Conveniently located in heart of Raleigh. Had lemongrass tofu Bao and Jasmine tea. Jasmine tea was very flavorful and I really enjoyed it. Bao, lemongrass tofu, pickled carrot and daikon were the great combinations. One of the Bao was dried and was hard here and there. The most impressed this place is the lady who took my order, she had an amazing smile! read more

See all

Super good drink I recommend mango tea with rainbow jelly 10/10 and there food is bomb dot com

If you are looking for legit banh mi. This. Is. The. Place. Bubble tea is great too of course. But I always get my vietnamese sandwich fix here. read more

Perfect lunch and snack spot. Grabbed a boba and also hot summer rolls and tofu bao. I looooved the tofu bao. We ate outside at the picnic tables. Will definitely be back for a quick bite or boba! read more

Budacai - Peach Tea with Boba - Asian Fusion Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Since we're in the middle of a pandemic, there's no seating. You can go straight in and order. They also do curbside if you ordered ahead of time, It looked clean and there were two employees at the time. Both wore mask and there is a plexiglass at the counter where you order. This is a unique spot that service alcoholic boba! I'm not sure if they were selling any with liquor, plus it wasn't something I wanted anyway. Also had a big lunch, so didn't order any of the food from here. I ordered the Brown sugar boba tea, It was nice and sweet just how I like it, The boba was delicious as well, not too chewy, but not hard or overdone. If you're in the downtown area and want boba, check then out! read more

Budacai - Large Brown Sugar Milk. - Asian Fusion Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Service was fast and efficient. I loved the layout and all the artwork. We got a mangonada and black milk tea w/ boba and a milk cap that were both delicious. read more

I love downtown restaurants. They tend to be trendy and unique and that's exactly how I would describe Budacai. I went here on a late afternoon with a friend of mine and it's was slow but that's no reflection of the food or the service. We were greeted quickly and asked if we had ever been there before which we hadn't. There was brief explanation of the menu and then we were off. I ordered the bulgogi bowl, the spring rolls, and a green tea with milk. I'll be honest this place is a little pricey w/ a tip I paid over $25.00 for lunch but I was not at all disappointed with the food. After about a 10-15 minute wait our food was brought out to us and we dug in. My my bowl was amazing. I added a little extra sauce which they had available at a separate station that was self serve. It was a very generous portion, which I appreciated because of the price. My friend and I split the spring rolls and those were also delicious and perfectly crispy. There's plenty of space and it has such an inviting ambiance. There's an upstairs section and outdoor seating that I'm sure is wonderful when it's warmer outside. Also there's a metered parking lot right next to the building which is nice because we didn't have to search for parking. I'm not in downtown Raleigh often but this is definitely a spot I would visit again!! read more

Budacai - Bulgogi Bowl - Asian Fusion Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

See all

The service was excellent, she was helpful friendly and super knowledgeable. The food was good I stepped outside of my comfort zone and it was delicious and my drink was EXCELLENT wished I would have gotten a LARGE cup!! The ambiance was cool. The price was a little pricey I had to items and spent $27 but other than that it was pretty cool read more

I love Budacai! The staff is very friendly and the food is always delicious. My favorite dish is the kimchi fried rice with lemongrass tofu added. Be warned, the portion is huge and I can get 2 meals from it. The boba is pretty tasty, my favorite being Banana milk. It's very cute and cozy inside, and worth the stop if you're in downtown Raleigh. read more

It was pretty busy when we walked in but service was very quick. The baristas were super sweet. I read the reviews before hand and no one mentioned the views! I love sitting by the window in a restaurant/cafe and this place is all windows. There's upper level seating and bar type seating right by the window. Adorable cafe and great tea. read more

Budacai - Mango Slush, Jasmine green milk tea - Asian Fusion Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Stopped in during lunchtime, due to being a holiday it was empty. I love boba so I had to check this place out. Nicely decorated, bright and clean. I loved the wall art and the additional seating seating on the second floor. The photo op upstairs was pretty great for a pic. When I walked in the cashier was friendly. I mentioned it was my first time there and he explained their boba selection. I tried the mango tea with boba and veggie rolls. I enjoyed both items. I enjoyed the laid back vibe. They have a seating area upstairs with a couch, photo op wall and a table top soccer foosball. You can also rent some games by giving then your ID. Nice little spot for sure. read more

See all

It's been a while since I've had their milk tea, but I wasn't much of a fan from what I can recall. HOWEVER. Let me tell you about their banh mi. It's a tiny bit more expensive than other places, but it slaps. You'd be hard-pressed to find somewhere that serves a solid traditional banh mi, and this has got to be the tops for me so far. The bread is perfectly toasted, plentiful meat to pickled veggies/cilantro ratio, accompanied by just the right amount of rich butter and pate spread. It might look a little small at first, but is filling, so satisfying and everything I wanted it to be. Got the grilled pork banh mi for my guy and he loved it. He said it was juicy, flavorful and well-rounded out by all the fresh toppings, like you could taste everything in it. If you're looking for a good, touch-your-Vietnamese-soul banh mi, do yourself a favor and check them out. read more

The service was very poor even though the place was empty, overpriced for the presentation and the of food that we ordered .

