Boba Guys

I’m not slacker when it comes to boba (it’s really bubble tea in the East Coast but an extended amount of time spent with some «West Coast Best Coast» folks has me saying boba by default!) so when I say a place is good, it’s good!
Boba Guys has some high quality tea and boba — the boba was really fresh and chewy. They didn’t feel plastic-​y at all. The tea was really flavorful and I love that you can adjust your amount of sweetness.
The store is cute and well lit — although the prices are a bit more expensive than your standard boba places.
I’d like to come again to try their boba without milk!

Ight so look:
On this fine sunny afternoon my boyfriend ordered me the usual Jasmine-​Strawberry Fresca while he tried out the HK Style milk tea (Pictured almost finished on the left.) When our drinks were ready, I instinctively took a sip of his first because that’s just what all girlfriends do.
I ended up never letting go. He doesn’t really like my fruity drink to begin with, so he was not with it to switch. Eventually after countless times of asking for it back, he grew increasingly tired of my shit — he went and ordered a big ass Matcha to call it a truce.
Needless to say, I held on for dear life to this magical HK flavor the Boba Guys have successfully encapsulated into a cup.
Long story short; I’ll probably always have a new favorite here. They know what they’re doing with these God-​sent recipes & there is no mediocrity when it comes to their menu.

I used to avoid bubble tea like the plague after I had the unfortunate luck of going into a shop that had the calories listed on the side (did I want to know that a regular size cup had more calories than my lunch? no.)
Then came Boba guys with their refreshing stance on only using fresh brewed tea, homemade syrups, and providing the option of milk vs. almond milk. Drinking one of these things won’t make you hate yourself because it tastes so refreshing, light, and fresh. I’m sure all the tapioca balls aren’t that healthy for you but hey, at least they’re Grade-​A (whatever that means?)!

Have been wanting to try Boba Guys way before it opened in NYC and when it did open in NYC, I never got the chance to. Finally tried it and I don’t know why I waited so long! Definitely different and better than any «bubble tea» I’ve gotten before. The girl who took our orders was really friendly and helpful, carefully explaining what would be best with her knowledge of boba guys and from other customers. When asked what she thought of the default 100% sweetness, she told me straight off it will be sweeter than a soda! Thank god she told me that (not a soda person) so I opted for the 50% sweetness thinking it would be perfect. Boy, was I wrong… It was still way too sweet for me! I ordered the 24oz Matcha Latte with tapioca balls, the default milk (battenkill valley creamery milk), and 50% sweetness. The tapioca balls were spot on and perfect the way I like it, not too hard and not too mushy/​soft. It was the right amount of chewiness, quite hard to find nowadays with all the bubble tea places everywhere. However, the tapioca balls had a sweetness to it already, which added on to the overall sweetness. The matcha latte is hand-​whisked organic Japanese green tea with milk and sweetened with honey (more sweetness!). I could taste the fresh ingredients used and you can see the amount of care and time they put in preparing your drinks. The guy who prepared my drink took some time but I’m glad he did because it turned out great! I was so full from dinner but I felt obligated to finish it because it was actually good. I’m actually a big fan of matcha and I personally don’t think that can go wrong in most/​all places plus the boba here was just perfect, the drink was an instant hit for me. When I saw the 24oz size I thought it was going to be too much, but before i knew it, I had finished and kind of wanted more.
My friends got the Muscat Oolong with Almond Jelly and 25% sweetness, Hong Kong Style with 50% sweetness, and the Classic Milk Tea with soy milk, tapioca balls and 100% sweetness. Muscat Oolong with 25% sweetness was still too sweet for my friend, and she said maybe she will just get no sweetness next time. My other friend who ordered the Hong Kong style with 50% sweetness thought it wasn’t sweet enough and said she should’ve gotten 100%. The class milk tea with 100% was just right for my last friend. (I guess it varies with what drink you order and different for each person as well).
It’s a bit pricier than other bubble tea places but I think it’s worth it. I will definitely return and try other drinks on the menu. I’m interested in trying most of them! I’ll probably return again at nighttime as there was no wait even though it was crowded (relatively small space). We ordered, took our photos and headed out. Four stars for now and if it hits the spot again next time, I’ll definitely update my review no doubt!

Whenever I’m in the mood for bubble tea, I head over to Boba Guys and order the Matcha Latte. I know! I know! They have other teas there and I have tried the HK Style and Thai tea but as soon as I walk in, «one Matcha Latte» just rolls out of my tongue. In addition to my drink I add boba and almond jelly to my drink because they’re simply awesome! The texture and consistency is just perfect. Boba Guys should consider selling almond jelly dessert cups, just saying… :) My one disappointment is that they’ve stopped making the pretty layers for the Matcha Latte, but i guess it still tastes the same.
Note: You can customize the sweetness, type of milk, and amount of ice in your drink.

I love their bubble teas! Super authentic, not made of powder, which I give lots of props to! Their tapioca balls are always super soft and chewy. You can adjust the sugar levels to most of their drinks (I say most because some drinks don’t have sugar).
The employees at this location are always nice and patient. Honestly everything is good here and in terms of taste, it isn’t what you would typically expect if you’re used to other bubble teas/​tea drinks not by Boba Guys.
P. S., some of their matcha drinks super instaworthy. Also, they give out those cute Boba Guys stickers by the register when you order! Just take one while you’re ordering/​paying! Haha

Boba Guys is really spectacular. It’s really worth going out of your way to Clinton Street to pick up a cup of this delight.
It’s pricer than most bubble tea places for the portion that you get but they make up for it in quality and taste.
You can taste the difference in their tea (had the jasmine and classic). The jasmine flavor is really pronounced without being too bitter. The classic is, well to be cliché, classic. The matcha is yummy too. I made the mistake of getting 100% in the matcha and it was too sweet for me as there will still globs of honey at the bottom. If you like sweet but not overwhelmingly sweet, I’d recommend the 50 or 75% (they say 75% is their recommended though 100% is the standard).
The boba is really grade-​A. The balls are chewy, big, and most noticeably, don’t have the artificial taste that some chain boba places have that’s from their sweeter.
I like that they stand for quality, transparency, and giving a damn. The start-​up qualities are evident in the store. They create a great experience of drinking tea when they hand you your drink.
The only thing that I would complain about this location is that it can get a little hot inside, and I do wish that they had more seating. Hopefully more locations in New York will open up soon! Looking forward to trying out each of the flavors.

