Bamboo Sushi — Restaurant in Lake Oswego

I have been here several times (over 5 times) for pick up and in the past they have done a wonderful job even though I've had to wait for my order before. However, my most recent visit was appalling and abhorrent. I was harassed and taunted at this location by the manager after they kept on extending my wait time. I arrived at this location 5 minutes before my scheduled pickup time and was told I would have to wait 10 minutes. I was perfectly fine with that and waited over 10 minutes before checking in. 15 minutes goes by and the order still isn't ready so I call them asking whether my order is ready yet and they told me that they were packing it up and it should be only 5 more minutes so I wait my time again and still don't see my order even though it "should" have been done if they're "packing it". I decide to head back into the store and check in on my order and the order still isn't ready and they check on it and say it should be a few more minutes. It's been 30 minutes of waiting so I express my concerns about how I have been mislead by the staff on the wait time and how it would have been better if they gave me a more accurate time estimate.

The hostess was nice and understood my concerns. However, when I expressed those same concerns to the manager who happened to stop by, I was harassed by him. I am a food delivery driver and the manager's response was that it was my fault and the company's fault for sending me the order too early and the pick-up time on my end is actually 10 minutes earlier than the time Bamboo Sushi is supposed to have it ready. Funny thing is that it's up to the restaurant to select a time for how long the order will take and then the order gets dispatched to drivers. Looks like it's actually the restaurant's fault for underestimating the time it takes to prep a meal. The math also doesn't add up because well let's see if they're able to do some simple math because 30 minute wait time for me minus the 10 minutes I was early equals 20 minutes, meaning that the order is still 20 minutes late. All I said was that I would have appreciated it if I would have been giving a more accurate and honest wait time because the 10 minutes quickly turned into over 30 minutes.

And then the manager continues to harass and taunt me by asking me reptitively if I would like to be reviewed and rated by him on the app. My guess is that he thought he could ignore my concerns and instead scare me by threatening my food delivery gig with a poor review. Well looks like we're both going to review each other now :) Additionally, he continues to attempt to scare me by having another delivery driver assigned. But after waiting 30ish minutes, of course I'm going to continue waiting a "few" more minutes (thanks sunk cost effect). I waited approximately 40 minutes and finally got my order and the server who gave me the order was extremely kind and apologized for the long wait, despite not knowing anything about the situation. Give this person a promotion for her awesome customer service!

The fact that the manager thinks that he can disrespect and harass a food delivery driver is disgusting. Some real elitist behavior at this expensive sushi restaurant. I understand if we might not be a priority because you clearly have customers to serve in person. But a simple, "I apologize for the wait. We're super busy right now and we're working as hard and fast as we can to get you your order. The wait could be over 45 minutes long. Can we grab you a cup of water or feel free to use the restrooms while you're waiting" goes a long way, but straight up lying about wait times is concerning and harassing and taunting a food delivery is even more appalling.

Shoutout to Manzana's right across the street because I have picked up from there and their customer service is absolutely phenomenal. They treat every person who walks in there with absolute respect and they have made my day after picking...

My recent visit to Bamboo Sushi in Lake Oswego to celebrate my wife's birthday was marred by a disappointing encounter with the hostess. While our waitress provided excellent service and the food was enjoyable, the overall experience fell far short of our expectations for a special occasion.

On a positive note, our waitress delivered impeccable service, being both friendly and helpful. She patiently answered our menu inquiries and ensured our needs were met throughout the evening. We appreciated her attentive approach, which made us feel genuinely welcome.

However, our interaction with the hostess left much to be desired. Despite having made a reservation for 6:30 PM through the Resy app, we were compelled to wait for an astonishing 30 minutes before being seated. To exacerbate matters, numerous unoccupied tables were readily available during our wait. Each time we inquired about our reservation, we received progressively longer waiting times, leading to frustration and disappointment.

To make matters worse, we were deceived on multiple occasions. The hostess assured us that we would be seated next, yet parties arriving after us were seated before us, contradicting her claims. This inconsistency and lack of transparency were highly unprofessional, causing us to question the integrity of the restaurant's management.

Furthermore, it was disheartening that despite indicating a birthday celebration on the Resy app, the restaurant made no effort to acknowledge the occasion. This left us questioning the purpose of such a feature if it would not be utilized by the establishment.

While we contemplated withholding a tip, we recognized the exceptional efforts of our waitress and chose to leave a cash tip directly to her. We hoped that this tip would solely benefit her and not be shared with the undeserving management and hostess.

In conclusion, although the food and the waitress's service were satisfactory, the disappointing experience with the hostess tarnished what was meant to be a special birthday celebration. The lack of regard for our reservation, the excessive wait time, and the dishonesty we encountered left us with a bitter...

BAMBOOZLED

This trendy spot has fantastic service overall. I love that they take reservations or you can come in early without one and generally get seated. The happy hour has some good discounts on it and it’s my “go to” spot to take my vegetarian/vegan pals to sushi due to the numerous non-fish options they have.

Bamboo is not an authentic Japanese experience and you shouldn’t expect one when you come here. It’s a Japanese fusion place that specializes in saucy sushi creations.

The fish is the same fish every sushi spot in Portland gets theirs from. Absolutely nothing special about the fish they use IMO. They just charge a pretty penny for the presentation and exceptionally tasty sauces they slather on their rolls. Green Machine sauce is something seriously special and I will buy it “to go” next time I’m in.

Unfortunately, the quality of what they bring out to their customers waivers greatly from visit to visit. We love the crispy rice dishes when they aren’t stale. They prep the crispy rice ahead of time and they often taste like they were made days prior to being brought to a table. Luckily the fish is added just before serving, but it’s playing “CRISPY RICE ROULETTE” every time you order one.

UPDATE I’ve now had the smashed avocado crispy rice twice in a row and it was FANTASTIC both times. They may have fixed their “quality” issue and it’s worth mentioning here.

UPDATE 2 Continuing improvement noted and this last trip...