The Bao — Restaurant in New York

Update: Updating to reflect recent changes at the restaurant. The service has changed from a standard sit down dinner with wait staff to more of a self service model where you order and pay for food at the back register. Staff were significantly less willing to help with simple things such as providing extra utensils. They didn't even serve water. The food is still great, but the downgrade in service really left me disappointed after my last visit.

The Bao will ask to see proof of vaccination before you dine; it doesn’t matter if it’s a picture, physical card, or vaccine passport app.

I’ve been a customer at this restaurant a handful of times before but my most recent experience there has made me a patron.

I ordered the Black Truffle Fried Rice and their Cucumber Salad as an appetizer.

The salad was served quickly and presented nicely. It was a delight to eat. The dish was savory with a tiny hit of sweetness and heat, balanced nicely by the freshness of the cucumbers.

Before I was finished with the salad the Black Truffle Fried Rice was served. The Black Truffle Fried Rice was an out of body experience. I’m drooling thinking about it - it was just…. I wasn’t at all when I was eating it; I was transported to a place between heaven and utopia, where all the bad things in the world evaporated and hid away, where the only things were me and the dish. When I finished all the sorrows of the world came raining back down and then I realized what a life changing meal I just had.

My experience at the Bao recently excited me about food in a way I haven’t felt in months. My previous times there I’ve had their delicious dumplings, and some other items. Each time was good, but this recent time reminded me what culinary art is all about. I strongly recommend this...

The guy (with silver dyed hair) at the register there YELLED at me, TWICE. Absolutely the worst customer service I’ve ever received. Here’s what happened. The restroom ran out soap. I couldn’t wash my hands before eating (gross, I know). I asked the guy at the register nicely to put soap in. He asked me to wait because there was someone in there. I waited, for a long time, while my food was getting cold. I asked him again, very nicely, since he couldn’t put soap in there and I was waiting for a long time, I asked if I could use the kitchen. He then proceed to yell, ‘NO YOU CANT USE THE KITCHEN. I AM JUST TELLING YOU, BE PATIENT!’ Not wanting to getting into a fight with him, I waited a little while longer. After the restroom became vacant I asked him again, very nicely, to put soap in there. He yelled at me AGAIN, gesturing towards the restroom, “there is already soap in there!!GO! GO CHECK IT!” This is not the way to treat a customer, a woman, or another human being for that matter. This guy’s behavior is completely unacceptable. On top of this, the food there is mediocre; it doesn’t make sense to me why there are so many good reviews. If you want to be treated like a human being, I would suggest you go somewhere else. There are a lot of good, if not better, Chinese restaurants in New York. In fact, there’s one, a much better one, right next door. The food here is not worth taking the chance of being yelled at and completely ruining...

Super delicious Chinese restaurant in NOHO that specializes in Shanghai style, Xiao Long Bao, soup dumplings. You’ll often find The Bao on several of the “top soup dumplings in NYC” list and you’ll quickly discover it lives up to the hype. The KungFu dumplings (classic pork) is the first line item on the menu and is where you should start your conquest. The dough is light, chewy, and delicately holds the delicious pork and pork fat of which the soup is comprised. As you bite into the dumpling, savory flavors invade your mouth as the soup is blitzes your taste buds and paves the way for the delivery of the tender pork. It’s a surreal dining experience that will leave your gullet packed to capacity and with a satisfied smile across your plump face. The Bao offers a few different variations of dumplings which are noteworthy, particularly the crab and wasabi offerings, respectively. Aside from their famous soup dumplings, they offer creative variations on classic Chinese dishes but I’d recommend trying their Shanghai pan fried noodles. It’ll make you wonder why you ever ordered and tolerated basic lo mein before. The Bao is an ideal option whenever you’re craving authentic and incredibly tasting Shanghai soup...