I have been to this unique bubble tea place a handful of times. Along with the usual bubble teas and fruit teas, they have a couple of Indonesian specialties, which are mostly desserts, as well as beef meatball soup called bakso. The desserts include crepes, coffee slushes, and a handful of iced or rather "es" drinks. The staff here are very friendly, and there are a handful of seats. The first time I had an Oolong Milk Tea for $5.25 with added grass jelly, which was decent. I asked for low sweetness, and the sugar level was properly low. In terms of oolong, I prefer other spots with a stronger tea flavor, but it was better than some standard spots like Vivi or others like it. Regarding the topping, the flavor was standard, and they added a lot of grass jelly, which was a plus. The second time, I had the much better Es Campur for $8, consisting of Cocopandan, condensed milk, jackfruit, grass jelly, lychee jelly, tapioca, and coconut. This was a fun spin on the usual Indonesian dessert, which is served over ice, as per the name. There was a mild floral flavor, some sweetness, and plenty of lychee jelly in particular. The tapioca was alright, but other spots have a better chew. The bit of jackfruit inside was nice, as was the coconut flavor. This was good. While this is not my favorite bubble tea place (which is a given, as they use powders for many flavors,) it certainly beats out some of the more generic options. I'd probably go back to try their coffee slush or bakso. read more

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Its ok nit really great :( service is good , place is clean and nice the bun was thick and a little harder overall its ok read more

We got the passion fruit bubble tea with tapioca boba (less ice, 50% sugar) and strawberry banana milkshake (strawberry jelly and no added sweetener). Both drinks were fantastic. Quick, friendly service; seating available; and overall, a great vibe read more

our Boba was so yum !! I got a matcha Milk blended w a brown sugar swirl & boba super sweet .. so Yum.. a very decadent dessert My Boyf kept it simple w a Thai Milk tea boba .. 50% sweet .. Cawa was extremely helpful & knowledgeable ... he was patient and made our drinks AMAZING !! There is some seats available inside and it's a cute clean boba Shop !! read more

Boba Whale - Thai Milk Tea Matcha Milk Blended - Bubble Tea Near Me - New York, New York

I stopped by this spot while running errands, and it turned out to be a great find! The interior is cute, bright, and welcoming, with a few seats if you want to hang out for a bit. Their menu is decently sized, offering a good variety without being overwhelming. I ordered the mango green tea, and my drink was ready in just a few minutes. At around $6, the price felt reasonable, especially given the quality. The mango syrup they use is excellent--rich and flavorful without tasting artificial--and the drink itself was perfectly balanced and refreshing. Honestly, this is the closest I've found to my go-to boba spot back in Houston, which says a lot. I'll definitely be coming back whenever the boba cravings hit! read more

Boba Whale - Mango Green Tea with Boba - Bubble Tea Near Me - New York, New York

Sad to say, but the drink I got was sub-par. I got the mango slush with boba and cheese foam. The mango slush wasn't bad but it had a slight artificial taste to it. The boba was good, and it had a nice texture. The worst part about the drink was the cheese foam. The taste was super off putting, and it tasted very artificial. I would not get this drink again. The shop was small but super cute. I liked the tops of the cups. Service was quick, but there was no one else in the shop. read more

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If I could give negative stars I would, a month ago I ordered a matcha tea from a delivery service and when emptying to recycle.... I found there was a roach in the drink i had finished most of . Disgusting and disturbing was an understatement, I have yet to hear from anyone after emailing twice and calling the location 3 times, regarding this issue so here I am making a review. I should not have to chase around management for an issue this bad . I use to love ordering from here but I DO NOT RECOMMEND ANYONE TO DRINK HERE AFTER FINDING A ROACH IN MY DRINK! read more

Boba Whale - Bubble Tea Near Me - New York, New York

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I stumbled into Boba Whale while spectating the NYC Marathon - they serve reasonably priced bubble tea with cute thoughtful cups! Their cups teach some Bahasa Indonesian phrases which is incredibly unique - and I'm so happy they aren't afraid to label their cups and represent their origin culture (mad respect and appreciation here). We got the thai milk tea and oolong milk tea. You can customize the sugar and ice levels. I wasn't a big fan of their thai milk tea, but I was a big fan of their oolong milk tea! They also have a cool unique XL size! We also tried their meatball soup which was Indonesian and very warm and packed with flavor. Great for cold days! Great ambiance at this small business! If you are in the area, I'd recommend you check them out. read more

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Stopped by for a late night treat with friends and appreciated the kind service, and their food looked really good. However, I'm not a big fan of their powder based drinks, as I tried the Taro milk tea, and it was pretty standard. read more

Boba Whale - Bubble Tea Near Me - New York, New York

The staff was friendly. You can order Indonesian coffee, food, and desserts as well. Ordered lavender and regular honeydew with tapioca boba, topping cost 75 cents extra. Quenched thirst on a hot summer day. There's seating inside. Food: 4/5 Service: 4/5 Ambience: 4/5 read more

