Boba Cha

The boba was perfect! So many places I’ve been to the boba is mushy or could be better. Omg I couldn’t believe it how spot on the boba was. The jasmine green milk tea was good too, but I give this place 5 stars for boba.

So I went to Pearlridge with the family to go shopping on the weekend. We had an early lunch at CPK but I left with a hankering for something sweet and I was a bit thirsty from the pizza. I pulled up my Unilocal app and saw that there was a boba place in Pearlridge Downtown… hey! right where I was! Awesome! My family went off to look at some clothing store… yeah, I really didn’t feel in the mood to look at women’s clothes… sorry, ladies. Walking into the mall, I looked over and I saw the boba place, I think it took over where a candy vendor used to be. It didn’t look busy, just a bunch of teens waiting for their order… but hey, isn’t that a good sign? Teenagers know where the good boba places are, right? Took a look at the menu and decided I just wanted something simple so I went with a plain pineapple tea, no boba (yeah, I know… sorry, boba lovers). The wait was considerably short but it came out after the teens’ drinks. I couldn’t wait and took a sip as soon as I received my drink. Ahhh… refreshing… A little bit on the bitter side though… jasmine green tea, I believe but steeped a little too long. Otherwise OK, just enough pineapple juice and not overly sweet. Did it quench my thirst? Yes indeed. Would I go back again? Probably, as they have some interesting drinks on the menu that I might want to try.

I visited Boba Cha pretty recently after they opened in Pearlridge Downtown. I had my eye on the kiosk for some time, wondering if their milk tea would compare to some of my favorite spots in So Cal.
I first visited Boba Cha when I first moved back to Hawaii, and I was relieved to say that I wasn’t disappointed. If you’re craving legit milk tea and happen to be in this part of the shopping mall, I would highly recommend stopping by for a visit.
The girls were friendly and they were giving out samples of the original milk tea. There were lots of other menu items to choose from as well, but since I was craving traditional milk tea (and really missed a lot of my favorite boba places in So Cal), that’s what I went for … plain and simple.
My drink was ready in no time, since there was only one customer in front of me at that time. But, based on my experience and the product, I would love to return soon and check out some of the other menu items.
Here’s what I got:
«Milk Tea»: I didn’t really know how different this would have tasted if I opted for green tea instead of black, but the original Taiwan-​style milk tea tasted delicious to me. I liked it because it didn’t have that watered-​down flavor and it was cool and refreshing. I definitely had the experience before of having milk tea that basically tasted like water … not fun! But this one was really good and I wouldn’t hesitate to get it again if the craving kicked in.
«Coffee Milk Tea»: This was the other milk tea flavor that I was contemplating trying, but I figured I would wait until a future visit to order it. I do love coffee flavors, and now that I know that the milk tea from Boba Cha is legit, I anticipate trying this flavor one day.
«Cookie Monster Frappé»: I didn’t see the sign/​promotion for this drink until I had already ordered my milk tea, and for a split second, I wanted to change my order to this OREO drink. But, I rationalized, I would get this on my second visit. The frappes here are frozen blended drinks and I’m curious to see what they taste like. OREOs are my favorite cookies, so this would be the flavor of choice if I ever ordered a frappé. The featured photo made this drink look appetizing, and I can’t wait to try it one day. The only reason why I would deviate from this flavor would be to try the «Chocolate Chip Frappé» instead.

My new favorite boba! Of course only when I’m at the mall because I hate coming here unless I really need something I tried a large pineapple and banana fruit smoothie with boba (I wanted to get jasmine green milk tea or strawberry milk tea but I can’t resist real fruit smoothies!) They have a huge range of black/​green teas, milk teas, REAL FRUIT smoothies and the additions range from tapioca to custard to jellies! The workers were both really pretty and nice, the cherry on top was the plastic seal. I swear it’s not a good boba drink for me unless it’s sealed and I can poke my big straw through!

