Travelers passing through Sacramento International Airport now have a new reason to linger before their flight: Bambuza Vietnam Kitchen & Bar has opened in both terminals, bringing pho, bánh mì sandwiches, rice and noodle bowls, and salad rolls to the gate areas. The restaurant is run by the ACDBE-certified Bambuza Hospitality Group, and its arrival marks another piece of the airport's sweeping concessions overhaul.
As reported by Airport Experience News, the new restaurant is positioned as part of Sacramento International Airport's larger concessions redevelopment. Cindy Nichol, director of airports for Sacramento County, said the addition broadens dining choices for passengers and creates opportunities for small businesses, and added that SMF's experience should reflect the communities and cultures served by the airport, according to the same report.
Bambuza was first awarded its two Sacramento leases, one in Concourse A and one in Concourse B, back in February 2024, according to a Bambuza Hospitality Group press release. That announcement had originally targeted openings sometime in 2024 and 2025. Katherine Lam, president and CEO of Bambuza Hospitality Group, is listed in that release as the company's top executive.
A Family Recipe Finds a New Terminal
Per Airport Experience News, Lam said opening in both SMF terminals allows Bambuza to share its tradition with Sacramento and welcome travelers passing through. The company has described its concept as rooted in the Lam family's Vietnamese recipes and the belief that sharing a meal connects people and cultures, per the same report. Bambuza Hospitality Group also said it received opportunities from the SMF team to grow and contribute to an airport experience reflecting community diversity, according to Airport Experience News.
Bambuza is no stranger to airport concourses. The company, founded in 2003 and now operating a portfolio of 16 restaurant and retail locations, opened its first airport location inside Portland International Airport in 2015, according to the Portland Business Journal. Since then it has grown to more than a dozen airport restaurants on the West Coast, with more locations in the pipeline, the outlet reports. The chain also has a presence in Concourse B at Salt Lake City International Airport, per Salt Lake City International Airport's own site.
Part of a Bigger Terminal Transformation
The Sacramento restaurant's opening lands amid a much larger overhaul of the airport's food and beverage lineup. HMSHost was awarded a new 15-year contract to open nine new dining options at Sacramento International Airport, covering the redevelopment of nearly 16,700 square feet of concessions space across Terminals A and B, according to HMSHost. That contract emphasizes showcasing local brands alongside global tastes, the company says.
Other concepts tied to the same rollout include Cafe Bernardo, Centro Cocina Mexicana, Magpie and New Helvetia Brewing Company, along with a renovated Starbucks in Terminal B, two hybrid Starbucks locations in Terminal A, and two new Wendy's restaurants spread across both terminals, per HMSHost's announcement. The first of the new concessions to actually open was West Coast Sourdough Deli in Terminal A, which debuted in November 2025, according to the Sacramento Bee. The Bee also reports that the Vietnamese concept was always planned to operate in both Terminal A and Terminal B.
Why the Airport Is Betting Big on Food
The dining push comes as Sacramento International Airport nears completion of a concessions overhaul that has added about 200 jobs, according to the Sacramento Business Journal. The airport served nearly 14 million travelers in 2025, an increase of about 2% from the previous year, the Sacramento Bee reports separately. That growth is unfolding alongside the airport's four-year, roughly $1.38 billion SMForward capital project, according to the Bee's coverage of the airport's broader transportation plans.
Airport officials have framed the new restaurants as part of a broad revitalization initiative for the airport's dining and concessions offering, according to the Sacramento Bee. For now, travelers moving through either terminal at SMF can find Bambuza's menu of Vietnamese staples waiting on the other side of security.
