Stopped by here to scratch that Asian dessert craving after a big meal on Argyle. This is a quaint little place with a trendy vibe. ATMOSPHERE/ARCHITECTURE: 8/10 Not very spacious inside, probably holding around 20-25 people at max but it has this nice trendy modern feel to it. The menu on the side of all the favorites is a nice display of the options available. SERVICE : 8/10 Service girl was nice enough and our order came out quickly. FOOD: 8/10 There are so many menu options here that it was incredibly overwhelming. We ordered the #10 on the wall, the Chè Sng Sa Ht Lu, which I believe is Americanized under the name Rainbow Dessert. Either way, it came out looking basically like the picture, very colorful and vibrant. It was very good with the mix of red tapioca and grass jelly. The only odd thing was using the large straw to try to suck up the grass jelly strips. It worked out in the end though. PROBABILITY OF RETURN: 9/10 I definitely want to come back here to try all of the other desserts available. There are so many different things that I really want to see what the offerings are. Truly a very unique dessert place in the heart of Argyle. TO EAT OR NOT TO EAT: EAT! If you like sweets at all or are a fan of boba, you might end up liking this place. OVERALL: 8/10 read more

FALSE ADVERTISEMENT ALERT!!!!!! Ordered penny worth and a rainbow herbal tea, tra sam cau vong, only to get an order of rainbow boba with sugar water and the penny worth tasted like sink water. I called back wanting my money back and the girl told me that is what suppose to be in it, just sugar water. Bambu, in case you didn't know, tra sam means herbal tea. So if you advertise herbal tea, make sure you put that in people drink and not sugar water, and make sure your staff don't go telling people tra sam in Vietnamese means water!!!!! While you are at it, make sure your staff adjust their attitude while taking orders. read more

BAMBU - Herbal rainbow tea.... Which part of this is the herbal tea? - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I've been wanting to try this spot out and I finally did. The inside of the store is small but they have such wide vary of drinks options. My boyfriend got the coconut smoothie with tapioca and omg it was so sweet. We both didn't like it. It was so sweet to the point you can take a sip and wait 5mins to take another sip. If it was less sweet, it would of been good. I got the strawberry yogurt drink and omg it was delicious. I recommend people to try it out. It has the perfect ratio of tartness and sweetness. It kind taste like the Asian yogurt drink. Definitely give it a try. I will go back to try other drinks but definitely go back for the strawberry yogurt drink. read more

BAMBU - Strawberry yogurt drink - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I am so happy to know I can get drinks like this in Chicago. The last time I had a che was in Little Saigon in Orange County :'-) Drinks are a tad pricier than the average bubble tea but don't get it twisted, this isn't boba! There is so much fresh fruit and wonderful toppings in these drinks. Thick slices of coconut, tons of lychee balls, chia seeds, jellies, and it's all balanced perfectly. It's not overly sweet and syrupy, but light and refreshing. Make sure to order the ches that are recommended and not a basic smoothie or juice. Pair your drink/dessert with the banh mi shop next door, and you have very well made a good decision for the day. read more

Good but prices are definitely higher than other locations I've visited. The place is kind of dirty too. There was a, I guess, homeless man basically harassing the customers inside of the business and the workers did nothing about it. It seemed to have made everyone felt uncomfortable to where some people left instead of proceeding with their orders. Just be careful around the area. read more

Happy to find this location here in Chicago because there are plenty in southern California. I appreciate that this place stays open an hour later than Kung Fu Tea does because I can grab something for my cravings here too. I usually order the #10 here because I prefer the coconut milk-based ones over the coconut water-based ones. Plus it has all my favorite jellies in there! I like that these drinks aren't as sweet as boba drinks are, so it's definitely somewhat of a healthier alternative to boba. I did take a chance to try their jasmine milk tea here - it was not bad! I got white tapioca thinking it would be similar to boba but just white -- NOPE! It was a straight up jelly, which doesn't taste good with their jasmine milk tea. Small indoor seating, but cutely decorated. There's a bathroom inside. If it's not busy, you can probably get a seat and just hang out for a while! read more

