Wanna Bao Reviews

Decor is gorgeous, minimalist. Wonderful staff. The food is simply incredible. So fresh and flavorful. And a testament to its authenticity is how many multi generational Chinese families dine here on a Saturday nite.

Excellent Asian dumplings. Clean minimalist restaurant with simple furniture and delicious food. Lots of good tasting Chinese options. Very food dim sum. Relatively small parking lot but lots of street parking.

Soup dumplings, spicy crispy chicken, green beans! Highly recommend this combo along with Tsingtao. Yum!

The service was very slow to none, the food( won-ton soup was bland, the soup dumpling pork-was the best of this ordeal, the pork crispy bao tasted just bad. The Pineapple Chicken Ball sauce tasted like ketchup.....over all I would not recommend.

The food is very good. The menu is extensive, and all the dishes we ordered were excellent (soup dumplings, shrimp dumplings, crispy bottom dumplings, red oil dumplings, green beans, smoked duck, green onion pancake). Very good service. The restaurant seems pretty hip with a fairly young crowd.

I visited this restaurant last night because it advertised gluten-free options on the menu and I have Celiac disease. I double checked with the waiter before I ordered that the items were gluten-free and that I needed it gluten-free because I have Celiac disease, not a preference. I ordered the gluten-free spicy, crispy chicken with white rice for $17.95 and the gluten-free supreme hot fried rice for $13.95 to share with my husband. My husband also ordered himself the 4 piece crispy bottom pork bao for $10.95. If you pay cash there is an 8% discount on your bill. We paid cash. How was the food? The food tasted good and was presented nicely. The problem? Before we had even asked for the check my stomach was cramping so badly I thought I'd puke all over the table. The food didn't taste even remotely too spicy, so was it not actually gluten-free? I got up to use the bathroom and 2 of the 3 stalls were locked with nobody in them but the open stall had a broken lock (see photo.) I ended up going outside to the parking lot but there was a car filled with people getting a to-go order so I was trying to hold it in. I don't want someone to see or hear me vomiting in public and potentially call 911 for help. Our hotel shuttle got us and I barely made it to my room a mile away before throwing it all up. If you're a Celiac and have to eat gluten-free, I'm disappointed that I cannot recommend this restaurant because it just isn't safe. It's a shame because it tasted nice. Visited: July 2024

Loved it..will be back Tried wanna bao yesterday and enjoyed everything we ordered. The soup dumplings were incredible and I really enjoyed the red chili oil dumplings as well. The full menu had many interesting items that I need to go back and try soon. Really really enjoyed this spot and will be back.

The receptionist was quite welcoming. The service was real nice. We had a delicious appetizer and some red pepper sauce and then we followed up with three entrées and the three of us just put it in the middle the table and eat family style it was a company with white rice and it was just a wonderful time . I would definitely go back

Very good food, great service (we got water on the table right as we were sitting down) and very nice atmosphere. I recommend the dumplings.

Stopped in at Wanna Bao on Wednesday at about 6PM. We were seated right away. Our waitress was from NE China but had good English. Three of us tried different dishes. My okra salad Chinese style was excellent along with the fried calamares. The eggplant --Chinese style and the fish dish were all excellent-- and went well with a chilled Ting Tao Chinese beer. Large portions, good food, and good prices. I was very happy with the visit.

I’m from Sichuan and I’m well traveled so trust me when I say this is the best Chinese restaurant in Houston. I’ve dined there once and ordered half of my daily meals from them on deliveries, love all their dishes, highly recommend green peppercorn beef / fish slices, spicy fish in soup, spicy dumplings, colorful veggie cubes, and Mr & Mrs Smith (I’ve tried this dish in 5 diff Chinese restaurants in Houston this is the best and most authentic)! Here is why- 1. Right amount of oil in the dishes, not overdone 2. Not too salty or too much flavor 3. Fresh sauce like the Sichuan green peppercorns is what makes the dishes so different from Pepper Twins or Mala 4. Fresh meat and ingredients; usually Chinese food has strong flavors so some restaurants don’t use the best meats, Wanna Bao doesn’t do this To me it just tastes like hometown, and the way dishes are cooked, you recognize instantly they’re not rushed or bundled together with other tables’ orders in a big pot, that’s important as you get the delicate flavors. My Singaporean friend brought me there for their Xiaolongbao or dumplings, it suits people who don’t eat spicy. He doesn’t speak much Mandarin, but has no problem navigating as wait staff there are fluent in English and professional; restaurant is new and clean, it’s probably 15% more expensive than some other but you get so much better food.