I love this place, I definitely prefer it over Lemon Tea on Uptown side.
They used to always have free samples! Not of late, but it let me try a lot of their delish drinks such as the avocado banana smoothie.
I always get the green tea lemon iced tea. I like it because it’s not too sweet and doesn’t taste artificially sweet and unlike Lemon Tea on uptown, they don’t leave lemon seeds in your drink that get sucked up by the boba straw :)

I couldn’t walk pass without giving this place a try. The lady that helped me pick which drink was very friendly! & what she had recommended for me is what I always come back for now, the mango tea with the jelly is yummy. Does have a bitter taste at the end but however that’s how teas are I’m guessing? The only thing that stood out to me was how some of the workers seemed really rude like giving your drink & waiting for you to walk away. Other than that, the drinks & the visit was good.

came here early at 1000 and the boba wasn’t ready yet (minus one star). but the service was friendly and quick. I ordered a strawberry fruit smoothie and a taro slush with mix jellies (because no boba available). the drinks were delicious! I’m totally coming back here next time I’m in the mall. the menu has a lot of options, i’m sure i won’t get tired of trying new flavors. the shop is right at the top of the escalator/​stairs to Longs in Downtown Pearlridge. lots of parking in the lot outside in the sun near Hot Topic or downstairs near Longs.

This is located in Pearlridge Downtown location right by Men’s Footlocker and Book Off store. They charge you extra for boba or any other fillings. The milk tea was a bit too sweet for my taste. Great place to grab drink when you’re shopping and on the go!

Good bubble tea but it didn’t appear be anything special. I had the green tea jasmine milk tea with bubbles. The bubbles were chewy and sweet, which I liked, but the tea was too sweet for me. I like that they accept credit cards.

This kiosk is conveniently located on the second floor. I tried their strawberry black tea and coconut slush (both with boba). The tea was good, nothing out of the ordinary. My coconut slush was also good and had a toasted coconut flavor. However, because it’s a slush, all the juice would go straight to the bottom and leave a flavorless chunk of ice to drink, lol… Also, the boba wasn’t very flavorful; it was just chewy and bland. I’ve had boba drinks from many other places where the boba actually tasted like brown sugar or whatever.
It’s not a bad place for a quick boba drink, but if you really want a good smoothie with boba, then I recommend trying the boba place downstairs by Longs. Still one of my favorite boba places!

Am I the only person in Hawaii that doesn’t care for boba? Well this review is for all their non-​boba teas and smoothies if anybody else out there cares!
I’m so happy this place is in Pearlridge! They are always handing out samples of different teas and omg they are all so good. I love their slushies, fresh fruit smoothies, and just plain green or black iced teas. All of the flavors are so yummy. I usually get them a little less sweetened and that’s never a problem at all.
The staff are always super friendly and helpful with helping me pick out a new tea to try. Actually I think I’ve almost tried all of the non boba/​milk teas so far!
Green apple iced tea, passion fruit iced tea, banana smoothie, mango slush… What are you waiting for? Go get one right now!

Boba Cha looks like a really chic spot, but there’s def a lot of room for improvement in their edible department. After a fun time at the factory of fun, my niece & I were thirsty & Boba Cha was right there! So convenient. We ordered a strawberry smoothie with strawberry popping boba (regular), an avocado smoothie with black pearls (large) and a winter melon tea latte with black pearls (large) as well.
Each drink was pretty ok, but it could have passed the taste department with a little more sweetness. The boba tasted a bit different from the other boba places that I frequent… Not much flavor & a bit hard.
Aside from the taste issue, I do believe that Boba Cha has great potential esp due to its location, chic design, flavor variety, & friendly service.

This morning was the second time in a month that I’ve been at Boba Cha when they opened (9:30 am) and was told to come back in an hour (10:30 am) because the boba wasn’t cooked yet. I find it dumbfounding that an establishment with the name «BOBA Cha» doesn’t have their product ready to sell at opening time.
Their drinks are well made and refreshing in this heat. However, the lack of customer service and professionalism by the staff makes it hard to come back.

Won’t ever visit this location again. First, while I’m in line, the girls at the location are laughing and talking about my friend I greeted in passing (who happens to be transgendered). Extremely inappropriate. Second, my coworker whom i was with asks if they saw where I had gone after I ordered. Instead of pointing at a direction and saying «that way,» these girls laugh and tell her «he bailed. You got ditched.»
On that note, the coffee jelly was good, just not worth dealing with imbeciles.

Conveniently located in downtown pearl ridge nearby the food court. They have a wide selection of milk tea, classic teas and smoothies. The prices are pretty moderate (milk teas are 3.50−4.50) (smoothies: 4.00−6.00) (classic ice teas are 3.50−4.00) toppings are an additional .50 (so if you don’t like boba/​jelly you save .50) They do not have a sweetness system like other boba locations which is rather unique because they determine the preferred sweetness level for us. Customer service was on point (: However something I would like to see is less ice in the ice teas because by the time I finished my drink, ¾ of the cup was filled with ice. Overall this is a place worth trying! I got the honey jasmine lemon ice tea and the papaya milk tea (So Ono and I highly recommend it!!) the difference of the two sizes are only .75 so might as well get the larger one, I mean go big or go home right?

