This is a review for both the drinks and the overall professionalism --or lack thereof-- of one of the employees at Hello Boba. Drinks first: I ordered a pineapple oolong tea and a vanilla earl grey mt. They were both insanely sweet and I couldn't taste either the oolong or earl grey in either drink. I wasn't asked if I'd like to have the sweetness adjusted while placing the order, so I assumed they couldn't do it, but that's more of an issue that I'll address below about the employee. And now for the employees: When I walked in, the place had three people inside: 2 employees (1 girl, one guy) and another guy which presumably was a friend of the male employee. The two guys were busy chatting it up, not social distancing and the poor girl was making drinks all by herself with no help. I was only greeted by her after she took a short breather. The male employee finally noticed I was there, rolled his eyes and sighed. So I placed my order. He never asked if I wanted any extra toppings, or adjusting the sweetness level or ice. After I placed the order he went from looking annoyed and silence to happy and chatty with his friend. Then somebody else came in and he looked extra annoyed. They placed their order and stepped off to the side. Then the male employee goes and suggests that his friend comes to the back of the store so that they can continue to converse without interruptions. Like...excuse me?! His friend even says "dude, at least make the drinks haha," to which he replies with a shrug and points at the female employee. This is extremely unprofessional behavior, different to what I expect from this area and I feel really sorry for that girl, even though drinks sucked. I'm not returning here again, and the two stars I'm placing here is because I feel sorry for the girl making 8 drinks all by herself. Otherwise, it'd be a 1/5, since yelp doesn't allow 0/5 ---- Well, what a nice owner this business has! I will admit that I misclicked a 1 instead of a 2 star rating, but because of the response by the business owner, it will definitely stay as a 1/5. A response to the young gentleman on his various points: 1. "I get it, you want your writing to grab attention." I believe this is rather judgmental and unnecessarily vitriolic, but I get it. Your feelings are hurt :) If I REALLY wanted attention, wouldn't I be posting it all over other social media platforms? Yelp is not really the platform for this... I personally use it for places as a note to myself on places to not return to now. I do find it a bit odd and concerning that you jumped to this conclusion, without really knowing anything about me... 2. "Was the guy rude to you? Did you wait a long time for your drink? Your comment gave me with a sense of entitlement, a judgement to damage our hardworking people of this small business in this challenging times." Well... Do we live in a world where rolling your eyes and sighing AT the customer is acceptable and good customer service? And yes, as a matter of fact, I DID wait a long time for my drink...cuz only one person was making them you know? But I understood that it would take a while. As for whether or not my opinion actually does damage your business... I somehow doubt that one review will do much. I do agree that during this pandemic, life is rough. But everywhere else I have gone for boba, I've been greeted with cheerful and helpful attitudes. Since this is my first and only time visiting this location, I can really only speak to the hardworking ethic of the one girl. 3. "You eavesdropped into what was going on in the back kitchen not knowing the full story. It is possible that the guys were changing shift, etc." They were not talking in the kitchen... They were in the customer-accessible area, in the back, near the restroom. And they were kinda loud...so it was a little hard NOT to overhear. And I guess you were too furious to even see that I said "presumably his friend", since he was also there buying drinks... But sure, I was assuming based on what I saw. It still doesn't excuse their behavior in any way, shape, or form. Your attempt to defend the male employee feels to me like an injured animal lashing out. 4. "PLEASE DO NOT RETURN again! We have the right to refuse service. And looking at your other 2 one-stared reviews out of 4 reviews you wrote, I do pray that you don't pollute the world with your negativity too much." Aww... I'm so flattered! You stalked my profile! That's really nice behavior there, my guy. I mean...I did clearly say I wasn't going to return... I don't need your invitation to decide where I take my business. I would also like for you to take prayer a bit more seriously... seeing as your response is oh so full of negativity yourself. In all seriousness, Why would you post a response like that in public view? So that other people can see how rude you are in response to criticism? It would have been better for you to message me privately or ignore it altogether. read more

I've never been so addicted to boba in my life before. Plus they have a stamp card and the 9th or 10th one is free. The customer service is also great! read more

Such a cute place inside! It's also really clean. Their green tea is very good and I like that when I ask for sweetness adjustments, they do it just right without watering it down or making it too creamy for milk-added drinks. Also, they do have Happy Hours M-F after 4 for either their royal milk tea or the Thai tea with boba! Must try if you're in the area! read more

Service is nice, clean place. I got the royal milk tea with boba. Boba is soft and chewy but the milk tea is not good. Tea taste like it's powder flavor. read more

Wow, this place is surprisingly great. little place near home/work. Love the traditional teas. Highly recommended.

