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Washington Street (Green)
Mon-Thu. 11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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I cannot stress enough how much I love Bamboo. Granted, the dining room is extremely tiny (made even tinier by the enormous fish tanks full of exotic and, frankly, weird-looking fish), so I usually get my food delivered (which takes away the wonderful presentation - they even shave radishes to look like Super Mario Bros. mushrooms!), but the food - oh, the food! - I can't seem to divert my attention away from the yellow seafood curry (best I've ever had, full of pineapple and cabbage and giant chunks of calamari, among many other things) but have tried a few apps as well as rice dishes and it's all superb.
This is my go to place for Thai even if I really don't live close by.
The food is super tasty, not covered in roasted garlic (I am allergic, this is a recurring issue with Thai food for me), and not pricey.
I love their pad thai, love their pad see ew, and love the curry noodle soup. They also make their rice dishes with well cooked brown rice if one is trying to be healthy.
However, what I order here again and again and again, is the house salad. Why? Do they use some magical lettuce? Do they cover it in bacon (awesome idea, but no!)? It is the carrot ginger dressing. I do not know what they put into this crackalicious dressing, but I cannot get enough of it. I always get extra dressing and lament a lack of lettuce and veggies. I often order TWO salads for an entree instead of any of their other yummy offerings.
I really wish they bottled that dressing.
(review dated 1/08):
went there once and arrived after friends ordered so i can't give it a fair review provided that i don't have a good grasp of what was ordered. whatever food that came (pad thai, curry duck w/noodle, some rice dish) was of good quality and quite typical for thai. that "4-taste fish" was nice--liked the sweet & sour sauce but not so much w/the bone-y fish (proceed slowly and carefully!).
like that they provide parking at the nearby whole foods lot on washington st. but problem is that you have to park in the lot, walk to restaurant, deposit your driver license to get a parking permit, walk back to lot and leave permit in your car, then walk back to restaurant to eat. and THEN reverse the process as you leave. some think that's still better than searching for parking in the area (which is quite difficult unless you're a brighton-allston resident), but i'm wondering if there's an easier way around this... such as going elsewhere that gives you less of a pain for parking but offers equal quality of food.
:)
I'm not a huge fan of Bamboo, but it's okay and I would probably go back especially with my parents or other visiting omnivores. Their vegan selection isn't huge (I should see if they'll make fried rices and pad thai without egg) and I had the yellow curry when I went. It was spicy and hit the spot, but I found it to be unremarkable and on the higher end of my dining budget at their dinner price.
I did enjoy the ambiance (smooth jazz wins me over every time) and the service was also great.
This place is right across the street from my apartment so I eat here more often than I would like to admit. I hate paying for delivery because I'm from San Francisco and if you tried to pull that shit there no one would order from you. It's that simple. ANYWAY.
I nearly always get pad thai and soup, either tom ka gai or tom yum. So far, everything has been really good. The pad thai is unbelievable, which is probably why I haven't been able to force myself to try anything else!
The first time I went here about a year ago I thought it was great. I just ordered takeout from here tonight and it was AWFUL. I ordered the fresh spring rolls, tom yum soup, papaya salad and shrimp pad thai. The fresh rolls were okay but slightly slimy on the outside, the tom yum soup was okay, and the pad thai and papaya salad were terrible. The pad thai was extremely bland and just tasted like the oil it was fried in. The papaya salad was the worst dish. I couldn't eat more than a bite. It was extremely bland, not spicy at all and had a very strong yeast smell to it. It was horrible. I will not be going here or ordering take out from here again.
As my 3-star (A-OK) Yelp rating indicates, this place is ok. Not great, not bad. The food is perfectly decent, reasonably priced but nothing particularly special. The atmosphere is a bit dark and dreary, cluttered by a large fish tank.
Last time I ordered from here the Pad Thai made me really sick to my stomach. What happened Bamboo?!?
Great menu, great for take-out and a $10 item can fill three bellies! I've never dined in there,… Read more »
My dad was nice enough to drive up a piece of furniture for me, so we went to lunch here. The pad see ew (my favorite) and the scampi were awesome, and lunch for 2 under 20 bucks cannot be beat.
