Bao Bao Cafe — Restaurant in New York

Disappointed and Frustrated – Will Not Be Returning

I rarely leave negative reviews, but my experience at BaoBao Cafe was simply unacceptable.

The woman working at the front was very rude. She gave the customer before me a cup of hot water when she asked for it. But when I asked the same to go with my food, she said she can't give out hot water for free. Instead I should order a drink from the drink shelf. I explained to her that I don't feel like cold drinks with my food and I can pay for the water if she can't give to me for free. I also pointed out that she just gave hot water to the customer before me. Eventually she handed me a cup of hot water reluctantly as if she was doing me a big favor.

When I finished my food and was about to leave the restaurant, the woman was all smiling to a group of customers at a table. As soon as she sees me passing by, her face changed immediately and gave me a stern look as if I have done something seriously wrong when all I did was asking her for a cup of water. That made me feel very uncomfortable and unwelcomed at this place.

I believe if one works in restaurant industry, he/she should treat all customers the same. People like her should not be in this line of business. I am very disappointed that the woman judges customers based on how they look and show different attitude to different people. Your experience might be better depending on her judgment of how you look and whether you are worthy of a cup of free hot water or not.

Dining out is supposed to be enjoyable, but this experience left me dissatisfied. I highly recommend avoiding this place. The food was just so so, the service was bad, and the woman at the front made the whole experience uncomfortable.

Also, don’t be fooled by the high Google ratings. They give out free chicken if you leave a positive review. You might repeat my experiences if you happen to be judged unfavorably by the woman...

Beautiful restaurant right off the main street near Times Square, with a huge space. The Ambience is really clean, neat and cutely decorated.

I'm writing this review in the restaurant, as I was asked to put my review in before I left, as I recieved a FREE Popcorn Chicken.

Here is my opinion on the dishes I tried today, rated from Top choices to lowest

1)The Spring Rolls are amazing, beautifully executed, with a delicious wrapper, evey unique

2)The Bao (2pcs) The Pork belly in here is soft and tender, in soft and pillowy baos, wish there was more sauce inside

3)The Fried Squid was well cooked, tender and crispy at the same time. Some pieces were stuck together, so it was clumsy and soggy, and quite greasy. Yet still delicious

4)The Popcorn chicken was nothing special, wish it had some fried basil like the usual Taiwanese restaurants

5)The Bam Bam Noodles with Pork, and I added Mushrooms, didn't have much flavor, the sesame oil is over powering, and there was not enough salt.

Also they have a sign that says they accept Ca$hApp, but then it didn't work, so I had to change my method of payment.

Maybe asking for a review backfired, as the waitress persisted for a review, even coming to the table with food in her mouth, mastercating as she asked to leave a...

The Bao Bao Cafe – Not Worth the Hype - I don’t usually write reviews, but my experience at The Bao Bao Cafe was so disappointing that I felt it needed to be shared.

Right when I walked in, the woman working at the front was incredibly rude. Her emphasized high-pitched voice and fake-looking eyebrows immediately judged me based on how I looked. When I had trouble speaking English, she laughed and made a joke about it. Later, when I tried to return my tray, she yelled at me like I was doing something wrong. Her attitude was fake and unwelcoming the entire time.

As for the food, I ordered the ribs, which turned out to be a big letdown. There were only six small pieces total, and only two or three had any real meat. Most of it was chewy and hard to eat. For what I paid, it was not worth it.

Also, don’t be fooled by the high Google ratings. They give out free chicken if you leave a positive review. That’s the only reason the reviews are so high. The food and service do not deserve it.

New York has so many better places to eat. Just walk down the street and you will easily find a spot with better food and much better customer service. I highly recommend avoiding this place. The food was bad, the service was worse, and the woman at the front made the whole experience...