We had hello boba cater our wedding and kevin was amazing to work with. He helped us with tastings and setting up our boba table. My guests attacked that table as soon as it opened up. Everyone loved it! We had Milk tea, Mango green tea, and Ube milk tea. read more

Was craving some matcha and happened to be in the neighborhood so decided to grab a matcha strawberry latte and added a mango mojito. The matcha strawberry had a nice strawberry flavor with some strawberry pieces included but unfortunately had no matcha flavor. The mango mojito just tasted like artificial mango juice. The drinks were just sweet but lacked real flavor. At least the prices were reasonable which made the experience a little more palatable. read more

It's very good boba and I know boba is generally expensive but 10$? For a boba???? Wayyyyyy to much.

Went there for an impromptu boba stop. The employees were very accommodating and would go back!

The adorable kiwi logo caught our attention and we went right in. We ordered some standard boba milk tea drinks and they were delicious! Really great service too. Very polite, helpful, and our orders came out really fast. They also have a little section dedicated to selling some merchandise which is pretty fun to look through. Will definitely visit again if we're in the area. Highly recommend! read more

Ahhh ok so first time going here and I LOVED IT!! The staff are SUPER friendly. They even took time to explain to my father what boba is, the different types, etc. Now the boba itself was super good. I got a large Thai iced tea with brown sugar boba. The boba wasn't too soft and not too hard just perfect. The tea was super good it wasn't too sweet but wasn't plain either. I will for sure be coming back to try their other delicious looking drinks. read more

Hello Boba - Large Thai Iced Tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - El Monte, California

I like their tea and their service really really good everybody's real pleasant delivery was fast area was clean how definitely go again

When I saw there was a new boba place, I was like Oh my god! I have to go try it. So I went and ordered the oreo garden because I LOVE Oreo. I got the drink and the drink was far beneath my expectations. Their milk tea was bland compared to other milk teas I've tried. I should've just stayed home and made my own tea, straight-up TEA, and ate oreos on the side cause that's what it was like. read more

Great customer service. Great boba. They have a variety of options to choose from. My favorite horchata crumbs. They give you so much boba. It's definitely my go to place for boba. read more

Hello Boba - Hello Boba addiction - Coffee & Tea Near Me - El Monte, California

I ordered 15 last week. The delivery was good and early, not waiting too long. But the quality was not good. Easy packing, not a traditional Milk tea bottles, not worth it. read more

This place has amazing tea and boba. I rarely head into the San Gabriel Valley but when I do I always forget about the variety of tea houses out there. This place made by far the best Royal Tea I have tasted in years! I haven't had anything this good since I was younger and always hanging out at Tea Houses. This is a spot that you definitely need to try. Also if you're hungry there is a dim sum spot right next door that serves amazing food. read more

My favorite here is the taro blended drink it's delicious, and my fiancé loves the mango mango smoothie.

probably the most disappointing boba ive ever had. i usually stick with fruit teas and every single time ive came here the drinks are very artificial and syrupy tasting. read more

There are not many quality boba places in El Monte, so I was excited about this find! The drinks are priced much lower than you'd find a city or two over, where a drink of this size and quality would run you $6-7. Boba was also a free topping! I got the Royal Milk Tea, which had a strong and deep tea flavor. My friend got a Passionfruit Green Tea, which she said was good but could've been less sweetened. My mind wasn't blown, but you definitely get more than what you pay for! read more

Hello Boba - a hand holding a cup of bubble tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - El Monte, California

Sooooo good!!! I keep it simple and get black milk tea but the flavor was anything but simple! One of the best flavors I've had in a long while! Addiction has currently started!!! read more

Craving for boba and came across hello boba, always pass by when I go home so I've been wanting to try it out. Ordered brown sugar boba latte and it's decent. Drinks are on the sweeter side even tho I ordered 50% sugar level I still think it's a little sweet. So next time I would do 25% instead. Overall it was good, will come back and try their other drinks. read more

Very nice aesthetic. They have space to sit down and wait while you order your drinks. Employees are very nice and knowledgeable about the menu. I personally love the butterfly mango and honestly it looks the prettiest, but if that's not your style they have so many more drinks at such a fair price. 10/10 read more

