Bubble Act - CLOSED
Categories: Chinese, Desserts, Creperies, Asian Fusion, Coffee & Tea [Edit]
540 Barber LnMilpitas, CA 95035 (408) 577-0688
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
12 reviews
San Jose, CA
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37 Reviews for Bubble Act
*Breaking news*
I apologize for the constant updates of this place, but this is some insider information too good to keep to myself. After getting a haircut at nearby Hair.com this afternoon, I strolled on by to see how things were going at Bubble Act. One of the managers noticed me, and sat down to chit chat. He informed me that starting next week, the shop will be undergoing MAJOR RENOVATION for upwards of a month.
In addition to a completely new floor and paintjob, more seats will be added, as the waffle and egg nugget roasters will be moved to the back kitchen. He told me that although it was nice for the customers to be able to see the chefs at work upfront, this often created an uncomfortable situation for them, with the patrons breathing down their necks, whining about cook times. Hopefully, all problems listed below will be taken care of!
*Revision 10/19/06*
Wow, this place has really fallen off... hard. I gave it four stars the first time around, but it looks like times are lean nowadays. Bubble Act used to be my after work hangout to wait for traffic to die down, but not anymore. Here is a brief list of dark spots:
-The signature item, the waffle, is not nearly as good as it used to be. Instead of being crunchy like before, it is more often than not all soft and soggy.
-The drinks are really watered down, and it doesn't help matters that they load up half the cup with ice.
-They are gravely understaffed, especially in the latenight. Usually, there is only ONE guy behind the counter to help out the chef, while the line is consistently out the door. Good luck on getting your order in a timely fashion. Although their valiant effort is appreciated, the fatigue on their faces says it all. By the end of the night, even the nicest of them will turn sour.
-The bathroom... uggh. I'm a guy, and I'll even admit that I don't even feel like using it. 9 times out of 10, there is also no toiler paper or hand towels to be found. Oh, and did I mention the wonderful aroma? Only the bathrooms at Pacific East Mall can boast a greater claim to fame in this department.
-It seems like the Q-Cup crowd has now infiltrated. Just last night, I witnessed some punks tossing the outdoor tables into the parking lot like they were auditioning for the reality show, "Find the Next Member of The Who." I almost felt compelled to give them a piece of my mind, but alas, there was only one of me, and seven of them. And of course, the understaffed employees had no clue of what was transpiring.
-The entire place is starting to look excessively dirty and rundown due to poor upkeep. The amateur, cost cutting ownership is really starting to show.
*original*
This is a family business run by a couple of brothers and a few cousins. It can get a bit rowdy at times, and all the workers, especially the main cooks (the two brothers) seem constantly overworked, but it's overall a nice place to kick it. They constantly display the latest in HK movies and music videos over the media system. The staff is generally very friendly, treating you like a friend instead of just another customer. The great thing is that they are open until 2 am on weeknights and 3 am on Fri and Sat, so it is perfect for those after club munchie sessions.
As far as the food goes, I would definitely recommend the takoyaki (Osaka octopus balls) and the HK style waffles. The HK style egg nuggets are okay, but sometimes inconsistent, depending on which time of the day you go. The drinks are so-so... not the best, but not bad. However, if you visit during the daytime, the gentleman named Terence does an awesome job with the drinks and snacks. If you see him, make sure to let him know that Eric sent you! Also, if any of the two brothers happens to make it for you, it's pretty much a lock to be tasty.
If you are more hungry, there is also a good variety of Chinese rice/noodle dishes as well. Actually, they have a great selection of unique items such as orange pork chop, mango chicken, as well as Chinese style Korean short ribs and Japanese pork chop.
The staff sometimes has a high turnover rate, but it seems like they have now settled upon a consistent crew. Unfortunately, all the cute girls are no longer employed here (all dudes now), but nonetheless, the workers are personable, friendly, and welcoming, no matter which ethnicity you are.
If you are into HK and Taiwanese chicks, this is your spot. It seems to be the trendy hangout for the local college crowd. Unlike other tapioca shops, the high school kids are not in full force, possibly because of the location, which is a bit off the beaten path, and virtually inaccessible by foot.
Sometimes you will run into some Vietnamese punks loitering outside without buying anything, smoking bud, hockin' loogies, and talking loud. However, since this is Milpitas, they really aren't all that tough. No worries. They are merely nothing more than a minor nuisance.
