Wow Bao is a fast food steamed bun restaurant. I had first had steamed buns this summer in Cleveland at Jonathan Sawyer’s Noodlecat. These were AMAZING – so I wasn’t sure if Wow Bao could match up – but we’ll see.
They have these cool touch screens you can order from before you go in – especially helpful on busy lunch hours.
They have a fairly open kitchen and very helpful service. It’s a small menu – but they know what they’re good at and they focus on that. They have the steamed buns, potstickers and bowls – think of it as an Asian Chipotle.
When we ordered – we weren’t quite sure how we would know what was what. But flip the bun over and you find out which is which! Very clever and handy!
I tried mongolian beef and kung pao. The buns were light and airy but didn’t come close to the ones from Noodlecat. The meat all sort of tasted the same – but was fine. There is a sweetness to the buns that matches nicely if your filling is a little spicy.
Why Should You Go? I think it would be great if some of this unique fast casual flare would head to Cincinnati! If you come across one in Chicago though – it’s not too bad. It’s nothing compared to Noodlecat but it’s quick, cheap and tasty. And most definitely get some of the Hibiscus Lemonade – zomg!
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