Budacai- you are good for my tastebuds but bad for my wallet!! With food being ranging from 7-15 dollars, if your coming hungry make sure to be able to spend 20 at least for a drink and multiple apps. What I like is there desserts, entrees, apps and snacks that serve as a survey of Asia and fusion food. We got the japadog, spring rolls, bulgogi with vermicelli noodles, pandan waffle, popcorn chicken and a black milk tea with almond milk. The japadog had a lovely flavor profile- Mayo with seaweed and hotdog reminds me of a 7/11 in Japan, albeit it being gone in a couple bites. The spring rolls had a good starchy touch with taro in it and the popcorn chicken had a deep fry breading that is similar to a pork cutlet - unique and different from the Taiwanese popcorn chicken you will usually see. The pandan shined in the waffle and was deliciously chewy like Mochi. Lastly, I'd say the boba mixed with almond milk has a strong tea and muscat flavor. Definitely a fun place but with the drive into downtown Raleigh and high prices to cover rent, it would probably only be a stopover if we were already in the area. I'm hoping this will cause a chain of other snack places with similar foods to pop around so it can be more affordable and accessible! read more

Budacai - Pandan waffle - Asian Fusion Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

See all

I tried this place when they first opened for about a month. I ordered the katsu bowl and couple drinks. They did not reach my expectation at all. The milk teas were water down and no flavors. Moreover, the katsu bowl was Just fried chicken over the rice with a little soy sauce and bok choy ( not like Japanese style). I was kinda disappointed for my first time. After that, i came back to try their brown sugar milk tea and i loved it. I usually order it with 25% sweetness and it's perfect for me. I also tried their popcorn chicken, it was a little salty for me but I dipped it with the white sauce that came with it so it was okay. Overall, the only thing that I recommended is the brown sugar milk tea. read more

Budacai - Brown sugar milk tea - Asian Fusion Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

See all

Today is National Bubble Tea and that is definitely a reason to go get some! There are several wonderful places in Raleigh, Cary, Durham, and the surrounding areas! I wanted to take a nice walk so I chose Budacai because of its location downtown! I am glad I did because they had Thai Milk Tea and Lavender Milk Tea which are 2 of my favorites! Let's be honest though.....once you've tried it, you will be hooked! They were absolutely delicious! So smooth and creamy! What I love the best is that you can personalize it to your liking. I chose 50% sweetness and it was perfect! You can also chose what milk you want whether full fat milk, almond, coconut, etc. which is perfect for those with certain sensitivities! A great place and very affordable! A large was $5.50! Can't beat it! Try it today and see for yourself what Bubble Tea is all about! read more

See all

DONT get the nachos. Definitely not worth 15 bucks. Boba wasn't bad tho. Service. Ambience. read more

Biggest takeaway from my review, just go right now or order ASAP whichever you prefer. They have a pretty extensive menu and I've tried to get a fair share of items. I have gotten a few flavors of their bubble tea slushes. One of them was a bit icy for my preference, but in general still super good. The fruit flavors taste fresh and not artificial at all. The popcorn chicken is amazing, make sure to get white sauce because you will want it on everything. Their katsu bao has the same chicken and is very tasty, but I like the popcorn chicken better. I have had a few of their bahn mi and they are solid, excellent bread, super fresh toppings, tender meat. Their pho was warming and flavorful and not fatty at all. My least favorite of everything so far was the bulgogi nachos and they were still good, I've just liked everything else so much more. Run don't walk, get some now. read more

Came to check up what the hype was about. I left slightly disappointed. The tea was watered down. My friends got the rose hip milk tea cap and the jasmine green milk tea cap. The milk cap was delicious but once they got to the tea, it tasted diluted. I had a similar experience with the Budacai milk tea. The tea was not very strong at all. It was almost water. I'm also disappointed in their customer service and how they're running their operations. Me and many of the customers behind me asked for things like the brown sugar tea or a black tea drink. They were out of black tea at a boba place!! Wtf?! Hopefully they'll figure all of this out soon since they are a newer operation. For now, you'd be better off going to another place for your boba fix read more

