BAMBU

This place isn’t all that bad. The way they make the che and how it tastes is different from the main location (Hostetter). I come here just cause it’s in my direction of heading to school/​work. They get really busy and because their place is real small and they are low on workers, it takes a while to get your order. My favorite thing here is the waffles! Yesssss! They make it on the spot and serve it to you steaming hot. It tastes amazing. My favorite flavors are pandan and taro.
Overall, this place isn’t as bad as what everyone’s saying. If you’re a bambu fan, this place is decent enough to get you what you want.

Time to dust off the phone screen and start writing some reviews, LOL! Overall, 3.5 STARS for BAMBU…
After a less than satisfying dinner at neighboring Beque Korean BBQ, my friends and I all had a sweet craving for dessert and Bambu was calling us over. Overwhelmed by the variety of drinks and not being familiar with che-​type concoctions, mix-​ins, and ingredients, all I really wanted was something that was sweet and fruity and leaned on the advice of the friendly, courteous, and definitely patient employees who took our order.
#6 Che Trai Cay — This was my poison of the evening which consisted of lychee, longan, red tapioca, jackfruit, palm seed, jello, and coconut milk. Lots going on here with all the numerous ingredients, but it had a good, sweet, and all around exotic fruity flavor coupled with creamy coconut milk with varying textures of soft, crunchy, mushy, you name it! You’ll definitely need to switch between straw and spoon to finish this very filling dessert! I would consider getting this again.
#14 Dau Do Khoai Mon Banh Lot — A very disappointing drink dessert made with red bean, taro, pandan jelly, and coconut milk. Now when I think of red bean, I’m thinking of the Japanese Azuki type, right? Nooooo, the red beans in here were kidney beans, the type you find in your chili, burrito, salad bar, etc., LOL! They were bland and added no flavor or dimension to this drink whatsoever, but rather they were annoying as they kept getting stuck in the straw. A spoon was needed to sift through and pick out the other ingredients which were the only decent pieces of this sweet «chili,» and after all the milk/​juice liquid portion was siphoned from the cup, the rest of the drink (still two-​thirds full with red beans) was sadly thrown away. Not sure how or why people enjoy this particular drink, but kudos to them and I would never recommend it. Meh and moving on…
Pandan Waffle — My first time experiencing a Pandan waffle, and to my surprise, very tasty (definitely no need for whipped butter and syrup, LOL)! The bright green color threw me off for awhile and I thought maybe it should come with a side of green eggs and ham. Joking aside, that waffle was quite deelish and had a nice crispy golden brown crust with shredded pieces of sweet and tender coconut mixed throughout. It was expertly and perfectly cooked in the waffle maker, and the smell of it was devine and nutty. And when it was gone from my white paper bag, I greedily wanted more but I knew I had to refrain from ordering another one (I still had my #6 in hand to finish). I will be back for you green friend!
That said, a future return visit here has me considering their #1 Bambu Special, #4 Che Suong Sao Hat Luu, or #5 Bo Dam, based on the menu descriptions and past customers’ purchases of them. And of course, #6 was good on my list as a potential repeat order. If all else fails, there’s always that yummy neon green waffle to fall back on!
All in all, this particular Bambu in Newark is a cool shop with interesting drinks, scrumptious waffles, friendly employees, efficient service, clean interior, and somewhat ample parking outside. And don’t forget to bring hard cash and coins as plastic is not accepted here.

Fast service
Good drinks
Cash Only
Favorite: #10
Plenty of parking in the strip mall

Decent dessert place. I dun like bambu in general anyway. Their drinks r too sweet at first and too diluted at the end. Cannot beat boba but the only place where u can get coconut desert.

Pretty tasty avocado shakes and pandan waffles.
Cash Only!

I thought all BAMBU (since they are Franchised) tasted the same, but compared to the South Bay BAMBUs, this one was my least favorite.
I ordered #4, and we sat outside with my dog. So I guess technically, it is dog friendly b/​c you can sit outside :)

Ordered #4, which was ok. Portions are too big for me. Best to share. Lots of different desserts to try here if you like Vietnamese desserts. This location was pretty dead in a Friday night though. There is also outdoor seating and it’s located in the Lion plaza next to the supermarket.

Tried drink #6 (I can’t remember the name). It was surprisingly tasty and had lots of yummy ingredients. My friend said #4 is very good too. I’ll be back soon to try more items.

Very good Vietnamese style dessert drink for a decent price! I’m a fan!

Drinks are made well here, but the service is straight to the point. The Union City location has much nicer service.
Cash only, no mercy!

Bambuu is my number one choice if I ever go look for a Tropical Drinks with Tapioca. One of my favorite is their Bambuu Special in it, young coconut, Mango jelly, Tapioca (Pearl Tea), longan, basil seed, pandan jelly, coconut juice.
It is refreshing no matter time or season you take it.

I like their smoothies and their Vietnamese dessert drinks but their tea is not quite there. It is either really sweet or really bland. I would come here for dessert drinks or smoothies!

