Not many selections and no food, and the inside is small and a little dark. And service can be slow because they're a bit under-staffed. But sit outside when the weather is good. And there's parking aplenty in the lot. Thats the pro tip. read more

Top Up - Tapioca milk tea with boba and lychee slushee - Bubble Tea Near Me - Alameda, California

Top Up is a mom and pop shop and theres only ONE in existence which deserves my loyalty and support. It's woman owned & operated (as far as I can tell) and the staff here always has the friendliest demeanor and works so diligently to get drinks out QUCIKLY. Management as well as their social media team on Instagram have treated me well and I can always count on them to quench my thirst when I'm visiting the East Bay. So how are their drinks? Cocotaro $6: Honestly if you love Taro and coconut as much as I do, this is a match made in heaven ya'll. In a smoothie form this will for sure cool you down for the summer heat waves to come . One of the biggest downfalls that ice based drinks run into is that you drink all the liquids and you get left with a bunch of snow which makes you feel ripped off, but for some magical reason that does not happen with the cocotaro, you consistently get ice and liquid with every slurp and by the time you're done everything's gone with no ice leftover. The drink is not overly sweet and both coconut and taro have pronounced flavors and do not overpower each other and get into each others ways. Mango Tango $5: Green tea infused with mango mix, topped with mango stars and chia seeds. Hawaiian Sunset $5 Oolong tea infused with Pineapple Mix, paired with rainbow jelly My friend Hector got this drink and killed it in a matter of minutes! I got a good sip was pleasantly happy with the flavors! The oolong tea worked well with the pineapple flavoring and the rainbow jelly paired well with it. Definitely has a refreshing vibe and tastes as good as it is beautiful to look at. If you're ever in Alameda and are thirs-TEA for something, LOOK no further cause this spot can TOP "you" UP read more

Order: - Lychee Bomb (100% sweetness) $5.50 - The Classic (Black Milk Tea) (75% sweetness) $4.75 - Strawberry Cheese Tea (75% sweetness) $5.50 The Lychee Bomb was good but tasted like any lychee green tea drink you could get elsewhere. There was good lychee flavor but it wasn't anything special. The lychee jelly was pretty standard and there wasn't too many actual lychee bits. The Classic was a bit lacking in flavor and was a tad bland. The tea flavor wasn't very strong but it was otherwise ok. The Strawberry Cheese Tea was my favorite! It tasted like a light strawberry cheesecake drink. The strawberry flavor was just strong enough and the cheese added a really nice creaminess. read more

Top Up - Strawberry Cheese Tea, The Classic (Black Milk Tea), Lychee Bomb - Bubble Tea Near Me - Alameda, California

Place is just okay. I went in an hour before close, I guess they were tired. Service is somewhat slow. I got the Coconut DragonFruit Smoothie. I should have asked for extra boba. No thank you or greeting but of course they ask for a tip. read more

Top Up - Bubble Tea Near Me - Alameda, California

My GoTo tea place.. I door dash or come in.. drinks are consistent and never let me down.. I have a few favorites but like to try something new.. the decor is amazing and recently they have added a contact free ordering.. which was easy to use..also try the pot stickers u won't be disappointed.. read more

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Visited for the 1st time an hour before closing today. Excellent and very friendly service! Ordered the classic milk tea with crystal brown sugar boba (they had just run out of honey boba) and taro milk tea with the egg pudding. Both were delicious. And the beautiful glass water bottle you gave away today for Mother's Day was really sweet. read more

It was so good..I thought it was too sweet at first but ones I mixed everything in, it was go good. I like that you can just place your order on the monitor and your drink is ready within 5 minutes. My friend and I both got creme brûlée boba but I added lychee jelly to mine. read more

Top Up - Crème brûlée boba - Bubble Tea Near Me - Alameda, California

I've been coming to top up since high school and they never seem to disappoint. The staff is always so nice and fast. They are also very clean and have a cute grass wall to take photos of your boba! What I order: - cocotaro If you're a huge taro fan then this drink is going to be your new obsession! It was just the perfect amount of sweetness. The taro and coconut balanced each other out and was not overpowering each other. It's so refreshing to have especially on a hot day. I would definitely recommend you try this drink if you ever visit top up! read more

Top Up - Bloody Sand Tea & Cocotaro Smoothie - Bubble Tea Near Me - Alameda, California