I have been here for dinner a few times, and the food and service have been great. A nice alternative if Tasca is too packed to get in.
I have lived one block from this place for 2 years, and last night was my first time in, and it was only because YoMa is closed on Wednesdays.
Boy do I wish I had come here sooner. This Thai food is all kinds of flavorful deliciousness! Thai food is so much more than overly sweet noodles or coconut curries. I ordered the drunken noodles and loved every minute of it. Bold flavors -- basil, roasted garlic, Thai special sauce -- make it a winner. Plenty of tender chicken too. The spring rolls were fresh and tasty, the tofu dice were hot and creamy, crunchy pad thai was the best I've tasted, and my brother's beef basil rice dish was amazing.
This brother, who traveled all over Thailand for months, gave it two thumbs up. As he put it, "they even have a proper spice tray." His only bone of contention was the fact that they didn't serve the meals with spoons - which is apparently all anyone over in Thailand eats with. He did ask for one, and got it.
I give this place ten fingers up - since two thumbs doesn't seem sufficient.
I love going out to try new restaurants in this town, but Bamboo is my ultimate go-to spot when I want to be guaranteed a good Thai meal. The atmosphere is cozy and cute, and the servers are really attentive and friendly. I've never had a dish there that I didn't like and their drunken noodles are to die for! Definitely bypass the overrated and oil-drenched Tasca next door and grab a meal at Bamboo!
Seriously? How can this place have received such accolades?
Just got some take-out for the first time tonight: yellow curry with veggies and tofu and chicken pad thai. The yellow curry dish was awful: it has a bit of "hot" spice to it, but none of the rich, full complexity of a well-made curry. The vegetable medley was completely out of tune - broccoli, onion, carrot, squash, and what? pineapple? No. I have had many, many curry dishes, and this one was just ill-conceived and sloppily thrown together.
My boyfriend reports that his pad-thai was "meh." It was one big clump of noodles that seemed to betray a rendezvous with a microwave.
Overall, I want my money back. Grr!
amazing. bamboo never let's me down. You have to try the golden dices!
Seeing as though Bamboo is the only Thai restaurant I've acclimated myself with in the area, my review is definitely biased. That said, I've not had a bad experience here, and the myriad of good qualities it holds earn it the stars. I feel one would be hard pressed - or simply arrive on an off night - to not enjoy something about Bamboo.
The food is outstanding and very fairly priced. Servings are more than adequate - every time my girlfriend and I go, she's bringing home an extra meal and I'm bursting at the seams. The Tamarind duck is unbelievable, crispy exterior with melt in your mouth interior. The Pad Thai (I've tried both crispy and vegetarian) is not only delicious but an awesome value. The Mango Curry Chicken was one of the only dishes I've enjoyed that didn't really 'do it' for me, but it was still very, very good.
Service is a major plus. Not one employee of Bamboo I've ever encountered has been in negative attitude. They're fast (as others have said, almost TOO fast!), efficient, and kind. I can't make a bad comment on them at all, to be honest.
Decor. What is there to say about the Decor inside Bamboo? It's a little small when it gets busy, but it's never totally uncomfortable. The first time I sat inside the restaurant I remember it coming off as somewhat tacky, but later visits actually resulted in me completely appreciating the aesthetics. The fish are a major selling point - some pretty strange looking customers in those tanks. The one upon entering can never seem to swim in a straight line, he's always kind of treading water, that poor lumpy mass. The other rather funny fish is the Puffer in the big tank, if you sit near it he has a tendency of taking interest in you while you eat.
Add to the interior aesthetics the fact that the Chefs at Bamboo do some downright awesome looking stuff on your plate and your eyes will be as pleased as your stomach. Growth Mushrooms from Super Mario Bros. as a culinary decoration? You betcha! Carrots carved into roses? They've got it! It's really pretty awesome to see the stuff they'll come up with.
