Bao Bao Cafe

Very good ramen here! On the small side but they were super friendly and accommodating for our group of 6.

Cute ambience and the food is really good! My friend and I got the little hot pot and the bao bao noodles. Noodles we’re definitely better. Really spicy and the flavor was exactly what Dan Dan noodles tasted like in China.

Ok so for the record this place is tiiiiiiiiiiny ! i came at what i thought was late lunch hour of ¹³⁰⁄₂ and there was a visible crowd of take out folk camping outside the door. The situation inside wasnt much better as people were clearly taking their time to eat their food, while other sat impatiently waiting for their food to arrive. At one point a girl irately went to the counter to complain that their order was forgotten. It appeared that the guy in the front was working with another guy in the back, who simply was too slammed to deliver anything in time. My spicy seafood soup was just that spicy and not much else. The seafood wasnt much to write home about and the noodles were so overdone, bridging on mush.

I ordered the little hot pot with beef to go. It was okay, I had better. Soup was really spicy (just how I like it) but it came with so little meat not worth 11 dollars

This place is great if you’re looking for something that’s actually spicy! I had the seafood ramen with no shrimp so they gave me extra fish instead. I love the fact that they welcome substitutions to their dishes (e.g. You can change the broth from pork to veggie and vice versa) and the food came out pretty quick. A quaint little place that’s perfect for lunch. I would come again.

A previous Unilocal review described this place as having «that cute lil noodle shop feel,» and I would echo that sentiment. Walking into the café, I was charmed by the wooden theme and minimalist decorations. It is very small (only around four or five small tables if I recall correctly) but I would describe it more as cozy instead of uncomfortable. My friend and I came here for an early dinner around 5:15pm, so despite the limited number of seats, we didn’t have any trouble finding a table.
As a small tangent: While I was waiting for my friend outside the café, my phone unexpectedly died on me. I then went inside the café, and the server kindly let me borrow her iphone charger so that I could text my friend my whereabouts. The server also gave me hot water in a cute mason jar while I was waiting and said, «Have this to keep you warm. It’s freezing outside!» Indeed, the hot water was the perfect remedy after being outside in the cold, and I really appreciated the thoughtful gesture.
My friend and I both got the little hot pot. It was pretty good, especially for the affordable price. In addition, you get a free hot beverage if you check into Bao Bao Café on Unilocal or tag them on Instagram. My friend got the Hong Kong Milk Tea and I got the Citron Tea. Sweet!

Chose this place during our day-​trip visit to NY. It is incredible small inside which makes it less than ideal to eat-​in and with friends. There were 3 of us and the worst part was that a couple was already sitting in this 6 person table and the woman had to get up so that I could get through to my seat. I felt horrible about it and it was probably so annoying for her as well.
That aside, I also felt the food was sub-​par. None of us got what everyone seems to rave about (hot pot). I chose the veggie ramen and I felt like I was just eating instant Sapporo ramen noodles. The others got the Bao Bao noodles which were definitely more flavorful and unique but not enough so to recommend to others.
PS. No bathroom.

I’d say this spot is between a 3 and 4, but closer to 4 so I’m rounding up due to the overall place.
Place has a nice feel to it. Comfortable design, albeit its a small place, but has that cute lil noodle shop feel. Service was friendly and polite, chatted with what I’m guessing is the owners son for a little. Someone below denoted this as a Taiwanese place, but it’s Southern Chinese.
Anywho, I had the fish ball soup and my buddy had the seafood mix. He really liked his and I enjoyed mine. Fish balls are the fried kind, slightly sweet. Had an egg added, was fried which I’m eh about in soup, prefer poached. They do spice it up for you which is nice. Reason I’m not a strong 4 for this place is that I’m picky about broth. They can use some work on theirs. You just know when you’ve had soup that’s been cooking from bones all day and I just didn’t get that from this broth. Also, fresh scallions on top is a must!
If you check in via Unilocal you get a free hot tea choice which is pretty cool (temperature pun!).
This area isn’t the best for this kinda food, so this place is a welcome addition. They aren’t over priced either which is also nice.
Definitely going to try the tea egg next time too.

