overall service and ambience is decent but that is not what I'm here to review. I ordered an - avocado smoothie - Thai tea 100% sweetness w/boba - lavender black tea - pandan mochi waffle I spent a total of $27.50, an outrageous price that I'd be fine paying if the food was atleast decent. The avocado smoothie was practically the worst avocado smoothie I ever had. It's tasted like an icy bland vegetable. There was no creaminess, no sweetness, and barely a taste of avocado. 0/5 stars The Thai tea reminds me of a bottled milk tea that you can buy at any Asian grocery mart. Wasn't necessarily bad, but wasn't good either. Also had barely any sweetness when we did order it at 100% sweetness. Boba isn't warm, isn't soft, and tastes like nothing. 1.5/5 stars The pandan mochi waffle, had a nice crisp, and a nice chew to it due to its mochi nature. But its flaw was basically no taste of pandan and barely any sweetness. I don't have a sweet tooth, but eating it is basically eating a nice crispy and chewy bread. So atleast add more sugar for a hint of sweetness at the minimum. 2/5 stars The lavender black tea was actually the best thing that we had. Good sweetness where it isn't over or underwhelming and nice taste of lavender. 4/5 stars 1.875 / 5 stars Round it to a 2 but the price makes me put it at 1 star. Maybe I should've ordered something else on the menu and had a better experience, but why put something on a menu that is very underwhelming. read more

Bambu - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Millbrae, California

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Clean location! Welcoming modern ambiance. They bathroom is very clean! If I walk into any resto with a weird stench, I can't even enjoy the food or drink. They typically have only one person working on the weekday. I had a Five stars membership so I was able to get either a free upgrade or a free mochi. I got the Ube Mochi. It was ok, it didn't taste too strong. They have a pretty extensive menu here. I got the Avocado Smoothie with black boba, they also include condense milk with the smoothie. I've also had their waffles. This is definitely one of my favorite Bambu locations. read more

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I've been looking to try out Bambu since the day it first opened in Millbrae years ago and I finally got the chance today. The store was clean and the two girls working there were nice. Their Vietnamese dessert drinks are their specialties, but I still opted for the Taro Milk Tea with boba and 100% sweetness. They have a regular and large size and the different price wise is steeper than some other places I've been to where they charge you an extra $1.50 for a large. Of course I made an impulsive decision on the spot and got the large. With the base price being $5.50 plus the boba ($0.50) and the large size, the total was $7.50. Their drinks in general are also a bit pricey for the quality that you get and I understand the location and the costs for making the drinks are a big factor in that. When it comes to their Taro Milk Tea it was pretty powdery and had a pretty strong artificial taro flavor. It was okay taste wise and I did like the texture of the boba pearls. I just wasn't a huge fan of the powdery texture that the drink had. I probably wouldn't get it again personally. Regardless I still thought the customer service was good and the inside has a nice area to hang out in. If I were to go again I'd probably try their Chè drinks instead. read more

Bambu - Large Taro Milk Tea with Boba ($7.50) - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Millbrae, California

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We tried a variety of their drinks. All were tasty and enjoyable. Pandan waffle was delicious

Bambu's drinks never change. No matter what you order, it's always good! I love they have pandan waffles, I usually go to Sam Jose for pandan waffles but now I can get them closer to home! My go to drink is the avocado smoothie and it's soooo good. I add pandan jelly and grass jelly. Each topping was 75 cents. The whole drink cost about $8, wish inflation wasn't a thing ): The service was nice. The workers are nice and attentive. I love the decorations they have in there and it's quite spacious too. There's a huge table where you can sit and then there's window seats too! read more

The location was really nice, feels really bright and clean inside. The staff was really welcoming and friendly too. There is a small lot outside, so there's parking but some are 20 min spots I got the Awesome Trio (#3), which has red, white and mung beans, taro, pandas jelly and coconut milk. Really yummy and refreshing and not overwhelmingly sweet. read more

Bambu - Awesome Trio - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Millbrae, California

