Yu's Cafe
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I love this place! It's a small little spot, but she knows how to make my drinks perfectly every single time. I always get the watermelon juice extra sweet and the jasmine milk tea, both are so good! I come here pretty much weekly, and she already knows my order as soon as I walk in. She always hooks it up too! You can really tell she appreciates and values her regular customers, which makes me want to keep coming back. Great drinks and even better service. Definitely one of my go-to spots!
This petite boba shop has limited indoor seating but stays open late, which is a plus. I ordered a coconut milk with grass jelly around 9pm and ended up waiting over 30 minutes--quite a long time for a relatively simple order When it finally arrived, the dessert came in a basic plastic container that felt a bit cheap. The grass jelly itself was nothing special, and the coconut flavor was barely detectable. For the wait and presentation, I expected a bit more, but I've heard good things about their drinks which I may try next time I'm in the area
Decent desserts, but overpriced. I ordered the mango coconut sago and it was tasty, but not worth almost paying $8 for. I liked the sweet coconut milk and sago pearls, but felt that better mango could've been used. I'm not sure if they used Asian mangoes, but it was slightly tart which I wasn't the biggest fan of. My friend tried ordering the Matcha Ice Cream Red Bean Egg Puff, but they ran out of matcha ice cream and had to use vanilla ice cream instead. While the egg waffle and red bean were good, the ice cream had freezer burn and was icy and hard which wasn't the most enjoyable. She also paid close to $11 for it which was not worth it. Would not recommend this spot unfortunately.
The kids found this place on Instagram so we came. There was a short line and a ton of old folks sitting at tables outside. We got different egg waffles and a sago mango dessert. The egg waffles were good according to the kids. The sago mango dessert was really watery and didn't have much mango. It was ok.
Stopped by Yu's Cafe after the Chinatown Night Market as it was one of the only boba/desert shops still open at 9pm. Unfortunately they were out of boba for the night at this time. It's a cute little cafe with a few tables and chairs inside and on the sidewalk - definitely a little tight on space but enough for a quick stop and chat over desserts. Service is efficient, and I got the mango pomelo sago, which came with quite a generous amount of pomelo (definitely more than what I'm used to getting at other places). It's not too sweet, and the mango wasn't the most flavorful, but it was what I was looking for. My friend got the Mango Sky (?) drink, which was also tasty and pretty to look at as well. Overall, a solid boba shop with a good variety of desserts and snacks.
Really nice shop with a variety of delicious hong kong desserts! The shop is quite small but there are a few tables available. I enjoyed the mango sago dessert.
Definitely a local hang out. The young lady that took & made our order referred to all the local elderly men hanging out having coffee as "the uncles". It was busy and yummy. We ordered an iced espresso with condensed milk & super strawberry tea w mango pops.
In Chinatown, they have a delicious black sesame latte drink! They're also open later at night.
Very authentic old school boba spot. Osmanthus oolong was solid and the barista knew her stuff because she gave the perfect sugar level suggestion for us. Space is tight so might not be able to find seating!
Yu's cafe is a small boba shop located in Chinatown. There's not much seating inside, so this place is lots of a to-go spot. We came on a weeknight, so service was fairly quick. I got the sesame rice balls in ginger soup. It was a light dessert that had a good black sesame flavor to it. The ginger soup was a little watered down, but I didn't mind it too much. I tried my friend's HK milk tea and it had a strong tea flavor. Overall, if you're looking for a quick boba place while in Chinatown, this place isn't too bad.
Nice place for a dessert past 9pm since everywhere else is closed so early! Their sago is solid and they use fresh fruit like fresh durian! There're a few tables for dining in, but the only thing is there is no bathroom for customers.
57 Walter U Lum Pl San Francisco, CA 94108 Yu's Cafe is a small drink and dessert shop located across from Portsmouth Square ( and Garage). If you're in the parking garage, and take the elevators up to the park, you're in Portsmouth Square. On a warm August afternoon, I decided to visit this familiar part of San Francisco Chinatown. After walking around the park, I noticed Yu's Cafe. It's a small place, with 4-5 small tables. Large menu boards show their offerings. Service is not very attentive. I'm sure it depends on who is working. But I walk in and nobody is at the counter. I called out "ARE YOU OPEN?" There was no answer. Then I see a QR Menu code taped on the glass. I figured I am to order via phone, and then my drink will magically appear. Then suddenly a young lady pops up and says "Hi, may I take your order?" Okay, I ordered: - Passion Fruit Tea, with Grass Jelly $7.25 50% Sweet, Reg Ice The drink was okay. It was cold and slightly sweet, and satisfied my thirst on a warm day. The grass jelly was clumped on the bottom of the cup. Grass Jelly reminds me of my late Aunt Daisy, who often told me to never pass up the simple pleasure of life.....dessert. Would I return? Yes, if I'm in the area.
