Forgot they were cashless, and had to eat next door. I like their food, but sometimes their cashless system causes business to go elsewhere. I'll remember now however that if I want to go there I need a card.
Mimi L.
Yay!!! I love this place!! My ultimate fave is the wonton bbq noodle soup. Omg! The broth is amazing and I loooove the skinny noodles! Bobo Bao is located in the Hawaii Kai Shopping Center, the one with Longs and McDonalds. Bobo Bao is located next to Bale Sandwiches. Service is great! Very prompt and helpful. The boys working the front were always busy. Busy cleaning when there was downtime and helping customers. Food comes out quick and very fresh! Great place for take out or to eat inside! I also tried the Vietnamese coconut ice coffee! It is SUPER good!!!!! $5 only! We went back 3 times already! And I can't wait to try more things on the menu cuz everything looks good!!
Kiana M.
This place has gone downhill since opening... pork belly bao buns were mostly fat and skin. Options for bao to go were limited to Char Siu. Char Siu bao to go was not fresh and bread was so soggy eeek.
Adrianne Stump
I always want to be supportive of new restaurants in Hawaii Kai and this one is almost there. There is potential but the chefs in the kitchen needs some work. We ordered the spicy chicken and satay chicken baos and both were severely overlooked and rock hard.We came back a second time hoping it was just a fluke but again it was way over cooked. Next time we will order soup.Cute ambiance and patio in the back is nice. Staff was friendly.Parking: Easy to parkKid-friendliness: Outdoor tablesWheelchair accessibility: Ground floor
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 4
L.R. Brooks
Bit dissaponted by this spot. The bao buns were tough and didn't seem fresh, and the bubble tea I ordered had to be refunded because they realized they didn't have the mix made up after I ordered. I wound up going across the way to the veitnamese place and getting a Thai coffee and spring rolls, which were delicious. The back patio was gorgeous, though.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 3
Carmen Y.
Thought it was pricey for a pair of small Bao w/ chicken. There was no Service. The ambiance was not too great. No A/C and it was very warm inside. (Very uncomfortable)
R M.
Inconsistent. I was so excited about this place, we love manapuas and I love a good noodle soup!. The first time I went to Boba Bao I ordered the brisket noodle soup, I looked at the menu online before hand and was super excited about trying this. A very young boy( maybe 10yrs old?) rang in my order and was manning the register. He was confused with the amount of change to give back and it took awhile, meanwhile his Dad (owner?)was sitting on the table in the dining area. Umm okay.. I actually helped him with the amount of change back. Took the order home, the brisket noodle soup was so good! My husband tried it and loved it. He loved it so much that he went to get it the following day.but this time he was super underwhelmed. The brisket was so tough that he ended up throwing it away. :(
Linda J.
We went for dim sum or bao. They said they only had the char siu bao. It really wasn't that good.
JoAnn A.
Tried the brisket noodle soup. I liked the thin noodles that they used. The soup was ok, on the sweet side. The brisket, on the other hand, was very tough and difficult to eat. Brisket needs to be cooked a long time to soften the meat. Although there was a generous amount of beef, it was just too tough!
Since the star ratings were not bad, we decided to try this cute place. It had both indoor and outdoor dining. The service was okay. They took the order and I got what I ordered. We ordered 2 baos (a pork and a tofu), garlic fries, and a Vietnamese coffee. Only the coffee was tasty. The pork bao was 80% fat so we ate around it which wasn't much left to eat. The tofu bao had absolutely no flavor. If we had not taken the chili oil we would be even more disappointed. The garlic fries were just fries, sprinkled with that Kraft type of grated parmesan cheese and garlic salt. The Vietnamese coffee, however, was great. It is on the sweet side, but that's how I like it. I really wanted to like this place because Hawaii Kai has so few great places to eat.
Ryan H.
The food was really good and the outdoor seating by the water was such a nice place to have lunch. We tried the beef bulgogi bao sandwich and the spicy fried chicken sandwich. The bao buns are soft and fluffy and the fillings had some great flavor. Service was also excellent. The wait staff gave some great recommendations and went out of their was to bring more utensils, napkins and water. I highly recommend trying this place if your in the Hawaii kai area.
