While missing some needed appetizers, Jack’s Bao offers craveable Shanghainese food that made an impact on this novice to the cuisine.
Getting to Jack’s Bao: Logistics, Ambiance and Customer Service
Jack’s Bao sits on high-traffic Cannery Row, one of the most touristy areas of the Monterey Peninsula. This restaurant is only a short distance from the world famous Monterey Bay Aquarium and is flanked by fast casual and upscale restaurants, obligatory tchotchke stores and, increasingly, amusements like a dark ride, animatronic shooting galleries and Cannery Row escape rooms.
Parking on Cannery Row is limited and has an hourly fee. If you’re driving, park a few streets away from Cannery Row and toward Lighthouse Avenue for cheaper hourly parking rates and free street parking evenings after 6 p.m. and every Sunday. There are also a few parking garages, but those are best for long-term or all-day parking. Jack’s Bao is easily walkable from Old Monterey, Monterey’s Fisherman’s Wharf and Pacific Grove. Consider parking in Monterey or Pacific Grove and travel along the coast via the Monterey Bay Coastal Rec Trail. The trail is lit at night, but it’s still too dim to feel safe when traveling alone, in my opinion.
First impression: this restaurant designed a truly adorable logo. Jack’s Bao has a huge, spacious interior with booths along one wall and tables scattered throughout the dining room. It’s very clean and bright inside with a straightforward digital menu board and laminated menus to peruse before you order at the counter. Counter service was fine and the food arrived quickly and very hot.
Food at Jack’s Bao: Quick Service Shanghainese Cuisine?
I have experienced a variety of Chinese food, from the sticky, Americanized concoctions to authentic meals in San Francisco’s Chinatown—complete with chewy pork kidneys. However, I am an uneducated, general enjoyer and could not tell you if I have ever tried Shanghainese cuisine before.
In my limited experience, bao consists of a sticky, white bun in a taco-esque shape with a sweet, barbecue-y pork piled inside. However nothing on the Jack’s Bao menu resembled those buns, which I regularly see lined up at the deli counter of my grocery store. Instead these parcels looked more like a steamed dumpling and tasted like nothing I had ever tried.
The steamed pork xiao long bao ($15) comes in an order of eight pieces in a steamer basket. Jack’s Bao claims to steam each of these dumplings to order, and they did come to my table piping hot. What I did not realize about these dumplings was they had a secret pocket of juicy sauce inside that explodes like a savory Gusher in your mouth. I did not know I wanted a porky mouth tsunami, but now that I have tried it I can’t stop thinking about it.
A quick look at the Yelp reviews for Jack’s Bao reveal that my delight at this menu item is probably just my pedestrian taste. However, as someone who cooks at home most of the time, I always appreciate a dining experience that is truly something new and unreplicable in my kitchen. That’s what I want when I go out to eat and I treasure it when I can still find it, like with the steamed pork xiao long bao at Jack’s Bao.
I also tried the spicy ground pork noodle soup ($17) and it was ultimately too spicy for me. The serving is large—consider splitting the entree or make a plan for leftovers. The fried wontons ($15) are a welcome textural contrast, however I wish Jack’s Bao offered a side of rice or noodles as an appetizer instead of the current offerings of fried wontons or hot soups. I think the steamed pork xiao long bao (XLB) and a side of rice could be the perfect quick Cannery Row lunch, as it’s a rare situation where only the pork XLB will satisfy. The lack of something to pair with the thrilling pork XLB has kept me from coming back.
Jack’s Bao: The Conclusion
While I have learned not to get too connected to establishments on pricey Cannery Row, I feel like I am truly rooting for Jack’s Bao. It’s refreshing to have a dining experience that feels new. And while others criticize the price of Jack’s menu items compared to other bao places, to me the cost feels comparable to lunch entree prices everywhere else. While I’m not sure if it’s culturally consistent for Shangainese cuisine to offer rice or noodles as a side, this menu addition would make Jack’s Bao a regular lunch destination for me.
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