Boba Beverages in L.A.
By Jessica Hoolko, Citysearch Contributor
A drink, a snack and an enigmatic cultural confection all in one, boba hailed from Taiwan in the '80s. Since then, the beverage filled with little tapioca balls has found a welcome home in L.A. Armed with four hours, $15, and a dangerously empty stomach, I set out to find L.A.'s best bubble tea.
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I Love Boba
1144 S Western Ave, Los Angeles, CA
My second stop was my favorite of the day, for boba, beverage and atmosphere. I chose the customer-favorite strawberry peach smoothie ($3.99). The peach syrup was a little more sweetness than I typically like, but the real pieces of fresh strawberry and perfectly sized, wonderfully chewy boba made up for it. The unexpected interior, featuring free Wi-Fi, faux plant-covered walls and a heated patio, earn this place additional atmosphere points. Bubble Points: 4.5 out of 5. -
Back Door Boba
5484 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
More focused on food than boba, this cafe off Museum Row also featured fresh fruit in their drinks. The Bananafanafofana ($3.75), a blend of fresh bananas, pineapple and orange juice, is their most popular drink, and is surprisingly sweet considering none of the drinks feature powders. The boba was the biggest of the day and softer than most, but good, though the dome-top cup meant that I couldn't shake the boba up into the drink. Inside, there's local art on the cheery yellow walls and free Wi-Fi. Bubble Points: 4 out of 5. -
Boba Loca
10946 Weyburn Ave., Westwood, CA
A UCLA student staple and part of a chain with outposts across the city, Boba Loca is a pretty safe bet for a solid bubble tea. I ordered my favorite, blended taro and coconut, and was not disappointed. The boba was wonderfully firm and the slushy had just enough of that shortbread-like taro sweetness. As an added bonus, free Wi-Fi and baskets of books and magazines make this a great place to hang out or study. Bubble Points: 4.5 out of 5. -
Ten Ren
727 N Broadway St Ste 136, Los Angeles, CA
I ended at the Chinatown outpost of this large Taiwanese tea producer. Half the store is a traditional tea shop, with huge tins of loose leaves and ginseng lining the walls, which earns them some points for being pretty, though the design of the service area is lacking. The guy behind the counter told me to try the taro milk tea ($3.25), a perennial personal favorite, but I was unpleasantly surprised to find chunks of cookies floating around, and the mushy texture took away from the otherwise perfectly chewy boba and pleasantly sweet taro. Bubble Points: 3 out of 5.
