Came for the Hair, Stayed for the Boba While my wife was getting her hair straightened at the excellent Maria Hair Studio nearby [Highly recommend if you have 4+ hours to spare as a hobby or BF ] - I was serving my husband duties as "emotional support." But let's be honest--emotional support sitting loses stamina after hour 3+. So after some coffee and laptop work time, I wandered back and thought, "Wifey deserves a post-salon treat." Enter: Lilikoi Boba First Impressions (10/10) You can't miss this spot--nestled in a clean, retail-friendly plaza with plenty of free parking and even tree shade if you time it right. A small win, but a mighty one when you're pacing for hours outside a hair salon. It's also steps away from groceries, shopping, and the aforementioned Hair Olympics next door. Inside & Service (10/10) Super spacious interior with actual comfortable seating (I'm looking at you, rocking chair of dreams--yes, I posted a photo). But the real highlight? Diane, the owner. She's warm, patient, and takes your order like she's designing your custom skincare routine. They even speak Mandarin (他们也可以说普通话). Quick facts I picked up from her: * Boba is U.S. sourced * Matcha is imported from Japan * Non-dairy options don't cost an arm and a leg All this... and my drink was under $7 with toppings. (Insane.) If you have kids, that rocking chair is a tactical waiting zone. Trust me--your toddler will be entertained just long enough for you to order drinks for your whole family. Good luck with that btw Drinks (15/10) I got the Green Matcha Latte with Honey Boba and Almost Milk. Here's the kicker: You can taste the difference. No chalky, premixed powders. This was slow-brewed, earthy, and smooth, with boba that actually had bounce and flavor. At this price point? I was expecting okay. I got "Where has this been all my life?" TLDR: If you're tired of paying $2+ for subpar add-ons, want premium ingredients without the price tag, and value owners who actually care about sourcing and custom preferences--this is your spot. Diane and her husband put love into what they do. That kind of business? Deserves support and a return trip. read more

Lilikoi Boba - That swing chair to the left - I was swinging there while waiting for my drink, and it was so comfortable Customer Service 20 out of 10 - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

See all

Good service and pretty fast. The Thai tea boba is really good, and the fruit teas are solid too. Mochi donuts are tasty and a nice treat, but last time I ordered six and they just put them in a bag. The frosting got messy and stuck to the bag, which was disappointing. I wish they used boxes for donuts to keep them neat. read more

Good boba place. Kind of tucked in the middle of so many stores in a plaza. Expect to find parking a little harder during the weekend. Service during my visits had been pretty fast. Ordered Taro drink with boba. They've all been good. Inside is pretty casual. I haven't had the chance to hang out there. I'm a fan read more

The price for the size is so worth it, but if u want authentic horchata. I do not think this is the place. However, after getting 5 guys and drinking this, it hits so hard. Let me know if im just tripping or not. read more

Lilikoi Boba - 24oz Smoothie- Strawberry Horchata - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

I came back another time with friends and decided to use the create your own option, choosing rose petal oolong, whole milk, less sweet, less ice, and 32oz size. It cost an extra $0.15 convenience fee to use their kiosk as opposed to ordering face-to-face with an employee. There's a secret menu written on a small screen as well. Even with "less ice", it was nearly half full of ice. I'm not sure if they made a mistake and mixed up the ice level with other orders that were coming in around the same time, but decided not to bother the staff about it. I felt the milk ratio was too high and the rose flavor was too weak, sadly. I'm not sure if me lowering the sweetness level was part of why there wasn't that much rose flavor (like if they adjusted the sweetness by putting in less rose syrup). The drink was pretty fast to come out, though. P.S. to Tony's Dec 2023 reply to my previous review, that is not a valid phone number, so I am not sure how to contact you regarding getting a free drink (if that's still offered). read more

Wonderful milk teas and smoothies in the heart of willow Glen! My friend and I visited this boba tea place and my friend thought it was so good he loved their mango smoothie and he even did a little good review of his own about the place on his social media, I like thier basic milk tea the best the service is good, the lady behind the counter does well and gets orders out fast even though she is just serving people by herself. The place is small, but relaxing and not too busy. Overall a nice milk tea place in the heart of willow Glen! read more

cute little boba shop in the busiest plaza. service was sorta slow, because there was only one person working, but yet only one customer ahead of me. all lilikoi boba drinks taste good across locations, this one didnt disappoint! next time I'm in the area I will try and stop by! read more

See all

This is a chain boba tea place. Been to the Willow Glen location and now trying the W. San Jose location. Good refreshments and price is reasonable. First visit and the second visit all have a very consistent drinks taste. Go try it yourself and let me know what you think. Go Foodie read more