Location:
They are located «downtown» of Pearlridge Shopping Center across from Book Off and Claire’s.
It is a small standalone shop near the escalators where the old chocolate shop use to be.
Drinks:
They had free samples of a variety of flavors. I didn’t care for the samples but I was intrigued by the cookie coffee frap advertisement by the pick up side. I love coffee and Oreos so I decided to give it a try. The worker said they can also make chocolate and Oreo walls on the cup! Yes, Yes, Yes!!! The final verdict = Deliciously Amazing! The coffee was strong and I could taste the Oreo with every sip. I LOVE it!!!
They only serve drinks as I did not see anything else on the menu besides teas, slushes, smoothie and coffee drinks. There are two drink sizes; medium and large.
Service:
The ladies were friendly and helpful when I had questions. I love that they suggested the chocolate and Oreo walls for my drink.
Price:
Prices are reasonable. I spend $ 5 on my medium drink. Most drinks averaged $ 5.
Overall, Yes I will be back for the the Coffee Cookie Frap!!! I wouldn’t mind trying the Winter Melon Tea Latte on a future visit as well.

Another Milktea joint is born in Aiea area. It’s located in Downtown Pearlridge in front of Bookoff. How convenient! Parking is plentiful.
I ordered Jasmine milk with light sugar as one of Unilocaler recommended. I also got mango slush & lychee slush. So I’m used to slush without milk but they have milk in them.
They have several different toppings like coconut jelly, popping boba, regular boba etc.
Service was good for being a new store. I also liked how my Jasmine milk tea was shaken gently for awhile to minimize bubbles/​foam on the top. Price is good for being in a mall as well.

I tried their boba drink this week since I was in the area for my haircut. I figured after I saw that this new boba place was advertised on Unilocal,I need to try it. I went ahead and ordered the taro milk tea according to the worker’s recommendation (it was one of their most popular drinks since opening).
The service is fast. After the girl took my order, I waited 5 to 7 mins for my drink to ring up. The male server who kindly presented my drink gave me a straw and napkin. Oh and did I mentioned he knew how to pronounce my name right. Not Lisa, but Liza.
The boba drink itself was delicious. The boba balls weren’t too chewy or soft, but just the way I wanted. That chewy and easy to eat taste. And my boba balls didn’t get stuck in the straw. In fact, my boba slurped right into my mouth with ease (Hawaii juice factory shame shame on you for having junk straws). I purchased the medium size because I wasn’t sure if I would be back again for another boba drink here. I asked for the drink to be lightly sweet. Gotta watch my blood sugar, don’t want diabetes anytime soon.
The verdict of the new boba place: service is fast and the drink was fabulous. The price is standard for what you pay. I paid $ 4.50 since the boba balls are extra 50 cents. It’s conveniently located in the Pearlridge mall downtown side right across from book off and foot locker. In the future, I would come back for more only this time will try different drink.
If any of the readers have any favorites for boba drinks or know any new shops popping up, send me a message. I’m always willing to try. Definitely going to slow down, these drinks have a lot of carbs and sugar but hey it taste delicious :)

Yay for another boba place in Pearlridge Mall! It’s located in Pearlridge Downtown next to the kansai yamato kiosk near the escalators to the food court.
When it comes to milk teas, I hardly ever stray from the original black milk tea with boba. The texture and the sweetness of the boba is most crucial to me and I was very happy that the boba at Boba Cha is delicious! The milk tea itself was on the sweeter side so I recommend customizing the sweetness to your tastes.
Their menu is extensive so whether you’re in the mood for a milk tea, a cookie monster frap, a sour plum lemonade, or just a plain iced coffee, they have you covered! Two drink sizes are available and prices range from $ 3.25 to $ 6.50. Boba Cha is a must stop for a yummy and refreshing treat.

Very convenient location for boba lovers like me! Located right inside the downtown phase of pearlridge mall.
Taro is my favorite flavor to have with boba so I got it as a slush with boba. You could tell it was blended more than it should have because it was much more smooth and suttle than other places I’ve tried. Very easy to drink. This is the only place I know that puts boba on the top and bottom of the drink, which I absolutely love! You can never have too much boba!