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The Bay has a nearly infinite supply of boba shops, and for newcomers, it can be a little intimidating to figure out where to start. When I first moved here, I definitely felt that way. Now, half a decade (and many bobas) later, I wanted to offer a guide for anyone new to the Peninsula boba scene or looking for another spot to try. As a note, I’ve left out some of the bigger nationwide chains (Gong Cha, Kung Fu Tea etc.) to focus on more Bay Area-specific offerings!
This guide is broken down into three parts: places for fruit teas, milk teas and dessert teas. For each boba shop listed, I also have my personal recommendation just in case you’re wondering what to try first. It’s not comprehensive — how can a list like this ever be? — but hopefully it’s a running start.
Fruit teas
Tong Sui: This is a Bay Area dessert spot mostly known for their coconut puddings (which come in cute take-home glass jars!), but their boba is very popular too! I love their seasonal stuff, especially their current papaya drinks (which I’ve never seen outside of China and Taiwan!), but they’ve got plenty of good drinks year-round, most of which are also made with coconut. They’ve also got a durian drink here, which is hard to find elsewhere.
Try first: Coco Papaya (seasonal), coconut ice bomb
Tong Sui, locations in San Mateo, Redwood City, Palo Alto, Sunnyvale and Santa Clara; Instagram: @tongsui.us.
Zero&: Zero& is a Bay Area chain with a new location in Stanford Shopping Center. Their name comes from the fact that you can order their drinks with cane sugar or with artificial sweetener (zero calories!). All their drinks come with a truly astonishing amount of fruit (half a pound of lychees in their Lychee Lover, a whole coconut in their Coconut Zero, two peaches in my personal favorite, the Baby Peach). Note that the zero-sugar drinks do have a bit of that artificial sweetener taste if you’re not used to it, so I tend to stick with cane sugar!
Try first: Baby Peach
Zero&, locations in Cupertino, Palo Alto and Santa Clara; Instagram: @0andco.
Yi Fang Tea: A popular chain (and for good reason!), with lots of locations in the Bay Area! As their name suggests, their standout is their fruit teas. You can’t go wrong with their classic fruit tea, which has real fruit slices (apple, orange, etc.) and jasmine green tea. I also love their grapefruit green tea, which has grapefruit pulp and just the right amount of tartness, as well as their passionfruit green tea.
Try first: Yi Fang tea
Yi Fang Tea, locations in San Mateo and Mountain View; Instagram: @yifang.cal.
Wanpo Tea Shop: Located in Stanford Shopping Center, this place does tea really, really well. There’s a broad selection of milk teas (the Alishan Oolong is always popular), but I’ve listed it in the fruit tea category for their mango pomelo sago, which looks and tastes beautiful — I haven’t had a better one yet. In the wintertime, they’ve got hot drinks you also won’t find elsewhere, like ginger milk tea.
Try first: Mango pomelo sago
Wanpo Tea Shop, locations in Millbrae, Cupertino, and Palo Alto; Instagram: @wanpotea.norcal.
Milk teas
Chicha San Chen: This boba shop opened in Cupertino last September. They make boba an experience — there’s a counter in the back where you can take part in a traditional tea tasting (sign up in advance) while you wait for your made-to-order drink. Their Dong Ding oolong milk tea is my favorite milk tea in the area, and it’s definitely comparable to milk tea in China and Taiwan.
Try first: Dong Ding oolong milk tea
Chicha San Chen, 20688 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino, Instagram: @chichasanchen.norcal. Open Sunday to Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Teaspoon: A classic for a reason (and the first boba place I ever tried in California!). You can find Teaspoon locations throughout the Bay Area, and their house crema adds a slightly different texture to their drinks (versus the milk or cream used at other places).
Try first: Liquid Gold
Teaspoon, locations in San Mateo, Redwood City, Palo Alto, Los Altos, Mountain View, Santa Clara and Campbell; Instagram: @teaspoonlife.
T4: Another classic boba shop. T4 was one of the first places to popularize the potted milk tea, which looks, adorably, like a potted plant.
Try first: Oreo potted milk tea
T4, locations in Palo Alto, Millbrae and Los Gatos; Instagram: @t4teaforu.
