BAMBŪ Desserts & Drinks

Was craving Vietnamese dessert and stumbled upon this shop the other day. The desserts here are lovely and extremely delicious. All the drinks were really good and the staff were awesome! Love it here!

Really enjoyed my drink and pandan waffle from Bambu. Service was nice and swift. Staff is great, beverages and menu were great. 10 stars.

I like the drinks at Bambu. They always made it fast and tasty. But what's is going on with the cashier? She is rude. After I received my order, I kindly told her that it was #13, not #15. She counter back that I said #15. Why would argue with a customer over such a small thing? Also, when I place the order, she just type it in without confirming it, and the screen on my side doesn't show what I ordered. I always order #13. She went back and make the order again, then throw the drink on the counter with a disgruntled face. I will be back only if she isn't there. There are many options around the area. Thank you

One of the few places you can find Vietnamese desert drinks (Che) with a wide variety of milk tea, coffee, smoothies, and yogurt. All of the drinks use fresh ingredients and the coconut milk is made in-house. I ordered the passion fruit milk tea with boba and received my drink after a short wait. The menu has lychee, mango, rose, and a number of flavors and toppings. I have also tried the desert drinks and smoothies on past visits. The drinks are a little sweet, but you can adjust the sweetness. Located in the Powell Street Station in Portland on SE 82nd. A credit card fee is charged for orders under $10.00 A nice place to stop for a large selection of drinks and desert Che from Vietnam with Asian inspired flavors.

Usually like the drinks here and service is always great. 1 star is due to the amount of ice I had in my drink. I ordered a ube swirl and it hardly had any liquid in there. After a few sips, my drink was almost gone. For $7 a drink, I’d expect more drink, less ice.

I got a che drink, which was great, the guy also gave me a potsticker from his personal stash, because I mentioned I was hungry. Really nice, cool people!! Thabks

Hole in the wall shop with delicious drinks! Lots of options! I got a Thai tea and wow, it’s one of the best tasting ones I’ve ever had, definitely tastes homemade and not from a powder mix. Very kind employees as well.

Got iced Caramel $ 3.75 and dessert # 6 $5.25. Waited more than 10 mins; for a place that has desserts already prepared and just needs to add ice or something. The lady at the cashier was rude and was too busy checking out a guy customer. No wonder this place never has any customers whenever I pass by. Will not be coming back.

Stopped in the other day to Bambu and let me tell you, I am in love!!!! I got their #4 Summer Delight and it was so delicious, especially during this hot day! The staff was really nice and knowledgeable, and the shop was very cute. I usually don't do reviews, but this is definitely going to be my new go-to spot for Vietnamese desserts/drinks! Can't wait to come back to try their Vietnamese coffee next!

I finally found a place that does AMAZING Thai tea! My regular spot closed a few months ago... apparently my habit wasn't enough to keep them in business. But I'm so happy to have now found Bambu in SE. It's a little out of my way, but for quality yumminess I'm willing to drive a few extra blocks. I'm not a fan of powdered drinks. I can tell the difference between folks who use powder and those who make their tea fresh. There are such wonderful, complex flavors in Thai tea, it's a real disservice to skimp on quality. Bambu does it right! I'm happy with their milk to tea ratio, and the flavor is outstanding. It's 6.75 for a large, but my bathroom scale tells me I'll be ordering regular size from now on. There's a wide array of drinks and goodies on their menu, so I suggest stopping by and checking these kind folks out. Their customer service and product is superb.

It was my first time to Bambu recently and it was a nice place. I've definitely been to more "cozy drink places" before but this place was worth a shot. It's definitely more of a "grab and go" than a "stay and chit chat" kind of place. The area outside wasn't the best, some homeless people around but it was 82nd and there's bound to be lots of that around Portland. The employees did their best to keep up with the customers though I did have to wait since they were short on people that day probably. The drink was great for a hot summer day. I got the dragon fruit tea for $7 and it had additional toppings that I'm not complaining of. Overall, it was a decent place to go to and I would go again if I'm nearby.