Came by months ago when I visited Chinatown. This cafe is located directly across the street from the Portsmouth Square park. Lots of regulars sitting outside. Always a good sign for authenticity and pricing, right? I got a BOGO deal of iced lemon tea (sweetness adjusted per order) and an order of spam musubi. Service was friendly and efficient. Located on Walter U Lum Pl and Washington St. read more
2 months ago
There aren't many boba tea places open even on a Friday night after dinner time. We came across this on yelp, and despite the under four star review average, we took a chance. It is a small shop with a handful of dine-in seating. All were filled at the 8:00 hour. There is one person working the entire place so service is subpar. There are plenty of menu options that extend beyond drinks and two other sweet treats. We ordered a hot roasted oolong milk tea, avocado slush and a dirty oreo. Prices are average and so are flavors. So if in a bind because of the late hour, this might be a place to try. Otherwise I would opt for checking out other nearby places during other times of the day. read more
I needed a morning refresher after yoga, so I came here for some fruit tea and got my usual - a half sweet passionfruit green tea with boba. It seems I came too early, as the boba pearls were not yet ready. The bobarista offered crystal boba as an alternative, which I accepted to be efficient. The tea was actually half sweet, which I was pleased about. So many places make the tea super sweet even at 50% sweetness but not here. The fruit flavor, however, was not as prominent as I would've liked. I'm not sure that I'd get this particular drink here again. Maybe I would try another drink or snack instead. It's nice the café has some seating and WiFi. It's first come first serve naturally, so that's one pro about coming early. read more
3 days ago
I love this place! It's a small little spot, but she knows how to make my drinks perfectly every single time. I always get the watermelon juice extra sweet and the jasmine milk tea, both are so good! I come here pretty much weekly, and she already knows my order as soon as I walk in. She always hooks it up too! You can really tell she appreciates and values her regular customers, which makes me want to keep coming back. Great drinks and even better service. Definitely one of my go-to spots! read more
7 months ago
This petite boba shop has limited indoor seating but stays open late, which is a plus. I ordered a coconut milk with grass jelly around 9pm and ended up waiting over 30 minutes--quite a long time for a relatively simple order When it finally arrived, the dessert came in a basic plastic container that felt a bit cheap. The grass jelly itself was nothing special, and the coconut flavor was barely detectable. For the wait and presentation, I expected a bit more, but I've heard good things about their drinks which I may try next time I'm in the area read more
Decent desserts, but overpriced. I ordered the mango coconut sago and it was tasty, but not worth almost paying $8 for. I liked the sweet coconut milk and sago pearls, but felt that better mango could've been used. I'm not sure if they used Asian mangoes, but it was slightly tart which I wasn't the biggest fan of. My friend tried ordering the Matcha Ice Cream Red Bean Egg Puff, but they ran out of matcha ice cream and had to use vanilla ice cream instead. While the egg waffle and red bean were good, the ice cream had freezer burn and was icy and hard which wasn't the most enjoyable. She also paid close to $11 for it which was not worth it. Would not recommend this spot unfortunately. read more
The kids found this place on Instagram so we came. There was a short line and a ton of old folks sitting at tables outside. We got different egg waffles and a sago mango dessert. The egg waffles were good according to the kids. The sago mango dessert was really watery and didn't have much mango. It was ok. read more
Stopped by Yu's Cafe after the Chinatown Night Market as it was one of the only boba/desert shops still open at 9pm. Unfortunately they were out of boba for the night at this time. It's a cute little cafe with a few tables and chairs inside and on the sidewalk - definitely a little tight on space but enough for a quick stop and chat over desserts. Service is efficient, and I got the mango pomelo sago, which came with quite a generous amount of pomelo (definitely more than what I'm used to getting at other places). It's not too sweet, and the mango wasn't the most flavorful, but it was what I was looking for. My friend got the Mango Sky (?) drink, which was also tasty and pretty to look at as well. Overall, a solid boba shop with a good variety of desserts and snacks. read more
6 months ago
Really nice shop with a variety of delicious hong kong desserts! The shop is quite small but there are a few tables available. I enjoyed the mango sago dessert. read more
28 days ago
Calm (family run?) milk tea shop that's clearly loved by locals. The place itself was small, with outdoor seating that drew many of the elders in the area. Only waited a few minutes for our order and the tea was okay. I think I'd try other places like this one in the area before coming back. read more
6 months ago
Definitely a local hang out. The young lady that took & made our order referred to all the local elderly men hanging out having coffee as "the uncles". It was busy and yummy. We ordered an iced espresso with condensed milk & super strawberry tea w mango pops. read more
4 months ago
