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    Wow Bao

    3.3 (718 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 8:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Order Wow Bao Takeout or Delivery

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    Business Info

    WOW BAO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Classy
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Wow Bao

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    Reviews With Photos

    Bowl 2 Bao
    Audrey E.

    Catered lunch from Wow Bao and we weren't very wowed. Very confused on whose order was who's and the look wasn't great. I got a bowl with teriyaki chicken and noodles - it was a little watery and not a super great flavor. The two Bao were fine - neither were quite as good as I wanted them to be sadly. Seemed to be the overall assessment for lunch.

    6-Pack Bao, Crispy Chicken Egg Roll, and Dumplings
    Christopher C.

    Solid bao! It was a little hectic to grab food on a Saturday evening and they seemingly closed much earlier than advertised! The baos are satisfying and the dumplings are solid, but the service and ambiance was a bit of a letdown here unfortunately. They ran out of rice around 6:30pm as well, and the rush of deliveries made it tough to order here. Cheers!

    Kevin N.

    ATMOSPHERE/ARCHITECTURE: N/A Ordered for delivery. SERVICE: 8/10 Delivery was quick and they included utensils and napkins. Yes! FOOD: 6/10 I got 2 pork buns (bao) and some fried rice. The buns were just okay and the fried rice was the same. This is not a place that blew me away at all but it was decent. It was definitely not an authentic recipe and more Americanized but it hit the spot when you wanted it. Granted, there is a lot of competition in the city so this downgrades it a bit. VALUE: 8/10 Prices are quite good in a comparable market. PROBABILITY OF RETURN: 7/10 TO EAT OR NOT TO EAT: It's good enough to be worth a visit. OVERALL: 7/10

    Menu
    Joneice B.

    After walking around on State, we opted to get a snack. Wow Bao was empty so it was a good choice. We got the 4 pack for 10.99 and ate right in the store. My favorite was Mongolian beef and my husband enjoyed the cheeseburger.

    Savanna B.

    I had an early dinner here with my family the other night before taking my son on a boat trip. The location was convenient and we were able to get our food quickly. The restaurant was very clean and pretty dead. As you can see from my pictures, the presentation was very unappetizing but it didn't taste horrible. But it wasn't especially good either. I don't know if my experience was a fluke but I probably wouldn't eat there again.

    Lauren G.

    The Basics: Wow Bao is a fast-food style bao restaurant. The menu features many different kinds of bao (including dessert bao) and some other dishes as well. Things I like: The bao was certainly not perfect, but overall I like the concept and enjoyed the bao. I tried a bunch of different kinds, but my favorites were the Spicy Mongolian Beef and the Coconut Custard. I also really enjoyed a seasonal Apple Pie flavor that I tried. The potstickers are also worth a try. Things I didn't like: At times the bao were not fully cooked. The dough was raw and not solidified on some bao I tried. Also, some of the bao flavors were pretty bland. I tended to enjoy the spicy flavors more due to the added flavor. Additionally, I did not enjoy the fried rice. Overall, this is a place to go to for convenience. I wouldn't go out of my way for it, but for a quick meal, on the go-- I really enjoy it!

    Chicken fried rice
    Blue M.

    Ordered chicken fried rice chicken was so hard it couldn't be eaten rice was mushy and gross and had mushrooms not listed on menu to which I'm allergic

    Chloe R.

    Really good customer service but very low quality of food. I ordered the soup dumplings and received very obviously frozen packaged dumplings that I could get for $3 at a store but they charge $13 and overheat it so it's mushy. The homemade ginger ale was not good.

    Fried rice.

    Ordered fried rice, baos, and soup dumplings. The Famous Fried Rice was soggy and lacked flavor. The soup dumpling had no soup. It wasn't hot and it was mushy like it either wasn't fully cooked or had been sitting out so long it soaked up all the soup. The baos were ok.

    Chicken potstickers

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    1 year ago

    Wonderful soup dumplings! I grabbed a quick lunch on the way to another meeting and they hit the spot!

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    4 months ago

    No words. We had chicken fried rice (cold and chewy). Awful service and food was worse. Hoping I don't get sick.

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    2 years ago

    Was a little overpriced for size.. quality.. it was a little weird, the food, energy- although the staff was nice!

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Our food was ready in literally 30 seconds. Our boa was delicious and the potstickers were awesome!!