Marissa R.
I'm not sure how this place has any good reviews above one star. I wanted to like this place and got there at about 10:40a. they open at 10 AM. They had no Boba pearls or jelly fillings, and offered only the drink at full price. Funny when boba is the first word in the name of the establishment. The meat in the char sui was chewy and they do not make it fresh. you can clearly see them reheating frozen baos. Also they had nothing available in the other baos to go options. The spicy won ton had more won ton wrapper than filling. Ambiance is cute but I have been worth it to put money into the food being decent than the decor as nobody sat inside the restaurant. As I ate the disappointment I thought of better establishments that had better offerings like happy days restaurant for baos in Kaimuki and Bo's kitchen for spicy won tons on beretania.
Scarlet Willow
Food was really good, kimchi wasn’t too spicy and I’m pretty sensitive. The braised pork belly bao was the best.
Food: 5
Recommended dishes: Braised Pork Belly
Serena M.
We went to check out Bobo Bao the first week they opened. Sorry I'm a little behind on my reviews... We've been there a few times after for lunch after our first time. The first day we went, it was pretty busy. They were still trying to get their groove with all of the customers. They did well even under all the stress of opening. They were still very courteous and nice to all the customers. We got the char siu Manapua and it was interesting because you just heat it up. It comes in a pack of six and they give you directions on how to heat it up when you get home. The manapuas were okay. I guess I'm more used to the kind from Chinese restaurants straight from the carts. I guess maybe this is a different variety. What I liked was the kids meal. It was such a good deal for the kids meal. You have a choice between a won ton noodle bowl and drink or a bao sandwich. We got the won ton noodle bowl for my daughter and it was a pretty big portion. We ended up sharing because she couldn't eat it all. I wanted to try the bao sandwich but they ran out when we went there last. It was a bit disappointing. Hopefully next time we go I can try the bao sandwich. It looks like they have added new items to the menu so I'm excited to try some of those things out.
Not open at 1323 on a
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Forgot they were cashless, and had to eat next door. I like their food, but sometimes their cashless system causes business to go elsewhere. I'll remember now however that if I want to go there I need a card.
Yay!!! I love this place!! My ultimate fave is the wonton bbq noodle soup. Omg! The broth is amazing and I loooove the skinny noodles! Bobo Bao is located in the Hawaii Kai Shopping Center, the one with Longs and McDonalds. Bobo Bao is located next to Bale Sandwiches. Service is great! Very prompt and helpful. The boys working the front were always busy. Busy cleaning when there was downtime and helping customers. Food comes out quick and very fresh! Great place for take out or to eat inside! I also tried the Vietnamese coconut ice coffee! It is SUPER good!!!!! $5 only! We went back 3 times already! And I can't wait to try more things on the menu cuz everything looks good!!
This place has gone downhill since opening... pork belly bao buns were mostly fat and skin. Options for bao to go were limited to Char Siu. Char Siu bao to go was not fresh and bread was so soggy eeek.
I always want to be supportive of new restaurants in Hawaii Kai and this one is almost there. There is potential but the chefs in the kitchen needs some work. We ordered the spicy chicken and satay chicken baos and both were severely overlooked and rock hard.We came back a second time hoping it was just a fluke but again it was way over cooked. Next time we will order soup.Cute ambiance and patio in the back is nice. Staff was friendly.Parking: Easy to parkKid-friendliness: Outdoor tablesWheelchair accessibility: Ground floor
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 4
Bit dissaponted by this spot. The bao buns were tough and didn't seem fresh, and the bubble tea I ordered had to be refunded because they realized they didn't have the mix made up after I ordered. I wound up going across the way to the veitnamese place and getting a Thai coffee and spring rolls, which were delicious. The back patio was gorgeous, though.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 3
Thought it was pricey for a pair of small Bao w/ chicken. There was no Service. The ambiance was not too great. No A/C and it was very warm inside. (Very uncomfortable)
Inconsistent. I was so excited about this place, we love manapuas and I love a good noodle soup!. The first time I went to Boba Bao I ordered the brisket noodle soup, I looked at the menu online before hand and was super excited about trying this. A very young boy( maybe 10yrs old?) rang in my order and was manning the register. He was confused with the amount of change to give back and it took awhile, meanwhile his Dad (owner?)was sitting on the table in the dining area. Umm okay.. I actually helped him with the amount of change back. Took the order home, the brisket noodle soup was so good! My husband tried it and loved it. He loved it so much that he went to get it the following day.but this time he was super underwhelmed. The brisket was so tough that he ended up throwing it away. :(
We went for dim sum or bao. They said they only had the char siu bao. It really wasn't that good.
