The food, service and ambiance were great. Soft music, great smell, politely and helpful staff, and…read morea great owner. This local spot is becoming a favorite of mine. I'm always happy to support local restaurants. We loved the pho and Vietnamese iced coffees.

Why only three stars? I averaged down as follows:…read more This place gets five stars for the taste of its food, which was truly outstanding. Obviously, that's very important. I had a pork banh mi sandwich along with a vermicelli pork, bowl and an extra eggroll. Without question, the best Vietnamese food I have had in Waco and this place would situate itself very well in a bigger city, such as Austin, based on the taste of the food. Simply delicious! But, portion size in terms of the meat was inadequate. Incredibly small portion of meat on the vermicelli pork although the overall dish was filling, I did not buy noodles and some veggies, I bought a pork dish. Same was true of the bahn mi sandwich. Not enough meat. Unfortunately, I would have to say that I do not believe this place offers good value for the money I n Waco, particularly for the pork vermicelli bowl.

Great milk tea option. Their toppings are fantastic. We used the self-order tablet. It was easy to…read moreorder. Big space with cute seating areas. A great spot to hang out or study. 10/10 recommend for students, locals, and visitors.

This place was not well kept and some areas were a little dirty. Seems like a hangout spot for…read moreyounger generations. We went in and no one was at the front. It was a self-order and they come out when your order is ready. We got the mango milk tea w/ black tea. 2/10 not a fan. Popping boba wasn't good and flavor wasn't good either. We also got a mango smoothie with strawberry popping boba which was ok. 6/10. I don't think we'd come back to this spot again.

What can I say!! Not just a Vietnamese cuisine but an…read moreauthentic take on all dishes served! Excellent !! GOAT!! As we entered the restaurant we were immediately warmly greeted by who I think is the owner ( found out she was indeed) !! Ordered at the counter and was a table number: Beef Pho Egg rolls Banh Mi Sandwiches Grilled Pork Bowl Egg Rolls are very crispy with very tasty filling !! Bahn Mi buns made fresh ! Grilled Pork Bowl was a generous serving of grilled pork meat, sliced crispy egg roll, fresh veggies served top of vermicelli noodles with a side of their house sauce!!!

Drink: I ordered a large peach and mango fruit tea (no ice,…read more25% sweetness). The flavor itself could've been great, but the sweetness level was shockingly high, more like 100%. If it was made incorrectly, that's fine, but just offer to remake it. It's a $7 drink; the cost to fix it is minimal, and customers remember when you take the time to make something right. Because I requested no ice, the drink also wasn't filled to the top, which felt dismissive considering it was a full-priced order. Unfortunately I cannot drink super cold drinks or food. Seems silly to let a customer walk away with 2 oz shy of a full drink because you usually put ice Service: The staff member was polite when I walked in and even suggested one of their specialty drinks, which I appreciated. However, after I explained that I wanted a simple peach and mango tea and didn't want the specialty item that included strawberry and jellies, she continued to try to steer me toward her suggestion -- saying, "I think you'll like this better." I value recommendations, but once a customer has clearly declined, it's important to respect their preference. After receiving the drink, I realized how overly sweet it was and politely asked if it was truly 25%. I was told it might be because the boba had honey, but having visited hundreds of boba tea places, that alone wouldn't cause such a strong sweetness. I mentioned that I'm pregnant and watching my sugar intake, an opportunity to show care, yet there was no offer to adjust or remake it. When I politely set the drink down and left, there was no follow-up or acknowledgment. I didn't ask for a refund; I simply walked away. If keeping that one cup meant more than keeping a customer, that says something about priorities. Ambiance: Poppa Bear has a cozy café setup with Wi-Fi and a warm, casual vibe. When I visited, a few college students were working quietly on laptops. It's the kind of space that could easily become a community favorite. However, the experience felt like the team was more focused on avoiding loss than creating loyalty. In business, especially hospitality, a small margin for remakes or mistakes is simply part of good operations and it pays back tenfold in customer trust. Overall: Poppa Bear has real potential. The drinks and environment are inviting, but consistent service and responsiveness will determine its long-term success. A little attentiveness and flexibility go a long way in building loyal customers.

Food and drinks were amazing! Had the pork bowl, soup dumplings, dumplings and pancake !read more

Everything about this place was so so good food and drinks amazing 10 out of 10 unfortunately I…read moredon't live in Waco but if I did, I'd be there all the time. I will definitely try to stop by as often as I can when I'm traveling through!! here's an updated menu for this location as well as some pictures as of the interior! Service was also very good!

Husband had a spicy shrimp soup that he totally enjoyed. I had Special soup that was filled with…read morevegetables and noodles. Needed a little something to it.. a bit bland, but I did enjoy it. We will be back. Saw friends there that eat there all the time.

