Boba Lab was one of the vendors at a work event and the customer service was amazing. The drinks honestly weren't my favorite, they were a bit too sweet for my taste, and the boba itself was more bland compared to other honey boba I've had before. That said, the owners were some of the kindest people I've met, and that genuinely made the experience so much better. Good customer service and warm, welcoming people really do make a difference. You can tell they care about their customers. Even though the boba wasn't exactly my preference, I still left with a positive impression because of how nice they were. read more

Boba Lab - Thai Milk Tea - Desserts Near Me - Santa Monica, California

I normally am not one to leave reviews, but I had Boba Lab yesterday, and unfortunately it was not good at all. I had the passion fruit tea 25% sweet which was technically advertised as made with real passion fruit puree but it was just a premade syrup from Teazone. I received the drink and was disappointed that it tasted like water with some passion fruit resemblance. I had expected a stronger tea flavor since I did less sweet, but it tasted like sweetened water. I ended up discarding the drink. We also had gotten a classic black milk tea, which also tasted watered down, and finally we got the ube coconut smoothie, which for some reason was grey and white. We got that one at 75% sweet, but it was way too sweet and left a weird residue in my mouth. Very disappointed and would not come back again. read more

This place has some fun flavors so I was excited to try it. Parking is a bit difficult, not much street parking in a tiny parking lot with maybe three spots. Inside smelled weird, we weren't really sure why, but it smelled like Play-Doh? So somewhat underwhelming interior. You order at self service kiosk switch is convenient and you can adjust the sweetness levels, ice and toppings. I got the coconut ube smoothie with Boba, and friends got the matcha milk tea and Biko pandan. When the drinks are being made, I saw behind the counter, and saw the syrups - like the coffee/Italian soda syrups - which was disappointing. The coconut ube was good but very sweet despite getting 75% sugar - must've been the coconut syrup. The biba was great though, super fresh soft boba which really saved the drink. The matcha was somewhat bland. But the Biko pandan was nice. read more

Boba Lab - Inside - Desserts Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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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. read more

Boba Lab - Peach green tea with pandan and House Made Natural Taro Cream with custard - Desserts Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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. read more

Boba Lab - Coconut Ube Marble with custard and tiny balls - Desserts Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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Nov 15th at 4PM I ordered a buko pandan blended drink over Uber Eats and when I received it, it wasn't blended at all. There were full on blocks of ice in it, and everything else were still massive rocks. Who wants to crunch massive blocks of ice while drinking a smoothie or otherwise. This was quite literally the laziest drink I have ever had. This person couldn't be bothered to even wait for the machine to blend for them for more than what had to be no more then 3 seconds. If you can't work a blender, you shouldn't be working at a boba shop let alone in the workforce whatsoever. This is more minor but I had asked to make it extra sweet but it actually tasted closer to 50% sugar and really just tasted like ice/water. I had to find a blender in my garage, add sugar, then blend it for another 2 minutes to break it down and make it edible. 2 stars because last time I went in person and there was a really nice woman (I didn't get her name but she was a younger black woman) who made me a really good drink. Now on to the mini pancakes -- tiny for $9 but I knew that going in based on the photo (still a ripoff). Further, I requested caramel and paid extra for additional Nutella but just got plain Nutella (lazy). It also arrived with the top open and no seal on it so they either didn't close it or didn't protect it from the driver eating it. Regardless, they were cold despite being a 2 min drive. I was excited to find this spot because it's a 3 min walk from me and I had that good experience. But yeah, never going back now. Not worth the waste of money. read more

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. read more

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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. read more

Boba Lab - Buko Pandan - Desserts Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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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. read more

Boba Lab - Brown Sugar Milk Tea, Matcha Milk Tea blended, Black Milk Tea (Classic) blended - Desserts Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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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. read more

Boba Lab - Nothing in the box, what a money grab. - Desserts Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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. read more

Boba Lab - Rose Milk Tea - Desserts Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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This place should be shut down. The general feel is run down, old, and neglected. I got a mango slushy and I tossed it out after the first sip. The Boba was inedible. The fries were stale. The owners really need to give this business some TLC. Not sure how they survive financially. read more

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. read more

Boba Lab - House Made Natural Taro - Desserts Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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' read more

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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. read more

Boba Lab - Boba is stuck together and hard - Desserts Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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. read more

Boba Lab - Brown sugar boba - Desserts Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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

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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! read more

Boba Lab - Boba & Popcorn Chicken! - Desserts Near Me - Santa Monica, California

I was really disappointed with their drinks unfortunately. I got the matcha blended with boba and it was hard to choke down. It did not taste much of matcha and was very icee not a creamy milk tea slush. The boba itself was good. My boyfriend got the black tea milk tea which was good, however, did not resemble black tea in any sort. We came to the conclusion that it tastes like the vanilla bean frapp at coffee bean. Again, this one was good but did not taste like a black tea milk tea. Lastly, my friend got the brown sugar milk tea and this was the winner. Out of all the drinks we had, this was clearly the winner. I liked the concept of the store as you order on iPads and can truly customize but was underwhelmed with the product. :( read more

