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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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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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

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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I don't know how many calories are packed in the mango smoothie with tapiocas, but it was well worth it :) Small place with a large selection. Someone in our party got the Bambu Special Che and was not impressed, but otherwise most folks were happy with what they got - we mostly got the smoothies and a couple of hot drinks. read more

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

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

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

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

Got the combo (#2). It was pretty good, but it's super rich and heavy for one person to have alone, in my opinion. Also a little pricey for what you're getting. I haven't been to any other place like this in Chicago, so Bambu is a unique spot to check out...but it's nothing out of this world. read more

BAMBU - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My Bambu drink was excellent, though I did have to get over my initial reaction to the texture. Very sweet with the coconut milk and lots of fruit chunks. Next time I think i'll stick to a regular passionfruit tea with jelly which won't be as heavy or sweet. Tons of options and this a great alternative to having ice cream or a heavy dessert after dinner. And if you're in the mood - they've got coffee as well. Will def be back read more

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I first discovered Bambu in Michigan. I was absolutely envious that such a place doesn't exist in Chicago. SURPRISE! They opened a location in Uptown right smack in the Vietnamese Community. I had frequent this place and never had a bad drink. The facility is pretty small and the seating area is slightly limited. I believe there is two tables, two couches, and seats by the window. Drinks seem pretty fresh. At least, mines always comes out tasty. I try to get a different drink each time. #1 seems to be my favorite so far! I haven't tried their coffee or milk tea yet so I can't vouche for those. I usually go with 'che' menu. Although the drinks are delicious, their customer service is more on the eh side. They aren't very engaging and seems to not enjoy their jobs. I know you can't always smile to every customer but maybe try? read more

BAMBU - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place is a great addition to Argyle. I love all the desserts here and the Viet coffee is wonderful. The staff here are nice and helpful since the menu can be overwhelming. They offer both cold and hot drinks. If you don't want a drink they have macaroons and shaved ice as well. read more

BAMBU - Viet coffee - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Such a unique spot. Love the variety of coffee, smoothies, and che'! The entire shop is welcoming and appealing to the eye. Its nicely located by the Argyle Red Line stop on the L. From the seating to the decor and even the menu your eyes will keep going back and forth to take it all in. Had myself a mango and another taro coconut smoothie and it was refreshing. Definitely want to return and and try the different menu items. read more

Review #222 - 2016 After our lunch, I was looking for a simple dessert which wasn't too sweet nor too rich since I've been doing a lot of eating this trip. I recalled bookmarking this location, but couldn't remember whether they were already opened or not so I went back to my bookmark & saw a few reviews--so it was obvious to me that they are now open for business. Yes! We showed up around 2:45 PM on Saturday afternoon and there were quite a few people inside who have already ordered so I was able to put our order in pretty quickly. Luckily, there was one table left so we decided to take a seat and enjoyed our dessert for about 10-15 minutes. After we got our desserts, there were a bunch of people that showed up. Thank goodness we showed up when we did or else we would've been stuck waiting in a long line and nowhere to sit. We both ordered the #1 ché, which is one of my personal favorite. The dessert was tasty--just as I recall from when I first started going crazy over Bambu until both the Honolulu & Oakland locations disappointed me and I stopped going to Bambu. Glad I decided to give them a try because I definitely enjoyed my ché. read more

BAMBU - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Decided to ditch the Chatime and KungFu tea for a night and try out BAMBU. Sadly, I've found another dessert place to spend my hard earned money on. This place has a variety of drinks along with macaroons! There's a drink named "Taro Lover" I love taro so I decided to give it a try. The drink - The taro lover is taro, coconut milk, and pandan jelly. The consistency of the drink is more tart and thick, something different from what I normally have. The drink itself was pretty big it definitely filled me up more than a milk tea does. The interior - Clean well lit interior, a few seats. The service - Quick and thorough, no problems. Parking - Plenty of meter parking around the Argyle area plus the red line is right across the street. Overall, this place will be contributing towards my risk of diabetes. #roadtodiabetes read more

