Mr. Bao Kitchen

Great shanghainese place. Get the pan fried pork buns 5/5 and the xiao long bao soup dumplings 5/5. The place is small so expect to wait a few minutes during lunch. If you are looking for dumplings and in Mountain View this is the place to try.

We came here at 630ish on a Saturday and it was pretty empty, but by 7pm there was a line out the door! The food here is delicious. We tried the soup dumplings, cucumbers, scallion pancakes, hot and sour soup and their special pork buns. Everything tasted fresh and the portions are generous. Overall this place is great for a casual meal with friends/a group.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ = Solid (1=Avoid, 3=Standard, 5=Can't Miss) place to grab XLB, which is the best dish here. Service was great at our visit. The host saw that our XLB was a little cold so they made a fresh batch for us. The fried dumplings were VERY hot, which is a good thing, but be careful not to burn yourself. Wait time at 1:30pm on a weekend was about 25 minutes, so not bad if you take a quick stroll around Castro. My recommendation would be to stick with the dumplings and get different kinds but skip the noodles and rice cakes unless you have kids. Forgot to take a picture of the back of the menu. P.S. The chili oil is more like chili soybean paste, but don't forget to ask for it... Pretty tasty!

Just left Mr. Bao Kitchen in downtown Mountain View and wow, what a treat! We tried the crab & pork soup dumplings, the chicken & cabbage soup dumplings, and the pork & veggie steamed dumplings. Every bite was juicy, flavorful, and piping hot—exactly what dumplings should be. Perfect spot for comfort food that hits the mark. Can’t wait to go back!

Great XLB. Freshly made and visible. Staff were extremely attentive. Bean sprouts and ribs were great. Enjoyed the noodles and cucumber. Overall solid Chinese food.