This is an updated review: When I initially tried the drink my issues were that it was not sweet enough. After posting my review the owner had reached out to me and offered for me to try the drink again free of charge. He's told me that they make their Thai tea on the less sweeter side and must be adjusted when ordering if you want it sweeter. After trying Thai tea again with my desired sweetness, it has reach my expectations. Also, my initial review is somewhat unreasonable and written on the heat of the moment after I had already driven all the way home. I do not wish to make a business suffer(especially during covid) but I appreciate the willingness to fix something that displeases a customer. read more

Yes! They are open during these times- so please go support! Be aware that you need to have a mask to go inside. If you don't have one- knock on the door and they will come help you (there's a sign posted on their door). I was craving boba but I wasn't sure if there was a place near me that was open for pick up. I drove by here and thankfully, they were open! When you order & pay, they have individual stylus pens for you to sign the tablet and they ask you to put the used stylus into another cup- they sanitize the stylus pens after every use!) The staff was friendly & we got our drinks pretty quick. We both enjoyed our drinks! I liked the consistency of the boba- it wasn't too chewy, and it wasn't too hard. I didn't know this shop was here before, but I'll definitely come back soon :) They deliver via delivery apps (like UberEats, GrubHub &Postmates as well!) read more

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What's a girl gotta do to get legit boba in West LA? I'm lowkey sick of Coco already, so I decided to turn to Yelp. I saw that Refresh by Ekkamai opened not too long ago and had quite decent reviews. My bf and I easily found parking on the street and walked a very short distance. Initially, I was a little skeptical because it seemed like a very westernized boba shop and I didn't know what to expect with the limited menu. My bf ordered a Vietnamese cold brew and I ordered the passion fruit green tea with boba. I requested for 50% sugar, but the cashier mentioned that Ekkamai uses real passion fruit puree instead of flavored syrup. He suggested regular sweetness because the drink will be sour and tart from the actual fruit. I decided to listen even if I was inconvinced. After picking up our drinks, I was literally blown away by how good and refreshing the passion fruit green tea was! I was able to taste the real passion fruit puree mixed in with very well-brewed tea. The boba was to die for because it was so chewy and so sweet, probably one of the best boba I've had. I took a few sips of my bf's Vietnamese cold brew and that was delicious too. The cold brew was creamy and lightly sweetened. I caught my bf sneaking sips of my green tea and that was unacceptable!! Overall, we were both pleasantly surprised by the quality and quantity of the drinks here. I think we're actually going back again today to try other menu items lol. read more

Refresh by Ekkamai - Bubble Tea Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Yes, the drinks were cheap but not worth it. The Vietnamese coffee that my friend got was watery, not the bold taste you expect when ordering a vietnamese coffee and the boba tasted stale and old. I ordered a caramel latte which wasn't bad but was SO sweet it tasted like they put 10 pumps of caramel in my tiny cup. If you want to go to a cute boba spot to chill or do homework, look somewhere else! This place has a terrible atmosphere and felt like a janky daycare facility. One of the worker's toddler was running around barefoot, touching straws, screaming, and throwing his toys around. They never told him to settle down or to not touch stuff. It was absolutely disgusting! He was running back by the kitchen too! Not only is it not safe for him, but it's just not sanitary! Also, this kid's toys and his play pen were out in the open where customers were. What the heck? This place was just gross and loud and I won't come back here. Lastly, parking can be difficult because there is only street parking. read more

Refresh by Ekkamai - Vietnamese coffee tasted like water with a hint of coffee. - Bubble Tea Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Outside of Sawtelle, I was having a hard time finding boba in the west side, but luckily I found Refresh by Ekkamai. The menu isn't extensive but the prices are actually reasonable and the quality of the milk tea is good. I got the signature brown sugar milk tea with pudding and it was delicious. Definitely on the sweeter side but I like my boba that way :) read more

Refresh by Ekkamai - Signature brown sugar milk tea with pudding - Bubble Tea Near Me - Los Angeles, California

10/10 The drinks here are always amazing!! The servers are always to kind! It's a great place to go for a treat after a long day.

