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The Happy Bamboo
Categories: Restaurants Vegetarian Restaurants Asian Fusion Vegetarian, Asian Fusion
1711 Branham LnSte A9
San Jose, CA 95118
(408) 694-0740
- Hours:
Tue-Sun 11:30 am - 9 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
201 reviews for The Happy Bamboo
Review Highlights
"The food here is yummy and all vegan."
(in 73 reviews)
"The dancing broccoli rocks."
(in 11 reviews)
"...the Super Happy Burger and the chocolate and avocado shake."
(in 3 reviews)
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201 reviews in English
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Review from Thuy H.
2/7/2012
Don't expect great service when you come here (don't expect it at any vietnamese restaurant). I asked the owner which dishes are most popular and which one would she reccommend, but she hurriedly said "everything good, I'm busy so you choose anything!" I turned to my friend and gave her the "wtf eye," then turned around to look at whoever else was eating lunch, and saw empty tables. Are you kidding me? You're stressing out when the place wasn't even bustling with customers.
DO expect really good food. So good, I want to go back for the next few months once a week to try EVERYTHING on this menu which is proclaimed to be "everything good!"
When I crave vegetarian food, I usually hit up Tofu Chay which is a lot closer to where I live, but I wanted to treat my vegan friend out to a cute, but won't put a deeper hole in your pocket kind of birthday meal. My yelpers have yet to fail me and I'm so glad I went with Happy Bamboo!
I was a bit turned off at first when I saw the menu because, for a vietnamese restaurant, why would there be mexican food? However, once I had the enchilada in my mouth, I couldn't be more happier that they had mexican food on the menu! I asked the owner and she said it's to accomodate her large mexican customer population (valid answer).
Anywho, I decided to be adventurous and wanted to eat a dish from each culture so I had the lemon grass "chicken." The food was delicious! The flavors were all there, perfectly cooked. The lemon grass glutton chicken was not overwhelmed by strong lemon grass flavors, but subtle, which is the way I like. Definitely tasted healthy (not cooked with a lot of oil). If it was overwhelming with lemon grass, I probably would have not liked it as much. And the enchiladas! OMG they were good. Portions are a bit small, but I guess that's good for someone whose watching their weight and they use BROWN RICE! Not the gross kind of brown rice, but the delicious kind of brown rice.
One of my favorite vietnamese dishes is the ca kho to (fish clay pot). If I had realized this was on the menu, I totally would have ordered it! I guess now I have to come back real soon to test it out! -
Review from Phil H.
San Jose, CA
1/17/2012
good place, simple clean vegan food. #.5 stars is a better rating for this chow house.
no frills, i like it for take out food.
good and cheep. -
Review from Scott P.
1/12/2012 2 Check-ins Here
Don't let the highly unusual interior scare you, there is tasty food here. Also, there is always a steady stream of customers, which should be reassuring. I mention this, because I can be skeptical as I judge a book by its cover.
I highly recommend the Jicama Rolls and the Dancing Broccoli, my two favorite dishes.
The Delightful Green Noodles are another good dish. The noodles are made from the Moroheiya plant, indigenous to Egypt and high in nutrition.
It is good to try something different! -
Review from Heather K.
Bay Area
We still love the Dancing Broccoli and this time it was even better than the first. There seemed to be a little more sauce which allowed us to marry it with our side of brown rice.
The Jicama Rolls and peanut sauce were again delish.
Instead of the Delightful Green Noodles we opted to try another dish, the Au-Lac Vermicelli (Bun Bi) :
Rice vermicelli, lettuce, bean sprouts, fresh herbs and
shredded cucumber, topped with peanut, spring rolls
and tofu, bean thread, veggie ham mixed with
roasted rice powder, served with house dressing.
I found the Au-Lac Vermicelli lacked flavor and the little that it had was just okay. Did not like the "ham" in this dish either.
Next time we will probably stick with the DGN.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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12/31/2011
Another meat eater sold on vegetarian!
I came here with an open mind because the last vegetarian… Read more »
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Review from Elain L.
San Jose, CA
1/8/2012
Food was phenomenal. Service SUCKED! I guess it's a small place and they don't expect to be that busy and the night that the bf and I visited, we walked into dirty tables and no one greeting us letting us know what we should do. We sat ourselves and waited...and waited... and waited... until we asked if we were supposed to wait or order at the counter. Then only after we ordered did we realize that only half of the people in the place were eating, ergo more waiting... and waiting... and waiting... granted I don't want anyone to think I'm just impatient. But for two dishes it took us an hour and a half for some veggies with tofu and pad tai. Seems a little rediculous to me. But alas, the food was great, it was evident that everything took time because of the quality behind the dishes. But still ...come on 2 dishes and an hour and a half dinner... doesn't add up to me.
