Waste of money. Waste of time. I normally don't post reviews. But this place is just so bad. Despite all the reviews that are giving them recommendations over the years to improve, they don't care. Overpriced. Bland. Unorganized and ratchet. My drink was more water and milk than any flavor. read more

I am a boba fan for life. Emily and I booked a trip to Bloomington to try some breweries and she mentioned she never had Boba before so.... luckily there was a Boba place around where we were going. The outside of Boba for Life looks unassuming but once you step inside, you are treated to a visual smorgasbord of art on the wall, BOBA written in tile on the floor, random odds and ends for sale against the wall, and a friendly bobarista. Emily got a strawberry/mango tea and I got the dirty brown sugar boba. The lady was working alone so our drinks took a hot minute to make due to prior people waiting and a lady coming in to place an order. Emily and I browsed the eclectic interior while waiting. Along one wall was a lot of their options painted on the wall. Some of them looked interesting but one of my complaints is that I couldn't quite discern what each drink consisted of. The wall nor menu kind of hinted at what each one contained. There was a few things I wanted to order but just didn't know what they contained. So, I settled on the dirty brown sugar as it sounded like a safe option. We got our drinks and booked it to our next stop. We tried both each other's drinks and I dug the mix she came up with and she dug my brown sugar boba. She did point out that the entire bottom of my drink was brown sugar so I took that as a cue to mix it up a bit before continuing my drink. Aside from the interesting interior, I wouldn't hesitate to come back and try any of the other drinks now that I know what we are working with. Plus boba is fun. It's like a drink and a snack all at once. read more

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Taste good... price isn't right. My sisters and I got to larges and one regular. It was like 35 dollars! It says larges are 5 and regulars are 4... this doesn't add up...?! read more

Good place for a small town but it's not comparable to other boba shops in bigger cities. Their menu is very basic and there's nothing special to it. They have basic black tea, taro, etc. I got the taro 50% sweet, still a bit sweeter than I would preferred but not bad! I'll get 25% next time. Their boba is chewy and bouncy (QQ) which is great but they need to soak it in brown sugar or honey like most places do. It would elevate the taste tremendously. It's okay. I would go here again to get my fix since it's really the only spot in this area. They really have no competition so they can get away with being average but honestly I could make their drinks at home and that's not what I want. I want more unique flavors. And fyi to the person who said that the brown sugar milk tea doesn't have tea, you are correct. It's called that EVERYWHERE but no places include tea. This is normal. It's just brown sugar and milk. read more

Boba for Life - Taro bubble tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

Got here at 5 and been waiting for about 30-45 minutes it's ridiculous don't got here dont recommend

Very clean and friendly service. A treat as it's kinda pricey. Fun to customize flavors read more

Boba for Life - Strawberry fruit tea with strawberry popping boba, size large $4.99 plus $0.99 for the boba - Bubble Tea Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

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I don't recommend going here. I was a frequent flyer about two years ago when I lived closer- even then, the shop wasn't the cleanest, but I've been to enough dives to know you may get excellent food/service in less-than-spotless places. Since then, the cleanliness has gotten worse. The store has a really foul odor when you come in. I ordered a Thai milk tea and noticed white spots in it through the cup. It's not uncommon to have streaks in Thai tea from where the milk hasn't mixed fully, so I took a sip: I was immediately struck by how sour it tasted and pulled little white chunks out of my mouth. Clearly the milk they were using had gone bad. It's a shame because there are so few places to get boba in town and this place has a sprawling menu of fun options. I would recommend my other go-to spot, Fusion Brew, instead. read more

Disappointed with this place. I've tried the classic milk tea and the dirty brown milk tea. The worker was nice but slow and didn't really seem like they wanted to be there. The dirty brown milk tea wasn't tea and didn't look anything like the picture. $7 for boba brown sugar and milk... read more

Boba for Life - Take me to brown town. - Bubble Tea Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

The sign was too small to spot out on the road. First impression , they have a huge sign above the register which is good. Many many options of coffee, milk tea, bubble snow, bubble slushy, bubble fruit tea, ect... I got the avocado milkshake with lychee jelly. It took a while to make, it was almost $5 for a small cup. The initial taste was too sweet and i didnt taste the avocado. After a few more sips i got a better impression since the lychee jelly was good and its a better option than driving up to Urbana for a cup of boba. The milkshake had no avocado taste, it tastes more creamy from the milk and very sweet from the jelly. The bathroom was out of paper towels and it wasnt clean. They also ran out of napkins and it wasnt refilled. I might go here again if i dont wana make a drive out to Urbana for Kung fu or La Tea. Decent , but needs to put more avocado in their milkshake. read more

