This is my first time here. Came in for a late night tea run after all of the similar establishments started closing at midnight or earlier. They have full service boba and kitchen open until 1am. Their menu is mostly under $10 and they have a variety of fried rice, udon, rice dishes, soup, friend classics and rice cake. Their drinks feature a variety of common add ons and some that are harder to find in other places: milk pudding, egg pudding, mango, taro pudding, grass jelly, rainbow, coffee, passion fruit, aloe, lychee and strawberry. I ordered a XL large green tea based mango flavored tea with an ad on of aloe. It came up to about $6 rounding up. Their tea was ok, full sugar is pretty sweet (forgot to half my sugar). My friend was generous and let me try some of their fried tofu and their mushroom poppers. Tofu looks home breaded, they used hard tofu rather than soft. I overall liked their tofu but it was ok. The mushroom poppers were juicy and not very greasy. Definitely returning here late night because it's the only boba place open in a couple of miles. read more

Boba Cafe - Friend tofu - Bubble Tea Near Me - Riverside, California

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This place is fairly average. In my opinion the food is very salty, and lacks flavor, but I still find myself coming back. It's open until 1am, so it's a cool place to study, and they have lots of appetizers such as jalapeño poppers and mozzarella sticks. If you order a dish then to add a milk tea is like $1 more. I can get a drink, a side, and a meal for around $10. Overall I would give this spot a try. read more

I've been here several times and never had any complaints. There's a big selection of food and drinks. The prices are good. It can very packed so sometimes there's a wait but nothing extreme. I love their Thai tea and the amount of boba they add is generous. read more

A decent tea bar near campus, conveniently located inside University Plaza, but since they use powders and mixes and their once killer mabo tofu recipe has changed, I have no reason to battle the super annoying freshmen to step foot in this place. But to their credit, the yogurt snow drinks are passable and the crispy chicken is still tasty. With the new Ten Ren down on University, this place had better do something to flip the script because they are about to be squashed by the competition. read more

Omg. They have the best almond yogurt slush ever. It taste like the almond flavor jello. Goes great wih lychee or mango jelly. Love it.

I used to come here like every day...they are definitely understaffed, but the boba is pretty good, as is the sausage fried rice, crispy chicken fried rice and the chicken and beef udon noodles...beef is the worst meat they have, but I've noticed Asian food places and beef just don't mix, so I'll let it slide... read more

Best popcorn chicken fried rice ! Yummmmm. and i love their honey dew milk tea with lycheeee jelly. its super good... i got fat on this in college. :p read more

My boyfriend and I come here often. I really like their tea's and the fact that you can make any of them lychee flavor. We also enjoy their popcorn chicken fried rice. The only reason this place is getting four stars instead of five is because last time we went our chicken was burnt and our rice was hard and crispy. This is like once out of the over twenty times we have been here but it was still disappointing, haven't been going as much since. read more

Shabby little place playing current music, that serves boba and food. I didn't try the food but the boba was decent. The girls behind the counter seemed distracted as if they rather be doing something else. Probably won't come back. read more

I forgot why I rarely go to Boba Cafe. Bad vibe from cashiers when taking your order. Cheap prices.. I asked " what's the difference between green slush and green snow ?" " it's no difference ..just add creamer" WOW really. A-hole. The green tea boba sucks...their boba balls tasted half rubbery :( I remember I liked their strawberry slush with Boba though.. like two years ago. Now you know why I rarely go here. They charge fifty cents if you use your debit/credit card. Bring cash if you step in here. I rather go to Lollicup in this plaza..... read more

Was craving green apple green tea after working out for 3 hours and this was the only place open after midnight serving. I ordered a large which came in a widemouth plastic cup. I read the food sucked so I wouldn't even try it, but if you're craving flavored tea or slush on a weeknight after midnight then this is the spot! read more

