Happy Baos — Restaurant in Phoenix

Happy Bao just opened, and I can tell they’re really trying to create a concept similar to Din Tai Fung though, to be fair, that’s a tough act to follow since Din Tai Fung has set such a high standard.

We visited on October 24, right before their grand opening on the 25th. When we walked in, there were two iPads at the entrance one for joining the waitlist and one for placing to-go orders. It was a neat setup, though I did notice quite a few open tables, so we went up to the front and asked to be seated.

The staff were incredibly sweet, and even though you could tell some were still getting the hang of things, they were trying their best. A bit more attentiveness to tables would be nice, but since they’re brand new, I’ll give them grace there.

We ordered the chicken dumplings, spicy beef soup, garlic soy bok choy, and xiao long bao. Unfortunately, the chicken dumplings missed the mark the outer wrap was too thick compared to the filling and seemed slightly undercooked, so we ended up returning them. The spicy beef soup wasn’t spicy at all (despite the warning!) and had quite a bit of beef fat floating on top, which made it less appetizing, though the flavor was okay. The xiao long bao had good flavor, but the skin was too delicate and tore easily, causing all the soup to spill out kind of defeating the purpose.

Overall, I can see potential here. The concept is great, the staff is kind, and the atmosphere is welcoming they just need time to refine their dishes and execution. I’ll definitely consider giving them another try down the road once...

Since I live in the West Valley, I didn't visit Happy Bao very often. Mesa is far. Now that they've opened this location on 43rd Ave & Union Hills, it's very convenient. So, I took the family for dinner last night. We ordered a few dishes:

Signature Dumplings Xiao Long Bao Pork Sheng Jian Bao Chicken Sheng Jian Bao Singapore Rice Noodle w/ BBQ pork Chow Fun with Chicken

Everything was tasty. The Xiao Long Bao and Pork Sheng Jian Bao were crazy good! The only let down was the Singapore noodle. It needed to be a bit dryer and it needed to be spicy. There was a hint of curry powder, but it was a zero on the spicy scale. Too bad. That's my favorite dish and this is the sole reason for dropping this rating to a 4-star.

Tonight was part of their soft opening, so the staff was still figuring things out. Their digital ordering tablets were not working, either. They forgot one of our dishes and brought it out way late, only after it was mentioned to them twice. I didn't dock any stars for this since it was a soft opening.

I'll be visiting again when they get...

Despite being a small restaurant - the service was phenomenal and their seating arrangement made it feel more spacious that it seems!

I've heard raving reviews about this same franchise from their store in Mesa, and was so excited to hear that they opened one closer to me! My husband and I went and even with him being a bit of a picky eater - he loved it! For reference what we ate was: Honey Braised Short Ribs Pork and Scallion Dumplings Pork and Scallion Xiao Long Bao with Sesame Seeds and the Beef Noodle Soup!

It was good portions for everything and the flavor of the dumplings was amazing. I personally DEVOURED the Beef Noodle Soup, the broth was very flavorful and beefy, the noodles were perfectly cooked, and the amount of beef you got with the soup was a good amount! Also they had bok choy with it and it was delicious too after soaking in the broth ❤️😊

Definitely worth every penny and every taste buds to visit here! Will be a sure fire place...