88 BaoBao in Castro Valley

Update: tried the veg dumplings again. This time it was perfect. Will be going back for more.**********Ordered vegetable dumpling. Took bite into it and its some sort of meat. Im a vegetarian so this is rather unpleasant. Careless on a not so busy night. However, the owner reached out immediately and apologized for mislabeling mistakes in house that she thought she had fixed. Overall, I was encouraged by her empathetic response and I would go back there again to try the veg dumplings and other veg dishes.

The staff is always so nice. I really enjoy the food here. This is conveniently located for us Castro Valley locals.I have not found a dish I have not liked yet and Ive gone around the menu a few times.I definitely like to eat it there versus taking it to go, but well take to go when were in a pinch.12/06/23 Edit:Theyre always adding some menu items. Im glad that they finally have a flat scallion pancake. The I really like the sticky rice and mushroom shumai. We usually get the green beans and the cucumber salad to add veggies and some variety to our dine in meals.

Unexpecting hole in the wall.Honestly, was on the way to the post office, saw this spot out of the corner of my eye, and had to treat my lady for coming along the boring work errand 🤦🏽‍♂️She found this spot online a couple weeks prior and we finally put 2 and 2 together. The previous photos looked good, so we gave it a shot.Walked in and was immediately sat. They give you a menu and dry erase marker to look over and select your items, but ultimately walk back up to order and pay.We ordered 2 XLB aka Xiao long Bao aka the best pockets of yummy soup goodness anyone could hope to enjoy. They have the right amount of chew and beautiful presentation. The folds were impeccable 👌🏽 S/o to the ladies and gentlemen in the back. We used the provided ginger, and table vinegar to make a wonderful concoction, ladeled on each soup pocket, along with a drop of house chili oil.You bite the top of the dumpling, CAREFULLY sip soupAdd some vinegar mixTop with chiliYoure golden 👌🏽 🤌🏽Then came the Bun. My lady got plain, but highly recommend getting it with condensed milk. Something about the light fluffy bread.. You just have to try it for yourself.We also got an order of the Leak, pork and shrimp dumplings, those came pan fried. Nice and crispy, great flavor. Watch for your bites, the juice will squirt out if youre not careful 😂The front of the house were super attentive to our waters, and anything else we needed 🙏🏽

We love the beef rolls & egg drop soup which we consistently order and just vary the type of dumpling we get.

I like how it is very causal, order first and fine a seat, service is usually very good. The place is small so, go when it is not too packed. Reminder most of the stuff here frozen or pre made and they steam, fried it back, yet it still taste very good. The only that I am aware is the hand made noodles which are very good. I do enjoy the dumping here and that is why I return. The price is very decent, the food is good, not like fresh but still well made. I suggest trying the difference dumples etc, the order are large.

Finally found a place that can compete with Ding Tai Fung. The dumpling skin is thin and chewy. The meat inside isnt too salty/oily. Beef wrap is so far the best weve had in bay area. Its a little crispy outside and very chewy. The red bean bun was super good, the bun itself was very chewy which not a lot of places are able to make such good bun. Will be back again definitely.

Soft opening for this location about 3weeks ago. We tried beef wrap, Xiao long bao, pan fried buns were all good really liked the beef wraps though skin was good.Didnt care much for the pot stickers the skin was burned they need to find a different skin or cooking technique.Overall very good.

My first time here. You order, pay and tip first then they bring you your food. I have so much to say about tipping first before you get served.Got an order of pork/shrimp/chives combo dumpling, a pork bun and a tea. The dumplings were good but the wrap hardens as they cool down, and makes it too chewy. I suppose its a common dilemma with dumplings and not because of this particular restaurant. It would have been better if they showed the customer how to mix their dipping sauce or simply provided them with the sauce. Instead they just give you a little saucer with a few slices of ginger - leaving you puzzled about what to do with it. Also if I were you I would simply order the single ingredient dumpling because I did not find shrimp in every single one of them.The pork bun was a disappointment. It was bland. So skip the buns. I was given the impression that its imported commercially and not made on the spot because I saw the chef holding a bag of frozen bbq pork buns (Char Siu bao).The staff ratio seems unbalanced in the restaurant. There were four people working in the kitchen, a dishwasher boy and a cashier girl in the front. And later someone who appeared to be the owner joined in. It still took about 20 minutes for my meal to arrive.Courteous service overall.Overall not blown away by this visit. They could step up a little more to make customers want to return.

Kevin and the team at BaoB o are absolutely amazing!! All orders are handmade and you can even take some to go for your freezer. Fantastic quality, great value, lots of options and honestly some of the best food that you’ll ever eat. The soup dumplings are like nothing that you will ever taste. And a must try are the shrimp and pork dumplings. We will be back at least weekly, if not more from here on out :)

- Pork Xiao Long Bao [8 pieces] ($10.95)- Beef Rolls [8 pieces] ($10.95)- Pan Fried Pork Buns [4 pieces] ($9.95)to be completely honest… i feel like once ive tried din tai fung’s xiao long bao every where else just did not compared! whether it went down to the flavor of the meat, the soup part or even the bao’s skin can be too thick or too thin so i kinda went in with pretty low expectations since ive had pretty bad experience at other spots but wow!! the meat and soup inside the bao was so juciy and tender, the skin wasn’t too thick or thin — it was just right. the second item on the menu that ive tried and really enjoyed eating was the beef rolls! the pairing of the flakeyness and well crunched pancake??/skin wasn’t too thick and was paired well with the beef, parsley, and sauce. altogether it made the item so good … literally *mouth watering* in terms of the pan fried pork buns — i was a little disappointed bc it wasn’t really fried fried and a bit soggier than id like. for both times ive dined in which i feel like contributed to my positive experience esp with crunchy items like the beef roll. if you choose to dine just grab a menu upfront and find a table to sit down. once you’re ready go up and order/pay or just order/pay then grab a table! def would recommend yall checking out this spot and the few items ive mentioned :)