03/25/2026: An update:
I stopped by for another midweek lunch, and was pleased to see word was spreading: About 50% of the tables was occupied, mostly by university students.
They now offer both hot and cold teas, green matcha or black oolong. I saw on the receipt my generous pot of matcha was $3. It was brewed with a teabag, but the pot was so large, I wasn't going to be able to finish it myself!
I can't tell you how happy the hot and sour soup made me! At $6, this glazed ramen bowl might be the best bargain in Buffalo's food scene. It's studded with blocks of silky tofu, has wood ear mushrooms and the ubiquitous corn kernels - but as a happy surprise? It also contains lots of a small mushrooms called "golden needles" which I rarely see outside of Chinatowns.
Spicy pork xiaolongbao rounded out the meal, and these were a little disappointing: Not only were they less than steaming hot (maybe too many patrons didn't know to wait for the liquid lava in the interior to cool?), but also they were chili oil hot without garlic or ginger spicy. I'll continue my search.
I tried the mango cheesecake as a take out. I'm a sucker for anything mango, but I won't try these again. Firstly, they're deep fat fried, as the waitress mentioned: Wrapped in panko and fried, which makes the ricotta particularly oily. Secondly, there are very few tidbits of mango in the dessert, so the flavor is not there. I'm glad to have tried it, but I think a piece of fresh fruit might have served me better.
The waitress was very quick, and managed all tables efficiently by herself.
I'll definitely return to try more baozi! read more