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They have a egg waffle thing that is pretty good but their watery tea is a downer. I guess it's a cool spot to hang-out if you're young or have nowhere else to go but when i come to california, i expect much more from a bubble tea place or any asian spot for that matter. I just wish the people who worked there/own it cared more about the food and tea they serve.
I probably won't go back unless it's late and my friends and i have no other options. That's probably not going to happen since i found out last time that the plaza right next door has several late-night restaurants also.
Maybe the rennovations i just read about, moving the waffle irons to the back, will ensure that the girl doesn't let my waffle burn while she chats up her friends like last time.
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3 years ago I would've given this place 1 star. I had a horrible first impression being here 2am drinking milk tea that tasted like sewer water and witnessing an all out brawl started after some dumbass threw a table at someone. I continued going here with my friends because it was in town and open late. By now I've learned that their milk tea still tastes like sewer water, but get anything else and you're in the clear. I recommend getting beer or any of their soju drinks and a crepe or waffle.
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The girl I had the sammich with at Nick's, this is where we had our *final* face to face and she told me to get lost later that same year. This was the perfect place to have this conversation as it was so loud that we could hardly hear each other. It was pure comedy.
Everyone should break up with me here so I don't actually have to hear anything you have to say.
The avocado shake and nutella slathered thingy was pretty good.
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All you need to know is the waffle with nutella and condensed milk. Forget the combo with the milk tea because that shit's hella watery - just get two waffles.
You won't regret it.
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For pearl milk tea: Yuck! It's watery and not as milky tasting as it should be. Walk over a couple doors down to Fantasia instead.
However, for your nutella+waffle needs, bubble is the place to go!
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I came here with the gf today. She says the boba/pearl/bubble/tapioca tea/cha/drink sucks. So, we ordered a crepe ($5.75) with mixed fruits and strawberry ice cream. This place is really fobby, so I was surprised that the crepe was not. As I recall, Asian crepes are usually a little crispy. What we ordered was soft and chewy, with kiwi, banana, some other fruits, and pieces of jelly. I couldn't really remember what fruits were in it. The ice cream was served on the side. You know, when your ice cream melts a little ... and you freeze it again. Then the icicles form on top and the little crunchy ice bits crystallize in the ice cream. It was like that. And the crepe was really sweet. I'm not a huge fan of overly sweet desserts. So my experience with the food here isn't the best.
Nice things about Bubble:
1) Cantonese music videos ... sappy, fobby, catchy.
2) The guy serving us was really friendly. He even offered to take our picture.
3) Presentation. Our crepe was pretty photogenic, and it came on a square plate. I like square plates. Hip.
4) You can drink here. Soju, soju smoothies, sake, beer-uu. I wouldn't feel right getting hammered at a place like this, but I guess it's nice to know that you can if you want to.
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i come here for only 2 things...
Almond Milk Tea w/Pearl and the signature waffle.
Bubbles is a great place to chill & have some good conversation.
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Have you guys seen the egg waffle maker lately inside Bubble Act? I know these are the bread and butter makers of them fine little eggy airy puffy delicious snacks, but for god's sakes they should be cleaned and maintenanced once in a while! The pancake egg mix goop seeps out of the sides for every order and solidifies by the next order and accumulates, repeat ad nauseum. Next thing you know it looks like the Amazon jungle, and this is where your next order of egg waffles comes from.
Eggettes in South SF was one of the first cafes to offer this gen xer era snack that a lot of HKers/expats grew up eating during the 70s and 80s, and at least they did a good job at it. Bubble Act, like the dessert place in Cupertino, tries to do something similar but the pancake mix tasted either burnt or over carmelized. Plus when you get the final product, it is mushy (not airy cripsy as it should be).
The milk tea drink is ok, but at times Top Cafe down the street does a better more proper rendition.
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They seem to have a large menu with fresh crepes and waffles.
I only got a waffle combo with a bubble tea.
The bubbles here are somewhat overcooked. I think I'll stick to fantasia a few doors down for my bubble teas.
The waffles and those little egg waffle things are pretty good though.
They seem to have a big menu as well with tons of cafe type of food. They also have soju and beers and they're open late.