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    Page 1 of 18

    Wow Bao Reviews in Other Languages

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    Gaijin

    Gaijin

    4.3
    (797 reviews)
    1.2 mi
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    Gaijin may be a small restaurant, but it makes a big impression the second you walk in. The dining…read moreroom isn't huge, but it has this lively energy that makes it feel exciting instead of crowded. I even was able to watch the chefs cooking just a few feet away. I could hear the sizzling from the grill, smell the food cooking, and by that point I was more than ready to eat. Our server was really nice and gave us a bunch of recommendations. Everything sounded good, but I ended up going with the Pork Belly Yakisoba. This dish was packed with flavor. The noodles had that smoky, slightly charred taste, and they were coated in just enough sauce to make every bite rich. The sauce brought a nice balance of savory, a little sweetness, and plenty of umami that soaked into the noodles. The pork belly was easily the best part. It was incredibly tender and juicy, with just enough fat that it practically melted in your mouth. Every piece had those caramelized edges that added even more flavor. Then you get the crunch from the cabbage and bean sprouts, the freshness from the scallions, and the little nutty flavor from the sesame that tied everything together. Hahaha I'd definitely come back. This is one of those dishes that sticked with me long after I left.

    There are few places in general across the US that serve up okonomiyaki, so I was thrilled to find…read morethis spot near my office. Ultimately, the food was just ok. I got the pork okonomiyaki lunch set and added a fried egg to it. I like that the table has a built in grill to keep it warm (I'm a slow eater, so this is extra beneficial for me). The bacon was quite salty, compounded by the okonomi sauce. Hoping the kombu vegetables would offset this, I mixed them into each bite to no avail. The pandan coconut mochi donut holes I chose were probably the highlight. They were crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and there was ample sauce for dipping. I think some people would find the service top notch here--constantly checking in on me and keeping water refilled. I guess that came with a cost: 3% service charge automatically applied, and the server proactively brought over a digital payment system, so the 18% tip I selected calculated off the total leading to what was essentially a tip of 23%.

    Photos
    Gaijin
    Pandan-Coconut Donut
    Pandan-Coconut Donut
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    Old fashioned
    Duck Duck Goat

    Duck Duck Goat

    4.1
    (2.2k reviews)
    1.1 mi
    $$$

    Duck Duck Goat lived up to all the hype and everything I have ever heard about it. One of the best,…read moreflavorful meals I have had in a long time. I was able to get a last minute reservation for me and my friends, and we were even able to sit inside. The teapot "group" drink was hard to pour, but that was truly my only complaint of the night. The potstickers melted in your mouth and the scallion pancakes were so unique. We could not get enough! The dan dan noodles were our other favorite. The inside is so cute, intimate, and dark, yet lively and fun at the same time. The perfect restaurant for any occasion!

    I really wanted to love Duck Duck Goat as it was recommended by a friend. The atmosphere was great…read moreand the drinks were good. A few dishes, like the Duck Fried Rice, Pork Belly, and Beef Noodle Soup, were actually pretty solid. But the rest of the night was just so frustrating that I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone. The Jiaozi were the first big letdown. The menu said they were beef short rib and bone marrow, but they didn't taste like that at all. The filling was just super mushy and the flavor was just weird. The manager and the food runner were nice when we mentioned it, but our actual server was a disaster. When we tried the Goat Noodles, all we could taste was cumin. It was so overwhelming that it covered up everything else. We couldn't even tell if there was actually any goat shoulder in there. When we told our waiter, she couldn't care less. She got totally defensive, wouldn't even listen to us, and just said, "Oh, I told you when you ordered that the dish is cumin forward" and walked away. It got worse when the bill came. She was holding on to the payment machine so hard and almost yanked it right out of my friend's hand. She was staring at it to see what we were tipping. It was so awkward and incredibly rude. No thank you, no nothing. She just grabbed it and left. The place has potential, but they really need to fix the food and retrain the staff. A cool vibe doesn't make up for bad food and awful service.

    Photos
    Join us for Dim Sum every Saturday from 12pm to 3pm.
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    Join us for Dim Sum every Saturday from 12pm to 3pm.
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    Three Dots and A Dash

    Three Dots and A Dash

    4.1
    (4.2k reviews)
    0.3 mi
    $$$

    I made reservations at Three Dots and a Dash to kick off my sister's bachelorette party. She loves…read moretiki bars, so it was only appropriate to gather and welcome everyone. OpenTable only allowed up to 8 people per reservation at a time. We were a party of 13, so I had to split the reservations into two. I made a request for the tables to be close together, but I understood that there was no guarantee the tables could be together. Our reservations were at 9pm, and the place was packed. Three Dots and a Dash did us a solid and managed to reserve an entire alcove for us! I was so appreciative. Loved the vibe at Three Dots and a Dash. It felt much classier, like a mid-century modern tiki lounge. The music was fun too. Instantly recognized a retro Italian song by Pino D'Anglo, which just added to the ambiance. The drinks were great. We ordered a couple of rounds of the shotstapus, and I got the rum barrel for good measure. The drinks were sweet but tasty. Too easy to knock back.