I’m a fan! I have been here three times already have tried the HK style, Matcha Latte, and the Thai Tea flavors. I usually get my drinks in 25% sweetness with almond milk. I tried the tapioca and the almond jelly toppings. I wanted to try the grass jelly but it was sold out when I was there. I actually enjoy the almond jelly topping more than the tapioca tho.
My favorite drink is the Matcha Latte. The Thai tea is very good too and it tastes exactly how Thai tea should taste like (Trust me, I’m Thai too BTW). Apparently, you can’t pick the sweetness for the Thai tea and it wasn’t overpowering sweet which was a good thing. Finally, for the HK style I thought it was ok and I think I would have enjoyed it more if I picked 50% sweetness for this one. Great tea and they don’t use tea powders. Thus, it’s slightly a bit expensive but you are paying for good quality drink.
This bubble tea spot is small but I have been lucky to get a seat everytime. I came here recently and the place was a bit warm. Hopefully, there will be AC here when it’s the summer season.
I hope they open up another location in Manhattan or Queens one day. It’s just a trek coming to the LES.

Solid bubble tea place.
I really liked the Horchata and Iced Matcha Latte.
They have really interesting options you wouldn’t normally find at a bubble tea place.
Especially choice in type of milk which you don’t always find.

I might have hyped this up in my head… After hearing all about it and seeing it on Instagram and stuff I had to try it! I had the original milk tea, since «you can’t go wrong» according to an employee… I added the almond jello with 75% sweetness which was perfect. Price was $ 4 + $.50 for each topping. I wanted to try the grass jelly but they were sold out!
I did enjoy my drink though! I couldn’t really taste the tea, mostly milk and the almond jello but I’m not complaining. The almond jello was really delicious and I should’ve gotten no ice so I could eat all the jello… but the ice was in the way, so, pro tip if you’re looking for one!
And bought a dirty horchata for the next day, I hope it keeps ok in the fridge…

Finally a decent boba place in New York!
Boba and I go wayyyy back. When I had my first Boba Loca (the typical South Bay Los Angeles chain), I was disgusted. These weird black flavorless balls were messing up the taste of my strawberry and banana smoothie. I ended up fishing them out or forcing my younger sister to eat them (who at the time did not mind the taste). Flash forward 15 years later, and I discovered fusion bubble tea, boba that actually had flavor and had an amazing chewy consistency! My standards of boba has changed so much that I am always on the hunt for really good boba-​now that I know that it exists and what it should actually taste like.
My favorite places have usually been in downtown Los Angeles area or downtown San Francisco, but I was fairly disappointed by the lack of good boba in New York when I got here. Gongcha had great milk tea (you need to try the foam if you haven’t already!!), but the boba just wasn’t what I was looking for. When I heard that Boba Guys (originally from San Francisco) was coming to New York, I told my entire friend group and was STOKED. Thank the heavens.
The matcha green tea latte is the classic (and my first one) and by far, the prettiest drink on the menu. But, the current special, strawberry matcha green tea latte is superb! I highly recommend, as it blends two great flavors into one. And, yes! Their boba is fusion flavored, so it is already semi-​sweet and very chewy.
As for the venue, seating is not bad for its small size. There are even a few outside benches you can sit on since there is no AC inside. The shop has a «hipster» type of feel, and staff is extremely friendly.
I do wish Boba Guys came a lot sooner to town, but I’m not complaining now-​hooray!

Yum, delicious boba drinks with a hipster feel. Found boba guys on Instagram and was intrigued by their matcha latte drink. I like that you can customize the sweetness level as well as the type of milk that they use in your drink. The boba is fresh, just the right type of texture with a hint of sweetness.
The shop itself is small but it extremely Instagram friendly with it’s white walls and wooden accents found throughout the shop. Service was fast and efficient, I definitely recommend checking this place out!

When you’re pretty late on the hype of boba guys opening in the east coast because you drink milk tea almost everyday at work.
So after my friend tried boba guys, they’ve been telling me to try the matcha latte and the jasmine, but I settled down for the jasmine. Even thought the matcha latte is worth taking photos of, I wanted to try their jasmine milk tea more.
I like the fact that they have selections on the milk they offer and the sugar level because I wouldn’t want a drink that’s too sweet for me. I ordered a jasmine milk tea with 100% sugar, which was the default and regular milk and grass jelly. I love how they don’t put powder in it so its regular milk and tea. However; the downside is that the grass jelly wasn’t what I expected it to be. Don’t get me wrong, I like the drink itself but I didn’t really like the texture of the grass jelly because it had a little crunchy texture. It’s not like the crunchiness in chips but when I bit on it, it felt like I was chewing on rainbow jelly.
The service was pretty fast, and luckily I was there when there weren’t a line that stretched all the way outside in the streets.
Should I come back? I’d love to come back to try their rose black tea, but the only thing that might be stopping me from doing so is the price. In my opinion, I feel like paying $ 4.9 for a medium is a bit too much.

