New Bambu

New Bambu is a very small shop in a corner next to a vietnamese eatery. few tables available for seating.
had drinks here before. don’t remember what it was. probably a milk tea that wasn’t memorable.
doesn’t matter now, they’re closed.

I want my steak n egg sandwich back n my mixed fruit Che back :(Ughhhh… It’s not the same

It may be a tiny place, but it had some of the best Vietnamese sandwiches and che I’ve ever had.
And now it’s been bought out and closed with a different menu.
I am now sad, I used to go here all the time.

After coming here yesterday with my gf, I realized that there was a Vietnamese joint selling all different kinds of Che! This existed! It’s right here in milpitas! Let’s start with the good stuff. I ordered the #1 special which had jack fruit, sweet beans, jelly, coconuts, lychee, under ice. Now this bev is similar to our halo halo in philippines. This drink was $ 3.25 and was soooo good! It was worth it! The next thing I had was the sandwich #118. Omggg the grilled beef with egg was the shit! This has got to be the best type of Vietnamese sandwich I’ve had so far. It was huuuge! The baguette was toasted, the veggies were fresh, meat was sautéed just right, and the egg yolk was oozing. Mmmmmm!
What I didn’t enjoy was the service. I’m guessing the cashier was new but that doesn’t mean she shouldn’t try and put more effort into her work. She didn’t smile, she was confused, she didn’t apologize for our orders getting mixed up, she basically kept us waiting. My order was actually on the counter but she never called it out. I just found out 15 mins later when another lady asked me what my number was. Ugh.
This place is cheap, authentic and everything taste great I’m guessing. Real stuff around here!

Went here as Sweet Cup is going through some renovations. The prices are $ 0.50 cheaper, but something about the drink is off each time. This time we ordered a #1 and a Lychee & Peach Green Tea. The boba was definitely undercooked in both drinks. #1 was super sweet. I was having a headache as I was drinking it. The beans were mushy and the jellies were again oddly sticking to each other. The Lychee drink was good, just wished the boba was a little less hard.
This place is super small, so don’t expect to stay there to drink. I think I’ll try this place for sandwiches. Next time maybe we’ll do a side by side comparison of drinks with Sweet Cup. I think their menus are basically the same… even the photos were similar. Looking forward to this taste test!

The drinks are quite good and all different type, sandwich is ok
the only thing is they need more details on what’s in all the drinks :)

Craving boba (again, I know) and wanting to try something new, the boy took me to New Bambu. First thing I notice was that this place is tiny! There’s probably only five tables to sit at, so good thing we went when we did because afterwards, there was tons of people! By the way, there is no bathroom, so that’s a downer.
They have their menu on the walls — milk tea, smoothies, banh mi, etc. It was kind of ghetto how they covered up parts of the menu with paper (cause I guess they weren’t serving them). Haven’t had taro milk tea in a while, I decided to get that. No regrets, at all. It was a normal sized drink with plenty of boba and large taro chunks on the top. The taro chunks were a very nice surprise! The milk tea was delicious. so I was pretty sad at how fast I drank it all. Sadly, I didn’t have any more cash, so I couldn’t order another. (I did pay for the $ 3.25 drink with two one dollar bills and the rest in coins! Don’t judge me, I usually only have cash to buy boba!)
With a plethora of Vietnamese customers and the Vietnamese sandwiches/​desserts menu in all Vietnamese, you know this place is legit. (Am I right or am I right?) Next time, I’ll remember to bring a big bill so I can bring home some banh mi and try out their che!

This location’s service is so slow. My one drink took almost 15 – 20 mins to make and the place wasn’t even crowded. I always experience this kind of service with this location particularly. I only come here when it’s convenient and close by but other than that, i try to avoid this place. I like that they have pictures of all their drinks, it gives you a good idea about what it looks like before you order. The drinks come out okay, they need to give more ice. I like places that don’t give a lot of ice because i get more of the drink but i hate it more when my drink is barely cold. Go to the other location, faster service and the drinks are always consistent.

First time I came here, apparently they serve sandwiches too? It’s hard to tell since alot of the menu on the wall got blocked out. This Bambu is a bit different than the other Bambu near maxim. The service in my opinion is not as great. We asked if she gave out stamps and the lady there was quite rude with a little ‘tude. That’s how people get if they already have business. There’s a nice sitting area outside, the inside is a bit cramp with small tables jammed against the wall. Other than that, nicely decorated.
I ordered #1 che but wasn’t really impressed, I think I will go back to my fav avocado #3.
The portions are pretty generous, $ 3.50 per cup is enough for 2 people. I also tried a bit of the strawberry boba from my nephews and I think they made that perfectly. The flavor is natural, not too sweet, not too sour, with fresh chunks of strawberries on top. Would recommend that.