See all

It's fine for a boba tea shop - but I really was disappointed that they don't have a simple lilikoi tea option! It's in your business name - why can't I get a simple lilikoi (passionfruit) tea? They only had a POG mix when I was there (and I don't care for that flavor combination). read more

Lilikoi boba is definitely a hit! The house milk tea & silky mango drinks are solid picks. The owner was really welcoming & nice too. Definitely worth supporting their business! read more

Lilikoi Boba - Silky mango + mochi donut - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

I probably come here more often than I should. Bad for me, but good for Lilikoi! I'm still mourning the closure of the older location on Stevens Creek (more spacious and better ambience for hanging out - this location is more of a grab and go), but to be honest, this location's drinks are much more consistent, so props to the team here for that. My current go-to drink is the genmaicha with the house cream added - look for the Green Tea - Japanese Rice Green Tea option in the create-your-own. I'd recommend 100% sweetness if you don't get toppings, or drop it down one notch if you get a syrupey topping like the honey boba. (The sweetness scale is somewhere in between Teaspoon and Happy Lemon.) My other recommendation is the golden oolong crema, which is a nice classic roasty oolong with a thick cream on top. Maybe get "less sweet" for this one. Worth a visit if you like tropical flavors, or just tea flavors that you can't find easily elsewhere, like high mountain oolong! read more

i never got to visit the other location before it closed, but maybe its a good thing i didnt. little amounts of seating available, so it felt more like a grab and go place. drinks were made decently quick and there were some interesting items on the menu. i normally get a milk tea, but this time i got a fruit tea bc it seemed like thats what their known for judging from aesthetics and the name and everything but i might be wrong. i got the pog aloha (5/10) and it was basically watered down pog. i dont know if i got a bad batch or something, but my drink was so diluted, it made me think of the kool aid powder mix you add to water to make the drink except you add the smallest amount of powder EVER because my drink straight up tasted like flavored water. my drink was very disappointing, so i dont foresee another visit unless i get forced to read more

Came to get my nails done and found this place. Super cute decor and clean establishment. The person behind the counter was incredibly helpful and I ended up getting the Ube Horchata for my SO and a tropical delight for myself. My tea was delicious and the SO loved his horchata. Their seasonal items and croffles are next on the list for the SO to try. read more

Lilikoi Boba - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

See all

Shopping at the nearby Trader Joe's was dehydrating, so I decided to drop by for a refreshment. The place was empty and clean. The girl working there immediately acknowledged me, but left me in piece while I checked out the menu. Settled on the mangonada and it was very good. Love the little chucks of mango in it. I wanna go back and try more of their toppings next time. Catch you there?! read more

See all

YUMMMMM love this place! cute decor and seating friendly staff decent portions and the boba is chewy just how i like it hubby is from hawaii and really enjoyed the POG drink we will def be back! read more

The decoration inside is really nice! Love the high table of the surf board. The staff are really quick and kind. There's a self order kiosk and a huge electronic menu that displays all of the yummy items immediately when you walk in. I got the Thai iced tea and ube mochi donut. I knocked off a star because the thai iced tea was really watered down, and the ube donut didnt taste much like ube but instead only sugar icing. But my visit here was very pleasant and I would come back to try something different. read more

Lilikoi Boba - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

See all

When you enter a the shop it's peaceful. There's a big screen to self order at the right with a big led screen to see pictures and descriptions of offerings. It looked like only one or was working but it wasn't too busy when I came in. I thought the drink was good because horchata and coffee go well together. I didn't think there was enough brown sugar boba, and somehow the boba ended up mixed in the drink body instead of sitting at the bottom. At first I liked the bio degradable straw until getting to the bottom half of my drink the straw split down the middle. For an $8 drink I'd like to not rush to complete it. So next time if I come by it'll be with my own straw. read more

Lilikoi Boba - Horchata coffee with brown sugar boba - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

This restaurant was very cute and the servers were assistive and kind. The menu had options of premade drinks and custom drinks. I ordered the 32 oz. drink with Thai tea. The cashier informed me that I could not reduce my sweetness because the Thai tea was premade, but thankfully the premade flavor had the right sweetness to my liking. I believe that Lilikoi boba is more of an authentic tea shop that focuses more on the earthy tea flavor rather than the added sweetness, so this is definitely a great spot for people who enjoy authentic Asian desserts. I certainly indulged in my large drink. Keep in mind that there are the 24 oz. and 32 oz. size options for your drinks. 32 oz. is a large size, and with how strong the tea is here, you are guaranteed to have an out of body experience and stay up a bit at night if you are sensitive to caffeine. The price for both is a steal, but I would recommend the 24 oz. I really liked the strong tea flavor. One thing I would recommend though is that the store be more informed about their ingredients. It would be more helpful and safer for customers with allergies, intolerances, and health conditions. We asked about the type of flour that was used in the mochi donuts, but the employees were unsure. I understand this might be because some shops order their side desserts somewhere else and might not make it themselves, but it would still be good to ask or be aware about the ingredients used by the manufacturer. There is not that much indoor seating (except for one chair) but there is outdoor seating. Loved the service and the tea quality was great. I will visit here again if I am ever in the area! read more