The best Che and Pandan waffle I have ever gotten. The drinks here are super refreshing and tasty, but the pandan waffle just blew me away. It was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Honestly 10 stars if I could

This is one of the few places in Portland with such a large selection of Vietnamese desserts. The place has a variety of teas, coffees, smoothies, and my favorite, Che. I love how there are so many options for the che, but my favorite is #3 (che ba mau). The che always comes in a cup with ice and a lid, but for convenience, I take the lid off to enjoy my dessert and be able to mix it around. Although it is not the absolute best place, it is fairly good and I do recommend it if you're craving some Vietnamese desserts. :)

There was a dead ant on the table. And then there was another one inside my chè... which I discovered later on... after I was halfway done with it :/// fruit addict chè (number 6) was not exceptionally good but not bad, it had soooo much of the long green jellies, that it was a bit overwhelming. But I don't really care about that, I'm just complaining about the ants.

Tucked near the Korean Bbq & Viet-Chinese restaurants in the Winco strip mall is this quaint Vietnamese dessert/drink place. Clean as a whistle with 3 small cafe style tables inside, perfect for a quick sweet nosh. People are getting acquainted with bubble tea, but less so with che desserts. BTW, this place also has bubble tea and a few coffee drinks. Che desserts are like a SE Asian parfait, typically cold with shaved ice and coconut milk. The parfait items are typically fruits, sweet beans, and jellies. Most desserts are between $6-$7. We shared a "fruit addict" consisting mostly of fruits & exotic jellies. Tasty, slightly sweet, and refreshing especially on a hot summer day. There about 15 varieties of che dessert and I'm looking forward to trying many of them!

First time I've been to this Bambu location and it was a great experience. I love getting their Che's, but they have a variety of other drinks available like milk tea or fruit drinks. I ordered the Bambu Special ($7.45), Bambu Combo ($6.25), and the Taro Lover ($6.25). It is a little bit expensive for the dessert, but it's really good. The bambu special comes with coconut, pandan jelly, basil seed, longan, and coconut water. The basil seed reminds me of chia seeds and the longan was sweet and delicious. The bambu combo comes with red, white and mung beans, taro, pandan jelly, boba, rainbow jellies and in a sweet coconut milk. You definitely need to use a spoon to eat this. There's so many different textures and flavors with this drink. The taro lover has fresh cooked taro, pandan jelly and sweet coconut milk. A good amount of taro in this drink. Also for these drinks, you get to choose if it is served with ice in the drink, or can have the ice be on the side.

Popped in while I was in the area and craving some chè. I've been to a couple locations in different states that I've really enjoyed, and was hoping the quality would be the same here too. I'd have to say I think it's a bit better, and service is quick and friendly. The desserts/drinks are the perfect level of sweetness and loaded with delicious toppings. We ordered 2 drinks to share and both were equally delicious. The boba is fresh and doesn't have that weird hard bit in the middle like you find at some places, and all of the jelly's etc have the perfect level of chew. Parking was easy, and while the drinks at first glance might seem a bit pricy, you get what you pay for. These were not lacking in any department, and definitely satisfied my craving for Vietnamese sweets!

I think the drink was okay. The size is rather small. Perhaps I ordered the fruit addiction and I prefer more beans and taro ingredients. This drink/dessert is very hard to consume with the cup and lid.

Notes: Parking lot Not open Mondays 5-15 min wait My go to order is the traditional iced coffee with grass jelly and the taste has been consistent every time! Although a bit sweet at first, the crushed ice gradually melts some and makes the flavor perfect. The shop is small but cozy, in the asian way. It has poster images of menu items plastered everywhere, a mounted flat screen, 5 small tables to accommodate 2-4 ppl each, faux plants, and seasonal trinket decor. They still have the translucent screen at the register/p/u counter. The service has always been good. If I can't decide what boba/bubble tea to visit I always come here. Give it a try! They have a lot of fun, flavor filled drinks/desserts - I'm just basic.

I came here as a kid. Their desserts are so good and refreshing, especially during the hot weather. I always get their pandan waffle. It has a nice crunch and yummy chewiness to it. The workers/owners are super kind and always greet you! The facility is also well kept and nicely decorated. Definitely worth giving a try if you are in the area.

I ordered 5 drinks, charged $25 but received only 4 drinks. I ordered another 1 drink, then .50 cent charged for credit card payment under $10. She wants me to pay additional 50 cents for her mistake! expensive drink! Interesting experience! NO Return!