BAMBU - Taro lover - Taro, coconut milk, and pandan jelly. - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Apparently, this is the very first BAMBU in Illinois. We have a lot of BAMBU joints back at home (Cali), so it was whatever for me when they first opened it. However, it was a completely different story for some of my friends. They LOVE this place. More than often, I am not a fan of BAMBU because it is way too sweet for my taste. However, the drink that I got the other day was pretty good (#1-Bambu Special). The sweetness level was on point. The drink came with coconut juice and the moment that straw touched my lip, the first thing I noticed was fresh coconut juice. Number 1 was more of a drink rather than a dessert. We also got a number 10 (Bambu favorite). The texture was more on the thicker side and less liquidy. It was aight, the first few bites were good, but I got really tired of the taste after a few bites. Then again, that's just me. I am more of a drink person than a dessert person. This place is right next door to banh mi Ba Le and across the street from Kung Fu Tea. read more

BAMBU - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This is one of my favorite places to get Vietnamese desserts when I am craving for it & around the area. It is perfect because it is not too sweet. They never disappoint me! I always get the number 1, 6, and 10. If I'm in the mood for pandan waffles it's pretty good as well. read more

Came here with my family after dinner. There are only two small tables, which were taken at the time so we awkwardly stood around and took up space. I ordered the #10 Bambu Favorite (coconut milk with pandan jelly, red tapioca and grass jelly), which was delish. Hubby ordered #5 Smashed Avocado (avocado with pearls, combo jelly, coffee brick jelly and condensed milk) which he regrets (not a fan). There's other things on the menu aside from che if one would prefer a drink instead. ***EDIT*** I have come back to try the #1 Bambu Special and #12 Taro Lover. The #1 is perfect when you want something light. I wasn't a fan of the #12 because it lacked texture...it was mostly just smashed taro. read more

$8.50 for a large mango shake that tasted like diluted slice of mango and ice. I can make better myself at home.

This place is in Viet town across from Tank Noodle. They have nice late night hours, especially compared to the fussy fancy bakery that's a couple spots down. I got a rose tea, that was advertised on a poster. It came with bubbles and some fruit slices in it already - tasted awesome! I tried 2 macaroons, the espresso one was stellar and the lavender one was tasty too. They're a bit pricy at $2.15 for such a small cookie. I had to drop a star because it's dark in there and there's a shitty lack of lights outside, other than dull white track lights around the windows. Staff isn't the friendliest, but I got everything in short order. I'll visit again, for the yummies, even if its dark. read more

I ended up trying out BAMBU because it was suggested under another person's yelp review to go to after eating at AYCE Sushi. BAMBU was just what I had expected-- it's cute and a little bit small, but the dessert drinks (they call it Chè) here are definitely super unique and something I would definitely try again if I were within the vicinity of it. I came here initially for boba but ended up getting the BAMBU Combo and it was soo unique and delicious-- I loved it! I ended up letting one of my friends try it too, and he loved it just as much even though this was his first time trying anything like this. BAMBU Combo (4.5/5): It came with a huge selection of toppings (including boba, jelly, taro, red bean etc.) and was super filling (you can definitely split this between two people if neither are super hungry-- it may look small, but it has a lot packed in it). It's overall, really great. The only downside was, when I asked the lady working the counter what was the base of it, she looked a little confused and then told me to look at the menu. I just wanted more of an explanation than what was in the drink. Plus, I was confused on whether or not it would be similar to milk tea (it isn't-- it's much more like iced coconut milk/water). Still really tasty though and at a good price. read more

BAMBU - Bambu Combo - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I first had Bambu when I was in Cali and let me tell you, I was in Cali for 6 days and I went to Bambu 6 days in a row! My sister in law and I were hooked! We love it so much we even went on our last day before heading to the airport. My usual is the #10 che dessert and my sister in law gets #3 w/o taro. When I heard Bambu was opening up in Chicago, I was stoked! Whenever I'm in uptown, I must make my Bambu stop and buy it for my entire family. I recently tried the hazelnut mocha with tapioca. I must say this drink has made it to my top 2! I really enjoyed the strong coffee flavor from this drink. If you're in the area, you must check this place out! read more