Don’t even… unless u speak FOB cause these ppl clearly don’t understand ENGRISH and they always screw up my orders, or maybe they do that on purpose to discourage you from creating your own drinks/​desserts cause they act like you’re asking for cut up body parts if you try to customize your drinks.
And this one time, AFTER I paid for my jasmine tea with pearls (cash only) I’m told that they don’t have any pearls and it would be another 20 – 30 min wait if I wanted it, HELLO? Seriously? couldn’t have told me that before I paid?

So many choices, so many ingredients, and so customizable!
I love coming here and creating my own dessert. Tapioca, pandan jelly, coconut milk, various jellies… all of it is very tasty! I ask them to not add any sugar in so I can feel better about myself, but you can always tell them to add more or less.
Their pearl tea drinks are average… not too terrible but not too great. It’s good to have an option in case you come here with somebody who just wants a drink and not a dessert.
I wanted to try the pandan waffle last time, but they stop making them an hour before closing. I’ll definitely have to give it a try next time!
Music is loud, and everybody stares at you when you walk in… a little weird but the yumminess makes up for it.

I’m their 69^th review HAHA
Husband and I usually hit up sharetea for our Asian dessert needs but we were close to Bambu. Since this is everywhere in the South Bay we thought we’d give it a try.
If you like coconut milk, Asian fruits and shaved ice type concoctions, by all means, give them a shot. Just don’t expect any real customer service or to be accommodated in any way. We wanted to order waffles and the dude working the counter said the machine «wasn’t working», then corrected himself and stated that it WAS working, they just couldn’t be bothered to turn it on because it was going to take them too long to clean.
Mind you they had at least 40 minutes before closing and we were willing to pay for waffles. Can’t turn it on even for that? Girl, I guess.
Glad I tried it but I’ll probably stick to the South Bay for this stuff.

Tip: CASH ONLY!
Despite the plaza being a little more on the aged side, BAMBU is a great place to drop by after doing some grocery shopping at Lion Supermarket. The interior of the place is pretty modern and simple. There are plenty of tables and chairs inside, so I would recommend this place if you are looking for a place to hang out with friends.
Customer Service:
The wait time for a drink is about 5mins or so (which is not long at all). And, if you go in the afternoon or sometimes even late afternoon, the place is usually empty; There is usually not a line at that time. BUT, keep in mind that the cashier’s English is quite limited! So, unless you know Vietnamese, don’t expect her to understand any of your questions. I once asked her what type of milk they put in their milk tea and she said «You want the #1 milk tea?» *points at the menu* … So yea. You get the idea. Other than the language barrier, the cashier is pretty nice and quick.
Parking:
Plenty of parking!!! Some of the white lanes are very much faded, so i would recommend to park your car carefully. And, since this place is right next to a supermarket, the front of the parking lot is always full; you will find parking towards the back of the parking lot.
What I order: #10 under «Desserts and Drinks» (See Picture)
The grass jelly is soooooooo soft and smooth! Just keep in mind to mix up your drink before drinking it all up; or else, your drink will taste like nothing towards the end. If you are not sure what to order, there are some pictures on the window shield by the cash register (that would give you a better idea of what each product look like)

Pretty hard to review a place like this. Like McDonald’s, it should be consistent from place to place. Not sure what it is about this place, but the drinks tasted better than at other bambu’s.
Had the avocado and maybe they left some chunks of avocado in there, but it was different, a little chunkier. I had the number 13, and it is as good I’ve had it. Maybe it’s the water, maybe it’s extra love. All I know is I liked it.
Also tried the durian and the pandan waffle. These are big thick waffles, they throw a little bit of real fruit into the batter too. I’ve had better waffles but they still hit the spot.
5 stars for being the best bambu, (for drinks) that I’ve had.
PS, we called in out order just before closing and they were ok with us showing up a couple minutes after closing. Props!

CASH ONLY; FYI.
The Asian Market next door gives cash back with a purchase.
The location in Union City wasn’t open yet so we had to go to the next closest location. I am from San Ramon.
First time having Bambu so wasn’t sure what to order. I just picked the one that had the prettiest picture, I am just being honest. So I went with the #6: Che Trai Cay which has Lychee, Longan, Red Tapioca, Jackfruit, Palm Seed, Pandan Jelly, & Young Coconut.
From ordering to receiving it didn’t take long.
The liquid to jelly ratio was eh, I don’t know if you’re suppose to drink it like BBT or eat it like ice cream. There was just so much jelly & not enough coconut milk or whatever they used.
Was the 40 miles trip worth it? Meh, I don’t think so but I can at least say I tried it.

I don’t normally come to this area a lot and I see that there are many tea places in the same plaza. I was surprised to see a Bambu location here! There’s Quickly’s, Tea Station, Tapioca Express, etc in the same area.
This Bambu is the same size as the one in San Jose Hostetter, pretty small so it’s a type of place to just grab and go. Service is awesome and fast.
Get the dessert special #1 if you haven’t tried it yet! Also, the smashed avocado dessert is satisfying too! (#5)

Decent dessert place. I ordered a number #5: avocado+boba+jelly. The drink had a massive amount of avocado so just with that, this place deserves a high rating. Not a lot of people in the restaurant though. The place is quaint and clean.
Suggestion… Dessert need more sugar! Lol well, it’s dessert, so I expect some sweetness. Haha