The era of Boba Tea has arrived in SoCal. With the tasty iced tea and tapioca pearl beverages gaining more popularity as of late, the options are endless. With so many great Boba tea shops to choose from, the question is, where to begin? We’re sharing our top choices for Boba tea shops below!
Odd One Out – Sawtelle
This Taiwanese tea house blends the art of mixology with high-quality tea, replacing alcohol with expertly brewed leaves grown by local farmers. Signature drinks like the Champion Milk Tea and Golden Buddha Silk Boba feature rare ingredients such as juniper jelly and blue spirulina, paired with house-made syrups and hand-milled tea. Their signature silk boba, a blend of tapioca and konjac, gives each drink a uniquely smooth texture.
Boba Cha Cha – Hollywood
With a four-and-a-half-star rating on Yelp, this boba shop in Hollywood is known for its friendly staff and generous yet reasonably priced boba portions. In addition, you can enjoy their fan favorite classic milk tea, passion fruit green tea, and jasmine milk tea with a side of crushed Oreos.
Heytea – Beverly Hills
The original creator of cheese tea—Heytea’s signature boba is topped with a rich, savory cheese foam. The Beverly Hills outpost features fruit-forward drinks like the California Sunset, a jasmine tea slushie layered with Sunkist orange juice and pulp. Fan favorite Grape Boom blends grape juice, jasmine tea slushie, grape jelly, and hand-peeled grapes for a refreshingly sweet sip.
Cha Redefine – DTLA (And various Locations)
Enjoy a fresh take on traditional tea with inventive drinks brewed from premium Asian teas and local ingredients at Cha Redefine. Highlights include the peach chappuccino with tea, peach, and cream foam, and the Sri Lankan Ceylon cha latte layered with milk, ice cream, pecans, and brown sugar boba. For a unique twist, their dairy-free Cloud series swaps milk for avocado foam and pairs with fresh fruit or organic milk options—no powdered creamers in sight.
Omomo – Irvine
Featuring a sleek ambiance with Scandinavian aesthetics, you can enjoy refined detail-oriented drinks like the blended strawberry tornado and Camo Thai at this Irvine boba shop. The queues can be long, but the drinks served here are worth the wait.
Bopomofo Café – San Gabriel
At Bopomofo, drinks are prepared using just fresh milk, real fruit, pressed juice, and loose-leaf teas. Likewise, the baristas here are known for their unique take on boba drinks. In addition to the use of non-dairy products, the drinks here do not contain any artificial toppings, syrups, or flavors. This way, you are assured of getting healthy boba alternatives but with the same great taste.
ComeBuy Tea – Huntington Beach
This fancy boba shop in Huntington Beach offers tasty drinks prepared using cocktail shakers (bar style). Enjoy your tea served with various toppings like grass jelly, boba, and aloe vera. The intensely flavored tea made using an espresso brew method sports a caffeine kick that most customers love.
BenGong’s Tea – Arcadia
With more than 700 locations globally featuring a vast menu of drinks and a wide selection of toppings, BenGong serves the best organic teas in town. From passion fruit sparkling teas to cheesy fruit slushes, this tea shop has it all. Indulge in milk teas and or the classic mango-pomelo sago on your visit. BenGong is a must-try if you love unique drinks.
Boba Tea & Me – Wilshire Boulevard
Offering a plethora of Asian ice tea and coffee from their vast menu. Boba Tea & Me is a relatively average-sized restaurant is definitely one to check out. You can try the popular creamy Jasmine drink and the exquisite matcha milk tea.