I recently attended the coursed dinner at Blue Bamboo with my husband, and regrettably, our dining experience left much to be desired. Despite the anticipation of a Vietnamese dinner experience, for which we paid $60 per ticket, we were disheartened to find that the menu heavily favored deep-fried foods. Virtually every item, from the pork to the dumplings, was fried, deviating significantly from flavors typically associated with Vietnamese cuisine.As someone who appreciates the intricacies of dumplings, I was particularly disappointed by the execution at Blue Bamboo. The dumplings resembled more of an empanada than a traditional Vietnamese dumpling, and the absence of a soy sauce pairing further detracted from the authenticity of the dish. To add, the rice dishes lacked any salt, which was undesirable.Beyond these shortcomings, it took an excessive 45 minutes for our first course to arrive, a salad accompanied by fried rice cakes. Despite our evident dissatisfaction, the manager failed to intervene or address our concerns, missing an opportunity to salvage the dining experience.As regular patrons of multiple course dinners in Jacksonville and surrounding areas, we were deeply disappointed by the lack of creativity, authenticity, and basic culinary competence demonstrated at Blue Bamboo. Our visit was not only a regrettable waste of time and money but also a missed opportunity for the establishment to showcase its potential. It is disheartening that the management did not prioritize addressing these issues, further exacerbating our disappointment.I cannot recommend Blue Bamboo, and I sincerely hope that the establishment takes steps to improve its offerings and customer service.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Joseph Francis
Our experience at Blue Bamboo's Vietnamese dinner experience that we paid $60 per ticket left much to be desired. From start to finish, our taste buds were bombarded with an onslaught of fried foods. Fried pork, fried onions, fried rice cakes, and yes, even the dumplings were fried – a perplexing departure from traditional Vietnamese culinary practices.To compound matters, each dish seemed to be only flavored with ginger, devoid of any unique taste or balance. It felt as though the kitchen had run out of ideas and resorted to dousing everything in ginger. Furthermore, one dish with rice was devoid of any seasoning or salt, leaving us with a bland and uninspired dish to the already lackluster dinner.Despite our evident dissatisfaction, the manager never intervened or addressed our concerns. It was a missed opportunity for Blue Bamboo to rectify the situation and salvage the dining experience. In conclusion, our visit to Blue Bamboo for the Vietnamese dinner was a regrettable waste of time and money, marked by a lack of creativity, authenticity, and basic culinary competence.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Joy Million
We had the lunch chicken lo mein and general tso. Don't get the general tso with the sauce on it. It's too much and will make the meat soggy and too, too salty to eat. I took half of my lunch home and could not enjoy it. Through it all away. We also ordered dessert togo, their Mandarin cake (not as moist as it used to be at their previous location) and peanut butter pie. The peanut butter pie was OLD!!! Come on yall! This was my favorite spot for years! We have been coming here since they were on Southside Blvd and only visited twice a year. This place was so special to us. The new location looks Amazing, however some of the cooking is lacking what it used to be. We could come anytime and the service/food was consistent. Well, no more. Throw that peanut butter pie Ms. Lady made that is selling the chocolates. If her desserts are old, the chocolates are old too. Nevertheless, we won't be back!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 5
Nidhi Suresh
We had an amazing experience at Blue Bamboo! Our waitress was incredibly attentive and knowledgeable and the food was delicious! There were lots of vegan/vegetarian options. We ordered the veggie spring rolls, general tso’s cauliflower, dragon whiskers, and veggie jai tofu. Everything was fantastic and came out right on time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Veggie Spring Rolls, Dragon Whiskers
Rachel Morgan
We were pleasantly surprised with Blue Bamboo! I got the Red Curry Shrimp and Grits which were fantastic. The chef actually stopped by our table to see how we were enjoying things and I admitted to wanting to drink the red curry sauce so he gave me a brief rundown on how to make it! Truly not something I’d have ever expected but I think I’ll leave the cooking to him and just come back for more! My husband also had the Sichuan chicken stir fry and completely devoured it so I think he enjoyed it too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Red Curry Shrimp and Grits, Blue Bamboo National Prize-Winning Mandarin Orange Cake
Ed Santiago
Best shrimp Lo Mein ever. Pot stickers are awesome and the service is the very best. Chef Dennis loves to walk around and greet everyone. Love going there at least once a week.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chinese BBQ Spareribs, Steak, Shrimp Lo Mein
Mary Cerullo
If I could do 10 stars, I absolutely would!! I contacted Blue Bamboo several weeks ago and asked them if we could have a larger group for a Galentine‘s dinner. From the first moment we spoke, they were above and beyond accommodating. As I kept adding to the amount of women that would be there, asking if I could decorate the table, could I set up balloons they just happily agreed. I had discussed with everyone that it was a larger group, so we needed to be accommodating to the weight staff. Respect for an establishment and their staff is extremely important. It was a fabulous experience ?? The food was fantastic, the drinks were fantastic, our waitress was so sweet and my entire group is still sending me messages telling me how much fun they had
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Bodin Allen
First time here, but definitely not the last. This is a must try! Highly recommend! Beautiful atmosphere and fantastic food! Even better service! Our server was fantastic and so was the food delivery robot!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: General TSO's Cauliflower, Dragon Whiskers, Steak
Dexter Rhodes
My Steak and stir fry was ok.. to many onions and bell peppers and not enough meat. The other dish Lo mein the tofu was Bland and the extra beef added had a after tast that wasn't good. My first time visiting and it wasn't a good visit. I'm not impressed with this Restaurant service or there food.. they didn't have enough watresses qe had to wait for refills.. smh, my bill was 67.03 for a ok Dinner. The robot was cool.. the only one with good serv..
