Xiao Z.
Yelp
Like real-life ninjas, Ninja Bao is hidden in plain sight, but it is a formidable foe for against hunger and expectations. FYI - Ninja Bao is underground in the Septa station, just a few stores adjacent to the Dunkin Donut.
Must get: chicken katsu bwa bun, free gyoza
Meh: roast pork bun, pork ramen
Missed out: dessert bao
As a native-born northern Chinese, I am very particular with baozi, or steamed buns stuffed with vegetables or meats. So you can imagine that my simultaneous hesitance and excitement when I heard about the new baozi shop. In short, it's fun, fairly well priced, salty and sweet. Unlike traditional baozi, ninja bao are steamed in similar manner, but also fried at the bottom to get that crispy bottom. While I was not too crazy about this cooking style, I was very surprised by how hot the bao remained, even after a long period of wait time while digging into other dishes. As for the actual inner content, the roast pork bun is very similar to the cha siu bao (or the sweet and savory, aka barbecue pork bun) that you can find at dim sums, however, given that I don't like bbq pork buns...it wasn't my favorite by default. The chicken and corn bao was actually quite a pleasant surprise as chicken is uncommonly utilized in Chinese steamed dishes (dumplings or baozi), but I found the overall combination of the ingredients to be a sweet and salty delight.
The bwa bun, or one-sided bun, is beautifully packaged and definitely the star of the restaurant. Of the options, the best is definitely the chicken katsu, as the chicken is incredibly juicy but crunchy and worked best with rest of the fillings. That being said, I think these buns utilize too much sugar (visible layers of crystalized sugar on the bases) and thousand island dressing that definitely reminds you that you're eating something non-traditional. My biggest disappointment is the roast pork, which was way too fatty. In fact, for the pork bun and pork ramen, we had to throw it away because it was too fat to eat and enjoy. While the fatty pork made the broth of the ramen reach greater heights, I was highly disappointed when I had to throw away the generous chunks of meat away.
Overall, this was a fun and unique establishment to visit, especially if you're traveling via Septa. The service is very friendly, almost too friendly, and you get a free gyoza on arrival, so it's definitely worth a visit.
Food: 3 stars
Service: 4 stars (very fast)
Ambiance: 3 stars (I like the decorations, but would have liked the Disney film Bao to be played in its entirety on the TV, not just the trailer played on repeat)
Price: 4 stars