It's trendy but I wasn't impressed for the amount of money that we spent. For beverages we tried the Thai Milk Tea and an alcoholic boba tea, the Pina Bobada (this was a little pricey- $12). For food we split the mixed veggie spring rolls, crab rangoons, pork bao and mixed veggies bowl. The food was just okay, not as flavorful as I was expecting. I'm no milk tea expert but this appears to be a popular spot to grab a milk or fruit tea. read more

See all

The food was good. We got a variety of dishes while we were there. The Budacai Bao was filling and tasty and a great way to try out a few different things. The bulgogi bowl was filling and the kimchi was awesome. The general tso bowl was good but the chicken was a little dry despite being covered in sauce and the broccoli wasn't done enough for our taste. The boba teas were delicious but the strawberry lemonade could've been sweeter. All in all a good experience. I do wish their menu online reflected the in store pricing and that they offered soda and water was listed anywhere rather than having to ask the person behind counter read more

Love their boba -- perfectly soft and chewy! Their brown sugar milk tea with boba is delicious. Their chicken katsu was good too. The pork belly was a bit dry and only featured 3 pieces of pork belly, so I'd pass on that the next time. They have a small upstairs area with a cute selfie wall. read more

See all

We ordered take out, pork belly sandwich and takatsu on noodle. I was a bit surprised the takatsu did not have takatsu sauce on it. My mom helped my friends dad run a business her started in Winnetka IL based on Takatsu and I was sad to have finally found it but without any sauce. Was strange to have just fried chicken on plain noodles, no oil salt or anything let alone the Takatsu bbq sauce. Not sure if they meant to that way. The vegetables were delicious. We loved the pork belly sandwich. read more

When this place first opened up, a lot of people were recommending me to go and try this place out. Overall, I felt like they focused more on the artistic atmosphere than the actual drinks. There are a lot of cool murals and displays around the place, ensuring that you could get that quality instagram picture if need be. As for the drinks, I didn't think that they were anything special, I got a dragonfruit based fruit tea and my friend got a strawberry based milk tea. Both were below average in terms of bubble teas in the RTP area. I'd more likely recommend going to Chapel Hill to go to Cha House or Boba Baba's in Cary. They were extremely watered down with barely any flavor of tea or the actual fruit base. I wasn't able to try any of their other options such as their food. But I heard that they had alcoholic bubble tea drinks so maybe in the future I'll come back to give this place another shot. read more

Budacai - Asian Fusion Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Teas were good, but that was about it. We had two different bao buns (katsu and bulgogi) and both left little to be desired. Bao were stale, bulgogi (and even the kimchi) had very little flavor, katsu was cooked nicely but again no flavor and the slaw consisted of only purple cabbage and way too much mayonnaise. We also had crab rangoon which tasted the best of everything and had some flavor, but there was so much grease it was pouring off the food. We visited based on reviews, and now I'm thinking those are only for the tea (as no one else in the establishment was ordering food except us). read more

Budacai - Crab Rangoon (4 Pieces) - Asian Fusion Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