Boba Guys is now my favorite bubble tea shop in NYC and the only one I go out of my way to the Lower East Side for. (If they ever open up a midtown location, I would be a very regular customer…)
I’ve been here several times and my favorites so far are the matcha latte and the Thai tea. It’s great that you can choose the sugar level and the type of milk you want in your tea. My first time here was when I tried the Thai tea, and I didn’t realize you could customize the sugar level, so 100% sugar it ended up being a bit too sweet for me. When I came back a few weeks later for the matcha latte, I ordered it 50%. The person who took my order was super friendly and even said I could go back up to get more sugar added if it wasn’t sweet enough for me (which it was). I absolutely recommend ordering your tea with tapioca — I don’t know what special method they use to make theirs, but it’s always perfectly chewy and slightly sweet, like it’s been soaked in honey or syrup.
The store is on the small side and has seats for about 15 people. It can get crowded on weekends, but I’ve always been able to grab a seat during the few times I’ve been there (sometimes after waiting a few minutes though).

seems pretty strange for a Bay Area resident to have her first experience at a Boba Guys on the other side of the continent? well… each time I’ve tried to visit the shops in San Francisco, they’ve been closed or the line was way too long for me to linger there. boo!
Boba Guys is located on Clinton Street in the Lower East Side district in Manhattan. it’s really close to the Clinton Street Baking Company which is right on the corner. it’s only street parking n it’s minimal at best.
since we walked by it n it seemed to b pretty empty, I was happy to finally get a tea from the popular Boba Guys! the space feels small, but there r still a couple of small tables for 2 n also a small bar area facing the street. since there was no line, I was able to get my tea right away.
I ordered myself a Hong Kong Milk Tea which is a black tea blended with organic condensed milk. for some reason, it ended up bland even after mixing it up with my straw. I thought it would b a sweeter drink, but that wasn’t the case. if I were to visit another Boba Guys shop, I’d probably pick another drink instead. it wasn’t exactly the experience that I had hoped for from the popular shop, but hey, at least I got into this one! :)

Maybe it was because my expectations were high after reading the reviews, but I thought the boba here was average for me. Definitely on the good end of average, but I’ve definitely had better bubble tea, and the drinks here are kind of pricey.
When you go up to the counter and order, you are asked what add-​ons you want, the sweetness level as well as type of milk used, so be sure to be ready!
I got the basic Milk Tea ($ 4), with tapioca pearls and the almond jelly as add-​ons (50 cents each), with 50% sugar. I thought it was solid — I enjoyed the chewiness of the tapioca pearls, although I do enjoy sweetened tapioca pearls and these weren’t as sweet as I liked. The almond jelly was light and gave the drink a nice texture. The tea though was not as fragrant as I liked, and I felt like the tea flavor could be stronger. I had a sip of my friend’s hot matcha tea latte and it tasted pretty good though, so might be worth it to try out some of the other flavors!

Forget the grass jelly, you absolutely need to get the boba here. Hands down the most flavorful, chewy, and delicious boba I’ve ever had.
I’ve tried the horchata and rose black tea, both of which are delicious. The horchata reminds me of a milkier chai latte. Unfortunately, you can’t choose the sugar level or type of milk for it as it is pre-​mixed, so the default iced horchata can be a bit of a hit/​miss depending on your preference for sweetness. The rose black tea on the other hand is particularly fragrant. While the recommended option is 100% sugar, I personally find that to be too sweet. 50% sugar is better for highlighting the fragrance of the rose tea leaves. If you’re unclear about your preferences, you should try the drinks as suggested by the staff first and then see where your taste buds fall.
With all the boba places in NY, all of which have extensive menus and fun vibes, it’s hard to find one that stands out, but Boba Guys has somehow managed to do it!

Hands down the best bubble tea in NYC!
I’ve been out of the bubble tea loop ever since the explosion of bubble tea business (Kung Fu Tea, ViVi Bubble Tea, T Baar, Chatime). It all changed when Boba Guys came to NYC. I’m absolutely hooked on this stuff. I try to make my way over at least once a week to indulge in some good Boba.
What makes it appealing? The use of real tea leaves instead of the powdery stuff you find elsewhere.
Thai Tea with Tapioca Balls $ 4.50 — I haven’t adjusted the sweetness for Thai tea just yet but I’ve been loving it just the way it is. This drink is very sweet so I do suggest going to 75% sweetness if you don’t like it too sweet. The tapioca balls are very chewy and soft. Most other places can’t make them as good as Boba Guys!
Don’t remember a time where I haven’t finished a full 16oz cup here. This stuff is crack!

Tried their drinks at the original location in SF, and tasted awesome with jelly… yes I’m kinda sick of the tapioca balls.
Fast forward to 2016 and they opened a location in my hood.
Drinks are still pricey but supposed to be premium made and true to their high standards of brewing.
Iced Macha Latte with almond jelly is my drink of choice. (4.50 — 5.00)
Layers of flavors and awesome easy chewable almond jelly. Don’t have to worry about choking on boba balls. Almond jelly is 50cents extra, but worth it.

Again, Boba is a good example of west coast spreading itself into the east side, and it proved to be a large success, even though there are already numerous bubble tea places in the city.
Boba made itself standout by providing the highest quality tea with a very customized selection of add-​ins. Unlike many other places, where they simply pour water into the tea powder; Boba used the freshly brewed tea and added almond/​soy milk. It tastes so refreshing!
The long line inside the store tells everything! The best milk tea place in lower east side, or probably in the city as well.

They’re a 10 min walk from the trains, small shop, about 10 items on the list, 3 different types of milk in case you’re lactose-​intolerant. I was impressed with the Lychee Greentea + Soy Milk.
I ordered two large colds and it came up to about $ 10.50 total.
Not much seating inside. Staff is nice, place looks clean.

boba guys is a great bubble tea place to customize your drinks. say you want to have a healthier alternative to bubble tea — you can ask for almond milk and 50% sugar.
the best teas they offer in my opinion are the matcha bubble tea and the horchata bubble tea. i would recommend both with regular milk and regular sugar (i have a bit of a sweet tooth). I’ve tried the regular milk tea, the coffee milk tea, the rose milk tea, and the coconut milk tea. The coconut milk tea is definitely different tasting, only go for it if you really love coconut. The rest of the milk teas are very plain in my opinion, and i would not get it again.
the only reason why I wont give this place 5 stars is because its more expensive than other bubble tea places around the city — cocos and kungfu tea are around the same price but for a large bubble tea. at boba guys, its around 5 $ for a medium sized cup (they dont offer large sizes).
i will def be coming again to boba guys in the future for the matcha/​horchata milk tea.