Wonderful little spot for the best drinks and AMAZING pandan waffles!! I'm pretty picky when it comes to my drinks and waffles since there's SO many choices around this area, and 'Mia'(?) made everything absolutely PERFECT considering my special requests!! Her warm smile and customer service skills are exceptional. Just found my new spot, will be coming back often!!! Thank you Mia!! read more

Bambu - AMAZZZZING perfectly crispy baked Pandan waffles (crispy outside, soft n chewy inside!!) and Durian Ice Smoothie!! - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Millbrae, California

Love how you can customize sugar levels, even in smoothies! I wasn't expecting that. I love the lychee smoothie when it melts a bit because it gives me a brain freeze if I drink it too fast. I'd like to try their durian smoothie next time, and they even have durian topping! read more

Bambu - Lychee Smoothie with lychee jelly - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Millbrae, California

I always loved Bambu drinks! Their specialty is avocado. Glad they still have it in San Mateo. Use to go in Ssf before it closed. Totally recommend all their drinks! Its refreshing and delicious and healthy too read more

Just ordered a custom drink, coconut water with coconut meat. Paid $9.50!!! Taste like melted ice with coconut meat, no coconut water!!! Very disappointed! read more

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The avocado smoothie is phenomenal! I cannot wait to go back and get it again! Thick and creamy! $6.75 Unfortunately the oolong milk tea with boba was so nasty. and I didn't try it until I got home. It tasted like sugar water with no tea or milk flavor. $5.50 Parking can be annoying read more

Bambu - Avocado Smoothie - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Millbrae, California

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Ordered our favorites, Smashed Avocado, and Taro Lover. Both dessert drinks were delicious. It was our first time going to this location because it's hard to find parking. We tried to go before, but couldn't find a parking spot. We used to go to the South San Francisco location years ago and now frequent the San Mateo location. This Millbrae location is closer coming from San Francisco. Will come back again. I want to try the other drinks but always wind up getting my favorite Smashed Avocado. I may have to order 2 kinds of drink for me next time. I'll save half of each to drink the next day. read more

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This place is small, mostly for grab and go although there are lots of tables and chairs to sit indoors. Bambu is such an authentic taste and differs from traditional boba places. Their drinks are light, fruity, and refreshing! I ordered the taro lover, the taro chunks were a little hard to suck up through the straw but the overall combination of flavors was yummy! On the other hand, the taro milk tea was lackluster. I recommend getting the dessert drinks because those are their specialities! read more

Bambu - Taro Milk Tea, Taro Lover - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Millbrae, California

Although this location is much farther than the South San Francisco BAMBU, we come frequently due to the super-friendly owner and wonderful staff that are genuinely happy to explain menu items that you have questions about. Generous rewards program that gives you points per dollar spent rather than cheap-ass SSF's 1 measly point PER VISIT, + free toppings, fun games all within an organically aesthetic space that entices you to linger longer vs feeling rushed out / unwelcome. New items: Mangoñeada - pretty legit, I like their fresh mango slush more than most paleterias. I love the fresh tamarindo straws that are soft and pliable. You don't feel like you'll chip a tooth trying to enjoy a nibble. Halo Halo - not bad. Not quite as good as your neighborhood Filipino restaurant but my mum approves. Highly Recommend: Smashed Avocado - unadulterated and exactly what it sounds like. Refreshing without being overly sweet. My new favorite is the half Vietnamese iced coffee, half avocado. They layer it and it sounds peculiar but honestly it's delicious cuz I'm always torn between choosing one or the other. Worth a try. Mochi Waffles! Perfectly chewy on the inside and golden crispy batter on the outside. I love the pandan and coconut equally so we always get both. read more

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I really love Asian drinks like this, boba or no boba. We went to a great lunch at Ben Tre and afterwards we wanted a little bit of dessert so we came here. Everything looked yummy so I decided to order the Bambu Special (Fresh coconut, pandan jelly, longan, basil seed, coconut water). This was not too sweet and the pandan jelly and longan were so good that I convinced myself that this was healthy... My friends and I shared a half pandan, half taro waffle. My favorite was the taro part but I really liked this! I am going to have to get one just for myself next time. We came in early and beat the after lunch rush, and it can get slow if everyone is getting waffles. read more