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I went to this place with a lot of expectation! I love bubble tea so wanted to try this highly rated shop. Probably we did not pick the right drink but Bambu combo was just lots of mung lentils with coconut milk and a few chewy boba/jelly. I didn't really enjoy the taste. It was a ché. Seemed a bit expensive too for the taste. I guess something on the fruity side would have suited my palate better!! This review might change if I try some other drink again :) read more

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Yum!! Soo good. I ordered a number 3, and it's a perfect summer drink. So many layers and delicious. It was a little crowded on a Saturday, but they're still pretty quick with orders! read more

BAMBU - 3 - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I love Bambu. I have been to the Philadelphia, Orlando, some in California, Kansas City, Atlanta locations. Anytime I can get to one I am there. Awesome every time. Best avocado shake hands down. All their drinks are delicious and hasn't disappointed. read more

BAMBU - 5. Smashed Avocado Che - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I really enjoy coming here as I'm never disappointed in their service and boba teas! Can't speak for the dessert drinks as I haven't tried it yet. Their boba is better than some of the other large chains like Kungfu tea and Chatime. You can tell it's fresh and not overly sweetened. This place is located in the Argyle neighborhood of Chicago (predominantly Vietnamese) read more

BAMBU - Almond milk boba with tapioca and coffee jelly - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Matcha milk tea with egg pudding- on point and delicious. Pandan waffles - crispy and chewy. Similar to the green Vietnamese cake if you ever tried it. Che cups - so many to choose from and you can make your own. Macarons - so many flavors ...I will be back to try these. Located right next to Bale. read more

Place is very clean, and they have ton of choices to choose from. I tried their Chai Tea with tapioca and macaroons. Which where great, you can also let them know if you want it sweetened or unsweetened. They also have tapioca if you will like to add it to your bubble tea, smoothie etc. The service was fast, and the place was not as busy. They also serve some Vietnamese dessert as well. read more

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Small cafe selling Vietnamese che and some snacks. The interior is pretty small but clean, with very little booth seating. Mostly grab and go. On top of the che they also have smoothies (avocado!) and boba. Lots of classic options, my favorite is the che bau mau (three color drink). They are really flexible with the subs too if you want different toppings. I love that the che is not too sweet if it's not something in syrup. For instance, the che bau mau is made with lightly sweetened ingredients so the drink isn't completely saccharine. Serving sizes are pretty large and very filling, and the staff get the orders through very quickly. Most of the che come with straws and spoons since it gets chunky and hard to drink on it's own. They take card here as well for all orders which is convenient. read more

Interesting drink options. The che drinks appear to be what they're known for, but we were in the mood for milk tea. We tried the almond and the red bean milk teas, both of which were delicious, and not too sweet. You can also ask them to make your drink less sweet. read more

BAMBU - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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If you're looking for a refreshing asian dessert, Bambu should be near the top of your list. Especially if you're in Argyle, there's no excuse not to try out the Chè Vietnamese dessert drinks. I ordered the fruit addict (#6), which was LOADED with various fruit. The variety that Bambu offers is nice, so you can go with more of a traditional sweet drink instead if you're not in the mood to use a spoon. This spot is small, so it'll fill up fast, but the seating that it does offer is varied and comfy. Service is also friendly, and they even ask if you want ice in your Chè, which is nice. I'll definitely be back. I'm hoping that one of these open up in Chinatown on the South side! read more

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Good drinks and dessert options here. If you been to one Bambu then you been to all. This location was out of a good amount of stuff though.. it was disappointing but still overall a good place! read more

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Best smoothies ever. My favorite flavors are mango and pina colada, but I like them all.