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We got an almond snow ice! The boba is super soft and pleasant. The drink itself wasn't too sweet, which I appreciate. The cashier was friendly and we were served super quickly. I'm surprised there aren't a bunch of students hitting up this place. Maybe some board games and kpop music could liven it up! read more

Boba for Life - Almond snow ice! - Bubble Tea Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

Came in on a Friday night to try this place out, there was no wait and plenty of seats! Coming from Chicago and Champaign, whenever I visit my friends in Bloomington we've been trying to find some quality bubble tea. I'll have to say that Boba for Life is definitely the best we've had so far in town. There was only one employee working but she was super sweet and attentive in helping us. I got the matcha milk tea and my friend got the original milk tea, we both got ample amounts of boba and the ice and sweetness levels were great! The prices here are definitely lower than Champaign and a great steal for the beverages are definitely worth it! I'll be coming here for boba from now on whenever I'm in town for sure. You can tell from the interior that you're supporting a local business/ it makes me feel better that my money isn't just going to a big name chain like Kung Fu Tea or Cha-Time! All in all, a great deal for boba in Bloomington and I'd definitely recommend trying it out! Just wish they were open past 7pm but it's understandable considering the town demographic. read more

Boba for Life - Bubble Tea Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

They had me waiting 30 minutes for them to open and they didn't open. Food was OK. It feels OK walking in.

This place is great. The owners are super friendly and courteous. The drinks are very unique and very tasty. There are so many different combo of drinks, that you'll have to come many, many times to try them all. The baked goods always look appetizing as well. Give Boba a try. You won't be disappointed. And like many who have given Boba a try, you might just get hooked! read more

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First time having boba here. I drink lots of boba as a past time treat. I just bought classic milk tea with boba. The milk tea taste pretty good, but it a bit sweet for me. I believe creamer was used instead of condensed milk. That's not a bad thing since condensed milk is hard to get here. The regular boba was cooked soft and delicious, but the taste is very bland. There was no brown sugar soak which makes the boba have some type of flavor. Overall, the drink wasn't bad, but there is definitely some tweaks needed to be added. read more

ADORABLE, this place is super cute and I got the classic milk tea with half boba and half popping strawberry boba and it's great! I also got a cute peach apricot macaroon and they are delicious!!! I will be going again!! They also sell other Japanese candies!! Super cute place! read more

Boba for Life - Bubble Tea Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

I hate to leave a tepid review, especially for a new boba place, but I wasn't in love with my drink here. It was fine but just had that artificially sweet taste to it. There's a lack of options for boba in the area so it'll do if you need your fix but I wasn't too impressed with the quality of my drink. I will say the service was amazing and both of the people that helped me were very sweet and attentive. read more

I was very excited to find a boba drink shop in Bloomington-Normal, but I left slightly disappointed. The store itself is decorated plainly, however it is comfortable and clean. The owners are friendly, though they did looked bored when I came in which made me feel bad... They had a good selection of drinks on their menu, I ordered a milk tea with boba and my boyfriend had a honeydew smoothie. My drink was a little sweet, I wish they would offer different sugar levels. My boba was cooked well however. The honeydew smoothie was made from powder and had an artificial flavor, which was disappointing and we couldn't finish it. I wish all the best for Boba for Life, thus for the four stars despite of my just okay experience, because it is very brave of them opening up in a town like Bloomington-Normal with a population that likes to stick to their burgers and fries. However, I do think they have improvements they can make to better guarantee their success. read more

I visited on a late sunday afternoon and when i entered i was greeted by friendly employees and a pretty clean restaurant. there was no one else there so i was in and out in less than 5 minutes. they have basic flavors of milk and fruit tea but luckily i was able to mix the teas so i got peach strawberry fruit tea with lychee jelly and boba. the boba texture was good but i typically like my boba to be sweet and this boba was not. the tea also tasted a little watered down. read more

I am so glad to have found a Boba place here! I love boba and had it on a regular basis when I was living in LA. We went in on a Sunday afternoon. There wasn't a huge line but there was basically only one worker who was taking orders then making the drinks. They do have a a good variety in terms of milk teas, smoothies, slushes etc. I love taro so I got the taro milk tea and was slightly disappointed because it wasnt as taro forward as I wanted it to be. My husband liked the pina colada milk tea he got. I am looking forward to trying more of their flavors. read more

Super friendly atmosphere, quick, no frills, and GOOD tea. I had lavender special boba. Mmmm..

Can't say this place was good, definitely disappointed. I tend to avoid places that uses artificial flavoring as it tends to have a different taste. The boba was soft and good though but probably wouldn't come back for more. read more

Boba for Life - Classic Milk Tea with boba - Bubble Tea Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

Needs to have more than one worker working at a time. Lines out the door and worker is very slow, boba is great though.

