I used to rave about this place to everybody I know that loves boba until recently! I came here (this being like my fifth time here) hoping to get the same previous experience I rated so highly and was really disappointed. On two occasions when I was both sampling the boba slush and pouring some milk tea into my cup, TWO FLIES were inside the mix! I know that this probably isn't the case all the time but I was so turned off and couldn't help but think what would've happened if I didn't look into the little cup and took a sip. This place offers great tasting drinks and a fun concept but I'm starting to wonder if they've stopped maintaining their cleanliness!! read more

Cute little DIY self-serve boba shop. Open relatively late, especially given COVID times. Not the best teas or flavors (they're kind of reminiscent of Tapioca Express or Quickly's) but so fun, and the staff are very friendly! There are so many teas and toppings to choose from, it's like a Yogurtland for milk tea. Indoor seating is available, but with COVID precautions like distanced tables, and even gloves to use. I got a traditional "large" amount (16 oz I think?) of jasmine milk tea and mixed some earl grey in there for fun, because why not? Pretty solid flavor combination. Didn't get any toppings because I wasn't feeling it that day, but if I find myself back in the area, I'll give it a shot. read more

Boba Up is a great concept where you build your own boba. With plenty of options and no additional charges for the more toppings you put in, there's a lot to like about Boba Up, especially if you have a sweet tooth. While one the Ave I decided to check out Boba Up on a Monday and the place wasn't too busy, with only a few people building their own boba. Immediately after I entered the friendly employee at the front counter, which is where you pay, informed me of how Boba Up works, or I could order one of their specialty drinks, which they will make in the kitchen. Before making a decision I was able to sample any of the drinks and toppings. I ended up ordering a Taro Oreo Slush, which is one of their specialty drinks from the kitchen. The Taro Oreo Slush was taro, Oreo, boba and had cheese foam, so it had a lot of goodies! Overall, I did like the drink; however, it was sweeter than what I'm used to. But there's something about how all the toppings included in this drink work well with the blended taro flavor. I would get it again when I'm craving something sweet. I do like Boba Up for its concept, where people can make their own drink to their liking. But with that said, most of the sample drinks I tried were on the sweeter side since it's all pre-made. I usually get zero sweetness in my boba drinks, but I would come back to Boba Up for a dessert! Dessert is supposed to be sweet, right? Boba up! read more

Boba Up - Build Your Own Boba - Bubble Tea Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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What an AMAZING concept that truly delivers on taste! It's a build your own (and sample as you go) spot that has all the flavors and toppings you could want. I literally sampled everything cause let's be honest I get the same tried and true boba every time. Here I got to expand my taste buds and try flavors I wouldn't otherwise have! Honeydew, matcha, passionfruit, every flavor was delicious! Funny enough I still ended up with my traditional brown sugar boba with pearls. But what a fantastic experience, we need more of these in NorCal! read more

Boba Up - Bubble Tea Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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I am d boba fanatic! Absolutely enjoy boba drinks. I accidentally came across this spot with family & it didn't disappoint. Before you do anything you must pay for a cup. They have split cups, small, regular & jumbo. I got small & immediately regretted the decision. Once you pay for your cup you can proceed to creating your own boba drink. I should add that they give you a glove which I really liked. The toppings station has variety but I stuck to the basic- Tapioca. It was super soft & perfectly sweeten for my taste. They have sample cups to try the drinks & the toppings. You can obviously serve as much or as little toppings as you wish. I sampled all the fruit teas & liked them. They were definitely on the sweeter side. I also tried the milk teas & I was sold. It was a hard choice but I ended up with Thai Milk Tea. But Rose Milk tea came in close. It has a cute taste. Hehe. Once you create your boba drink you take it back to the counter where they will add the seal. We sat & enjoyed several rounds of jenga. The vibe is definitely chill. The only downside is that it seemed like they didnt have AC & due to the volume of customers it got a little to warm. They did have a fan running but did little to nothing. All that to stay stop by it wont disappoint. read more

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First time here; super interesting and plenty of choices to choose from! I tried the honeydew flavor which was delicious :) The workers were nice as well. read more

Boba Up - Honeydew flavor - Bubble Tea Near Me - Seattle, Washington

We were in the area, and seeing all the gatherings from outside decided to stop by this place. Parking is not easily available. The cafe is on a street with other good eats around. Nice place to come to. The cafe has a unique concept which I havent seen before. So you go to the cashier and select which size cup you want or if you prefer a drink made by the staff. I would suggest that you go for the one were you have to make it yourself. After that you go to the opposite side of the cashier, they have small taster cups available, in which you can try the toppings and the variety of drinks available. Pour the boba of your liking. And the drink of your choice. It was a fun experience but very crowded. We had regular boba with taro drink. Honestly I have had better taro boba but the experience in it all was fun. Do come and give it a try. They do have other snack item as well. But today it was crazy crowded. So we just got our drink & where on our way out. read more