Lilikoi Boba - jasmine milk tea and thai milk tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

See all

This location is a little out of the way for me, but staff here are really sweet. Drinks are always well made and they're super quick. Always gotta stop by when I'm in the area. read more

See all

This place opens earlier than most tea places +1, store is brand new and extremely clean. Lots of choices on the menu plus you can customize. I went in shortly after 10am and no wait on a Sunday. They did not have mochi doughnuts, big sad face, highly recommend you keep these stocked in the future because West San Jose lacks in places that sell them. Ordered a house milk tea w/ boba & lychee, custom snow (mango snow, white mochi, condensed milk, & banana). Milk tea was ok flavor wise, I did get a hint of like burned brown sugar which is not appealing in a milk tea. Boba was slightly soft than I prefer. Serving size for regular is 32oz so next time I will opt for the small. Snow was great highly recommend getting the mango snow and doing custom toppings. Originally I ordered something with strawberries but they ran out so opted for banana & condensed milk. Will come back again after they settle into operations and hope they have all items in stock. Would have given a 4 vs 3 but they ran out of 2/3 items I came for and it was 10 am. read more

See all

Came on a Friday evening, and was happy to see different flavors here like ube horchata and POG. A huge fan of POG when I'm in Hawaii, so opted for that with boba but asked for it to be 1/3 sweet which they happily accommodated. The drinks are huge and that first sip is oh so sweet! However, it lessened as I drank it. It was pretty good but definitely not my most favorite boba. read more

Lilikoi Boba - POG with boba - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

See all

Lilikoi Boba is located in West San Jose near Saratoga. I heard this location opened recently, so I decided to check it out. The staff were friendly and helpful as I placed my order. It was a hot day, so I was looking forward to the drinks. Soon they were ready. They were refreshing and tasty -- it cooled me down. I will return to sample more of their menu. read more

See all

Yet another new boba place...It's endless, especially in the South Bay. This is the newest location for Lilikoi in the Bay Area. This is a Hawaiian theme inspired boba shop. I guess they did such a good job with the theme that I first mistakenly assumed this was based in Hawaii. Apparently, it's not. Interestingly though, I did recently learn that's that it's actually in the works. The Pineapple Teas are one of this franchise's newest items. Unlike the foam you get at Happy Lemon, the foam isn't light and fluffy/foamy here at all. It's more like heavy dense cream just poured on top. Maybe this is their style, but that's the worker described it as light and fluffy. So kinda disappointing. The tea itself is fine, nothing special. I liked the pineapple bits, though I couldn't really tell if they were fresh or canned. The size seems larger than you'd get compared to most other boba places for a similar price. There's just one table, tho there's plenty of space for more. Pretty bare bones. Service was friendly. read more

Lilikoi Boba - Outside - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

See all

The water tasted weird. The Thai tea was okay but there wasn't enough boba inside. Got the matcha snow, tasted like matcha but looked like green tea or coffee. read more

My go to boba tea store in the hood. Consistently good quality, very tasty boba tea, affordable price and friendly service. Highly recommend! read more

Drinks were ready fast after placing order at kiosk. My friend got the house milk tea and I got the ube signature drink. Our drinks were both pretty good and I liked the little chunks of ube in my drink. However, both of our drinks had mostly hard boba that was extremely tough to chew and unpleasant. We both agreed that if the boba were good, it would've made the overall experience great (4-5 stars) but the rubbery boba killed the experience for the most part. Hoping that we just got a bad batch and they're not usually like this! read more

See all

Love the boba teas here! My favorites are their yogurt based bobas but I also love the purple mahalo and jasmine milk tea!

lilikoi boba was actually pretty good as a first timer visiting! i liked that they had photos of the drinks and descriptions on what drinks had what the service was good, you could order from the kiosk and the ambiance was like a hawaiian cafe! their drinks were not too sweet and i would probably visit again soon! read more

