Bon Me - Fresh Pond / Alewife

I recently visited Bon Me in Cambridge and had an amazing experience customizing my bowl. I opted for the chicken karaage as my protein, and it was absolutely delicious—crispy, flavorful, and perfectly paired with fresh veggies, rice, and a zesty sauce. The orange juice (or Lucky Orange Bubble Tea, as it’s called) was equally delightful, with a refreshing citrus kick that complemented the meal beautifully. The quality of both the food and drink was top-notch, and I can see why people rave about this place. That said, I found the prices a bit steep, especially the $6.80 for the drink—it felt pricey for what it was. They don’t offer sodas, which limited my options a bit, though I suppose you could grab a Coke or something from Dunkin’ next door if you really want one. Overall, my meal came to just over $30, which is a bit much for an everyday lunch for my budget, but the deliciousness made it worth it for a special treat. The service was friendly, the atmosphere was vibrant, and the customization options were fantastic. I’d highly recommend Bon Me for a high-quality, tasty meal, though it might not be feasible for daily lunches unless you have a bit more wiggle room in your pocket. Still, it’s a five-star experience for flavor and quality!

It was a great experience! The ramen was amazing, the boba tea was amazing too! The vibes were really chill and cozy. The bathrooms were nice. They were clean, spacious. It was a great, quick way to get food.

Great place for lunch. The Pho is done perfectly and Vietnamese iced tea hits the spot. Seating area is small but no problem finding a place to sit. Dine-in or takeout options are available. Highly recommend to anyone wanting some great noodles!

This place was nice. Staff was friendly and the food was ready quickly (there are no servers here). The food was ok, not the best Ramen or bahn mi that I’ve ever had - it was just ok. Will be back again perhaps for the sandwich but probably won’t get the ramen again.

Incredibly stingy with their sauces. I write a note to include a certain amount bc they don't have the option to add more on Doordash and they completely ignore the note. I'd be happy to pay for it but they have never added the option. The sauce makes the food - I ordered several times a month and will no longer be ordering

Look, this is essentially a fast food place. Clean enough, bright enough, fast enough. But the prices are much higher than fast food. And the food was pretty awful greasy salty fried rice soaked with soy sauce Really a rather expensive mistake.

Flavorful and exciting "Asian-inspired" dishes. I have never been before but it was very good. Great portions too. Very clean interior and quick-thinking staff. Will come again.

Great choice of Food Menu and Service is Top Notch. The attendant was kind in taking me through the various options and combinations. You can actually create your own Combination. The Food is Excellent. The only minus is there aren't a lot of seats. Other than that, it's a great place to eat over and over again 👍🏾

Came here on a super hot day and the giant AC machine threw me off at first but I really appreciated the effort they put into keeping the area cool (and it worked!!). I really enjoyed my sandwich (I think I got the one with chicken karaage?) and the basil lemonade had a veryy strong basil taste to it too! The cashier and cooks were very friendly as well.

I really enjoyed the food here. The staff was very busy with online orders but got us our food pretty quickly. The bowl was delicious and the lemonade was really good. I would definitely go back. The restaurant was pretty small but I didn't have a hard time finding a spot to sit.

Can't speak to the dine-in experience, but I have consistently ordered the same sandwich from Bon Me (korean chicken) over the past few months, and it is always delicious. Perfect lunch or dinner for those who like a banh mi style sandwich but maybe don't eat or like pork. It's spicy but not inedibly so, and it's very fairly priced for the size. Will continue to purchase this gem of a menu item from this restaurant!

So, the chicken pho itself was really good. There was plenty of chopped chicken provided and noodles and pho. No toppings like basil and scallions etc on the side like normal pho usually has, but it was still tasty. The issue I had with this meal was how it was packed for take out. The chicken and noodles were given in a plastic take out black bowl container. And the piping hot pho was in another different clear container. I feel like I got cancer from this meal since the pho was so hot in a plastic container and got poured into another plastic container containing the noodles. Bon Me use to give brown maybe compostable bowls for their take out meals and that would have been much appreciated in this situation. I feel like the quality at Bon Me has gone down over the years unfortunately.