Most likely I will return because this is by far the best vegatarian place I've found. -
Review from Janessa C.
San Jose, CA
12/8/2011
LOVE this place!!!
I have been coming here for almost 7 years now and I have never been disappointed! I have never had anything that wasn't good. The drumstick appetizer is delicious! Their yellow curry, garlic chicken, Happy burgers, pad thai, even their burritos... everything! So yummy.
I love that they have pearl/ jelly teas.. they also have vegan cakes and cookies you can get for dessert and they carry my favorite vegan "beef" jerky.
Definitely recommend this place to all the veggies out there! I've brought carnivores to this place who have loved it as well! -
Review from Takashi M.
San Jose, CA
12/18/2011
Food is good, but you gotta wait 30 - 40 minutes before you were served.
My kids were starved to die..... -
Review from Devin B.
San Jose, CA
12/5/2011
Let me preface this review by clearly stating that I am, in no way, shape or form a vegetarian - let alone a vegan.
Actually a large part of that herbivorous population annoys the heck outta me.
Uppity veg-heads who are cantankerous, pretentious, self righteous A-Holes hell bent on telling me that I'm going to die young, hate animals, and try to make me feel like the scum of the earth.
You know who the scum of the earth really is? The entire cast of The Jersey Shore.
GTL that, bro!
Nope - I like me a nice slab of beef, cooked medium-rare. I'll even eat a poor wittle bunny wabbit or baby cow if the occasion calls.
So it may come as a shock to you that I really enjoyed my meal at The Happy Bamboo Café
At first glance I thought this place was going to be another Vietnamese Restaurant sans the animal products, but digging deep into their menu the options cross oceans and borders. From Spaghetti and Burgers, to Pho and Burritos - this place utilizes almost every type of cuisine as a canvas for their flavor packed (meatless) food.
Skeptical? Can't say I blame ya, but I personally tried one of their burritos and it was downright tasty!
The lady who helped us (I'm going to assume she was the owner or something) is a diehard Vegan and just by the way she talked about her life choice, you can tell she has great pride in what she's doing. I can't say their Pho or Summer rolls were the best I've ever had, but they weren't the worst either and I think that a lot comes from the passion they have for their food and quite honestly, their whole way of life. -
Review from T M.
San Jose, CA
11/22/2011
This is my favorite vegetarian restaurant in the South Bay. Unlike what another commenter suggested, this is not due to lack of experience with vegan dining or some sort of provincial ignorance. (Nice attitude there, btw.) Even though I live surrounded by options in the East Bay, I still make a point to go to Happy Bamboo when I'm in town for a visit.
I have never been disappointed by anything I've ordered here. They have the best vegetarian pho I've ever had. The drumsticks and an avocado-chocolate shake with pearls are a staple for me. Tofu curry, vermicelli, even the Mexican options, all regularly ordered and enjoyed. I admittedly have never had one of their burgers because who orders burgers at a vegetarian restaurant when that is often your only mediocre option elsewhere?
I digress.
To sum it up. Great inexpensive vegan/vegetarian food. Don't overlook the extensive drink options. The owner is very kind and welcoming. They also sell snacks and cookies. Even my meat-loving parents enjoy it enough so that we can all order from here and don't have to hit multiple locations for takeout, and that is saying something. -
Review from Nhi K.
San Jose, CA
1/9/2012
We love Binh! My boyfriend who's vegetarian for about 2 yrs now loves the Spicy Drumstick! Binh is a very hard worker and she loves interacting and cracking jokes with everyone. I love their spanish dishes :) can't wait try more when I come back! The prices are pretty affordable and they give you good portions depending on how hungry you are and what you order. The shakes are pretty good! Another thing is...I like how they have veggie beef jerky on the counter for sale. Sometimes, those are hard to find! Yum!
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Review from Benito B.
