Interesting place and location is hard to find if you go into the wrong door. You order from a kiosk which was straight forward. I rarely eat this type of food. The kiosk was easy to understand. Service is pretty quick as there was no line. I ordered the combo. The two different Baos I ordered tasted really good. Just as I expected. I also ordered the tea which was great. The best part about this place is that it's different than all the other places to eat here. It's something other than pizza and burgers and fried food. read more

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The pork bao is good. The bread is nicely steamed and fluffy. It's too small for over $3. I got the kung pao chicken rice bowl and upgraded to fried rice. Not much meat for $16, and it wasn't very good. The fried rice was just ok. Just come for the bao. Skip the rice bowls. read more

Yes, this is a chain and you can even find them in groceries store all over the place. But anytime we walk by, I can't resist the urge to order a couple Baos from the kiosk. They just grab them from the bin, and you're on your way, within a few minutes. For the drive home, I ordered a box of 6 for us to enjoy and they were great as always. My only complaint is that a lot of them seemed to be sold out. The staff isn't overly friendly but you don't have much interaction with them if you use the kiosk. Quick, convenient, reasonably priced, and delicious. read more

Wow Bao - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Stop by here because I was stuck in a torrential downpour. I needed a place to grab a quick bite. I tried ordering from the kiosk that did not work, so had to order from the main cashier desk. I got the spicy Mongolian beef bao and the Thai chicken, curry bao. As others have stated, it's definitely not the best bao I've ever had, nor is it very authentic. But it hits the spot when you need something quick the ambience is casual. read more

Wow Bao - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Did not enjoy this food at all. Bao appeared and tasted "old". Filling was mushy and flavorless. As for the Kung Poa, don't even know how to describe the flavor BUT it was not Kung Pao. May have also been that the portion was so minimal that I literally had to search for it. Total cost with tax of $16 I would have expected more than 2 tablespoon of Kung Pao on top of about 2 cups of rice. Only thing positive was the easy ordering from the kiosk. Will not be back. read more

Wow Bao - Mushy "old" Bao - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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First there is no place to sit. They told us there were tables upstairs, which there are, but in another restaurant. The food was subpar. It is heated up garbage. I paid extra for the famous fried rice, worst fried rice i have ever tried to eat. I threw it out and count my $70 i spent on 4 people as a loss. The only edible thing we got were the dessert bao. read more

The quality of the food has gone way bad. Do not eat here. Nothing tasted good here It is not even the same BAO anymore read more

Tried the whole wheat vegetable bao and as someone who loves bao, I was not a fan of this at all. In my opinion, it was not tasty. The service was fast though! Gave it another try since I've heard good things but was still underwhelmed. read more

Bao may not have been WOW but, it sure hit the spot and was easy to munch on while shopping in water tower. I was familiar with Wow Bao since they are now sold at grocery stores and I was surprised when I walked by a flagship location. Since, I didn't have time on this trip to eat at the actual restaurant I decided some quick baos would have to do. Are these the best bao buns I've tasted? Hardly. However, the flavors are fun and they make a fantastic quick handheld snack. I picked up a two pack for under $7 and went with a more classic Mongolian beef filled bun (spicy pork was sold out) and then got a tad adventurous and got a pizza bao (I had never seen this flavor anywhere before). Between the two the spicy beef was by far tastier. The pizza bao needed some more pizzazz, it had all the right notes to make it pizza but needed more basil, mozzarella and overall robust flavor. All in all, it was just alright. Worth mentioning though that they had several sweet custard baos as well so, if savory isn't your thing don't fret. Next time I will try the cocunut custard one (though that may be in another year). read more

Wow Bao - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I was so happy to see a wow bao the minute we walked into Water Tower Place. Bao buns are always a great grab and go after a long day of walking and shopping. My favorite is the chicken teriyaki! They have a self ordering kiosk as soon as you walk in and the food is ready in no time. read more