Now on my top places to get pho or ramen. Excited to go back and try more items. I ordered pho and my partner ordered ramen. While I didn't try hers, it smelled fantastic. I think I'll try the veggie ramen next time!

First time ordering from here. I ordered the namesake Banh Mi online and it was ready even before my estimated pick up time. It was a great sandwich, loved the veggies, sauce, and the toasted bun, it really hit the spot. Would definitely return to try again!

Updating my previous review. I had said I haven't found anything truly craveable here but have found myself going back again and again for the gojuchang chicken over brown rice with soy drizzle; the slight spiciness of the chicken is tempered by the rice and refreshing salad, and complemented by the sweet tang of the pickled carrots. My daughter loves the soba noodle salad version of this. A new discovery is the kimchi fried rice- I got it with chicken, and it was really quite good; just wish it had more veggies (and less oil, although I'm sure that's what added to the flavor!) I must commend the staff at the Fresh Pond location - they are always very pleasant and accommodating.

Visited on a Sunday evening before 6:30 and ordered on the screens. The two groups who came in behind us got their food before us. When I approached the staff to inquire they told me they just needed a moment, but then two more parties behind us got their food before us. They seemed overwhelmed with to-go and Uber Eats orders. It ended up taking well over thirty minutes for our counter-service food to be ready. We had to speed eat in under five minutes to not miss our movie time. As for the food, the Chicken Kaarage was terrible -- dry and inedible. The Bahn Mi was poor. The fried rice was pretty good. Pretty terrible experience overall.

I have missed the food trucks since I moved so lots of new stuff on the menu to me. Back in the food truck days, my all time favorite would be *the J.P* which is a tofu banh me sandwich with perfect amount of spiciness and pickled radishes. This time I tried something new and it didn't fail! *The Wrap Scallion* is a creative miso pork sandwich wrapped in fried scallion pancake and stuffed with pickled veggies. It's a little messy to eat but the flavor is great!! *The Korean Style (ale)* is toasted baguette stuffed with bbq chicken and sauce. It's good to try but not as good as the Wrap Scallion. I prefer my old plain JP. *Lemongrass Chicken* Meh, nothing too special. It's in big portion and it's fried chicken, if that's all you care :) I love coming back to this little nook to try new dishes, always a fan of creative Asian inspired cuisine. Highly recommend if you happen to be in the hood!

The quality of the food was very poor. Portions were small, and food tasted completely stale. Scallion pancake, $7.25, had just a few small pieces of the pancake, quite dry and tasteless, clearly old. Not much scallion could be detected. Karaage chicken pieces ($8.75) tasted very old and stale, I had to throw them away. A really bad experience.

Quick, spicy and delicious! I got delivery via GrubHub. There were a bunch of orders and the staff was nice enough to label and number the food to match with the receipt. If you're looking for some oomph in your food, definitely get the Gochujang chicken. I got the soba noodle bowl and the serving size was very filling. I also got a Thai basil lemonade which was very refreshing. I'll definitely be back to try their more famous sandwiches.

Went back several times and they have all been great. Their pulled pork sandwich is LOADED with meat-- something that my hubby and son loves.

Ordered the kimchi ramen and was pretty good. Also tried the boba which was eh but I didn't expect too much from the boba, tasted basically like sugary water. I would get the kimchi ramen again, and probably a drink from the CVS next door.

This was serviceable, but can't claim points for flavor, value, or authenticity.

I love Bon Me sandwiches, they don't have the variety that I remember from the food trucks in Boston's sea port, but still taste great. I really like their fries too, though they're heavy, the spice on them gives them a fantastic flavor -- although they are really expensive for the amount that you get. So far I've only gotten delivery from this location, and only had a problem one time where they kept pushing my order and I just cancelled, but not surprised to be honest since I'm sure Grubhub orders don't get priority.