Restaurant looks clean and the service is ok. However, the food is NOT good (don’t know how it got such high review but we’re not that picky on food).
My friend and I ordered bao bao noodles and little hot pot. Bao bao noodle is just ok. But we’re very surprised that their signature dish tastes like this, nothing good or special. And little hot pot was the worst one we’ve ever had in New York. It was served with very little veggie and only had 2 pieces of Chinese mushroom (no dried tofu as shown on menu) We paid and added beef slices and extra veggie because the portion is too small. And the beef was also so little. I know it’s always expensive in city. But $ 11 with such little food and taste like this??? (oh it actually came with a lot of cheap glass noodles) We will never visit again!

This is literally, the most difficult review that I’ve posted.
There was yelling and screaming going on in the tiny kitchen behind the counter. An older Asian man was screaming at a young Asian American female. Kept repeating «this is America not China… you can’t treat me like this.» 5 minutes later, he walked out.
Very awkward experience. And then the staff/​owners became over involved in discussion.
It is something that can’t be ignored. It was disturbing, and, I overheard other patrons discussing it.
On food and service, 4 stars. My evaluation is very much tainted by what I experienced… not the food.
It’s a great little place. The Hot Pot is VERY spicy at medium, so, don’t get overwhelmed with pride… you can always add heat! Prices… really fair. I added to the Hot Pot, but, at a base price of $ 8, adding meat and an egg was still affordable.
The experience, failed considering the screaming in the kitchen and the continued discussions (whuch were assumed oblivious to customers) between staff/​management.
I KNOW that they deserve more stars than this.
The food is really good.
My experience sucked.
But, I want to share my personal experience on Ywlp.

It was good for the noodle vegetable meat part; however for the limited ingredients, i wasn’t all that impressed. I’m a fan of drinking broth following eating everything out of the bowl. This broth throughout the whole eating process tasted very watery, lacked depth of flavor, and not too pleasant to drink. I tried my husband’s who had the very spicy version. Again, his broth also tasted like spicy water and not any meaty or vegetable depth of flavor either.
Noodles and pork and bok choy were great though of course, but i’m really in need of a good broth to go with the soup as it’s a soup!

Excelente, fui a cenar con mi familia y nos encanto, es un lugar pequeño, no tiene baño, pero la comida vale la vuelta, yo pedí unos bao bao Noodles, y aunque era un poco picante estuvo excelente, ha sido la mejor sopa Noodles que he comido

New taiwanese noodle place?! Gotta check it out!
Hubby and I live around the area, we’re a short walk to Baruch-​town /​Curry Hill /​Rose Hill whatever you call it. One really cold night we were craving a warm soup, so we thought of places we could get some and Unilocaled this baby out – wah-​lah!
Bao Bao Café. We walked by this tiny little hole-​in-​the-​wall a couple of times but never really realized it was there. It literally can probably seat about 15 – 20 people. The tables are so tiny and close to each other you can barely move. You can however, hang your coat or bag on a hook at each table which was a nice touch. We looked through the short and brief menu (always a good thing) and saw the guy in the table next to us SNIFFLING tears and wiping bullets of sweat. I wonder what he was having. The poor guy went through a mini mountain of napkins. Gee-​whiz something must have been spicy.
I set my heart on the «little hot pot» which is essentially a spicy noodle soup and NOT a hot pot. The guy next to me must’ve gotten it too. I was afraid and asked for mild. Turns out Taiwanese «mild» is American «extra spicy» Hubby got the bao bao noodles with pork.
We started with tea eggs, they were so yummy! I got a green tea smoothie which should help with the spice of the soup. So cute they serve it in mason jars.
BUYER BEWARE. SPICY SPICE SPICE SPICE.
FLAMIN HOT SOUP
DRINK AT YOUR OWN RISK
MY NOSE IS RUNNING JUST TYPING THIS
Have extra ice cold water to calm your tongue.
The soup is so damn spicy, you cannot taste anything else. This made the entire dish tasteless when your tongue goes numb. So disappointed I didn’t like it that much… It was lacking. Even the annoying group of young high school or college freshman were saying LOUDLY how much they didn’t like their soup. Portions are just OK. Service was excellent. Loved our waiter and the great service.
I was also hungry after finishing the meal. We ended up getting fries from Popeyes.
Beware do not bring a date here because you might end up crying in front of them and you’ll look cheap if your date is still hungry.