Bamboo has been a consistently delicious dining experience for me and those I've been with. Given that and all of the aforementioned positives - and the fact that it's not even a 2 minute walk from me - the five stars weren't hard to part with.
I don't get the big hype about this place. Don't get me wrong, the food was fine, but it's not 4 or 5 stars. Maybe I have high standards since I LOVE thai food and eat it often.
Two things: people commented on the coziness of the place, but personally I don't find uncushioned, hard (emphasis on hard) wooden benches nailed wall to wall cozy. Secondly, I ordered yellow curry with chicken, which had cabbage(?) and broccoli(?) in it. Although it was still good, I was disappointed when they didn't put bamboo shoots in the curry after I asked for them specifically.
Bamboo is literally right across the street from me, so I've only ordered take out. The place seems to have a nice and calming atmosphere, but my main concern is getting their delicious Pad Thai into my tummy. They were the first place that ever added a lime as a garnish to my Pad Thai, and I have now discovered what a wonderful bit of zest lime juice adds to the noodles. I am also fond of their tasty crab rangoons, but I only order those when I feel like getting myself a special treat!
I'm not one of those wicked cultured doods who eats Thai food once a week, so I have a limited range of experiences to compare this place too. That being said, it was a pretty pleasurable night out and the food was good.
I didn't really like my dish that much. I forget what it's called - beef with very wide noodles in what tasted like soy sauce. The sauce wasn't that great and I didn't care for the type of noodles I got, but the beef was good. I had a taste of my girlfriend's duck, though, and it was fantastic.
The service was very friendly. I can't really comment on the prices, because, again, I don't know what thai food usually costs. My noodle dish was around $11.
best pad thai ever
Solid food at a pretty good price. I had the crispy chicken, which was pretty much as it sounds. Crispy chicken pieces served on a bed of rice. A lot of food for $9.
The decor and service were fairly nice as well. Nothing here was truly exceptional, but I would definitely come back.
Even though Bamboo might not be my favorite Thai restaurant, it's EXCELLENT service is definitely worth a shout out. I needed to get dinner catered for about 14 hungry high school students, and didn't want to order pizza (boring!).
Bamboo worked with my budget, gave us PLENTY of food, included plasticware, chopsticks, napkins and plates. When i went to go pick up the order, a gentleman (who works there) carried the box of food out to my car (and I was NOT parked out front... my car was all the way around the corner and illegally parked in the Whole Foods parking lot).
I look forward to trying them for a real dining experience. But I wanted to spread the word that this place gives excellent service, is very reasonably priced, and tastey too!
I've only had the pad thai here which was OK. I came in for lunch takeout, took a look at the menu and decided pad thai it is. The order was done in seriously 2 minutes. They must have been making a batch while I was ordering. While it tasted ok, it was very heavy on the eggs. As I dug in more and more scrambled egg were there. There was a large heap of sprouts on the side. Way more then I needed. The amount of peanuts on top was perfect. The lunch special was only $6.50 and a very large portion. The lady behind the register was very friendly and the back was bustling with cooks making food.
I'll have to go back here when I'm in the area again and eat some other stuff to update this review but for now I'll give it an A-Ok.
Been to this place twice and I have loved it both times. Last time i was there i got the crispy pad thai and my friend got a curry dish. Both of us enjoyed it, although i think if i do pad thai there again i am not doing the crispy noodles and will do the plain ones.
We also got crab rangoons as appetizers and they were absolutely amazing. I would certainly get those again. I enjoy this place even though going there will mean the up hill walk back to my place but it is certainly worth it.
Service was a little slow despite it not being busy but i think the waitress may have been new. I love the decorations and layout of the place, and the giant fish that was staring at us from the fish tank was cool too. Portion sizes were good i ended up with leftovers, although i am sure i could have nomnomnom'd all of it while i was there.
Make sure to checkout the drink menus for the Thai drinks and teas, they were not part of the larger menu so we missed those when we ordered.
