price was high for its taste and quality. I understand the price in the tourist area but they really need to improve the taste. They should definitely find a nice chili oil to pair with the meals or even add soy sauce condiments on each table. Maybe customers might have a little more satisfaction adding some flavor to their bland food. I did ask for chili oil but they gave me a chili sauce. It was better than nothing and I appreciate that. Great concept, but They have a lot of room for improvement. read more

Stopped in for a snack. Got the Xiao Long Bao (soup dumplings) and a milk tea. Tea was delicious, only slightly sweet, which I appreciated! XLB was delicious! Sometimes XLB are very gingery, which I'm not crazy about and this one did not seem to have ginger, just meaty broth. Although I had to send them back as 5+ of them had holes (over steamed or punctured). Replacement was perfect, aside for 1 punctured dumpling, which is okay because it's bound to happen sometimes! read more

Great service but not many options to choose from! Food was good but beef is kind of sweet

Good, clean food in a good, clean spot. I always think a small menu is a good sign. This place proves it. It only does a few things but it does those things well. We had the beef soup - the broth was rich and extremely tasty. Beef was tender and not fatty or gristly as brisket can sometimes be. The portions seem small at first but it's a normal portion, it's just served in a huge bowl. Fried wontons were deep fried, not pan fried but were still good. Filling was good quality meat, nicely seasoned. If I was coming back I'd get the chili wontons instead of deep fried. The fried ones were a little heavy for me. read more

Ordered soup dumplings to-go to eat at our room in the Intercontinental Clement. They stayed hot and were so satisfying and the perfect lunch before walking around the aquarium. They are just as good as any we've ever had at the bigger soup dumpling places! read more

Delicious food! Friendly staff. I loved the soup! Clean & right on Cannery row. Good service read more

Jack's Bao - Mini shrimp & pork wonton soup. - Shanghainese Near Me - Monterey, California

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Nice clean atmosphere. Fast friendly service. And the food was pretty good too! Made fresh to order each time we ate there for lunch recently. read more

Came here after a visit to the aquarium, not busy easy ordering process. You can order online or via the counter! I ordered some delicious veggie baos! 100% would buy again. They came out nice n warm. read more

Jack's Bao - Steamed Veggie Bao - Shanghainese Near Me - Monterey, California

Don't make the same mistake we did - avoid this place! We spent $80 on dumplings and the ONLY item that was edible was the soup we ordered. I've had XLB from many places but even the frozen Trader Joe's ones are significantly better. We literally tried ONE and couldn't even stomach more. The pork buns were also horrific. It looked like a dry meat puck inside and tasted worse. I don't often leave reviews but I felt I needed to warn others. The only positive of this restaurant was its close proximity to the aquarium and how clean it was inside. read more

Very tasty meal, got the spicy pork noodles. cute food, clean restaurant location, good service read more

Jack's Bao - Shanghainese Near Me - Monterey, California

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Where do I start..... the food? Soooo tasty and fresh. The bao and spicy ground pork noodle soup are unmatched. The staff welcomed me from the time I walked in and constantly checked on how I was doing. The restaurant was clean - well lit with great ambiance set by the light music in the background. Monterey is awesome and Jacks Bao helps complement the cannery row with a little different flavor. I can't wait to go back! read more

delicious food quick service Great drinks great restaurant big potions fun time No one wait time read more

Jack's Bao - The lionhead meatball soup - Shanghainese Near Me - Monterey, California

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nasty. i got the fried pork and shrimp something and it literally tasted like mcdonalds chicken nuggets..... gross.... appalling.... repulsive.... read more

Authentic Shanghai style noodles and dumplings. The menu is sparse but everything is delicious and well-portioned. If you are used to Hong Kong style noodles and soup, this will seem very different but it is well worth trying out. The mini wontons and wontons are equal in portion size ; they are just different styles of dumplings with slightly thicker wrapper for the large wontons as compared to the mini ones. Pricing is tricky. Relative to Cannery Row, where Bubba Gump, Fish Hopper or the Intercontinental are the other options, Jack's Bao is on par with my expectations for Cannery Row. Relative to "normal non tourist pricing" it's expensive. Think of it like Disneyland or Epcot and you'll understand what I mean. This is my second time trying Jack's Bao. I tried it when they first opened on Cannery Row and the food has been very consistent. Service has also gotten faster as well. read more

The steamed pork buns were not good. Thinking they might at least be as good as frozen ones from any Asian market, these were a real disappointment and certainly not worth the almost $15 I paid for a box of 3. This place has only been in business since June 1, '24 but I don't see it lasting. They give you a fancy to go bag, which is way over the top for what's inside. I feel like it just adds to the cost for no good reason. read more

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Service was fine, but if you have had soup dumplings before do not come here. You will be extremely disappointed. Honestly, you would have better luck with the frozen ones from Trader Joe's. The dough is pretty thick and honestly the meat was most likely frozen prior to making them. I wouldn't be surprised if all of them come in frozen. The red flag is no steam room where a bunch of aunties are rolling dumplings in front of your face like you would see in a more authentic location. If you want something quick and fast... I guess it's better than fast food? read more

Called at 745pm today to place a small order but chick on the phone said they were closed and they don't close until 8pm...I was at a hotel thats a 2 minute walk away... read more