Bambu - Bambu Special - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Millbrae, California

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These two drink are so good. We got a guava smoothie and a mango smoothie drink. It's so good I love the flavor of it. read more

Bambu - Guava smoothie and Mango Dazzle Smoothie - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Millbrae, California

The stack of 100 plastic Bambu cups in my cupboard is a giveaway that I'm a loyal customer. My husband and I treat ourselves to Bambu once a week. Please can we bring our reusable cups??? read more

Did an online order and it went perfectly fine. My 1 star is because we ordered a half waffle and waited about 20 minutes for it. While waiting we see kids (probably the owners) eating fresh made waffles in front of us right behind the counter. (We know they were fresh, because you can see right into the kitchen and we saw them get help grabbing them off the waffle maker) It's not until we asked about our half waffle and were told that it was still cooking. The look on the workers face said it all, he forgot or something. It does NOT take 20+mins for a half waffle to be cooked. On top of that, when we finally received our half waffle we didn't even get an apology. At least say sorry or give us a whole waffle. Terrible. Always make sure to keep asking about your order. read more

Drinks are tasty, a bit pricey, but worth the price. Had to subtract two stars because when the register person asked if I was paying with cash or credit card, he first let me pay with my credit card, and then he forced a 3.99% customer service fee immediately after I signed and then would not let me choose to print or email myself a receipt. While waiting for my drink, I looked around and did not see the 3.99% customer service fee disclosed anywhere by print nor was it ever communicated to me verbally. I don't believe merchants are supposed to pass along the credit card fee without disclosure or my consent. It ruined my drink buying experience... read more

Bambu - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Millbrae, California

Apparently, per Tyler, you cannon request to exclude an ingredient in your che. I get the fruit addict and I can't stand jack fruit but I guess I'll have to pick it out...when ask "why" he said "we don't do that" ...not sure why they don't do this any more but I've requested this before at this location and at other locations? read more

Bambu - Fruit addict (would not let me order without jackfruit) - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Millbrae, California

BAMBU is a delicious dessert drink place (with the occasional snack as well), and it is a welcoming presence amidst all the bubble tea shops, since it brings its own regional flair to the competition. The idea is based on Vietnamese-style dessert drinks, which I used to be able to get in Asia much more readily (Thailand has similar drinks too!) You can find them here in Vietnamese restaurants, but BAMBU just does it so much better -- fresh ingredients, fully packed in your cup. The amount of coconut milk, pandan jelly, basil seeds or whatever other ingredients you get are always in generous portions. Of course, the biggest thing for me is that they have pandan! It's one of my favourite things that is hard to get in this part of the world, and I go crazy for it! They also have other rare stuff, like pennywort (according to Chinese beliefs it's great when you feel heaty!), jackfruit, longan and lychee. It's definitely what I imagine they would have at tropical paradises -- just one that is usually unfamiliar to the average American (no it's not all mangoes and pineapples). Try it out, maybe you'll get addicted too! I do suggested splitting one drink amongst two people due to how heavy they tend to be. read more