I love Thai food and this is my new favorite Thai restaurant in the area. I love the funky fish tanks and the calm atmosphere. I ordered the radna noodles with tofu and my friend ordered the pad see ew noodles--both dishes were incredible. Reading yelp reviews pays off--I knew to run in and ask for the Whole Foods parking lot permit. The servings were generous enough that we both had leftovers. I am looking forward to going back again.
This is a good neighborhood restaurant that reliably has tasty and satisfying food. I recommend the Tom Yum soup and Pad Thai.
BEST THAI FOOD IN BOSTON!!!
Great atmosphere - large fishtank with lots of interesting fish, paintings on the wall done by local artists, pretty candle holders and flowers (usually big bright gerber daisies) on each table, and low-lighting and relaxing music for a romantic mood.
The food is INCREDIBLE. All their appetizers and entrees are mouth-wateringly delicious. The best vegetable pad thai in the city (and I think I've tried them all).
The waitresses are all helpful and sweet... you'll never walk away with a bad experience here.
Bamboo has decent Thai food at a reasonable price. The pad khee mao was good, certainly not the best in Boston but not bad as a last minute dinner stop on the way home after work.
The ambiance is... interesting --certainly a deviation from the standard thai restaurant decor I've found in Boston. I'm not sure if I liked it or not.
Service was good, but not exceptional and the restaurant was far from full. In the end, I'll go back here again if in the neighborhood or with friends.
DO NOT! I repeat... DO NOT come here for real thai food. i give it two stars merely for being close to my house.
Honestly though, this place is really not that good. like thai fast food, everything thrown together and pre-canned sauce thrown on top. also, their thai iced tea was WAY sweet. I'd go to one of the many other thai places in the vicinity.
With two really awesome Thai places just down the road, Bamboo just pales in comparison. There's nothing wrong with it: friendly waitstaff, fast service, good prices and a comfortable atmosphere. The food is good but not great. Pretty much the overall theme.
I wouldn't object to coming back here, but I've had better.
Bamboo.... awesome I love it... Rodee and Brown sugar are awesome as well!
I've wanted to go to Bamboo for several years now but always change my mind when I get there and go right next door to Tasca instead. Well, I finally made it last night. I got the curry noodle soup (HUGE!!) which was pretty good and my husband got the soft shell crab, which was pretty bad (and $17!). I think if we go back, he'll stick to the basics.
However, interestingly, they have some great bottled beer, including Hitachino Nest and Allagash. That makes it worth a second try sometime when I'm in the neighborhood again for sure.
Tasty food on the cheap...a hole in the wall, if you blink you'll miss it...wine and beer and sake also on the cheap -- this essentially sums up Bamboo. Just moved into the neighborhood and wanted to grab a bite to eat. We had tried Tasca a few nights before and thought Bamboo would be next on our list, after all it is right next door to Tasca.
We ordered the crispy dices (fried tofu with a sweet and sour peanut sauce) and fresh spring rolls (shrimp and veggie style). I got the crispy chicken with ginger white rice and my significant other got the crispy pad thai. All in all we were really pleased with our food and devoured every morsel. My chicken had a very crispy coating and was a mix a white and dark meet chicken. My one complaint relating to my entree is that I wish the chicken had been cut up into smaller pieces (they were cut into long strips which made it a little difficult to cut up and dip in the sauce). I loved the ginger scented rice though and the chicken was cooked perfectly. My friend wife loved the crispy pad thai -- she did say she wanted more shrimp, but for the cheap price well worth it. We both thought the fresh spring rolls were great, perfectly rolled, and tasty. We both thought the crispy dices were a litter strange and VERY crispy. I've had crispy tofu before so I didn't think anything of it and when it was served in small cubes (rather than the larger chunks that are often served in thai restaurants like Brown Sugar) I was happy since it was perfectly bite sized, but...I'm not sure it the small size of the tofu caused it to be so crispy on the outside or if they were previously frozen, but they were a little weird. I'll order them again and update once I do, but definitely a textural thing and not for everybody.
All in all I was really impressed by the quick and polite service as well as cheap prices and tasty food. Looking forward to going back again.