Wow Bao - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Let's be realistic Bao is steamed fresh so they take a little bit of time. Be patient it can be between 5-15 minutes before you get your order depending on how busy they are . My review is strictly on the Bao. You order at the kiosk and wait for your order. The guys behind the counter are hard at work rotating the bamboo steamer baskets on a non stop rotation. We ordered the BBQ Pork and the teriyaki chicken. Both were great. Fun little snack to walk around while shopping. read more

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I tried several of their baos and while I wouldn't say any of them were "wow," they were still pretty good! Also, the location is so convenient, it's a fast option if you're looking to shop up and down Magnificent Mile while grabbing a quick snack! I tried the Teriyaki Chicken, BBQ Berkshire Pork, Kung Pao Chicken, and the Impossible Spicy Mongolian Beef baos. These were basically the main 4 that actually sounded good (I'm not interested in trying a cheeseburger or chocolate bao lolol) and they were all decent! I think the Impossible Spicy Mongolian Beef bao was my favorite. Location-wise, because this is situated at the North end of Mag Mile in the Water Tower Place, basically the northernmost point of Michigan Ave before it becomes overly bougie, it's the perfect pick me up after working your way up or down the strip! It's located just inside the mall at the West entrance and looks like it belongs within a food court, but is its own standalone spot in the mall. All in all, it was a super convenient and good snack to grab, but I don't think it'd be worth going out of your way to get baos from here! But if you're in the area where there's a Wow Bao (they have several locations) and are jonesing for a snack, then this is a great option for you! read more

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Fried rice with chicken has no flavor what so ever, came with no soy sauce or nothing, 14 for a little small bowl read more

Wow Bao - Fired Fried Chicken Fried Rice - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Look this place hits the spot and scratches that itch for some quick Asian food. Is it the best, no...does it hit the spot ...yes Service is quick the Kung pao bao is my fav and has good flavor and comes in clutch when you need just a little something If you want a meal....don't come here but you can get what you need and it's good for that read more

I didn't realize a Chinese bao and Japanese bao are two different things so I was expecting the sandwich like baos rather than a dumpling like bao. I ordered Mongolian beef baos and I was expecting it to be spicy since it had a pepper symbol next to it but it was not in my opinion. I was also expecting strips of meat rather than ground beef. I wish it would've had just a bit more filling for an even ratio of bun to meat. I'm not sure if Chinese baos are traditionally just not eaten this way but some sort of cole slaw to put on top would've been awesome. For a pack of 6 it was $15 so $2.50 each wasn't too bad. read more

Wow Bao - Mongolian Beef - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Hot fresh and delicious! Best quality location I've even been consistently good every time read more

Wow Bao - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Don't think the employees care at all. Inedible!overcooked mush rice with 3 shreds of chicken for $17. Thank god they can heat up pre-made Bao Buns that are good but just average. Thanks for taking my hard earned money, leaving my wallet and and stomach empty. Never get my business, again. read more

Wow Bao - Rice is literally cooked so much that it's mush. Thanks - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The bao were pretty decent, but the noodles hit, especially since it was hot outside. The service was great, and pretty fast for it being lunch time. The restaurant is pretty small though with not a lot of seating, so it may be hard getting a table at eating it there. read more

Wow Bao - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

terrible bao bao...it was basically just bread...barely any meat and they forgot my sauces! I hate a place that forgets the sauces! The potstickers are pretty good (which is why they get 2 stars) but once again no sauce! WAY TO EXPENSIVE FOR THE EXPERIENCE! read more

Located on the first floor in The Water Tower Mall on Michigan Avenue, Wow Bao is a great Chinese chain restaurant with delicious potstickers. Fast service. 4 out of 5 stars. read more

An alright place to enjoy Americanized bao, with flavors similar to what you'd expect from PF Changs or Big Bowl with some flavors like pizza or cheeseburger definitely as a fusion option. While the bread is pretty fluffy and fresh, the flavor combination and taste is unremarkable but not bad. It's a bit pricey for what you get, though in line with what you'd expect to pay for a meal in the loop. read more