I've seen Bon Me's food truck all over Boston but never had a chance to try it out until now. I decided to stop by this location which happened to be in this chaotic mini plaza on Alewife Parkway. Inside Bon Me was less chaotic and quiet, which I appreciated at the time. It's clean, the decors is very simplistic and it seems like a chill little spot to meet up with friends for a quick meal. White Rice Bowl w/ Miso-Braised Pulled Pork & Vietnamese Vinaigrette- The pork is very tender. I like that they kept it more traditional by adding pickled daikon, carrots with cilantro and onions as toppings. You can't really taste the vinaigrette but it was still pretty good. Soba w/ Chinese BBQ Pork & Spicy Peanut Sauce- Oh no-no-no. My sister who typically can eat spicy food was in tears eating this. I made the mistake of trying it out for myself and I was in tears! We both lost our taste buds after so we had no idea what anything in this bowl tasted like. Thai Basil Limeade- I figured my sister would love any face puckering drinks so I got her this. It's actually really refreshing. Milk Bubble Tea- Not bad. I like the black tea flavor. Overall Service: Ehhhhh. The guy behind the counter was very quiet. I asked for a recommendation and barely got one so I randomly went with these combinations. Not entirely bad but not great either.

This review is based on having the banh mi and the noodle salad. The banh mi is much improved compared to banh mis I've had from this location and their other locations in the past. The pork pate is either a new addition to it or it has a more prominent taste than it has in the past. I would give them 5 stars based on the banh mi alone. The noodle salad is also excellent for the most part. However there's one little problem that prevents me from giving them 5 stars. The spicy peanut sauce/dressing is disappointing and there wasn't enough of it. I don't mind a little heat, but they focus on heat more than flavor. It'd be better if they made more of a traditional peanut sauce which is better balanced between sweet and heat and all sorts of flavors. The dressing was barely there and then it was gone and I had to supplement it with some salad dressing that I had that didn't really match the salad I ordered. It's the little details like that that often matter most. They should be more attentive to that.

I'm not a huge fan of their food. My bf used to like it (the bahn mi). The boba is okay. One time this girl was saying this wasn't Viet iced coffee and the guy was saying it was. The poor girl was Vietnamese and this food is clearly not authentic.

In terms of taste, this is hands down the best Bon Me location. I live in the South End, so there are 5 Bon Me's closer to me, but I will always go out of my way to order takeout/delivery from the Fresh Pond location. They never forget the add on's to my sandwich, the bread is always perfectly toasted, and the tofu is spiced to perfection. I don't know if they just hire all the best people here or what, but it's such a noticeable difference!

Everything at Bon Me is amazing, but the unsung hero is the miso glazed pork fried rice! I've NEVER had such amazing fried rice in my life!

I freaking love Bon me. At this point, it's pretty much a Boston institution. From its humble food truck beginnings, to an entire fleet, to the now numerous brick and mortars, this being the latest. What's not to love?! Fresh food, creative menu, fast casual dining. Let's not forget the always refreshing drinks like basil lemonade. There's ramen, salsas, bowls and sandwiches to choose from. I would describe Bon me as modern Vietnamese, or Asian flare. When you are doing things like lemongrass fried chicken and serving them in a Bon mi sandwich, you are definitely winning in life. The one negative would be the lack of sides, with only a couple of options to choose from. Thank God the sandwich is about the size of my infant son, perfectly filling! (The sandwich, not the baby).

Very very disappointed on the service. After the order was placed a guy told me they have no brown rice. Firstly, if you don't have any why not remove it from your menu? He said to replace it with Quinoa and charged $1 more for it. Really??? You providing me inconvenience and on top of that you would want to run my card again for a $. I mean its not a big deal but its about customer service and accommodating your clients at best when your menu is at fault. Ok finally they charged me a $ but here is the fun part. When i got back to my work with my box they had brown rice instead of Quinoa. I am Like what????? I have attached a pic too. I don't think i am coming back here where you are not appreciated and been over charged! Advice: Bon Me management you better fix your staff before you start losing more customers!