See all

Budacai Boba Bar Bites, located in downtown Raleigh is the newest boba tea bar that features bar drinks and appetizers. The décor is fantastically decorated with Dragon Ball theme. The giant Monkey King statue is amazing and the artwork surrounding the walls is phenomenal. Upstairs level is a nice lounge where you can eat and chill with your friends. Be sure to take advantage of the selfie station with selfie lighting to take pictures of you and your friends. Budacai drinks include a variety of fruit teas, milk tea, and milk cap teas with a splash of alcohol if preferred. Additional toppings include: *boba *egg pudding *herbal jelly *lychee jelly *mango star jelly *blueberry jelly *strawberry heart jelly *crystal boba *fresh fruits *milk/egg/matcha cap You can specify the sweetness and ice levels, and you can customize and build your own boba tea. The base tea is freshly brewed but each drink is made to order. There are two sizes: small and large. I have tried the following teas: *Matcha Milk Cap Tea *Lavender Milk Cap Tea *Vietnamese Coffee *Budacai Milk Cap Tea *Jasmine Milk Cap Tea *Thai Milk Cap Tea It was great trying out the different flavored teas and paired each tea with lychee jelly and boba toppings. The matcha and jasmine teas are my favorite! *Budacai offers free wi-fi *Full bar drinks *Stays open late night until 11pm on the weekends *The service was friendly *Order at the counter and wait for your order number to be called My Bar Bites recommendations are: *Ramen noodle bowls, the broth is very flavorful *Pandan waffles topped with confetti sugar and strawberry. The waffle batter is light and crispy in between waffle bites *Bulgagi nachos with flank steak, Kim Chee and jalapeños *Edamame *Popcorn chicken, tender morsels of chicken that's lightly breaded and deep fried to perfection *Braised pork belly steam buns *Vegetarian Tofu steam buns *Crab Rangoons Budacai Boba Bar Bites emphasis is on QUALITY with in house fresh made ingredients. I was not a fan of boba toppings until I have tried Budacai's home made boba, which was soft and chewy (just perfect). I highly recommend Budacai's boba and milk cap teas! Be sure to have your ID ready if you are planning to add alcohol to your boba tea. read more

See all

I'm from Virginia Beach, back at home is a Town of Boba Teas and this place is the closest thing Boba Shop here in Downtown Raleigh, as far as Boba teas! I love it here, it's a cute little place to hang out after a little walk in downtown. Workers are very nice here and very friendly. Nicely decorated, clean, and spacious. I got Black Oolong Milk Tea with extra Boba and Grass Jelly (herbal Jelly) cause I'm a sucker for those yummy things! Oh BTW, they have a hang out lounge upstairs with a little cute back drop to take magazine pictures at! read more

Budacai - Upstairs Decoration - Asian Fusion Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

TLDR: really cute boba shop with unique drinks! A but pricy, which makes it more of a novelty boba shop than a place I'd go to regularly. Try their egg cap! ------------------------------------- I love a bubble tea place that doubles as an insta destination!! So Budacai was definitely high on my places to try in Raleigh. The few times I've been so far, I got the brown sugar milk tea and rose milk tea, and have also tried both their milk and egg caps and their boozy boba. The brown sugar milk tea was very rich (as it usually is at most boba shops) and the rose milk tea was the opposite -- light, with a very subtle floral taste. Overall, I was very pleased with both and it showed that Budacai is able to play with a wide range of flavors. The boozy boba was surprisingly strong, and had really cute yellow jelly stars. I really liked the egg cap -- a perfect balance of salty and sweet that would complement a more bitter/ mellow tea, like a plain black or oolong tea, perhaps. Budacai is different from other boba shops in that every drink has something a little different. I'm pretty sure my rose milk tea had straight up rose petal bits in it, and the honeysuckle tea comes with basil seeds floating at the top. However, it is a little expensive. A drink can rack up to 6, 7 dollars if you get any additional toppings, like the egg/ milk caps or their cute heart shaped pearls. They definitely have unique drinks and toppings, but that is reflected in the price. The restaurant itself is very cute and "hip", with lots of seating options and of course, the famous instagrammable flower wall on the upper loft. It has a slightly more refined vibe than most boba shops I go to, more suitable for grabbing a late night bite on a weekend night (especially with their alcoholic options) than a casual hangout spot where you chill for a few hours. Overall, a really cute spot to try out in Raleigh! Their tea won't disappoint, but also their prices and unique flairs make it more of a novelty boba shop than a place I would consistently go to for a quick bubble tea fix. read more

See all

I was really excited to try out Budacai, as I enjoy boba tea and liked that they had some substantial food offerings. As soon as I walked in the staff was really kind and accommodating. The individual taking my order was super knowledgeable when it came to their tea offerings and what toppings and flavors I should combine together. I got the green tea with passion fruit flavoring and half the sweetness, and added boba as my topping. I appreciated that you could choose how sweet you wanted your drink. I ordered a bowl, with mixed greens as the base and pork belly as the topping. The pork belly was incredible, and there was a lot of it. The sauce was nice and tangy, plus you could get sweet chili sauce that was tasty to add to it. Which, of course I did. I highly recommend this place for an afternoon snack, or a lunch. If you're into a good backdrop for photos, they have an upstairs space with a flower wall. read more

