Note: Review for milk tea drinks only My aunt wanted some milk tea before our long drive back home so I Yelped for nearby places and headed towards this shop. Very cozy shop with an artsy/hipster atmosphere. Only street parking is available that can be difficult to find at times. As for seating, there's plenty inside as they even have a back room if it gets crowded. Our Order: Fresh Avocado Smoothie Almond Milk Nutella Milk Tea Jasmine Milk Tea Honeydew Milk Tea Coffee Milk Tea Vietnamese sandwiches and milk tea on Hawthorne. I have to admit, I really wasn't expecting the drinks to be any good since I live in the San Francisco area and they have them nearly everywhere. What I loved about this place is that almost all of their drinks use coconut milk and I didn't have to pay extra for it! Major plus in my book since I'm lactose-intolerant and always have to pay the additional fee for either soy or almond milk. I was weary about the coconut milk since I was afraid that it was make the taste of the drinks really weird, but it worked! I had the Nutella drink and it really did taste like the yummy chocolate-hazelnut spread. I took a sip of my cousins' drinks and they were fairly good as well (definitely better than I anticipated). Drinks not as good as the Bay Area or Los Angeles, but not horrible like a Quickly's or Tapioca Express if you're familiar with those chains. I typically don't get tapioca pearls in my drinks, so couldn't comment on the texture of them. The cheery girl assisting us was very patient and gave us recommendations (as well as described the drinks) when we told her we were from out-of-town. She also told us that the coffee was from Stumptown if we wanted a caffeine drink. Haven't tried any other milk tea places in Portland so I have nothing to compared to but just on its own, Fat Staw is pretty good if you have a craving for a sweet drink. Accepts CC read more

See all

I recommend the Bahn Mi at Fat Straw. A few times when I've walked by this Brick and Mortar location on Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard... I had been wanting a tasty Vietnamese Sandwich. I haven't tasted the Boba Teas here, yet. The last time I was here I ate a BBQ Pork Sandwich. I think that was in 2014 before we moved into our Condominium. So many Milk Teas... I think I'll have to go back to taste the flavors that sound really good. Also, I want to taste some of the Blended drinks, later. Did you know... there is very little available street parking on Southeast Hawthorne. The TriMet buses will definitely get you there, though. And, there is Chai Tea. And it's even Oregon Chai Tea... or it was back then. We will be back. read more

The vegan boba milk tea I got was heavenly and I love tuna on a bagel, so a win all around! read more

Fat Straw - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Portland, Oregon

I had the lavender boba tea and it was so delicious. They were pretty busy in the evening on a weekday but they were still pretty fast!

Small spot but great boba with TONS of options! I especially love that you can decrease the sweetness on most flavors!

Ok, so they get 5 stars because this is my go to when I want something other than regular tea. I'm a TEA-a- holic. I stopped drinking coffee several years ago. This Boba tea is refreshing and tasty. My favorites are, Original milk tea (hot) with mango jellies. My favorite cold teas are Green tea with strawberry, peach, or green mango with strawberry or mango jellies. So go, check it out and enjoy something that Asia has been sipping for a while. So glad it made it to Portland. read more

Very nice little shop, the waitresses answered all my questions and were very polite. Their bubble tea is very good and delicious, can have boba added to any drink for $0.50 extra hot or cold. read more

Fat Straw - Almond iced tea, with boba. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Portland, Oregon

See all

I was so disappointed in this place. I wanted to try Vietnamese bahn mi from Portland since I have had many in Washington and loved it. Sadly this place gives other bahn mi a bad name. For one, banh mi are suppose to be made with pickles carrots and daikon and with a liver pate and mayo.. I barely got that. For $6.50 per sandwich, the portion was so small. The restaurant was so cheap. I ordered the special bahn mi, which comes with Vietnamese ham, bologna and BBQ pork. I literally got thin slice of each meat.. total 3 Slice of meat for my sandwich. My veggies weren't hardly pickled. It just taste like regular stale carrots and radish. I asked did extra mayo and pate and I barely got neither. I ate two sandwiches in one sitting and was still hungry! This is no way to run a business! If you're stingy with your products, don't sell it. So disappointing. Never will I recommend this place to anyone. read more