Came here after being shown the one in San Fran several months ago… The tea it’s self is really good and the server was great asking exactly how I wanted it! But I have to say this place is not as good as the one in San Fran. The consistency of the boba I had was not very consistent throughout my drink; some were very chewy while others were very firm.
Definitely one of the better bubble tea places in the city but still disappointing…

Quaint little boba tea shop that’s deserving of 4 stars mainly because I didn’t particularly enjoy my drink, but could see the merit in it. I got the Hong Kong style milk tea grass jelly and 75% sweetness (yes this is a thing you can do) and it was very meh. HK style means adding condensed milk but my tea was pretty much black so even though I didn’t get 100% sweetness I was expecting to see it a little less dark.
There was seating for probably 20 people and it got pretty crowded with people waiting in the small space. Surprisingly the one cashier was speeding through customers orders, even slow ones like me.
Service was fairly quick and everyone else seemed pretty happy though so I’ll chalk it up to me being weird. Also the aardvark drinking the bubble tea confused the hell out of me. Not getting it at all, but I guess it’s smart branding if I’m still thinking about it a day later!

Wow, can we get a Boba Guys in NC PLEASE?
Boba Guys is the hot new bubble tea joint in NYC! They finally have a location and it is packed! I came on a weekend and line was out the door, though it moves fairly fast.
The interior is so cute, white washed brick walls and wood accents throughout make it quite cozy.
They have large signs showing you how to order and the various options. They even tell you which are the most popular options.
Essentially pick your tea, iced or hot, pick the «topping», the «milk», the sweetness, and you’re on your way to something delicious!
They make in house almond jelly and grass jelly toppings but unfortunately RAN OUT of the almond jelly. I was crushed! I desperately wanted to try this but opted for the tapioca instead.
The flavors on all of their teas really come come through and it’s a delight for your mouth. I was able to try the horchata, the Muscat oolong, the jasmine, and the one I ordered, the matcha! I loved them all! I really liked the matcha so if you’re a fan of that DEFINITELY get it here.

When Boba Guys set up their shop in NYC, I kept hearing such great things about them, so I knew I had to see what all the fuss was about. I scoffed at the $ 5 price tag and was skeptical.
I caved, drank their bubble tea, and fell in like.
Most of the bubble teas are about $ 4.00 to $ 4.50 and can be served hot or iced, minus a couple that are only served iced. You have your choice of:
— milk (creamer, almond milk, soy milk)
— sweetness (100%, 75%, 50%, 25%, 0%)
— topping (tapioca, almond jelly, grass jelly)
Adding a topping is 50 cents extra which is a bummer – what is bubble tea without the bubbles, right? Tea? That said, the tapioca balls are incredibly chewy and are on the smaller side so they don’t get caught in the straw. I will gladly hand over two quarters for those. I also like that almond milk and soy milk are options for those who are health-​conscious and/​or lactose-​intolerant.
The heftier price tag is probably due to their higher quality and local ingredients. The milk is organic, the syrup base is made from non-​fructose cane sugar, and the teas are brewed with leaves instead of artificial powders.
Their default 100% sweetness level is a little too sweet, especially if you get the horchata, so if you’re not too much of a sweet tooth, I’d say go for 50% sweetness. This is especially true for the rose black tea; the fragrant rose flavor is only amplified when it’s not masked by the sugar.
Likelihood of another visit:
I’d like to try their jasmine milk tea and matcha latte!
Boba Guys has those paper takeout cup trays, so I’ve taken drinks to-​go. I’d like to sit there next time.

Before boba guys settled in lower east side with their permanent location, I was super excited when they had their pop ups at LMHQ and actually lined up for their bubble teas. I’ve always wanted to try Boba Guys because they are one of the few places where they use good quality ingredients aka no milk powders with thousands of ingredients you can’t pronounce. So far I’ve tried their matcha latte, horchata and their hk milk tea and I can’t say I’m impressed.
The first time when I had the matcha latte was at one of their pop ups at the LMHQ. The line moved rather quickly and we only waited around 15 to 20 mins, usually I wouldn’t wait that long for bubble tea but I really wanted to see what they hype is all about. I ordered the matcha latte with almond milk and tapioca and it came out to be $ 5.50. Pretty pricey for a bubble tea but I told myself I’m paying for the quality of the ingredients to make myself feel better. I asked for 20% sweetness but my drink came out to be way sweeter than I expected… It was basically sugar water with a dash of almond milk and matcha bits that did not even dissolve. Okay… maybe they were very busy that day I’ll just try them again later to see if the quality improves.
The next time I tried boba guys again was when they opened their permanent location in LES and I ordered a horchata with tapioca. I was confused when I read on the menu that the horchata contains dairy. What? I thought horchata is rice milk with cinnamon and sugar? The flavor of the horchata is a little bit off… I’m not are if its because it actually contains dairy, or if the horchata was mixed with a little bit of the syrup they mix with the tapioca, it was just… not the horchata I’m used to drinking. I think if I want a good horchata next time I’ll just stick to taquerias or any central/​South American spots which sell horchata for a fraction of the price.

