Bambuza Vietnam Kitchen & Bar — Restaurant in SeaTac

Inconsistent food quality and complete ripoff for the readymade stuff.

I have been to Bambuza twice now, and it's a hit or miss. I only went there because they take priority pass and it was close to the N gates that I came out of. If I were to pay out of pocket, I'd NEVER go to this place. First of all, for the readymade stuff, like a bag of snacks or a juice or drink, they are a complete rip off. They charged me $15 (yes, $15!!!) for a bag of Sahale Snacks Honey Almonds bag (4Oz), which is $4 at normal grocery stores or Amazon. I know its airport food but almost 4X the price is unheard of even at the worse places. Same thing with the juice. A small bottle was charged at $4.50 (retail is $1). I would never go to this place again, even on just principle that you shouldn't be paying 4X the normal prices for anything.

Second, the food quality is very inconsistent. I have had the Tofu Banh Mi twice now and once it was good, the other time it was just terrible - no cilantro, loads of mayo and inconsistently cooked Tofu. Same goes with their spring rolls. Mind you, both of them are not cheap. The Tofu Banh Mi was $15 and Spring rolls, $10. So unless you're just oozing with money and/or starving...look somewhere else. Priority pass dining benefits are going away in 2023 so I'm going to skip this place in future.

And lastly, they show a lot more options on their website than what they carry in the restaurant. They don't have the Veg Pho or the Veg crispy spring rolls. So if you're veg...the options are very very limited. I can't imagine spending $40-$50 /person for a decent meal...

Horrendous customer service. If you have a priority pass, avoid this place AT ALL COSTS. I ordered a yogurt, fruit, and a chicken bowl. I was a little over the limit so I said I’ll put the fruit back. The lady watched me put the fruit back and asked if that was everything. I said yes and she checked me out and did not provide a receipt. I was standing there waiting for my food and they finally asked what I was waiting for. I said I was waiting for my chicken bowl. The lady then said I never ordered it and I was out of luck because she already used the priority pass. She then said I need to “speak more clearly”, and that it was my fault that she didn’t put the order through. She refused to help, was extremely rude and combative, and said the best she could do was give me a discount. So I left without any food and couldn’t use my priority pass. I filed a formal complaint with Priority Pass and my credit card will be giving me a credit. I would avoid this place at all costs. Classic interaction with a hourly employee on a power trip.

Edit: the yogurt I ended up with (I think they also charged me for fruit but I didn’t get it) was bad. The kitchen is open so you can see what they are doing. The cook was eating and drinking and didn’t wash her hands after putting food in her mouth (disgusting to watch). It’s probably a good thing that I didn’t get food because you will 100% get food poisoning...

TLDR: despite being an airport restaurant, incredibly mid food, horrendously high prices, and horrible service. NOT authentic at all :(

Coconut shrimp: 6/10 - the only semi decent part of this meal. The coconut shrimp is overly salty, served warm, and has large flakes of coconut. Comes with a dipping sauce that is quite sweet and thick. These definitely seem like they were frozen from a grocery store and heated in the oven.

Pork bowl: 1/10 - the pork was … alright. It tasted like others had mentioned in the reviews that it had been cooked many days ago. The vermicelli noodles were overcooked, soggy even. Served with lettuce, cucumbers, and carrots. If you’ve been to any actual Viet restaurant, this by comparison is straight trash.

Mango nectar: 8/10 - Had to ask for this drink to be given to us as the employee forgot to. The drink was just mango nectar from Costco + ice, hard to mess this up.

Tables are first come, first serve. You must fight to get a table. If you don’t have a table, they force you to wait outside till you call their order. Also the workers all look like they hate their lives. When you ask for something they forgot to do, they roll their eyes or glare at you. They allow priority pass, but I honestly still...