As a longtime customer of Bambu Millbrae, I always get the same thing: their taro milk tea with their delicious house-made grass jelly. They've been consistent in their quality of drinks for the past 4 years I've been coming here. Their pandan waffles are also a favorite of mine. However, their precision seems to have slipped a little bit since the pandemic began. While I was still away at college at the beginning of shelter-in-place, my sister informed me that she ordered her usual drinks from Bambu for my family but they got the drink wrong, thus she started to get her boba from T4 instead. When I came back from college, I decided to see for myself. I placed a pickup order via grubhub for three drinks and a pandan waffle. Weirdly, they ran out of pandan waffles at 3PM that day, but they gave me a refund right away when they told me it was out of stock. I got to the store 15 minutes after I placed my order and they were ready with my name on it at the front of the store. It was clear, quick, and contactless. This was on a Wednesday afternoon; I didn't see any other customers there when picking up my order. I placed another order on a Saturday afternoon, and boy were things different. As before, I ordered drinks for pickup via grubhub. This time there were other people waiting outside Bambu as well. It makes sense that they're busier on weekends, but unfortunately it seems that they rushed to make my drinks because they got them all wrong. I asked for no ice in all of my drinks but there was ice in all of them. To some people, ice is no big deal but some members of my family, whom I was buying drinks for, cannot have drinks that are too cold. I realized that there was ice when I was driving home and I heard the ice sloshing around in the cups. I immediately drove back to Bambu and showed them my receipt on my phone (which stated no ice in all drinks) and the drinks which all had ice. They said they would remake my drinks for free, but I felt bad and only asked them to remake two of the drinks since my sister and I could handle ice but my parents cannot. I appreciate this step that the business took to remedy their mistake. I've been loyal to Bambu for quite some time, and I still will in the future. However, I'll be less likely to go on a weekend than on weekdays as they're more likely to get my order right when they're not as busy on weekdays. I'm giving 4 stars because of the quality of the drinks. I'll give this business 5 stars when they can prove to be consistent making drinks the way I specify in my orders, even on busy weekends. read more

Always yummy! Friendly staff! Very clean and welcoming environment. The smoothies are so good and fresh! I get 25% sugar but honestly 0 sugar would be fine! The trio is great too! read more

I ordered a avocado smoothie and the avocado tasted like it's rotten and thought I'll be nice to let them know. When I called Wendy or Winnie claim to be the owner was super ruled and hung up and me when I told her that the avocado was bad. A few minutes later her staff called back to offer me a refund cuz I guess she checked the avocados are bad. I told the staff I don't appreciate that kind of treatment and I will report it on Yelp and then she ( staff ) hung up on me again. This is RIDICULOUS will never go back!!! Force to give a star to post this review!!! They do not deserve any star at all with that type of costumer service!!! read more

Bambu - Rotten Avocado smoothie ... Disgusting!!! - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Millbrae, California

#3 awesome trio - Che 3 Mau is the best. I always order at Bambu. Other drinks are good as well. I come here after I ate at The Kitchen dim sum. When I want dessert, I always think of Bambu. Can't go wrong! read more

So many different flavors and combinations to choose from! Their coconut milk is made fresh daily. I decided to switch it up and order something other than my usual boba milk tea. #10 BAMBU Favorite was packed with red tapioca, grass jelly, pandan jelly, coconut milk and crushed ice. Perfect combination and taste was on point, not too sweet. They also have some desserts which were tempting: mochi and macaroons. Lots of interesting flavor options. Very clean and there's plenty of seating. This location is surrounded by many Asian restaurants. I'll definitely be back when I'm in the area. read more

Bambu - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Millbrae, California

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It saddens me to have to write this review but it must be done for the greater good. I have been to at least 4 other Bambu locations throughout the Bay Area and this location in Millbrae, is by far the worst as far as pricing and value. It's not even close. You would think there would be some normalization that each of the Bambu locations would adhere to but this location decided it was ok to price their dessert drinks much higher than all of the other aforementioned locations. Yes, I understand they're located in pricey, downtown Millbrae, but the pricing still seems out of whack. If that was the only sore point for me, then I would just let it go. However, in addition to being disproportionately priced, they actually skimp on the quantity of ingredients, again relative to each and every single other Bambu location I've visited multiple times. Do yourself a favor and stay clear of this Bambu location. read more

I came here twice, the first time I didn't order anything because they were taking a long time to make someone's order seems like there was only 2 people working in the entire place. I waited for about 10/15 minutes, I was waiting inside the place and no one took my order as they were still making the other person order. I left as the wait was longer than expected and there wasn't even a long line outside. Second time when I came back the wait was slightly better but not too much I still ended up waiting for my order. read more

Bambu - #3 Trio - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Millbrae, California