Budacai - Jasmine green milk tea - Asian Fusion Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

See all

Love their steam huns!!!! Yum! The bubble tea is OK. Have ordered from place a couple of times. Generally good.... It's a3.5/5 for me. Steam buns are 5/5...pass the flavor/calorie ratio test for me! Not on bubble tea though. Good quick food that is well made. Menus small for a reason. Cant make it all and what they do make is tasty. read more

Nice place near the downtown town area, we liked the boba and small plates with quick service

It's a great boba restaurant, loved the drink I got in the picture and all the ones my friends got as well (especially milk teas). For dinner my friend and I shared a pork belly soup and a chicken Katsu rice bowl. They both had flavor but no spice. Thankfully they have sauces you can add to improve that. There were about 6 pieces of katsu to a giant bowl of rice so it didn't seem like we got our money's worth. Pork belly was super chewy..if anything would recommend the bulgogi bowl or the japadog (Japanese hotdog) because those are the only two things I would go back there for. And of course the boba milk tea! read more

Budacai - Really yummy alcoholic jasmine green tea drink - Asian Fusion Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

We purchased two items here: * Pandan Waffles - very dense, not airy, light, and crispy, has good flavor * Thai Milk Tea - not very sweet, still good They do Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay. If you purchase a warm food item, you'll get a pager. read more

See all

I used to go here everytime I went downtown but one time my boyfriend and I were waiting for our boba they kicked us out and I haven't been back since. They were not telling us like hey no outside food they just told us to leave. read more

Mango tea with lychee popping boba is really good. Atmosphere in place is awesome and has great place for pics. read more

Budacai - Asian Fusion Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

I usually get boba tea from here all the time. However yesterday I got an order of milk tea with almond milk. The drink tasted spoiled and it was way too sweet. I called and asked for compensation and none was given because apparently the cashier "couldn't find my order" I paid with cash and took a picture of my drink and gave her specific times in which I went. I will not be returning here as the customer service is not the best. Drinks are a hit or miss. read more

Budacai - Asian Fusion Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

I wouldn't eat here again. First of all, the food was very bland. I ordered boa buns and fresh spring rolls which had no flavor. The meat from the bao buns was dry, bland and didn't taste fresh at all. But here is where it gets worst. I took a bite from my fresh spring roll and when I pulled away I saw a hair and immediately gagged. I informed the manager and she gave me the option of a refund or to make a new roll. I decided for a new spring roll but I regretted it right away. I should of just walked away and gotten my refund. I Won't be eating here ever again!!! read more

Update: Finally tried the food here and started with the pork banh mi. Oh my lord. So amazing. I was starving and ordered pick up through grub hub. The sandwich was just loaded with pork and toppings. I forgot to say no hot peppers, but they were easy to remove. I was worried it would be small, but I was more than stuffed after finishing the whole thing. Got to sit around Moore Square afterwards and enjoyed my late lunch. Very satisfied. (Forgot to take a pic bc I was so hungry and it was so good I didn't want to put it down.) read more

Best boba honey dew milk tea I've ever had.. Had the pork belly Bao and the shrimp summer rolls Everything was amazing.. and that's on period read more

The place was my usual hang-out because the food was as good as it could get and the place was commonly pretty empty up until a couple months ago where I went in with a group of my friends and came across one of the staff members behind the counter -I know it's rude to talk while getting our order taken but it was us figuring out what we could get just to split it and all - the girl behind made an evident face. Fair, totally understandable, maybe it's her resting b-face I come back a few weeks later to the same girl, who I overheard was named Caroline or something along those lines, she sees me and my friend group (a group of 4) and she makes another face when we take time to look over the menu, again I just see it as nothing more than her resting b-face. Comes along now, where I go in myself and while I'm looking for a new go-to food item I see her roll her eyes at how I was taking too long to see for myself and now mind you the place was pretty empty so nobody was behind me for there to be that type of reaction. The thing that infuriated me more was the fact when my order was called she kind of just pushed it onto me, and rushed away as if she wanted me to hurry up with it. That alone just shows how ridiculously unprofessional she was and had been for the past now, who knows how many times. Someone who behaves with such annoyance towards being greeted by customers shouldn't even be working in this field. I've tried contact the place once but when I guess when I told them that I wanted to speak to their manager about the situation in hand and even went as far as mentioning the girls name they immediately told me the manager wasn't there and hung up, the way it was handled made me believe I was talking to the girl herself but then again I could be wrong. I really hope she gets fired for such behaviour because it's not the first time I've noticed it. From the youngsters to even the elder, I've seen her roll her eyes or slightly stare down at them with no an inch of a smile and kind of rushing people out by how she hands them their orders, that type of behaviour shouldn't represent such a nice hang out spot, it shouldn't be tolerated and I hope to return again to not find her around. read more

