Surrounding the area where I’m currently working in Chicago’s Loop — across the River from the Theatre District, a block away from the Magnificent Mile — are very few cheap and delicious eateries. The area is heavy on the tourist traps and light on the value, so I was overjoyed to learn about Wow Bao.

Plus, it’s fun to say.
Bao are delicious steamed asian dumplings, often the tastiest part of a Dim Sum meal, and Wow Bao makes them right.

My husband and I ate at the Theatre District location on our way to a taping of Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! (an NPR comedy/news show) and were blown away by everything we tasted. Choosing what kind of delicious steamed dumplings to order was a challenge, but after much deliberation I chose a 2-bao combo with a classic BBQ pork bao and a thai yellow curry bao and a cold pad thai salad. And while this is essentially fast food (we had our order in mere moments), the flavors haven’t been dumbed down. The curry and kung pao are spicy, the vegetables fresh. The “homemade” ginger ale was almost too spicy for my ginger-loving palate! Dinner for two with drinks and dessert came out to under $20.

But my favorite part, surprisingly, were the dessert bao. We picked up one each of the apple cinnamon and the coconut custard bao. This wasn’t a canned apple filling — the apples tasted like grandma’s pie with perfect texture. The coconut custard, however, is where it’s at. Joy floods through you as you taste this perfectly balanced custard in a handy little bun.

And, bonus, they sell frozen bao for steaming at home. Bao is on the list of items that are so not worth making from scratch, and with as delicious as these are… YUMMY.

In general I’m a big fan of self-contained food, and Wow Bao doesn’t disappoint. As long as I’m at this gig, this place will remain one of my favorites for lunch.