Bao Tennyson

Let me preface this review. I grew up partially in Taiwan and thus have a very high standard for dumplings, buns, and noodle soups. The good: There were definitely some fun vibes here. I loved the modern Chinese decor and some interesting fusion takes on the food/drink menus. The cocktails looked delicious, although I didn’t try them this time. The workers here also seemed really friendly and nice. The food standouts for me were the char siu bao and spicy Peking duck noodle soup. I thought the char siu bao had a really nice fluffy bun and a rich, sweet-and-savory meat filling. Yummy! The spicy Peking duck noodle soup was overall ok, but the duck itself was so delicious!! It was perfectly tender—very well cooked and seasoned. I could’ve had an entire plate of that duck! The xiao long baos were nice and juicy. The not as good: I felt that the flavors here tended to feel a bit overpowering. The pork xiao long baos and the char siu bao dipping sauce both had an oddly sweet taste to them. The kobe beef dumplings were a bit too salty and just had too many other flavors going on at once. In addition, the dumpling skins felt a bit too thick/chewy and the texture of the spicy Peking duck soup noodles just felt off. Also, the prices here definitely run on the high end for what you get. Overall my experience here was ok. I probably wouldn’t come back for the food alone, but I’d come back for the nice vibes and to try their cocktails.

Food? Tasty. The bao buns were mostly bun. The shrimp were great. There's another comment that mentions they were good about food allergies which was true in my experience. Price? Outrageous... Just silly 😂 Here's two apps and a beer, total with tip was $65. I mean... with so many great places to eat on Tennyson for half of this... what are we doing here? Seriously Service? I sat at the bar and had full service. Alex was great. I'd feel robbed if I had to order at a counter for what I paid.

I'm not sure it's possible for a dumpling to be better than the kobe beef dumplings here. Tina said it was her favorite so I tried them and almost shed a tear. Yeah the fact that this place only have 4.1 instead of like 4.9 baffles me. There was old school R&B playing too and the art work inside!🙌 this place is perfect

I didn’t plan on such a great boa experience… I actually happened on the restaurant and I am so glad that I did. The food was incredible and the staff was even better. The food was tasty, hot, fresh flavorful. The staff was absolutely amazing and friendly. I even came back and got a second order to take home. And I was actually there during their 4:58 PM dim sum happy hour which was a great deal.