Bowlba Cafe

Service was great! Lovely, cute little place! The brown sugar boba is slightly sweet but overall enjoyable and the Taiwanese milk tea is delicious with the addition of coffee jelly and boba! The chasu bun was delicious and aesthetic as well. Overall a great place!

The ramen and the salad were a 3, and I would probably avoid the salad next time and try the buns instead! The ramen is what i would consider like another culture cooking japanese ramen to taste like. BUT! The pad Thai here (which I unfortunately did not get a picture of) was the best, if not among the best, pad thai I've had in the triangle. It is entirely unsuspecting but it was perfectly balanced in flavor, it was NOT soggy, but not too dry. It is unfortunately smaller than say twisted noodle, which is my other go-to place for pad Thai/drunken noodles here, but the flavor makes up for it. The service here is otherwise really good and the decor is so cute!

I was searching for either ramen or boba tea and Bowlba popped up - I had no idea it was there! I know there have been a few businesses come and go in this semi hidden area; I hope they do well! It's a quick service style, order then sit down. Very cute, Instagramable for sure. I ordered the Tonkotsu Ramen, Goyza and a Taiwanese Milk Tea with boba. The ramen was quite good! I didn't find it overly salty nor bland. The noodles were well cooked, fresh sprouts and kikurage mushrooms. The goyza was also good, steamed and served with sauce. My friend ordered the Pad Thai and said it was very good. Everything was enjoyable, food came out quick and it's just overall fun. Saw many teens and young ones come in just for a tea. They do offer some soft drinks in cans as well. Even though it's order then sit down, the staff was attentive and kind. Was clean, easily found parking. Certainly worth a visit!

I'm not impressed. Presentation is all good. But to me personally. it way too salty. I don't think I will come back. I order the Bowlba noodles - presentation is great - with the pork on top, and seaweed sheets - but the soup itself was super salty, w/o noodles i would not be able to eat it. My hubby's and my son's entrees were also very salty.

So, when the best sushi chef in the Triangle (who is Thai) says "this is the best Thai place around," you go check it out. Bird was right. This place is pretty darn good. We stopped in on a Sunday afternoon and all ordered the pad Thai, because that's what Bird said to get. What we got was a deep bowl of beautifully sauced rice noodles- sweet, sour, umami-packed. The garnishes are what always get it for me- crunchy bean sprouts, lightly charred green onions, not-too-many crushed peanuts, and generous protein (we all got the chicken).There's a wide variety of teas and such available in the punch-the-top cup, with plenty of add-one like boba or pudding and such. Service is sweet and attentive, and the homey cafe vibe makes you want to just hang out and people-watch the neighborhood folks who are dropping in and out.

This was our first time (On March 4th) to Bowlba and I am so glad we went. I had never heard of the place. But while waiting at Mama Isha for food, another customer who clearly knew food recommended Bowlba. SHE had had it recommended by a chef who knows the cuisine and said this is his favorite. And now its mine. Back in the day Sawasdee's was our go to. We have been a bit lost since then. This will be the new go to. It is out of the way I guess you could say. You drive thro north west raleigh homes outside of 540. Then you get to a very quiet and small shopping strip. Not many tables but not very crowded either. Service was prompt. Customers were families with kids as you might expect. The Thai fried rice was the winner. The Pad Thai was very good just not quite as flavorful at least for me. Dumpling was EXCELLENT. Sauce was lovely. Ingredients first rate. Dinner for two with appetizer $39+tip. This is our go to Thai place now.

Great food and wonderful chef!The place is very small but I will be back because it's convenient and fairly well priced!

Fantastic and happening place. So cute and fun in here, with ample parking in front and behind the restaurant. Servers were friendly and the place was small and cozy....but so fun. Cute metal servingware and cups. There were a lot of pickup orders while we ate, with a number of walkins for their bubble teas. We had the fried gyoza and calamari apps. Both dippung sauces were a bit unusual/atypical...but still good. We also had the shrimp pad thai and beef thai froed rice...both were fantastic and you could taste the seasoned wok flavor! This is a must stop!

Delicious food. We came for lunch and had pad Thai and the fried rice with chicken. Both were delicious. The right amount of food for a reasonable price. Service was quick and simple. No complaints with any of the experience. We will absolutely be back, and frequently. I already want to go again tomorrow.

The food is super good, I love the Pho and the fried rice! I also love the workers there, the main 2, the older gentleman and the women are so friendly! Great service, i also love the decor and lighting, it's a great atmosphere. 10/10 would recommend