Craving #5, Avocado and was so disappointed, $6.95 and it didn't even make it to the half way mark. The rest was ice that was not soft or fluffy- Couldn't even break it apart to eat with my dessert! Price increased and quality declined- won't be back unfortunately.

Closed 30 minutes early and just looked at us while we arrived and tried to open the door.

The weather in Portland went from mild to really hot in a matter of a few days, and I had the urge to quench my thirst with some bubble tea from Bambu. This was my second time visiting Bambu since the shelter in place orders and I was really happy with how serious this establishment was in terms of keeping customers and staff safe. I came in wanting bubble tea but I saw a sign for their new Mangonada and went with that instead. The Mangonada did not disappoint and had a ton of fresh cut Mango in addition to the mango smoothy. They also had bubble tea sized spiced tamarind straws that came with the drink and were a cool touch.

Great and friendly service. The Che and drinks are spot on!! They now have DURIAN!! I added it to my #5 and OMG!! So good!! Also a must are the waffles that come in Pandan, Taro (Ube) and DURIAN!! Taste like mochi cakes. So good!! They have something for everyone.

Love this dessert spot. Not many places that specialize in this dessert only. My favorite is the number 5 which hot lots of avocado and I like to add the red tapioca because it adds a nice little crunch. I don't particularly like that it is cash only considering most methods are more convenient. Maybe they can do venmo? Lots of yummy combinations. You'll have lots of drinks or ches to choose from!!

Good place to get some desserts after eating a meal in the area. They have a wide range of desserts and bubble tea. I like that they have fruits that are not common at your traditional shops. Sometimes the drinks can be difficult to eat, but they give you a spoon you can use to help consume them. One thing to note, it's a cash only place.

Super fast service and great che! I love #1 and 6! Milk bubble tea with coffee jelly is my go to! They have pandan waffles here! I gotta try this next time.

Yum the desserts here are delicious and the people that run it are so friendly. There's a ton of variety between drinks, snacks and desserts. I always get Che Trai Cay..so lots of fruit in it. My partner loves boba smoothies especially avocado and it's not avocado flavor, you get actual avocado. The pandan waffle is made fresh and warm out of the iron and is delicious. There's plenty of parking in the strip mall here! It's near 82nd so it's close to other great asian restaurants. The only negative is cash only.

Hi. Welcome to Bam ... Shut up and take my money! Bambu is such a great chain of Vietnamese-inspired fresh-prepared drinks and desserts; however, this location was not great. It was ok. It was 3 stars. Coconut water and avocado are the magic behind the most devilish Bambu potions while Pandan Jelly and Longan are the not-so-secret ingredients. Whether you choose "ice in" or "ice on the side", the chè beverages are a healthy (right?), sweet, and cool. I wasn't wowed by this Bambu's version of a Taro Lover Chè with Ice which features Taro, Pandan Jelly, and Coconut Milk. A little more taro and little less coconut milk will help. Note to self: order it that way next time. Olivia went with the Chè called Fruit Addict (#6) that lives up to its name with Coconut, Red Tapioca, Lychee, Longan, Jackfruit, Palm Seed, Pandan Jelly, and Coconut Milk. If you are addicted to these fruits, then this drink is for you. She got the ice to go which meant the flavors were stronger in the Fruit Addict. This BAMBU location on 82nd Avenue was "a-ok" were A = average and OK = okaayyyyy.

I always come here for their avocado smoothies, they use real avocados and it's really smooth and not icy. only reason why I can't give them a 5 star is because it's CASH ONLY. It's 2019, even food carts and Girl Scouts have card payment options. And another downside is they only have 1 size, there's gotta be at least 2 different sizes, especially since your specialty is selling drinks and desserts is Update: THE WORSE customer service ever. My mom ordered an avocado smoothie and asked if they can remove the boba after they already sealed it. The girl gave the biggest attitude and poured it in a new cup with avocado spilled all over the cup and filled it up only halfway. We asked for it to be filled to the top but she said it would be charged extra after she made it she decided to charge us $2. With the customer service and most horrible attitude we've ever experienced, we asked to speak to owner and she refused to give the owner's number. I've never had to ask to speak to an owner before but the disrespect was too ugly to let slide.