Incredibly delicious! We ordered veggie ramen with shrimp, extra spicy and it was perfect! Tons of flavor, just enough heat, exactly what we were hoping for! Place is quaint and comfortable. Owner is super friendly and accommodating! Will definitely be coming back next time we are in the city!

This is the kind of small, home-​style mainly Chinese nook that gives you a heart and belly full of comfort that is worth more than your dollar. It’s the crevice you enter from a cold rainy street to enjoy the warmth of a bowl filled with vivid red broth and buoyant fish balls. When the night is at its darkest and your feet are frigid and sodden because you wore burlap shoes instead of rain boots, Bao Bao Café will hold your bitter face and tell you everything will be alright if you have $ 6.99 for a fiery little hot pot.
Oh but this hot pot isn’t so little. You will still have to adjust your sweat pants, especially if you get any additional toppings (egg and fish balls are my favorite). The spicy broth will instantly warm you up, sending little sweat beads along your hair line, but not too much to send you packing. To really enhance your bao bao experience, get some salty tea eggs decorated with fragile brown cracks to eat with whatever soup you choose.
Lastly, do not leave without a drink of Cloudy Melon (winter melon). It arrives in a thin glass jar, fluffy white sitting on tea color. Stir with the knotted straw, and soft clouds will spin about. While fun to look at, it was the best drink I have ever had other than a glass of water in 104 degree weather. Not too sweet and hardly bitter, I really felt like this is what clouds should taste like in the world of Willy Wonka.
If I ever live near by, I’d be a regular here for a quick stop of delicious soup on a cold day. It’s too bad I can’t keep you in my pocket Bao Bao and take you to Dallas with me.
Kudos to them for being able to make my hot pot vegetarian too!

Came in here craving some soup noodles to cure a hangover. Very small place that can probably seat 15 people maximum, but it has a very intimate and cutesy Asian vibe.
I ordered the seafood ramen ($ 12) and he ordered the bao bao noodles ($ 9). The portions were quite big and I couldn’t finish mine. The ramen was pretty good, not a huge fan of the fish but some people may like the taste. I really liked the fish cake and veggies in the soup though. My boyfriend likes his noodles, though he said they were nothing special.
Probably will come again since its close by and decently priced but not my favorite noodle place in the city.

Went there two times and watched them forgot orders two times. Last time was someone else, this time after waiting for 20 minutes and asked, they realized my order wasn’t processed. I was sitting right in front of them while waiting, and when I asked about my order, they looked innocent and asked my name and what I ordered. Feeling stupid for paying tip upfront.
As for the food, the first time I didn’t like it so much. After quite a while, I saw the good Unilocal reviews and decided to give it another try. The soup base was tastier than last time I went but it was also loaded with MSG. I’ve been so thirsty for hours after. No plan to go back.

This was a cute little find. The entire restaurant seats about 12 people so be ready for a squeeze. Their utensils were a little unwieldy but it works
My favorite part was the Interactions with the server. He had great music taste and took our picture using his polaroid! He even took a second one as a gift for our group.
What we ate:
Bbq chicken– food, but not worth 2.50 /​skewer.
Hot pot– we shared a ²⁄₅ spicy pot. It was enough for our group. I was impressed that the lack of spiciness did not result in a lack of flavor from the broth. Very delicious and well prepared base
Baobao pork with rice– not my favorite flavors, but the others in the group loves it for its Szechuan kick without the extreme spice.