    Let's keep it short and to the point: - hard to find, I mean…read morethat's the whole premise of a speakeasy - VERY dark + loud, I needed to use my iPhone flashlight to read the menu + had to lean across the table to hear my husband speak - limited food menu, main focus is on the drinks + DELICIOUS cocktail, I like that they use skulls to show you how alcohol forward drinks are. Drinks are $18+ + Beautiful custom cups that fit the tiki theme. You come here for cocktails not drinks. IYKYK. + waiter was friendly although he forgot or didn't hear us say we wanted the crispy pork + ALL the food we ordered was delicious: Waygu burger, steak skewers, and crab Rangoon dip. We ended up ordering a second round of the steak skewers. + on a Sunday night, we got a table immediately with no reservations

    Photos
    Interior Entrance
    Interior Entrance
    These Loaded Luau Cheese Fries
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    Tiki gift shop.

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    Tiki gift shop.
    High Five Ramen

    High Five Ramen

    4.0
    (1.1k reviews)
    1.1 mi
    $$

    First time here we were seated immediately! It was Thursday night around 10ish I'll say. The staff…read morewas super friendly and helpful! Very welcoming and attentive, but then again it's a hidden little ramen spot where everyone's huddled up at a bar pretty much lol The food was absolutely delicious! I got their signature ramen and the pork just melted in your mouth. Noodles were 10/10, broth even better.! Will be coming back for sure. Hopefully we have a similar experience with waiting and dining

    I never leave negative reviews, but this experience was unacceptable. On 7/18/2026 at approximately…read more9:30pm-9-45pm My friend and I were waiting for our ramen, we watched one of the kitchen staff check the noodles by reaching into the bowl with his bare fingers, pulling out some noodles, and putting them directly into his mouth to taste them. Then wiped his fingers on a dirty rag and proceeded to finish making the bowls. A short time later, we were served that same bowl of ramen. Watching an employee use their bare hands and mouth on food that was then served to a customer was extremely concerning and completely unacceptable from a food safety and hygiene standpoint. It ruined the experience and made us lose confidence in the restaurant's food handling practices. I hope management takes this seriously, retrains their staff on proper food safety procedures, and ensures this doesn't happen to anyone else.

    Photos
    Entrance into the restaurant, located in the basement
    Entrance into the restaurant, located in the basement
    Ramen
    Ramen
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    Mott St

    Mott St

    4.0
    (1.2k reviews)
    2.5 mi
    $$$

    With a creative menu and rave reviews, Mott St. had been on my bookmarked list since it opened! I…read morewas finally able to visit recently and it was all I hoped it would be. The interior was pretty sleek and it was packed around 6:30pm on a weeknight. It's definitely the kind of place to go when you want to have a dinner out that feels like an occasion without getting dressed up. Most of the dishes were served family style, so I recommend going with a group if you can! We tried the chef's special menu for 4 people, which had about 8 courses at a great price. To drink, I started with the white lotus, which did not come to play! It was very strong and barely sweet- maybe a bit much for me, but if that's your vibe, you'll like it. Appetizers included the Thai papaya salad and imperial rolls. The first was solid and the rolls were extra hot and crispy. I enjoyed the perilla leaves that they were wrapped in. Next came the garlic rice with whole roasted cloves of garlic, sauteed mushrooms, everything wings, and chili cauliflower. The rice was super fluffy and garlicky, but the miso butter mushrooms are not to be missed! We definitely drank a little bit of the sauce. The wings could have been a little crispier, but I really liked the sweet and spicy Korean style sauce. The crispy chili cauliflower was sweet and actually tasted a bit like orange chicken- we demolished it and this may have been my favorite dish of the whole night! Finally, we had the mentaiko kimchi udon, steak kalbi, and ordered one of their burgers on the side because why not. We agreed that the bonito flakes on the udon covered up the kimchi flavor a bit and wished it was stronger, but I liked the creaminess of the sauce. The steak kalbi had a great flavor and sauce, but I do think it could've been more tender. The burger was as good as it looked and indeed one of the best I've had in Chicago. I loved the balance between sweet and savory, and all of the flavors were balanced very well. We ended the meal with the seasonal dessert, which was sticky rice with strawberries and fermented rice. I thought it made for a refreshing end, but we agreed that it would've been even better served cold rather than hot. Overall, this was a very fun and great experience with delicious food! I would absolutely return and recommend paying a visit.

    I loved Mott St!!!! We went before a show at Salt Shed & it was perfect that we could walk on over…read moreto the venue right after our dinner. My favorite thing we got was the garlic rice & crispy cauliflower. The tofu was good but not amazing. Our service was good and the patio was very fun to sit on even on a super hot day. Can't wait to go back here!!!!

    Photos
    Dragon shots
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    Everything Wings
    Everything Wings
    Lichi Mocktail

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    Lichi Mocktail

    Wow Bao - chinese - Updated August 2026

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