To be fair we went during the soft opening. So some things needed improvement — service being one on the list. Waited ten minutes for drink order and menus. Had three servers come by after that. On the plus side food was good, especially the dumplings. Pork belly with sesame crisps was good but the crisps got soggy with sauce quickly. The dumplings are worth coming back for. Restaurant is nice and sleek — modern appearance.

Service was terrible! Hot and Sour was terrible too. The fried rice was terrible and it was not authentic. If this keeps up they won’t be around much longer.

Small, quaint restaurant with food that surpasses expectations. This Houston Midtown location specializes in soup dumplings and offers exceptional table service and plenty of family style or individual options. Honestly, all the dishes we had were tasty! Crispy bottom and pork soup dumplings were my favorites. Great for meals with colleagues, family, friends, or solo.

The specialize in dumplings, but have a pretty extensive and interesting main dish and appetizer menu as well. We did not get the dumplings, many are soup filled which is always interesting. We had white fish and cabbage dish that was very good but pretty spicy, believe he peppers!. The eggplant dish was just terrific. Our friend had calamari on some salad that had very nice taste. He also had an Okra salad that was excellent. Portions ere enormous, we had ot leave a lot of food, since staying in a hotel. Service was very good.

Having lunch with a Korean friend and was looking for Xiao Long Bao in Houston. Wanna Bao popped up as having good reviews and our experience matched the reviews. Food was excellent, service was good and restaurant had parking. We got there for opening and it was a rainy day, so not super busy. Had the spicy Mapo tofu with some boiled rice, an order of 1/2 dozen pork soup dumplings (the Xiao Long Bao), scallion pancakes and some jasmine tea. It was all well prepared and brought to the table hot. Tasty, decent size servings and most authentic Chinese I have had since travel in JiangSu province a couple of years ago. The dumplings were a little more refined than the industrial-sized ones in WuXi and SuZhou, but just as enjoyable. Good value, pleasant ambience and delicious fare. If you like Chinese food, well worth a visit.

I have been looking for authentic xiaolongbao since I visited Shanghai for the first time. On a recent trip to Houston, I decided to see if Wanna Bao was worth the hype. I had the shrimp and pork xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) and the spicy wontons. I can honestly say that this was one of the best meals I have had in and outside of China. I could not believe that I had visited Houston so many times before without checking this place out. If you're in Houston, then Wanna Bao is definitely worth a visit!!

Visited for lunch and ordered shrimp and pork soup dumplings, chili oil dumplings, crispy bottom pork dumplings and scallion pancake. Everything was delicious! Love the rustic design of restaurant and had a helpful server who gave good recommendations. I can’t wait to go back!

Nice, smart atmosphere with amazing food. Szechuan specialties with great small bites, buns and mains. Comfy seating and great service. Has it's own parking.

Dumplings aside, they offer a few other appetizers and entrees. The okra appetizer is a joke - cold, bland okra. The entree that I got was Eggplant in spicy garlic sauce. Excessive amount of oil and not well flavored. quality of the food wasn’t good either. We were a party of six that visited. When the check was provided, generally 20 percent tip is automatically included. In this case it was significantly more which didn’t sit well as the service wasn’t exceptional. In a group setting people generally won’t question the server about such things which led me to believe that the person was trying to make a fast buck by being dishonest. Won’t be returning here.

The food here is very good. The vegetable dumplings were served cold but were good with the sauce. The okra salad had great flavor but was slimy. The Bok choy in garlic sauce is amazing. This visit wasn't as good as my last but still very good.

Each and every item that we ordered off the menu at this restaurant was very tasty and very good. The problem is that you walk in the front door and there’s no sign that says to be seated or wait, there’s no one at the hostess stand, and the gentleman that we asked about what to do acted like we were a tremendous imposition. We ask for a table so we could watch a game on television and attempted to sit at a table for four with a good view. We were told we could not sit there as a party of 2 and they made us get up and move to another table for four. Only a few minutes later a group of four was seated at exactly the same table where we originally wanted to sit. It’s perplexing to think that a restaurant at less than 40% capacity would take issue with a table preference. Once we switch servers and no longer had to deal with this impotent little moron of a waiter, the service was good and the food was good. We will go back, knowing how to handle the lack of a hostess or a seating sign and attempt to have a pleasant meal.