Found this little gem as I was searching Unilocal on my iphone for lunch places near by my job and i’m glad i did. i love hot pot and noodles and this place has both plus you can make it as spicy as you want!
The place is small so try not to come with a group. They have 1 table for 6 but it is used as a community table when there are parties of 1 or 2 or 3. They have a about 3 – 4 stools for the wall table with hooks for your bags and jackets (thank goodness) and a tall table with 2 stools. For the reguklar tables they have 3 that seat 2 people.
I came at a good time which was about 1:15pm and I grabbed a stool seat by the wall table. As I sat the waitress came to me with a menu and asked what I wanted. I felt super rushed and this was my first time at the place and I didn’t even get a chance to look at the menu since she just handed it to me. I asked her what was popular and she said the «bao bao noodles» and «little hot pot». I ordered the bao bao noodles ($ 6) and added an egg ($ 1 extra) and asked for mild spicy. The bao bao noodles came with minced pork spiced, bok choy, cabbage and noodles. I expected the egg to be runny but it was well done. The presentation was nice, i love the wooden spoon and chopsticks and the tray they serve.
A lot of people came in right after I ordered and it became a packed house. A party of 3 came and the waitress rudely said «Can you move to the next seat, I have a party of 3 here» even though I sat at the end of the counter seat but apparently a person that sits at the bar table and the wall table won’t fit so I moved by the entrance. I was pretty annoyed that she couldn’t say PLEASE. See my pictures and you will see who I am talking about.
There was a lady I guess she was waiting for her drink and entrée for awhile because she asked the waitress where it was and she said it will be out shortly. When the waitress came out with the order she almost gave it to the girl that came in after me and the lady was not happy. She said «come on, get it together, i was waiting here for a long time and i even asked you just now where my food is». Yea the waitress was a little of a hot mess. It was like diner dash for her. There were 2 guys, a young girl and a older lady behind the counter and 1 waitress.
A lot of people came in to order for take out as well. Next time I come here I will order the little hot pot because I love hot pot and since the weather is getting chillier it would be perfect for lunch.

Bao Bao Café is a tiny Asian restaurant right next to Baruch. There are a few tables and counter seating, but it’s typically full around lunchtime. I walked in and placed an order to go, and asked if I had time to go to the bank before it was ready. The response I got was literally: «Yes, it takes a long time to make.» So yeah, keep that in mind if you’re imagining a quick lunch run. Took about 15 minutes for them to get me the Little Hot Pot (with beef slices) and a side of the tea eggs. They had a minimum of $ 10 for credit cards, which is why I added the eggs. But that just goes to show how cheap everything was.
15 minutes later, my order was ready and I headed back to my office. I do not envy my floormates because it was very… fragrant. The Little Hot Pot had glass noodles with a ton of veggies, tofu and mushrooms. It was definitely more of a light soup than a broth, and it was spicy! I asked for medium spicy and it was a bit much (and I like spice!). It was actually a good thing I ordered the extra beef slices, because there actually wasn’t much substantial to it (which explains the low price). Good for a cold day, but not great if you’re super hungry.
Would come back another time to try their other dishes. The eel over rice looks particularly good. And of course, everything is super affordable!

I absolutely love this place! Unfortunately I don’t know the whole menu because I keep ordering the Little Hot pot everytime, but my husband has tried different dishes and have nothing to say but how delicious the food is!
If you’re a student and have an ID, they give you a discount. This place is around the corner from Baruch library. On finals week last semester I had hot pot everyday! If you like extra spicy food just ask Them for extra hot :)
In addition to their delicious «hot pot» the service is wondeful!
For the cherry on top they play My favorite music!!! Go figure what that is…