My favorite bubble tea place in town. Big menu so there's something for everyone. staff is friendly.

No flavor, watered-downed milk tea. Very disappointing drinks, staff was friendly, but I would not go back.

The store was very clean. Service was fast and very nice. Lady at the front counter was very friendly and helpful when describing the different type of drinks. I had the Thai Bubble Snow (Smoothie) with strawberry heart jelly and popping pomegranate boba. It was tasty and good. So, was the Avocado Smoothie with lychee. The snow had almost an icy slush taste and the milkshake was thicker and more sweet. Both excellent and I look forward to returning to this boba gem here in Bloomington. read more

Boba for Life - Front counter - Bubble Tea Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

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Amazing!!!! The two girls working were so kind and friendly! I got mango fruit tea with mango boba, tasted amazing! Not watery and not overly sweet, just perfect!! Would recommend to everyone whos just stopping by for a drink as well as they have am amazing assortment of sweets. read more

I was greeted when I entered and immediately assisted. The barista was nice and informative. He made sure I understood the size of the cups since one size was not listed on the menu. I placed an order for 2 drinks. The service was quick. I got a large thai milk tea for my friend and for myself I got a small thai snow blend. I drove to meet my friend which took around 11 minutes. My friend said his milk tea was flavorless and that there wasn't enough boba given the size. My snow blend was watered down and had little flavor. read more

This place is so dirty! Spider webs everywhere, dirty floors, dirty walls, dirty counters, and there is literally a 2 foot long spider web hanging from one of the sprinklers on their ceiling just inside their kitchen. They have a shady room divider hiding the kitchen because it is so filthy. The only way to see in the kitchen (barely) is to stand as close to the plastic shield at the counter. It is not safe to eat from this establishment. The health department needs to shut them down. read more

My daughter & I love this place! The staff is really nice. The tea is excellent with a wide variety of goodies to choose from. Highly recommend & worth the 45 minute drive to get! read more

Of the best place to have Bubble tea in central Illinois. I really liked the mango lychee bubble tea. Looking forward to going there again

The staff was very nice! And the tea are great! We ordered milk tea with boba and peach tea with passion fruit popping boba under recommendation. The popping boba is my new favorite!! read more

I live in Asia, so I definitely know what proper boba tea is suppose to taste like. This place annoyed me from the start. First you have to call in your order from the door as they are not on any food service apps. There were no menus taped to door or outside of the place. The girl had to read off the menu when inquiring for me to place my order. Next they want you to give your cc # so they can enter or write it down. FRAUD!! Only reason I still purchased was b/c we drove far and they accepted my cash only payment. The boba was sub par mediocre at best. Never again!! read more

Boba is on point; however, their drinks taste terrible and fake. I ordered a mango snow and could taste the powder. And it was overpriced and lacked atmosphere. Disappointed :( read more

Great little shop. Drink selection is simple and customizable. Good route to take for menu quality. Staff is always happy to see you and thankful for your visits. Their mango boba in strawberry smoothie is the best. Haven't tried their teas yet, I know I won't be disappointed though. read more

Great tea, very friendly staff. Product was fresh and well priced. I had the mango boba green tea and it was sweet, but not overly so.

I love boba! I have tried many different boba places in town and I would have to say this is my favorite place! My taste for boba is pretty spoiled too xD (I had a lot in Hong Kong) This place also has the classic milk tea flavor that I love so much! That flavor is harder for me to find in town. I suggest the classic milk tea with boba but they have so many flavors and textures! read more

I love coming here. The staff is very friendly and what I appreciate more than anything else is that they give you an option for a less sweetened drink. read more

I ordered the wrong drink (I really wanted the milk tea with fruit flavor but accidentally asked for the fruit tea) and the guy happily made me another for free. It's service like that will make me a customer for life. Thank you! And the milk tea is delicious!! read more

Been there ONCE...way to expensive for a sub par (at BEST) drink! My daughter and I were the only people there...the service was SO SLOW...saw the macaroons they have for sale....hey folks..that are FROZEN....they have them at Sams!!! Had a punch card and tried to give it to someone and they said "no thanks...I'd rather have coffee from McDonalds" read more

I had coconut milk tea with mango boba and it was very good. I feel like this place would do well in a different location, such as uptown Normal. It's tucked away in a plaza near the mall and difficult for college students to get to, which I think would be a good market for them. Lots of drink types, flavors, and various boba and the price is reasonable. The mango boba in my drink wasn't the big pearls you typically see, but they were little chopped up pieces which was somewhat disappointing. I hope this place can make it! read more