Came here with some friends back in Dec to build gingerbread houses. I have been coming here throughout the years for their velvet hot chocolate drinks - which I'm seriously addicted to. My friend says it tastes like the cheap hot chocolate Ovaltine, haha. It was rainy and business was super slow. It was nice to have large tables and plenty of chairs to spread out a bit to work on our houses. We were there for a few hours and ordered snacks as we worked. Their eggettes are ok, not as crisp and more chewy, which is better than the burnt eggettes from Meet Fresh in Serramonte. Overall, a nice place to chill and hang with friends. Will be back sometime again.
Joe C.
Very unhygienic. That guy making the drink handle the ice ball with his bare hand and drop it to your drink. That's super disgusting.
Mar Y.
I ordered the mangonada and it was disappointing. It lacked flavor and the quality was not up to par with the Bambu in Millbrae. I requested to exchange the drink for another, but the manager refused. The cashier, who was a young and polite guy, tried his best to be helpful, but unfortunately, the owner's attitude was terrible. She refused to make me another drink. I had to throw it away. I would not order from this location again. The owner is rude and the quality is bad.
Claire I.
Service is good but the drinks are not. My boyfriend and I went to this location maybe last month and we got a number 10 and it was bitter. We go again today and it was the same thing, bitter. Disappointing because the other Bambu locations we've been to have good drinks but both times we went here, they were bad
Esa G.
Popped in for couple drinks with the fam. We usually go to Bambu- Union City, so wanted to compare. Definitely vote for San Mateo Bambu. Had a welcoming cashier with a smile on her face, great service, patient with us being indecisive. She was great
Jessica C.
Nice cashier. Standard service but when I asked her to remake the drink, she said it's supposed to be that way. Their sign says that they would remake your drink if you're not satisfied. I just took the drink, thanked her, and left. There are better bambus and drink places. I paid $7 for an avocado smoothie and it tasted like a sweet milk icee. I did not taste any avocado in the drink but she said she put a whole avocado in it. I've been drinking avocado smoothies for a long time. This might be the worst one. Other notes: has tables and seats if you're looking to sit
jackie l.
I got the mango dazzle it was really good and not too sweet. The guy who served me was super nice and friendly. He was very helpful explaining what was in each drink when i was trying to decide what to order.
Dean C.
10/14/23I feel bad cuz the cashier/chef/host seems nice enough but the drinks kinda sucked. I got a "Fruit Addict" dessert drink and despite the name there was very little fruit. It was mostly green jelly strands. Maybe 70% was that.My gf's boba tea was okay. Average I guess. My kid's strawberry tea was pretty watered down. Doesn't taste good. Plenty of other places with better drinks. 1/5#sanmateo #bobatea #bobashop
Renée M.
Haven't been to a Bambu in a long time since the one in Westborough closed sometime in 2020? They are the OG for my #5 Smashed Avocado Che. We went for a walk along the Bay and wanted a refreshing Boba Tea so I saw this on Yelp and remembered I'd been to this location before. We used to get Bubbies Frozen Mochis here before they started selling in grocery stores. I saw the projected menu on the wall and both myself and my SIL decided to get the #5 with 50% less sugar. It took a few minutes before we were attended to and the younger gal making some drinks apologized for the wait and that we'd be serviced shortly. We finally ordered our drinks with the older female lady with glasses. When I submitted my credit card on the kiosk, I was reading the prompts showing where to insert my card. The older lady was barking at me trying to explain in her thick accent, what to do with my card? She was impatient and said something twice until I told her "I CAN'T UNDERSTAND YOU!!??" then inserted my card the other direction. After all that, I got my receipt and sat down. My hubs noticed her abrupt attitude and said something to me and I said "I know!!" You'd think friendly customer service is important especially for paying $8/drink. That's up $1.50-$1.75 more than I used to pay.Well, our drinks were yummy and satisfying so 4* for the drinks. I think 50% less sugar was still sweet since they used different jellies & I think sweetened condensed milk so I'd try either 25% or 0% next time. They also have an option for Coconut Milk. 1* for the service from the older lady.
Elisa H.