San Jose, CA
1/19/2012 2 photos
So my girlfriend and myself have gotten into this habit of eating a bit more healthier. Reducing our red meat intake, more veggies, etc. New year, new us. Yadda yadda yadda. After doing some research on my phone, we found this place called the Happy Bamboo which was not to far from her house, Its a small shop, didn't have much of an atmosphere to it. However, the menu was quite extensive, ranging from Asian food, to Mexican, all the way to Italian food. Get this, the food has no meat. All soy product. Pretty awesome. We ordered 1 plate of the mixed veggies and tofu, and 1 plate of the pad thai with tofu. We also ordered this avocado chocolate shake which was amazing!!! Def reccommend. The only issue that I have is the fact that we had to wait so long for such a small amount of people in that place. One server, maybe like two other customers yet we were attended to. I thought we had to order up front, so I asked. But food was good, I would come back here, I'll probably order something else, but service needs to be a little faster. But who is complaining right? :)
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Review from Melissa M.
Milpitas, CA
12/30/2011 1 Check-in Here
I've been to a few suprememaster places and this was on the bottom of the list. Not a fan. Friendly staff just not the greatest quality of food.
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Review from Patrick B.
Los Angeles, CA
9/15/2011 1 Check-in Here
Vietnamese vegan done right. The Lemon Grass Chicken plate is one of my favorites, as is the Dancing Broccoli--both made extra extra spicy.
Their German chocolate cake is stupendous, as is their carrot cake. Vegan German chocolate cake may sound cardboardish, but the vegan ingredients actually bring out the chocolate flavor. Definitely give it a shot.
The owners drive both in from a vegan bakery in Santa Cruz every few days. Unfortunately, both cakes go quickly, so I usually call ahead in hte morning and have them reserve a slice (or six) for me during dinner. I'd recommend you do the same if you're hard set on either.
Good stuff! -
Review from Brandon T.
San Jose, CA
9/29/2011
I'm not a vegan nor a die-hard carnivore, but I do value healthy eating. I visited this place with a vegan friend and I was intrigued by what a vegan restaurant can offer.
I ordered the tofu yellow curry rice plate, red guava shake, and a mocha chocolate cake. All the food was tasty and I especially enjoyed the shake and cake.
The tofu curry was okay - the vegetables are more raw than the typical soft carrots and potatoes found in curries. I understood why - increases the available nutrients compared to overcooking, but I didn't enjoy the curry still.
The drink menu pricing was reasonable, but I didn't find that the food menu items were worth the given $$ as the flavor and portion size was lacking a bit in my opinion.
Overall experience was positive especially since the owner was very welcoming and even chatted to us for a bit. I would support an organic, wholefood, local business any day! -
Review from Sean M.
San Jose, CA
It's a daunting task looking at a vegetarian menu while I'm starving. I'm so used to having 3-4 options on a menu, but in a place like this every option is for me and my veg people!
The menu was impressive and culturally diverse in choices. Enough to definitely appease probably any craving. Veg burgers, "fish", "chicken", pho, Mexican, etc. Well, I finally settled my adult ADHD and had the combo pho, my lil guy had the veg burger, and I had an order of "chicken" wings. The pho was great, the veg burger was good, and the chicken wings were the closest thing I've ever tried to the real thing(which happens to be the one food I miss the most since going veg all those years ago).
The setting is in a lil strip mall so it easily gets visually passed over between a sushi place, subway, etc. But don't pass it over! If you're a vegetarian, vegan, conscious eater, try it!
The ambiance is casual, great lunch or dinner spot. Not the kind of place for a candlelight dinner, but not hole in the wall either. Just a chill unassuming local owned respectable spot where you could easily make a reappearance and the very nice owner would greet you with a witty remark and smile.Listed in: Veg Power!
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Review from Raymond P.
San Jose, CA
11/26/2011
Not a big fan of the fake meat.
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Review from Erick C.
San Francisco, CA
7/2/2011
Oh man, I see there are a good amount of people giving this place 4-5 stars. This I understand given the lack of vegetarian options in the San Jose area but I'm going to be the asshole here and say that this place is nowhere near worthy of anything more than 2 stars.
I have no problems with the decor; I live in San Francisco and I thrive on finding places that look like this restaurant and have phenomenal food. The Happy Bamboo however, is not one of those places. I ordered the Sweet and Sour Chicken (rice plate) and my girlfriend ordered the Happy Veggie Burger Part II with Fries.
Actually let me back track here; the waitress was very nice. She's the reason why I'm giving this place 2 stars. She was very patient with us and we took awhile to figure out exactly what we wanted. We were very happy with the menu options; it has a lot of variety and it'll take you some time to choose what you want.