Fat Straw - Literally my sandwich. One thin ass slice of Vietnamese ham, BBQ pork and bologna. Look at my sad carrots and daikon. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Portland, Oregon

See all

Tried their original milk tea with lychee jelly and it was very comparable to the cheap Quickly Boba chain. It gets the job done when you're craving boba but definitely not worth the $5 (+$0.50 with a topping) if you're looking for quality boba. read more

Pretty low key place, not very busy on a Saturday evening with the sun out the service was fast and uncomplicated nice looking ladies that's always a plus $6.00 avocado smoothie w/ boba it was very good thick and a big size I'm very happy...in the words of Arnold I"ll be back read more

Fat Straw - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Maybe coming from LA, my boba drink standards are much higher. I wasn't impressed by their drinks and didn't care for their unwillingness to accommodate a simple request to put the boba on the side. It was for my toddler-aged daughter. She prefers boba by itself instead of in a drink. Every other place I've requested this, they've done it without problems! Customer service needs major improvement. read more

Best bubble tea I've ever had! I measure all other places against fat straw. If only they had a location in NoPo...

Came in after dinner and came in to try out the bubble tea. We got the original black milk tea, green milk tea, and a rose milk tea. The teas were distinct in flavor and the bubbles were cooked well (not overcooked and certainly not undercooked) I personally prefer it with half sugar and I'm glad they provide the option. There is also plenty of space to lounge and there are couches and armchairs in the back with some simple board games and playing cards to boot. Didn't try their food but it looks pretty good! Glad we stopped by! read more

Best BBT. I love the people, everything. If you want a nice bbt in the winter try their HOT original. Its my favorite in the winter months. Love this small business. Owners are super sweet! I can't say enough good things. read more

I come here multiple times per week. Despite having the best bubble tea in the area, I did give them three stars. This is because, firstly, the customer service is just OK. I have been here at least 50 times and they never remember my name or order (neither of them change). Next, if you come around busy times, like early morning or lunch, expect to potentially wait up to 30 minutes for your order. A lot of times young kids come in and cause a big line. Finally, my biggest issue is that they close whenever they want. They recently decided to close on Mondays, but god forbid there's an inch of snow on the ground, don't expect them to be open. I come here regularly, take my order to go, and ignore the negatives because I love their bubble tea that much. read more

I have been here quite a few times with friends and each and every time the boba didn't taste authentic. Their boba texture wasn't the best and felt homemade . They do have a lot of flavor options, but whenever I tried them they were not good and tasted like syrup was just splashed in with milk. Definitely not my to go boba shop. read more

They have a large menu of milk teas. I got a taro, which I didn't see on the menu(maybe I didn't look in the correct spot) but I thought it was really good. I got an extra for my friend and we both liked it. The milk teas a fairly priced, and the interior is spacious and welcoming read more

What is big, fat, and you can suck out balls out of it? .... ..... Dirty mind people, I'm talking about Fat Straw. I think this place chose the right name for their business, just because their tapioca balls are huge and you'll need a big fat straw to enjoy them. I tried their regular milk tea with tapiocas and jellies and it hit the spot. I will come back to get more bubble teas and choose the fattest straw of the bunch. Fat rules! read more

#1: I love Fat Straw because their boba teas are made with coconut milk. I typically do a mix of almond and lychee teas and then with the coconut milk, it's divine! #2: They take credit cards with a minimum purchase of $5. #3: AAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNDDDDD that being said, a boba tea costs you $4 and a guava cookie (which the owner claims is the best cookie in the world) is only $1. DUDE, DO THE GUAVA COOKIE HE WASN'T LYING. THAT SHIT IS GOOD. P.S. Okay, let me describe this cookie to you in quick detail. Shortbread, FILLED WITH DELICIOUS GUAVA GOO. Genius! read more