WHY WE WENT HERE: - dessert after lunch THE LOOK (FROM THE OUTSIDE): - located off El Camino Real and Victoria Ave - large store-front windows THE LOOK (FROM THE INSIDE): - white and bright - wood accents - concrete floor THE MENU: - che dessert drinks - teas and milk teas - robust Vietnamese coffees - real fruit smoothies - premium smoothies - yogurts - juices - waffles - ice cream mochi WHAT WE ORDERED: - pandan waffles THE TASTE: - crisp on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside - coconutty/pandan taste vs. egg taste like some places CUSTOMER SERVICE: - a bit curt, but we were here for the waffle, which was great read more

I've only been to this Bambu twice since the San Mateo location is the one I usually go to. In terms of service this location is on par with the San Mateo one. The seating area is a bit larger here but parking is HARD - it's downtown Millbrae so what else is new. I've tried everything from the smoothies to the milk teas to the regular teas and I've never had a drink I didn't enjoy. Pros: Friendly enough service, delicious drinks Cons: Parking is hard Bottom line: Consistently reliable smoothies, juices and bubble tea in downtown Millbrae. read more

Not all Bambu's are created equal, but this one screams excellent service!! The owner who I met is so nice. I love the decor here, nice and spacious. There is even a cute seating outdoor to enjoy your favorite beverage. I'm probably one of the biggest fan of Bambu. I think I've been to most of their location in the Bay Area, and they have always been consistent. Try ordering #10 and of course my all time favorite, #5 Avocado. It's so good and refreshing. Oh did I mention they take #SamsungPay? BTW, if you drive an electric car like I do, there are 4 spots in the parking lot area where you could enjoy your drink and charge through "Chargepoint.". Quite convenient especially on a busy day like weekends! So don't forget to check them out since this is a new location. Great service, nice ambiance and delicious drinks! Cheers! read more

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Well, the drinks are good, but the attention to detail is not quite there. I wanted the red things swapped for red beans. I confirmed during and after ordering and she wrote it on the cup, but I was in a rush and didn't check until I got home. Lo and behold - they didn't make the switch. Next time - pay attention to the order to make sure they get it right. read more

Bambu - Bambu Favorite - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Millbrae, California

BAMBU: Houston, Dorchester, Sacramento, San Jose, now Millbrae ~ Had my fairshare of BAMBU and I've finally found my go-to choice: #10 Bambu Favorite Disclaimer: I do not enjoy beans in my desserts. I don't like beans in general. This BAMBU is very conveniently locate between my work and the BART. However coming here after-work is always risking missing my next-Bart and having to wait for the next one in 20 min ._. They can be quick busy and when they're not busy, they can be a bit slow. Slow as in I've been to faster places (under 5 min) but maybe 10-15 min is normal for other people. Cashier is normal, though the guy that bring out the drink is really nice and friendly. Pricing: I'm cheap, this place is not. The pricing here is at least $1 more than the other BAMBU locations. Currently there's an avocado shortage or something so any avocado items will also be slightly more expensive. Avopocalypse. Che: #11 Coconut Combo: is ok. I realize I don't like lotus seed so I just find myself avoiding that and enjoying everything else in there - coconut, longan, jello, coconut water - good amount of sweetness. The lotus seed is gritty and make me thing of beans again which make me blech #4 Summer Delight: why-tf did I do this. Ok so the menu to me is a bit small so I just pick a random # and unfortunately there's BEANS in it. Everything else is delightful but the overpowering sweetness of the mung bean is UGH. Make sure you get this if you like mung beans I guess cuz they put a lot. #10 BAMBU Favorite: aka my favorite. Everything here is perfect: Red tapioca, grass jelly, pandan jelly, coconut milk. Red tapioca aka HAT LUU is lit. That crunch hit you real good make it not boring to eat. By the time I get to the BART it's all melty and I'm just drinking it straight up, then by the time my BART come it's GONEEE QQ Not even gonna bother trying other drinks, this is the one for me. (Previously tried #1 and #5 at other location, and then the other stuff have beans in it or just doesn't sound fun for me) This is how I roll: grab Eggette before work/orlunch and grab a #10 here on my way home. read more