I love the food here, but I've decided not to eat here anymore. I drive to work so when I want to place an order I need to do it by telephone and not online. Inevitably, whenever I call I need to call back 8 to 10 times before anybody answers the phone. I know the restaurant world is moving to online ordering, but sometimes customers need to order by phone. Additionally, they've made mistakes on my orders a few times and have been unapologetic about the mistakes and uninterested in crediting me. It sounds petty, even to me, but for the prices that we are paying for food these days we should be able to get excellent service and bon me just as it doing it.

Honored to pen the first review for Bon Me's newest brick and mortar. Hooray! That miso-braised pulled pork you know and love, drenched in a delightful toasted sesame dressing, is served in bulk for $8, and the smokey tea egg nestles itself in the eco box for $2.50 more. Sandwiches, noodle salads (go soba or go home) and more usual suspects grace the familiar menu, and exclusive to this location (?) is a "$5 after 5p" special: some limited avail foodstuffs on the low for the dinner crowd. And there is a dinner crowd - this Bon Me stays open til 8p every night. Minor dings for early closing antics (7:40p already saw a mop on the dining floor), and slightly low temp on hot items (perhaps related to aforementioned GTFOQ side work?); bonus love for the surplus of protein in the box. Jam! Live long and prosper, Fresh Pon Me.

I've been to this Bon Me a number of times since moving to the area a little over a year ago for work. It's been a staple for a quick, healthy, and delicious lunch that is conveniently just across the street. Location: Inside is always clean despite the lunch time rush. They have multiple ways to order - self order through a tablet, online, or through a cashier. It's an easy process with either option you pick. Staff does a great job getting the orders out on a timely manner. Food: My go to is the Soba Noodle Bowl with Gochujang Chicken and Spicy Peanut sauce. I like the contrast between the refreshing cold noodles and the spicy chicken. The pickled carrots and herbs on the side help tie everything together nicely. This does have some heat so be wary if you aren't the spicy type! This place isn't known for their Vietnamese food - but they do a good job with their own interpretation and flare. I'll be coming back for sure.

Came here for dinner. Ramen texture and egg was on point! Favor of broth was decent. Kimchi was a topping not part of broth. It's pricey for the portion. Came with the free bubble coupon with yelp check in but was told it expired even through it did not indicate so on app.

I ordered the wrong sandwich (meaty, not vegetarian) by mistake and was told...there was absolutely no way I could get another. I had just come from visiting my mother in a nearby rehabilitative care center: she had a weeklong hospital stay beforehand. I had a meeting with her care team about the many resources that needed to be in place before she could go home. I was distracted and dehydrated and no one at the front counter really was up for taking my order, so I used the iPad in front and ordered the wrong thing by mistake. I tipped well (in retrospect a huge mistake) too. I just left the sandwich I couldn't eat there and vowed NEVER AGAIN to get anything at Bon Me, after years of supporting them. Also? You will get a better banh mi pretty much anyplace where the name is spelled correctly, often cheaper too. Go to those places instead, which also have better staff and management.

Super disappointed! Wishing there were negative starts. The restaurant messed up our order and gave the food to another customer, and that guy took the food back to his table and touched them. Later, the restaurant realized it, they asked that customer to return and gave the returned food to us. No apologies, no refund, or no new order, the staff forced us to take the food that was returned by someone. We paid $32.25 but never got our food. It's never acceptable to eat the food that was returned by others due to the restaurant messed up the order!! This customer service is not acceptable either! Isn't a restaurant's responsibility to serve a new order or refund when the staff messed up the order?

Wish there were negative stars. Delivery is awful but customer service from management is worse

I will have to return to this location and try something else, but my visit recently was not great. Ordering and service was fine, but the food was not. I got an order of the lemongrass fried chicken, and the pieces of chicken were TINY (most similar in size to a grape tomato) and not flavorful. They were crispy, yes, but SO dry inside. I was not too thrilled. I ate less than half of the order and decided I was done. Seems like maybe they made my order out of whatever was left at the bottom of the bag of frozen fried pieces? Not sure, but it wasn't good.