I love the combination of tapioca milk tea and banh mi and that’s what New Bambu specializes in. They’ve got drinks (smoothies, milk tea, juices), cold Vietnamese desserts and 40 kinds of banh mi, including the build your own banh mi option. With drinks, you can add tapioca balls, jellies and aloe vera. Seeing all the fresh fruit on the counter was a good sign that the drinks are likely fresh and not powder based.
* Pâté & egg banh mi ($ 3.50): skimpy filling with cucumber, pickled daikon and carrots, tomato, cilantro, jalapenos, pâté and a freshly fried egg, they added sweet sauce that I didn’t like. The bread was soft and toasted.
* Jasmine milk tea ($ 3.25): the tapioca balls were way too gooey and stuck together, they were also extremely sweet, the tea was bitter.
Cash only.

Yes, I know this is not the same as all the other bambu locations, and this one was the original owner. –_​_​_​_​_​_​_​– I DO love their smoothies here much more, but i HATE the service here. They have a stamp card service here which I think is cute. I only need 3 more stamps for a free smoothie, which I doubt I’ll ever get because I doubt I’ll ever come here again, and heres why:
They don’t make orderes according to who had come in first, but instead the easier ones get priority. WTF. and some asian ladies think they can just come in and scream out an order to the kitchen and she’s gonna cut the line. I was super irritated when 3 smoothies took more than 15 minutes. We were at Vung Tau II eating lunch but I had finished early, so I went to get my mom & uncle some smoothies. Before I even got my smoothies, they had finished eating and paying, shopped around the plaza and then just ended up waiting for me. I don’t mean to be a brat, but honestly their customer service SUCKS MONKEY BALLS. I was seriously about to walk out with the two smoothies that they had made 5 mins earlier and just get my money back for the last one.Hmm. but maybe its just their incompetence and inability to service paying customers.

The first Bambu… even though it’s called Nu Bambu weird, I know.
I ordered the Halo Halo which is 3 different types of beans, taro, crushed ice and coconut milk. Coming from a girl that hates beans, in general, this dessert is delicious. They add just the right amount of sugar and for some reason I think their cups are a little bigger then all the other Bambu locations.

Wouldn’t come here for the milk tea…
Try the special viet desserts though! The cups are huge and they serve pretty generous portions.
I also recommend the Viet Coffee to anyone who loves condensed milk + caffeine! But really strong even after I said «less milk/​sugar.»

I love how they have pictures of most of their drinks & desserts! Makes it just more mouth-​watering when I’m waiting in line. I’ve enjoyed all the different flavors of milk tea I’ve had here & their boba is good. Beef Steak & Egg sandwich is also delicious!. but I always have to take out the tomatoes since I don’t like tomatoes: P
P. S. They are not open on Mondays! I was so disappointed to drive all the way here and not get my boba!

Great variety of drinks especially if you looking for Vietnamese style drinks/​dessert. They also some a small selection of sandwiches and other food.
So far my favorite has been the mango milk tea. I love how potent aroma of the tea and distinct mango flavor. It is not overpowering and yet very refreshing. I love that they add a lot of real chunks of mango on top. My boyfriend loves Durian so he finally decided to try it today. If you love Durian it is a must get! The smoothie isn’t really much a smoothie, but rather a blend of the real fruit. All creamy goodness and none of that fake powder stuff!
We also tried their green waffles, it’s alright. The waffle is pretty thin but still crispy at the same time. For a dollar it’s pretty decent. They have just acquired a new regular customer!

You’ve lost my business FOREVER. (or until the anger wears off)
The last time I was here was a huge joke. I couldn’t believe how unscrupulous the owner is.
I know things come up and emergencies happen, but when something comes up, as a business owner, it’s your responsibility to handle things professionally.
Apparently the partial owner and their family were the people that were running New Bambu. That means they literally ran the shop and did everything while the other business partner stayed behind the scenes.
So the grandfather of the Vietnamese owners passed away suddenly, so their whole family immediately bought tickets and were on their way to Vietnam for the funeral, leaving the other owner kind of SOL as his entire staff disappeared.
How he chose to handle it was to close the shop for one day while looking for anyone who was willing to step in and work for minimum wage. He reopened the next day with just one person and had a limited menu of about 15 things that were available.
What they neglected to do was put a sign on the door saying they had a limited menu. They also neglected to put a sign that said there would possibly be a long wait.
What he did do was collect money from people and make them wait OVER AN HOUR AND A HALF for a measly drink, without offering refunds.
The wait was absolutely ludicrous. Orders were coming out of order. I felt bad for a family who waited for them to open and was there for over 2 hours waiting for their order. Most of the drinks came out wrong and the owner had the gall to argue with the customers that the drinks were right. This place has a following and their customers know and love the drinks that are usually being made.
I got confused on the order and asked the owner to correct it. Since they hadn’t started making it, he was happy to oblige. He was also happy to keep the difference in the change since the order I switched to was cheaper.
I’ve never seen anyone argue so much with their customers and not take any blame for their actions. I’d say that it’s unethical for a business owner to trap their customers into waiting for their orders or wasting their money, and then giving out the wrong things and berating the customer.
What’s worse is that the portions were so small. They didn’t even fill the cup. I waited an hour and forty five minutes for about half an avocado mashed up with some jelly/​tapioca (which I told him not to add and then he argued with me that it didn’t count as jelly or tapioca…) with some condensed milk.
I blame Anna D. for this experience and for making me want to try the avocado shake again to see if it was good :(