First time here. Wasn't our first choice but as we walked by, we decided to try it. I saw clay pot…read moreand wanted to try it since it was something different that I've never seen at a Vietnamese restaurant. Walked in, greeted by the server, she was very nice and recommended a few dishes. So far so good. One star for her. Here's where it went wrong. I'm thinking okay, lunch price was fairly decent so I ordered the lunch portion as I don't eat that much. Boy was I wrong. It was less than a cup of rice that was soaked in gravy sauce that was overly sweet. It was probably less than a cup of riced cooked. Wow, shock that you would charge $12 for that bowl. Not what I expected from a clay pot rice. My husband ordered the Pho and he said it was alright but one piece of mint is ridiculous and it was $20. Zero star for the food. The only reason I gave it another star is because of the music. We heard some Cambodian music. Not what I would hear in a Vietnamese restaurant but I'll take it since we're Chinese/Cambodian American. Would I return, most likely not.

Very wonderful brewed coffee!! So good I had it twice! They have been opened for about 8 months and…read morethe place looks amazing! Great place to play chess or hang out as a new upgraded coffee hangout! Need to study?? A comfy couch is all yours!

From the owner: We are new local boba tea and coffee shop and cafe that offers personalized and friendly service…read morewith delicious food and drink options.

Food is delicious and prepared fresh. Very kind business. Boba and poke are both delicious. Poke is…read moregood dine-in and take-out.

ORDER Build Your Own Poke Bowl - I ordered a bowl with…read moresushi, rice, spicy salmon, sweet onion, red onion, cucumber, oshinko, seaweed salad, sweet soy sauce, wonton crisps, crispy onion, sesame seeds, and pineapple. Pretty alright. There was not that much salmon but the bowl presentation was great. Oshinko seemed a bit more on the mushy side than I'm typically used to. A bit of fishiness from the seaweed salad but other than that pretty good. JP Matcha with Boba - the tapioca is a bit on the more mushy side. My friend got some Boba and it was really mushy. Mine was just a little mushy with a little bit more firmness in the center. Didn't really taste like matcha but it was alright. VIBES - the restaurant is connected to the next-door place, which has some table seating. The place is pretty crowded with families and friends eating. Lighting from window is great. SERVICE - service was ok. The person taking order didn't seem too too friendly and it took a bit for the order to come out but not too terrible.

The food here is absolutely amazing, and the cook deserves five stars for doing an EXCELLENT job!…read moreMy mother and I visited today, and everything we ate tasted wonderful. Unfortunately, the two women working the front register completely ruined the experience and made us never want to go back. When we first arrived, both employees were glued to their phones. We had to struggle just to get their attention to ask a basic question about the ordering kiosk. Because we were paying with cash, we had to order directly at the register, but the cashier acted like she wasn't even listening to us. Later, I needed to go back up to the counter to ask for a second plate. My mom and I were splitting our lunch--we intentionally ordered a large portion and an extra side of rice to do this--but the cashier rudely snapped at me, saying she had "already given me a plate." (She only gave us one.) To make matters worse, the front-of-house environment felt incredibly unprofessional. At one point, the cashier had her top pulled up and her pants pulled down around her hips to show off a stomach tattoo to her coworker right at the counter. After the interaction, she was so incredibly rude that we could actually hear her talking about us all the way from our table. It is incredibly sad that such talented kitchen staff and great food are being dragged down by such terrible, unprofessional customer service at the front. Management really needs to address this

Wako Roll was a real treat. After a long drive, I was tired and wanted something simple and fast…read moreso I could get to my hotel and recover. What I found was a great little sushi joint that had some interesting Asian twists to follow along. When I arrived, the dining area was fairly busy, yet felt comfortable in the modern Asian restaurant style, slightly reminiscent of a Pei-Wei. I admit, I can't do this place justice because I was tired and did not get enough photos of the place. Even though I hate using order yourself kiosk, I can't complain much about the ones at Wako Roll. The system provides you good images of the items you are selecting and easy ways to substitute or add ingredients or modify your order. The menu offers a wide variety of Korean dishes including bibimbap and various varieties of bulgogi, but what caught my eyes were the Wako Roll Tacos. I ordered a Bulgogi Taco and a Spicy Pork Taco, plus a California Roll for good measure. The tacos were larger than I expected and served in a common street taco style, but LOADED with ingredients. The meat was juicy and flavorful, and the fresh vegetables added the perfect crunch. What really surprised me was the California Roll, a basic sushi staple at every sushi bar worth its name. The roll was larger than expected, tasted wonderful, was clearly freshly made, and STUFFED with a marinated, shredded crab that was an unexpected treat. For the price, of $7 it was far better than I expected it to be. Traveling through Waco anytime soon? Stop at Wako Roll and try something out. Chances are, you will not be disappointed.

Came here for lunch with a few coworkers. This place from the outside doesn't look like much but…read morethe food is good. Also the portion sizes are def Texas size!! I was not expecting the size of the sushi roll when I got it... that's a meal by itself!! The food came out fast and fresh.

I love this place! Literally the only place I get my sushi and Chicken Katsu!!…read more The employees do such an amazing job. I Never have anything to complain about.