Wow Bao

I came on a Tuesday midday, it was not busy. got the six wow bun, Mongolian beef pack, and it was amazing. I was actually more impressed, however, by the young man who assisted me at the cashier. Even though I could have just made my order at the kiosk, the young man was more than happy and insisted on taking my order at the counter. I have been here multiple times, and usually it’s some kind of teenager waiting at the grill, texting on their phone until you submit your order on the kiosk, but this young man set a brilliant example. Remarkable experience.

Wow Bao is a must-try! For just $7 for two buns, it’s an affordable, delicious, and super quick option right off the Magnificent Mile. The buns were packed with flavor and hit the spot perfectly. The service was incredibly fast, making it the ideal stop during a busy day of exploring.

Avoid the boba! It's dry, chocky and has an off flavor. Worst boba I have ever experienced. The kung po noodles were alright, just very watery and the sauce does not stick to anything. The bao buns were decent, but overall not worth the hype or the price. I'd recommend any other bao/boba place.

Disappointing for Asian Cuisine After a shopping session at Water Tower Place in Chicago, I decided to stop by Wow Bao to satisfy a sudden hunger and opt for a healthy choice. Having traveled to several Asian countries and enjoyed their local cuisine, I was curious to try their food. Unfortunately, I was completely disappointed. I ordered a rice dish with fried chicken and vegetables, but it was severely lacking in flavor. The spices, which are a hallmark of Asian cuisine, were almost nonexistent. Honestly, the authenticity and richness of flavors you’d expect from Asian cuisine were missing. Asian cuisine deserves much better than this. I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re looking for authentic flavors.

Best dumplings I’ve ever had, especially for the price. Craving them all the way from Sweden. Not the nicest atmosphere so recommend to choose takeaway and sit in the stairs outside cheesecake factory across the street if the weather allows

This asian fast food place was good as a quick meal fix while browsing the stores at this mall. The rice didn't have a lot of flavor to it but the baos were nice. Their hibiscus tea is really really tasty though. I liked that they had a little screen display where you could choose your order and pay for it. Unfortunately they dont have seats near the store but you can visit the food court on the next floor and eat your food there.

You literally feel like eating on the street though it is in the prestigious water tower place. Also, it is not something that I would crave to eat often the bun coating of the bow was very sweet and the filling inside was very blend so I did not really quite enjoy this, especiallywith the expectation that I came in as a Japanese cuisine, I thought that the food would be very flavorful, but it was way below expectation

We expect more from this place. It was pricy for what it is and the food was just mediocre. We tried 3 different combo dishes including bao and dumplings and the dumplings were the only thing that made me bump the star rating to 2. I seldomly provide low scores but this place should be avoided unless you want overpriced food.

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.

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.

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

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

I didn't get everything that I ordered in the combo, the portions are super small, the prices are high and you get better tasting product from the walmart frozen section. My potstickers were absolutely covered in burnt greese. My closest asian market is over and hour away - but I'd rather make the drive then order from here again.

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 ;)

This place is literally garbage. You can tell they threw all their money into aesthetics. We paid 11 dollars for roughly 2 ounces of meat with white rice. 17 dollars for Frenched up dumplings that had nearly no filling, and it was 7 dollars for 5 potstickers. They were the size of my pinkie. My wife and I will never eat here again. Disgusted.

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!

I didn't have super high expectations, and they didn't disappoint. At delivery, the food looked terrible. It looked like the last of the scrapings from the bottom of a pot and tasted about the same. The potstickers were good, and the egg rolls were okay, but the bao were dry inside. I was so disappointed. Won't be ordering again.

small portions and expensive. orange chicken ain't even good. I would score it less if I could fr

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.

The buns were terrible besides the cheeseburger ones... i tried every single one. They are dry, overcooked, and most of the flavors are gross and over powering in taste. Highly recommend you don't try!

I LOVE THIS PLACE!!! buns are so delicious and taste restaurant quality. I love the pork ones specifically! Super quick with food and also have great drink options (i love the hibiscus lemonade!). slightly expensive but you get very filling food! Can't wait to come back.

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.

The baos are delicious; I ordered the 2-pack spicy mongolian beef and BBQ pork. I preferred the BBQ pork, although the beef was good too. Very flavorful, although the flavor is more Panda Express than authentic Chinese bao filling. The setting is a great, grab and go place by the entrance to Water Tower, and service was very quick. However, one of the staff members was not friendly at all, ruining a bit of the experience. Just keep in mind this is a fast food establishment, and yes their baos are from frozen. However, they occupy a niche food in a mall where baos and other Asian items would be hard to find.

