Bao Bao Dumpling — Restaurant in San Francisco

Tried this restaurant with a friend from Shanghai, and we were both blown away.

Before this, our favorite was Dumpling Home in Hayes Valley — their xiaolongbao is solid, but not quite the flavor we grew up with. This place? Nailed it. The xiaolongbao tasted exactly like the ones from our childhood.

The deep-fried sweet soy fish (熏鱼, xunyu) almost made me cry — perfectly crisp on the outside, tender and sweet inside. First time I’ve had this level of flavor in the U.S. It tasted just like what my uncle used to make for me.

The wontons had beautiful wrappers, though I wasn’t a huge fan of the shepherd’s purse (荠菜) filling — it was packed with greens, but a bit too dense for my liking.

We also tried the curry beef rice noodle soup, which was rich and comforting — hard to find in other Shanghainese spots here.

The owner spoke to us in Shanghainese — big plus — and told us more dishes are coming soon, like crab xiaolongbao and you dun zi (油墩子/萝卜丝饼，fried savory cakes stuffed with shredded daikon). Can’t wait to go back. Super friendly staff, and for us, it really...

The Bao Bao trend just hit the Richmond district! Although, there are a bunch of dumpling places in the Richmond , this place has hands down the best pan fried shengjian bao outside Shanghai! 😋 fried to perfection! Portions are just right. The pork chop noodle soup is 10/10! The space is super modern and has qr code menu where you can order through your phone. No need to wait for someone to take your order. I love love this style of ordering. Super efficient and no need to wait for someone to take your order if you want more dumplings. 😋Although parking could be challenging the bus stop is super convenient only a few blks away and the 38 Geary comes quite often. Love this new addition to the...

We ordered sheng jian bao, chilli oil wonton and pork chop noodles. The sheng jian bao was very juicy, slightly chewy and crispy at the bottom (albeit a bit charred which I'm not a fan of, but my partner likes it that way).

The chilli oil wonton has sesame/peanut sauce on it as well. Very well balanced and even nicer with the vinegar. Pork chop noodles was also good. I loved the braised egg that came with it.

It's a new place so the interior is very clean and spacious. You can see the chefs making the dumplings through the glass panel as well. Overall very nice addition to the neighborhood and I will definitely...