Absolutely love their milk tea, you seriously can't go wrong with anything you get! I've gotten their chai milk tea and their brown sugar milk tea, both of which were amazing! The tapioca pearls are also really good, not too chewy and they don't put too many in your drink, which is nice I'll definitely be returning! read more

Yummy - we had the strawberry and it was so delicious and refreshing. The boba was perfect

Good location, good parking area, good refreshments. The hair in my boba wasn't good. read more

Refresh by Ekkamai - Long brown hair in my boba, wish I noticed before I drank the whole thing. - Bubble Tea Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I ordered a Thai tea with boba the other day... holey moley. There was also much water in it. It tasted like Thai Tea Le Croix. But it was $4, so I drank it. Bad idea. I took off the lid, and dumped the rest of the boba down my pie hole. ANOTHER BAD IDEA. Crunch. IT'S BOBA. WHYYYY IS IT CRUNCHING???? I instantly spat it back into the cup. Because it wasn't boba. It was a fly. My life is ruined now. read more

Refresh by Ekkamai - Bubble Tea Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I'm so glad is awesome boba place is 10 minutes away. The staff is super friendly, and the bubble tea tastes SO DAMN DELECTABLE. (Get the salted caramel or taro milk teas with extra boba ) I appreciate that they're taking Covid precautions ( masks necessary for entry, and to go orders only). I wish that there was more seating inside.. it's probably just the Karen in me. Lol. Overall, Refresh by Ekkamai is SHAPOPPIN'! BOBALICIOUS UP IN THIS BITCH! read more

I'm glad to have a boba place nearby! There are many drinks to order from, and you can never go wrong with a classic black milk tea with boba. The service is friendly, the prices are great, and my boba cravings are taken care of. The boba shop was slightly hard to find, as it is part of the Ekkamai restaurant but is in a different unit a few doors down. However, I do like that it is separate so that people coming for boba aren't clashing with those who want food. Once you walk past it, it is noticeable. There is street parking available nearby. It could be tricky depending on when you come. Inside, there is a counter and a waiting area, and a divider with children playing on the other side. The drinks are good, and this shop is local, so I would definitely return. read more

Walking along the streets of Los Angeles, I heard some whispers in the trees. Thinking it only my imagination I continued by stroll. Again the ruffling of nature whispered a word. A word I couldn't place but reigned mightily in my heart. Still meandering around the sidewalks, a final gush of wind made the sound REFREESHHH to my ears. And then I stumbled upon a black star on the sidewalk and walked in to refresh myself. For the price, this is one of the best places in the area. I usually get a Jasmine MT with Lychee jelly and it's consistently a solid drink. The people are fast at making the drinks. They have a parking lot on the side for free and if that's full (since it's attached to the restaurant next door) there's usually street parking as well. read more

Refresh by Ekkamai - jasmine MT with lychee jelly - Bubble Tea Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Yes! This is how a cup of milk tea should taste. I always order a 25% sweet because personally, I say a good milk tea is beautifully flavored even with a minimum sweetness. So happy I came here and would recommend this place! What I ordered: Black milk tea Boba( it's chewy and fresh!) read more

Refresh by Ekkamai - Bubble Tea Near Me - Los Angeles, California

A little disappointed with the menu limitations. True, I should have done my research, but didn't realize that it's not as wide a variety as other boba places. My brother loves the fruity non-dairy drink and they only have milky type or straight up tea drinks. Another thing that was disappointing was that you don't have the option to adjust the sugar level of the drink. We both opted for a tea drink with boba all in all both drinks were "ok" not really worth the price sadly. There isn't a place to sit inside either so it's grab and go. On the plus side there is a little adjacent lot to park in. read more

I ordered the coconut drink and wasn't sure if it was milk tea or not cause on the menu is just has "Coconut" underlined. Either way, the drink was refreshing and definitely worth a try! I also like the fact that their drinks are already by default 30% less sweet than other places. So I didn't have to ask for half sugar on my drink. The pork banh mi on the other hand was average. It wasn't bad and it wasn't the best, nothing super special about it. I'm a fan of pâté so I asked for extra pâté & the good about this place is they didn't charge extra for it. For someone who loves sour, the daikon was a bit too sour for my liking. Near the end, I started getting tired of the sourness. The wait for the sandwich was also a bit slow, as there was no other food orders ahead of me. You can tell the place doesn't really specialize in this product. Because with the boba drinks, they all came out pretty fast! Anyhow, this place is definitely worth a try!! read more

Went to Ekkamai next door but realized Refresh is actually next to Ekkamai. There are plenty of street parkings (on weeknights, but I'm not too sure about weekends), so not too difficult to find parking. I ordered their wintermelon milk tea with boba with 50% sugar because they told me they didn't have 75% option. The drink tasted more like jasmine milk tea than wintermelon. The drink wasn't exceptionally great nor was it exceptionally bad, but definitely was a little disappointed that their wintermelon didn't taste like wintermelon. However, the small amount of matcha on top was a nice cherry on top. Also good enough to cure the boba craving. read more