Back to the food; when we received our order, which was pretty quick, my sweet and sour chicken looked...questionable. My girlfriend's burger looked decent. The sweet and sour chicken was chewy, the sauce wasn't anything to cry about and the rice was, well, rice.
The burger was very messy; the burger was supposed to have a patty but it came with a cutlet, which was both wrong and not tasty at all. Basically, the fries were the best part of that meal and even then they were mediocre.
All in all, this place sucks and I wouldn't go back. I've been to at least 4-5 Supreme Master vegan restaurants and this, in my opinion, is the worst one so far. To be fair, I live in San Francisco and have been to places like Golden Era, Loving Hut (better in the city then anywhere else) and have eaten other vegan/vegetarian places, and they've all been phenomenal. If you are vegan/vegetarian, I'm sure you have very little options and in my opinion, that will skew your opinion on the food here. Just because it's vegan friendly and you have limited options doesn't mean you have to settle for mediocre food. -
Review from Esther Y.
8/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
Vegan pho? I was skeptical.
I ordered the pho au lac (soy ham, tofu, soy beef, onion, cilantro).
Thoughts that went through my head initially:
First spoonful of soup with noodles: "Hmmm this is lacking flavor...not impressed at all."
Bite of soy beef: "Ok with the lime, but this soy beef makes me really miss the real meat"
Bite of soy ham: "WAIT! This is really good!! I can't place my finger..or tongue on the flavor...is it like Spam Lite? Or..."
Bite of tofu: "This is good...wait, it's just tofu. I have tofu all the time. This is normal tofu."
I then added a few squirts of sriracha sauce (which I never add to my pho normally) and a few shakes of white pepper. From there on, the broth tasted better. I still missed the broth of real beef or chicken pho, but I ate the rest of the bowl without too many more complaints in my head.
Good selection of drinks...I was too full to try them but some of them were really tempting.
The menu is interesting, spanning not just Vietnamese food but Mexican as well.
The owner is really nice and friendly too! Service is a bit on the slower side but that's totally ok, just make sure you're not in a hurry. -
Review from Lily L.
Happy Bamboo makes my tummy happy! My favorite here is the lemongrass chicken. It's simply the best! It's flavorful and has just the right amount of spice! Feels healthy and guilt-free! I posted a pic and it looks like it's fried but it is not. The lemongrass makes it look like it's panko crusted in the pic.
If you can get past their green noodles being green, It taste amazing. The noodles have this firm but chewy consistency to it...similar to Japanese ramen.
The vermicelli is yummy - the faux meat, vietnamese herbs and veggies, and peanuts on top completes the dish.
The Au-Lac salad is good but I probably want to see more meat on it next time. -
Review from Jim B.
San Jose, CA
5/19/2011
I am just getting really into eating in a more healthy way. Not that biscuits and gravy are terrible bad, but on the average I am picking up a new bunch of great places to eat. I always thought this vegetarian stuff was for "other" people because how could this kind of stuff taste any good.
Well I have dined in no better tasting place than here.. I am happy I have Yelp to assist in finding good places to eat, and it did me right tonight.
I had sweet and sour chicken with brown rice. The dish didn't look so big, and guess what, I was stuffed when finished. I also gave the avocado chocolate shake upon recommendations found here..
I had medical treatment in the last couple of years and lost all my ability to taste food.. It has come back, can't touch anything spicy and they made recommendations for me. I could hear the pride in their place and quality of food.. It was just fantastic, fresh, full of flavor, and even healthy on top of that, go figure.
I had contact with the mother and son, moms place and really enjoyed the conversation, advice, and care they demonstrated. This is my south ay keeper now as there are many more items on the menu to taste and devour as my eating vocabulary with vegan grows.
Now I must digress and make mention on some comments made about speed of service.. If it is fast you want, go to the chicken place in the same parking lot, my food was hot fresh and on my plate in less than 15 min.
I am going to be a steady customer and tell others about my new discovery that has been there for 7 years -
Review from Brieana E.
Santa Rosa, CA
11/14/2011
Happy Bamboo left me with a very happy belly indeed...
The menu here is the kind that I need to look at for a good few minutes before my eyes stop darting around, overwhelmed by the chaotic onslaught of choices. I ordered a Vietnamese coffee to help me with the task, and my server thoughtfully informed me that it would take a few minutes for the coffee to brew.