A loyal customer I have been over the years, I truly enjoyed Bambu's deserts and have been a frequent visitor throughout the years. Even when they refused to take cards I would go to an ATM just so I can purchase some delicious Che. Unfortunately, they have not reciporcated the same feeling or sentiments for me as a customer. I went to their shop at 5:50pm on a Tuesday hoping to purchase some desserts. Their door says they are opened until 8pm, but I was promptly told to leave once I got in because they are closing at 6pm. Sure, I understand if they want to just go home for the evening but to refuse a patron who arrive before closing hoping to buy some dessert? They did not even apologize, and simple utter "we are closed" while another patron was waiting for their order. Truly disappointing Bambu.

One of the better places to get Vietnamese desserts and drinks. Che Tai is really good and is one of my favorite drinks. Their strawberry smoothies and milk teas are good as well.

I used to be a regular customer but recently I found the customer service is at its worst, they just don't care! Also the taste of the drinks are kind of bland nowadays.

I love coming here. Everything is always so good and refreshing. They are so always nice and sweet here. We look forward to coming back.

AMBIANCE: typical small Asian cafe, casual, in and out LOCATION: in a hard to find area in this strip mall. Keep an eye out when looking SERVICE: friendly and quick FOOD: I've only had the Chè Ba Màu from here, but multiple times and consistently good every time. They use fresh taro! PRICING: good price, I drive out of my way to cure my craving cause of the worth of this cup of dessert.

Amazing drinks, extraordinary service, wonderful kind humans and super flavorful treats! We got lychee milk tea with green apple jelly, hot chocolate, a Thai iced tea, and a longan sunrise with basil seeds, longan, and juice. My 10 y/o stepson ordered a Vietnamese coffee even though I warned him it'd be strong - he ended up not liking it and they immediately offered to make him a hot chocolate instead. Grateful for such kind folks who way go above and beyond! So happy to have discovered Bambu and will be back!

Went to get some dessert boba, smoothie, Che and they were all so good. The lady at the front who seems to be the owner is very nice and friendly. The place looks so clean and we'll be back.

PROS - Overwhelming big menu with lots of choices (that's a good thing for customers who crave variety, however read on to see why it's NOT from how they run their business). From che (Viet for "dessert"), bubble teas and cafe choices, they have it. We got #1, #2, #3 and #5. They were out of #6. The drinks were 3.5/5. CONS - They are very inconsistent with the opening and closing times -- it seems as if the hours of operation posted on the window is merely a suggestion to them. They close when they run out of ingredients or just whenever? The Bambu special was #1 and costed the most ($4.25) and tasted the most bland -- do NOT get! The others tasted wildly similar. The 20 minute wait time was alright, since we ordered six drinks (we got #1, two #2, two #3 and #5). Cash only, thanks for the other Yelpers who gave this helpful pointer! And as others have noted, this business is very disorganized -- they really need to change this! CONCLUSION - There is a huge hype around this place. If you want a solid Che Mau (3 color), go get it to-go at Pho Van a few blocks down the same street (sidebar note: aside from their Che "Van", everything in Pho Van sucks).

Get ready for the overwhelmingly large menu featuring various teas, coffees, and drink desserts. It always takes me awhile to figure out what to get, but I always stick with the smashed avocado. This place is honestly a hit or miss. Sometimes I like it and other times... Well... The website says "fresh ingredients prepared daily," but somehow I'm skeptical. Not sure if opening a new can of canned fruits qualifies as fresh. Its kind of spendy for what it is. You're paying for a massive snowball of ice and a bunch of coconut milk in a cup with canned fruits or beans. I don't know what possessed me to get something else after my sister said her husband got the same thing previously and ended up having to throw it away because it was just that bad. I don't really understand the craze for this place. You can make this at home, I suppose you're paying for the convenience of not having to do it, but at least be sub par.

A great place to pick up a quick drink. It's always clean and service is always on the ball. They accept cash only, so make sure to stop by and try one of their many drinks. I am partial to #1 which is coconut juice with longan, basil seeds, pandan jelly, young coconut, and sugar cane for $4.95.

Service was wonderful and drinks are very authentic and delicious!!! Will definitely be returning soon and highly recommended

Amazing unique desserts. Some of the best food I've ever had in my life. Worthy of a special trip for sure.

