Restaurant: Boba guys
Location: 3491 19th Street, San Francisco, CA 94110, United States
Price Range: $
[wp-review]
I would have never imagined that I’m reviewing a bubble tea shop. Lol. Anyhow, before I begin the review, I just want to clarify that although the overall rating was 2.5/5, I would still come back to try other items on their menu. For more explanations, please continue reading my review :p.
For my trip to San Francisco, one of the first stop was to Boba Guys, which has been known as one of the best bubble tea shop in San Francisco! I went to the location in Mission district, however I say it’s probably more convenient for you guys to go to the location in Union Square, as it’s more accessible to public transportation.
Although the line up was quite long, it moved pretty quick and they also have “take-out” menus that you can look at while waiting. If you are from Toronto, you probably know the whole customization thing, such as sweetness and ice levels. The story and mission of how the owners started the Boba Guys is actually pretty interesting, check here if you would like to read it!
Ugh.. I just realized how their “take-out” drink menu doesn’t include the prices…and they should do it! At least the customers will have an expectation of how much their bubble tea costs while lining up! For the full menu with prices, check here.
From Yelp reviews, I see several people complained how the bubble tea at the Boba guys are expensive, but I beg to differ. I find the prices are in the same range as Chatime in Toronto, and Gongcha is even more expensive! Also with Chatime, you aren’t getting organic milk or the toppings aren’t housemade like the Boba Guys, so $4-5 for a bubble tea is justifiable when the store clearly stated where all the ingredients are coming from.
Other than bubble tea, the shop also sell custom mugs, tote bags and flavored cotton candies.
The shop itself is pretty small with about 3 stools alongside the windows, however the staff keeps it really clean!
I got the Hong Kong milk tea with regular tapioca and 50% sweet, however I’m pretty sure they mixed up with my order, as my drink was overly sweetened. Because of that, I was unable to taste the black tea and the HK milk tea was not as smooth as the ones I have had in Toronto. The tapioca was too firm and had the same texture as the tapioca that you leave in the fridge overnight. Overall, a very disappointed drink.
As stated above, though I gave a 3.5/5 for the Boba guys, I would still give it another chance and try other flavors. My sister had the matcha latte with almond jelly and it was simply amazing, but again the drink was way too sweet. So I believe the person who made the drinks had an off day, or the owners should really take a look back at their sweetness level for the tea.
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