I’ve been waiting for the right moment to try out Boba Guys (was trying to avoid the crazy lines) and finally did this past Saturday!
I got the Matcha Iced Latte w/​almond jelly and boba (50% sugar) & my boyfriend got the Rose Black Tea w/​almond jelly and boba (100% sugar).
The Matcha Iced Latte was ON POINT — not too overpowering, just the right amount of matcha. The almond jelly was SO GOOD — a very unique taste to a topping. Sugar level was just right as well — not too sweet.
The Rose Black Tea was good as well but it was way too sweet. The aroma of the Rose flavor was really strong but a perfect balance at the same time.
Overall, I would suggest getting an order with 50% sugar as 100% is way too sweet! Always get the almond jelly! The boba was good too but nothing too different from other bubble tea places.
I have this a 4 star because it was a bit on the expensive side. I paid almost $ 11 for both drinks. Also, I wish the location was closer to the closest train station. it’s a bit of a walk. I would definitely come by again if I am around the neighborhood!

I first heard about Boba Guys from a family YouTube vlogger, itsjudyslife. They visited San Francisco and went to one of the shops there and raved about how great it was!
I came here on a Sunday afternoon and the line was just at the front door. The shop is pretty small but there were 3 – 4 small tables inside, a window-​ledge with seats, and a bench outside. The menu had just the right amount of selection. A lot of bubble tea places have a million types of drinks, making it hard to decide what to order! You can also specify the level of sweetness (100%, 50%, etc.) I wanted in line for about 7 minutes -‘s I couldn’t decide between the jasmine tea and the coconut green tea. The friendly lady at the register helped me out and recommended the coconut green tea with 50% sweetness. I waited about 3 or so minutes for my drink and was a little surprised by the color, which was pure white. I was afraid it was going to taste too milky but boy was I wrong. IT WAS PERFECT. The coconut flavor wasn’t overpowering and the sweetness was just right. The drink actually reminded me of the vita soy milk drinks, but of course a million times better. The boba wasn’t too sweet either and were a little smaller in size than the typical boba I’ve had. I actually preferred this slightly smaller size and it wasn’t too chewy or too soft. I have to say, it was probably the best boba drink I’ve ever had. Period.
I’m definitely coming here again and again and again!

Boba guys is excellent! I haven’t had good Thai tea since I went vegan, but they make a pretty delicious variation with soy milk and no condensed milk. The rose black tea is also delicious.
The service is also great here! My cashier Tiffany was adorable and really helped me decide what drink would be best with which kind of milk (between soy and almond).
Definitely come here next time you’re craving some high quality boba!

Cool, clean, hippy place.
You can customize your order, in terms of what type of milk they use, the degree of sweetness and the amount of ice as well. We ordered the matcha latte and the Jasmine Tea and were happy with our order!
I recommend this place. Stop by for a sweet treat.

Is the Boba Guys from San Francisco worth the hype? HECK YES!!!
Boba Guys promise to serve the highest quality milk and never use powders. You may think «so what with some tea powder, they’re just like instant coffee,» but I have some bubble-​tea-​maker friends, so I know it is a fact that both consumers and business owners are ignorant of ingredients of unknown origins. I guess because I have seen some dirty deeds in the food industry, so I appreciate the effort Boba Guys are making here.
In terms of drinks, you can blindfold yourself and choose anything on the menu. If you use the right ingredients for bubble tea, they cannot be wrong. My new personal choice is Rose Black with 50−75% sweetness. Rose flavor is rare and exciting for bubble tea.

Can we just take a moment to realize how much longer the straw is compared to the drink?
Anyway, I absolutely love their thai iced tea. They currently only serve 6 flavors: classic milk tea, soy milk tea, jasmine milk tea, horchata, thai iced tea and seasonal tea frescas, all of which include boba. $ 4.50 is alot for a small cup, but every drink is made with high quality loose leaf tea, organic milk and their own homemade syrup.
I also like how we can choose your preference for sweetness so we can crave bubble tea and maybe ice cream after.
PS Andrew and Bin’s story to discovering the highest quality bubble tea is absolutely adorable.

It’s good, but not as great as I had heard/​hoped.
Boba Guys opened in CA Bay Area after I had moved away, and I had always heard great things about it. I was so excited when I had heard that they opened one here in NYC!
I got a jasmine milk green tea with boba with regular milk and 50% sweetness. The flavor of the tea was still decently sweet — I would have to opt for 25% next time. The boba had a nice chewy consistency and flavor.
I liked it and I would go back if I were in the area, but it’s not something I would go out of my way for. It’s about on par (in terms of taste) to Kung Fu Tea, although Boba Guys has a much higher price tag (likely due to the lack of powder and organic milk). My cup was also mostly ice. Don’t get me wrong — I appreciate quality ingredients, but I couldn’t taste a big difference overall.
The people working there were all really nice and helpful for anyone that had questions, despite the long line. The line also moved quickly, so kudos to them for maintaining efficiency with quality customer service.

I was tired of hearing rave reviews about this place, and needed to see what the current hottest boba place in NYC was all about. After trying it with a visiting friend from Hong Kong, we both thought the drinks lacked in flavor.
At $ 4+ a drink, I suspect the price tag was for the premium ingredients (organic milk, brewing from actual tea leaves & no powders whatsoever), and the high rent price they’re paying for the storefront. Most of my drink was all ice, and I was not asked if I wanted to lessen the amount of ice in it. Apparently, you can customize the sweetness level, but not the ice level.
Also, take note that the Horchata drink is one of two drinks you cannot have made hot. Why? Not sure, but unfortunate for me since it was a wintry jungle outside. I appreciated the dash of cinnamon, and for 50 cents more, the almond jelly. The jelly was the highlight of this drink. Otherwise, all I could taste was water, water, water from the melted ice. Supposedly, the Horchata is also made with several other spices and rice milk, but these were all lost on me.
Even at 3:30 pm, the line was no less than 10 deep, almost out the door. The seating was limited, maybe a few tables and a couple of window seats. The good thing was, they had at least 4 – 5 staff members making drinks at a time; it expedited the process, and I waited only 5 minutes total from line to drink in hand.
If not in the immediate area, I wouldn’t make it a point to come here, but I am willing to give it another chance– a chance I would be taking on a different drink.