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 2
S Jose
Food was so-so, average tasting. The Sichuan chicken was mostly onion and it was cold. The only tasty dish was the award winning dessert, of orange cake. Atmosphere was very loud and you can hear from all the other tables. The robot server was cool. Chef Dennis was there and he seems very nice. Still looking for tasty Chinese food in Jax.
Dennis always brings the best food. His staff is incredible.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Crab Rangoon
Alexi T
My boyfriend and I are foodies and came here for a date night, but we were left disappointed overall in the food.We ordered the crab rangoons appetizer, and they were pretty decent. For the entrees we had the chicken fried rice, and two chefs special items: Sichuan eggplant and beef rib noodles. The rice was the best part of the dinner. It had a nice flavor, but a lot of onions. The beef noodles were NOT what I was expecting, and a bit greasy. They came balanced on a styrofoam noodle cup with a rib on top, which although eye catching, did not look so appealing. Neither of us liked the eggplant. The sauce was overwhelming and it didn’t have a good balance of flavor that I am used to with traditional Chinese eggplant dishes. It didn’t look that appetizing either and we could only eat a couple bites and did not take it home.Apart from the food, the restaurant itself was beautiful and had a nice elegant atmosphere. There was some event happening when we arrived as well.The service was also nice, and the waitress was attentive. We were honest about the food, but they were very understanding.Something else I noted was that we had to ask for chopsticks and it took a several minutes for them to hunt some down for us. Didn’t expect that in a Chinese restaurant.In the end we were not very impressed and could have gotten similar food for cheaper at a regular takeout place. Maybe we got the wrong things, and maybe we will come back here if things change, but if you seek more authentic Chinese food like we do, I recommend looking elsewhere.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 4
Cristin S
The food was amazing as well as the service, but the atmosphere was a tad business-like for me.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Laura Bush
Attended a cooking class and market tour. It was fabulous and so much fun! Our chef was great and the class was hands on. Highly recommend!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Connie Stemen
One of my favorite places to eatParking: Plenty of parking
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Veggie Spring Rolls, Mandarin Orange Cake, Panko Breaded Sweet and Sour Chicken Breast
I recently attended the coursed dinner at Blue Bamboo with my husband, and regrettably, our dining experience left much to be desired. Despite the anticipation of a Vietnamese dinner experience, for which we paid $60 per ticket, we were disheartened to find that the menu heavily favored deep-fried foods. Virtually every item, from the pork to the dumplings, was fried, deviating significantly from flavors typically associated with Vietnamese cuisine.As someone who appreciates the intricacies of dumplings, I was particularly disappointed by the execution at Blue Bamboo. The dumplings resembled more of an empanada than a traditional Vietnamese dumpling, and the absence of a soy sauce pairing further detracted from the authenticity of the dish. To add, the rice dishes lacked any salt, which was undesirable.Beyond these shortcomings, it took an excessive 45 minutes for our first course to arrive, a salad accompanied by fried rice cakes. Despite our evident dissatisfaction, the manager failed to intervene or address our concerns, missing an opportunity to salvage the dining experience.As regular patrons of multiple course dinners in Jacksonville and surrounding areas, we were deeply disappointed by the lack of creativity, authenticity, and basic culinary competence demonstrated at Blue Bamboo. Our visit was not only a regrettable waste of time and money but also a missed opportunity for the establishment to showcase its potential. It is disheartening that the management did not prioritize addressing these issues, further exacerbating our disappointment.I cannot recommend Blue Bamboo, and I sincerely hope that the establishment takes steps to improve its offerings and customer service.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Our experience at Blue Bamboo's Vietnamese dinner experience that we paid $60 per ticket left much to be desired. From start to finish, our taste buds were bombarded with an onslaught of fried foods. Fried pork, fried onions, fried rice cakes, and yes, even the dumplings were fried – a perplexing departure from traditional Vietnamese culinary practices.To compound matters, each dish seemed to be only flavored with ginger, devoid of any unique taste or balance. It felt as though the kitchen had run out of ideas and resorted to dousing everything in ginger. Furthermore, one dish with rice was devoid of any seasoning or salt, leaving us with a bland and uninspired dish to the already lackluster dinner.Despite our evident dissatisfaction, the manager never intervened or addressed our concerns. It was a missed opportunity for Blue Bamboo to rectify the situation and salvage the dining experience. In conclusion, our visit to Blue Bamboo for the Vietnamese dinner was a regrettable waste of time and money, marked by a lack of creativity, authenticity, and basic culinary competence.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
We had the lunch chicken lo mein and general tso. Don't get the general tso with the sauce on it. It's too much and will make the meat soggy and too, too salty to eat. I took half of my lunch home and could not enjoy it. Through it all away. We also ordered dessert togo, their Mandarin cake (not as moist as it used to be at their previous location) and peanut butter pie. The peanut butter pie was OLD!!! Come on yall! This was my favorite spot for years! We have been coming here since they were on Southside Blvd and only visited twice a year. This place was so special to us. The new location looks Amazing, however some of the cooking is lacking what it used to be. We could come anytime and the service/food was consistent. Well, no more. Throw that peanut butter pie Ms. Lady made that is selling the chocolates. If her desserts are old, the chocolates are old too. Nevertheless, we won't be back!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 5