[UPDATE 2: Review #298] 2019 Yelp 100 Challenge (123/100) I was in the neighborhood & made a quick pit stop with H to one of her favorite boba shops, Boba Lab. I love Boba Lab, but it's such a trek even on the weekend, though traffic is usually better but not by much. :-| I was craving for my 1st OTM Club curated drink & asked if they could re-created it: KIWI STRAWBERRY LEMONADE WITH BERRY BOBA (lemonade, kiwi syrup, strawberry purée, berry boba), & H got a STRAWBERRY LEMONADE WITH POPPING BOBA. My lemonade was just like I remembered... it was slightly off in the balance of strawberry & kiwi flavors, & the technician said he can adjust it. I thought he was going to adjust it by adding another shot of kiwi syrup; he made a new drink instead. :-O It was perfect! I would have been fine if he just added more syrup. My daughter's goal is to try every single drink, with the exception of a couple of flavors like ube & guava. Kid goals... LOL! Currently, BL has a great promo: Sunday-Thursdays from 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM, regular-sized milk teas, fruit teas, & fruit lemonades are $3! =D Yum, yum, yum!! Tip: Don't forget to sign-up for their loyalty program via 5 Stars. You can even earn a party package for 25 people. :-O Recommended: any of the Fruit Lemonades, Thai Milk Tea, Peach Fruit Tea, Marble Series, Fruity Blended, Berry & Hazelnut Bobas, Popping Boba. read more

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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!

Didn't know how I felt about this place, def a hole in the wall and difficult parking in an alley but where isn't it difficult in LA?.... It's a self order kiosk which is super convenient, but at the same time, there's only one, so if there are people waiting it'll be pretty difficult because of how small the place is inside as well. I ordered a brown sugar milk tea, it was alright, nothing significant read more

Boba lab I feel disappointed coz we drive way to boba and craving for milk tea, i decided to try the house made natural ube. It doesn't taste ube, and no taste at all. No ube that is color blue. Definitely we dont recommend and Will not comeback to this place read more

Boba Lab - Boba lab - Desserts Near Me - Santa Monica, California

Decided to give myself a sweet treat and get some boba! I love Ube everything so I was pretty excited to try this out. It was very creamy and it wasn't too sweet which was nice. What really impressed me was the fact that the boba that was used tasted so fresh and homemade. I wish they still had other boba flavor options but the regular one was bomb. read more

Boba Lab - Ube Milk Creme - Desserts Near Me - Santa Monica, California

Tip: use the Snackpass app to order. I found a 20% happy hour discount on the Snackpass app between 12-6:30 pm (they close at 6:30 pm), so I upgraded to a large drink They don't take orders in person. Order in advance on Snackpass or on the tablet in store. Super fast service at 6 pm when I went. Only one table outside -no seating inside. It's a grab and go kind of place. I got a delish rose milk tea with boba. Very happy with the taste and flavor. I got no ice but it didn't feel "light" or different than a normal boba drink in any way so I'm happy. I'll be back! read more

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Got a sea salt foam iced coffee and it was pure milk. It says it's supposed to come with coffee jelly but when ordering it the kiosk said the coffee jelly would be extra. read more

Buko Pandan was really yummy. Not something I'd usually order, but the sweetness is masked quite well with the coconut milk. It's refreshing and easy to drink. If you love pandan jellies you'll love this. If you've never tried, give it a shot :) read more

Boba Lab - Buko Pandan - Desserts Near Me - Santa Monica, California

It is ok. Skip the spam sandwich. It's just sauce and thin slice of spam. Jasmine milk tea is ok. Not the best. read more

Boba Lab - Desserts Near Me - Santa Monica, California

Spent over $7 for an almond milk tea with grass jelly and it tasted weird; pretty disappointed. The grass jelly had a strange sweet taste, not like any other grass jelly I've had. Would not go back for this drink again. read more

Really average boba honestly. I got the earl gray milk tea (50% sweet) with boba and the tea flavor was really good and strong, but it was extremely milky and creamy. The drink was also barely sweet, and since I prefer less sweet drinks, this was perfect for me. The boba itself was really soft and chewy so that was a plus! My friends got fruit teas and really enjoyed theirs, so if you're into that, it'd be a great place to go to! read more

Boba Lab - Earl Grey Milk Tea, Mango Tea - Desserts Near Me - Santa Monica, California