The first sip was heaven, and I immediately wondered why my years of infatuation with vegan Asian fusion type places had never led me to experience the pleasure that is Vietnamese coffee.
The lemongrass chicken was phenomenal. I haven't been that impressed with other mock meats I have tried in the bay area, and many have been downright disappointing. If I was going to the same places because I gave up hope that a satisfying "chicken" experience could be had in California's better half, that hope has been restored. I just wish it was a little closer.
The only downside to the meal was the fact that they were out of jicama rolls. prior to ordering I had asked which was a better choice between the jicama rolls and the spring rolls, so i just opted for my second choice. What I meant to ask about was the summer (fresh) rolls, but i accidentally said spring rolls so that's what I got in the end.
The spring rolls are the vegetarian kind you can find frozen at the store; granted I buy them once in awhile, that just wasn't what I was hoping for.
I topped it all off with a Thai iced tea to go. It could have been a tiny bit sweeter, but considering that most places usually use a little TOO much sugar it was fine with me.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner. -
Review from Cindy C.
6/8/2011
Thought this was a cute Chinese vegetarian place. The owner here is super cute and really honest with her recommendations. We tried the lemongrass chicken, the dancing broccoli, and the claypot fish. All there were good. I think i liked the flavors of the lemongrass chicken the best.
I like the variety of cuisines offered here, and if you're vegetarian, I'd definitely give this place a try, especially if you're craving Asian food.
Our friends who come here say not to get the Pho though, cause it's not so great. -
Review from Lisa L.
San Jose, CA
5/24/2011
Let me just start off by saying that I am NOT a vegetarian. I LOVE meat. But man, I really love this place. So much so that I ate here 4 days in a row. I actually had to make my husband go in to pick up my order because I was a little embarrassed by coming in so often.
The actual property isn't fancy. It's a small hole-in-the-wall in a strip mall, but it's clean and functional. In other words, it's not really a first date kind of place.
I've only had a few things on the menu... but ALL of them were delicious. My favorites are the Flautas and the Oceanal Tostada. I thought there was a misprint on the menu because the tostada lists "yam crescent" as the main ingredient. I could swear the "seafood" in the dish was some type of fish. It kind of tasted like the fake crab you get at a sushi place. It's delicious.
I've also had the Pho -- it was descent. Nothing to write home about. The spring rolls were yummy, but you may need to double your order because they're small.
The vegan chocolate cake is pretty damn good. I like to have something sweet at the end of my meal.... normally just a few bites, but I can eat the entire slice of their cake. It's moist, not overly sweet, and packs alot of chocolate flavor in each bite.
The owner has always been very nice to me. Maybe a little opinionated at times. She wants to convert me to veganism (is that even a word?), but I like her. She puts out quality food at affordable prices. I can't wait to work my way through the menu. -
Review from Barney T.
Campbell, CA
5/19/2011
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh man! I spied the "burger" with the Tariyaki sauce and mushrooms and ordered that up. It was tasty and big, served with a good (but not overly big) helping of fries. The wife had the lemon grass chicken, which she describes as "just describe your own, jack ass." I liked the dumplings for an appetizer, as well as the sauce.
The owner engaged in good natured chop-busting for our non-veganess (the wife has been vegetarian since the Clinton Administration, myself since Jan 1, 2000) and told us that there would be a test the next time we showed up for dinner over vegan options from the Whole Foods. I will be sooooooooo ready for that, and willing to try the Mexican dishes that are on the menu. Unlike many vegan restaurants, there is something here for everyone to try.
Pros:
Good taste, excellent service and a laid back atmosphere. The price was not bad at all. The owner is fantastic.
Cons:
Egads, None! -
Review from Casm L.
San Jose, CA
10/15/2011
I love this place the food is amazing. We always get the drumsticks and wontons as appetizers and try something new every time. The lady there is hella nice I wish I could work with her and get some of the recipes. I asked what the fish tasted like and she was like, "uhhh it tastes like fish!" and afterwards we were like how does she know isn't she vegetarian? lol This and Loving Hut are probably the best places to get veggie and vegan food in San Jose.
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Review from George W.
South San Francisco, CA
8/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
Owner is very sociable. She will say something like "Are you here for meatless food", "I remember you", etc. Later, I found she said simialr things to other people.
Like most of the vietnamese vegan restaurant, the food is very good.
Not as sweet as some other I tried before.