I'm not sure how the rest of the food is, but the waffles were yummy. The bobas weren't.
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We went here for a snack after eating lunch at Nutrition House nearby.
The one thing I tried was the waffle w/ nutella ($2.71). It's good! The guy made a waffle that I guess was the first batch, he threw it away, and made mine next.
After cooking he put it on a cooling like tray and spread nutella and some white goo I think is condensed milk. Folded it across and there you go.
I recommend it, but it does take like 15 minutes to get made-to-order waffle.
They have one unisex bathroom in the back room-it can be dirty so bring your own tp/seat covers.
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Updated: went back on Tues 8/8/06 and ordered combo #D. I wanted almond milk tea, but they gave me a list of what I could have..so I picked Jasmine milk tea no pearl and a nutella waffle. This guy was not the same as my first time and the waffle wasn't as good either. Not crispy enough for me, and he didn't put the sweet condensed milk over it either. So it's a hit or miss on the waffle--Just a Warning!
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I love the waffles with peanut butter and condensed milk. So decadent. All the other food is good too, but I really just go in there for the waffles.
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My strawberry icy was very watery and tasted like medicine! I have been here a couple times but it bugs me that the place has grown dirtier from my last visit. I wonder if they ever clean the place because the waffle machines to the blenders are extremely messy. I am not sure what it is, but the place scares me when I walk in and I love boba, pearl tea drinks, icy, etc but this place gives me the shiver and it's not from the icy!
This place is really good, but when you look at the eggwaffel makers, it's umm never really cleaned o_o but there IS a guy who really looks like bi-rain who worked there thurs nights ;] idk if she still does LOL my eggwaffle was burned and crunchy the last time I bought it -___-;;
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i have been coming here for a long time with my two friends, even though we don't fit in at all. we don't drive rice rockets, we aren't in high school, and we are the only non-AZN-asians in the place. i really don't care because i think this place is cute, it's open really late, it's SAFE, lots of parking, and it's really fun to people watch. sure beats hanging out in our hometown.
i love their drinks, their popcorn chicken, their eggettes, and their waffles w/condensed milk. my favorites are the almond milk tea, the oreo mint choc. smoothie, the barley smoothie, & the coconut eggettes when they are crispy. my only suggestion would be to add a watermelon smoothie/slushy/ice drink on the menu.
the last time we came here, it was hot outside and the door was open so they had a bunch of fruit flies everywhere and even a ginormous mosquito hanging out on the wall. it was pretty disgusting, but they recently closed temporarily for a massive remodel/renovation so im really looking forward to the new bubble act, without the fruit flies/mosquito.
despite how busy it is, we always manage to find a seat/table. it's best to sit outside where it's more quiet and cooler. the service is great & quick, and the drinks/snacks are always good. it's unfortunate we don't have an SGV-like area in the bay area, i think this is as close as it gets. i guess this is the south bay's version of saved by the bell's "the max" (something i never had in high school haha). i love it here, will definitely keep returning! :)
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This place is great because they stay open late, real late.
If you are in the mood for a cup of joe at 1:30 in the morning, where else can you do that? Denny's? iHop? Okay, you got me.
But I love this place because they have wonderful teas and smoothies. I love the tokyo green tea! Mmm!
Their chicken nuggets are delicious with a little sprinkle of their spicy powder. What I love to get to go with a boba drink are their waffles with condensed milk. Yum! They are a perfect compliment for a late night snack.
Best part of it all is that they accept major credit cards. Bonus! =)
I'm sorry but this place sucks :(
The food is amateurish, i.e. crepes are messy and boba doesnt have the right texture...
Their nutella waffles and milk bubble teas are delicious. Especially, the nutella waffles...mmmmm....so good!
But, I can't come back here. Their bathroom is atrocious. Thinking of it makes me throw up a bit. And yes their waffle maker is literally this crusty contraption of old flour bits and leftovers from the last million waffles they made.
So good...but so dirty...good...dirty...good...dirty. The dirty wins and I realize I value hygiene too much to venture in here again. Why Bubble Act, why?!? And usually good and dirty are too qualities I like in people.
And no toilet paper! EEK!
Fun place to get hyper-ed up on sugary drinks!
+: They've got a pretty good selection of drinks from boba to soju.. and snacking foods too!
+ :Open late!
+: Get a frequent buyer's card!
