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    Boba Lab

    3.9 (318 reviews)
    Open 11:30 am - 6:30 pm
    Updated a few days ago

    Order Boba Lab Takeout or Delivery

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    Business Info

    BOBA LAB ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Good for kids
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Boba Lab

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    Peach green tea with pandan and House Made Natural Taro Cream with custard
    Kim l.

    I wanted to try someplace new and this was it. Super small hole in the wall right next to my hs. Parking is in the little alley right before the shop. Order on the kiosk wait a few minutes and pickup your drink. We got: House made natural Taro with custard: 4/5 the taro was really good. 50% sweetness was perfect. Could have done without the custard pudding. Peach green tea with pandan jelly: 3/5 the tea was super bitter. 50% sweetness was the right amount of sweetness. The pandan had a jello like texture. I was expecting it to be chewy but nope it was like jello.

    Coconut Ube Marble with custard and tiny balls
    Lalita G.

    Two words: Tiny boba... TINY BOBA. I've never seen tiny Boba before! The place gave me a "hole in the wall" vibe--- it was small and may get crowded if there's more than 5 people inside trying to order so don't go if you're claustrophobic (I'm not, but just an FYI). My boyfriend and I had a hard time locating a place for parking. It wasn't because it was busy, it was because there's a specific spot you have to turn into (that was nearly impossible for turn into for people who aren't familiar with the area). The drink wasn't a WOW for me, but it was still good. However, I loved my boyfriends drink. He didn't like it because it wasn't sweet enough BUT I thought it was just the right amount lol. I don't like drinks that are too sweet so I was considering taking his instead.

    Nothing in the box, what a money grab.

    The store was filthy there were dust everywhere, it stinked and the workers were slow. I ordered the new mini pancakes and when we finally got our food there was nothing in the box, 6 small pancakes with barely any nutella for 8 dollar. What a scam never come here ever. the drinks were not that good either.

    Decor
    Lovelyn M.

    This little shop is on a busy street. Park at the shopping center across the street and just walk over. The inside can use fresh paint and a good scrub. The boba was warm and soft, but the coconut ube marble had an slight rancid taste that made me a bit suspicious, but I just stirred it, and it was fine.

    Brown Sugar Milk Tea, Matcha Milk Tea blended, Black Milk Tea (Classic) blended
    Laura B.

    What an interesting little place! Boba Lab is located about 1.5-2 miles off the beach, near the high school, in Santa Monica. This location was rated well which is why we chose to try it! First off, location wasn't the best! It is tucked away from the "tourist" area which makes it hard to find. Also, the building itself is quite small! Hardly anywhere to sit and you order from a screen (no human interaction). The chairs were clearly not new; however, this wasn't a huge problem. Aside from the minor issues I listed above, the boba itself was quite delicious. I had the brown sugar milk tea and absolutely loved it! If you aren't a huge fan of sweetness, I would request a lesser sweetness level as the standard was already pretty sweet (perfect for my tasting)! The blended black milk tea was also delicious, HOWEVER, it did not taste like milk tea. It tasted like a blended vanilla coffee from coffee bean. I was definitely recommend it but taste it with an open mind as it didn't taste like a typical milk tea. The ordering machines were very cool! There were so many options and amazing customizations. Although we weren't able to interact with a human while ordering, this allowed us to take our time and scan the entire menu and customization options since we didn't feel rushed. Overall, I rated boba lab a 4 because despite awkward location and small space, the boba itself was really good.

    Buko Pandan
    Marilen R.

    4 stars for originality. Have not seen Buko Pandan in bubble tea form before and loved it. The Ube Marble was satisfying too. All ordering is thru a kiosk and no interaction with the staff. A bit strange that no words are exchanged. No Hi or Bye either. Might as well have been robots behind the counter. Oh well, it was an efficient operation though.

    Rose Milk Tea
    Amy L.

    Very underrated snobs spot right by Santa Monica beach! This place has a ton of originality, from their drink choices to the interior decor. They claim they use a unique water osmosis filtration system, which improves the purity of the water they use. This was a super cool concept and even cuter when they decorated the side of the store with flasks and other lab equipment! For the boba, it tasted amazing!! I ordered the rose milk tea with their housemade grass jelly. The flavor was strong but not too overpowering. The grass jelly also blew me away! The texture was crunchier and more firm than most places, which enhanced the drink. My friend ordered the lychee fruit tea and that was also very refreshing! I will definitely be back again to try out their other flavors.

    Brown sugar boba
    Cole M.

    Loved the boba was very chewy and nice! I had the brown sugar milk tea and it was delicious! Very friendly staff, I recommend the brown sugar.

    House Made Natural Taro
    Karen P.

    Yum! I got the taro drink, which is my go-to anytime I try out a new place. It was flavorful and I didn't have to wait long before being served my drink. Attentive and friendly staff. Minus one star because I found parking to be a bit hard to find. Followed fellow Yelpers' advice and I parked by the gas station. It only had about 3 spots. I'm not sure if there are more spots. Getting out of the spot was very difficult.

    Menu
    Kelli H.

    Probably one of my fav boba places in LA! It's always one of the places I want to hit up when I come back home to visit. The only negative is their awkward parking that is limited in the back. Their classic boba balls are on point, and always seem fresh. However, my sis got the hazelnut boba balls and their consistency was a different story. Maybe it was just the batch, but would not order that one. Overall, a solid spot for the boba cravin'

    Boba is stuck together and hard
    Dana L.

    Generally this place is a solid 5 stars and the milk teas are awesome!! This time the boba was very hard (undercooked) and stuck together. Just watch out for the boba being inconsistent. 3 times I've gone before- absolutely perfect texture. Would go so far as to say this is just a one off occurrence- def will be back bc this place is awesome.

    Boba & Popcorn Chicken!
    Jovelyn P.

    Not bad, boba with mom while shes in town and we're in LA! Havent had boba in ofer 3 months and this place isnt too bad!

    Self-ordering system
    Patty S.

    Nice people... location not the best... but drinks were good... a bit dirty outside.... But not their fault, it's just an FYI.

    Kiwi Strawberry Lemonade (lemonade, kiwi syrup, strawberry purée, berry boba)

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    3 years ago

    We got a rose milk tea and black milk tea. Was okay, nothing crazy but they're doing a promo in July for BOGO free!

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    1 year ago

    great service great boba and a cool atmosphere forsure would return when back in the area

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    Boba Lab Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Boba Lab

    Can I substitute with soy/almond/coconut milk?

    Hi! Yes. We have soy/almond milk.

    Is ube boba still available?

    I haven't seen it yet... they currently have yummy, tiny, hazelnut, & berry boba.

    Saw on the picture it said happy hour, what time will it be?

    Friday - Sunday, 3-6pm, and it's for certain drinks only. Looks like this coming week (May 10), the deal is a $3 regular size Matcha Banana. The sign says it's week 5 of 10.

    Whats the sweetest fruit tea?

    IMO lychee fruity tea.

    View All 5 Questions

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