I keep Bamboo on speed dial because waiting five minutes for pad thai is a small price to pay (plus $8.95; add $1 for extra shrimp) to pay for a delicious weekly dietary staple. I've never had to wait to pick up my order.
Beware the softshell crab. Even though it's listed as 'market price' on the menu, it is not fresh. Sure, softshell crabs aren't found anywhere around here, but the frozen/thawed quality of this dish rendered it inedible. It's a rare moment for me to send back anything I order, but this crab was stinky -- too stinky to ignore, even alongside a delicious vegetable curry.
"I give Bamboo 4 stars overall, but the Crispy Duck in Tamarind Sauce is an easy 5 stars. Duck can be pretty greasy if not prepared right, but in the hands of an expert chef, heaven on earth! And Bamboo does it right! I've turned lots of friends on to duck for the first time, and it's never their last.
The ambiance and decor were obviously well thought out, lending a somewhat romantic flavor to the room. I always like the paintings hanging, and the waitstaff are prompt (especially for lunch), and friendly."
I dunno, maybe I missed the boat on this restaurant the four times I've been there (given all of the good reviews) but my dining there continues to be mediocre, especially considering Brown Sugar is just down the street.
The portions are large, so that's certainly good. But I feel as though the food is never sufficiently seasoned, the natural flavors from the veggies and proteins aren't accompanied by anything and are left to fend for themselves. It's not bad, its just not very momorable. I'd rather go to Tasca right next door.
I find this place perfect for those casual romantic evenings (especially for couples always going out to eat & who need to change up their restaurant repetorie).
Parking is tough, but you can leave your car at the Whole Foods a block down (the restaurant lends you a pass to place on your windshield).
Request to sit by the fish tank. It is one of the most beautiful sights and offers calming feelings to be surrounded by water. Plus, I prefer the privacy offered by this blockade.
Order the CRISPY DUCK. Perfection. 'nuf said.
on comm ave there is a dope ass thai restaurant called BAMBOO. I walked by this place and noticed that Zagats and all these food reviews things (phatom, etc.) had said this is the best in boston. That was enough to convince me to try it out. Small inside, funky interior
but diesel menu that tastes really good. We had some spring rolls (large and fresh veggies) and had Crispy pad thai (fried crispy noodles instead of rice noodles) with shrimp and chicken with a sweet sauce (huge portion for lunch) , we also had seafood pik pow (scallops, shirmp, calamari) in a spicy sauce (which was decent). Prices are real good 8-12 bucks for lunch and there are tons of other things I want to try. Did not try the bathroom but I can report on that next time. Highly recommend
also the regular pad thai is unbelieavle tasty, the bamboo sticky rice is perfect and they have this chicken dish (forget the name) but is also a must have
9 out of 10
http://bamboothairesta...
Every time I go here with my friend, K, I always ending up picking at her fave dish- I think it's called Chicken in the Garden or something.
They also have pretty good Pad Thai and Radna Noodles.
Decent prices. Really cool fish tank in the middle of the dining room. One thing I find highly entertaining when eating here is how silly and misshapen the heads of the people sitting on the other side of the aquarium look.
It is located next to Tasca Restaurant and I feel the same about parking for this place. Take the T.
I used to order delivery from here quite a bit - my go-to for pad thai. At the time, I only lived about 5 minutes away (don't judge!) and I'd consistently get my food very quickly. Food arrived from 15-30 minutes, even at peak dinner times. Always good, always tasted fresh.
I've never been to the actual restaurant, but looks quite lovely from the window.
GREAT for delivery (if you are within their reach--I was an RA on BC's Newton Campus last year and sadly discovered that it was too far), and decent for dine-in. I like the fish tanks and the small dining area, but I can see how some might find it cramped or impersonal. The food is great, and there are always small details that are fun to catch (i.e. twisting the paper on a straw or cutting shapes with their garnishes). This is my favorite place for vegetable pad thai in the area.
Beef radna is sooo yummy! I love it! They are very nice there and I feel like they use really fresh ingredients compared to a lot of other Thai places I've tried.
Their salads are really good too!
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Category: Thai
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