Boba Whale - Bubble Tea Near Me - New York, New York

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I ordered a small mango slush with lychee jellies and cheese foam. Half sweetness. The mango slush was ok, a little chemically tasting. The lychee jellies were good. The cheese foam had an odd flavor. I want to say it tasted a little like coconut but it was not. It lacked the sour flavor that cheese foams should have and added nothing, in fact I wish I didn't add the cheese foam. Quick service because nobody was there. Near the Roosevelt bridge. read more

Boba Whale - Mango slush - Bubble Tea Near Me - New York, New York

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[NYC BOBA TOUR STOP #49] *My other stops on the boba tour: https://www.yelp.com/collection/4dXTAnFqPHD1D8obaInTZw/nyc-boba-tour Boba Whale is cute and bright inside and they have an extensive menu that includes Indonesian food! They also have the BUCKET BOBA option (XL cup), which is always thrilling... but only if the drinks are good. We ordered (rating): Chai Milk Tea with Boba (1.5/5), Jasmine Milk Tea with Pudding and Boba (2/5) They were advertising a new chai milk tea and I was like I LOVE chai, and it's not something that's everywhere, so let me try that. This was the wrong decision. First sip and you are attacked with the fact that this drink is made from powder. Usually people try to hide that aspect, but there is simply no shame here I suppose. And, you know, the thing with tasting powder when you drink boba is that it doesn't go down easily, it kinda just settles on your tongue and it's all grainy and weird. The boba was extremely small and a very interesting texture. Honestly, the miracle is that they achieved this texture, which I will now compare to being like the Earth's layers but take away the crust. So on the outside it was like a slimy, mushy layer (mantle and outer core), and then when you get past that layer you reach the core which is hard (don't allow me to make similes ever again). The taste of the boba was strong, though! It was sweetness forward and was a pinata of flavor. Tragically not one to return to, but I'm glad we tried it. read more

Boba Whale - Jasmine Milk Tea, Chai Milk Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - New York, New York

Cute little boba shop but I wouldn't say they stand out from the rest. I got the XL strawberry mango smoothie but I don't taste the mango - taste more like cantaloupe to me! read more

Boba Whale - a man working in a coffee shop - Bubble Tea Near Me - New York, New York

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after a long walk, I ordered a fruity passionfruit boba w/mango pop + extra mango pop, 25% sweet, less ice. made super quickly and perfectly! looove the containers for the bigger sizes so much the woman who took care of my order was so patient as i couldn't decide between a brown sugar boba or the one I eventually decided one. I was quite happy for under $9 and would definitely come back to try other flavors and toppings. read more

Boba Whale - passionfruit boba w/mango pop + extra mango pop, 25% sweet, less ice. really refreshing! - Bubble Tea Near Me - New York, New York

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Came here one evening when I was craving a jasmine green milk tea with boba and it was the closest boba shop around. Milk tea was disappointing as there was barely any flavor, and boba was sweet but almost in a cane sugar/splenda way, not in the rich brown sugar way that boba should be. It was a cute shop, and I saw that they have some specialty Indonesian treats and other desserts that might be better than their boba. Looks like it could be a cute hangout spot. Service was quick. read more

Sorry if you miss out on this great new boba spot in the UES It is really tasty and you should give it a chance! Didn't expect a spot in this area to serve Indonesian style coffee either. Work your way through their extensive menu to find something easily refreshing from milk teas to fruit teas. Out of few options of boba spots in the neighborhood this one is def better than the other ones. I hope you find happiness and success, Boba Whale. I'm sorry for any mistreatment, towards the boba scene on my part. read more

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I got the boba smoothie EXTRA LARGE. I didn't expect it to come in a bucket but it did! It's so cute. I shared it with my bf and we both enjoyed the mango strawberry smoothie. I got 75 percent sugar, we added boba which was nice soft and chewy. I will definitely stop by again. I can't wait to try the other smoothie. read more

Boba Whale - Ex large! - Bubble Tea Near Me - New York, New York

Okay, would probably try other places before coming back. Smallest regular I've ever gotten, slightly bland but not bad, guess it is NYC. The flavor was not bad but it was one of the smaller regular sizes I have gotten if not the smallest. For reference I already have small hands and it was very small read more

Boba Whale - Regular Coconut Milk Tea with boba - Bubble Tea Near Me - New York, New York

So glad there is another bubble tea option in this area! This is a cute little spot that has a variety of milk and fruit boba tea options. The boba has the right consistency and the brown sugar milk tea that I got was on the sweet side but still good - next time I can make a sugar adjustment. There are also some Indonesian coffee and dessert offerings which I'll definitely be back to try! Inside there are a few tables so it would be a nice quiet & clean place to hang out. read more