I've never been to a Bambu before but this new location in Millbrae is so nice, The staff is so pleasant and the establishment itself is so clean, that they got me as a new customer. Unfortunately I couldn't tell you exactly what I ordered but I believe it was a milk tea. my friends took me here because they love this place. The first thing i noticed is the open concept and the clean lines in their design. Their menu is very Similar to a lot of Boba locations however, they differ in the fact that their ingredients are really fresh. Even the cashier took the time to be patient with me to explain the differences between the drinks and how their beneficial to me considering I don't like drinks that are sweet. He made sure to match my drink to my cravings and reassure me that if I didn't like it they would make me another one without hesitation. I found that to be so incredibly generous and professional that I made sure to complement him to his supervisor. All of the drinks are made right in front of you so you're able to see what exactly goes in your order. Being in the Bay Area that definitely helps because everyone's a health nut out here. So it's good to have that peace of mind. With big open windows covering the front of this location it's easy to sit back, have a wonderful conversation and enjoy the views while drinking a refreshing cold drink here. I definitely plan on coming back and next time I'm going to remember exactly what I order so that way I can update my review. But if my next couple of trips here or anything like my first, I'm definitely gonna be hooked. I can see this becoming one of my go to locations for refreshing and healthy drinks. read more

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We went by 3 times over 2 weeks. Every time it was closed without notice on the door. We went at different times and we called and followed the revised times due to COVID. Every time, they were closed. I wish they would post a message on the door or change their voicemail with an update so we wouldn't be disappointed every time we stopped by and they were closed. We definitely wanted to support local businesses. I hope they aren't a casualty of the past year and they actually have a chance to reopen one day soon. read more

I would come to this place for 3 bean dessert. Recently i just discovered they have halo-halo wow! Its pretty good I would order it again. Friendly staff fair prices. Come by read more

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I used to be a big fan of Bambu, especially for their avocado smoothies. I save it as a big treat since it's so smooth and delicious (but expensive!). But quality at the Millbrae location has drastically dropped. This is the third time I've received a watery or bad avocado in my smoothie but this one was the worst. Clearly an avocado that has gone bad and completely rancid. I spent $8+ on this drink, and it was undrinkable from the first sip and I had to toss it. I won't be coming back to Bambu. read more

Lovely selection of Vietnamese Che desserts and boba drink. I always go with anything that had coconut milk. The fact that you can control the sweetness level is a win win. For me, this is a nice treat that is perfect for a warmer day. With the crushed ice and various toppings, it's hardier than just straight boba. I normally go for the #3 which has the various beans and jelly's. Definitely lots of textures and fun to eat. read more

First time at this Bambu location, the first thing I noticed was the prices. $6 for their specialty che (dessert) drinks, I can't say for sure but it feels like the prices are higher here. My usual is the Jasmine milk tea with boba but I decided to try their sea salt oolong tea today ($4.50 for a small) and the first thing I noticed is the snow white-colored creamy foam sitting on top. I've never seen sea salt foam so creamy looking. It tasted like salted heavy cream, very weird. The oolong tea was really strong and sweet, mixed with the foam, it tasted almost like coffee. Never getting sea salt drinks at Bambu again. read more

Bambu - Sea Salt Iced Oolong Tea - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Millbrae, California

Bambu is a chain that started in San Jose, which is where I first discovered them many years ago. As a lover of Vietnamese che dessert drinks, I have always respected their authenticity, quality of ingredients, and solid value. That is until I discovered this location. Let me explain, my review is not for this location's inconsistent quality or recipes that differ from the many other South Bay locations, but it's for the value part I mentioned earlier. You see, being in Millbrae, I get that Bambu needs to charge more for their drinks than say the South San Jose location, and they do charge more for the same drink as you get down south. However, my major irritating gripe with this Millbrae location is they literally skimp on the quantity that is normally in their menu dessert drink items. Meaning there is less fresh coconut, there is less basil seeds, less pandan, less, green beans, less red tapioca, and I'm not saying just a teeny tiny less but a very noticeable difference in the weight of the drink. Again, I understand you have to raise the price of your drinks to pay the sky high lease bill, but please don't compromise a foundation of what has made Bambu great. Your location is a black mark on this proud franchise. read more