I went to watch a Movie at AMC Fresh Pond location and came here for dinner. Value: 6/10, Food 6/10, Ambiance 7/10, Authenticity 5/10. Overall- slightly better than the food truck. I have tried Bon Me's food truck in Boston got one of their "Bon Me" sandwiches and was really not impressed. But I think this physically location is better than the truck. I got the Miso Kimchi Ramen and asked for extra noodles because I knew the serving size would be a bit small for me. The taste surprised me and was not bad. The price however, with extra noodles, came out to be around $20+ which is way too much for ramen at a food truck restaurant. My friends got the namesake bon me but it seemed they did not get enough food or it was not very satisfying for the price they paid. My recommendation to the restaurant would to be give bigger serving sizes to customers or reduce your prices.

I finally tried this place, and wasn't impressed. Food is sort of blunt but good. I had the brown rice bowl - it is ok, but without any additional ingredients, it didn't taste as anything. What bothered me in this place, is how dirty it is. The kitchen floor, right behind the counter, is full of discarded food and dirt - I could see it as a customer. I am not inspired to go back. Too bad, since it seemed to be a healthy alternative to fast food...

Bon Me make great sandwiches. The pork with boiled egg is outstanding. I make it a point to stop by on the way to the airport at least twice a month. The ordering by app is still a little shaky but the staff will make it right when you pick up.

For quick, flavorful and reasonably priced food this is a wonderul place. I usually go to this location and the one on Stuart St in Back Bay (next to John Hancock tower). Whether you want their namesake sandwich which is so loaded with flavor - or a bowl of exotic soup with rice or noodles - or a salad there is always something that I get and love. It's quick and very satisfying. Go try it out. You will be pleasantly surprised.

Great healthy food, taste great. But sometimes when you order online it takes too long. But still great place.

Good fresh ingredients, friendly staff, easy to order at location kiosk. Consistent good quality.

Hit or miss. I think this place suffers from being an awesome small business that grew popular/larger and the quality has suffered because of it. It's essentially a chipotle quality bon me spot. If you get fresh food it does the job, otherwise it will leave much to be desired.

Food was okaaaay but not something I would go out of my way for. I had a rice bowl with gochujang chicken which was ... okay. Nothing was wrong with it. Staff experience was weird:: A woman on the prep line took a squeeze bottle of sauce/dressing out of the fridge, held it up to eye level while swishing it around, put the tip near her nose to smell it ... then dispensed some of the sauce onto the rice bowls she was making. She seemed unsure if she had the right bottle. Maybe they should label the bottles for the staff so they dont have to smell it (eww) to figure out if they have the right bottle? The cashier asked us if we wanted a receipt to which I replied yes. After the transaction he went into the back for something and when he emerged he saw us still at the register and asked "you guys need something?" Yeah how 'bout that receipt...

Utterly disgusting. I had the Namesake and the main ingredient was microwaved old pork. It was pretty gross. I have been to the Bon Me truck downtown before and had a pleasant experience so I don't know what was wrong with this place. Perhaps because there weren't that many customers at the time, so I got some old leftover reheated meat? I don't know. I cringed when she placed part of the bare sandwich down on the raw tray without any paper under it. Eww. Wondered how often those got washed. I am a little tired of these d__chey places that have to hipsterize everything they serve. A Bahn Mi sandwich is pretty basic and tastes great. You don't have to change a winning formula just to charge twice as much as a legitimate restaurant would. Again, I am disappointed by the Boston food scene.

Ordered take out via Grubhub. The pho is definitely not authentic...they used chicken and put onions in it?? and the chicken in the pho do not even taste fresh. Not the worst dish I've eaten but I will not order again. The boba milk tea also tastes watered down...this restaurant might be ok for some who aren't very picky and don't mind if the food are not authentic.