"Wow Bao" really didn't have the wow factor to me. It's just another mall food place. Hubby was working on a call at the H&M across the street. Me? I was looking for "Chansey" to catch since it was the only one I needed for completing the Pokedex. Inevitably, I was getting hungry... Fine, I would give "Wow Bao" a try. I placed my order via one of the self-service kiosks. The entire ordering process was quite easy, except I didn't know exactly the serving size for each item, and there wasn't much explanation on it. In the end, I was given a receipt with an ordering number. My soup dumplings and the iced hibiscus tea were ready in approximately one (1) minute after the receipt popped out of the machine. Fortunately, the wait time was minimal since there was no one in front of me. The "soup" dumplings didn't have much juice in them. For $4.99 (as of 01/04/2017), there were four (4) petite pieces. The taste was passable. There was absolutely nothing to write home about. The iced hibiscus tea, on the other hand, was alright. I used to work at one of the retail stores at the Water Tower Place. The "Bao" thang didn't entice me at that time. Well, in terms of "authenticity," we don't really need to go this far. The location is on the first floor inside the Water Tower Place, next the "Lush" at Macy's.

The price for one single bao was more than I anticipated. I love the idea of this place but maybe because this was located in the mall, the quality was not what I expected. The BBQ pork bao that I had did not have any resemblance to the ones I've eaten growing up and while visiting China. I also ordered the dumplings and I thought the soy dipping sauce was good and they cure my hunger while shopping in this center.

We stumbled into a mall in Chicago to see what they offered for lunch and this was the first place we saw and decided to give it a shot. We were pleasantly surprised with how good it was! The lady who took our order was not very friendly, kind of heard to hear as she mumbled along but we figured out what we wanted even though they were completely sold out of all of the salads that we wanted. I got the teriyaki chicken over rice with dumplings. The chicken and rice were delicious but I have definitely had better dumplings. I would give it another go next time I am in Chicago!

Yes it is not REAL in that it is a bit Americanized. We go to Chinatown too and we love it. But it is quick and reliable and tasty. We like to keep a few of the frozen packs in the freezer for those times when you need something like that. For a quick lunch or snack while in the area, we stand by them. Remember to get and use your Lettuce Entertain you card--which loads extra money on your birthday.

The bao from here is awesome. The bowls are BAD. Go here for bao NOT bowls. I will return but will elect to get 4 bao and not a combo.

I was happy to see that Wow Bao was still here, this trip to Chicago... It had been a few years since I had been to Water Tower Place. My friend and I wanted something to tide us over for an hour or two before dinner, so we each got a BBQ pork bao (about $2.20 each I believe). It was hot, fresh, and delicious. They have various bao with savory fillings to choose from, and also a few dessert ones too. Their bao is good for a snack or a meal, and I'd come back again.

It's pretty good for asian fusion fastfood place. It's in the inside lobby level of a business building right next door either CVS or Walgreens. Opted for a combo meal that included bun bao, fresh noodles, and rice with chicken teriyaki. Food are made fresh daily and efficient employees. If you're hungry for fast asian food pick up try this place.

When I worked downtown, I ate at Wow Bao at least once a week. At least. Usually more lol. The bao are great- freshly steamed throughout the day so they taste fresh. The chocolate bao is ridiculous- the chocolate is melty like the inside of a chocolate chip cookie right out of the oven. They have revamped their salad offerings over the last few years and no longer have my old favorite (pad Thai chicken salad- omg so good!!) but I did try their new spicy peanut noodle salad and it's really good (and the sauce has a nice spice to it).

Nice location at the front of Water Tower place, perfect for a quick snack while shopping. Located right next to Macy's. I wasn't previously familiar with Wow Bao and it's a pretty interesting/cool concept to see a fast food version of dumplings/bao. I'm a big fan of dim sum, and steamed BBQ pork buns are one of my faves, so I couldn't pass up a quick snack while shopping. Wow Bao offers several flavors of bao, including teriyaki chicken, curry, orange chicken, BBQ pork, matcha coconut, chocolate, and coconut custard. I had the BBQ pork bao and it was good. Bao are about $2.20 a piece or 2 for $3.98, and 4 for $7.96. They also offer soups, noodle bowl entrees, potstickers and dumplings. Bao was a great snack on the go but they probably could use more convenient seating close by if you were eating a full entree.

LOVE LOVE LOVE! Without a doubt, my favorite grab & go place in Chi-town. The Bao balls are amazballs... the noodles/salad are the perfect size and hit all the right spots. My dream would be for them to have more locations around the USA. There's seating up the escalators of the Water Tower next to the Starbucks if you feel like sitting down to eat!

I tried the bao (buns) at Wow Bao, but they must of forgot to add the "wow" to that batch. This is fast food Chinese-style buns and dumplings, but without Chinese taste or texture. The BBQ Pork Buns were disappointingly light on flavor, juice, or warmth. A pile of steamed Chicken Dumplings was worse. The wrapper for the dumplings was too thick and chewy, but somehow the flavor escaped anyways. We all need to eat fast-food from time-to-time and since my wife is from China, we often choose Chinese food. We won't be choosing Wow Bao again because it's a classic example of what Yelp defines as 2 stars: "Meh. I've experienced better."

The spicy chicken bao was lackluster because of overpowering ginger flavor and extreme sweetness. I would've given it a 2 stars but the bone broth bumped it up by one star cause although average for a bone broth, was still tasty