99 Bao - Auburn

This restaurant is fantastic! The food is delicious and the ambiance is great. I’m not quite sure what some of the critics are referring to; perhaps they just haven’t had the chance to enjoy authentic Chinese cuisine. By the way, I completely forgot to snap a photo before digging in, but I ordered a range of dishes and they were all excellent!

I have no doubt the food is fantastic, but I've attempted to visit this restaurant twice, only to find it closed during the hours listed on their website. Today, I arrived at 9:20 PM, and their site states they close at 10:00 PM. However, the staff was already locking up. When I inquired about their closing time, they mentioned it was 9:30 PM, which was still ten minutes away. I made a special effort to try this place, but I won't be returning for a third time.

On a side note, I walked in and placed my order, and after about five minutes of waiting, a woman came in to pick up her call-in order. Since the staff hadn’t answered a phone call the entire time I was there, it’s safe to say she must have placed her order at least 15 minutes earlier. She was told that her order wasn’t ready and would be ready in another 10 minutes. Well, 10 minutes later, I received my order, and after 15 more minutes, I was done eating and left while the woman who called ahead was still waiting for her food...

99 Bao… thought the name implied all of the variety they made. .99 signifies the discount/cheap food sold. I should have stuck to Irritable Bao… but had a weak moment of wanting fast… and since I dont eat meat, a veggie Bao! Ordered online for pickup then had to wait 20 minutes bc they didnt get order. Food was not homemade. Definately frozen. If you are in college, and do not want to cook your own Lean Cuisine… you may love this place. If not, beware!

Not the best, work needed! Average of 30 min additional wait for no reason on a pick up order. No other guests and no other orders. When calling to place an order make sure they read it back to you, or you will get whatever the cook makes. They will tell you it will be ready for pick up in about 10 minutes. I have picked up here a couple times and I am positive they wait till the customer arrives before starting any of their food. When arriving they will immediately take you at the front counter and take your money. Then tell you just a couple more minutes and it will be ready. Friendly people. THEN you can watch the cook get up, walk to the back and start cooking. They will hold you hostage for 30 more minutes while the chef yells and bags around in the kitchen. This happened to me 2 times in a row. Don’t pay them till they produce the food. Some of the items on the menu are great. The steamed bao and soup dumplings are tasty. However, most of the other items are bad. The dumplings are obviously some type of prepackaged frozen dumplings from Costco or somewhere. Really bad. Save your self the money and time. 99 Bao please make some changes.