I like the concept Budacai is trying to achieve and I would love a good Bubble tea spot in downtown Raleigh. However, I just think Budacai falls way short of achieving this vision. The quality of the Bubble tea at Budacai is noticeably worse than the bubble tea spots in Chapel Hill and substantially worse than Milk Lab in Cary. My strawberry milk tea would be more accurately be classified as strawberry milk served in middle school cafeterias. I asked for milk cap but was initially not given any milk cap. The black milk tea was also unimpressive. The popcorn crispy chicken was very burnt and dry. The pork belly Bao was okay but a little too much sauce on the Bao. read more

See all

I've probably eaten most of the food here from the big meal bowls, summer rolls and bao and they were all exceptional. The only item I would order again would be the avocado summer roll, not that it was bad, I just liked everything else more but if you LOVE avocado you will love this. The dishes are very cool that they come out in and the portions are huge and filling. I'm not a boba drinker so I can't comment on that except to say that my 16 yr old loved it and she's been to just about anyplace that serves it. I am withholding a star based on a number of factors. First, there was no bartender on a Saturday night because I guess she called in sick so alcohol service was limited. It seems like they'd have a backup especially for weekends. Secondly, the sauce and bussing area was out of supplies and I had to go ask them to take care of it. The staff seemed distracted by their friends who were doing some pre-partying there and although there was seemingly enough staff there appeared to be a diffusion of responsibility going on. The inside is pretty cool replete with a Buddha, pop art and lounge area upstairs. Overall, it's definitely a recommend and I am stanning over the food. read more

If you're looking for a cool hang out spot with decent grub, this is a great spot. We ordered avocado spring rolls, bulgogi baos, and katsu bowl. The rolls were delicious and fresh, the baos were good but bulgogi meat could use more seasoning or salt, and the katsu was good, i mean its fried chicken lol. Overall the meal was good, but not authentic. They're drinks are absolutely refreshing. I may come back... read more

Not worth the money at all... Maybe they were mad I order off of Yelp instead of calling. I didn't know about the upcharges. But the food is sub-par at the most. The avocado wraps were good but that is where I stop. I got the beef bulgogi... Tasted spoiled and didn't have any veggies in it. The pork belly bowl, I received 4 small pieces with some spring mix and broccoli medley. I just think you're better off going somewhere else. read more

This was my second time trying Budacai. I really enjoyed the drinks we got last time, so we came again to try the food as well. Parking was to be as expected for coming to downtown on a weekend afternoon, but we got lucky with a spot not too far. I got the mango fruit tea to drink, and we all got the bahn mi, popcorn chicken, and bulgogi to share. I liked the tea, since I've had it before. The bahn mi was good in my opinion, great taste with the carrots and jalapeños. The popcorn was okay, but had a weird chewy consistency and the sauce it came with just tastes like mayo, which didn't help at all. The bulgogi was very bland, which all three of us thought. Adding sriracha helped a bit, but the rice and steak had little to no taste. Expected a little more from the place, especially after hearing about all the hype. May come again for the drinks, but probably not too eat. read more

Budacai - Mango Tea, Bulgogi Banh Mi, Popcorn Chicken - Asian Fusion Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