Things to Ponder on a Lazy Saturday Afternoon: How do the people at Fat Straw apply the plastic seal over the mouth of the bubble tea and smoothie drink cups? Why do the seals have pictures of a cartoon girl with a puppy and a monkey? Why is it so disturbing to me that you need to pierce the cartoon girl right in her abdomen, sometimes through the monkey's head, with the sharp end of the fat straws to get to the liquidy delights inside the glass? I know it's just an image, but the idea of sucking this poor animated gal's intestinal juices and the monkey brains is just wrong, mostly because the drinks are so refreshing. Am I the only one with a head for the macabre on a lazy Saturday afternoon where one's greatest ambition should be putting on pants? Should I nibble on a store-baked bagel, read the comics, and turn off the disturbed part of my brain, which could be a huge chunk? Check out my nifty Yelp graphs using the free Wifi access? Drink more coffee? Why are the tapioca pearls so good? Sorry, little cartoon girl. read more

Love it here! Tons of space, also serves vietnamese sandwiches and also bubble tea! They have tons of flavors and lots of different sandwiches you can choose from, with your purchase you can also get access to their free wifi! They have a few tables that you can have groups of people, there are also a few couches and seats that you can get comfortable on. They even have a stamp card so drink your heart away! read more

I lived 0.17 blocks from Fat Straw for close to a year and never tried it. Now I've been there at least five times, all great experiences, and feel obliged to review it. If you like bubble tea, you'll dig The Straw. If you don't like bubble tea, stop pretending you don't like sweet milk and chewy tapioca and come here anyway. You can always have a tasty Voodoo Donut! And then try your friend's bubble tea, even though you don't like it...and then order your own. (No, I do not own stock in a boba plantation or design the cool illustrations on top of the cups. I just think bubble tea is fun!) Other reasons to like this place: 1. Free computers (not to take, Dillinger - to use!) 2. Cool art work by local artists 3. Always-friendly staff (you can sample the different tea flavors) 4. Different areas to hang - front computers where you can watch Hawthorne rumble by, a relaxed, hang-by-yourself middle section and then a cozy back room with couches to melt into with a bubble tea or bagel. If you haven't tried the taro bubble tea hot (not iced), you are missing out. Get one immediately, if only to make me happy. read more

Do you ever read these Yelp reviews and wonder how many of them are actually written by the owners, family members or friends of the establishment? I mean, are they real honest reviews or fabrications of a less than stellar business, attempting to justify their existence? Worse yet, are the bad reviews simply of the competition, trying to steer the customers in the opposite direction? Ok, OK...so here is my disclaimer to all you interested in Fat Straw, (since I would never want to tarnish my Yelp street cred)...I am friends with the owners. In fact, those of you who frequent Fat Straw probably have seen my mug there chilling at one of the computers leeching off their free wifi, counting the pennies in my piggy bank hoping to be able to afford one of the cool paintings on the wall by local artists, or reading the latest copy of US weekly magazine. However, in writing this review...I was neither paid or threatened bodily harm in any way, shape or form...nor was bubble tea withheld from me at all. With all that being said...Fat Straw delivers the goods!! Even if we got in a huge fight and I ceased being friends with said owners, I would still pay random strangers off the street money to nonchalantly walk in and order me a pomegranate green tea with tapioca while I lurked around the corner, salivating for that first bite into a soft and chewy tapioca ball. I'll be the first to testify: these folks take their Stumptown espresso shot pulling, tapioca cooking, bagel baking, tea brewing, and drink concocting SERIOUSLY. I've seen first hand how quality always come first..if it's not perfect, it's getting re-made! So Yelpers, if you're strolling down Hawthorne one day and find yourself parched for something unique and downright tasty and thirst quenching, march on over to Fat Straw and let the Bubble Tea Baristas introduce you to your newest addiction! Tell them Annette sent you so if I happen to be in the joint, I can say HI!! :) read more

This place gets pretty crowded. Fat straw has a tasty tea that is pretty solid if you are looking for a refreshing drink. There always seems to be a line here and for good reason. I didn't get to try the other menu items except for the tea, but if you do i'm sure it is just as good as the tea we got.. And hello..Fat straw, what a cute name, how can you not go here? read more