Friendly service and good size drinks for fair price . Their Thai iced tea is great, I like that it isn't overly sweet. The boba texture is good here too - chewy and flavorful. read more

Refresh by Ekkamai - a cup of iced coffee - Bubble Tea Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Wanted to try this place for a long time. I tried the green melon flavor but I didn't quiet like it. It had a strong overpowering flavor of the tea coming through departing slight bitter aftertaste. Also, I am not very fond of the nondairy creamer powder as it parts a slightly artificial taste/ fragrance to the drink. It depends on the quality and brand of the powder some places use..Other places that I have tried don't necessarily use powder creamer even though it's non diary You never know unless you try though :) read more

After having my share of boba in MD, I wasn't too impressed by Refresh. I went with my go-to, the Wintermelon Milk Tea and found it to be on par with most places I've been to, which is not a bad thing, but I was hoping it would be a mind blowing experience. Maybe it's because I was holding LA to a higher standard. Still a solid option for locals though. read more

Refresh by Ekkamai - Wintermelon milk tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Ok, I usually never write reviews, but I just recently moved to LA from the SGV, and I was VERY pleasantly surprised by the quality of Ekkamai's tea. I found this place on google maps just by searching 'tea,' if that can give you an idea of how my expectations going into this place was. I ordered the brown sugar tea, and BRUH, lemme tell you. I've had Tiger sugar boba before. I've had brown sugar milk tea from The Alley and many a tea shop, but this is definitely the most unique tasting brown sugar mt I have tasted so far. And this is coming from someone who NEVER orders brown sugar milk tea because it always ends up tasting like super sweet milk. There is a nuance to the brown sugar flavor, and it maintains that depth that differentiates brown sugar from regular cane sugar. The tea is actually sooo good. It literally tastes like the kind of milk tea you would get in Asia. Slightly bitter, mostly sweet, and then this warm almost chocolately brown sugar flavor. The boba is also cooked very well. I like mine more al dente, but that's just my personal preference. Just a word of caution to anyone who has not had milk tea from Asia before-- you might hate it at first, think it's not sweet enough, or wonder what that off taste is. But just trust me and learn to love it. I'm definitely gonna come back and /maybe/ try everything on the menu. read more

After dinner, we tried an ice cream place. It was not satisfying so we searched for a boba spot. The reviews were great here so we decided to stop by. SERVICE - The cashier was helpful when we asked about the jasmine milk green tea and the matcha. DRINK - My husband and I both got the jasmine milk green tea with boba. The boba tasted fresh and it was soft! The boba was also sweet so we enjoyed it. The tea was indeed less sweet than other boba shops (as they advertised) but still tasted good. If we were in the area, we would come back here to get boba. read more

I'm not sure what took me so long to find this place, but once I found it like 3 months ago, I've been going at least once every 10 days. All my friends think I'm obessessed (which maybe I am). When I first started coming here several months ago it was $3.00 for a milk tea + 50 cents per topping (and no tax!), and the cup was 24 oz. Great deal! About a month ago they raised their prices by 50 cents, so now it comes out to $4 totally, but that's still relatively cheap considering it's 24 oz. drink: I get the jasmine milk tea with 50% sugar and 50% ice with lychee jelly and it's amazing. Tea flavor is very strong, which i'm a fan of, and not overly sweet (they advertise that their drinks are already 30% less sweet than most places, which is probably true). Not gunna lie, it's a little weird because there's some place area with toys, and seating isn't the best, but i usually just get a drink and go, when i'm on the way to costco. There's a child (I assume the owners son or something) who is running around sometimes, which might bother some people. The menu is also pretty small, and i've tried the lychee green tea and it was only ok. I'd personally recommend their milk teas, but not their fruit teas. Overall, great value and def a place to try if you're in the area! I've been literally over 15 times.. I hope they start a rewards program soon. p.s. free parking in the ekkmai parking lot right next door. read more

