After making my own Che Thai vietnamese dessert, I started having these vietnamese drink cravings. First of all, I love that the desserts are so appealing to the eye; lots of colors and things all squished together in one drink. It's been a while since I've had Bambu (since college), and suddenly I was just having these cravings. It was a quiet Saturday, and there weren't a lot of people in line thankfully. I decided to order the #2 Bambu Combo which was a drink with jellies, boba, beans, and coconut milk. It was delicious. The sweetness was perfect and all the toppings inside made this drink super fun to drink. I also ordered the pandan waffle and it was really good. The entire waffle was crispy on the outside and inside was chewy, warm, and comforting to eat. I would definitely order it again. I knew I made a good choice by coming back here. I'm usually not a sweet drinks person, but it was an exception when I came here. The drink again was stellar and I will definitely make another trip to get my fix here someday. read more

BAMBU - Bambu Combo - Red, White, Mungbean fillings, Taro, Pandan Jelly, Boba, Rainbow Jelly, and Coconut Milk - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - San Francisco, California

Although it was a confusing maze to order my drink, I was happy with my oolong milk tea (light ice, 75% sugar, light boba). As you can see from the shop being kind of blocked off inside, it's a little confusing to know where to go. I stood next to the little table and the cashier took my order there. I later saw other people go on the other side of the pillar to order. Although there is a limit on how many people can be inside, it's hard to see from the doorway how many people are waiting since there are some seats. I went here two weekends in a row and the cashier was super nice (same person both times). And the oolong milk tea I got was delicious. 75% sweet was the right amount of sweetness. read more

See all

I was getting my car inspected and saw this place right across the street. I came in, it was a small place but with nice touch. I could feel that the owners really tried to decorate. I ordered an avocado smoothie. It was amazing. It was creamy and smooth, way better than the one I made a home. The auntie here is very nice and d friendly too. I so definitely come back if I'm around next time. read more

The green coconut waffles were freshly made and delicious (not pictured). The drinks were pretty good as well, but nothing that wows me. Everything took at least 25mins to make it was very frustrating. I would leave a 3.5/5 rating for that tbh. read more

See all

Parking in the area is not the greatest, so I usually only drop by for a Bambu fix when I'm in the area. This time, I called in beforehand to place our order as we happened to be in the area. The #10 Bambu Favorite is my go to as it includes all the things I love - pandan jelly, grass jelly, and red tapioca. Like how I can customize the sweetness level (50% is just about right for me). Hubs likes to order the Vietnamese coffee. He ordered it as a "regular" sweet despite me telling him to get it less sweet, and only later wished he ordered it less sweet (maybe 50% or 75% sweet). During previous visits, we've also ordered the pandan waffle. They make these fresh, so I'd suggest calling ahead to place an order so you don't have to wait. Our drink order was ready in about 10 minutes. Good thing we called in our order as there was a line. Unfortunately, there were only 2 staff so still had to wait to let them know I was there to pick up my order and to pay. read more

BAMBU - #10. Bambu Favorite Che - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - San Francisco, California

Really amazing and refreshing Che! Great quantity as it makes you feel full off one drink alone but definitely more on the pricey side of drinks. Place is a bit gloomy in lighting but they have board games which is fun. A bit understaffed. read more

Love #6; the fruit addict. I always get it when I come here. Their pandan waffles are good too. read more

BAMBU - Fruit Addict - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - San Francisco, California

Had the bambu favorite and was very yummy. Full of ice balls, grass jelly, coconut milk, tapioca (my favorite) and more sweet green stuff at the bottom. There is some seating indoors. One con was that the restrooms were not open. read more

BAMBU - Bambu Favorite - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - San Francisco, California

There aren't any authentic Vietnamese spots around San Francisco but Bambu nailed the desserts. It's as good as any other Bambu you'll find in South Bay. I would say everything on their menu is delicious, but I typically go with the che and pandan waffle. Their pandan waffle is one of my favorite desserts of all time. It's hot, crispy, not too sweet and has a nice mochi chew to it. HIGHLY recommend. read more

They changed ownership since my last review and the drinks have been solid when I go now. I also love the mochi waffles they have! They're not always super pandan flavored but the texture of it is always consistent. read more

A cozy cafe run by a hardworking family. I tried the mochi pandan waffles which were a popular item and so we waited a while, but they came out hot and chewy and delicious. Theirs a ton of drink options and a nice coconut pudding too. read more

