water bubbles and teriyaki bowl, 2600 oswell st, bakersfield ca 93306

water bubbles, rating 3.5/5, price $; teriyaki bowl, rating 4/5, price $. (both businesses are located at the nw corner of oswell & bernard, south of 178.) my 12 year old niece, like many kids, is obsessed with japanese and asian pop culture, so she was excited to stop off at teriyaki bowl when we picked her up for the evening. teriyaki bowl has been in town about 15 years, with locations on ming west of the plaza and panama lane, too. it used to sell solely japanese fast food, but now has a lot of chinese fast food, too. it's in a tiny storefront, decorated with orientalia. price are still quite cheap, with various types of rice bowls in the $2.50-$3 range. they also sell miso (the fishy-tasting variety), a good glutinous egg flower soup, & limited sushi (california rolls, when we were there). i usually get rice and egg flower soup, but others say they enjoy the teriyaki and curry bowls. you can choose different meats to top your bowl, but there are no specifically vegetarian options. this is a convenient spot to grab a filling meal en route to home from work or bc, or just a place to stop for something cheap and tasty, if you're a northeaster or east-sider. (tip! if you go to the teriyaki bowl on ming, get your food, then get your drink and extras at the adjacent asia market, which is a wonderful place to get cold teas and all kinds of specialized groceries. their chao siu bao (bbq pork rolls) are delicious!)
at the opposite end of this same strip mall-let is water bubbles: boba and exotics drinks, a brightly painted shop selling purified water, electronics, and "boba + slushies + coffee." the very cheerful man working the counter told me business was slow the first year, but is "doing better now." the drink selection is smaller and the prices a tad higher than at boba buck on union. he laughed heartily when i asked if he was the owner and was very friendly. this always counts for a lot with me!
adding boba (starchy, slightly sweet, chewy tapioca balls) to your "indulge drink" is 30 cents extra, although free at boba buck. "indulge drinks" come in more common to westerners fruit flavors and also lychee, star fruit, and taro. under blended drinks, you can choose the regular flavors as well as blended thai tea, which my spouse REALLY liked. other special add-ins (coconut jelly, green mango bits, oreo, caramel) also add 30 cents to your drink price. hot drinks include cocoa, tea, coffee, and french coffee. i would go back to support this business because of the counterman's friendliness. the drinks, too, were quite tasty, as you'd imagine. the fellow insisted on giving my fourth, free drink, although i hadn't quite earned it yet. water bubbles offers a "buy 3, get one free" drink deal, pretty generous compared to many specialty beverage places. i'd go back. the dessertish drinks complement teriyaki bowl's food pretty well, together making for quite a heavy, indulgent, though less-greasy-than-other-possibilities fast food meal.