Love the passion fruit basil seed tea! I got it 1/4 sweet and with boba, but this drink has texture enough and does not need boba.My first experience with basil seeds, but I prefer these to chia seeds and saw that they have similar benefits and flavor was fresher and grassier. I loved the tea itself and perused the menu, seeing many things that I would like to try including some of the smoothies. There are more seating options than in most tea shops. Due to some of the more exotic ingredients, it is slightly more expensive than most boba tea. My drink ( I sized up for a large ) was $9.75 with tip.
Tried Bambū for the first time with a friend! We got a Halo Halo to share, and it was super good. Very thankful that we asked for 0 sugar since it was plenty sweet anyway--the server may not ask you how you want to customize your drink, so remember to mention your sugar level preference to see if it's possible! I'm happy that the jellies were cut up enough that you don't have to struggle sucking up jellies that are too long for your straw LOL. There is seating inside as well as a few tables outside, so overall a nice place to stop by and catch up with a friend over sweets!
Jack R.
This is a hard meh for me.Their coconut water is always bitter and they are skimpy on their coconut meat. Especially for their $9 bar prices with the added basil seed.Like for realz, you can get an alcoholic drink for that price.
Jessica L.
One of my favorite dessert places to get since the flavors are so unique and otherwise hard to come by! The menu of super extensive; you can basically get any combination of Che ingredients in drink or smoothie form along with regular boba. Pandan jelly is my favorite topping. The location is also super nice since it's right next to a bunch of good restaurants, so it's great for a post meal treat. For some reason, there's always a lot of flies in the cafe, so I just always eat it while I'm walking around or something, but that's the only complaint I have about this Bambu.
Bharadhwaj Sairam (Brad)
Great options
Kelley T.
Came here right before closing and the worker was nice enough to let me browse the menu. I ended up getting a bambu refresher (#1) subbing longan with grass jelly, which she graciously allowed me to do. I wish it was a little sweeter (but probably my fault as most of the sweetness would have come from the longan and it's juices). The pandan jelly was still supper chewy even though it's the end of the day, the grass jelly really contrasted the pandan jelly in texture, and the basil seeds were a nice touch. I wish there was also more coconut meat but atleast I got two big slices. The coconut water was very refreshing for a hot day. Overall, a solid Bambu experience.
Came here with some friends back in Dec to build gingerbread houses. I have been coming here throughout the years for their velvet hot chocolate drinks - which I'm seriously addicted to. My friend says it tastes like the cheap hot chocolate Ovaltine, haha. It was rainy and business was super slow. It was nice to have large tables and plenty of chairs to spread out a bit to work on our houses. We were there for a few hours and ordered snacks as we worked. Their eggettes are ok, not as crisp and more chewy, which is better than the burnt eggettes from Meet Fresh in Serramonte. Overall, a nice place to chill and hang with friends. Will be back sometime again.
Very unhygienic. That guy making the drink handle the ice ball with his bare hand and drop it to your drink. That's super disgusting.
I ordered the mangonada and it was disappointing. It lacked flavor and the quality was not up to par with the Bambu in Millbrae. I requested to exchange the drink for another, but the manager refused. The cashier, who was a young and polite guy, tried his best to be helpful, but unfortunately, the owner's attitude was terrible. She refused to make me another drink. I had to throw it away. I would not order from this location again. The owner is rude and the quality is bad.
Service is good but the drinks are not. My boyfriend and I went to this location maybe last month and we got a number 10 and it was bitter. We go again today and it was the same thing, bitter. Disappointing because the other Bambu locations we've been to have good drinks but both times we went here, they were bad
Popped in for couple drinks with the fam. We usually go to Bambu- Union City, so wanted to compare. Definitely vote for San Mateo Bambu. Had a welcoming cashier with a smile on her face, great service, patient with us being indecisive. She was great
Nice cashier. Standard service but when I asked her to remake the drink, she said it's supposed to be that way. Their sign says that they would remake your drink if you're not satisfied. I just took the drink, thanked her, and left. There are better bambus and drink places. I paid $7 for an avocado smoothie and it tasted like a sweet milk icee. I did not taste any avocado in the drink but she said she put a whole avocado in it. I've been drinking avocado smoothies for a long time. This might be the worst one. Other notes: has tables and seats if you're looking to sit
I got the mango dazzle it was really good and not too sweet. The guy who served me was super nice and friendly. He was very helpful explaining what was in each drink when i was trying to decide what to order.
