Bamboo | Authentic Laotian & Thai Cuisine — Restaurant in Milwaukee

Pretty thrown off by this place. Found them through google and thought I’d give it a try with some good reviews on the food. When I called in I asked right away if I could pick my food up at 8pm being I called before 7:30. The girl on the phone asked if I could pick it up earlier because they close at 8:30 and try to shoo people away around 8 so they can lock up. That’s totally cool in any normal circumstance, except for the shoo away part that she actually said to me. But then she followed it up with saying something about not closing until 9…..When I arrived at 8, because they said it would be ok being they close at 8:30-9, she immediately asks about a to-go order, I give my name and she smiles and said ok good we were going to be closing in a few minutes. I’m not really sure where anyone finds that respectful, but why even say that to a customer? The food was very mid, not sure if I got the short end of the stick ordering my food at just before 7:30. If you want to close at 8, then adjust your business hours to close at 8 instead of shooing...

Talk about inconsistency! I had the Mango Curry, it did not have any tomatoes in it despite saying so on the menu, no big deal. I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it, it had a very smoky aroma, but not very spicy. I t came with some extra spice, so I threw it in. It was enjoyable, but not great. If cooking over a fire is authentic Laotian/Thai, then this was authentic, because that’s what it reminded me of. The next week I intended to eat at Thai BBQ, but it was closed, so I decided to eat at Bamboo again. I decided to have the Mango Curry again, and it was totally different. It had the tomatoes as the menu said, but also scallions. No big deal but the smoky aroma was not there and it tasted like they forgot the Curry! Very bland! If I had eaten in I could have had them fix it, so I had to try to spice it up myself. I will compliment them on their meat, and freshness of veggies, but I’m a little scared to go back there again because I don’t know what I will be getting. I would give them a 4 on the first visit, a 2 or maybe 3...

General Tso's Chicken: 2 out of 5. It was just good enough that I didn't feel like i wasted my appetite, but it was far from wonderful. There was a lot of breading, and it was mostly hard. The chicken was not tender inside. The sauce was unspectacular, and at times didn't taste so great. It did arrive very hot, so that's a plus, and there was a ton of it. If you're drunk and just need a late night fill, this will probably do the trick. I wouldn't order this again, though, in other circumstances.

Crab Rangoon: 3 out of 5. It's really hard to screw up crab rangoon. Im looking for a tender, yet crunchy shell with a warm filling that tastes good. They all use the same sauces so whatever. These checked the boxes, but barely. Limp and uninspiring triangles, they seemed a little old maybe. I ate most of them, but wasn't super excited about it.

Overall, General Tso's gets the most weight so we'll go with a 2. I very much doubt that I'll order from them again unless they are the only Chinese...