We've been to Binga Boonga a couple times since they first opened, and we were pleasantly surprised with most of their offerings. We enjoyed the Oreo and melon bingsu and savory taiyaki. For that, I'm giving an extra star. This review is in regard to our most recent visit. My boyfriend and I ordered the chocolate bingsu because of the display model. As you can see from our photos, the actual product is nothing like the display model. Instead of cubes of chocolate cake and shaved chocolate curls, it was broken up pieces of Hershey's chocolate. All milk chocolate, not dark chocolate/cocoa. There wasn't even any chocolate drizzle like on the display! We couldn't even get that?? We never would've ordered this had we known this is what we would get. Furthermore, the entire thing just tasted like cheap Nesquik or Hershey's milk chocolate (Hershey's?? Seriously?? They couldn't have at least used something a little less cheap like Ghirardelli??). My boyfriend is a bingsu monster who can eat an entire bowl of bingsu by himself, and he could only eat a couple spoonfuls of the chocolate bingsu. The green grape smoothie I ordered was good. Overall a really disappointing experience. I really hope management addresses these issues so that customers aren't misled with what they order like we were. read more

Binga Boonga - The chocolate bingsu we received... Just broken up pieces of cheap Hershey's chocolate. - Desserts Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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Had time to kill for traffic to subside, and wanted tea and a light dessert. Saw this interesting place and thought whatever it was they were serving must be a thing, called bingsu and taiyaki. The sweet young lady educated me and omg, what a beautiful discovery. I enjoyed a delicious cup of ginger and honey tea, and a toasty and melty Nutella taiyaki, which looked bigger than the picture. So, I took the other 4 home as well as a cold-pack serving of melon bingsu that was AHHMAAZZZZINGGG!! It took me several days to finish, as did the taiyaki and learned how to reheat and toast them to near perfection. They even had a cool self-serve ramen bar. I cannot wait for my next visit. Thank you and I wish your business much success!! read more

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Such a comfortable place to study and enjoy some yummy Korean treats. We tried the hot squash tea (tasted like warm cereal but was surprisingly comforting), peach smoothie, 3 taiyakis (ham and cheese, red bean, and nutella), matcha bingsu, and injeolmi toast (which was a new menu item the owner let us try!) Very pleasant and kind staff. You can tell a lot of care is placed in authenticity and quality of the ingredients. Overall will make sure to come again! read more

Great bingsoo, we got half-mango half-strawberry. Refreshing and sweet and melts in your mouth with good texture. Inside is comfortable and a good atmosphere for hanging with friends. They also serve some other small eats, like milk tea, bunggeopang (fish-shaped sweet bread), and make-your-own instant ramen. read more

Cute spot for dessert! We enjoyed the mango bingsu. Generous portions, nice presentation and friendly service. We'll be back!

The Melon Bingsu tastes exactly like Melona, it gave me flashbacks to my childhood memories. It was so creamy and refreshing, love that it came with a good amount of fruit. The Taiyaki's have so much filling flavors to choose from, we chose nutella, custard, ham & cheese, and red bean. All were amazing, my favorites were nutella and red bean. There is a good amount of seating inside, great place to get dessert with friends and family. I saw that they have a convenience store style ramen, where you cook it in a bowl which is so freaking cool. I need to try that next time. The workers are very nice and knowledgeable about the menu as well! ig: @cravingswithcat read more

The black sesame bingsu was sooo delicious Everything I go back thats all I get Taiyaki is also delicious! read more

The mango shave(d) ice was yummy, although it took some time to get it. It was a bit difficult to eat, as the mango slices were long and thin- I think it would've been more enjoyable if the mango was cut into cubes or bite sized pieces. But the place was clean and I hope to come back again to try a different flavor! read more

Amazing customer service, yummy :) The owner has shown kindness countless times. Ambiance is good.