**Visiting Riverside from San Diego This place is eh. I work at a boba shop in San Diego and the boba here isn't good. I have nothing to biased about. There's no affiliation and not even trying to promote a business, the two aren't even remotely close to one another to be in competition. Maybe the boba is okay for Riverside, but I don't like it. I had regular milk tea and it wasn't sweet enough. I'm not even a big fan of sweets but it tasted bland. The customer service sucked. The lady was rude. The shop was a fair size but wasn't really clean or organized. The bathroom was a mess - filled trash can, dirty floors, no seat covers, out of soap. I also ordered the pork chop fried rice. The fried rice I would give a 4/5 because it was pretty well done but the pork chop 3/5 because it was pretty dry. The regular size for the food was filling though. If you get a meal then your drink will be cheaper. I wouldn't recommend this place for drinks. Would need to try more meals. Up to you to take the risk. *EDIT: Went from 2 stars to 1 star. Attempted this place another time because I like to give chances to people. Found hair in my food. They "replaced" it but honestly it seemed like they just took the piece out with the hair, added some fried rice, and transferred the meat pieces that were in my original plate to the new one. read more

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Boba Cafe is in the heart of the University Plaza by UCR. High traffic area with young'uns of the college variety. Small spot, but packed with flavor and variety. If you've got a sweet tooth and craving tapioca balls then Boba Cafe is the place to go. You've got plenty of choices of cool drinks. Green apple is my personal favorite. They're speedy when it comes to the drinks so if you're in a rush, you're in luck. They've also got a pretty wide selection on their food menu. You can get full dinner-sized meals or quick snacks. My number one favorite, and I'm sure yours as well is the popcorn chicken. Yum! You can personalize your spiciness. Love it super hot. I found it rather comical and sad that the young people lead the store-front, while the older folks are sweating it in the back cooking our food. O_o They are open till 1 in the morning so there's always a good time to hit up the Boba Cafe. Overall, it's a great place, but expect this small business to be packed on the weekends. Very important note!!!! They DO NOT take credit cards. Only cash! They do have an ATM but you'll be paying some steep fees. Do yourself a favor and bring in some bucks. read more

Went here tonight for some actual food. It's not half bad. Ordered a small popcorn chicken (medium spice) and fried rice. They were quick to serve and the food itself was great. And yes, the boba's here still rock! read more

It seems like this is everyone's go-to place for boba. It's conveniently located at the UV and closer to campus than Ten Ren's and TapEx. The drinks are good and they offer other food and drinks but I am not interested in trying them. The establishment itself can be a little updated. But nothing terrible. Always pop music playing in the background. Service is okay... but if it is crowded expect more than a 10 minute wait. As for location and drinks, its good. But I would walk the extra 5-8 minutes and go to Ten Ren's (which has better drinks and a better variety). read more

Boba Cafe - Bubble Tea Near Me - Riverside, California

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Best prices, great tasting food, open late. What more can a girl ask for? It's my go-to place when I'm in the neighborhood.

It's...AigHhT....not the worst boba shop i've been too...but FAR from the best... Drinks: I can personally say that the taro milk tea is a hit or miss...2 times out of 2 so far though..it's been a miss...the blender probably was not doing its job; therefore my drink was still very powdery when I drank it. The thai tea (one of my favorite drinks in general) was SO sugared "down" that I could barely taste the tea (and those who drink REAL thai tea often or just tea in general will know how strong thai tea's flavor is...and for them to put in enough sugar to mask that flavor...-_____-) I can't say I've tried every drink on their menu (they have quite a few), but so far...I have not had any AMAZING experiences with their drinks...nor have I with the boba. The LAST time i got boba with my drink there...i took it back to the library on campus, and at that time, I had to locate the nearest trash can so i can dispose of the rocks in my drink. ( i wish i was exaggerating) Food: not BAD...but again..not anywhere near being the best. Now, with food...I've tried a bit...and i will have to go with the Singaporean Fried Rice as one of the, if not, the best dishes they offer. Popcorn chicken, to me, is average. Pot stickers are average as well. Again, not inedible...haha definitely edible on a drinking night when you got some munchies, but if you're looking to reallllly satisfy your taste buds, i'd advise to go elsewhere. (TapEx actually has better pot stickers and they got 2 stars from me...haha) overall, in conclusion, come here once a month maybe and have the fried rice (oh and remember to request less OIL unless you are out of oil at home and need to take some to go) and maybe one of the fruit teas with aloe or something rather than boba..OR you can just get some water from their fancy water dispensing machine! And if you're a featherweight and get drunk before 1am, come here for some popcorn chicken or pot stickers to satisfy your munchies. =] read more