TP Tea: When the first TP Tea opened in Cupertino, the wait time was over two hours. These days, it’s a little more reasonable, but it’s remained (understandably) very popular. The strength of their tea comes across in all their drinks, and the quality is consistently good. Fun fact: This is owned by Taiwanese restaurant and boba shop Chun Shui Tang, which claims to have invented boba milk tea!
Try first: Classic milk tea
TP Tea, locations in Millbrae, Cupertino, Sunnyvale and San Mateo; Instagram: @tptea.california.
Boba Guys: A classic chain, you’ve probably seen Boba Guys everywhere (not just on the West Coast). All their drinks are good and very aesthetically pleasing, but my favorite is probably the banana milk, which is hard to find elsewhere (and also uncaffeinated!). The hojicha latte is also excellent and a harder find.
Try first: Banana milk, hojicha latte
Boba Guys, locations in Los Altos, Palo Alto and San Carlos; available at Local Kitchens in Cupertino and San Bruno; Instagram: @bobaguys.
Dessert teas
Tan-Cha: This is a true dessert tea place; a popular (and very delicious) topping is tiramisu foam. I have only one go-to order here, because five years ago I had it for the first time and decided it couldn’t get any better than this — the Uji Green Milk Tea with tiramisu foam. They have lots of other options, though, and this is usually the place I take friends to when they visit from out of state.
Try first: Uji Green Milk Tea with tiramisu foam
Tan-Cha, locations in Cupertino and Santa Clara; Instagram: @tanchateahouse.
Boba Bliss: Boba Bliss has just three locations and its owners are sisters. The crème brulee is probably their most popular and most photogenic drink, and it definitely falls in the dessert category. But my personal favorite is the seasonal Mango Milk Bar, which tastes like summer and is made with freshly sliced Champagne mangoes. You can’t go wrong here, whether it’s fruit tea, milk tea or dessert tea.
Try first: Mango Milk Bar in the summertime, otherwise the Strawberries & Crème or the Thai Green Milk Tea (weekends only)
Boba Bliss, 685 San Antonio Road, Mountain View; 650-390-6556, Instagram: @bobablissofficial. Open Sunday to Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
– Grace D. Li
Peninsula-exclusive boba shops
Tea Era: Whatever flavor you’re craving, you’ll likely find it at Tea Era. Established in 2001, this local shop offers over a hundred varieties of tea, including roasted barley, dark plum, dragon fruit, red bean, red guava, and winter melon. This is one of the few remaining hole-in-the-wall boba spots along the Peninsula, so don’t expect to find any trendy foams or creams, and don’t expect to stay long – there’s no inside seating.
Tea Era, 271 Castro St., Mountain View; 650-969-2899. Open Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 1-8 p.m. and Friday to Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. 20916 Homestead Road, Cupertino, 408-996-9898. Open daily 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Ocha Tea Cafe: Located near Ranch 99, it’s a convenient location to grab boba after picking up Asian groceries. Ocha is extremely speedy with their service and quite generous with their toppings. Find standard tea options as well as more unique offerings like fresh avocado milk and honey aloe juice.
Try first: Strawberry milk tea
Ocha Tea Cafe, 1350 Grant Road #8, Mountain View; 650-961-1813. Open daily 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Mochi Waffle Corner: Don’t let the name fool you – this small takeaway cafe offers a lot more than mochi waffles. James Ho opened Mochi Waffle Corner in 2021, inspired by street food from his childhood in Vietnam. Find teas with fresh kiwi and butterfly pea, smoothies made with avocado and blended drinks with chamoy and Tajín, and even dalgona matcha.
Try first: Black sugar hojicha
Mochi Waffle Corner, 805 E El Camino Real, Suite F, Mountain View; Instagram: @mochiwafflecorner. Open daily 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Pop Tea Bar: Located near California Avenue, this boba shop is doing the classics right. It’s a no-frills establishment, and you won’t find any over-the-top, trendy or unusual menu items here. It’s extremely consistent with super friendly service.
Try first: Thai tea
Pop Tea Bar, 456 Cambridge Ave., Palo Alto; 650-473-6511. Open daily 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
– Adrienne Mitchel
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