- Locale Destination - It's on Pico Blvd and between seventh st and Lincoln Blvd - it's actually behind the gas station. it's probably one of the worst location you could ever think of. Unless you were a local, it takes forever to figure out how to get to this place. Why? Every corner around this place isn't allowed to U-turn. If you passed this place, you forget it. It took forever after driving around since I'm not a local. Best strategy: park in the corner shopping center across from this shop (where "Fatburger" is located) or gas station next to it, and walk. Ambiance: casual, very small, some seating inside and outside. Service: Friendly and fast Hours: 12pm to 6 or 7 pm Parking: virtually no parking spots as you see my pic. Park in the corner shopping center across from this shop or gas station next to it, and walk. - Gluttony Expedition - Coconut ube marble: coconut itself isn't so sweet, but ube syrup would cover the overall sweetness. I asked for extra ice/thickness because I hate a runny ice blended drink. It could be a bit thicker, so you should definitely ask for more ice if you are like me! Boba was nice consistency but not a lot boba in it. Overall not bad. - Conqueror's Deduction - It's a decent drink, but the location is just sooooooo inconvenient except for the local who live in the walking distance and walk. Location, location, location. They'll do a lot better if the location is better. Too much hustle to just go to this place. read more

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I really love both the service as well as the drinks here. Great selection, so many options and you can chose how sweet you like your drinks, we went with unsweetened and it was just right on a hot afternoon. Made to order well and quickly, they really care about their products and use quality from start to finish, I can appreciate that. Prices are fair and they offer a discount with Yelp check in, making it a good deal, especially for the area. Great place to grab a drink or snack while in the area, worth checking out. read more

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Love this place! Been coming here since 2018 when I first discovered them during my sophomore year of high school. No other place does a rose milk tea boba like Boba Lab! I have noticed that the best size is the smallest one, for some reason the syrup ratio tastes better in the smaller cup ‍. read more

Pros: Brewed tea, not powdered Fresh boba daily Compostable straws that don't wither midway through drinking Friendly staff that do their best to answer your questions On a personal note for next time: Place order online for quicker service Blended matcha banana smoothie with boba had perfect sweetness. Not overtly sweet but subtle sweetness that I love. Hubby is not a fan of sea salt coffee so he'll try a different coffee drink next time. Another personal preference: The shop glass should be cleaned regularly. With such small storefront, customers are up close to the glass and probably have more contact with the surface. Also, hand sanitizer would be helpful near door. Finally, since it's called Boba Lab and employees wears lab coats, it makes even more sense to have the storefront feel and look impeccably clean. read more

This was a surprising find--didn't expect much from its nondescript exterior/interior, difficult to park location, and sketchy alleyway. Had the natural ube cream with mini boba, lychee fruit tea with lychee jelly and mini boba. The flavors and toppings exceeded expectations. Yes it's west LA prices, but i found myself enjoying the ube (so creamy!), and even the lychee tea, much more than a lot of boba places in the SGV. read more

Boba Lab has such interesting choices to choose from! They lured me in with their ube marble drink, which I got with pandan boba. I originally wanted the regular boba balls or ube boba, but they were about to close so my only choices for boba was the tiny boba and pandan boba. I'm so glad I got pandan because it tastes very similar to regular boba, but has the beautiful green pandan coloring. I actually prefer pandan over regular boba :) It's so close to Sawtelle too! The other boba places in Sawtelle can't compete to Boba Lab, so I'd probably come here next time I'm craving boba by the Sawtelle/Santa Monica area. read more

Boba Lab - Desserts Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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The workers were really nice, but there are definitely much better boba shops out in LA. Tried it because i was nearby. My roommate and I got 3 drinks and all of them were horrible, especially the one that had almond milk. This place is also just as much as any other boba shop in LA, and has been overhyped for some reason. Also dirty inside, I would not come back read more

Came here about 2 years ago and was really excited to come again and I'm so disappointed the place looks dirty & the boba is so nasty, soggy idk how to describe it?!? but it's not chewy or firm how boba is supposed to be Our drinks were very warm. Definitely not worth the price. read more

A few things, there is zero parking which is not fun. I went there when there was no one there and ordered two drinks. She told me 10 minutes, I waited and watched them do nothing and then slowly got around to making my drinks. I waited 15 minutes, I it's fine, I'm not one to complain about waiting but really when no one is in the store and there's two workers I'd expect a bit more urgency in making the drinks, that's my opinion. The matcha drink was very powdery so I was disappointed about that as well read more

Boba Lab - Desserts Near Me - Santa Monica, California

This is the boba you always wanted! Huge selection too. The tiny boba is really delicious. I really enjoyed both the strawberry banana smoothie and also the coconut ube marble blend. Yum yum. read more

Boba Lab - Coconut Ube Marble @hybrideater - Desserts Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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