The boba is alright, just like any other place would make it. Nothing special but this is one of the only boba places in riverside. The food here isn't that bad either. Good place to hang out with friends.. young crowd... mostly UCR students. read more

Went here over the weekend and it wasn't too crowded. This place seems like a shell of its former self. Pros: The popcorn chicken appetizer is crispy, spicy, and not too oily. Definitely good and the way it should be. Cons: The mapo tofu was bland and had no meat in the sauce. The singapore noodles did have a good amount of shrimp but everything was mushy and tasteless. Hot sauce would have somewhat salvaged this meal but they said someone stole the hot sauce. read more

Best place to go to have hangouts with friends late at night or during the day! Their popcorn chicken is AMAZING! and the drinks there are addicting. I really like their popcorn chicken with rice, the rice is a fried rice and their portion is huge! I recommend this place for everyone!!! A tip, it does get really crowded at night, and the reason they lost one star is because of the wait time for the food and drinks. With only one or two workers working everyday/every night, it is a pain in the ass waiting for my food. Waited 10-15 minutes for one order of popcorn chicken... read more

This place is delicious. My complaint is that they don't take phone orders which sucks because when you have a 30 minute lunch you don't have time to go and order, wait then make it back to work in time to eat your food. Makes me sad read more

Their selection of drinks here is one of the best here in Riverside. They have just about everything. The boba is not the best though. I feel like they under cook it alot. The consistency of the drinks vary depending on who you get. It's not totally different, but you notice it if you go here a lot. The food here is pretty decent. However, there is just so many other options around the area to get food that's better. The atmosphere here is pretty cool, not to mention that it's easy to bump into people here since it's at the UV. I still frequent here for drinks, and if I'm hungry I grab a bite here even if their are better places to eat around the area. read more

This is the best boba spot, hands down. The first time I had boba, I almost choked. The lil' boba shot to the back of my throat like no one's business. I could not understand why anyone would want such a thing. ...Until Boba Cafe came along. I filled up frequent buyer cards and got free milk teas. Their medium spicy chicken would hit the spot...one of my roommates (Yvette) was feigning boba soooo bad, she drew a delirious picture on Microsoft Paint...I do not recommend the Taro...I thought it'd be good cuz it's purple, but it was not. I told the person that made it and he let me switch my order, no problem. And yes, they have board games and books you can borrow. Definite kick it spot. Great memories at the Boba Cafe. read more

After school, this place makes for a cheap, quick meal. I like the: Spicy popcorn chicken Orange chicken Teriyaki chicken that comes with rice, and vegetables. & all these meals comes with milk tea for 5.99! The meals last about 2 meals for me so it is an extremely inexpensive meal! This place is usually crowded and the place is tight. I don't ever stay but order and leave. I advise you to do the same. The workers are extremely friendly and the place is open late. win-win if you are nearby. read more

On a visit to Riverside, we decided to yelp to find the closest place to get boba, and found this place. I got a coconut slush and it was quite good. They put a lot of tapioca in your cup too. Popcorn chicken wasn't too bad, but they don't give you that much. read more

I'd only go here for my quick fix of boba. Cheap and relatively quick if they have a good amount of people working. It's not a place that would be first choice. But that is not to say their boba drinks are not great. There are just better choices blocks away. read more