We had an amazing experience at Blue Bamboo! Our waitress was incredibly attentive and knowledgeable and the food was delicious! There were lots of vegan/vegetarian options. We ordered the veggie spring rolls, general tso’s cauliflower, dragon whiskers, and veggie jai tofu. Everything was fantastic and came out right on time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Veggie Spring Rolls, Dragon Whiskers
We were pleasantly surprised with Blue Bamboo! I got the Red Curry Shrimp and Grits which were fantastic. The chef actually stopped by our table to see how we were enjoying things and I admitted to wanting to drink the red curry sauce so he gave me a brief rundown on how to make it! Truly not something I’d have ever expected but I think I’ll leave the cooking to him and just come back for more! My husband also had the Sichuan chicken stir fry and completely devoured it so I think he enjoyed it too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Red Curry Shrimp and Grits, Blue Bamboo National Prize-Winning Mandarin Orange Cake
Best shrimp Lo Mein ever. Pot stickers are awesome and the service is the very best. Chef Dennis loves to walk around and greet everyone. Love going there at least once a week.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chinese BBQ Spareribs, Steak, Shrimp Lo Mein
If I could do 10 stars, I absolutely would!! I contacted Blue Bamboo several weeks ago and asked them if we could have a larger group for a Galentine‘s dinner. From the first moment we spoke, they were above and beyond accommodating. As I kept adding to the amount of women that would be there, asking if I could decorate the table, could I set up balloons they just happily agreed. I had discussed with everyone that it was a larger group, so we needed to be accommodating to the weight staff. Respect for an establishment and their staff is extremely important. It was a fabulous experience ?? The food was fantastic, the drinks were fantastic, our waitress was so sweet and my entire group is still sending me messages telling me how much fun they had
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
First time here, but definitely not the last. This is a must try! Highly recommend! Beautiful atmosphere and fantastic food! Even better service! Our server was fantastic and so was the food delivery robot!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: General TSO's Cauliflower, Dragon Whiskers, Steak
My Steak and stir fry was ok.. to many onions and bell peppers and not enough meat. The other dish Lo mein the tofu was Bland and the extra beef added had a after tast that wasn't good. My first time visiting and it wasn't a good visit. I'm not impressed with this Restaurant service or there food.. they didn't have enough watresses qe had to wait for refills.. smh, my bill was 67.03 for a ok Dinner. The robot was cool.. the only one with good serv..
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 2
Food was so-so, average tasting. The Sichuan chicken was mostly onion and it was cold. The only tasty dish was the award winning dessert, of orange cake. Atmosphere was very loud and you can hear from all the other tables. The robot server was cool. Chef Dennis was there and he seems very nice. Still looking for tasty Chinese food in Jax.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 4
Restaurantji Recommends
Dennis always brings the best food. His staff is incredible.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Crab Rangoon
My boyfriend and I are foodies and came here for a date night, but we were left disappointed overall in the food.We ordered the crab rangoons appetizer, and they were pretty decent. For the entrees we had the chicken fried rice, and two chefs special items: Sichuan eggplant and beef rib noodles. The rice was the best part of the dinner. It had a nice flavor, but a lot of onions. The beef noodles were NOT what I was expecting, and a bit greasy. They came balanced on a styrofoam noodle cup with a rib on top, which although eye catching, did not look so appealing. Neither of us liked the eggplant. The sauce was overwhelming and it didn’t have a good balance of flavor that I am used to with traditional Chinese eggplant dishes. It didn’t look that appetizing either and we could only eat a couple bites and did not take it home.Apart from the food, the restaurant itself was beautiful and had a nice elegant atmosphere. There was some event happening when we arrived as well.The service was also nice, and the waitress was attentive. We were honest about the food, but they were very understanding.Something else I noted was that we had to ask for chopsticks and it took a several minutes for them to hunt some down for us. Didn’t expect that in a Chinese restaurant.In the end we were not very impressed and could have gotten similar food for cheaper at a regular takeout place. Maybe we got the wrong things, and maybe we will come back here if things change, but if you seek more authentic Chinese food like we do, I recommend looking elsewhere.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 4
The food was amazing as well as the service, but the atmosphere was a tad business-like for me.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Attended a cooking class and market tour. It was fabulous and so much fun! Our chef was great and the class was hands on. Highly recommend!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
One of my favorite places to eatParking: Plenty of parking
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Veggie Spring Rolls, Mandarin Orange Cake, Panko Breaded Sweet and Sour Chicken Breast