- : Kind of small, but then again most boba places are.
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this was the place to go if you wanted to unwind and chill but not have a full meal
it was all about the "D" combo
kinda miss having a place to kick it late night on the week days and even the weekends
Definitely out of the way from my usual S.J. joints, but screw it - sometimes nothing will quench your sweet tooth like a Nutella Waffle n a milk tea.
This place is a lot more inviting that jujubi or a few others in the same plaza. The place is pretty diverse, speedy, and pretty much every kind of fried/junk food that you can imagine. I dont know of any other small cafe that has such a huge extended menu of quick eats.
Theyre pretty obliging on everything so if you like your waffle extra crunchy or light, theyre pretty good with it.
Meal D all the way.
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**UPDATE**
Way too crowded now (racers and such) and now its under renovation? I don't know someone probably called the health department on them because of those nasty looking egg and waffle machines. GROSS! More like a 'clean up' than renovation. Hopefully after the so called renovation the place will be cleaner and have more seats for all those people.
My friend tried the banana smoothie and supposedly thats good cause its actually made from real bananas not powders. The macu pork sandwich is good, not great, a little greasy but I guess its a nice midnight snack if you're out.
Parking is bad on weekends, team racer meets I guess. Bathroom is still nasty. Oh well.
Previous Review**
My usual here is a nutella waffle and almond milk tea. Heh.
The food good here, my friends order the pasta and fried foods alot. I recomend ordering some food, the drinks are ok but I would probably stick to the tea drinks and away from the fruit ones, I think they use powder flavors.
The place is alot more inviting than q-cup and tap express across the highway. The decor is cute and there's seating to dine (more than the usual boba place) but it gets really busy on weekends and at night. There's usually alot people hanging outside. Food and drinks might take a while if you heading there during peak hours.
Oh yeah they open late on weekends for the late night munchies. Just to let you know the bathroom is unisex (ehhh) and parking is good and beware of the cell phone charms machine! Haha
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The food is excellent for a place that's open until 2am. Nothing smells like "all-night reconstituted." The kitchen can be busy, but they make a good effort to produce quickly. Service is friendly, and tries hard. Don't come here on weekend nights, unless it's to mingle with crowds of high-schoolers and lines out the door. But really, even on weekdays: can you come to terms with your age? Because no one here is over nineteen, and this is ultimately what Bubble Act is about. Everything will seem ok, but after you finish your lychee boba and your nutella waffle, the moment you step out, they will have a huge laugh at your expense, making "cane and walker ha ha ha" gestures, putting on a DVD of Lawrence Welk, calling their grandparents in Taiwan as seeing you reminded them -- and you will go home with a full belly, crying yourself to sleep because you just turned twenty-five.
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Popcorn chicken (higly recommended) or other types of small dishes or snacks + plethora of drink choices + after 9PM cool crowd + close late (2 am) + friendly staff + wonderful price = extremely happy customer!!!!!!! :-)
If you plan to go by yourself, the crowd or the video/music screen are entertaining.
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Ohhhh.... I Luv their wafflesssss...eggettessss....[drooling]
and their drinks matching my taste since they ain't too sweet like other buble tea joints... you know you can get diabetic if you drink/eat sweet too much....so guys and gals, better avoid too sweety drinks so you can live long and prosper....:)) hhehehehe...
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Warning!! The only good thing about this place is that it's open late (2am) and it has Asian videos playing in the background. After 3 experiences, I will not go there again, especially since I now know that there are restaurants on the next plaza down open just as late.
Bubble Act caters to a very young crowd so they don't care too much about quality of the boba tea and they're very inconsistant with service. Also, their bathrooms are so gross. They look like they haven't been cleaned since the building was built.
History:
The first time I went to Bubble Act, I liked it. The egg waffle was very good (soft but not raw in the middle) and the tea was normal, nothing special. The second time though, they cooked my waffle so long it was a very dark brown color and broke into pieces when I touched it. Also, both our tea was very very watered down with lots of ice. The girl also gave my boyfriend green tea when he specifically ask if they had Jasmine. The girl put my waffle on to cook and then went outside to chat with some guys on the sidewalk. She can chat-up whoever she wants but when she delivered a ruined waffle to my table and then, she acted mad when I ask her to redo it, that's a problem. She made half underbreath comment indicating that I should've said I wanted it light. I didn't want it light, I just didn't want it to crumble cause it was so crisp. It's a waffle, not a cracker. The egg waffle is good if they'd pay a lil attention and do it right.