After a stroll around town, my wife had a hankering for some bubble tea while we were in LES, so we made our way up Clinton Street to Boba Guys. It is a pretty tiny place that was quite jammed on Sunday afternoon, so be prepared to skinny up and shimmy through the crowds already enjoying their drink or waiting for it. While the ordering line moves quickly, I will say that the amount of manual work that goes into preparing a drink, compared to other bubble tea shops, means that you are definitely waiting a bit longer — it took our drinks probably 7 – 8 minutes to be completed from ordering to pickup.
That said, there’s no denying that the quality of the teas here definitely seems to be a step above your run-​of-​the-​mill bubble tea shops. Using very quality teas, high-​quality milk and homemade cane sugar, the tea itself definitely has a more fuller flavor to it than other spots. I do wish that I had amped up the sugar, though — even at 50% sugar, it definitely tasted weaker than other places where I have only had 30% sugar. Perhaps it’s because the cane sugar is not as strong as the processed stuff, but lacking that oomph definitely came through a bit. The bubbles, not surprisingly, were great — very chewy but still having good form — most of the time, chewy tapioca means that it is not the best quality.
Although it was packed, I would stop by again if I was in the neighborhood to try out some of the other flavors. I’m not sure I would go out of my way to come here if I was already in a neighborhood (e.g. Chinatown) that already has a number of bubble tea joints, but the more artisanal take on this sweet liquid treat is quite good and priced at a similar level to regular bubble tea spots.

Yeahhh this is probably the best boba spot in all of NYC. They have a wide variety of teas matched by a quality selection of bobas including almond jelly and classic tapioca pearls. As many people on here attest, the green tea and matcha latte are both excellent choices, but I would also recommend you venture into the black tea/​thai iced teas as well.
There really isn’t much to say here other than that there isn’t a ton of seating, you will have to fight armies of hipsters to make it to the counter, the tea is a little pricey but worth it, and try to experiment if you can. Oh, and don’t feel like you have to get milk in everything. Like every pic on here has a tea with milk but I got mine without (it was a jasmine green I think) and it was absolutely delicious.
So, don’t feel like you are missing out if you go milk free. Anyway, cows’ milk is kind of on the wane right now and, I am not a vegan or anything, but when you think about what it is it does become kind of baffling why people drink it at all. Moooooo.

When it comes to bubble tea, I usually just go to a Kung Fu tea and get either almond milk tea with Nata jelly or a warm taro milk tea with bubbles/​boba. (Just in case you were wondering or wanted to get me some bubble tea) (Also, boba? I’ve always said bubble. Is boba more of a west coast thing?) (I’m going to continue to say bubble) (I know it says boba in their name, whatever.)
ANYWAY, moving on to their drinks:
— Horchata milk tea w/​almond jelly: they actually totally nailed the Horchata flavor, in my opinion. Horchata isn’t a flavor you find in most Asian places, whether it’s for bubble tea or a regular restaurant. So, two thumbs up for having the flavor as an option and getting the flavor right. The almond jelly was interesting. It has the same texture as grass jelly, just it is lighter in color.
— Jasmine milk tea w/​boba: this is what the cashier recommended since it was our first time, so we went for it. He seemed like a pretty nice guy. It has a strong jasmine flavor, and the bubbles weren’t too chewy like they are at other places.
Not only did they have a good selection of flavors, but you can customize your drink in so many ways — the milk that’s used, how sweet it is, and what toppings (which are home made, what?) are in your drink. They also do coffee, which is pretty cool.
As for the space itself, it’s very bright in there — very in right now. They had a good amount of seating, considering how small this place actually is. It didn’t feel cramped, somehow.
Service-​wise, A+. They’re new, so of course there are a lot of questions… And a lot of customers. The cashier seemed to be in a good mood (or maybe he’s really just got a… Bubbly personality) he explained the menu to us and our drinks came out pretty quickly!

I’m usually skeptical about getting «Boba» Tea somewhere other than Kung Fu Tea or Coco, but my girlfriend suggested it so, there ya go! Haha, but seriously, kudos to the GF or I would’ve never found this place.
I was really diggin’ the décor/​ambience. It felt like a hip coffee shop, and it sort of was, but mostly… Boba! Super clean too! Germaphobe heaven!
There was ample seating for a Boba place; they made really good use of the space they had. You can sit on stools, the tables, or even outdoors on the bench.
Boba:
Jasmine Milk Tea w/​Boba: This was the cashier’s recommendation! I drink unsweetened Jasmine Green Tea at work all the time, and to find it in milk tea form was awesome! The jasmine milk tea tasted like jasmine milk tea so thumbs up there. The tapioca balls (which are made in house, apparently) weren’t too soft and weren’t too chewy. so kudos to their balls! #pause.
Horchata Milk Tea w/​Almond Jelly: My girlfriend went with the more interesting choice, and thank god she did. I, myself love horchata, but I’ve got to be honest, I didn’t really trust our people to nail this drink… AND IN BOBA FORM! MAJOR KUDOS! The almond jelly was interesting too, but I think I’m gonna stick with the balls. Sorry!
Service: The cashier was awesome. He was patient and provided great recommendations. As I snapped a photo of the space, he struck a pose, but I unfortunately missed it, weh. Definitely some good vibes at this place.
Tasty Boba, cool décor, & great staff. Definitely coming back for more.