Delicious! Refreshing! Unique! Excellent place to get a drink or a desert. Have a bite to eat on Argyle, then finish off your meal at Bambu. I highly recommend Bambu. I have also been to the one in Madison several times too. Love both. read more

This place is located in Argyle. You have to pay street parking to get to this place. The line was not too crazy when we arrived but it got long after we ordered. I assume this place gets busy on a hot summer day. The cashier was friendly. We waited for about 5 - 10 minutes to get my order. I ordered the Raspberry Rama Smoothie with Boba. Was really good and refreshing. Overall service and the taste of my smoothie was pretty decent. I could see myself go back to this place. read more

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I've been wanting to go here for ages and was finally able to stop by on Friday evening. The interior is cute and trendy with limited seating, and menus on the walls clearly describe the options. They have a variety of drink types, whether you're looking for fruit juice, a smoothie, tea, .. and if you don't like any of their options, you can make your own. I ordered a #1 Bambu Special add lotus seeds and my friends both had the #6 Fruit Addict. Our drinks were absolutely delicious -- no trace of artificial powders or flavoring, and a generous portion of toppings. I recommend the Bambu Special for someone looking for a clean, natural tasting sweetness and a lighter drink. The Fruit Addict is more creamy from the coconut milk and very satisfying. At $6-$7 the drinks are on the pricey side, but I much prefer these to coffee chain drinks or milk tea. read more

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After having lunch across the street at Tank Noodle, my friend and I wanted dessert and went for bubble tea. This was the perfect stop! We went on Christmas Day so it was packed. There was no place for us to sit. We were also overwhelmed by the number of options available. I ordered a tropical tea with lychee jellies as the add-in. The tea also had pieces of mango and was refreshing (and sugary)! My friend ordered a lychee milk tea. The service was fast for a place that was so packed people couldn't sit down. Would recommend this place since there are just SO many desert drinks to choose from! read more

BAMBU - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Talk about throwing up! The front desk girl could care less that my drink was rushed, did NOT look right and I didnt want to drink it. Rudely tried to CHARGE me for a new drink. Rolled her eyes and rudely told me NO owner was avail and NO contact info. Rudley told me I couldnt just refund or exchange it. It wasnt until I was fed up that a nice cashier girl switched it. It was NO problem. And guess what? I threw up! Do NOT go here, they can give XXX about you and your service! read more

BAMBU - Look how nasty this energy is...never again. - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Just alright but not bad! I was expecting a little better for the bubble tea, but in my opinion there are other spots in the area that I like more. I had the avocado bubble tea and it was okay but not sweet enough to my liking. My friend had the chè, which was good, but I didn't like my order the the girl behind the counter was a bit rude when I asked if the fruits were fresh. read more

BAMBU - Avocado bubble tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This small shop has a fun selection of sweeties, from bubble tea and smoothies to macarons to mochi ice cream. My taro milk tea was tasty but I wished the ice chips weren't the same size as the boba pearls; i kept sucking them up through the fat straw :/ Would stop here again if I was in the area for a drink or a treat. read more

BAMBU - Taro bubble tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Yummm! Its located at the main intersection of Argyle right by the popular Ba Le. on the left wall they have pictures and descriptions of the popular drinks but on the right wall they have the full layout of all their drinks. For most people it might be a bit much to take in. There are a ton of combinations and certain ingredients you may not of heard of before. I tend to try a different combination every visit and I have enjoyed every choice so far. I would recommend stopping by here after eating at your favorite argyle spot! read more

So many Che to pick from, there's something for everyone. There is seating inside to just hangout and chat over the yummy desserts and beverages. Ordered the #6 Red Bean Combo Che, #9 Fruit Addict, and the #12 Taro Lover All of the drinks were delicious and the ingredients used were plentiful. They were pretty filling! None of them were over sweet, but the combination of all the ingredients made for unique and yummy dessert drinks. The Red Bean one was the perfect combo of sweet bean taste and coconut milk. The Fruit one really just had so many chunks it was a little difficult to eat and to then drink. The Taro one was very good and soooo creamy! There were even some taro chunks which made the texture much more delicious! read more