I'll be honest, I didn't have high hopes for Budacai--only because the last few attempts at boba in downtown Raleigh have not been successful. But looking at their menu beforehand, I was quite impressed, because they offered the more "advanced" bubble tea options, like milk caps and Vietnamese coffee! Only Milk Lab in Cary is comparable in this regard with the fancy boba options. Also, the food menu seemed awesome: bao buns, noodles, bulgogi nachos, and pandan waffles?! Omg I have never seen pandan waffle on a menu anywhere in all of North Carolina. This is next level Asian snack food!! Anyways we came to visit today and the space transformation was fantastic. Really cool two level cafe with seating and a foosball table upstairs. Super chill place to eat, relax, etc. The themed art is on point too---a huge kung fu monkey mural greets you as you walk in, and turn around a gigantic life size monkey warrior statue is sitting above the entrance. Crazy...where do you even buy that... Most importantly, the boba was BOMB. Omg this is the best boba I've had in the triangle, not even kidding. We got the Budacai milk tea with mango jelly and without adjusting sugar level at all, it came out to be the perfect sweetness. Mango jelly stars are my new fave topping btw. The Budacai bao buns (set of 4) were super tasty and filling. I cannot wait to go back and try more things from the menu! Thanks Budacai for making me into a believer! read more

Ordered from Seamless: 1 grilled pork bahn mi and 1 order of shrimp spring rolls. The bahn mi was much smaller than regular bahn mis, also the bread wasn't crunchy, just sort of soft and limp. With bahn mis, you should expect the nice crunchy french bread, but nope, this one just didn't have it. The mayo inside was nice though - had the nice yellow color that you would expect from traditional bahn mis. The menu mentioned pate, but I didn't taste any of that in the bahn mi. Overall, it was decent, but I have had way better. The shrimp spring rolls... well one of them fell apart completely, so that made the whole thing really messy to eat. The shrimp was fresh, and peanut sauce was tasty, but the whole order was just too simple - just shrimp, lettuce, some small sprigs of mint (? or some other herb) - just too one dimensional. The shrimp was really fresh though, on the other hand. Probably will not go here again... especially given the cost of the food... just wasn't justified. read more

Budacai - Asian Fusion Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

See all

Come for the bao not the boba! Let's start with the good... the Vietnamese pork bao was really, really good. It's a 5 for me. The meat was tender, flavorful, great portion size and most importantly the meat was not fatty nor gristly. A tad heavy on the salt tho, and a bit stingy with the pickled vegetables but overall delish. Now the not so good... the tea. I ordered the strawberry mango fruit tea with boba. The tea was weak, the flavor was fruity but not necessarily mango or strawberry, and the boba were dry on the inside and occasionally there were these weird slimy pieces that were a total turnoff. I always get boba tea with 50% sweetness because you should not need a ton of sugar for the tea to be good. It's a 2-3 for me. I'm rounding up to a 4 overall but def try the bao, and maybe try a different tea. read more

We went at the restaurant week time and thought the boba tea with bowl combo was great. Also took some cute photos upstairs with the flower background. The pandan pancake was a little plain. read more

See all

Budacai (BŪ - dæ - kæī) is a pretty chill spot. Enjoyed their fun decor. I can see it be a hangout spot for teens/young adults, but that doesn't mean it isn't for all ages. List of items ordered were: - Original milk tea w/o toppings, ice: perfectly fine w/o ice since it was cold enough for my room temperature preference. - Shrimp Spring Rolls: interesting hint of mint leaves gave it a unique taste. - Fried Pork Spring Rolls: crunch, crunch! - Honey-buttered Wings: gimme that honey and Asian zing flavored goodness! Finished 'em down to the bone. Enjoy a game of jenga while you're munching! Take aways: OK restroom. Cute doors, cleanliness on point. read more

Great service and great food! The drinks are so good. I got the Beef bulgogi bowl with add an egg for a rainy day, the soup warmed me right up. I've been here several time for lunch. It's a comfy cool place with dope artwork on the walls and very open atmosphere. read more

Budacai - Mango Tea - Asian Fusion Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

