BAMBU

I’ve been here a dozen times and finally decided to write a review. They have a wide selection of drinks here and I love their taro, pandan jelly dessert. This seems to be a family owned business and they are always friendly and accommodating.
They have a $ 10 minimum credit card limit, so if you want to use your card plan on spending $ 10.
Parking can be a little challenging as they’re in the same square with LikeLike, but you can find parking on the streets or in Walmart parking lot.

I consider myself a boba critic and one of my most bought items when I go out. I heard some good things about this place and happy I went. I’m a big smoothie guy so I got Strawberry with boba. The service wasn’t anything different than usual and parking was easy. Overall, I like the comfortable space inside and the boba texture/​quality is very, very good! Not the best I’ve ever had but top 5 guarantee. I’ll be coming back to try other items for sure and it only cost me 4.35 $ Pretty standard and it’s 10 $ or more to use credit card. So bring cash unless you’re with a group! I enjoyed this place ^-^

this place was empty and the guy behind the counter was annoyed at something.
i ordered a passion fruit juice. supposedly fresh squeezed but who knows. we grabbed some of those chips they have on display next to the register, then left with a quickness bc the vibe of the place was just cold and empty.

Ordered the #4 (che suong sa hat luu) and pandan waffles. The che had red tapioca (water chestnut inside as the «seed»), sweet mung bean, coconut milk, grass (black) jelly, pandan (green) jelly, and agar jelly (clear). OH MAN. First time having che, and it was sooo good! I was actually craving halo halo when a friend recommended trying this place. And that’s exactly how I’d describe it – a Vietnamese version of halo halo. Cold, refreshing, not too sweet, lots of different textures and chewy things. Predominant flavor is coconut, with the occasional water chestnut or grass jelly. New favorite town ice dessert place! (Non-​town fave: Ice Garden in Aiea for Taiwanese-​style shave ice). Their pandan green waffles were also great. One of the best places I’ve had, with strong coconut flavor and actual little shreds of coconut in the waffle batter. Very soft waffle with crispy outside.
I want to go back to try the #1 (Bambu special) and #5 (bo dam)!

We loved this place! Great drinks. Can’t go wrong if you’re looking for bubble drinks. #6 is really great! I love green apple smoothies too

This is by far one of my favorite places to get refreshing, healthy and delicious drinks in Hawaii. I’ve literally stopped by Bambū for the past 8 days in a row. The owner is so sweet and friendly. She has a way of making you feel like family as soon as you walk through the door. My absolute favorite drink is the Chè Trái Cây which is made of lychee, longan, red tapioca, jackfruit, palm seed, pandan jelly and coconut. All the fruit ingredients are fresh and after one sip, you’ll know why I’m so obsessed. Must try!

It takes a while for the waffle dessert to be made but it’s well worth the wait. So if you order a waffle liege, make sure you get a drink to sip on. The drinks come out fast and taste really good.

Why do I go to places that sell boba drinks when all I drink is either plain fruit juice, smoothies, hot cocoa and cold coffee? It’s because they sell pretty much most of what I like. There are days when I don’t feel like walking a mile just to get a good quality fruit juice. My go to drink here (besides their delicious smoothies) is the Passion Fruit juice. It is mostly on the super sweet side but it’s fresh and gives me my second wind on a tough day. You can request to add boba or jelly or order it on the larger size. This is a new drink added to their collection and is not on the menu but on the board next to the cashier. For $ 3.50, I am content. If you fee like reading a book, it’s a good place as it doesn’t get super busy. There are enough seats for a party of 4 on some tables. If you work around the area, try them out to see if you might like some of their teas or smoothies.
FYI’s
–Bring cash (unless you plan to purchase $ 10 worth of drinks. Minimum is $ 10 for credit card purchase)
–Parking is street and private lot (gets busy at night as there are other businesses in the area)
–Business is across the street from Sorabol and YogurStory (you won’t miss it)
–No stampcards

I love their Thai Milk Tea with Grass Jelly and all their Desserts (Chè). Everything is so flavorful and unique. I enjoy the fact that the Thai Milk Tea is not too sweet and the tea flavor is really strong. I used to make it a lot at my old work so I am pretty sure it’s legit tea and made extremely well. They also have the best Chè you can get in Hawaii. It has a bunch of ingredients and options in case you develop preferences (i.e. love mung beans, hate red beans ect…)
Give it a go!