I went there the 1st time, it was good. I went there a 2nd time, it was horrible. I went there a 3rd time to see if the 2nd time was a fluke and, won't be going there again.
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Nutella and Peanut butter waffle with a green milk tea. Only $3.95. Yum Yum.
6/8/06- I went back today at around 6pm for my nutella waffle fix. Some older man was working the waffle iron. He messed up my waffle twice. The second waffle was raw and split in half, got stuck in the iron and he had to pry it out with a knife. The first waffle was raw split in half and got stuck too. But some how he pryed it out, applied the nutella-peanut butter goo combo and handed it to me. I was disapponted...but I couldn't give it back because I wanted my fix.
04/07- The floor looks unusually grimey. The waffle machine looks a bit un savory.
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Man, this place is deteriorating. I used to come here often because they are one of the few places open late at night if you crave boba after a late night movie. When I last went there, it was packed. There were a lot of thugs/wannabe gangsters hanging outside smoking, creating lougie puddles, and what not. There were people showing off their cars, soundsystems, and some peeling out. When I got in, the place looked like a mess. The waffle making area looked disoriented (I wonder how long those scattered waffle pieces been there). We ordered two milk teas and it took half an hour. I was irked. I felt uncomfortable because of some people and the surroundings. I was thinking to myselft that the damn tea better be good since we've been waiting for half an hour. When we finally got it, I was very dissapointed because it tasted like dirty water. It had no significant flavor and was watered down. I felt like I wasted my time and money. This place used to be clean and had better service. Everything seems to be going downhill now. I don't plan on coming back to this place ever again unless I'm in the area and I see improvement.
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i dont even know if this place has reopened yet [or ever will], but when i started coming here years ago, their crepes were the shit and the soju smoothies were deceivingly delicious [and higher in alcohol content than i thought].
i would have given then 2.5 stars.. but since i can't.. they get 3 stars for having Egg Puffs that are mediocre - but decent for the area.. you can't seem to find them anywhere.. for having their signature waffles which are pretty tasty for a snack and for the late night hours.. also.. it seems to attract a younger more wanna-be age group on certain days and times.. not a crowd that i would fancy myself around.. but yeah. go for the egg puffs and waffles and leave!
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Pretty inconsistent with their stuff here. I like it only because they open really late and its good for those random moments with your friends.
3 stars.
1 for the fact that they have eggie bubble or egg puff. because only 2 freaking places have that around here. geez
-1 for being so freaking overpriced for their stupid egg puff. dude you can get like 2 for $1 in HK.
1 star for the service...the guy and gal is super nice. always trying to recommend and suggest what is good.
-1 for all the fools that hangs around there.....such a turn off. even when im dying for egg puff i dotn dare to go there at night. ekkk
1 star for the waffles..mmmmmm plain waffle with butter and sugar. gotta try that!
so there you go 3 stars.
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Tasty sweet waffles with peanut butter. And at 10PM, when almost nobody else is open for a 15 mile radius, it tastes even better.
the asian in me comes here late late night when i'm back home. i come here with two of my very good friends (i only come here with these two) and we order a bunch of random asian drinks and snacks and people watch. my fav is the passion fruit smoothie and the milk waffle.
i didn't think their regular eggettes were that good(i do want to try the chocolate and green tea flavors) but the tokyo green tea smoothie was yummy!
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omg this place is soooo dirty. the last time i came here the menus were sticky. oh and there were ants everywhere. and dont even bother ordering those egg pancake things. that shit looks like it hasn't been cleaned in months. i wish nor cal had those cleanliness grade ratings like they do in so cal.
i guess the best thing here are the boba drinks. they have those cute little multi-colored jelly things that taste like plastic, but its okay because they're asthetically pleasing to my eyes. oh and don't order the popcorn chicken. you can just walk three stores down to jujubi's for better tasting ones.
oh and every single time i come, i get bitchy service. sorry if it takes me forever to order.
two stars because i like how my drink looks all pretty, how they open late, and how i can come here and look around to feel better about myself. :)
you must try their waffles with nutella and their green apple smoothie!
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