I’m always wary of trying new restaurants right after they open as they don’t have time to get the kinks out but two weeks after they opened this place pleasantly surprised us. The soup dumplings were good but the chili oil dumplings were excellent. We weren’t planning on ordering the Peking duck but the waitress convinced us that it was a house specialty. After hesitating ($24 item) we were glad we tried it. The duck was cooked to perfection as it melted in our mouth. We also tried the bok choy with garlic which was good nothing special. Overall a great place to try out.

I like to try different places in my own city. I work in the area and decided to try it and nothing disappointed. The food was so good. My daughter & I enjoyed the atmosphere and the food. The service was amazing.

This is a great nice little restaurant with regional Chinese (Shanghai) food. This includes dumplings and a variety of vegetable dishes. Honestly - I go there for the Xiao long Bao - soup dumplings - they have both pork and shrimp. The staff of is very friendly and patient and the place is spotless.

Service was outstanding and the food was really delicious. We ordered several dishes and they all tasted great. Wait staff came around to check on us more than once. Place was busy with in person diners as well as to go orders.

If you are craving soup dumplings but are too lazy to leave the loop, Wanna Bao is the place for you. Soup dumplings (xiao long bao) have become easier to find in Houston, but this is one of the first spots near downtown to offer them. They are also tastier than a lot of the places that offer them in Chinatown. We ordered: the pork and shrimp xiao long bao, crispy bottom bao, rainbow dumplings adventure, dried fried green beans, and the non-spicy beef tofu soup. 1: The pork and shrimp xiao long bao had delicate wraps that were also sturdy so there was no tearing or soup spillage! The filling and broth were both rich and flavorful and better quality than many soup dumplings offered in Chinatown. 9/10 2: I was SO excited for the crispy bottom bao because it is not commonly found on menus. In fact, the only time I've had it was at a taiwanese owned hole in the wall in Tokyo. Doughier than it's regular xiao long bao counterparts, it is more substantial with a great combination of textures. 9/10 3: Rainbow dumplings adventure was very pretty and colorful- purple, green and yellow wraps with various fillings. They were good, but simple- I think next time I'd order something else. 6/10 4: Dry fried green beans are a staple green that we love and Wanna Bao's are A+ on flavor and texture. The minced pickled veggies with garlic added a lot to the dish. 9/10 5: We ordered the beef tofu soup because a few of us were feeling a bit under the weather. It had a simple, clean, tasty broth, we asked for chili oil on the side, too. It provided the nourishment we needed. 8/10 The environment and ambience is modern rustic with clean lines and great lighting. I'd definitely recommend checking this place out for brunch, lunch or dinner!

The soup dumplings were fantastic, I think they are the best I have had in Houston! We also ordered the chicken dumplings which had a delicious spicy dipping sauce. The fried rice had a nice twist with pineapple added into it. I will be coming back for the soup dumplings for sure! Just an FYI: you cannot order the soup dumplings to go.

Often looking for well prepared soup dumplings took us to this new midtown place on a Friday evening. The location is handy with its own on-site parking albeit somewhat small. The building and decor is clean modern some night say stark but it's the food that counts. And our experience was top notch. One major drawback for those who do not tolerate or cannot consume spicy food is that there are very many chili pepper symbols on menu items. But the pork soup dumplings, the BBQ ribs, the multi-color vegetable dumplings and the scallion pancake all combined for a wonderfully tasty and satisfying meal. Regular white rice is served alongside in ample portions. The wait staff and service was friendly and attentive. For the first time in a long time we ate all of the food served and so didn't need any take home boxes. If you can fit your taste within the "other" menu fare (or don't mind or even enjoy spicy items) this is one new place that merits a try.

The bok choy in garlic was incredible. The mapo tofu was spicy and so good. I also enjoyed the crispy rice we ordered on the side. Definitely coming back.

pretty good, real chinese taste. the bao from Shanghai I will recommend my friends to come. wish they can keep the same quality.