Bamboo Asia — Restaurant in San Francisco

TLDR; Decent quick & healthy~ish Asian fusion (NOT authentic!) options in the FIDI for $8-11.

I've been working in the FIDI since Bamboo first opened and have never been compelled to come. It's mostly because I never crave Asian food on workdays (maybe because I'm Asian myself). Secondly, everytime I walk by to get to MUNI/BART, this place smells like oil or fried food outside. I will say that after I got my food from here, I smelled a bit oily too. But there's another lunch place I frequent where that occurs as well, so I'm not knocking down points for it, just something to think about.

It's well lit, clean, and inviting inside! Lots of tables, cafeteria/Chipotle style where you order/customize your food and then eat or takeout. Aaand they have alot of healthy options. Also a plus that they put the calorie count next to the item.

I opted for Indian and got the Holy Cow roti (like an Indian burrito). Ordering and paying was super fast! I was surprised that they actually DID use roti, I thought they would use some sorry excuse of a tortilla. It's not like actual roti where it's crisp and flaky but it wasn't BAD. A bit doughy, yes. Overall the ingredients were all good, cooked well, and tasted fresh and it was a good balance of flavors and stayed true to its Indian flavors.

It was about 6 inches long, but packed full with good proportion of each ingredient that I could actually taste everything! It was worth the $8 price tag. Surprisingly, it didn't soak through even there was no rice inside, and I waited about 30-40 minutes after I ordered to eat it, too.

Definitely a good option for decent, quick & healthy Asian food...

One of the finest Asian cuisine restaurant in the town. This place is insanely crowded during lunch hours, so in case you're not having a time constraint, you can check it out before or after those hours.

Food: Bamboo Asia has three options as far as the cuisine goes - Indian, Vietnamese and Japanese. I have tried Vietnamese and Indian rice bowls and loved it. They have a large variety of options on what you want to add to your bowls in terms of choice of rice, proteins, veggies, sauces and toppings. So, essentially, you have a good amount of control on what you are eating. One can also make out that the ingredients are fresh, partly also because of good churn.

Ambiance: If you're visiting this place in the noon hours, expect it to be really cramped and be ready for long queues on any counter you visit. It is not a fine dining restaurant and most of the people go for a take away but there are good number of seating options in case you want to have your meal there itself. In non-rush hours, the place is quite spacious and the glass wall ensures enough natural light.

Service: They are quite quick in terms of turnaround time for customers. It is not a fine dining restaurant but has more of a subway style set up where you just tell them what you want to add in your salad/rice bowl or sandwich and they'll add that. The staff is good and helpful.

Overall, it is a very good restaurant that people must try at least...

My coworker mentioned this place, that it was pretty good bowls. I saw that I could order online, giving 30 minutes for pickup. When I came to pick it up, I saw that it was super crowded. While my food wasn't ready, I wasn't in a rush. They made my bowl on the spot and they gave it to me right away.

I ordered the Tokyo Trouble bowl, but adjusted it to what I liked. It came with fresh avocado, seaweed salad, tobiko, cucumbers, edamame, tempura shrimp, chicken, tamago, and brown rice. The tempura shrimp was actually really good. It was crispy and not soggy like I thought it would be. The bowl was actually super filling, as I couldn't even finish the whole thing.

It was about $13 for the bowl, which is standard for the middle of downtown SF. It's right by my work, so I'd probably order ahead so I can pick it up again. They seem to have other options, like Indian and Vietnamese, that I'd...