Boba Guys, gah — I’ve been dreaming about you since I left New York.
This is one of the best bubble tea spots on the east coast! Unique flavor combinations (they use real fine tea! hooray) and toppings. Yes — it’s a bit on the pricey side, but in this case, you get what you pay for.
The star of the shop is their housemade grass jelly and almond jelly. I highly, highly recommend the latter! It’s nothing like the usual almond jello that you get at Asian restaurants. The texture is more like a creamy silken tofu made with sweet, delicate almond. It has a nice slip and goes down oh, so smooth with your boba drink. LOVE.
Boba Guys boast of their «Grade-​A tapioca pearls» — hm, that’s a lotta branding speak, but I would hope all bubble tea shops would shoot for Grade A (as opposed to grade b? c?). Nowadays some shops have fillers or whatnot inside their tapioca balls, so ok sure, you don’t always know what you’re getting.
I got the Rose Black milk tea — the tea had a lot of dimension and robust flavor. I got 50% less sweet (a bit on the floral/​potpourri side– obvi, but I liked it!). My friends ordered the tasty Lychee green tea and Hong Kong milk tea (made with condensed milk) that were also popular options.
You can also swap out regular milk for almond milk @ 50 cents… which is good for the lactose intolerant and the dairy opposed.

Oh Boba Guys… you have my heart! I love Boba Guys’s mission of striving for next level quality, which include using real tea leave (no powder here!), organic dairy and non-​dairy milk from California farms, and homemade syrup as sweetener using organic cane sugar. I love how highly customizable the drinks are (Topping options, ice level, sweetness level, type of milk, and hot/​cold drinks)
I got the Iced Matcha Latte with 25% sweetness, little ice with almond milk and almond jelly. OMG it was so delicious!
— I had numerous matcha lattes previously and this was the first time I saw it being made using the Japanese bamboo whisk, which is traditionally used to make matcha tea.
— The 25% tasted like 0%, however to me it was perfect. It was just enough to mask the bitterness of matcha, but not overly sweet that you missed the matcha flavor. The sweetness level completely depends on personal preference. My friend had 100% sweetness for her drink, and it was still not overly sweet.
— I really enjoyed the homemade almond jelly. It taste just like the Chinese tofu pudding dessert.
Overall it was the best boba I ever had! I can’t wait to try every item on the menu. It’s cost a little more than regular boba tea shops, however, I think it’s worth the it for the quality. Currently, its only open 3 days a week due to staff shortage.
Thanks Boba guys, Bin and Andrew, for bring your craft to NYC! I now know what bubble teas should taste like. You guys are awesome! Keep doing what you’re doing!

I’m a fan!
Love all these solid spots opening up in my neighborhood. I stopped in the day after #jonas2016 when there was no line.
The shop is pretty small but very bright and inviting. After a quick peruse of the small menu, I decided on the coconut green tea, an interesting combo and one I’d never seen at any other tea spot I’ve been to. I added almond jelly and almond milk and opted for 25% sweetness.
This drink was a delight! The coconut was distinct but not overpowering. The almond jelly, made in house, was so soft and refreshing. 25% sweetness was perfect, and I couldn’t imagine drinking this at 100% with the jelly already being pretty sweet too.
I cannot wait to come back and try their other teas and toppings, although it’ll be tough not to order the coconut green again.

I tried coming on opening day, but the line was outrageously long so I left after a 15 minutes wait. I couldn’t believe how many people there were in line just to drink some tea drinks. I think social media, especially Instagram, has helped this place get hypedoup.
A few weeks after it has opened, I finally made it to the shop. The shop is in the more dodgy part of the LES, but that didn’t seem to stop people from going. I got there around 8pm on a Thursday, and the shop was filled with about 10 people in line. For the hour I was there, there was a steady line and existing customers bought seconds or several drinks to go. My party ordered the iced matcha latte ($ 4.50), iced lychee tea ($ 4.50) and the traditional HK milk tea with bubbles ($ 4.50). It’s a bit pricey with drinks being either $ 4 or $ 4.50 with toppings being an extra $.50 each. But the 12oz and 16oz drinks are the same price! And the shop uses tea leaves and fresh ingredients, which makes up for the higher prices.
I had a taste of the three drinks my party ordered. My favorite was the traditional HK milk tea with bubbles! The tea was strong allowing you to really taste the aromatic flavor and that long steep of the tea. The bubbles were also so good! It seems like they soak the bubbles in honey, so the bubbles absorb the flavor. The bubbles were perfectly chewy and a bit sweet. I’m not a big fan of bubbles and always get my teas without, but I definitely will get them here! The matcha latte was so delicious too. I love the colors and how they layer the different components of the drink. The lychee was okay to me. My friend didn’t enjoy it, so she asked me another drink and the staff were happy to replace it.
I will be back to try the other drinks even though it’s a bit out the way. I wish they had a bigger space!

I can totally see now why Boba Guys has such a large fan base. Came here post storm (impressed that they were open when everything else in the area seemed pretty dead) and discovered that this is without a doubt the freshest bubble tea I’ve ever had. They’re not kidding about high quality ingredients. I tried the lychee green tea with soy milk at 75% sugar. The level of sweetness was perfect: you can taste the elegant blend of lychee and green tea without being overwhelmed by the former’s sugariness or the latter’s bitterness. Plus, if they don’t get the level of sweetness right the first time, they kindly offer to adjust your drink for you. I really liked the ice to liquid ratio as well: there was just enough ice to keep the drink refreshingly cold, but not too much that the tea was diluted.
There’s a fair amount of space in here and the staff is super friendly. I’ve never tried Boba Guys before but I’m already so glad the chain has made its way to NYC! Can’t wait to come back and try all of the other flavors.