Pandan Waffles and Vietnamese pudding dessert. My favorite is #2 Bambu combo. The waffles were so good. Chewy inside with hints of coconut. I love it read more

BAMBU - #2 Bambu combo - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I wish there was a BAMBU in the suburbs, however, you know if I'm area I will stopping by. They have a good variety of smoothies, teas, yogurts, coffees, Vietnamese che' (dessert drinks/puddings), and snacks. It's a small shop and can get busy. However, the cashier has always been friendly and helpful. My go to is their che trai cay (fresh fruit)/fruit addict: lychee, longan, red tapioca, jackfruit, palm see, jello, pandan jelly, coconut and coconut milk. I love the variety of fresh fruit and mix jelly. You even get young coconut! A refreshing dessert drink. Recently I tried their pandan waffle and it was soooo good, not overly sweet, crunchy on the outside and soft and warm on the inside. I would get this every time I come back now. It's also a good size waffle. Great place for the after meal dessert. read more

The bad part of this review is we always get to Bambu before it closes! We never get to try their hot coffee beverages ever! However, they have a great product of fresh fruit and yummy tapioca and jelly drinks. We all got one and they also have french macarons and special mochi ice creams and they are pricey but fun to eat. We had just finished up eating at Sun Wah BBQ and decided to hop over to Bambu for some small desserts. Even though we only had 30 minutes to order drinks and hang out it was enough time to after dinner dessert party which was nice and fun. read more

My friend and I came here on Christmas to satisfy our sweet tooth after having some hearty pho lunch at Tank Noodle across the street. It was very crowded with a long line to order inside. They had a big sign outside that they are giving out lightbulb-shaped water bottles with the purchase of a large tea, but when we asked about it, they said they were out of the water bottles :/ I ordered a lychee milk tea with mango jelly, as I am not a fan of tapioca bubbles after I almost choked to death on a bubble once. It was reasonably priced (a little over $4) and came out quickly, even thoughit was really packed inside. It was the perfect dessert: sweet, refreshing, and just awesome. I'll have to try their dessert drink (Che) sometime. read more

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I'm originally from CA and Bambu is a "meh" thing back home. However, since Vietnamese desserts are limited in Chicago, when Bambu opened, my friends and I start to frequent here a lot because there aren't many options available. The dessert drinks are expensive AF - roughly $6 so it's not a thing I'd want to get all the time. I think their drinks are a bit on the sweet end but I loveee their avocado smash, that's like my favorite thing there. Other favorites are the #1 and the #10, a medley of a bunch of toppings. They do have metered street parking and it's free on Sunday. It's located next to Ba Le sandwiches. They have a few tables w/in the store for you to sit and enjoy your drinks w/ friends or a date but I'm more of a grab and go type of customer. read more

BAMBU - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

BAMBU! It's not just a fun word to say, but also a place to get a pretty good bubble tea! My usual is a taro smoothie with egg pudding (or boba). As my first time trying a beverage from BAMBU, I had to get my usual so I would be able to compare it to other taro smoothies I have had. Service was kind of comical on the day I went in. The cashier definitely seemed to be new and was learning how to ring up various orders... but instead of staying with the new cashier as she struggled (hey, we have all struggled to overcome a learning curve of new software or a new computer at some point, so I totally understand that), the trainer/experienced girl who was showing her how to enter our order into the computer kept walking away to back into the back area of the store. Thus, the cashier had to interrupt our order three times to keep running back to get the trainer girl. In the end, the order came out (almost) correct. One item was missing from the customized che that my boba partner ordered. The wait for the drinks was actually pretty quick for a Saturday afternoon. My taro smoothie was better than average, but not great. It had the right amount of sweetness and good taro flavor, but it just didn't wow me. I would definitely go back when in the area... but I have had a handful of better taro smoothies. ****FOUR STARS**** read more

