88 BaoBao — Restaurant in Castro Valley

Recently had the opportunity to try out this place and had a pretty great dining experience. The first thing to note was that the service was attentive and front of the house very quick to provide service. I also really enjoyed that the prep area has somewhat of an open view; it made eating here feel active and provided a nice atmosphere. I tried a few dishes- the first of which surprised me and that was the beef rolls. They are essentially a green onion pancake with beef slices rolled up inside. Not only were they flavorful but also cooked perfectly, with a nice crunch to the bread but also a softness inside. The beef noodle soup was equally good, but maybe missing that final "oompf" of savory flavor that I hoped for. We tried some steamed goods, including the soup dumplings, shumai, and pan fried buns. The soup dumplings were great as expected, the shumai a bit on the small side I really enjoy the super large ones. The pan fried buns impressed me a lot with their presentation but I thought that they may not have been as flavorful as I anticipated, though I did like the amount of broth inside that impressed me. Overall, I really liked the restaurant's atmosphere and service, and thought some dishes lacked that final bit of savory bite that I hoped for. If you prefer dishes light on flavor, you might really love what is available here. Another thing was that at $12-15 for most dishes, the bill adds up really quick. Definitely one of the most expensive dim sum-esque dining places I have been...

Unexpecting hole in the wall.

Honestly, was on the way to the post office, saw this spot out of the corner of my eye, and had to treat my lady for coming along the boring work errand 🤦🏽‍♂️

She found this spot online a couple weeks prior and we finally put 2 and 2 together. The previous photos looked good, so we gave it a shot.

Walked in and was immediately sat. They give you a menu and dry erase marker to look over and select your items, but ultimately walk back up to order and pay.

We ordered 2 XLB aka Xiao long Bao aka the best pockets of yummy soup goodness anyone could hope to enjoy. They have the right amount of chew and beautiful presentation. The folds were impeccable 👌🏽 S/o to the ladies and gentlemen in the back. We used the provided ginger, and table vinegar to make a wonderful concoction, ladeled on each soup pocket, along with a drop of house chili oil.

You bite the top of the dumpling, CAREFULLY sip soup Add some vinegar mix Top with chili You're golden 👌🏽 🤌🏽

Then came the Bun. My lady got plain, but highly recommend getting it with condensed milk. Something about the light fluffy bread.. You just have to try it for yourself.

We also got an order of the Leak, pork and shrimp dumplings, those came pan fried. Nice and crispy, great flavor. Watch for your bites, the juice will squirt out if you're not careful 😂

The front of the house were super attentive to our waters, and anything else...

My first time here. You order, pay and tip first then they bring you your food. I have so much to say about tipping first before you get served.

Got an order of pork/shrimp/chives combo dumpling, a pork bun and a tea. The dumplings were good but the wrap hardens as they cool down, and makes it too chewy. I suppose it's a common dilemma with dumplings and not because of this particular restaurant. It would have been better if they showed the customer how to mix their dipping sauce or simply provided them with the sauce. Instead they just give you a little saucer with a few slices of ginger - leaving you puzzled about what to do with it. Also if I were you I would simply order the single ingredient dumpling because I did not find shrimp in every single one of them.

The pork bun was a disappointment. It was bland. So skip the buns. I was given the impression that it's imported commercially and not made on the spot because I saw the chef holding a bag of frozen bbq pork buns (Char Siu bao).

The staff ratio seems unbalanced in the restaurant. There were four people working in the kitchen, a dishwasher boy and a cashier girl in the front. And later someone who appeared to be the owner joined in. It still took about 20 minutes for my meal to arrive. Courteous service overall.

Overall not blown away by this visit. They could step up a little more to make customers...