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Had a craving for the Thai herb bone broth; it's both hearty and spicy. Full of vitamins, minerals and at only forty calories it's worth indulging. I was feeling a bit of discomfort in my belly. This always makes me feel better in about fifteen minutes. read more

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This Wow Bao is located conveniently inside of the Water Tower Mall so it does provide you the opportunity to grab some food prior to or right after you've finished your shopping. Having never tried them before, I thought it would be nice to get a quick bite to eat with my partner as we had spent a few hours shopping. Unfortunately, the speed of service left a lot to be desired. There were two people waiting ahead and it took about 15 minutes to have our orders prepared. You're able to order your food through a kiosk, so I feel like that should help with the efficiency. In addition to this, the staff really wasn't super friendly, and messed up the order name several times (not sure about that one cus the name said and the name we wrote were completely different). Once we got our food, no complaints. I got the spicy kung pao chicken bowel and it was tasty. I will say that I attempted to get a root beer from their fountain soda and it was out of syrup - so little to no flavor. read more

Wow Bao - Kung Pao Chicken bowel - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The fried rice is terrible. The orange chicken is okay. Panda Express tastes better imo. The ginger ale was actually quite good though. Food is WAY overpriced given the quality and portion size of the food. That's why I gave it 1 star instead of 2. read more

The sesame chicken bowl along with the baos was nothing spectacular, and not that tasty. I'm glad I went to try the place but will definitely not be returning. read more

Decent! Giving this place 4 stars as the food was decent and it was my first time. So a Bao is like a small dough wrapped sandwich. I had the Teriyaki Ckicken Noodle Bowl with a Teriyaki Bao and a Beef Bao. My wife had 2 Baos and 5 Chicken Dumplings. The food was good. I would have preferred it to be more flavorful and spicy. I'd eat it again. read more

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Been coming here for over a decade. I love their Baos and they are always consistently good. I do miss the personal interaction with employees there, you now just order at the kiosk and pick up your order. Overall, it's a great snack option while shopping down Michigan ave but don't plan to make a meal out of it. read more

What's great about Wow Bao is their kooky "wild west" policy when it comes to placing your order. There's a GIGANTIC ordering kiosk off to the side with a touch screen so large that you could order from space if you really wanted to. However, if you see anyone using it, you're more than free to cut right past them and order straight from a cashier standing right there! Now I realize how inconvenient it is these days to just walk up to another human, dictate your order to them, and complete the entire transaction in 15 seconds, start to finish when you can INSTEAD spend an hour staring blankly at a tremendous screen trying to find the "egg rolls" button. Call me "old fashioned", I guess. All in all, I'd probably only be TRULY upset about any of this if they at least had more than one vegan friendly item on their menu which is their vegetarian dumplings (and vegan by accident as the menu only says "vegetarian" and I actually had to ask the staff if that was a food item that catered to the soulless monster I am, being vegan and all). But don't get me wrong! Those dumplings are really good, so long as you don't mind that they WILL fall apart on you if you so much as look at them wrong, so be sure to remind your dumplings that you rescued them from a horrible business before you try to put them in your mouth. Lettuce Entertain You!! (since we're clearly crap at FEEDING you) LOL! read more

I'm so happy to see that this Wow Bao location is still open inside the lobby level of Water Tower Place Mall. Starbucks has closed but this small food kiosk was bustling. I was going to babysit my Granddog who's tummy was upset. While leaving the mall I stopped by to pick up some white rice for her. One portion is a nice bowl of perfectly cooked rice. It was light and flaky not wet mush. Perfect for my pupper. The line moved quickly which I liked very much. The young girl behind the counter was very sweet and welcoming. She assisted me quickly and I was on my way. The small storefront is bright and clean. Social distancing was enforced. At times like these, I appreciate attention to sanitation and safety protocols. Although I only picked up rice on this visit, I noticed all of the bao (steamed buns) flavors were offered. My favorite is the Whole Wheat Vegetable and the Coconut Custard. Their soup, potstickers and bowls are delicious also. Now that it's on my radar, I'll be stopping by for a bit of lunch for myself soon! read more