The first time I stopped by this Boba place I did not see that they had food so I waited to post my review until I got my hands on their popcorn chicken. And I'm glad I did! Their tea was already near the top of the list for good milk tea, but the popcorn chicken and fried tofu makes this place a five star. Some points of improvement for them. Make the food menu in a more obvious place, I missed it last time. They should also consider increasing the interior lighting, as the atmosphere is a bit grey. Their more exotic drinks were also pretty great! My friend had nothing but good things to say about their Hawaiian Sunset drink, just make sure to decrease the sweetness level if you don't have too big a sweet tooth. Go here for fresh boba, and well seasoned food. Next on the menu to try: Tater Tots. read more

Top Up - Popcorn Chicken - Bubble Tea Near Me - Alameda, California

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Quick history, before this was TopUp, it used to be another boba shop and before that, it was a yogurt/ice cream shop. And it's been AWHILE since I've stopped in Alameda. Found that this was a new bubble tea place (at least for me) and also I've been really good and haven't had a drink in almost 2 weeks, I gotta spoil myself today. I got the pink kiss (75% sweet minus the strawberry jelly) - it was an overall pretty good drink. Not too sweet, good balance of tea and strawberry flavor and it didn't leave a weird taste in my mouth like some other drinks do when it's high in syrup and other unhealthy things. The inside is small, cozy and lots of natural lighting. They have a few tables, lots of board games and a grass backdrop for you grammers ;) read more

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Really friendly people, they explained boba and salted cheese to me as I have never had either. Since I was maxed out on my caffeine intake for the day, I opted for a peach smoothie. So good! Chunks of peaches but small enough to get through the straw. I'm going to go back and try a boba tea very soon. read more

Top Up - Peach smoothie - Bubble Tea Near Me - Alameda, California

I got the CocoTaro smoothie & it was too good. The slushiness comes just like the picture I saw before going. My only issue, they do NOT close at 8:00PM, they close at 7:45PM. Online orders stops around 7:40PM. Lol, just say they close at 7:00PM Not a big deal but update your hours to reflect when you stop serving since you want to leave work soooo bad. read more

Top Up - CocoTaro Smoothie - Bubble Tea Near Me - Alameda, California

Yay! Can't believe I found a yummy boba place in Alameda that I will be coming back to when I'm in the area!! I decided to stop by Top Up after searching for boba places nearby after an Elite Week Perk. It is located in a plaza with other shops but it did seem a little sketchy at night around 7:30pm. There is plenty of parking available though! There were seriously way too many drinks for me to choose from and so many I wanted to try! After quickly looking through reviews and pics to see what was popular, I decided to go with Kawaii and my sister ordered the Lychee Breeze. And OMG I was blown away!! This is coming from someone who never orders fruit tea, rarely, or if I do, my SO orders and I will just try some. Kawaii is an oolong tea infused with citrus flavor topped with red dragon juice and kiwi bursting boba, per their description. I don't know why but that night it was exactly what I was craving and it was soooo refreshing!! I also never order bursting boba so I was surprised that I liked this kiwi flavor! Also it's such a pretty drink and perfect for IG!! Honestly I would just order this drink again and again! Lychee Breeze was just okay in my opinion but my sister enjoyed it! It was just a typical lychee drink with some chia seeds and lychee jelly. Don't get me wrong, I love lychee drinks but this just seemed pretty regular compared to the drink I got! Anyways I will most definitely be back to try their other drinks or just get Kawaii again! So glad I stumbled upon this place and hope to be back soon!! read more

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What do you do when you spend a day in Alameda and you rarely go to Alameda? Find the best boba spot in town obviously! I had heard great things about Top Up and was delighted to find that it lived up to the hype. Why? Service as great, menu is diverse with unique offerings, and their drinks are delicious! Our server was super patient with me as I took my time to decide and helped answer some of my drink questions. In the end, I ended up going for their Cocotaro Smoothie with added aloe vera (I don' think I've seen that on a menu before) and it was absolutely delicious and so smooth. It really possessed the perfect balance of coconut and taro! My husband got the Strawberry Milk Icy, which was like a straight up delectable dessert. Be sure to check-in on Yelp for a free drink topping ;) Free parking right out front. read more

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I came in and ordered the sweet potato milk tea and the popcorn chicken. The milk tea was alright, I wished it tasted more of ube . The popcorn chicken was great! However it gave me food poisoning and I noticed some cross contamination with fries read more

I thought I would be disappointed after realizing that I had ordered something with grape flavoring, but I was pleasantly surprised. The Hawaiian Sunset is described as a "Oolong tea infused with Pineapple Mix, paired with rainbow jelly" but the purple layer on top smelled like grape candy which I don't typically care for. I'm not sure if it was the type of syrup they used or the combination with pineapple, but it was very tasty! I can't wait to come back and try their other drinks! read more