BAMBU Desserts & Drinks is just one of many boba dessert shops that line Geary Boulevard in San Francisco's Richmond District, but what makes BAMBU stand apart from all of the rest is that their drinks are Vietnamese-based thanks to the authentic Chè dessert drinks that fill their menu. Chè is a Vietnamese word for traditional homemade beverages, dessert drinks, and puddings similar to that of traditional Taiwanese boba drinks, but with so much more. Here the difference is that instead of the traditional boba, grass jelly or cheese creams, their signature Chè drinks are drinks that are made to order using fresh cut & drained coconut water, along with house-prepared coconut milk combined with unique fresh ingredients such as mung beans, pandan jelly and basil seeds. We came to BAMBU on a warm weekday afternoon after a day of hiking in the nearby Land's End Trail, looking on our trusty Yelp app for alternative boba dessert and drink shops to get our boba fix satiated and BAMBU was a top vote-getter, thanks to looking at their expansive menu filled with their aforementioned unique ingredients. Parking on Geary Boulevard was super easy, no doubt thanks to the time of day that we arrived and when we arrived inside BAMBU Desserts & Drinks, we first noticed the abundance of drinks that were featured on their menu. Not only did they have their Authentic Chè Vietnamese Dessert drinks, but they had sections for their Real Fruit Smoothies, Premium Smoothies, Yogurts, Juices, Pandan Waffles, Teas & Milk Teas and Vietnamese Coffees. Beyond this, they smartly had images of some of their top selling drinks as just reviewing the menu at BAMBU can be overwhelming, at least it was for this tea lover. A number of the people in my party were intrigued by one particular image of a Chè drink that was posted along the bottom of their counter and that was their Smashed Avocado, which featured fresh cut avocado and your choice of boba and jellies. Another person in my party ordered their BAMBU combo which featured red and white mung beans, taro, boba, pandan jelly, combo jelly and coconut milk. Talk about throwing in the whole kitchen sink! This drink and a number of the other drinks under their Che menu were a little too intimidating for me, so I decided to go with a little more tried and true and one image on their wall was calling my name. So I ordered their Oolong Sea Salt Tea, which included their housemade sea salt and egg pudding, which according to their menu was made out of Tea Eggs. Whatever those are, I was down for that! Since we had so many people in our party, it did take a while for our entire order to come out, which we patiently waited for outside their store, but what was nice about that was everything was handcrafted and once we each received our drinks we could instantly tell the hard work that went into each and every drink and dessert. I loved my Oolong Sea Salt Tea as it was the first time that I ever consumed egg pudding and I honestly admit that it tasted great without being too overwhelming in flavor, especially since I adjusted my sweetness level to that of 50 percent. The others in my party liked their drinks all the same, but some found their avocado drink so thick it was more like a dip than actually drinkable beverage. Another person in my party ordered a simple Honeydew Smoothie and was immediately satiated by all of the blended freshness. A return visit is a must for BAMBU Desserts & Drinks, as this is their only San Francisco location, which in and of itself is remarkable, but to take a crack at this amazingly expansive menu is worth the multiple visits, especially since no drink is more that 8 dollars, with the average prices really being around 6 dollars, including extras. Although unique, their authentic Vietnamese Chè drinks may be intimidating to some, as the options of red beans, mung beans and pandan jelly, especially when combined all together may not be for all, but not to worry you can always order a good old smoothie or a simple tea or coffee drink without all of the extras and be completely satisfied. I know I became a fan when I finally got the chance to order a drink from this location BAMBU Desserts & Drinks, and be sure, you will too! read more

See all

Love the Che, it was full of ingredients and was a good size! Service was quite slow though, there was one staff member and she was doing her best. Recommend Bambu for a unique dessert in Richmond. read more

BAMBU - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - San Francisco, California

If you're looking for a vietnamese dessert drink in san francisco then bambu is the place. I love the variety in the menu! I got to try their halo halo (which ik is not vietnamese) but has a mix of almost all the toppings in the menu and I have to say its very great! The taopico is soft, and the sweetness even at regular isn't too sweet! The ice cream is also very creamy! The service is also very friendly and although the sittings are a little empty it makes up for how nice the place feels read more

BAMBU - Bambu Halo Halo - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - San Francisco, California

If I could give no stars I would. One sip and we threw it away! Disgusting. I don't know what was in our mint green tea boba but it tasted spoiled. The sickly sweet taste lingered in the mouth. Also, we went for boba but they didn't have any ready yet (half an hour after opening) so the woman suggested crystal boba instead. When I asked her what they were made of all she told me was that they were crystals and "healthier" which she never qualified as to how it was supposedly healthier than regular boba, because she couldn't tell me what it was in the first place. The only positive was that the woman working the counter was polite and friendly, if not terribly helpful. read more