Yummy smoothies!
DRINKS
I haven’t had their food, but I LOVE BAMBU’s smoothies with tapoica pearls!
There are so many varieties to choose from, but I always tend to stay with the mango or lychee — they are my favorites. Then, you can choose from a variety of jellies and tapioca pearls to include (free!). The smoothies are so tasty and refreshing and dairy free (yay!) and the tapioca pearls are always soft and fresh, too. Excellent quality!
SERVICE & SPACE
Nice on both fronts. They are very quick behind the counter and there are always spots to sit in the little café. It’s conveniently located off of Keeamoku, and I never have an issue finding parking.
PRICE:
About $ 5 for a smoothie, pretty reasonable. I like how they don’t charge extra for the jellies and tapioca pearls, like a few other places.

We were in the area, short on time, and ended up coming here. There aren’t too many places that sell chè, and this is one of the few. It’s an good alternative to shave ice or bingsoo especially with the terribly hot weather we’ve been having to deal with lately. Today we all got the Peach Catalina with lychee jelly. It was a little on the sweet side, but it tastes good when you haven’t had it for a while.

I LOVE THIS PLACE!
We come here ⁹⁄₁₀ times after eating Korean bbq at Sikdorak just to stuff ourselves even more. And since we park in the Samsung plaza, parking there is usually $ 1 or $ 2. They have their own lot that’s free to park but it’s quite tight. You can also just cross the street if you’re shopping from Ross or Walmart if their lot is unavailable.
There’s usually one or two workers but waiting has never been a problem. If you’re ordering food like Vietnamese sandwiches (which are delicious) than I recommend calling in to order before picking it up.
I usually get the almond milk tea or the grass jelly milk tea. The default size is regular but there is also a size large.
This place is famous for their desserts which comes in one size. My husband always get the #6 which has a lot of fruit and blended coconut milk. My cousin always gets the #1 which has basil seeds. It looks strange but you should try at least once if offered.
I can’t say anything about the bubble tea/​smoothies here because I always choose milk tea over bubble tea but I’ve never heard a complaint.
They have a bunch of snacks on display and pictures of the desserts you might be interested in on their walls. It’s always super clean and there’s a tv turned to the food channel.
There is a $ 5 minimum for cards and I believe the charge is $.50 if you don’t have any cash, which is not bad at all.

DO NOT ORDER «HONEY DEW MILK TEA» !!!
I usually like to get black milk tea or taro coconut smoothies with bubble those are my favs. BUT when my friend got honey dew milk tea, ohh my god the taste was like… What dda I’ve never tasted anything like this before. So my friend told the guy it’s too bitter I guess it’s because of tea then he added sugar to make it sweeter? but THAT just made it worse did not make any difference. This is just my opinion and if you guys out there loves it then that’s totally fine but it was just so horrible not worth it. I don’t know If I wanted to go there again. I feel sick now lol

Got the taro coconut smoothie and it was GREAT. Definitely get the yummy taro coconut taste going on. And it’s blended well. Not icy or watery at all!

Despite their Aiea location closing, this is one of the few places on the island that serves boba similar to LA. Their drinks/​pearls (boba, whatever you call the black balls) are consistent, fresh, and yummy especially with smoothies, which actually taste like a smoothie and not all that artificial powders. Their milk teas are never watered down or too milky unlike some places which
I really appreciate! Their Vietnamese iced coffee and Thai tea also hits the spot!
We haven’t tried their other desserts, but on a hot day like the ones we had this summer, why not try one for yourself?

I really love here. Bambu is actually my favourite milk tea place now and I go there almost everyday!
The service is nice, everytime my bf ask them about dessert since they have a lot of dessert but we don’t know what they looks like.
My favourite is black milk tea without boba.
Has strong Tea taste and even I drink slow and ice starting melt, still has good tea taste.