This Quickly! sized shop hidden in the back of an Asian strip mall serve’s up some spicy banh mi that’s will kick your butt and tasty smoothies that will help cool it down. (
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Two banh mi’s and an avocado smoothie cost us about $ 10.
Ordered the thit nguoi. The sandwich was bursting with meat! The baguette was warmed and had a good crunch without crumbing all over the place. You could really taste the fresh ground pepper and the spiciness from the jalapenos. (
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I recommend the avocado shake to cool you from the spicy jalapenos. It was super thick and tasty with fresh avocado bits. The thickness reminded me of guacamole, but you know in a good way. If they added a touch more milk or maybe added vanilla ice cream, it could be next level tasty. (
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The sandwiches here are way above average. Not the best but better than Lee’s. I wish they used headcheese instead of ham and pickled their veggies more for that twang’.
Make sure you look for the menu BOOK and not the typical menu board!
4.5 stars.

I really hate to say this, but alas, New Bambu is officially on the decline. After their return from the long, extended vacation mentioned directly below, I noticed some of the familiar staff, but also a few new faces. Most notably, there is a new long haired, tall, skinny dude with glasses who doesn’t know the first thing when it comes to customer service. Do you ever get the impression of somebody mindlessly fumbling around, as if working incredibly hard, but in the end, doesn’t really accomplish anything? This is that guy.
I have given up after one too many times of standing aimlessly in the shop awaiting my turn, only for him to not even acknowledge my mere existence, or to help someone else who came in after me. I just so happened to walk by last week, and noticed he wasn’t there, but instead one of the employees I knew from before. I decided to pop my head in to get the scoop.
She officially gave me the word that they have indeed changed the ownership, but everything for the most part is still the same. Now, had this also been true in regards to the food and drink, I would let the poor service slide. In my dreams.
In my original review and follow ups, I made no mention of the drinks, but I actually had tried a myriad of their offerings, and was always left quite impressed. Not anymore. On my last hurrah, my order of lychee green milk tea was literally filled to the brim with ice, and what used to be six… yes, SIX lychees was now dwindled down to a whopping TWO!
In addition, they no longer do stamp cards! They wouldn’t even honor the filled up one I had worked so hard to accumulate for all those months. Well, let me tell you what I did with that card. The moment I exited the door, I ripped that sucker in half, tossed it on the ground, and stomped on it. See ya later, Bam-​boooooooo!

My sister and I went here few months ago when we had a holiday in the middle of the week. Found it on Unilocal and we decided to drive down before we go to Great Mall. NOM NOM NOM
Bomb sandwich! Got the one with steak and if you want extra egg, it’s no charge. I was concerned with the egg being too runny but they said they can cook my egg over hard so that was cool! The bread had this cool shape and it helps because the stuff aren’t coming out while you bite into it. Steak is muy juicy! If you’re not really into vietnamese sandwiches, just get the bread and steak it’s yummy!
Awesome che! Is that what you call those desserts? I forgot what I got but it was the best Ive ever had! Big cup, fresh ingredients and not so sweet. Next time I’d like to try the smoothies. I’ve been raving about this place and I’ve been wanting to go there again… it’s not that far.
The location is a corner of a plaza and since not everyone had a holiday, parking wasn’t bad. I bet on the weekends it’s crowded in that plaza. Lady was nice, but I wasn’t really expecting much customer service. Cute place and you come here for the food!

When Lee’s Sandwiches first came out, I thought they were the bomb. However, over the last few years I feel that the quality has gone down a lot and I find it funny that the prices actually went up. What the fuck is up with that?
Thank god I found New Bambu because it’s as close to me as my backyard. This place serves up stuff like Vietnamese desserts and sandwiches, but their sandwiches are no joke with combo’s like grilled beef, egg and pork and 50 other tantalizing ones. The bread they use are the traditional crescent shaped baggettes which are toasted and taste great with each sandwich is TOTALLY filled up with meat, daikons, carrots, cilantro, Vietnamese style mayo and green chili’s. At 3 dollars (plus tax), it’s a good lunch for the average joe and you actually get the 11^th free with a card.
I haven’t gotten a chance to try their desserts yet, but after looking at the pictures below I think I might have to remedy asap because they look really good. I think I’ll go tomorrow once I figure out which sandwich combo to get with it.
Van The Man Must Try: The #37 beef steak, grilled pork & Egg with no cilantro
Van The Man Must Must Try: Ground pork, grilled pork & Egg with no cilantro and no cucumber (My own customized sandwiche — just tell them you want the Van The Man)
*Closed on Mondays*