Tried the brisket noodle soup. I liked the thin noodles that they used. The soup was ok, on the sweet side. The brisket, on the other hand, was very tough and difficult to eat. Brisket needs to be cooked a long time to soften the meat. Although there was a generous amount of beef, it was just too tough!
Restaurantji Recommends
Since the star ratings were not bad, we decided to try this cute place. It had both indoor and outdoor dining. The service was okay. They took the order and I got what I ordered. We ordered 2 baos (a pork and a tofu), garlic fries, and a Vietnamese coffee. Only the coffee was tasty. The pork bao was 80% fat so we ate around it which wasn't much left to eat. The tofu bao had absolutely no flavor. If we had not taken the chili oil we would be even more disappointed. The garlic fries were just fries, sprinkled with that Kraft type of grated parmesan cheese and garlic salt. The Vietnamese coffee, however, was great. It is on the sweet side, but that's how I like it. I really wanted to like this place because Hawaii Kai has so few great places to eat.
The food was really good and the outdoor seating by the water was such a nice place to have lunch. We tried the beef bulgogi bao sandwich and the spicy fried chicken sandwich. The bao buns are soft and fluffy and the fillings had some great flavor. Service was also excellent. The wait staff gave some great recommendations and went out of their was to bring more utensils, napkins and water. I highly recommend trying this place if your in the Hawaii kai area.
I'm not sure how this place has any good reviews above one star. I wanted to like this place and got there at about 10:40a. they open at 10 AM. They had no Boba pearls or jelly fillings, and offered only the drink at full price. Funny when boba is the first word in the name of the establishment. The meat in the char sui was chewy and they do not make it fresh. you can clearly see them reheating frozen baos. Also they had nothing available in the other baos to go options. The spicy won ton had more won ton wrapper than filling. Ambiance is cute but I have been worth it to put money into the food being decent than the decor as nobody sat inside the restaurant. As I ate the disappointment I thought of better establishments that had better offerings like happy days restaurant for baos in Kaimuki and Bo's kitchen for spicy won tons on beretania.
Food was really good, kimchi wasn’t too spicy and I’m pretty sensitive. The braised pork belly bao was the best.
Food: 5
Recommended dishes: Braised Pork Belly
We went to check out Bobo Bao the first week they opened. Sorry I'm a little behind on my reviews... We've been there a few times after for lunch after our first time. The first day we went, it was pretty busy. They were still trying to get their groove with all of the customers. They did well even under all the stress of opening. They were still very courteous and nice to all the customers. We got the char siu Manapua and it was interesting because you just heat it up. It comes in a pack of six and they give you directions on how to heat it up when you get home. The manapuas were okay. I guess I'm more used to the kind from Chinese restaurants straight from the carts. I guess maybe this is a different variety. What I liked was the kids meal. It was such a good deal for the kids meal. You have a choice between a won ton noodle bowl and drink or a bao sandwich. We got the won ton noodle bowl for my daughter and it was a pretty big portion. We ended up sharing because she couldn't eat it all. I wanted to try the bao sandwich but they ran out when we went there last. It was a bit disappointing. Hopefully next time we go I can try the bao sandwich. It looks like they have added new items to the menu so I'm excited to try some of those things out.