Balls, Jelly, Coconut Milk. Repeat.
Balls, Jelly, Coconut Milk. Repeat.
Now toss in fresh fruit, «young» coconut, Vietnamese bites, Vietnamese chatter and the mandatory Vietnamese cover version of Lionel Riche’s «Hello» and you have…
BAMBŪ DESSERTS & DRINKS!
After a few days of playing cowboy in Kamuela… I’m jone’sing for something sweet, not salty, but sweet. I’m in the Koreamoku ‘hood and BAM! V-​BAM! I remember Lori I. requesting the #6. Umm, in all honesty, I had no idea what she was talking about, but in Lori I trust! I mean, after all, she does love Lionel Riche! So, she must know! Plus, I noticed other aficionados of things Jelly… Good friends like Lien V., Courtney Y., Emi H., Jeanie L. (Cali) love it here! The #6 it is!
So, after I park behind Like Like Drive Inn, yes, the area is shared parking… I walk into Bambū then realize I haven’t been here in over a year, maybe two?! I’m immediately greeted by the polite young lady behind the counter. I notice the menu has been expanded from the last time I was here, but I also note the prices have jumped! Oh well! No need to peruse the menu since I already want the…
#6. CHÈ TRÁI CĀY — Lychee, Longan, Red Tapioca aka «Balls» or «Pearls», Jackfruit, Palm Seed, Pandan Jelly, Jello, «Young» Coconut. Price now: $ 4.97 (includes tax).
All the ingredients are packed into a plastic cup. You are given a plastic spoon, but grab a «fat» straw, too — you’ll need the straw! Y’know, to suck down those balls! You can either mix it up or immediately slurp away. It’s best to mix it up and let the ice melt some. It definitely hit the spot! It seemed like I was chewing half the time, unlike my typical bubble smoothies or teas, I normally get at these type of places! It was good, but I’ll probably stick with my smoothies, but if you’re into texture and different flavors in every bite and slurp — you’ll love it!
Yes, I recommend…
BAMBŪ DESSERTS & DRINKS!
Of course, other «Asian» inspired desserts are offered! Smoothies, Teas, Coffee, etc. The décor was contemporary and very «Asian» inspired — Faux Buddha’s for days! I sat down on a corner table and enjoyed my #6… And suddenly a Vietnamese cover of Lionel Riche’s «Hello» blasted on the speakers above me… Hey, not bad at all… Seriously.
OVERALL GRADE: 4.0-STARS (Solid)
Unilocal REVIEW ⁴⁴⁴⁄₅₀₀

They have a variety of Vietnamese drinks. Most of them consist of coconut juice or coconut milk and colorful jellies. They have a «dessert» section on the menu and you can order by number. If you’re a first timer, I recommend ordering #1 (dessert) because it has all the fixings. The drink is colorful so you’ll also get a nice photo. I’m not sure what the correct way is to eat/​drink this but I normally stir everything up so the crushed ice can chill the bottom jellies. Then I start sipping until my straw gets stuck. That’s when I bust out the spoon and stir it some more. I’ve seen other people in there with these drinks and they don’t use the straw. They use the spoon and just eat it straight. When all the crushed ice melts, they go back to the register to ask for more.
The fruits smoothies are also very good. They make their thick so you need to wait awhile before you start drinking. I don’t recommend the milk tea. They don’t taste as good as the other tea shops on Kapiolani Blvd. If you’re picky about what’s in your Vietnamese drink/​dessert, you can do a custom order but keep in mind that it could cost over $ 5. If you want to snack on something while you wait for the crushed ice to melt, they have a small food menu on the left side of the register.

If you are into Vietnamese desserts and drinks, you should stop by Bambu on Keeaumoku. It is located in a small shopping center near LikeLike Drive Inn. The parking is right in front of the restaurant but, not too many stalls. You just have to be lucky.
The moment we walked in, we were greeted by a friendly Vietnamese employee. He was very friendly, comical and helpful. Since it was our first time there and first time having Vietnamese desserts and drinks, we were a bit overwhelmed. I wanted to try a dessert, and so the helpful employee suggested the #2 Che Thap Cam (combo) for $ 4.75. In a clear cup, there was a layering of the following: red bean, white bean, green/​mung bean, taro, panden jelly, pearl and combo jelly and topped off with shaved ice and coconut milk. It was an «explosion» of exotic flavors and textures. The beans were tender and sweet… the jellies and pearls were juicy and tasty… the shaved ice and coconut milk made the dessert cool and refreshing. It was delicious and perfect for a hot Saturday afternoon.
Bambu has about 72 varieties of milk teas, hot and cold drinks, blended coffee and smoothies. Also, they have about 24 varieties of desserts. I can’t wait to come back to try their drinks and other desserts.
If you live in Aiea, they also have a restaurant on Moanalua road.

When I want to splurge on sweets, I like stopping by at BD&D for some cool drinks and desserts. My 2 favs: avocado smoothie and the #2 (combination). The avocado smoothie sounds weird to most but I changed my mind after trying it. Since avocado has good unsaturated fat, it’s justifiable to enjoy it without feeling guilty. The creaminess of the fresh avocado fruit really makes this «healthy dessert» drink addicting. Totally satisfies any cravings for sweets!
The #2 combo is an awesome dessert and I usually enjoy this as my meal replacement but sans the pearls. I’m getting lots of protein power from 3 different kind of beans (red, white and green mung) and they’re all mixed with 2 types of jelly and taro cubes. This is served in a cup of delightful creamy coconut milk and topped off with unflavored shaved ice. Once you mixed it up, it is heaven. Now I’ve done it, I want one now just thinking about it.