*Sigh* why do I keep coming back here? Oh, that's right because their boba tea is flipping delicious. But goddamn do they have the slowest.service.ever. If you come here, you will wait 15-20 minutes just to get your drink. I have NO IDEA what they do back there because they always look like they're busy doing something, but yet.....I still have to wait FOREVER to get anything. Last week, I made the mistake of ordering a Banh Mi to eat. I wasn't in a hurry, but I had things I could be doing....but it took 25 minutes after ordering to get. I think that is completely unacceptable. AND I KNOW that I'm not the only one dealing with this - I was standing next to a woman who had ordered two sandwiches. The first they got wrong (after working on it for at least 20 minutes) and I'm pretty sure she was there for about 35 minutes waiting for a basic sandwich. I know I see the irritation in the eyes of EVERYONE IN THERE waiting for a to-go order. Come on, owners of Fat Straw - your food and drink are AWESOME. Step up the service or else I'm gonna have to start recommending people not bother with you. *in response to owner: it wasn't busy. I wouldn't complain if that were the case. Having 1 person ahead of you and it still taking 25 minutes....that's STILL unacceptable, anywhere.* read more

Took my out of town bother from San Diego to try a new boba spot. Nice location and great place for people to meet and hang out = 2 stars. That's the best I could do bc the actual beverage itself was lack luster. I ordered a taro smoothie and the beverage was too chunky, too much ice to the point of freezing my tapioca pearls, rendering them inedible. My brother got the honey milk tea. The drink was good, but once again, the tapioca pearls were an odd texture and had absolutely no taste to them. Usually, they should be slightly sweet, but these had no taste taste to the point of doing a good job of cleansing one's palate if you suffered from really bad breath. I have found much better boba at my local mall. read more

Asked if they could mix two flavors I liked and they said they couldn't do that. Then asked if I could purchase two orders of bubble tea then blend that together, still said no Then I asked if they sell bubble tea... And got a blank stare in return. read more

Oh how I miss you Fat Straw. I was a regular (a few times a week) for several years until I moved to California. Today I attempted to go to the one bubble tea place in the small town I am temporarily residing and now I miss Fat Straw more than ever. They offer the best variety, greatest consistency and wonderful customer service. They definitely deserve your patronage. And for the bubble tea newbie, this is the place to go. They are willing to walk you through the ordering process and give you a sample if you are feeling a bit intimidated by the "bubbles." And if you absolutely can't bring yourself to do the bubble tea, they have a great selection of Tao of Tea teas, as well as an espresso bar. read more

A little gem in Portland, underrated but beautiful little shop to experience. The menu consists of variety of nicks nacks. I have also used this place a couple of times for independent study! Love this place! read more

Fat Straw - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Portland, Oregon

See all

On the way back from Lost Lake, Stuart promised all of us a slice of pie in a town called 'ZigZag' along the Lolo Pass if we tolerated the uber winding roads....this did not come to pass as the spot he fondly remembered, alas! was closed. We were hot, sweaty, and more than a little cranky. Fortunately he's a guy who doesn't need a weatherman to know which way the wind is blowin' (or sweltering, as case may be) and he relieved all of us with a stop at Fat Straw. Aaaahhhh!! Perfection in a slurp... Bubble tea with a zillion variations: black tea, green tea, smoothies, fruit...it's all there. I had the Jasmine green vegan bubble tea made with coconut milk. Does it get any better than this? I think not. Musk-a-teers opted for mango bubble tea, & The Big Man had a regular black bubble tea with coconut milk. Everyone was happy. Family restored to civility! read more

UPDATE - So it looks like Jenny, the owner directly responded to my review. I understand fruits vary, but most people know (even if they aren't baristas) how to tell an unripened fruit from a ripe one. Since service was so slow, I had nothing to do but to watch your baristas make my drink...unfortunately, it was two spoons from the unripened fruit and no coconut milk was added. Thank you for taking the time to respond to my review, it definitely shows that you care about how to improve and what your customers think. read more

I love this place! I've easily become a regular. I love getting the hot almond or the iced coffee milk tea (with an extra shot!) and OF COURSE, tapioca. I've even somehow made a non-bubble lover into a fanatic. I also love the atmosphere, very mellow and the free computers with internet access that you can use to check your email and whatnots while waiting for your drink, or get it into a giant mug and hang out in the window. It's also fun to watch people attempt to parallel park in front of the businesses there while sipping your drink outside. read more

This was our first visit and we'll definitely go back. The kids both got smoothies w/ the tapioca balls and went away quite happy. My daughter did a strawberry/pineapple combo that was delish and my son had orange. The service was friendly and helpful (free tastings too!) The environment is clean and well-lit with plenty of seating. They serve Stumptown coffee and tons of teas so there is really something for everyone here. read more

One of the top two bubble tea places I've found in the Portland area. The tapioca is soft and chewy, the milk tea is made with actual coconut milk, and they have so many options! I adore the original milk tea with tapioca made hot. The bagel sandwiches are also pretty simple and tasty. The regular tea selection is pretty wonderful, too. Free wifi, lots of comfy seating. The staff are very friendly (this didn't used to be true, but as it's changed, the place gets all 5 stars). read more

Fat Straw recently raised the prices on most of their bubble teas to $3.75. This, in and of itself, is not a problem. However, without explanation, they also increased their debit/credit card "convenience fee" cut-off surcharge of $0.25 to $4. It had been $3.75. When I questioned the gentleman behind the counter about the increase of the cut-off, he would not acknowledge anything had changed. Disappointingly, he simply kept repeating that the convenience fee is $4. The small, faded, orange post-it notice that had been stuck near the resister of the old cut-off was removed. This kind of nickel and dimeing disproportionately affects their most frequent customers, and is not indicative of a business that values them. read more

Coconut milk doesn't agree with my tummy so I was a little deflated to find that Fat Straw uses it in their drinks. I asked if there were any available substitutes for the coconut milk (I would have happily paid more) and was told no and was pointed to the iced teas. I picked out the peach iced black tea with tapioca. The boba was fair consistency, gooey and chewy in all the right places. As for the tea, I was expecting black tea with a bit of peach flavor but instead received peach syrup with a bit of black tea color. Far too sweet and concentrated to drink. It would be great to have a solid boba spot in the neighborhood but clearly Fat Straw isn't going to cut it for me. No reason to return again. read more

These are the words that cut straight to the core of my bubble tea fetish: Coconut Milk Thai Tea w/Tapioca Balls I love the bubble tea at Fat Straw. That's pretty much all I have to say. read more

I have never had milk tea made with coconut milk. It is known that coconut milk acts as a natural laxative. Throw in tea as a diuretic, and you're spewing outta two holes. Aaanywho, boba is hard to come by. I haven't been able to find it elsewhere in Portland -- well, anywhere worth trying anyway. The man loves boba, so I was determined to find a boba place for him. (Is it even called 'boba' on the mainland? Maybe it's a Hawaii thing. .anyway. . ) This place is pretty good. Boba is soft and chewy. Drink itself is not blended. . . . I HATE BLENDED BOBA DRINKS. . .primarily because it hardens the boba and becomes a pain in my ass to ingest joyfully. Drinks are flavorful. Jasmine green tea was very refreshing. White peach is surprisingly and overwhelmingly sweet, but that's what I get for venturing out of my comfort zone and not getting regular milk tea boba. Also love that you can add custard. If you guys haven't had milk tea with custard, get it here. . . it's a great alternative to boba. And drinks are only $3.25. Sweet deal. read more

The fat straw, to borrow from late 90's vernacular, is PHAT! I love this little Hawthorne stand-by. They feature bagels, bagel sandwiches, boba milk tea and free internet. In fact, I'm writing this review from a free computer inside The Fat Straw right now! If you like boba (tapioca balls-no jokes please) in your milk tea, this is a pretty good spot. The boba here is quite tasty but neither too sweet, nor bland like many places I've been. Also, the staff are friendly and the environment is clean and kinda asian in theme. I would give it five stars, but their menu is somewhat limited. Not necessarily a dinner spot, but certainly a great lunch and/or snack place. Highly recommended. read more

Great breakfast sandwich . I'd go here daily if I lived in the near by . I ordered over the phone and I was pleasantly surprised how quickly it was done . Great place to get a good morning meal . read more