Inventive dishes are becoming a staple at many Colorado Springs eateries, and the new Buns & Bubbles is no exception. The Asian fusion restaurant, which opened May 6, serves up Vietnamese sandwiches with a twist.

Owner Halina Le initially wanted to open a boba tea shop but felt the cold Colorado winters would hamper business. Halina and her husband and business partner, Bao Le, came up with the idea for sandwiches as a perfect combination of rich Asian flavors served American style.

“Vietnamese and Asian food in general has a lot of flavors, and we want to introduce that to the American people,” Bao said. “For the last few years, we’ve been making bread, perfecting our recipes, and perfecting every dish.”

The menu at Buns & Bubbles features sandwiches with various flavors to please every taste bud. The bulgogi sandwich is stuffed with spicy Korean beef bulgogi, and the Vietnamese BBQ pork sandwich features barbecue pork with pickled vegetables. The cold cut special pays homage to American subs with

Aimed at the younger

population, the restaurant’s main artwork features a cute cartoon pig drinking boba tea and the name “Buns & Bubbles” is written in a bubbly, thick font. The quirky name didn’t come

easy, though.

ham, turkey, onion, and bell pepper, all topped with a basil garlic mayo.

Every sandwich is served on warm, homemade Vietnamese baguettes baked fresh every day.

“It’s a lot of work, but our food is very fresh — nothing frozen,” Halina said.

Halina’s favorite is the pho dip, a French dip-inspired sandwich with beef brisket, bean sprouts, basil, and other staple pho ingredients on a baguette. The sandwich comes with a cup of pho broth for dipping.

The couple got the idea for the pho dip during their honeymoon in Hawaii in 2016. A restaurant there had a similar dish. When they got back, Halina asked her mom to make the broth.

“My mom’s a great cook and makes really good pho,” Halina said. “Our whole family liked it. And nobody here has it, so we put it on the menu.”

On the beverage menu, customers can choose from numerous types of teas, many of which come with crystal or honey boba.

“We had an opportunity to San Francisco to learn to make boba tea,” Halina said. “We were there for a couple weekends and trained and learned.”

After years of studying boba tea recipes and trying out new sandwich recipes, Buns & Bubbles was born. Bao, a full-time software engineer, created the website, logo, and menu design. Aimed at the younger population, the restaurant’s main artwork features a cute cartoon pig drinking boba tea and the name “Buns & Bubbles” is written in a bubbly, thick font. The quirky name didn’t come easy, though.

Halina said that they had a hard time finding the perfect name for their business. She was telling one of her nail salon clients about the challenge, who happened to be a professor at UCCS.

“She said, ‘I’ll get my students to come up with a name for a tea shop, just tell me your background and idea,’” Halina said. “So I did, and some of her students gave us a hundred names. One of them was Buns & Bubbles, and that just hit the right spot.”

“We want to make a fun and hip environment for the kids, and that’s what we got. They bring their parents, and I try to make the environment as welcoming as we can.”

Even though the Les couldn’t open the shop as early as they’d planned, because of the pandemic, they shared gratitude for the support and enthusiasm of the Colorado Springs community.

“When you first open a business and it’s a new concept, you’re afraid if people will adapt or not,” Bao said. “So far, the local community has been amazing. Even through all the challenges, the people are very supportive, which makes us happy.”

In addition to Buns & Bubbles, Halina owns Essence Nails & Spa in Falcon, which opened in May 2020.

“I’ve opened two businesses in less than one year, and looking back whether it’s a success or not, it’s a great adventure for me,” she said. “To me and my husband, what makes it fun for us is to see our ideas to come to life.”