Frequent study breaks to get boba cafe was the story of my 1st year at riverside. But usually one person had to man the fort in the library. It's a little whole in the wall boba cafe, at times it feels like a lounge when there's hella college students chilling in the restaurant and pop/rap/hip hop music hella slappin out the speakers. The service is inconsistent when you order food, if you order a entree you can get it within the next 10-15 mins, but sometimes when i ordered a small appetizer it took up to 30minutes to get. I usually get the passion fruite green tea with lychee, i would be careful of the boba since it's a hit or miss, but at it's best the boba is alright. Also the milk tea's seemed to be watered down. My favorite entree to order would have to be the popcorn chicken fried rice, This place is alright, I feel if you were to try it once it wouldn't be the biggest mistake of your life. read more

Passion Fruit Milk Tea - No Bueno. At midnight, the idea of Passion Fruit Milk Tea sounded awesome. A little bit of milk, a little bit of tea and a little bit of sweetness. My reality popped after the first sip. Way too much of that passion fruit syrup. Unless you like verrrry sweet milk tea, disregard the review. And I'm not hating, I think they should continue making this particular drink the way they do, it is just not my cup of tea. read more

Hole in the wall boba shop, though the drinks are meh, the food here is pretty good. The last time I've been here, they updated their seating. So no more ripped seats and funky lounge chairs! So far I've tried their mapo tofu, popcorn chicken and fried rice, fried tofu, and their sesame balls. There are probably more items that I've tried but these are the items that stick out to me the most. Everything is super flavorful and you can't go wrong with adding more of the mild spice as a condiment. Their fried rice is delicious and isn't too greasy, you really can't go wrong. With the drinks, every one that I've tried hasn't stuck out to me. So it's a bit odd to have a boba shop that doesn't make great drinks. Oh well! Parking during school hours isnt too complicated, but do keep in mind since campus is close by, you will need to get your ticket validated. Just bring it in when you go to the shop and they will validate it for you. Service here has always been excellent and tables are always kept clean. read more

Not a bad place but not great place either. Don't go and expect a culinary delight. Pretty standard stuff here. Nothing stands out. It's a little sketchy how the place looks but the food is okay. Counter where you order could look better and more professional. They might do better business if it didn't look so disorganized. read more

Boba Cafe - Orange chicken combo - Bubble Tea Near Me - Riverside, California

I've been coming here periodically for the past few years. I don't know why I keep coming back. I guess I always hope their milk teas get better. They don't. Their milk teas can taste sour when they're not supposed to. Their boba is hard more often than not; it's obvious that it's really old boba. Their food on the other hand, not bad! Not great; barely on the good side, but not bad. :) oh except their popcorn chicken. Their popcorn chicken is always just breading and fat. No chicken. It's really unique. Overall, umm... Not worth it. read more

I usually like coming here for quick and inexpensive food but the past two times I've ordered soup and they forgot to add the main things. The first time the noodles and the second time beef. Make sure to check before you leave :/ read more

I was craving some boba, so I stopped by the nearest boba place my sister could think of. My sister said that their popcorn chicken was the best, so I had to try it myself. Boy, was she right. Their popcorn chicken ACTUALLY had chicken in it, and it wasn't just the fried outside, like what Quickly's usually serves. I ordered extra spicy, but it wasn't spicy at all. I ordered a jasmine milk tea with boba, and my sister ordered a grapefruit green tea with boba. My jasmine milk tea literally tasted like milk, and the boba wasn't too great. My sister enjoyed the grapefruit green tea of the drink, but she did not like the boba at all. I have to admit, I actually like Quickly's drinks better than this place, but the snacks here are better than Quickly's. read more

first off i did not try their boba. i had their other slushee specialty drink with the added jelly and it was pretty bomb. I got this strawberry kiwi slush with lychee jelly and it def. satisfied my craving for something cold. And i also love how they have the option of the additional jelly cause those make the slushees 10x better! at first the drink was perfect, not too sweet but as i got to the bottom it got wayy sweeter (most likely cause of the jelly) so i wish that the jelly had been blended in more with the slush but its all good. it was still really tasty. and for such a small looking place on the outside i thought the cafe was just going to serve drinks but when i went in there were pictures all over the place of their other foods. apparently they make food as well. so i def. will be making a trip back to try out their food menu read more