10/14/23I feel bad cuz the cashier/chef/host seems nice enough but the drinks kinda sucked. I got a "Fruit Addict" dessert drink and despite the name there was very little fruit. It was mostly green jelly strands. Maybe 70% was that.My gf's boba tea was okay. Average I guess. My kid's strawberry tea was pretty watered down. Doesn't taste good. Plenty of other places with better drinks. 1/5#sanmateo #bobatea #bobashop
Haven't been to a Bambu in a long time since the one in Westborough closed sometime in 2020? They are the OG for my #5 Smashed Avocado Che. We went for a walk along the Bay and wanted a refreshing Boba Tea so I saw this on Yelp and remembered I'd been to this location before. We used to get Bubbies Frozen Mochis here before they started selling in grocery stores. I saw the projected menu on the wall and both myself and my SIL decided to get the #5 with 50% less sugar. It took a few minutes before we were attended to and the younger gal making some drinks apologized for the wait and that we'd be serviced shortly. We finally ordered our drinks with the older female lady with glasses. When I submitted my credit card on the kiosk, I was reading the prompts showing where to insert my card. The older lady was barking at me trying to explain in her thick accent, what to do with my card? She was impatient and said something twice until I told her "I CAN'T UNDERSTAND YOU!!??" then inserted my card the other direction. After all that, I got my receipt and sat down. My hubs noticed her abrupt attitude and said something to me and I said "I know!!" You'd think friendly customer service is important especially for paying $8/drink. That's up $1.50-$1.75 more than I used to pay.Well, our drinks were yummy and satisfying so 4* for the drinks. I think 50% less sugar was still sweet since they used different jellies & I think sweetened condensed milk so I'd try either 25% or 0% next time. They also have an option for Coconut Milk. 1* for the service from the older lady.
Love the passion fruit basil seed tea! I got it 1/4 sweet and with boba, but this drink has texture enough and does not need boba.My first experience with basil seeds, but I prefer these to chia seeds and saw that they have similar benefits and flavor was fresher and grassier. I loved the tea itself and perused the menu, seeing many things that I would like to try including some of the smoothies. There are more seating options than in most tea shops. Due to some of the more exotic ingredients, it is slightly more expensive than most boba tea. My drink ( I sized up for a large ) was $9.75 with tip.
Restaurantji Recommends
Tried Bambū for the first time with a friend! We got a Halo Halo to share, and it was super good. Very thankful that we asked for 0 sugar since it was plenty sweet anyway--the server may not ask you how you want to customize your drink, so remember to mention your sugar level preference to see if it's possible! I'm happy that the jellies were cut up enough that you don't have to struggle sucking up jellies that are too long for your straw LOL. There is seating inside as well as a few tables outside, so overall a nice place to stop by and catch up with a friend over sweets!
This is a hard meh for me.Their coconut water is always bitter and they are skimpy on their coconut meat. Especially for their $9 bar prices with the added basil seed.Like for realz, you can get an alcoholic drink for that price.
One of my favorite dessert places to get since the flavors are so unique and otherwise hard to come by! The menu of super extensive; you can basically get any combination of Che ingredients in drink or smoothie form along with regular boba. Pandan jelly is my favorite topping. The location is also super nice since it's right next to a bunch of good restaurants, so it's great for a post meal treat. For some reason, there's always a lot of flies in the cafe, so I just always eat it while I'm walking around or something, but that's the only complaint I have about this Bambu.
Great options
Came here right before closing and the worker was nice enough to let me browse the menu. I ended up getting a bambu refresher (#1) subbing longan with grass jelly, which she graciously allowed me to do. I wish it was a little sweeter (but probably my fault as most of the sweetness would have come from the longan and it's juices). The pandan jelly was still supper chewy even though it's the end of the day, the grass jelly really contrasted the pandan jelly in texture, and the basil seeds were a nice touch. I wish there was also more coconut meat but atleast I got two big slices. The coconut water was very refreshing for a hot day. Overall, a solid Bambu experience.