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Incredible. I used to preach that there isn't any good boba on the Westside, (or in fact, most of LA), and I can no longer say that. The boba's soft, and the flavor of the tea isn't masked by buckets of sweetener or artificiality. I would say it is a bit sweet for my taste at 100%, but not overtly so. Another huge facet is cost. $3 for a drink, + $0.50 for boba. By contrast, it seems like every other shop opening out here is ridiculously overpriced and overvalued. $5-6 for mediocrity seems standard. So to have somewhere serve good quality boba and tea under $4 leaves me shocked at how good of a value Refresh provides. The few qualms I could imagine are parking during peak hours and a lack of group seating. Thus, it feels difficult to imagine this spot would make a reliable third space to hangout with friends, especially as a go-to. Another element which strikes me is how spartan the menu seems - perhaps a welcome change to the decision fatigue caused by every other shop with 6 pages and 6-pt font. But if you're someone who likes a myriad of flavors or add-ins, this truncated menu may feel like a shortcoming. Everything considered, I still think it's worth 5 stars - and more importantly, recommendation by word of mouth. read more

Refresh by Ekkamai - Green milk tea w/ boba - Bubble Tea Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Delicious refreshing drinks - we have been testing out teas in LA and can say that we really enjoyed these. The Thai Tea was less "Smokey" tasting than we are used to and the matcha was sweeter. We enjoyed them regardless and would definitely come back to try again without boba. read more

Refresh by Ekkamai - Matcha Milk Tea w/Boba - Bubble Tea Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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My bf and I had a nighttime bike session and stopped by here for some boba! It's right next door to the Ekkamai thai restaurant so there is a small private parking lot if you drive. The place has a few seats and chairs and a large open space in the front, which I feel could have been decorated with actual tables and such. The boba drinks are very fairly priced for it's single large size and the boba itself is amazing. Chewy, sweet, and makes me want another delicious scoop! I got the green milk tea with boba ($3.50) and the bf got taro milk green tea with boba ($4.25) and both drinks were good! Service was also very friendly. This place was not crowded at all, but I do wish there were better seating arrangements. Still, highly recommend! P.s. the bathroom is super nice, clean, and modern I LOVE it. read more

Refresh by Ekkamai - Bubble Tea Near Me - Los Angeles, California

No long review needed. Front staff was super friendly. Oatmilk was incredibly delicious. Hit the spot on a hot day! read more

Refresh by Ekkamai - Bubble Tea Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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I visited here after a day of swimming. It was a quick pit stop to order a milk tea boba. I normally get less sugar so I got 50% which was perfect where not too sweet and can still taste the tea. Boba was perfectly chewy and delicious. Definitely coming back since it's close to home and I won't have to go out to koreatown for boba every weekend. Also Thai tea with boba was just as delicious as the regular milk tea! read more

This place smelled liked baked goods as soon as you walk in. It seems to be run by a married couple as they had their young song playing and had a playpen set up as well. Some furniture and a small varied menu of drinks. I chose the ginger lemonade which was good. I wish it came with boba. The place is quiet, so good for convos. Very friendly service. read more

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Excellent service great employees I like Amber in particular she brings a lot of energy cute and fun to talk with. in all honesty, their entire staff beams with energy I like going for the delicious drinks the quality of the service and just the vibes. I will definitely be coming back when I'm thirsty for a refreshing Boba. read more

Love the drink I tried here! I got a Jasmine Milk Tea with boba. You can definitely taste the tea and it's the perfect amount of creamy-ness! The boba is softer than I'm used to, but it's quite chewy and sweet. I took off a star for the decor. It could use more tables and cute decoration or something. One side of the store was kinda confusing because there was a couch kinda off to the side. I would definitely come back for the drinks though. read more

Refresh by Ekkamai - Jasmine Milk Tea with Boba - Bubble Tea Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Love this place!! Been going here pretty often ever since I moved to the area over a year ago - their drinks aren't that sweet and I can actually taste the tea. The workers there are really nice and patient especially when I'm indecisive. My many favs are the thai milk tea, black milk tea, green milk tea, & passionfruit green tea! read more

My go to boba place because it's delicious and close to my home. Overall their cafe is extremely clean and efficient! I adore their oolong boba tea with light ice and half sweetness. Their hummingbird black tea is fruity and delicious too! They also roast their coffees in house! So it smells amazing. read more

