Steam Boys — Restaurant in Nashville-Davidson

Overstaffed, food was okay.

We visited during Friday (Christmas eve) lunch time. They don’t have a menu board,; the menu is printed on the 5”x6” (or 6”x8”) size cards - nice design, but a little bit too small to cram all the items on it. Ordering process at the cashier counter was straightforward (you can add an optional tip when ordering). They have a decent size dining area.

As for the food; beef noodle soup was good, but only 4 pieces of beef were a little fewer than expected (although they were decent sized pieces). For both steamed and seared baos, the sizes were smaller than expected (relative to/considering the price paid). Although they tasted good (standard flavor/filling), the meaty ball filling size was on the small end (compared to the size of the bao). It’s probably because after cooking from raw inside the bao it shrinks, but this should be considered when making it so a larger meaty ball could be placed in it before wrapping it up. Also, the roughly chopped cilantro used for garnishing the seared bao was wilted; it probably didn’t get stored properly after being chopped up.

We saw around 5 employees there and most of the time they were just sitting at the dining room table eating or on their phones. They were not just sitting at a corner table, they were occupying one of the main large dining tables in front of the ordering counter. That looked strange to us and we were surprised the manager/owner allowed this. They should staff the appropriate numbers of employees only so either the store can make more profit or they can have room to reduce the menu item prices to be more competitive (we think things are priced slightly too high based on the food and service received).

Dining room could also use some improvement on cleaning as the table we sat at was not very clean. Tables were probably not being wiped in between uses. And with so many employees sitting there and not doing any work-related work, they do have time to keep the tables and area clean.

Overall, it was an okay dining experience. If there are other similar options/places we would consider trying them out first before...

This review is being written as a warning to future patrons. We don’t go out much anymore due to inflation and the cost of food so when we do, it’s a real treat. We went to this location and decided to eat in. We got 2 rice bowls and a soup bowl with some Bao. There was very little table service as they took the order and brought out food and drinks only. Food was ok. Not the best and not the worst. We got the check and it was $62. My husband asked if he should come up to the counter to pay or if they do it. They said they would do it. He brought back our bill and it was now $69 and asking for additional tip. Nowhere on the menu does it say automatic gratuity or any service fees. I went up to the counter to find out what happened and the young man decided to hit the 15% button tip in his own behalf. When I asked him about it, he lied and attempted to come up with a story about how some of the food has a tip and the notice used to be on the menu etc. however, it it one of the iPad POS systems that you flip around and ask for a tip. The receipt we were to sign asked for additional tip because the tip button had already been chosen. We did not leave anymore tip, but I am still flabbergasted at the gall to attempt to steal from a patron and lie about it so blatantly. Needless to say, we will not...

Visited Steam Boys…they have a few locations and we visited the Nolensville restaurant. We were warmly welcomed and reviewed the menu but decided to order a variety of items for sharing. It was fun to watch one of the guys making all of the little buns, each bun he made looked perfect.

We selected on order of Juicy Pork, Tender Beef, and Veggie seared Bao’s, an order of Pork & Shrimp Dumplings, and a bowl of the special Roast Duck Noodle Soup. The soup…exceptional. The flavor of the roast duck in the broth was evident and the duck itself was tender and delicious. If you visit and this special is on the board…don’t hesitate to order it! The pork & shrimp dumplings and the pork and beef Bao’s were perfect. You didn’t need anything to dip them into, the flavors of the meat and the bao texture was some of the best I have enjoyed. The veggie bao was OK, but I think my palate was spoiled after the pork and beef bao’s. What really set these Bao’s apart was they were stuffed full of ingredients and the flavors...