Best. Che. Ever. At least to my standards. Their Che is always tasty and refreshing and light and me and my mom actually prefer going to Bambu over the small shops in SJ for it. My favorite though has to be their Combo Yogurt! Full of sweet and tangy yogurt and fruit loaded to the brim. Another plus is because of the fact that I love that every time I go here no matter how long its been the owner always recognizes me. read more

BAMBU - Combo Yogurt and Fruit Addict! And a kitty. - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - San Francisco, California

I'll give it 2 stars for effort but the drinks and pandan waffle tastes disgusting compared to the previous owners. We ordered #4 and the cashier told us they ran out of the creamy coconut milk and they're using regular coconut milk. Which we were fine with. But the toppings tasted straight up like syrup candy. You can tell it was just off .. like it had been soaking in a tub of simple syrup. I've always loved their pandan waffles but there was just so much oil added to it, it was soaking through the bag by me just holding it. I took one bite and it was so hard and oily tasting i spat it out. Please do yourself a favor and skip this spot. read more

BAMBU - The amount of oil seeping through the bag is disgusting. The pandan waffle was so oily i couldn't not another bite. - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - San Francisco, California

This Bambu location is one of the best! They are super consistent with their drinks. I recently tried the #13 Bambu Refresher, and I highly recommend it! It was not overly sweet, and coconut juice very fresh. I recommend you go for their Che rather than boba/coffee drinks, which in my experience, are not the best. read more

BAMBU - #13 Bambu Refresher - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - San Francisco, California

If you need a mid-day caffeine, PERFECT spot. I ordered the Hazelnut Mocha with almond milk BLENDED; if your heart desire it ask for extra hazelnut drizzle! The ambiance of the place is definitely small, feels more of a grab-n-go. read more

BAMBU - Hazelnut Mocha - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - San Francisco, California

Excellent boba. Not the best customer service but it was great drinks. Definitely will come back. read more

BAMBU - We got the mangonara (I think that's the name) and the Thai tea with boba. They were excellent. - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - San Francisco, California

Been coming here for years. The mature Asian lady was nice always has a warm, welcoming, friendly smile. I always get the hazelnut iced mocha with coffee jelly and pandan waffle takes about 10 minutes. Always consistent in the drinks and waffles. Has a nice crispy crunchy outside texture as you bite into it with a soft, chewy texture once you penetrate inside. Always satisfying! read more

See all

I was never a fan of coconut milk of any kind til Bambu moved into the neighborhood. I don't live in outer Richmond anymore but my dentist is still there. I had a dentist appointment a few days ago and was so happy to see Bambu is still standing strong. I have been craving so much for their Pandan Waffles so I ordered two of those and a couple of their drinks, a modified #1 (coconut water + coconut meat + pandan jelly) and an Avocado smoothie to soothe my post dentist visit. Very refreshing! Parking is super easy now as the city has allocated 3 meter spots on the street next to Bambu for pick-up parking. read more

BAMBU - W1. Coco-Pandan Waffles and PS1. Avocado Smoothie - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - San Francisco, California

See all

Bambu has always stood out to me apart from the plethora of boba shops in the area. They do have milk teas and whatnot but I ALWAYS get their #3, the Che 3 Mau; a coconut milk dessert type of drink filled with goodies like red, white and mung bean, and pandan jelly. Their drinks do feel more like a dessert to me as it's on the sweeter side and there's obviously more to bite than to sip, but I am a fan! It perfectly seals the deal after a heavy dinner like hotpot or kbbq. They are always careful when packaging the drinks, when they know it's to-go, they'll cover my cup opening with plastic wrap so it doesn't spill, and they do have long spoons as well as straws if needed. Normally there is no wait as it's pretty empty inside. There are tables and chairs now so you are able to order then hangout. Price wise, it's nothing outside of what current prices for boba are currently. I will definitely be back in the near future! read more