While on a Westside bike ride I got a craving for some Hong Kong style Bubble Tea, and seeing that I was close to two highly rated spots I decided it was due time for a little heads up review: Refresh by Ekkamai Boba Guys In short, while the two spots are different, neither is better than the other. Star 1: How were the service and atmosphere? There's a contrast between the atmospheres of Refresh and Boba Guys with Refresh being a full scale sit down cafe whereas Boba Guys is a mini shop within the Platforms in Culver City. One isn't better than the other, but of note is that the line at Boba Guys can grow in excess of 20-30 minutes during peak times. Service at both is excellent, although I appreciated the simplicity of Boba Guys menu when compared to Refresh's tiny little menu posted on the wall. Refresh by Ekkamai: Star (1) Boba Guys: Star (1) Star 2: How were the portions relative to the cost? The prices at both Refresh and Boba Guys are comparable, with Boba Guys being a tad bit more expensive. 16oz. at Refresh ran me $3.50 whereas the same size portion of milk tea at Boba Guys was $4.50. Both reasonable. Refresh by Ekkamai: Star (2) Boba Guys: Star (2) Stars 3 and 4: How was the food? The traditional black milk tea at both Refresh and Boba Guys was good, but for different reasons. The tea itself was good with both shops allowing you to control the level of sweetness, and if, like me, you're a fan of less sweet options I'd recommend the standard level of sweetness at Refresh and 50% at Boba Guys as 25% gets a bit bitter. The tapioca at Boba Guys tasted fresher than Refresh, but both were just the right amount of sweet. Refresh by Ekkamai: Two Stars (4) Boba Guys: Two Stars (4) Star 5: Would you eat here every day if you could? Both Refresh and Boba Guys are great options for customizable milk tea, but neither in my mind exceeded the sky high bar set by Little Tokyo's Milk+T. Refresh by Ekkamai: No Star (4) Boba Guys: No Star (4) read more

Refresh by Ekkamai - Black Milk Tea with Boba: $3.50 - Bubble Tea Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I found my new go-to boba spot in Culver! I was searching yelp for boba spots & this one had good reviews & people were saying it was reasonable prices. So i definitely had to check this place out & see for myself & I'm glad i did. The prices were between $3-$4 & one size (large) so i already thought that was a steal! I got a green milk tea with boba & that's my go to at all boba places. I'm a big fan of a tasting the strong tea flavor in drinks & this one was perfect. It wasn't too strong, but wasn't too watery/bland. It had a perfect hint of the tea. What surprised me the most was the BOBA. I only like boba at a few spots & this one was PERFECT. The honey & sweetness & texture of the boba was SPOT ON & that's saying a lot because i can tell right away if the boba is whatever. Soooooo goood ! Tea & boba are perfect. I can't wait to come back & try the other teas! read more

Refresh by Ekkamai - Bubble Tea Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Good boba. Texture was right and the flavor of the tea was nice. For the caramel milk tea. Yum! Staff was also quick and personable read more

Refresh by Ekkamai - Caramel milk tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Amazing service and delicious boba drinks! The place itself is so clean and organized. The ladies working there are nice and always offer to suggest a drink from the menu in case you don't know what to get. Give this place a try you won't regret it! read more

Not going to lie, I thought this boba place would suck bc it's in Marina Del Rey and my hopes were low for quality boba...however, I was super surprised when both my drink & my boyfriends was delicious and well made! I got a salted caramel latte with soy milk and it was soooo good. My boyfriend got the coconut milk tea and it tasted super tasty & refreshing! I love how they have milk substitutes available. Street parking can be hit or miss but it's def a hole in the wall so be sure to try it :) read more

Refresh by Ekkamai - Bubble Tea Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I was in the area and was craving milk tea so I decided to give this place a try! I didn't have too much high hopes but this place sure surprised me. First, lets talk about the drinks! I tried their black milk tea with boba and their Thai tea. Both were really good. The boba was perfect and it had a hint of sweetness. The price and amount you get is definitely worth it. You can't get that size for $3.50 anywhere nowadays. read more

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Best bang for your buck on the west side, and for pretty good quality tea. You can get regular milk tea for $3 no tax, and the cups are large which makes it an unbeatable deal. I've tried both green and black milk tea and they're both good. The people who work here are super nice. They do customizations and I usually get 50% sweet but for the average person, 100% should be just fine. I also appreciated that the Thai iced tea isn't overwhelmingly sweet like most places these days. Free parking at the Thai place next door, and street parking is free and easy to get after 6pm. They have 2 2-seater tables, a couch, and one long wooden bench, so it's a good place to meet up with a friend, but not to loiter with a group. There's a bunch of toys in the back corner for the owners' (?) kid who is also usually around, but he's super cute! read more