Delicious fresh boba and great variety of drinks. The orange grapefruit is very refreshing, and classic milk tea is always a good choice. Boba topping is FREE as well and price is reasonable. Hard to find good boba in this neighborhood, but I found it here. read more

I ordered the Strawberry Milk with Peach Popping Boba (no sweetness adjustment) for my son because it's caffeine-free and I tried it, it's creamy and not too sweet. It's good. The peach boba is a good mixture with the strawberry milk. read more

Hello Boba - BOGO 50% Promo - Mon to Fri 4-7pm - Coffee & Tea Near Me - El Monte, California

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Great boba. Quick and friendly, would recommend anyone to give it a try if you are in the area.

I'm usually not a milk tea person but I love them here! So far I've tried the Royal Milk Tea, Thai Tea, and Coffee tea. It's hard for me to choose which one is my favorite but I would have to go for the coffee milk tea since I like a little extra caffeine in my drink. My husband's favorite drink is the Mojito with Clear Boba. If you're near El Monte definitely check this place out!! read more

Just discovered this local place and it's great across the board. Great drinks, flavors and variety. The ladies who work there are super friendly and not annoyed at all when you ask questions about the drinks and combos. They have a little shop for trinkets and cute boba things . Very happy to find another wonderful boba shop with high quality drink and would recommend and return ! read more

Supporting small businesses! This boba place is so good! They have mojitos (non-alcohol) that taste so fresh and their oolong latte just amazing! I always order less sugar because i dont like my drink too sweet and it is just perfect. Service is great also. read more

This place is so delicious and their prices are very reasonable! I've started coming here multiple times a week. All of their drinks are delicious and the level of customer service shown anytime I visit is also amazing! read more

Just found this little gem, I tried the bolba Thai tea. Really refreshing and yummy. Would recommend

literally the only boba I like! i have tried there mango boba and the horchata, super good!

Friendly staff taking my order and making sure to repeat my order to see if everything was correct. My drinks came out exactly how I ordered them which is a plus because some boba places forget to add some of the extra toppings I ask for and I end up paying extra for nothing lol. Overall content with their boba, milk tea drinks, and customer service; will definitely be coming here again. Thank you for the hospitality :) read more

Cute place had the passion fruit mijito and was delicious. Definitely coming back. They have cute lil kawaii trinkets you can purchase . read more

Hello Boba - Passion Fruit Mojito - Coffee & Tea Near Me - El Monte, California

Smoothie was too sweet and not enough crushed ice. It was like drinking sweet milk with boba.

Yummy! Ordered large guava green tea + boba 25% sweetness for about $3.50 (more or less) and it's perfect! I wanted to try the Oreo milk tea but because it has lactose I have to come back with my lactaid pills lol. Will definitely be back though, glad I made the stop here for a quick boba fix. Can't beat the price! Finally a boba shop not seeking to rip off customers :) read more

I love this place. I was here about a few weeks ago. It was my 1st time there. I love how friendly the staff were. How clean it was and the great drinks. I would recommend this place. read more

I've been eyeing this place for a pretty long time and finally I got to go today !! It was so cute inside and that they have merch like earrings and little keychains. It's cute and that they also have bags by the table that's in the middle ^^ I got myself a Butterfly mango with crystal boba and also got a Jasmine Milk Tea and a Lavender Earl Gray with sea salt and boba. The staff was very nice and that they also suggested the Butterfly Mango for me and I'd have to say I was happy with the choice. It's not too sweet and it's pretty flavorful in it's own as a tea. I actually got the wrong drink though, they made me a Jasmine Green tea instead of a Jasmine Milk tea so that's one star down but they were busy a bit so it's understandable but the drink was for my friend and I already left the plaza. Cute place ! Good drinks ! read more

The drinks are super good. The boba was perfect and there was a variety of drinks (and it was very different from other places) 10/10 would recommend read more

I love trying new Boba Places. And this little gem was so delicious. We had the Royal Milk tea, very delicious, a lot less sweater than most other places but I appreciated that. We also had the Oreo Garden, so beautifully presented great for an IG post but I was not a fan of the taste, my husband enjoyed I though. I tried the Strawberry Matcha Latte and it was my favorite! It was suppose to be less sweet but it was actually pretty sweet. I love it. read more

Their boba is very fresh. Personally I LOVE fruity drinks and this is one of the best boba places for fruity tea!