BAMBU - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I absolutely love love love this place. It is very similar to a typical che place in Vietnam and reminds me so much fo living there. They have a wide variety of different drinks, and some food! They have different macaroons, vietnamese yogurt and vietnamese flan! Yumm and the yogurt comes in a cute little container. For drinks it's a wide variety of che/bubble tea its almost hard to decide what to choose! You can also check in each visit and earn points towards free drinks and get sent occasional coupons! For drinks they hVe a super sweet but amazing brown sugar bubble tea. Also the drinks are quite large and are more than enough for two people to split . They have typical flavors such as passion fruit and other fruits. They also hVe lots of fun ingredients from Asia such as pandan, basil seeds, red bean, mung bean, coconut, yogurt, black bean, avocado and so much more! read more

Stopped by after getting pho in the area because something cold and sweet sounded like a great way to end the meal. The space was small, but clean with simple decor. I got the lychee jelly expecting it to be like a lychee smoothie with jelly-- but it was more like a bunch of lychees floating in the drink. Different... but still good! They give you the option of getting the shaved ice put on top of the drink or mixed into it. The girls working there were really nice and helpful. I think I would've liked it better if I had ordered something else. Next time! Definitely willing to come again. read more

BAMBU - Real orchids! I loved how clean and simple the space was - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Decent dessert!! 7/10 HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE. I was here at 12:30pm shift on 3/21, and cashier was yelling at us and all the other customers for no particular reason. If you're craving Vietnamese chè, come with your readiness to be treated like s h i t!!! read more

Between this and Kung Fu Tea, I'd gladly choose Bambu! Their Che is very authentic and most of their bubble teas and smoothies are amazing (I don't believe they have real taro, however). They have a lot of different options for milk bases (coconut, almond and soy, I believe) and as a lactose intolerant person, I am VERY grateful. Love their macaroons too! It can get pretty busy at 6pm-8pm, so you can call in to order as well! read more

OH MY GOSH I come here literally every time I am in chicago! I always get the smashed avocado-although its pricey it is worth every calorie! They have so many different desserts, my bf does not like sweets and he raves about the mocha coffee drink! I can't wait to come back in a few weeks to take my parents here- they are going to love it! read more

Tried the Vietnamese Iced Coffee and it was superb! Wish the serving was bigger! Parking just gets crazy so it might be easier to have someone go down. read more

I think it is refreshing to see a shop dedicated to Vietnamese drinks instead of your typical boba drinks. Lots of different refreshing jellies, fresh fruits, real coconut, basil seeds in their drinks. My first time trying and def. not my last!! read more

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Great spot! My friend went on the hunt for bubble tea. My friends was delicious. I decided on a yogurt peach smoothie and it was amazing. Definitely going back...today. read more

Bambu did not disappoint. You have to try the avocado smoothie. Some places use powder, the smoothie here is made from real avocados. Hubby always gets #1. It's kinda strange looking but the combination of fresh coconut and pandan works. read more

BAMBU - FYI looks like they extended their hours to 10pm. Still says 9pm on Yelp. - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

First time I tried Bambu was in Vegas and boy was I hooked! There are plenty of options for everyone to choose from. To play it safe, I got the #1 special. This one reminds me of an Asian dessert that I've had in the past with the fresh fruits inside. My son also loved it! Husband opted out to get something way different than us and got the hazelnut coffee with coffee jelly. He said it was so addicting and so glad he ordered it. The lady at the front counter mentioned the hazelnut is their most popular coffee flavors. Prices aren't bad either, especially for what you get. You definitely won't get anything that's not fresh or watered down. The flavors are all definitely there to savor with every sip you take. My mother in law even raves about this place and she is a pretty picky eater herself. That's just because her cooking in amazing and I know she has made something similar to their #1 special before. This is a place to go whether it's in the summer or the winter. An all around place to get something refreshing from juices, coffees, smoothies, teas & more. You must try, if you haven't already done so! read more