The overall rating of this place is pretty accurate. It's more of a 2.5 rating rather than a 3. I've been to all boba places around the area--Boba Tea House, Ten Rens and Lollicup. And compared to those I would probably rate this place last. Only great this about this place is the service and the food. I ordered: Lychee green tea with aloe Thai tea Taro milk tea with boba Popcorn chicken Lychee green tea was a bit too bitter for me. The aloe was actually aloe jelly unlike what you would get at lollicup which is actual pieces of aloe. Still would choose lollicups over this place. Taro was okay, taro flavor is really strong in the beginning but as soon as you swallow it, the taste is gone. Worse of all, HARD BOBA. No bueno. Taro flavoring is just powder and not actual taro. (Boo!) Thai tea was not sweet at all and tasted very very diluted. Good: popcorn chicken was very crunchy! Good flavor but again the flavor doesn't last long in your mouth. Got the mild one which tasted like it had no heat whatsoever. A bit dry at times too. Pieces were big but not as much in quantity compared to BTH or Lollicup. The chicken also tastes like it needs a good sauce on the side as it was a bit to plain for my taste. Great tip: There was only one guy working when I came in and was handling the register and making the drinks. He was soooo nice and ready friendly but they could use more staff since the line was pretty long. read more

It's located by UCR. Love that it's open late and they offer more than boba. The drinks though, are pretty generic. Don't expect the best boba in the world but if ya need your fix it's worth it. I got the taro milk tea with some lychee. Kind of syrupy. Chill scenery. read more

Boba Cafe - Left: Jasmin Green tea. Right: Taro Milk Tea. - Bubble Tea Near Me - Riverside, California

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Love this spot! Good boba for a decent price. The taro drink has very good flavor, I would highly recommend. The food looks delicious! Will be returning to try the pop corn chicken. The place does get busy but the costumer service is very fast. read more

One of the best boba snows I've ever had! The boba wasn't too soft and was good and sweet, had a taro snow and it was yummy and not too sweet. We don't live nearby but I'd definitely come back if I had the chance! read more

This place is hmm....OK sometimes. Milk tea is pretty good here, but then again, you can't really go wrong with milk tea. I've tried other drinks here and they put way TOOOOO much syrup. You get a super sugar rush drinking the overly sweetened slush. If that's what you crave, then you've got the right place. The boba.... I've tried it once and not giving it another try here. It was so hard and nasty. Maybe I got it at the wrong time, but I'm not risking getting boba here again. Food is mediocre at best. I've gotten the mapo tofu rice dish. The rice was old and hard. I had to eat around the rice and only eat the tofu. Also, once you step into their bathroom, you would not want to eat here. I made the mistake of ordering my food and using the bathroom afterward. The bathroom smells like urine and looks like it hasn't been cleaned in years. yuck! The workers can also be a little bit more friendly. I've never gotten a smile from the workers and they all look like they would rather be sleeping than be taking your orders. My husband likes this place, that's why I put up with the grime and dirt of this place. One positive aspect of this place is that they have good music... that's about it. read more

Yuck... I had just moved from Whittier to Corona and I was craving some boba. Mind you, I had just moved and good boba was really hard to find in Corona/IE area. He recommended Boba Cafe and raved about the great drinks and amazing atmosphere. Heck, I was so excited I went right after work! such a disappointment once I walk in. The atmosphere was crap. It's tiny as all heck. And their attempt at "lighting" was just an excuse to cover up how dirty and dingy the place was. Anyway, I'm not all about looks so I decided to give this place a try. I was surprised to receive my boba in a heat sealed cup, just like the ones at the mall (That alone should of been a red flag) The drink was flavorless and the boba was mushy and disgusting. The steamed rice was over cooked and dry. How can you eff up steamed rice so badly!! I will never come here again, and would deter anyone from coming here. read more