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Nasty looking Teriyaki Chicken Bowl cold on top of it I won't recommend to anyone it's nasty looking read more

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this food was terrible , mine was cold and did not look anything like the picture. i ordered eggsrolls which were burnt and kung pao chicken which looked like baby food. awful, i will never order from here and no one else should either. it was gross and not worth the money read more

After seeing this chain around Chicago, I really wanted to try it. Even though the reviews all seemed to be around 3.5, I was pleasantly surprised that the buns were actually pretty good. The pork buns tasted authentic and the pumpkin bun was really unique! I would definitely recommend anyone who are craving some bao to try this quick fast food restaurant. read more

Wow Bao - Pork and pumpkin bun - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We ordered last night via Uber eats and when our food came the entrees were missing. I called and they said we could come in to get them. I ordered uber eats because I didn't have access to a car. They said they could neither give us a refund or get us the food. We ate two BAO buns and dumplings for dinner (dinner for 2ppl) and they weren't anything to talk about. I do not recommend and definitely don't order via Grubhub or Uber. read more

Wow Bao - Do you see an entree? NO we didn't either and they didn't fix the error! :-( - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Several years have past since I first discovered Wow Bao.... and it is still as delicious as ever. I crave the baos and wished they offered larger and mixed "to go" frozen packs. They have the calorie counts of each item readily available, and the food is relatively low calorie and healthy. I think some seating near the store front would be helpful and would attract more customers. The closest seating is located up the escalator and is limited. I really wish they would open a location in Milwaukee. It would be so much more convenient when I have a Wow Bao craving ;) read more

The Water Tower has excellent service with some of the nicest staff I've ever met. 11/10!!!

Super fun experience! You get to choose the type of bao [bun] and dumplings that you want to eat. Within a few minutes your order appears on the screen and you grab and go and enjoy! read more

Wow Bao - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

First time ever eating here and the bao buns were actually really good. Asked the workers which buns to get and we ended up with a cheeseburger and a szechuan pork bun. cheeseburger bun was good and great for our younger one, but the pork one was super good! great service, good, and the prices were actually pretty reasonable. read more

Wow. This was my first time eating at this restaurant and I ordered delivery and told them I was allergic and to not add that specific ingredient and sure enough. They did. My whole order was saturated in it. Also, a part of the order was completely incorrect. I ordered chicken dumplings eight pieces and they sent me five pieces of the veggie dumplings. The only item they got right was the boa, and it tasted like dirty dish soap. Avoid this place like the plague! read more

Wow Bao - Dumplings. Absolute trash. - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This review is for the Ginger Chicken Dumplings with the Sesame/Soy dipping sauce. Both were fresh, delicious and outstanding. I cannot wait to go back and get them again! Service was fast and the line moved quickly. This is more a grab and go place located in the lobby of Water Tower Place. While there is seating at tables on Level 2 outside of Macy's and near Starbucks along the side-overlooking the Lobby or 1st Floor area; I want to try the eat-in restaurant a few blocks away on Chicago. read more

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I am Voting for the food only!!! The dudes that worked the counter were completely the worst. Bad attitudes and the way they talked to me and my friend was appalling. Maybe my time in Louisville Kentucky has made me come to expect a smile or greeting or any gesture of hello other than "what do you want!!?" Both the cashier and the cooked looked and talked to us like we were inconveniencing them. We ordered 2 pork bao and 2 chicken bao. We got 2 more pork to split between us. They were so delicate and flavorful! It was bbq pork in a bread cloud. I would eat there everyday if I lived in Chicago and could get there easily! They had good prices and that helped. I would go again but I would hope that Delta bravos serving us food wont be there to ruin the experience. read more