I've come here a few times (mostly for my friends) and I think it's a mid boba place. I feel like the menu is pretty similar to Teaspoon (albeit a cheaper version), with the signature and custom drinks and the shaved ice. Lilikoi does have some unique drinks, like their POG or horchata smoothies. They also give some free samples like Teaspoon did back in the day. My friends really liked the POG, though I thought it wasn't that special and it didn't have enough real fruit flavor. The last time I came here, I got a custom drink with toffee black tea, half and half, regular sugar, and boba. There was only one person working, so it took a while for my friends and I to get all of our drinks. The drink tasted as expected, though the boba wasn't as much as I'd like, and the tea quality didn't seem as good as Teaspoon's. The boba had an okay chew, though it had a really sweet, sugary syrup, which is better than no or little flavor. I don't think I would come again for their custom drinks, though I might come in for their more unique special drinks. I think the interior could be improved more. They have some nice theming, but there's only one chair and a wobbly surfboard table, which makes the inside seem only good enough for one group. There are some outside chairs and tables, but I don't think many people would want to sit outside with how cold it is right now, especially if they get a shaved ice. read more

Lilikoi Boba - Toffee Black Milk Tea with Boba - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

Horchata Series is fire. especially the ube horchata. yummy! go grab your self one or two.

Thai tea, crystal boba, less sweet, oat milk. Both the tea and the boba were high quality. Person (owner I assume) that helped me was exceptionally friendly and helpful. Highly recommend. Regarding the straws that other reviews mentioned, I did not have this issue, it seems the owner has pivoted to more standard plastic straws. read more

The boba is ok kind of pricey, the one thing I did not understand is my boba was hot, and very weird tasting. The ambiance was cute with a Hawaiian theme. The girl behind the counter was pleasant. The one thing that I could Not stand were the straws, now I know they were trying to be environmentally safe, in one boba I went through 4 straws because they kept breaking. I told the server and she said, "yeah I know they break all the time. I was speechless and dumbfounded. I will not probably go back, if you want to go bring a straw with you! read more

This is one of my favorite Boba places!!! I first visited Likikoi Boba in SF and whenever I am near one, I must stop by. They have an amazing lemonade boba made with lemon tea and strawberry puree. I add strawberry hearts!! In comparison with other boba shops, their serving size is large and the prices are very reasonable. Customer service is always consistently friendly and they are always happy to answer questions. I highly recommend this for a refreshing beverage!!! read more

Lilikoi Boba - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

This Lilikoi location is a small, but bright store that pops up, as you are passing by. There is plenty of parking as well. I tried to stop by a few times when I was in the area, but they were out of boba most days. I was finally able to catch them with boba one evening. I ordered a jasmine milk tea. It was creamy with a slight tea taste to it - the milk tea could had been a little less watered down and a bit more sweeter though. The boba was a bit too chewy and it kind of melted in my mouth. read more

Nice, clean store and friendly staff. Great selection of standard and interesting tea flavors with also yogurt drinks. My Thai tea was as expected, real good! read more

The interior is so cute, and the lighting is so pretty! They have two kiosks if you don't want to order in front of the staff as well. I got the house milk tea with boba, and it honestly tastes better than I expected. Theres a sweet nuttiness to it and the pearls are really chewy and sweet. I would definitely come back again. read more

Lilikoi Boba - Interior - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

See all

Came in right when they opened today at 11am. Ordered their mango tajin shaved ice which was absolutely perfect. slightly sweet, tart, tangy, light and refreshing! my 3yo daughter loved it as well. also ordered their herbal strawberry drink cuz i'm super sensitive to caffeine, and that drink too was just right. I should have left the lychee jelly out because it was sweet overkill. and the longer it sat in my drink, the sweeter it became. other than that, wouldn't change a thing. my bestie ordered the POG aloha and she said it was really good. definitely coming again to try their other drinks. Haven't eaten our mochi donuts yet but was informed by the charming owner that they were freshly made Tuesdays & Fridays. Loooove this new addition to the community!!!! read more

Lilikoi Boba - My 3yo enjoying her mango snow ice. - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

See all

First time coming here, I tried the tropical drink and I loved how they made it exactly to my modifications. The owners greeted us very warmly and shared a new drink they had on the menu. I noticed that they have one of the cleanest working spaces and kitchens I have ever seen in my entire life. I was shocked that every area was neatly organized. The floors were spotless. Very very impressed with their level of cleanliness. it looks like they're still working on their lounge spaces but it looks amazing so far. It's great to see a local business that is passionate about their product. Looking forward to coming back soon! read more

Lilikoi Boba - Tropical Drink with Jasmine Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

Freshly made drinks First time here but second time for my youngest child. Huge cups: select either 16 or 32 oz cups for your beverage selection. Ordered watermelon mojito made with lychee jelly and jasmine tea. A bit too watered down; jasmine tea overwhelmed the watermelon purée. Pineapple float was very refreshing with the pineapple purée and scoop of ice cream. read more

I was craving something fruity and refreshing. I asked if they had passion fruit drink. The lady infront recommended the Pog drink that has other fruit flavors in it too. The drink is pretty good. I also amazed how big the cup was for 5 bucks. I'll have to try the ube horchata next time read more

Lilikoi Boba - Pog - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

See all