I ordered the Au-Lac Fish in claypot. OK portion (I wish more) and it taste a lot like real fish. The sauce with brown rice makes perfect match.
At the end of the meal, I found out about the shakes, I ordered Avocado choco shake. Very smooth and fresh. -
Review from Kedar D.
6/23/2011
I liked this place, on a whole, but I think it doesn't stand out too much from the pack of vegan/vegetarian Asian restaurants in the South Bay.
We started off with a "matginder's spicy bbq drumsticks" ($5.75) which were the standard variety of vegan chicken wings you find in this area; they were covered in a pretty tasty tomato-bbq sauce and came together well. Apparently the owner named this dish by combining two of her regular customer's names.
For our main course dishes we had a "delightful green noodle" with tofu ($7.75) and a "lemon grass veggie chicken" ($8.95). The green noodle dish sounded great in theory, but ended up just being a regular Vietnamese stir-fry with a semi-sweet sauce. The noodles sounded great (made of some type of ancient Egyptian plant), but didn't taste all that different from any other rice-type noodle.
The lemon grass chicken was more impressive: just many pieces of firm vegan chicken covered in lemongrass. The lemongrass flavor on this dish really stood out and I'd recommend it. We got it with brown rice, with cost an extra $1.50 (I hate it when places charge for rice, but at least they offered brown rice and not just white).
For dessert we had a "caramel flan" ($2.50) which was basically silken tofu in a caramel sauce. It was really good. The low price was nice, too.
The service is friendly. The decor on the inside is pretty utilitarian, so it's not the best date spot, but Happy Bamboo is certainly good for a simple and tasty vegan or vegetarian meal. -
Review from naga madan c.
Cupertino, CA
5/27/2011 4 photos
We go to this place very often.
My wife likes their tofu ice cream alot. their dishes are really good well spicy. the sit out area wasn't that friendly but the food is simply superb.
will surely recommend this place for any one atlst to visit once ;)
this restaurant is purely vegan ! -
Review from Gilda H.
San Jose, CA
10/20/2011
Service is very nice & helpful. I had the vermicelli bowl (bun bi) & it was good but their caramel vegan flan was out of this world! Definitely coming back to try other dishes!
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Review from Jay F.
Saratoga, CA
6/29/2011
I've been quoted as saying the best thing you can do to make veggie food better is to add meat.
I feel I must now rescind that statement because of this place. While I am not going to become vegetarian, I would eat here again without thinking about it.
The lemon chicken was spectacular. The chicken drumsticks were great. The curry is solid and their deserts worth it.
With all this praise why only a 4? Well, I'm harsh and simply because I agreed with some of what the TV had on doesn't mean I didn't think it was in poor taste. I don't need to watch that stuff while I'm eating, and some of the things were in poor taste.
As a red-blooded omnivore, I still approve of this places awesome menu. -
Review from Yennie N.
San Francisco, CA
4/21/2011 1 Check-in Here
The food was from avg to above avg depending on the dish. The time it took for the dishes to come out was definitely too long. My family are for the majority all vegeterians and I like to take them to new places. I took my parents there initially to scope out the place and the fish with ginger sauce was good along with their chicken and lemongrass. The Dancing broccoli was over cooked. The second time we went with my aunts and uncle it took about 45 mins for any type of food/appetizer to come out. I think its a one waitress one cook kinda place so be very patient if you go.
Definitely not one of the best places to go as a group or if you are in a time crunch. -
Review from Jody E.
Saratoga, CA
5/31/2011
Oh, Happy Bamboo, we're in love with you!
My darling and I are both vegetarian and are recent transplants to the bay area from Pittsburgh, PA. We also both eat gluten free most of the time, so it used to be quite difficult to eat out. Now we're spoiled for choice and Happy Bamboo is one of the stars.
I'm a sucker for vegetarian versions of fish and these guys deliver; the veggie fish in ginger sauce is a delight, as is the clay pot fish.
The veggie chicken dishes are equally wonderful and the lovely thing about the mock meats here is that they are never dry (which is so easy to do, sadly!), but moist, tender and exceedingly flavoursome.
I tend to stick to more Chinese versions of meat facsimiles (a habit after living in Singapore for a couple of years, I guess), but my husband (the Singaporean - ha!) informs me that Happy Bamboo's dream burger is to die for as well.
Everything on the menu is vegan and they have loads of gluten free choices. I suspect the meat eaters would really dig the texture and taste of the food here too. -
Review from Stan R.