My first visit here. I thought the atmosphere was very cool, fresh, inviting, and airy. Lots of cool artwork on the walls. Fresh flowers on every table. A nice lounge area upstairs with seating to eat as well. Concept is that you order downstairs at the register, are given a buzzer, and they bring the food to you when it's ready. I found it interesting they use all plastic silverware. I ordered the Vietnamese chicken salad. I thought the portion size was just right, and had a good amount of chicken. It was exactly what I was going for, as in a light meal for dinner with fresh ingredients. I'd try a warm bowl next time. A friend ordered that and a bubble tea and said both were "good af". Overall: thumbs up. read more

Budacai - Vietnamese Chicken Salad - Asian Fusion Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Slowest service ever, and so expensive. Line was slow moving and we heard a guy follow up about his order that hadn't come out yet, despite other people after him getting their food. Didn't hear what the worker said, but guy clearly replied, "that's kind of rude". Not a great start. Hubby odered a budakaiser (milk tea with boba and bourbon) with a double shot. That cost $15. I ordered a large coffee tea milk cap with boba and a shot of Bailey's. Mine was $14.50. I asked for it hot and the cashier wasn't sure if they could do that and had to ask someone else . Waited about 20 minutes for MY drink, and hubby's drink took an additional 5+ minutes after that! He told me to go ahead because my drink was getting cold. And like the guy asking about his missing food, several people got their drinks before us. They used a cheap (very light, harsh) bourbon and my hubby choked it down in a hurry cuz we were going to be late for our dinner reservation. We didn't know boba would take over 45 minutes to get (slow line and slow service). Gotta say tho, their tapioca pearls were a perfect texture and sweetness, and their food menu looked like it had a lot of variety (I can't imagine how long we would've waited for food!). My drink was bomb, but I made the combo myself and you can't really go wrong with Bailey's. Hubby didn't like his at all, but agreed the boba was great. Overall, wouldn't pay $30 for 2 slow boba drinks again and not coming back. read more

Budacai - Coffee milk tea cap with boba and Bailey's - Asian Fusion Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

See all

This place needs to stick around for a loooong time! This week was their first week, and they are doing amazing! The ambiance is awesome, drinks amazing and food is even better! I had such low expectations for this place coming in, but the staff and whoever was cooking exceeding my expectations! Food was delivered in a semi-timely manner for the crowd that was in house as well as drinks! The owners were making sure everyone was being taken care of and helping in cleaning everyone plates, etc. I can see this place doing really well! I hope everyone in the city is open to it! We need more Asian fusion and Asian taste around here! (Lol not to be a little Biased). Everyone must try this place! read more

Budacai - Asian Fusion Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

This place was super hyped on Yelp and I'd heard the buzz in downtown so wanted to check it out post lunch on a work day. The cafe is super cute, and the menu is extremely interesting and diverse in terms of bubble tea. I ordered a rose oolong tea with boba, absolutely loved it as they made it how I wanted with less sugar and less ice and the flavor was apparent. What I didn't like much is the speed of service, for a slow afternoon I had to wait almost 15 minutes for my drink; perhaps this will improve with time though since they're new. I'll be back for more bo Update: the strawberry matcha tea is kind of amazing, there's strawberry jelly in it and isn't overpowering, and I added boba too so it was super yummy. read more

Budacai - Strawberry matcha tea - Asian Fusion Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Just have the boba drinks. The food menu is not well established and the service is abysmal.

Very cool spot and dope art. The dragon fruit tea was very refreshing and the crab Rangoon was delicious. read more

See all

This place has a very artsy feeling and a very calm vibe to it. They're also pet friendly. The food on my scale was a 10 and so was the Boba. I had the "Banh Mi Pulled Chicken" and (Rose Bubble Tea). The Bubble Tea was not too sweet and really tasted like Rose tea.The Bunh Mi was very full and they didn't hold back on putting meat and veggies in, Best Bunh Mi I've every had. read more

See all

Read the reviews and we where all for it. Ordered for pick up. My shrimp spring rolls where all over the place. It had holes everything and falling apart. I could not pick them up in whole so I ate it piece for piece. Flavorless! My husband had the ramen and he was not impressed as well as my son. Definitely will go else where next time, but truly dissatisfied. read more

I recently came here from Los Angeles. Been excited to try different restaurants and this one looked cute and had great reviews. It was extremely disappointing and bland. The only thing that was good was the Rangoon rolls. But the sauce that came with them tasted like an old fridge. Yuck read more