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So good. Reasonably priced. This seems to be a popular restaurant but the service is fairly quick. They have so many drinks to choose from. Impressive menu. read more

Top Up - Blended caramel milk tea. Hella good! (Excuse my work glove) - Bubble Tea Near Me - Alameda, California

Pretty good boba stop! I usually get the hawaiian sunset my go to! Super refreshing and taste good every time I get it! I would definitely recommend you trying. read more

I was in the area and decided to try this place, the drinks were okay. The thai tea was bland even though it had 100% sugar and the boba was not good, it tasted dull and had no flavor. My drink St. Patrick (apple and kiwi juice) would have been good without the aloe but it wasn't an option. I give them props for having flavors i've never heard of but wouldn't come back because the boba is not good. read more

Top Up - St.Patrick Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Alameda, California

Since March 2021 I have patronized Top Up more than 20 times either with my sons or by myself. I have noticed a few changes from the portion sizes being reduced to the popcorn chicken tasting less like chicken and more gooey like (see screenshots). Because I really like their boba I attempted to treat myself today. Well the app didn't work and there was a noticed saying my "items wouldn't be ready until 2108" so then I went inside (see screenshot). I was then told I couldn't use the remaining balance on my app for my purchase so I had to use my card. Then I was told I needed to pay a fee to use my card since my purchase wasn't over $7. I decided not to purchase and left. edited: Since experiencing the disappointments with my popcorn chicken on more than one occasion and my experiences today I have reduced my score to a 3 out of 5. read more

Top Up - smaller portion size than before of Popcorn Chicken before I started eating any - Bubble Tea Near Me - Alameda, California

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While I waited and watched multiple people come in and get their order. My number was never called. Several people were serviced before me. This place has poor customer service I will never come back here again read more

Good selection of drinks and add-ons make this a solid milk tea/boba option in alameda. Plenty of parking and fast, helpful service. But the touch screen ordering was just a bummer. I get they are reducing face to face interactions, but the last thing I wanna do is touch a screen these days. And the user interface means you need to know what they mean by the toppings you would like to add. Just regular boba is "honey boba" vs the other boba options. And then you pay as well from the same screen. A little pandemic overkill, personally. Other than that, drinks turn around quickly and are well made and yummy. read more

Went to Top Up because of the 5 star reviews. There were so many beautiful and creative drinks! I couldnt decide which one to get! I ended up getting a Lychee slushy with Lychee Jelly and Boba. And my boyfriend got the Taro smoothie. The taro was different. It was really good! We weren't sure if it had real taro chunks in it! But it was amazing!!! read more

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Pretty good, I got the house special milk tea and the black sugar milk tea. Both tasted good, black sugar was definitely sweet though ofc at 100% sweetness. House milk tea was alittle bit more milk then I preferred but still good. read more

Emma W. convinced me to go here with her photo of Top Up's Cocotaro and my oh my did the photos live up to the flavor! Parking was easy as it's located in a plaza with plenty of spots. They keep their door opened for proper air flow and everyone inside has masks. Their menu is huge and pricing is fair since all their drinks are large! There was no line when I went on a Sunday afternoon and you can order online prior if you want as well. Cocotaro Smoothie ($5.95) - This was super tasty. The coconut and taro flavor was equal and it wasn't too sweet. I loved how creamy the texture was and their grass jelly was a great topping to addd! Hawaiian Sunset ($5) - They aren't kidding when they call these a refresher! I love how subtle the citrus flavor is and how fun it is to mix the drink to change the colors! The jellies were nice and chewy as well. Be sure to check in so that you can add a free topping to your beverage! read more

Top Up - Cocotaro + Hawaiian - Bubble Tea Near Me - Alameda, California

Another boba place in Alameda? This place was a wondering surprise and away from the busy Park St area. They are in a little plaza that a good amount of parking. Service: I've always gotten great service here. The cashier are patient and friendly. They give great smiles and conversation. Drinks: Their fruit teas are amazing. My favorite one has been their watermelon one. But honestly I haven't had "bad" fruit tea. Their milk tea are standard and will hit the spot. But I'll admit nothing too special about them. Overall: Definitely worth giving them a try! read more

My favorite boba on the island! My go to is their house special #1 - it's milk tea with boba and coffee jelly. I go almond milk with no sugar - so good! read more

I've gone here a few times and love it! It's walking distance from my house so it's fun to swing by on a dog walk. The interior is really cute and inviting. Chairs are put away right now but it would be a nice place to hang out with friends post-pandemic. Their menu is really large so prepare to read through to find what you are craving! I'm a purist and always get milk tea with boba, but I'm curious about some of their fun experimental drinks. You can purchase a cute glass bottle with a lid to carry home. Last I was there, the options are Italy, Paris, and SF. I'm not sure if you get a bit of a discount if you bring it back for a 'top up' (hehe). The boba is nice and chewy and I really like that they have sweetness level options. Def recommended! :) read more

Top Up - Inside - Bubble Tea Near Me - Alameda, California

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Had wintermelon milk tea (a rare fav) and it was delish. Owner and barista were great.