San Jose, CA
7/9/2011
Leave it to a bunch of stupid vegans to over hype a restaurant that serves tofu in a cup of hot water and calls it soup. Back in high-school all the annoying hard-core vegans would not shut-up about this place like it was Disneyland. After trying it a few times it will be the last time I take eating advice from some radical-vegan.
The meals here are very bland or just taste like a chew toy. Besides tofu that fells like a chew toy; they also got vegetable dishes that don't taste like vegetables. Overall if you are a vegetarian than just go to Whole Foods as one is located on Blossom Hill (5 minutes away from this dump). -
Review from Alissa L.
San Francisco, CA
10/6/2011
Any vegan/vegetarian place that passes enthusiastically with my meat loving boyfriend is a huge winner for me! The Teriyaki "Chicken" is a must-have, as is the Dancing Broccoli dish. The atmosphere and menu layout are maybe a bit quirky, but don't judge a book by its cover and check out the Happy Bamboo.
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Review from Q H.
San Francisco, CA
10/5/2011 2 Check-ins Here
I love this place. Awesome food at a decent price.
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Review from Vicky b.
1/25/2011
Love this place! Love! Love! Just had it for lunch today too!
I love how flavorful Happy Bamboo is. And their portions are pretty reasonable in size. They advertise themselves as being vegetarian, but they are actually vegan. At least from everything I can tell. But the food is yummy. There are better vegan/vege places, but this is nice and local and affordable.
The woman who often works there can be a little pushy in deciding how much food you should or shouldn't eat, but I think it's kinda endearing.
My only complaint would be the video/tv station that's on the entire time. I understand they have a vegan agenda they want to promote, I just don't feel like watching animals being tortured and mutilated while I eat.Listed in: Vegetarian/Vegan Places
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Review from Susan L.
3/24/2011
Hmmm...the excitement ended when we found out that the "devil lady" owns this restaurant too! She must have all the vietnamese vegetarian restaurants in the area! How to avoid her if you want vegetarian food? Btw, what kind of vietnamese restaurant charges for hot tea? It's not a minor charge either. Stupid.
It's vietnamese owned but serves mexican food, american food etc.
We ordered dancing brocolli, fish, seaweed salad, Pho for the kids. The family thought some of the dishes were decent. I probably wouldn't want to go back. Di Lac is still my fav place for vegetarian. Aside from asian food, other things vegetarian don't do vegetarian eaters any justice! -
Review from Sarah P.
San Jose, CA
5/15/2011
My boyfriend and I went here for dinner in May 2011. I ordered the "special" Royal Au-lac spicy noodle soup and he ordered the dancing broccoli.
It wasn't very crowded, but the food took at least 20 minutes to arrive. My soup came out first and was REALLY salty; it honestly tasted almost exactly like the "fancy" glass noodle ramen-style soup that I used to get at an Asian specialty supermarket for $0.50. They also gave me a fork instead of chopsticks, and I'm not sure why since it was a pho-like soup.
The dancing broccoli was actually pretty good but came out only warm, not hot. When the waitress asked how the food was, I mentioned that the soup tasted very salty. She then sent someone else out, who basically just told me that it was fine and that we just disagreed on the taste. I'm pretty sure she was the owner or manager and didn't offer to make it up in any way.
All in all, good broccoli dish, but otherwise poor service and bad soup. -
Review from Lori R.
San Jose, CA
11/12/2010
I'm rating The Happy Bamboo one star because they show incredible inflexibility when it comes to a simple special request -- a veggie stir fry without sugar, wheat or beans.
On a recent visit I told the owner that I was on a cleanse and was not using sugar/sweeteners, wheat or beans. It was then (after having visited many times and having LOVED the food) that I learned ALL of the sauces and dishes have sugar in them. I then asked Binh, the owner, if she could make a plate of veggies stir fried with garlic and ginger. The answer: NO. I was shocked as this seemed like a slam dunk request at a vegan restaurant. Since I'm trying to kick my sugar habit, I won't be going back. It's a shame. The restaurant is close to my house, we like the food and we were starting to go there a couple of times per month. -
Review from Laura G.
San Jose, CA
2/20/2011
LOVE IT! My kids love the Pho and the sweet and sour "chicken". I love the Super-Duper Really Very Happy "Burger".
This is the place to go when I want to splurge on a "burger" and fries!
The avocado smoothie is also great.
Service is always excellent.