I didn't expect to find one of these in Portland. My companion on my trip wanted to get some asian dessert and found this place on Yelp. The menu is exactly what you would find in California. The drink was quickly made and tasted exactly like home! I'm glad they opened one of these here, since there isn't one like it around.

The girl came out from the kitchen seemed she just woke up. I Ordered avocado drink. Not even half of the cup, but I paid the full price.

This place sells awesome smoothies!!! I always get the avocado or durian with tapioca. They make the smoothies so well and it's so smooth, not icy at all. And they use real fruit! The drinks aren't overly sweet and I love that since most of the time the sweetness is overkill. Drinks only come in on size which is a bummer but the drinks are always consistent in taste and texture. The tapioca is only mediocre compared to other bubble tea places but it's still good. Downside to this place is that they only accept cash which sucks because I rarely carry cash, so I can't come here as often as I'd like.

For those of you who don't know about Bambu, you should know. (From their website) "Chè is a Vietnamese word for home-made beverages, dessert drinks and puddings. Our Chè is made to order using freshly cut coconut water or daily prepared coconut milk combined with select exotic, healthy and delicious ingredients." The first time I experienced Chè, was with my husband at a tiny store in Seattle. It was in a plastic cup, with beans, jellies, weird long green jello looking strips, some unknown looking liquid and a ball of shaved ice on top. Not exactly what I picture when I visualize the word, "dessert." I took an apprehensive bite and bam, it was delicious! A crazy mix of textures, mild sweet flavors and a cool (in temperature) refreshing twist. The beans are sweet red beans (these are in many Asian treats). There are also options with hydrated seeds. Similar to when you soak chia seeds for smoothies, they get this transparent jello-y halo around them after they're hydrated and the nickname is "frog eyes." Appetizing nickname, am I right? If you can get past the unusual appearance of 500 little frog eyes floating around your cup, they're delicious and fun to eat. Kids always love this one. My daughters favorite variation of this is the one with lychee fruit, chia seed and fresh coconut meat. You can always sub out lychee vs longan. I will warn that their longan are more traditional almost medicinal tasting. So we always go the lychee route. My favorite item here though, are their silky smooth and rich smoothies. My absolute favorite is the taro coconut. For those not familiar with taro as a dessert, it's perfection, it's sweet but not overly so. It's a root vegetable, with a soft purple color. The coconut brings a warmth to the drink that I love. Their mango smoothie is a close second. I always order 50% sweetness, you can adjust as long as you let them know! Really family friendly, they usually have an animation movie playing on the tv that is visible to all the seated areas. Their pandan waffles here are good, too, just a little over priced.

Wow...buried treasure find right here. These folks got the smoothie game on lock. That Mangolada with the spices and Pandan Waffles?...Effin goooood. That's all.

Bomb. I never had Che before but the pandan jelly was so chewy and good! This dessert was refreshing and not overly sweet. The store was clean and the labels were clear. I'd recommend this over plain bubble tea any day.

The cashier charged me for 3 larges when I didn't ask for the size upgrade but the girl was new so I let it slide. The drinks come out but then they only give me 1 large and 2 smalls. I inform them of the error. What appeared to be the manager asked her if she had charged me for the larges and she says no. They don't say or do anything afterwards. They also gave me a milk tea when the cashier specifically asked me if I meant just the tea or the milk tea and I told her just the tea--not the milk tea, but after checking the order, they took it back and got one without the dairy.

Loooove this place, each ché dessert drink is such a treat! All the workers here are friendly and driven like a family business. I wish I could come here everyday. I recommend any of the drinks with the green chewy things lol ... But all the boba teas are delicious as well as the iced coffee!

The girl with the glasses at the front has THE WORST ATTITUDE EVER! We came in to order 5 drinks and she literally rolled her eyes as she walked in the back.

Really nice people and their drinks are decently priced. Got the banana smoothie for my daughter and she loved it! The best part is that they used real bananas not the powdered stuff!

If you like refreshing Asian desserts, this place is for you. The #6 Dessert - Che Trai Cay (mixed tropical fruits) is really good. The menu can be a little overwhelming with many choices but look around on the walls to see photos of each dessert to get a better sense of what each one looks like. If you're going to eat there, get the ice in the dessert so you don't have to deal with pouring it in. if you're taking it to go, then the ice on the side is better so it doesn't melt and dilute the dessert on the way home. Bring cash as it is cash only.