BAMBU - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Looking for some Vietnamese desserts? This is definitely the place. They have all sorts of desserts and boba too! They also sell a handful of snacks on the side along with pandan waffle! So good when it's fresh! This is my go to spot when visiting my family in Chicago. I have a huge sweet tooth and it definitely satisfied! read more

BAMBU - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

A shop for Che? I never would have thought that it would be good as this. Every creation is either a really well-done take on a classic che or a different che that I haven't tried yet. A great dessert shop. A little pricey but complete the price for the quality you get. read more

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I honestly can't get enough of their Taro Lover Che. I've been to this location twice now and my second visit was WAYY better than the first. I only came back since I love the location in Michigan - Madison Heights. The first time I was there, I got Taro Lover (cause it's my favorite), the pandas jelly was so hard. They also didn't put that much Taro - but it's called Taro Lover. It was a disappointment. This is my second visit and I can't believe how much of an improvement they did on their drinks! There's a perfect amount of Taro and Pandan jelly. It's not too sweet and not too watery. I just love it. My boyfriend always gets the Traditional Viet Coffee. He's in love with how bitter the taste is. The downside is that they put SOOO much ice in it but it doesn't bother him. I'm definitely coming back. The one downside is that I decided to sign up for their Five Stars program to get their rewards. I spent $11 and they only gave me $5 worth of points. Very disappointed. read more

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Just came in and ordered a drink, but the cashier placed it wrong. She kept calling out the number but it wasn't what I ordered. I explained what I ordered but she didn't want to hear it. She made me pay for another drink even when they got my order wrong. I'd rather take my business elsewhere with better customer service. She was extremely rude and act like she didn't want to work. Take your business elsewhere and avoid this place. There are plenty of other drink places around. Horrible customer service! read more

Love this place. I personally love the pandan jelly in the drinks. How is it so good?! Here are the hours at the store. I went in August. It was different on yelp than what the store hours actually were. not sure if they've updated on yelp yet read more

BAMBU - Hours should be corrected on yelp. Came just in time despite yelp saying it was closed. :) - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Oh BAMBU!!! I've missed your sweetness and cool touch on a hot day ever since I've left you in SoCal. I'm glad you decided to live on Argyle, Chicago!!! "Che (pronounced ch-ehh) is a Vietnamese sweet and iced dessert containing tropical fruits (avocados, jack fruit, logan, lychee), coconut juice/milk, flavored jellies, beans, and basil seeds which are similar to chia. This is a true textural experience for those who have never considered dropping Jello, canned fruits, and beans into a drinkable concoction. My favorite is probably #1 with the clear coconut juice, coconut meat, candied logans, basil seeds, and pandan jelly. It's so refreshing. This one here on Argyle is small, so I'll take it to go. Sometimes the cashier isn't the friendliest, especially the pouty, idgaf teeny bopper customer service. Nonetheless, they make it consistent and delicious. There's also fruit teas, Vietnamese coffee smoothies, and different flavors of shaved ice. It looks pretty good, but we didn't have time to sit and eat there. Two che's will set you back about $12. Not too bad for an icy treat. read more

BAMBU - #1 - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I'm a fanatic for boba. I can drink it everyday. I ordered a coconut milk tea with tapioca balls. The place has so many choices ranging from slushees to different boba flavors to even mangonada boba. read more

BAMBU is definitely the place if you are looking for something more than fruit smoothie or teas with boba. Their menu is huge and showcases Vietnamese che' (dessert drinks/puddings). All the fruits are fresh (no powders here) and I like that you can sub coconut water instead of coconut milk or vice versa. There are also tons of add in options if boba and jellies are your thing. And BAMBU became an instant favorite because they also have coffee jelly for their coffee/tea drinks. The Passion fruit juice drink I purchased was the perfect sweet/tart drink after the savory Peking Duck over at Sun Wah. My friend enjoyed her Coconut Combo and both our boys enjoyed their Strawberry Smoothies. Service is cursory, but efficient, which is good because the line for drinks was constant but kept moving along. A lot of drinks caught my eye, definitely a great place for some refreshing drinks. read more