Good spot, great patient and professional staff, and food is delicious. Takes a little long to prepare, so I recommend ordering ahead if you know what you want, but if you're ordering there, still worth the wait.

I had their brown rice bowl with rubbed chicken. Everything in the bowl looked and tasted good except for the chicken (protein option). The chicken tasted like it was cooked yesterday and wasn't seasoned well. It was chewy and had that distinct old chicken smell/taste.

Let me start by saying that I love Bon Me. Soba bowls, sandwiches, fried chicken, thai iced tea - all of it! My hangup is their delivery through Caviar. I've ordered it twice now - soba bowl, deviled tea egg, bubble tea - and both times it's delivered without chop sticks and without a bubble tea straw. The first time was a bummer, but the second time I put in the directions "include wide bubble tea straw." But still, nothing. I thought it was a Caviar issue but now I think it's a Bon Me issue because they package the delivery. I have tried to call Bon Me to tell them they need to include special utensils and straws, but they don't pick up their phone. So, here it is on Yelp...

As the rating says, I am a fan. I have been meaning to come to this location for a while now and I kept forgetting it was over here in Cambridge. I recently went to Trader Joe's next door to BonMe on a soggy, gloomy day and like a shiny new penny, I saw the store front. My daughter is a picky vegetarian but she is a fan of their tofu rice bowl so I picked up two (mine had the miso pulled pork - yum). Tastes just like your favorite food truck but the ingredients are even more fresh. My only complaint is the Thai Iced Tea - this is the place that introduced me to this luscious drink in the first place but I have noticed in the last few times I have gotten it that they recipe is off. It is now too sweet (more than it should be) and it has an perfumy smell/taste that I just don't like any more. Luckily they have plenty of neat drinks to try so I am not that crushed.

I had to leave a review just for the pork fried rice. It is flavored perfectly, with tons of juicy pulled pork and a deliciously subtle vegetable mix. As someone who dislikes most vegetables, I have no problems scooping up bites without hesitation. Everything is done to a T. I've never had any other dish, but according to others in my family the sandwiches and bowls are just as good. However, the bubble tea is not up to par. The boba pearls have an inconsistent texture and no flavor. Perhaps a better method of cooking, and soaking the boba to sweeten them, should be implemented!

I finally tried this place for the first time the other day and I now see why they've taken over Boston. There was a line when we got there and it seemed to be there the whole time we were sitting but it moved fast and the cashier was helpful and friendly. I love their Thai Basil Limeade - I could drink that all day. We each got a sandwich and split the sweet potato fries. Everything was fresh and flavorful. The sandwiches were a bit spicy but delicious, love the toasted baguette. Great lunch for two for less than $25 - will be back soon.

Banh mi here is ok but overpriced and not very authentic. If I were craving it I would have to go elsewhere. However the pork ramen was tasty and can hit the spot if you are looking for it and don't want to get on the T. It was very filling and came with a lot of the same pork they use in the sandwiches, Chinese BBQ pork. Not as tender as charsiu served at most places nearby (in Harvard and Porter Squares, haven't tried Davis Square ramen yet) but still satisfying and in a very generous portion size. Drinks are expensive too but if you live in the neighborhood and don't make your own bubble tea, this might be the only place to get it - it's not bad.

The food was great and the staff was friendly. I had the miso kimchi ramen and it had too much kimchi for my taste but other than that it was amazing.

Tried Bon Me today for lunch; I ordered the tofu banh me sandwich (the only meat alternative option, which rather surprised me for the area). I appreciated the serving of carrots and radish, but the tofu needs attention. It was simply diced up and rolled around in what appeared to be sriracha. If they could treat this better, say, marinate it or deep fry it and add lemongrass like the chicken option, that would drastically improve the flavor. The potato fries were really delicious but not particularly Vietnamese, so I don't feel they justify a 3rd star. Bon Me, please work on the tofu protein so I can visit you again.