Boba Whale - Brown Sugar Milk Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - New York, New York

Boba Whale is a solid boba place, offering a variety of teas, fruit-based drinks, and quick bites. However, I do like their Indonesian drinks the most. read more

Likes - halal - great service - good foods ( bakso and ube crepe) - close to subway, citibike, tram and bus - great location - cute and simple decoration Dislike None read more

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This is a cute, small boba shop located on the UES. It was pretty hot and I needed a pick-me-up, so opted for the indonesian cold brew. They had a special going on because it was their one-year anniversary and I got a free upgrade for a size large. They asked if I wanted my coffee sweetened, which the staff member recommended. It sort of tasted like a less concentrated Vietnamese coffee and wasn't too sweet. My friend ordered a coconut milk tea with boba. I'm personally not a fan of coconut, but I didn't mind it because it didn't taste super artificial. The boba also had a nice, chewy texture. Nothing in particular stood out, but I like how small and cozy it is and it is a solid, convenient option if you are in the area. read more

Ya'll, I found it. The best boba in town. Speaking about the actual boba pearls. My tea was just average but maybe I ordered the wrong thing. Not super stroller friendly but they were happy to come open the door for me and lift it up after I rang the doorbell. read more

This is the best bubble tea shop in New York City by far. They have so many wonderful non dairy fruit tea options, slushes, and traditional milk teas. My favorite drink is the Passionfruit Green Tea with Grass Jelly. The owners of the store are such incredible people! Very kind and down to earth. The storefront is so bright you cannot miss it. The store is so cute. read more

Boba Whale is a Midtown East bubble tea spot. It has a variety of flavored drinks from banana to apple. Smoothies, slushes, fruit tea, and milk tea. Choose the amount of sugar and ice. There is Indonesian coffee. You can choose toppings from passion pop and strawberry pop to brown sugar jelly. Indonesian meatballs and soup are good food choices. The owners are great and provide a sunny atmosphere. read more

Boba Whale - Boba Decor - Bubble Tea Near Me - New York, New York

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Of all the bubble tea places what exist within a 4 block radius of my apartment, this one is my favorite. I love that I can select the sugar level, and the tea is always delicious. My favorites are the honeydew milk tea with boba and the Taro milk tea with boba. read more

Got the brown sugar boba and ommgggg was it delicious! Cute shop, clean, bright, I came on a Friday around 5pm because I wanted boba and I was in the area and it wasn't busy. Highly recommend if you're in the area. read more

Great small spot with a huge range of drink options. Quick service, very limited seating. A suprise find.....wish date went better than the drinks read more

I ordered the oolong bubble tea here with 50% sugar. It tasted pretty good, nothing super special. My friend forgot to ask for less sugar, so his drink tasted extremely sweet. Would definitely recommend asking for less sugar, otherwise a nice boba shop. I think the pearls here are definitely not my favorite, but the tea itself was pretty good. The seating area was nice when we first arrived, but it got crowded quickly since it's a small store with limited seating. read more

Boba Whale - Oolong Milk Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - New York, New York

used to love this place for their coffee but i found a literal fingernail in my coffee. was sipping and felt it in my mouth. words cannot describe how disgusted i am. read more

Boba Whale - Fingernail in my boba! - Bubble Tea Near Me - New York, New York

Best boba in the city!! I always get melon milk tea with tapioca and strawberry popping and it hits every time.

Best boba spot in Manhattan. The smoothies are great and offers Indo-cuisine and coffee.

so exciting to see an indonesian owned business! Highly rec their indonesian dessert menu items like the es cincau, es campur, or es teler. Regular boba is also yummy and on the sweeter side (you can decrease the sugar level if needed) read more

Boba Whale - Es cincau (grass jelly) one of the indonesian desserts! - Bubble Tea Near Me - New York, New York

Love Boba Whale! Plenty of options for delicious drinks (which I've had 3 of us so far and enjoyed) and some cool crêpe options (which I have not gotten a chance to try yet). The place is warm and inviting and the owners are so friendly! Highly recommend - today is my 2nd day coming back in a row read more

Delicious, awesome boba, soft and chewy, the drinks are so tasty and refreshing. Definitely would recommend this place.

Lychee slush was delicious and refreshing. Prices are steep but on par with comparable businesses. Service was friendly and fast. Place is clean and has seating. read more

Best boba in the neighborhood! Also got the pandan kaya crepe which was delicious and refreshing. read more

Boba Whale - Passion fruit + taro boba - Bubble Tea Near Me - New York, New York

Got it takeout and it was amazing. I ordered the Honeydew Boba with popping lychee boba.

best boba we ever had!! my daughter is addictive their coconut milk tea. also their taro flavor is amazing!!!! I'll definitely recommend it. must try!!! read more