Cute little Boba shop! My coworker and I came here yesterday before a meeting because were both tired and craving bubble tea and some good food! It's a pretty standard milk tea menu -- although they don't have many dairy alternative options because most of the drinks are pre-made. T4 on the other hand, can use non diary for all their beverages. Along with a dairy free Jasmine tea, I also ordered the popcorn chicken and regular seasoned fries. The service was fast enough and the wait time wasn't super long -- with tip, it was $18 for not a whole lot of food or options, unfortunately. I enjoyed the food, but the tea was meh. I was pretty bummed they didn't have dairy-free options for all their menu items. Edit: in response to the business owner, the employee unfortunately informed me that only two of your milk tea items were dairy-free. Thanks for the additional info though! It'll be nice to have that info on hand if we go back. read more

Haha i finished mine before I took a pic. Had hoise special 3 and my husband had salted cheese thai tea. Salted cheese thai tea is the bomb! House speacial 3 is good too. Their pop corn chicken tasted sooo good too and cheaper than other milk tea place. read more

Top Up - Bubble Tea Near Me - Alameda, California

Good Matcha Uji Tea! They only have Soy Milk as a NON Dairy Milk. I prefer Almond and Coconut. I don't add sugar in my drinks, sugar is bad and has lots of side effects for the body. Over all, I am happy and absolutely #Chefjo Approve. Not sure what else I can try on their non dairy teas LOL. Uncles there suggestions for you boba addicts! #chefjo #foodenthusiast #vlogger #ilovematcha read more

Top Up - Outside Look! Digging the name, to the moon lol - Bubble Tea Near Me - Alameda, California

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Nickel and Diming for boba! We stopped by today a second time after visiting Top Up this past weekend and really liking their drinks. This time we bought five drinks (3 via app, 2 in person), including one taro milk tea for our 6 year old daughter. When we received the taro drink we were surprised to see that they didn't include any boba. Our six-year-old daughter was really disappointed. We went back to the store and asked whether they could include some boba, but they said we didn't include boba in our original order so we'd need to pay an extra $0.50. Since we used a credit card for our initial order we didn't have cash readily on hand (we were also below the credit card minimum otherwise they would charge a fee) so we spent minutes fumbling around our bike bag looking for spare change, which was a bit awkward for all parties involved. We finally found some cash and paid them. Then they took our already open drink and finally gave my daughter some boba. Needless to say, we were disappointed with the experience, especially since we bought five drinks and also gave them a 15% tip. Also, after looking more closely at the menu on the window outside the store, it shows the drink with the boba is $0.25 more; not sure why they charged us an additional $0.50 instead. To be fair, the drinks are pretty good... the customer service is just a few bobas short. read more

Top Up - Bubble Tea Near Me - Alameda, California

Sorry for the crappy picture of the half-finished drink, but 7/10 experience! It was about a twenty minute wait, but we did order a significant amount of food. We got two teas- green Thai milk tea and roasted oolong milk tea. Both were great! We got 50% sugar and 25% sugar respectively and they were both delicious. The boba was nice and qq without being hard. The popcorn chicken was really good and the crunchy bits were notably light and crisp. The tofu was good if a bit bland (with the chilli sauce and chilli powder it's just fine) and the egg rolls were the perfect texture on the outside (the inside was a bit starchy). I took one star off because they need new signs (they crossed off all the prices but not opaquely) and their sign says they're open from 12am-8pm... read more

Top Up - Green Thai Milk Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Alameda, California

Been a loyal customer for a couple of years (2020), hot seasoned tots seasoning has been changed, taste more like a Cheeto dust instead of the korean snow powder they used to use, drinks are still good, don't come here for the food read more