In Chinatown, they have a delicious black sesame latte drink! They're also open later at night. read more
1 year ago
Very authentic old school boba spot. Osmanthus oolong was solid and the barista knew her stuff because she gave the perfect sugar level suggestion for us. Space is tight so might not be able to find seating! read more
2 years ago
Yu's cafe is a small boba shop located in Chinatown. There's not much seating inside, so this place is lots of a to-go spot. We came on a weeknight, so service was fairly quick. I got the sesame rice balls in ginger soup. It was a light dessert that had a good black sesame flavor to it. The ginger soup was a little watered down, but I didn't mind it too much. I tried my friend's HK milk tea and it had a strong tea flavor. Overall, if you're looking for a quick boba place while in Chinatown, this place isn't too bad. read more
Nice place for a dessert past 9pm since everywhere else is closed so early! Their sago is solid and they use fresh fruit like fresh durian! There're a few tables for dining in, but the only thing is there is no bathroom for customers. read more
57 Walter U Lum Pl San Francisco, CA 94108 Yu's Cafe is a small drink and dessert shop located across from Portsmouth Square ( and Garage). If you're in the parking garage, and take the elevators up to the park, you're in Portsmouth Square. On a warm August afternoon, I decided to visit this familiar part of San Francisco Chinatown. After walking around the park, I noticed Yu's Cafe. It's a small place, with 4-5 small tables. Large menu boards show their offerings. Service is not very attentive. I'm sure it depends on who is working. But I walk in and nobody is at the counter. I called out "ARE YOU OPEN?" There was no answer. Then I see a QR Menu code taped on the glass. I figured I am to order via phone, and then my drink will magically appear. Then suddenly a young lady pops up and says "Hi, may I take your order?" Okay, I ordered: - Passion Fruit Tea, with Grass Jelly $7.25 50% Sweet, Reg Ice The drink was okay. It was cold and slightly sweet, and satisfied my thirst on a warm day. The grass jelly was clumped on the bottom of the cup. Grass Jelly reminds me of my late Aunt Daisy, who often told me to never pass up the simple pleasure of life.....dessert. Would I return? Yes, if I'm in the area. read more
Great small tea place in the heart of Chinatown. Pretty big selection of teas, flavors and "add-ons". Quality was great and it definitely seems to be a local. 3 tables inside and the park is right outside the door. It does smell like cigarettes in there though. read more
11 months ago
Refreshing! Yu's Café gives off that classic old-school boba shop vibe from before the big chains took over. The boba is steeped in a noticeably sweet syrup, so it's worth adjusting your drink's sugar level if you prefer something more balanced. It's a cozy, nostalgic spot with late-night hours, making it an easy go-to for a quick sweet fix or casual hangout. read more
5 months ago
2 years ago
A yummy local spot for a dessert I always see grandpas hanging out around here. The drinks are unique and refreshing, and they have so many options. They also have a mango slushy dessert with mochi balls, which is my favorite, but it is a larger portion so I would recommend sharing that with someone. The reason for four star is that it is still quite expensive and the service isn't great but it isn't bad. It seems like there are just one to two people working and they're always busy making drinks. read more
Cute small dessert shop in Chinatown. I was looking for a bubble tea spot when I saw this on my exploration of Chinatown. When I realized they have sago desserts, I decided against the tea and went with the taro coconut sago (served warm or cold) -- I recommend warm. I'm so glad I went with this dessert. It reminds me of home when my mom used to make sago based desserts. It's not overly sweet which is what I love about it! Although, I wish they'd give a little more taro. :) Service is very fast. The place is small. I didn't ask, but there doesn't seem to be a restroom available? read more
The moment I stepped in I was hit in the face by groups of flies. It was disgusting. Didn't look like a clean cafe. I ordered the peach oolong tea. OK taste but not cold enough (no ice) for this hot 90 degrees day. It was literally just room temperature tea with some foam on top. I had my hopes up but didn't turn out good. read more
3 years ago
This is a small, local boba place located in Chinatown with a good variety of drinks. The inside is a bit small, although it does have a few tables for people to sit at when they aren't too busy. The service was pretty good, and our order didn't take too long for them to make. Here, I got the Hong Kong milk tea and while my girlfriend got the taro milk tea. While the Hong Kong milk tea was good, it didn't differentiate itself too much from other boba drinks that I've had. However, my girlfriend really enjoyed the taro milk tea and after I took a sip I also agreed. Even though taro isn't my usual go-to, I do think the taro milk tea here has more flavor compared to other similar drinks I've tried elsewhere. Yu's cafe is a nice place to stop for boba if you are around the area later in the day, as they are open relatively late for SF and they have some solid drinks like the taro there. read more
3 years ago
