‘Not an easy decision.’ Lincoln District’s only dedicated dessert shop to close

Bambu, a Vietnamese dessert cafe in the Lincoln District since 2017, will permanently close just before Thanksgiving, the owners announced this week.

The shop’s Instagram post reached a wide audience when it was posted on Wednesday morning. Commenters relayed memories of their first job, dashing out of Lincoln High School for a sweet treat, and routine Saturday visits after a duck noodle soup lunch at neighbor Tho Tuong BBQ.

“We’ll never forget the laughter behind the counter, the countless smiles shared over drinks, and the incredible friendships we’ve made with our staff, our customers, and our community,” wrote owners Chun and Quoc Huynh on Oct. 29. “You’ve all become part of our story — and our hearts. This was not an easy decision, but we are so deeply grateful for every moment. We’ll truly miss you all — your smiles, your support, and your love.”

Although their lease at 773 S. 38th St. doesn’t expire until next year, they have opted to spend more time with their family. Their children, who are now 11 and 14, “love Bambu,” said Huynh, but she looks forward to being with them on weekends and after school.

It won’t sit empty for long. Huynh considered creating a kind of employee-run cafe under a new name but found good stewards in a local couple looking to open a brick-and-mortar Thai restaurant, which will move into the space.

Known for coconut-juice desserts

Known for its variety of chè, a term that encompasses a range of sweet drinks, desserts and puddings here made with house-pressed coconut juice, Bambu Tacoma became a pillar of the neighborhood, where Vietnamese families began building businesses in the 1980s. Despite powering through construction early on that rolled right into the pandemic, the challenges this year seemed to outweigh the benefits.

The Huynhs co-own the franchise with business partner Kenji Fujii. In a phone call last week, Chun Huynh confirmed the decision to close after service Nov. 23, pointing to several factors including rising costs, bureaucratic hurdles and local issues with housing instability.

“The list goes on — there’s so much,” she said. “It’s hard to keep up as small business owners. Changes, taxes, fees. You have to pay this, you have to pay that.”

Whether for ingredients, product packaging or permits, she added, the numbers and demands keep increasing. She has also grown weary of managing challenges outside the shop’s doors with little support from the city, she told The News Tribune.

Most of her staff is young — high schoolers or recent graduates, most of them young women for whom Bambu was their first job. Many have stuck with her for several years, she said, but at times they have felt unsafe. The shop’s shared garbage and recycling enclosure is located at the end of the block, on South Yakima Avenue. Staff have encountered fires, she said, and people who have acted aggressively.

“My staff isn’t built for this, like they shouldn’t be,” said Huynh.

The neighborhood has changed since the shop opened in 2017. The city embarked on a “revitalization project” that, while disrupting sales for many months, upgraded sidewalks and streetlights, while creating a distinct entry point to the heart of the diverse business district. Several buildings have been sold to developers and razed to make way for new apartment buildings, including Patsy Surh Place, a project of the Low Income Housing Institute and Asia Pacific Cultural Center that just opened in May. Across the street, another stretch of retail buildings were torn down to make way for the proposed 130-unit Apollo Heights Apartments.

Next door to Bambu, Viet My Gift Shop closed last year. Byrt and Gerty’s, a resale shop for children’s clothing, toys and books, closed in September.

Bambu would ‘brighten up’ the day

Bambu was active in the community, hosting pop-ups and kids’ birthday parties, fundraisers for local high schools’ prom committees, even catering several weddings over the years with boba-tea bars. Huynh planned a “sweet goodbye” graduation event in 2020. Hundreds of high-school and college students from around the region lined the sidewalk to snag a drink, decorate their caps and have their photos taken by a professional photographer. The shop also participated in the Lincoln District’s annual Lunar New Year festival, which draws thousands to the neighborhood.

“I’m always excited to do those things,” said Huynh, but lately the appreciation has felt increasingly fickle. “We’ll find ways, we’ll make it better, we’ll brighten up other people’s days. Right now, it’s like we try our hardest, we try to make our customers happy, and it’s like, ‘You could do better.’”

They were optimistic coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, continued Huynh, but this year the numbers began slipping.

“We can’t really increase the price on the drinks too much because it’s tough on everybody,” she said, adding that she tried to refrain from price increases for the sake of her customers.

Dessert drinks — like the Bambu Special with coconut, pandan jelly, longan, basil seed and coconut water, or the Awesome Trio with red and mung beans, taro and coconut milk — range from $6.50 to $10.50, depending on ingredients. Milk and fruit teas, as well as Vietnamese coffee, go for $5-$7.50, which is on par with or even a touch lower than competitors in the area. The shop also serves smoothies, waffles in flavors like pandan and ube, ice cream and macarons.

The Huynhs live in King County but opened the shop in Tacoma in part because the franchisor already had locations in Kent and Edmonds and because they grew to love the Lincoln District.

“I got to know all the business owners. I got to know the community,” recalled Huynh. “I really love this community. It’s not the kind of community that you see anywhere else. You don’t get that kind of support from your neighbors.”

She said she hopes customers stop by to enjoy some chè and say goodbye before their last day, Nov. 23.

Bambu Tacoma

• 773 . 38th St., Tacoma, 253-212-3882, drinkbambu.com/menu/tacoma
• Tuesday-Sunday 11 a.m.- 6 p.m.
• Details: Vietnamese dessert shop closing permanently Nov. 23, follow instagram.com/bambutacoma for updates

This story was originally published November 2, 2025 at 5:00 AM.