How do you just open and run out of croffles twice in the same week?! Someone call the restaurant bureau on this place! Lol seriously, it's the worse when you look forward to trying a new spot and they don't have the menu items. I tried the Ube milk tea boba and it was not good, cheap ingredients. Watered down and super sweet. The taiyakis are not worth 3 for $9.50 either. They are just OK. They're overpriced and service is subpar. I'm curious to see how long they'll stay in business. read more

Great new spot to check out! Located in a shopping plaza with tons of different food options. It is next to Starbucks (it took us a bit to find it but the signage was great). We got a strawberry smoothie, a brown sugar milk tea with boba and a three piece takoyaki. Everything was made fresh after we ordered but the staff was very efficient so we didn't wait long. The milk tea was good, the strawberry smoothie was a good size but I don't think it had real strawberry in it- had that sugar strawberry flavor like a lava flow. Not a bad thing necessarily. The taiyaki stole the show. Fresh out of the cooker and piping hot. Crispy on The outside with an inside that has the consistency of mochi. This was by far the best part and we will definitely be back for more. All of it was reasonably priced as well. read more

Finally, a bingsu spot in Lake Forest! So glad I don't have to drive all the way to Irvine anymore. Delicious Bingsu - love that they offer two sizes. Tried the black sesame and Oreo, both not too sweet, just the way I like it. Their taiyakis were super tasty: crisp on the outside, lightly chewy inside, and perfectly sweet without being oily or soggy. Warm, friendly service. Will definitely be back! read more

What a fun addition to Lake Forest's treat options! We shared a large Mango Bingsu (sweet shaved ice cream under mango slices topped with ice cream) and an order of perfectly done Nutella Tayaki (fresh baked doughy confection with Nutella inside). Service was really friendly and efficient and impeccably clean interior. I can see this being a regular stop for us. Highly recommend this little gem! read more

Binga Boonga - Perfectly baked Nutella Tayaki - Desserts Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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fun name and decor, ambitious to bring delicious bingsu (like shaved ice or snow), milk tea, smoothie, plus k-ramen! during grand opening season, free milk tea with purchase until 10/31. my friends came here after dinner and we were very happy to share a huge bowl of black sesame bingsu & happy to get the free milk tea (taro flavor), but the boba was too soft instead of al denté read more

So happy to have discovered this taste of Korean Shaved Ice in Lake Forest. The shaved ice was legit. And they have a ramen station to make your own ramen. Worth checking it out with a group of friends. read more

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Can't really comment on the bingsu as I haven't tried, but the milk teas are very sweet for me. I usually drink 25-0% sugar and they were unable to adjust the levels. Plus I went in later in the day, so I expected the boba not to be completely fresh but it was impossible to chew and honestly not good. Service was pretty slow, might've been a new worker so that's alright. But no gloves for our boba and although we didn't get boba for 2/3 drinks despite purchasing it, we didn't get compensation/acknowledgement. They might've forgot though which is reasonable since it was rather late. Thai tea was EXTREMELY sweet, even for my little 11 yr old niece and he usually great with sugar. Wouldn't come for boba. No comment on bingsu. read more

Was delicious definitely get the spam musubi my boyfriend is picky and he tried the spam musubi and actually really liked it. 10/10 recommend read more

Binga Boonga - Was delicious get the spam musubi 10/10 recommend - Desserts Near Me - Lake Forest, California

This place feels like a hidden gem. One of the only places in Irvine / Lake Forest open past 9 that does a wide variety of Asian food including ramen, bingsu (shaved ice), boba, and taiyaki. Service is legit, especially the Saturday night crew. If the decoration and social media presence was modernized, I think this place would be THE spot read more

After checking out Savers in Laguna Hills we made our way to this little gem. Delicious brown sugar milk tea with boba and ramen that you make yourself. read more