Yu's Cafe was one of the very few boba places that opened when I was visiting Chinatown later in the night. To be honest the area was a little sketch since there was a lot of lurkers in the area at dark. When my friends and I approached the cafe it was locked from the outside, and the worker had to unlock it for us to come in. I understand why, but it kind of speaks loudly the kind of area we were visiting. Aside from that, the place itself was quaint inside but definitely small. The prices for the drinks were fair and affordable. We all got different drinks, I don't remember what I got but it was okay. I believe there was some taro paste in my drink but I don't think it's for me. Tapioca was soft but maybe a little too chewy for my liking. I like the ice in the drink though, they looked like mushrooms. read more
Taro sago 4/5 - this was pretty good but I wish the taro was cooked longer so it was softer. Also think it would be better if the taro was more of a paste instead of chunks. There wasnt a lot of taro chunks so for $6 it was overpriced. Also had to pay .25 extra for a togo container.. read more
11 months ago
6 months ago
Super cute cafe with a very helpful and friendly staff. They have a bunch of choices for Asian desserts. Black sticky rice w mango - amazing. The black sticky rice is sweet and cooked down nicely. The coconut milk is sweet and flavorful and the mangos were perfect. Sago desserts were less successful (mango sago, taro sago) I thought because there was not as much flavor. Egg waffle - best I've ever had. They really figured this out. The flavor and texture was so eggy and crisp and soft and delicious, I really enjoyed it! read more
tldr; tasty boba pearls! Cozy boba shop across from a park in Chinatown with plenty of indoor seating. Open late for those of us with the post-dinner boba cravings. - Coffee Milk Tea: Sweet, strong coffee flavor, 10/10. Boba pearls were also perfectly sweet and chewy (which is nice given that not all boba spots have tasty pearls) Service was super speedy. They have everything from milk teas to specialty sparkling drinks on their menu. Would definitely come back to try other drinks :) read more
1 year ago
Amazing boba Tea using fresh fruits . Highly recommend this place. I have tried couple of the green tea all was very good read more
Stopped by for a quick Hong Kong milk tea on a Sunday afternoon. We got it unsweetened and it was the perfect mix of strong tea and rich creaminess from the evaporated milk. There's a few small tables inside and outside to sit but it's a small neighborhood shop so there's not too much room to linger. Portsmouth Square is right across the street and a great spot to take your drink and people watch. read more
Good bubble tea options, pretty similar to other places. Quantity is good, with the bubble tea served in tall cups. You might look at the menu and wonder why lot of the pics have purple colored tea, but mind you, it's not purple yam or something. .but is just their sparkling water being slightly purple colored. I took Lychee bling bling with mango pearls, which has portion of the drink purple. read more
Found this boba spot near my hotel and walked in, almost like a hole in the wall joint. It looks family run business and they get their business done. Meaning no frills, nice enough, and great quality drink. I decided on the mango pomelo sago, and I think I heard her peel and chop up fresh grapefruit, and blend real mangos for the juice. The sago was semi-frozen, which was a nice touch. This drink was really delicious with the perfect amount of sweetness (not too sweet). Very satisfied and would recommend this spot! read more
3 years ago
8 months ago
Some friends and I came in for a late night treat but unfortunately, this didn't exactly hit the spot. My boyfriend and I got the durian black sticky rice and a coffee milk tea with boba. Compared to similar desserts we've had elsewhere, the texture, portion, and flavor missed the mark. It was a bit bland and the durian to bean ratio was off, with not enough durian, so at point we just had the beans left which wasn't that great. The coffee milk tea was also small and watery, however, the boba was still warm and chewy, even though it was at the end of the night. I'd probably recommend going elsewhere for boba and dessert. read more
4 years ago
Ordered two drinks, durian with boba and mango grapefruit with tapioca. Both drinks were thin and not enough flavor. The durian drink was a disappointment. I will give them another chance and come back to try their desserts. read more
Very tiny bubble tea shop currently only serving to go from a stand by the door. Seems like the menu is limited as there was no egg puff available. Very tasty tea drinks though. Black Sugar Boba Milk Tea: Ok, the sugar is strong in this one. Definitely take their advice and shake it up a bit (after you get your photo, of course). Love how the sugar has a molasses accent to it. Great way to liven up all the milk tea and chewy boba. Mango Coconut Milk Sago: Lots of creamy sweet coconut milk. A few pieces of fresh sweet mango. And lots of chewy (non-boba) tapioca pearls. It's a dessert, but kinda filling, so I could see this being a fun breakfast too. read more
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More info about Yu's Cafe
57 Walter U Lum Pl
San Francisco, CA 94108
Chinatown
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(925) 628-3739
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What are the caffeine free boba tea options here?
There is a Japanese Oolong tea called good night and it has no caffeine.
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Yu's Cafe - desserts - Updated September 2026
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