I am hanging between a 3.5-4 star. What we tried: * Milk cap tea and crispy tofu bao buns Spacious place and clear boba menu. My husband and I have been checking out boba places around the triangle and this place has been on our radar for quite some time. We went here on a weekday night to grab some boba and small bites. We got the rose flavored milk cap tea and it tasted delicious, probably one of the best milk teas we have tried in and around Raleigh. The crispy fried tofu buns were okayish, definitely did not excite me much. It could have done with a bit more seasoning. The price point for boba may not be the most ideal if I want to go here on a regular basis. They have seating downstairs and upstairs. They have a foosball table and limited seating upstairs so it's a good place for a large group. The space downstairs is spacious and great for working. Overall, will definitely go back for the boba and to try their boozey boba. read more

See all

Finally found a Boba tea place worth going to in downtown raleigh! Stopped by here after seeing it was finally open. The inside is very nice, clean, and very well decorated. It even has a foosball table and a couch to take photos. Definitely stands on its own as a unique place to hang out and grab a drink. I ordered the Matcha Boba Tea and my friend ordered a make-your-own boba tea with jasmine green tea and red guava flavor with soy milk. Both were delicious, not too sweet not too watery and just the right amount of flavor. The boba were delicious as well, and had good texture. If you like Milk Lab and Kung Fu Tea you'll definitely like it here. I highly recommend this place read more

See all

I have been working in Raleigh lately, and this place is my happy place when I'm on call or leaving work after having worked long hours! Honestly, this is the best place I've found so far that does a mix of delicious snacks and boba tea in the Triangle, and my expectations are high coming from the Dallas area with bubble tea everywhere. I love floral flavors and they have the best rose and lavender milk teas I've ever had! So delicious and usually my go-tos. Lots of options for flavors and for toppings! Now the food - I'm obsessed with the pandan waffle. I am convinced it will replace the traditional waffle once the word learns about it! So delicious. Now on to my discussion of popcorn chicken. So many Asian snack spots offer them, but 99% of the time, they undercook it, at least for my taste. Here it is cooked thoroughly and flavorful with roasted basil. So good! The space is lovely, too - glass walls so lots of natural light. Modern seating (2 floors!), and graffiti wall art + a very instagrammable wall! If you care for outlets, there aren't as many downstairs except for the taller bar seating type area. I love this place and I am gonna be so sad to be further from it when I go back to working in Chapel Hill in a few months! read more

Budacai - Lavender Milk Tea - best I've ever had - Asian Fusion Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

See all

Ordered two drinks for delivery and they came out just as expected. Teas are tasty and fresh, and I love that you can adjust the sweetness. I will definitely be reordering from here! ::) read more

Budacai - Dragon Fruit Tea & Lychee Tea - Asian Fusion Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Instagram famous for their amazing flower wall, Budecai also has bubble tea and drinks so you add props to your photos. They deliver the drinks to you and work fairly quickly. I've been twice and have enjoyed their fruit jellies and boba each time. I want to try the snacks but haven't had the appetite yet. Although the prices are higher, they're not abnormal for downtown and the portion sizes are substantial. They also have hot sauces to choose from - always a plus in my book. I like the monkey mascot and the beautifully modern lights and tables. The leather couches and cube stools upstairs are very uncomfortable but fit the modern vibe. If you're grabbing a quick bite, walk or uber since parking is downtown status. You'll enjoy your time at Budecai. Maybe get your drink to go for the trip back to your car or for a leisurely stroll through Moore Square Park. read more

Budacai - Checking out the tea thanks to Linda Nguyen's suggestion. - Asian Fusion Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

New boba place! The name of the place is associated with Dragon ball and the monkey prince, which is pretty cool! Always intrigued by how people come up with the names of places, so was grateful that (maybe the owner)/worker was able to explain. We got the budacai fruit tea which was such a good blend! And lavender tea milk cap which was a bit too sweet for me and I could barely taste the lavender. The food was pretty good! Like someone mentioned getting the popcorn chicken with the pandan waffle is like an Asian twist on chicken and waffles and it worked really well! The popcorn chicken came out nice and hot and the waffles were lukewarm so not sure if they had them lying around but I didn't get the impression that it was made to order. Definitely a fun space! They have a nice lighting/photo area upstairs along with a foosball table. read more

Budacai - Lavender tea milk cap - Asian Fusion Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

See all

Love this place! Their bubble tea is amazing. I have yet to try their food but it is my go to place for bubble tea. I can't wait until we are able to sit and drink/eat inside because it is so cute inside! read more

I have went to this place quite a few times and sometimes they're amazing. But sometimes they are oddly bad. But the reason why I like this place is because if you are not satisfied the people working there are kind to tend to your needs. The place is clean and very beautiful. The food is consistently good but drinks have their off days. If you talk to the people working there, they can make it again. read more

Budacai - Pork Belly Bowl Pork Belly Bao (2 Baos) - Asian Fusion Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina