I stopped by Happy Lemon in San Marcos for the second time and had a really good experience. There's plenty of parking in the busy shopping center shared with Ralphs. The shop itself is tiny with just a few seats inside, but it's cute and cozy. The service was super friendly. We also happened to get a July special that gave us $2 off when buying two drinks, which was a nice bonus. They were out of the ube foam when we visited and were making a fresh batch, but we didn't want to wait, so I ordered the ube smoothie with boba at 50% sweetness instead. It was light and not overly sweet, with a really nice texture and flavor. The boba was especially good and tasted more like it was made in house rather than the packaged kind. My favorite was actually the mango matcha smoothie. It was SO delicious! Such a refreshing little treat, and I'm already looking forward to trying more of their drinks next time. read more

Happy Lemon - San Marcos - Ube smoothie with boba and a mango matcha smoothie - Desserts Near Me - San Marcos, California

Cute place with great vibes, I always love my Asian tea shops. The bubble waffle is the greatest sweet treat that isn't too sweet. Thank you for the night crew that worked on 6/13, very sweet and kind for making all four of my bubble waffles, great service! read more

Happy Lemon - San Marcos - Desserts Near Me - San Marcos, California

See all

Yummy bobas! I got an avocado smoothie with egg pudding and no sugar. The girl was nice in informing me that they don't have the pandan sticky rice topping It sounded good tho. It was pretty delicious regardless. Cute shop! Has the cute happy lemon mascot inside. read more

Happy Lemon - San Marcos - E5. Avocado Matcha Smoothie （Large) with egg pudding and no sugar - Desserts Near Me - San Marcos, California

Happy lemon is an amazing place. The employees were all very attentive and nice. Inside was very clean. Easy parking, affordable, and got exactly what I was craving. Lively ambiance, I wish there was outside seating. Strawberry matcha was so yum! Boba consistency was 10/10. read more

Happy Lemon - San Marcos - Strawberry matcha with boba - Desserts Near Me - San Marcos, California

Cute little spot to come get some delicious drinks. Service was fast and friendly. I'm a black tea drinker so was excited to try their black tea lemon. I asked for half the sugar because they if not they're normally really sweet. The waffle was also soft and and delicious. read more

See all

I ordered the Thai Tea with boba (75% sugar and no ice). It was a bit of a wait for the drink but it was made perfectly. The tables were clean. My friends and I had a good time hanging out and enjoying our drinks. read more

See all

This spot is on the smaller side and can get pretty loud, which made it a little hard to hear while ordering. Service itself was good, but because of the noise, our order wasn't exactly what we intended. Not a huge deal. We ordered a simple honey black tea, but after a quick explanation and substitution, ended up with the lemon honey black tea. It tasted more like a lemonade than a black tea, which isn't a bad thing if that's your vibe. The bubble waffle was a standout and definitely worth ordering read more

See all

I stopped by and got a mango matcha smoothie with boba and a waffle as welll. My drink was delicious but I didn't get matcha included in my drink :( my waffle was good! The place was pretty busy but the wait time wasn't too long. read more

Happy Lemon - San Marcos - Desserts Near Me - San Marcos, California

See all

No. Didn't give my liter when I asked bye everyone the party is not here. Listen friends

this place is really good especially on a hot day. They have some very good drinks with interesting toppings like cheese and Matcha. I do recommend coming here. The flavor is very natural. Doesn't taste artificial. I like that. They have many different things. Please see the menu picture that I posted I will come back read more

See all

Drinks are always good at happy lemon, but man are they inconsistent. I placed order on door dash approximately 5:30 pm, July 1, eta was 15 minutes so I arrived 20 minutes after ordering. They hadn't even started the order upon my arrival. This location is new and I get that it's understaffed but health safety must be practiced. Worker had long hair, not pulled back, kept pushing it behind their ears while making the drinks. No hand washing or changing of gloves in between. I won't be back to this location. read more

Stopped by here on our way home from the beach. There was only one employee that was busy working the register, making drinks and the waffles; and another that was just in the back. Ordered 3 drinks and 1 original bubble waffle which was $27 before tip. We were given a tumbler for spending over $20. I had the milk tea with Oreo and puff cream, which sadly, tasted bland and watered down. The bubble waffle ended up being warm & crispy on one side and slightly soggy on the other despite eating it right away. (The Trader Joe's frozen version is waaaay better IMO). On the plus side, my husband got the Kumquat Lemon Jasmine Green Tea w/lychee jelly and he absolutely loved his drink. read more

See all

Amazing workers with very excellent service. Super friendly vibes and amazing drinks that taste super fresh. Super cozy interior!

Tooo Good. Ernie's customer service was top tier!! I would say 10/10!! And definitely coming back Great Music and ambiance Food was to die for Crispy and Sweet with puff dip I'm happy I stopped by read more

See all

Workers are really nice and hard working, my drinks were amazing and tasted amazing, props to the employees!

Love happy lemon, recommend any other location because this service is soo slow. 32 min to push out 7 drinks. I counted the orders and the min of course. Same number staff at other places too. At least the drink was the same quality. read more

I was next door at UPS and as I came out, there was a delicious scent in the air. I decided to follow the yummy scent inside. I was greeted with a welcoming and pleasant young lady. I ordered two drinks, and she quickly made them. Both drinks were incredible! I had asked for half the sugar and it was precisely how I wanted. Ordered... Taro Milkshake with no Boba Mango Smoothie with no Boba On a warm day and no time for lunch, this was the perfect way to get hydrated with a yummy drink to buy couple of hours until we can eat. I wish I knew of this place before. Now I'll be here regularly! read more

Happy Lemon - San Marcos - Desserts Near Me - San Marcos, California

See all

C1 freshly squeezed lemon black tea is my favorite!!! Staff is super fast at making the drinks. Lots of places to sit inside. read more

Happy Lemon - San Marcos - C1. Freshly Squeezed Lemon Black Tea Iced A1. Classic Milk Tea Iced E5. Avocado Matcha Smoothie - Desserts Near Me - San Marcos, California

Going through the other reviews for Happy Lemon so far, the bulk of the negative ones seem to focus on bad customer service. And while I'm sure these are all real experiences, it is not something I came across during my own visits. Because of this, I've have nothing but positive things to say about Happy Lemon and it has become the go-to spot for my son and myself for boba and other refreshing drinks. Typically, we come once a week or so. He generally sticks with their Brown Sugar Boba, while I enjoy an Iced Honey Lemon Green Tea. There's many things on the menu that definitely sound worth a try (the Salted Cheese selections are up there on my list), and they even have a few dessert style items as well. Clean, nice employees, quick, and relatively cheap, Happy Lemon is now in our rotation of regular stops. I'm a fan. read more

Ernie and Savannah's customer service was top tier, very attentive and knew what to recommend as a first time customer. The mango smoo was delicious. read more

Happy Lemon - San Marcos - Desserts Near Me - San Marcos, California

stopped in for the genshin impact collaboration at Happy Lemon which surprised me that a location was so close to home for me. Good location, clean store front with enough seating for the indoor space. Looks like it could be nice for studying, but I was only there to stop in and pick up a couple drinks. If you're looking to do the specialty Genshin drinks, save your money and get something else. They were overly sweet and not balanced well at all. read more

Waited 20mins for my order while its not busy, had 4 people working, milktea w/ oreo and puff cream has no ice when i asked for 50% , brown sugar milk tea taste like 200% sugar, waffles was cold when it was given. Ive been a happy lemon customer, and i know how the taste like. read more

I went in about a week ago and the service was amazing. Ernie was really attentive and helpful at helping me choose a drink for my first time. The inside is small but cozy and the drink was delicious. My only complaint is I think they should get more people, it was really busy and he seemed to be the only one there read more

good customer service, kind helpful employees. boba is top tier, plenty of options and plenty of adjustments you can make with your drink.

One of my fav bob spots! I love the salted cheese foam on top! Not many boba spots have this. The waffle is what gives the icing on the cake though! Honestly any waffle is tasty, but you HAVE to get the additional cheese dipping. You won't regret it! read more

Happy Lemon - San Marcos - Cheese Bubble Waffle - Desserts Near Me - San Marcos, California

Good addition to North County! I didn't have a good experience with a Happy Lemon in the bay, so I was skeptical to try it again, but my friend loves this place. I love the cheese foam. I love how much they put in there. This time the boba was nice and soft and tasty. I wish they had grass jelly though. One thing, I forgot to change my sweet level and it's realllllly sweet. I let the ice melt and it lessen the sweetness. I think 50% sweetness may be adequate. read more

See all

my fav is their strawberry short cake smoothie with boba and cheese bubble waffle. the puff cream is soooo good. it always hits

Happy Lemon is by far the worst Boba chain around. They have watered down drinks that are very overpriced ($6.50 or more). Customer service at this particular location needs work as well. Overall plenty of better options in the area and I can see this location going out of business like the one in Del Mar already has 3 years after opening. read more

The parking lot here is all paved and new, but the accessible parking and ramp to get to this store are far from the entrance. There also is pretty little accessible parking for how large this parking lot is and that's something I hope all the business owners could agree on and work on getting more. At nighttime, the parking lot is very well lit. The doors to enter the store are pull doors, and they have a single bathroom that is wheelchair accessible, any gender. Experience: they have nice music on in the background upon entering, and I was greeted by friendly staff. The menu to look at was way too tiny though, and I had to bend down to look at it. I think they could benefit from adding a large menu on the wall to the right (when you enter) because it's unused space with no tables there. For the drinks, I really appreciated that the girl helping me let me know that the drink I was ordering is SUPER sweet, so she recommended I have less sugar added...I took her advice but WOW it was still too sweet (large Mango Jasmine Green Tea). I would get 0 sugar added to this drink. My drink cost $5.75 for a large, but I added a tip to make it a little more. Overall, the staff were friendly, nice environment, and not too expensive. I will definitely be back to try other drinks! read more

See all

Decided to check this place out after going to an appointment at Kaiser Permanente on Craven Rd. It was only a 2 minute drive from there which was convenient. We went around 2:30 pm on a Tuesday and it was empty. It's located in a strip mall which has plenty of parking. Coming from Kaiser, we were able to find parking in the back of the strip mall near it. It's a cute, small place with a few tables not good for groups. All of the people that did come ordered to-go. The young man at the register was very welcoming and friendly and made good suggestions regarding the sweetness level of the drink I was ordering. I don't like overly sweet drinks so it was very helpful. I ordered the milk tea with taro balls and my daughter got the winter melon tea with boba. Both drinks were absolutely delicious to our preferred taste. I love how you can adjust the sweetness. And the boba & taro balls had good texture and chewiness which we really liked. We were able to get our orders in a timely manner. Unfortunately, they don't have a lot of choices for smoothies and don't make a Thai tea which is surprising since all the boba places we've been to make it. Aside from that, we were glad to have tried this place. We do plan to revisit if we're in the area. read more

Happy Lemon - San Marcos - (L) Milk tea with taro balls & (R) Winter melon milk tea with boba. - Desserts Near Me - San Marcos, California

Super nice and friendly staff. Drink came out faster than expected. Highly recommend the Jasmine Green tea w/ salted cheese. (Iced) I appreciate the fact that they ask you for specific things in order to make sure your drink is how you like it. (Sweetness, ice lvl, toppings, etc) read more

Happy Lemon - San Marcos - B1. Jasmine Green Tea Iced with Salted Cheese - Desserts Near Me - San Marcos, California

We got some Boba today and the service was bad the cashier was very rude and not helpful, and when I was there, he was yelling at the other person with him, and it was very unprofessional of him to do that. The drinks are water down no flavor and expensive would not recommend. read more

Came in for their soft opening. Happy I was able to order and get my drinks quickly. Though it's their soft opening, everything went smoothly. This store is clean and bright. I'll be back for sure. Try their bubble waffle. Thank me later. read more

See all

They're pretty nice!! I had questions about drinks and they definitely helped me. Drink are great!

Very disappointing experience at this location. I brought a friend here specifically to try a brown sugar boba milk tea which other Happy Lemon locations have made for me before. You know, the iconic, and most popular, Taiwanese brown sugar boba milk tea your chain revolves around? Yeah, they refused to make me that. The staff refused the request entirely despite the company still advertising dark brown sugar boba milk tea on their website. All I wanted was for them to swap out fresh milk for milk tea in their brown sugar milk variation since brown sugar milk tea is weirdly not listed on their menu in the store. And was treated as though I requested they put arsenic in my drink. It's not that hard. The interaction felt unnecessarily rigid and confusing, especially for the most standard Taiwanese boba drink variation there is. My friend was excited to try it for the first time, but the experience left a bad taste in both our mouths. Unfortunately we won't be returning. We took our business elsewhere, to Kung Fu tea where we had a much better experience. read more

Don't even know where to start since I'm trying to be mindful of them being shortstaffed. They need to know how to work under pressure tho. Was there Sun night and first thing the guy behind counter said was they weren't making any more waffles. I said fine, we only want drinks. After 10mins of placing my order they announced there were issues with their water so they went and locked the door. BUT they were still taking online and door dash. They unlocked the door but anytime anyone came in..they were told it could take up to 45mins so ofc ppl left. Finally over an hour later we got our drinks. To say the least...it was not worth the wait. Instead of locking and unlocking the door they shoulda stopped online and door dash orders...but what do I know. read more

Came in today. Cashier girl was talking at a speed of 100 miles per hour. I couldn't even understand her. Lastly she said something about an app when I paid cash. Not a very pleasant interaction at a boba shop. read more

Cute little shop. Lots of parking spaces and easy access from freeway15. Good selection of drinks. I tried fresh squeezed lemon black tea without sugar. I added boba and lychee jelly. The cashier told me it would be sour. I said that's fine. I was right. It was so good and refreshing. With some jelly and boba in it, it had a slight sweetness and I loved it! I would order a lemon one again. The other 2 drinks are also good. We all had 2 types of boba. Lots of boba to taste each sip. Chewy boba and gelatin created a great combination of texture to enjoy drinking. The waffle looked good, so I added it to my order when Owas waiting my drinks. Crispy and soft at once, it is a great snack. I liked original the best. read more

See all

Convenient boba spot in the Ralph's shopping complex. My favorite drink lately is the Strawberry green tea with salted cheese (I usually do 25% sugar and that's enough). The drinks here are unique and I'm excited to try more flavors! read more

Happy Lemon - San Marcos - B4. Strawberry Green Tea Iced with Salted Cheese - Desserts Near Me - San Marcos, California

very great, yet the wait time takes a while. The drinks and bubble waffles are amazing! I recommend.