YUM Vietnamese dessert! Cash only! Che ~$4.50. This is a chain Vietnamese dessert (che + boba) place that I've tried countless times in California. They maintain the same menu and prices. I often get the bo dam (smashed avocado with combo jelly, condensed milk and coffee jelly pieces) or the Bambu special #1 which is longan, basil seed, pandan jelly, coconut and coconut juice dessert (the most refreshing menu item in my opinion). They also have Vietnamese coffee, smoothies and teas. There is indoor and outdoor seating. The girl here didn't speak Vietnamese which was really surprising to me.

Agreed that this place isn't as good as good as the ones in California but it does the job. Ever since the grand opening hype I don't see this place being so busy anymore, I really hope this place stays and doesn't have to close down. It's so rare to get to see California Asian chains to be able to survive up here in Portland. It's not located in the best location cause it's hard to get in and out of but there's plenty of parking. They have a huge selection of Vietnamese drink/desserts but I always seem to get the same thing. My sister ordered an avocado shake with the shot of espresso added to it. It was way to strong and hard to drink. I told them and they were happy to fix it for us by adding more condensed milk. My mom doesn't have much of a sweet tooth but she liked my drink and said everything tasted really fresh.

Looks like Bambu is starting off rocky, but I can envision them doing better later on. It seems they may have had a setback to their grand opening as their original start date was in February and they opened this March. However, with their grand opening everything on the menu was $3 (an average saving of ~10% from the original menu price). Hours aren't posted, but this is where the difficulty sets in. I don't think they anticipated having such a huge turn out as they've closed 5p-6p in the past two days... Reasoning: they've sold out. Considering the product to prepare the desserts isn't as perishable to baked goods or such, it would have been best to anticipate more than the average. This seems to be a family owned business (this franchise) and closing early may not affect the workers, but for the hopeful customers the early closer may have lost some desirable loyalty. With the hours not posted and the miscommunication in place, we had a negative experience this morning... The "open" sign was illuminated and there was a crowd inside, we walked in 5 minutes till 10am. After standing there for a moment we were told they weren't open yet and they've get to us after they were open in 5 minutes... I don't know whether to be offended or sympathetic to the fact they're probably extremely overwhelmed, but whatever. Service is quick; the girl behind the register wasn't personable, but quick to the point. This is most likely due to huge influx of costumers. Ordered a taro milk tea, che: 2, 4, & 6. The milk tea was delicious, smooth and was thicker than normal milk teas in the Portland area. Since coconut milk is a primary liquid base to the che, the milk tea may be thick due to coconut milk. The ches were good, enjoyed 6 compared to the rest we ordered. I enjoyed having shaved ice rather than crushed ice in my che (compared to Pho Van's che). Once the hype dies down, I'm sure they'll have a routine with their hours and enough product... And truthfully, after having the che once - the hype may die down rather quickly. Bambu will definitely be a great place for che, but it's not worth a long wait in line - excluding the grand opening as it's to be expected with a discounted cost.

I have to agree to what a lot of people are saying about this place...meh. Huong T. made a good point, it is a repeat of a the Honey Toast hype. After two failed attempts to try this place, I finally succeeded yesterday. I ordered #1 Bambu Combo and #3 Che 3 Mau. I enjoyed the Bambu Combo, although it was not anything special, just sugar water, basil seeds, coconut, lychee, and jelly. Sadly, #3 was not as enjoyable. If you want good Che 3 Mau, go to Pho Van! Even though it is a sit-down restaurant, it is well worth your money to eat the Che 3 Mau there instead. Oh yeah, "CASH ONLY"......please pay your taxes, people. Bambu seems like a family-owned business to the max. Only two girls, under the age of 13, were working up front (Child Labor Laws?). One of the girls seem enthusiastic about being there during her spring break, while the other girl looked like she wanted to enjoy the great weather (I don't blame the woman). These girls took care of the cashier and ordering duties, while it looked like the mother/aunt worked in the kitchen preparing the drinks/desserts. In my opinion, these girls did a fantastic job for their age, but I can see why so many mistakes occurred during the grand opening. I will not say that I will never return to Bambu, but the likelihood that I go out of my way to get a cup of Che for myself from here is low.