Binga Boonga - Delicious-ness - Desserts Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Honestly, best shaved ice and taiyaki I've had in the longest time!!!! I do wish we could adjust/add extra toppings to the bingsu like adding boba or sweetened milk but either way it's delicious and my favorite is the mango!!! I have yet to try the other flavors but this one has me hooked, AND is shareable for 4! When I went i ordered the mango bingsu and some taiyaki with custard, Nutella, and cheese. The custard is my favorite but the other ones were just as great! Chewy inside and slightly crunchy outside, it's perfect! The service was great and feels very family like! I asked about the menu and she described to me everything and how they're made and I truly appreciated that! The display of the bingsus they make was helpful and beautiful. 10/10 would and have recommend to family and friends! When I went into there wasn't many people but I sure hope that changes for them business wise but I loved it! It's peaceful and the table settings are each their own vibe! I did observe some other people come in and they also asked about the menu and she happily repeated the same thing and made those people feel just as welcome as we did as they looked around and talked about the tv show playing and how the tables were nice. read more

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Love this shop! Everything is awesome! Service is great and very kind. Always look forward to coming into Binga Boonga for my snacks and treats. read more

Also echoing another reviewer that the hours they advertise are not accurate. Just stopped by today, almost 6:30 PM on a Friday night. Not opened and no signage as well. Guess it's up to luck when they're open. Will be driving instead to Irvine for some bingsu and accurate business hours at another place. read more

So my friends and I went to try their bingsu we got the strawberry and Oreo. They were both amazing I would definitely come back here again! The customer service was amazing and I believe the mom took our order and she gave us two free drinks which is very sweet of her to do. read more

Binga Boonga - Strawberry and Oreo bingsu! - Desserts Near Me - Lake Forest, California

overall score: C+ food: matcha bingsoo (replaced red bean with fruit) i am not really a fan of the red bean matcha combo but the cashier was very nice and offered to split mango and strawberry for the topping. i was hesistant between deciding mango and strawberry and she offered to do both which was very nice. i really liked the fruit but i wish it was a little more. as for the matcha bingsoo, it was pretty new to me.. i have almost always had matcha bingsoo that was too light on matcha. however, this bingsoo was too much matcha. on the first bite, it was like taking a scoop of just matcha powder and eating it. it caught me off guard but more so surprising. anyways, the texture for this bingsoo was really good. i would say that it was a little dry eating the bingsoo. it was very bitter because the matcha was too strong but there would be some scoops that tasted good. i definitely see the potential of this place though. the texture was great, no comments on that. it's just the flavor could definitely be tweaked a bit. in my head, i thought an easy fix would be a little less matcha + condensed milk. it was getting a little hard to eat midway through so i asked for some condensed milk and it tasted a lot better. the condensed milk was like a mix with milk but still very good. this place definitely has the potential and i would come back to try the other flavors. service: the service was really good. as said before, i was able to remove the red bean and get not just one different fruit for the topping, but two. the food took a bit to come out but not too long. nothing bad about the service here. ambiance: the store was very spacious inside and clean. there are many seats as well. read more

Bingsu and milktea is so gooooood!!! The place is also clean!!! Love this place and you can also make some instant ramen. read more

Binga Boonga - Bingsu - Desserts Near Me - Lake Forest, California

The Bingsu was amazing!!!! So fluffy and not overly sweet. I got the mango and my friend got the strawberry. Sooooo good! Both were loaded with fruit and a small scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream. Perfect for a hot day. read more

Binga Boonga - Mango and Strawberry Bingsu - Desserts Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Finally a Korean shaved ice aka 'Bingsu' place just opened near me! What I love the most about this place is the ability to have some flavors be ordered half and half so long has they have the same base or they are the same 'type' (e.g. my order was half Cookies n Cream half Injeolmi, or you can do Mango/Strawberry- you know what I mean). The other places I go doesn't allow a mix of flavors which I understand. On top of that, they have an instant ramen station! They also serve milk tea and tayaki. The place is clean and spacious-- patrons practice clean as you go like any other bingsu places. The price overall is comparable to similar places serving the same items. Wishing this place a successful business and more support by locals! 잘 먹겠습니다 ! Manga.on ta! read more

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First of all, this place is not CLOSED! It's open, and the food is delicious! The service was warm and excellent, and the ambiance was cozy. I recommend this place for Bingsu (shaved ice) and yummy dessert read more

The strawberry matcha was divine and not too sweet. I also had a cookie that was chonky and packed with m&ms

We had the mango ice cream. It was soooo good. I would definitely come back here. Mango tasted fresh. Ice cream was top notch.