I had really high expectations for their bubble tea after reading reviews, and sadly I didn’t think they lived up to their intentions of selling customers high quality bubble tea. I can attest that their bubbles are cooked to the right consistency, but I’ve also had some really good bubbles from Kung Fu Tea as well. They genuinely want to us to love their drinks since the cashier told me to come back if there was anything wrong with what I had ordered since he would gladly swap it out for me. The interior is extremely pleasing to the eye, with its white walls, cute aardvark?, and matching brown wooden tables. BUT:
1. I asked what the most popular drink was and followed the cashier’s advice and ordered the regular milk tea with bubbles, less sugar. I expected the drink to have a strong enough taste of tea that complemented the milk and other ingredients. What I received was a normal bubble milk tea that I’m not quite sure is worth $ 4. Like most places, I suspect that less sugar means less flavor of tea.
2. My best friend ordered the horchata, and this was tastier in my opinion. A little too sweet for my taste buds, but the spices and the milkiness really came through in the drink. I’m not sure if it was worth $ 4 as well since I’ve seen horchata being sold in a delicious mexican tacquiera by st marks for $ 2. HALF the price.
If it had been an issue of being too sweet, too much ice, or too many bubbles I would’ve gladly went back and got it fixed. Quite frankly, I think it may be their recipe that is a little lacking to match its price of a $ 4 bubble tea. Sorry Mr. Cashier, I wanted to love your product as much as you did, and I wanted to let you fix the problems, but I knew that the real problem could not be fixed with a simple swap.

This bubble tea spot is comparable to ten-​ren, if not better! Honestly, one of the best bubble tea spots I’ve been to. Each cup is made with tea leaves (absolutely no powder used)! The cold drinks seem much more popular than the hot ones, but since we went on a freezing winter day, we opted to try the warm drinks.
We got the green milk tea and black milk tea, both with tapioca and whole milk. They offer a few different kinds of milk (soy, almond and whole).
The bubbles were fresh and perfectly chewy. They also have two other add-​on options, almond jelly and grass jelly. The staff advised us to not put almond jelly in the hot drinks, as it would melt away in the heat. Each of the add-​ons were 50 cents each.
Also, the sweetness meter is quite accurate. If you want it slightly sweet, 25% is perfect. If you ask for no sweetness, the milk tea is purely just milk and tea. This isn’t like most bubble tea spots, where no sweetness is still noticeable sugary.
I highly recommend all bubble tea fans to check this spot out! I will definitely be back to try some of their cold drinks!

I’ve heard the line can be ridiculous here, but on a random weekday afternoon, there was little to no wait to order!
I love the anteater mascot and the concept. I like that the menu is straightforward and customizable. I also appreciate that they don’t charge for milk substitutes, as most places do.
I ordered the jasmine milk tea with grass jelly, and — as expected — the jasmine milk tea was perfect! Nice and strong. There also wasn’t tooo much ice, which was appreciated considering my ordering an iced drink on an icy day.
Can’t say I’m a fan of the grass jelly though. I know it’s homemade and all, and I’m glad it is not that sweet, but it was definitely too tough to chew. I think I’ll stick with my canned grass jelly for now.
Although the storefront is small, they do have a decent sized seating area and counter top!

Boba Guys is easily one of the most popular bubble tea places in San Francisco and now up and coming in NYC. Unlike most bubble tea places who use artificial powdered milk and fructose sweeteners, Boba Guys prides itself in using real premium tea leaves, organic cane sugar syrup, and high quality milk. Each drink here will cost you around $ 4-​$ 5 (one-​size only), a bit on the higher end but the quality of the ingredients speaks for itself. You start off by selecting your drink and then customizing it to your personal preference:
1. Toppings (+50¢): Tapioca balls, almond jelly, or grass jelly
2. Level of Sweetness: None, 25%, 50%, 75%, or 100% default
3. Type of Milk: Battenkill Valley Creamery whole milk, Califia Farm almond milk, or soy milk
If you’re indecisive, the employees are friendly and are more than willing to give you drink recommendations. Based on the drinks we ordered, my most to least favorite are as follows:
Rose Black Tea
Jasmine Green Milk Tea
Matcha Green Tea Latte
Classic Milk Tea
Thai Iced Tea
Horchata
I’ve never had anything like the Rose Black Tea before. I ordered this in whole milk with 50% sweetness. It came out super fragrant & aromatic. The Jasmine Green Milk Tea is an equally worthy contender. I was recommended to use either whole milk or almond milk, and opted for the almond milk with 75% sweetness. It had a subtle yet floral & silky taste to it. For my matcha lovers, the Matcha Green Tea Latte will not disappoint. Try it hot with whole milk as recommended. As for the other three drinks, they tasted pretty standard in my opinion. I was surprised the Horchata was my least favorite amongst the rest. I felt like I was drinking a handful of cinnamon. For the toppings, I only had the tapioca. It was perfectly chewy with just the right amount of softness. Overall, the quality of the drinks were excellent. It definitely didn’t «blow my mind» but I can say I’m a fan!
***P.S. I still love you Kung Fu Tea & Gong Cha!

I came here after seeing hype about this place on social media. Usually, I don’t trust social media’s taste in new places (usually it’s just an over exaggerated hype, in my opinion), but I was in the area and thought I would give this place a try… boy, I’m glad I did… and here’s why:
Upon my arrival, I spotted a long line that trailed outside of the store. I debated on staying, especially since it started raining, but I decided to give it a try anyways since I am rarely in the LES. It wasn’t thrilled that It was a half hour wait, but I did go on a weekend afternoon.
The place is get up very chic and trendy. I absolutely fell in love with the design of the place. It’s a narrow store with about 4 tables and a long bar to sit at. People were chilling out there, but since it was so packed, I wouldn’t recommend going with a group and expecting to find a seat.
Finally, when I went to order, I asked what they recommended. The guy working the register was very nice and told me that the matcha bubble tea was the most popular. I’m personally not big into matcha, so I went with the coconut bubble tea. The aspect I absolutely fell in love with is the fact that you can basically customize your bubble tea to your liking. You can either go with the standard – or a choice of what you want: add (tapioca balls or grass jelly), the sweetness level (100% to 25%), type of milk (even almond milk!), and if you want it hot or cold. So great for someone who is lactose intolerant and not a fan of things overly sweet.
Overall, Boba Guys awakened my love for bubble tea. Let’s say, it was love at first sip. I must say, it is pricier than I would have liked (over $ 5 for a bubble tea…) but it’s true that it’s worth the cost and (from my experience) well worth the wait.