This place does fruit teas right -- every fruit tea I've tried here has been bomb. I've been going to Top Up for months now, but am writing this review now because I'm blown away by how awarding their service is despite the current COVID-19 situation. I always also inhale my drinks before I can take a photo of them. I hope they're able to stay open :) I love how innovative their drinks are and would hate to see them go. I've been to Top Up so often (before COVID-19; please stay at home) I'm sure the employees recognize me. There are instances where I've gone multiple days in a row, and the man at the counter will smile and say, "Back again?" A little embarrassing on my part but goes to show how committed I am to this boba place. I refuse to go anywhere else for fruit tea. They offer such a wide variety of drinks you can get a different drink every time you go. Many of their milk-based drinks can be made with soy milk for NO CHARGE!! I'm lactose intolerant so I always go for a fruit tea or Thai Tea made with soy milk. Soy milk-based drinks are made to order and can take a few extra minutes to prepare, but the fact they even offer diary alternatives for free is amazing and the wait is barely noticeable. Their fruit teas are so fresh and tasty. Many of them feature real fruit purée, slices, or fruit bits, definitely elevating their drinks. For example, their Lychee Bomb Tea has bits of lychee that give the drink some texture and added sweetness. Their fruit teas are pretty sweet, so I usually order 0% sweet. I haven't seen similar fruit tea combos in other boba shops, so I'd say the fruit tea recipes here are pretty unique. You can add as many toppings as you'd like and I find the toppings here to be less expensive compared to other boba places. They also offer a bunch of toppings so you never really get bored. I've tried their Taro milk tea, which wasn't the best, but that doesn't take away from how much I appreciate this store. Their fruit teas are the real winners!! Things I love: - Super friendly staff - Rewards/stamp card available - Usually no line - Bomb fruit tea - Dairy alternatives for no charge - Lots of tables and seating - Board games available to play - If you order by phone, they'll wait until you get to the store to place ice in the drinks; that way, the drinks won't get warm and/or diluted Things to consider: - Their milk based drinks good, but not as stellar as their fruit teas! I especially love their Thai tea -- it's just that the fruit teas are what make this place unique read more

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Hands-down my new favorite boba place. If you're a fan of cheese foam milk tea; THIS IS YOUR SPOT!! They hook it up with the salty cheese foam here (like a third of the cup!) It tastes great with the fruit teas. I tried both the strawberry and mango. Both came with fruit puree on the bottom~ no extra toppings needed. If you like cheese cake in tea form; you'll love this! Comes on the sweeter side, adjust to 70% if you like it sweet and 30% if not. Besides the fruit teas, you can try it with black, green, oolong. We tried black tea which I would have liked a stronger tea flavor. Bonuses: +Cute inflatable drink holders and grass wall for you to take aesthetic pics +Board games +Wi-fi +Free parking lot Negatives -Was told I couldn't combine stamp cards (forgot it in my other car) most places will allow combining.. seeing I paid for the drinks regardless of whether I had my card at the time. -25 cent fee to use card on purchases less than $7. read more

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Saw this "Hot & New" spot trending on Yelp. Shared parking lot with Paganos Hardware, Neptune Cuts + more. Nicely decorated, hip space with board games & complimentary water. Fiance got the Lychee Bomb with 25% sugar while I got the Mango Tango with 50% sugar. You can adjust the sweetness but I didn't see an option for ice levels like they have at other places. The fruit teas are $4.75 each. So the lychee drink actually had more flavor than the mango one. The fiance thinks it's because the jelly is from those canned lychee products with high syrup content. The Mango drink was light, had a bit of a tea taste but kinda bland. Service was okay. Probably won't be returning. read more

Inside is very clean and has really cute photo spots. Staff is extremely nice and attentive. I got : Red velvet, pink dragon, Kawaii, Hawaiian sunset, and bacon cheese fries Every drink was very refreshing and fruity! My favorite was the pink dragon! My absolute favorite part of this place is the reusable glass bottles! They are very nice quality and only $1.50 upgrade! I love the sketch aesthetic on the bottle designs. The bacon cheese fries aren't your normal bacon and cheese on fries. They season them with spices and it's insanely good! This place is 1000/10. Highly highly recommend! read more

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So I decided to give this place a chance and try their boba. Usually I have bad luck trying new places cause most of the time I end up not liking it lol! But upon arriving to the store, I was already intrigued with all the spooky Halloween decorations, they really know how to be festive! The girl behind the register was super nice and was really busy since it was only her working but she helped me in a timely manner. She was so nice about me asking about the drinks and was really patient! I ordered the jasmine milk tea with strawberry heart jelly and my boyfriend got the house special 2 without boba (just jelly) and OMG!!! It was so good! You get to choose your level of ice and sweetness and the drinks were both so creamy. If you love jasmine you're going to LOVE the jasmine milk tea. I kinda wish the jelly was a little more on the harder/chewier side but that's not a big deal really!! Their fruit teas look so delicious I'm going to have to come here next time!! I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who's near alameda, it's a close one with happy lemon lol! read more

Top Up - Milk Tea House Special #2 and Jasmine Green Milk Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Alameda, California