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Mao’s Bao

3.0 (30 reviews)
Closed • 11:00 am - 7:00 pm

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Christopher Y.

had this spot at smorgasburg in Williamsburg and it was decent. I've definitely had better dumplings in Chinatown & flushing, they were $12 for 5 which was kinda pricey for what it was in my opinion

How they are served
Tony F.

A rare 2-stars from me, it's a great concept but not very well executed. I was excited to try the Gua Bao and Jian Bao. The Gua Bao wasn't available, so we tried the Juan Bao. They looked good being cooked (see pictures) but as they were not served freshly made, the skins were not crispy and overall not hot enough. Some of the skins were broken so no juices. We tried the pork and lamb, the fillings were dense and not soft, felt like they were frozen meat. The service was friendly and helpful.

Chris S.

I got two buns from here at a discounted rate. One was a bun with a sausage inside. The other was a pretty standard pork bun. My biggest complaints were too much bun not enough meat. The meats were good. The bun was sweet and soft although I didn't care for it. It was pretty dry and the taste wasn't great but not bad at least. The bun with the sausage inside was a disappointment. The sausage itself was great but it was small in comparison to the bun. I wouldn't get it again. The other pork bun was pretty good but would've been better if it had more meat. I'll admit that I'm not a fan of buns though.

Luis B.

Visited Chelsea Market and decided to check out Mao's Bao. The food was alright, but the service was sluggish and uninspiring. Moreover, they were out of a significant portion of their menu.

the inside of a fast food restaurant
Thomas S.

Our party of three shared an order of 12 dumplings consisting of lamb, beef, pork, and chicken. The dumplings tasted ok. However, the dumpling skin was way too thick. There were no tables for eating. There are much better dumpling shacks in NYC than this place.

Mix and match Jian Bao(5pcs)
Gab G.

Mao's Bao is in the basement of Chelsea Market inside Pearl River Mart Foods, which also has an awesome bubble tea place (Tea and Milk) and kimbap spot (Kimbap Lab). My boyfriend and I grabbed some pork, chicken, and lamb bao - along with a small order of PRC noodles - as takeout for lunch. Bao come in orders of 5, and they let you mix and match. The pork bao was my favorite, followed by the lamb. Chicken was decent, too. I definitely want to try the other varieties next time. Finally, the noodles were great, and the portion was pretty big (especially for $6)!

Mix and match Jian Bao(5pcs)
Katherine D.

Stopped by here to get a quick late lunch. I walked up to order and the employee working there was finishing up frying the jian baos. I ordered the 5 piece for $10 I originally got the 2 pork, 2 chicken 1 beef. After ordering the employee had asked if I like lamb. I said yes as all food is delicious and saw her add an extra bao lamb flavor. That was extremely generous of her. I paid for my food and went to sit down at one of their tables. The food was good. I think the chicken needed a bit more corn but the other flavors were good. I would get all of them again especially the lamb and pork.

Elaine T.

I like their mix-and-match concept! I got 1 each of their chicken, lamb, pork, beef, and Impossible baos for $10. I thought the lamb and the pork were made especially well, and shout out to the Impossible bao for blending right in with the other baos. I definitely would not have been able to pick out the impostor meat amongst the 5 baos in a blind taste test. The baos also come with sriracha and soy vinegar dipping sauce. The soy vinegar was pretty good but I think that chili oil would've been more complementary than the sriracha. One note is that since these baos are so small, the 5/$10 is more of a snack than a meal. I'm the type of person who usually splits restaurant meals into two but even I was still hungry after eating the baos. Maybe leaving room for the other million eateries in Chelsea Market is for the best though!

Mila J.

Came here at 6:30pm on a Tuesday. The bao's were cute but severely undercooked. I took one bite saw a lot of pink and checked the other baos right away. All undercooked.

Jian Bao (Pan Fried Buns): any 5 for $10 with a minimum of five pieces. Includes chili sauce and rice vinegar.
Ting A.

Bright color-coded pan-fried buns as well as boiled dumplings are sold at this Chinese place in Chelsea Market. It is on the lower level of the Pearl River Mart next to Kimbap Lab. ----- Jian Bao (Pan Fried Buns): any 5 for $10 with a minimum of five pieces. Includes chili sauce and rice vinegar. We picked one of each: - Pork - Chicken (yellow): with corn - Beef (orange): with mixed veggies - Lamb (purple): with cumin - Impossibao (green): with Impossible burger meat, wheat soy, mushrooms The place was not busy at all at noon on Monday, but a large batch had already been cooked and were just being kept warm. As a consequence, the bottom had lost the crispiness, one of the main points of jian baos. Biting into the buns, the dough was rather thick and had no juices from the filling. Filling itself was actually good though, and it was interesting to try a lamb bao. We found the sauces unnecessary as the fillings were seasoned enough. ----- Guest Wi-Fi is available via the market.

Vince H.

Eh - it was okay. The concept is nice, but the Bao just don't taste fresh. They taste like they've been sitting in a steamer all day even though they're supposed to be pan-fried. So there's no crispness to it other than the top part of the skin that was stale. In terms of flavor, the pork was okay. The Lamb was definitely heavy on the cumin.

Steven W.

In the Chelsea Market downstairs I ordered Mao's Bao. It was steamed well with a variety of dumplings whether steamed or pan fried. I tried multiple types and I appreciate how they took the time for my order. Staff was friendly and accommodating with the table service.

Bruh
Jefferson L.

This place #%*%}#^}{ sucks. The bun was thicker than the meat but that was honestly ok because the meat tasted like #%^* . Not fresh at alll either - saw them just taking it out of a warmer when we were served. May be good for tourists to avoid and just go to China town to experience a better experience (or even microwaveable baos from Asian market or Trader Joe's).

bun nearly 1 inch thick

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4 years ago

Ate from their food truck. Great selection, great prices, decent taste. They have lab, vegetarian, chicken, and beef.

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Mao’s Bao - chinese - Updated May 2026

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