See all

First time to try out Budacai today. It's located in downtown Raleigh. My family tried the Bulgogi Bao, bulgogi banh mi, popcorn chicken, watermelon slushie, strawberry milk tea with boba and green matcha milk tea. My oldest son liked the Bulgogi Bao. My husband and I both had the bulgogi banh mi but it wasn't the best banh mi we had. We LOVE the pop corn chicken. I didn't care for the matcha green milk tea, something not quite right with the taste. The best is the strawberry milk tea. My oldest son didn't like the boba in his watermelon slushie. Overall, we like the place. We had the second floor to our selves and the kids had fun playing the game upstairs. read more

Budacai - My son excited to eat bulgogi Bao - Asian Fusion Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

See all

I had the black milk tea with boba and popcorn chicken. Both were very good, will definitely be back for both!

Been seeing this place trending on Yelp for a few weeks now, so had to check it out. Overall, I felt the place was anticlimatic. Their "thing" is alcoholic boba, though I disliked the format of just selecting a shot of alcohol to put in your boba of choice (for an upcharge of $6). I think it would have been cooler to have a selection of curated mixed boba drinks to choose from, because how am I really supposed to decide which of their selection of liquors to choose for my drink? The food was also just okay. I enjoyed the "buddha" fresh rolls, but we also got the togarashi fries with kimchi. The fries were clearly the frozen kind and tasted like really dry/bland fast food fries. For the ambience/price ($8 with kimchi added) I really would have expected fresh, thick flavorful fries. I probably won't be returning here even for the boba. My boba drink felt watery and I feel like the quantity I got was significantly less than other boba places in the area, for several dollars more. read more

Katsu bao, pork belly bao, bulgogi bao, vietnamese grilled pork bao.. my favorite out of the four would be the vietnamese grilled pork read more

Budacai - Budacai sample bao - Asian Fusion Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

I normally come to this place and love it. But tonight I ordered my slushy with boba. I was so excited and craving it! Until it came out ... & there's no boba in it. My boyfriend then went up to the cashier & asked if she could add boba, she then said that "they ran out." This literally made me so mad considering that 1. the lady didn't even bother to tell me that when I ordered my slushy WITH boba 2. How do you run out of something that your shop is centered on? ... boba. This made me not want to come back here & I probably won't for a looongggg time, if ever. Plus the prices are way too high for no reason. So yeah, Budacai you lost a pretty loyal customer! read more

The drinks are great! There is a wide variety of options but the staff are very knowledgeable and able to help you decide what to get. The food is delicious and is ready relatively quickly read more

See all

Great great great tea shop! Their Thai tea is so delicious and no other place in town can get it right. Worth a try if you're looking for a more robust alternative to the tea shop in Morgan street. read more

Delicious. Drinks and food were on point. Service was awesome. Thank you for catering to our large group. Outdoor seating area had 8 picnic tables and were cute & CLEAN. read more

See all

THE FLOWER WALL! Come here for the pictures. I would recommend the passionfruit slush with lychee jellies. It was the perfect sweetness and was blended well. I learned they don't make most of their slushes with real fruit, but the passionfruit teas use a crushed up passionfruit mix. I fought the urge to add additional heart and star jellies... but I might not be able to resist next time. I like the space in here. Very good spot to meet up with friends to hang out and talk. They have food that many people ordered around 4:00 PM when we visited. The bowls seem pretty large and filling, but I cannot attest to the taste or satisfaction otherwise. read more

I loved the rose wall. Such a cute idea. My friend and I ordered their popcorn chicken & pandan waffles. I definitely recommend ordering them together !! The matcha milk tea w/ boba was also extremely fresh, made with just the right amount of sweetness. 10/10 recommend Budacai. read more

Very mediocre food and boba. Staff looks annoyed they're serving you, nice space but not kept clean.

Ate here and was overall just unimpressed. The food was very bland and everything was very pricey. Noodles were okay, but not really seasoned and the kimchi and meat tasted off like they weren't made in house. 2/5 stars because I didn't try the boba, but I did get banana milk and it was disappointing (tasted like it was just a powder mixed it). Definitely not worth it for the price. read more