I generally enjoy Bambu's menu (it's a chain) so whenever there is one nearby I try to get a drink. I got the #6 (Fruit Addict), which had lots of longan and lychee in coconut milk and jellies (they'll give you the spoon for eating all the tasty fruit leftover after the drink is gone). Pros: Conveniently located near a lot of other yummy places to grab eats in the Richmond. Large menu of unique drinks, not your typical boba place but has great Vietnamese style offerings. You can adjust sweetness of drinks (25 / 50 / 75%) Cons: Slow service or it seems very understaffed. When we came in, nobody was at the counter but I could hear drinks being made -- seems like whoever's working the counter was doing double duty. It took about 10 minutes of standing there to get anyone out front and longer to get the drink -- order before you arrive. Not the cleanest. The floor was verrrrrry sticky and had footprints... looked like it hasn't been mopped in a really long time (and we were there on a weekday before noon). Drinks skew very sweet. I ordered the drink with 25% sweetness and it was still very sweet in my opinion. read more

Really rude customer service when ordering drinks the lady serving us had attitude for nothing when there wasn't literally anything to be rude for plus the drinks we ordered 2 of the number 1 specials and they didn't even include coconut they didn't even tell us that they didnt have any would not go here ever again the service here is a 0/10 don't come here unless you want bad service read more

BAMBU - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - San Francisco, California

Had the Bambu Favorite today with 50 percent sugar and it was really good..... I hope to be back soon.

Great place, love the Vietnamese che dessert drinks-especially love that we support our neighborhood spot! Our family's favorite is the Fruit Addict and the Bambu Special. They're all really refreshing and hits the spot when you want a light, dessert drink. Vietnamese Che has a special place in my heart because it reminds me of growing up and my mom getting one for us at the local market or making it when she had time but at Bambu there is a modern boba-style drink twist! I far prefer it over boba drinks to be honest as the spoonful of chewy jellies, sweet lychee, jackfruit slices, and ice cold coconut water or coconut milk has so much textures and flavors! Enjoy! read more

Delicious drinks! I love the number 6, it is so refreshing and feels healthy. I wish there were size options since I always drink all the coconut milk before getting to the fruit. read more

It's amazing how Bambu has gone downhill. As a franchise, I would expect Bambu to keep up with customer service and quality, but it seems I got neither on this visit. I wanted to come and give it a shot since I used to work at Bambu in 2015, so I knew what flavors to expect. I ordered the number 6 (which has a bunch of different fruits, coconut milk, red tapioca, and ice). We were the only ones in the shop, and it took the staff about 5 minutes to notice we were there (they were in the back doing God knows what, and we didn't want to be rude by being loud and obnoxious to request to place an order). After we ordered, it took them 10 MINUTES to make my drink. No exaggeration. 1 drink took them 10 minutes to make, and they had the audacity not to quality check the drink for the strand of hair that they left me. I didn't notice it until I was outside, but I was disappointed and had to walk back in and request a refund since I didn't have the time to sit and wait for another drink, as I was visiting the city and was running on a schedule. Please. Improve your service, your quality, the effort. All of it. read more

BAMBU - 6. Fruit Addict Che If you look closely, you can see a strand of hair - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - San Francisco, California

The drinks are good with a variety of toppings. A little expensive but it's okay bc it's expected for small businesses to run properly

I got number 10. It was authentic. Loved grass and pandan jelly. I plan to try other flavors as well. With they were little more friendly, it wasnt very busy but they were not very friendly with questions. read more

BAMBU - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - San Francisco, California

See all

I came today, May 23 at around 1125am or so, and I experienced the WORST customer service EVER! I WAITED TO ORDER FOR 15 MINUTES AND WAS TOLD ANOTHER 5. THERE WAS NO ONE IN LINE. There were 3 people (2 groups) inside and since there was a sign about social distancing I stood right by the door. Eventually one group got their drinks and I felt there was no acknowledgement from the staff so I walked in and hoping they would notice I was waiting to order. LITERALLY NO ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. While I am waiting they were taking other phone orders, talking and laughing. My patience finally ran out... I finally asked how much longer I have to wait to order and they said "5 minutes!" That's it just "5 minutes" and they walked away. I was in customer service jobs and I would add a thanks for waiting etc at least. So they took phone orders while I was waiting in line. THOSE WERE A PRIORITY OVER SOMEONE WAITING IN LINE FOR 15 MINUTES. And you wanted me to wait another 5 minutes. May I also mention, THERE WAS ALSO NO ONE ELSE IN THE STORE. COMPLETELY EMPTY. Of course I left . read more

Love my neighborhood drink place! I have been coming to Bambu since it opened and I can never get sick of it! The viet coffee with boba is good or the Che is good The pandan waffles are amazing! Only downside is this place is a little slow, so give yourself at least 15 to wait for your drink. If you're ordering waffles give yourself even more time. If you're ordering multiple waffles call in a put in your order This place use to have free add ins and substitutions for their Che but not anymore read more