Anne (spellcheck) is a gem of an employee. She always has a smile and has the best attitude. I saw her taking an order for a family and the kids couldn't decide on strawberry or chocolate bingsu and then she recommends that she can make a strawberry bingsu and drizzle chocolate sauce on top. That level of customer service blew me away. I come here because I feel welcomed and cared for. read more

Binga Boonga - Desserts Near Me - Lake Forest, California

I go do this place very regularly, I enjoy the ambiance greatly it's a very peaceful place and often has me loosing track of time instead of rushing to eat and leave. I also come here to study, it's a great place to do homework and then take a quick break. The workers at very kind and I see them working hard when I come in. The food is delicious and I have nothing to say about it but good. read more

Wow.. this is hands down the BEST ice cream dessert I've ever had!! We had the chocolate, mango and strawberry.. and the custard fish.. we had the small portions and we still had enough to share.. so light and delicious not too sweet.. we finished it all.. and still wanted more...the service was amazing.. service alone gets 10 stars.. super nice, friendly and accommodating.... Super attentive.. oh my goodness... such an amazing first experience.. it was so clean too.. very nice ambiance... we are hooked and can't wait to come back to try the rest of the flavors.. this is a must try if you're in the area! 10 STARS!! The only thing I'm regretting is not taking a pic! read more

Very Refreshing BingSu Dessert good Fresh Fruits with about 8-10 flavors to choose from Regular size was plenty for me I'll be back..... read more

Really happy to have found this place. Perfect dessert and treat for a hot day. Went here after soccer practice with the kids and they loved the strawberry bingsu with red bean taiyaki. As a parent, I appreciated that they could customize the order to reduce the level of sweetness. read more

Wonderfully good bingsu (shaved ice)! Very good texture and taste. Highly recommend. We tried the strawberry bingsu and it was so delicious. We love this place! read more

I'm so happy there's a bingsu place in Lake Forest! It's a cute and clean cafe located next to Starbucks on Rockfield and Lake Forest and is definitely adding to a once questionable shopping center. I believe the owner rang us up. She was apologetic about the wait but it wasn't too bad. We got the Oreo and mango bingsu which was more than enough for two adults and two children. They were fluffy and creamy at the same time and not too sweet. The prices may seem high at first but you'll be satisfied once you see the portions. We'll definitely be back to try the taiyaki and other bingsu flavors. I'm also intrigued by the strawberry croffle but am not into the make your own ramen thing for $5.99. I get why it's a popular concept, though. Good for college kids. read more

Such amazing place. The older lady who works there is such a sweetheart. My kids shaved ice fell apart with the first scoop and she made it all over again even though we were not expecting it. great customer service service. Very family oriented. Like coming to places where it's family operated and have such generous workers. The shaved ice is truly authentic. Perfect to share as family and the flavors are on point! Will definitely come again. Oh and they also have some good food options. And boba!! Definitely need to try that next time. read more

Bingsu in south oc! Great service and very friendly staff. Had the mango bingsu which was very good as well as their matcha milk tea :) read more

Stopped by for an afternoon snack. Highly recommend the mix I ordered here. Hot taiyaki cold bingsu. Contrast is always the best. The drinks here are great. Just the right level of sweetness. The Thai Tea is always my favorite go to. Have been here a few times and finally wanted to show my support with a good review. read more

Binga Boonga - Thai Tea, Strawberry Matcha Latte, Taiyaki, strawberry Bingsu - Desserts Near Me - Lake Forest, California