Boba Up - Taro Milk with Boba - Bubble Tea Near Me - Seattle, Washington

This place is really fun because you can make your own boba and there are sooo many possibilities. You can mix up and add however many toppings you want, from boba to pudding to jellies. Next, for the drinks, I always have a fun time experimenting with weird combos haha. There are milk teas, fruit teas/plain teas, and slushes/smoothies. I particularly think the yakult smoothie goes well with a lot of things. I also came here during the UW Boba Day event and they had split cups so double the experimentatioN! I guess my main issue with this place is that you cannot adjust the sugar level so the drinks all tend to be a bit too sweet, and it's not really a place to come if you want to savor a single flavor or tea. read more

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By far one of my new favorites! It's about time somebody thought of this. I am so very excited to have a new bubble tea spot to take friends. If you haven't been here, make sure you start! It's a self serve bubble tea facility, you're able to sample/mix flavors as if it were a frozen yogurt type deal. The staff is kind! The spot is clean! I am a fan for life. Consider this as a evening hang out spot, a place to bring new friends who are not familiar with the area, or a good date night girls night boys night spot! Try and keep an eye on the new flavors they rotate! read more

Boba Up - Bubble Tea Near Me - Seattle, Washington

This place is pretty unique in which you can self serve your own boba tea. They have a large selection of different milk tea drinks and toppings that you can add. After you pay for your drink you receive a cup and you can go crazy on how you choose to customize it to your liking. One thing for me was that the boba was a bit too soft for my liking but other than that it was decent drink. I had the brown sugar milk tea with boba & lychee jelly toppings which was good. I like that this place is open until midnight which is nice if your craving a late night treat or something to do. read more

Boba Up - Bubble Tea Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Boba is always good when you get to a little make-your-own twist! I really enjoyed the bubble tea I drank at Boba Up. They make you create your own tea with choosing the toppings, tea flavor, ice level, everything. I got the Taro milk tea with popping boba - always my favorite. boba places usually don't have popping boba pearls so i was really excited when they had it! It's a pretty unique experience to make your own boba drink and I'd definitely recommend going to Boba Up! read more

Boba Up - Bubble Tea Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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I am back in Seattle and went to Boba Up recently. Safe to say I had a great experience and once again, what is there not to like? Boba Up is also one of the few if not the only boba place on the Ave open past 10PM so if you want boba late at night this is the place to go. I had the Taro slush and it was very good. Tapioca pearls were of good quality, almost as good as the ones I stirred when I used to run the kitchen at KFT. Funny guy outside is still there and the vibes are still good. I will be back. read more

Boba Up - Bubble Tea Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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The concept of self serve boba is so fun and fresh, so I had to come! I saw it was open till 2AM so I had to make a stop in the middle of the night. Entering the building, it was a nice atmosphere with several collegiate-aged people. The staff was super sweet and helpful as my jaw- dropped by boba tea heaven. Prices are the best I've seen. However, you get what you pay for. The drinks are pretty average and it was disappointing to see the boba was not warm and perfect, which is also ironic because the name is "Boba Up". Although the drinks are average, I can see myself coming back because of the amazing prices and atmosphere. read more

Boba Up - Some of the tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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After breakfast we decided we need dessert. There's a lot of options on the Ave but this was one of the few that was open this early so we decided to check it out. The concept is actually interesting, you first pay for the size of cup you want, then you can grab toppings, then ice then tea then sugar/syrup and then they will seal the cup for you. The price is very reasonable, comparable to other bubble tea places. You also get to sample the teas so you know what they taste like. I ended up getting a regular size cup, filled it with aloe, pudding, boba, lychee jelly, mango jelly and grass jelly and then black milk tea. It turned out really good! Some of the teas are on the sweeter side while some have no added sugar. But either way, there's a sugar station you can add more sugar if you want to. They also have a couple of food options here like popcorn chicken, etc. Overall, it's not the best bubble tea you will have, but the concept is just fun and you can be creative that o would come back when I'm in the area. read more

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Loved it here. Not only was the 2 staff members absolutely lovely but i really enjoyed the self serve options to mix and go however i pleased. I did some combo of mango/peach/tea with mixed boba. Place seemed nice and clean too read more

Boba Up - Bubble Tea Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Great place for bubble tea, such a fun idea to be able to choose and mix your own drink. And they have one of the best fried chicken. read more

Boba Up - Make your own bubble tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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A fun, self serve boba place! I never even knew that self serve boba was a thing, until I read about this place. The staff were so nice and allowed us to try as many flavors of tea and toppings as we wanted. They have milk teas (black, thai, rose, taro, hokkaido, etc), fruit teas (peach, melon, etc), and slushees (matcha, taro, etc) to pick from. It is also unlimited toppings (since you serve yourself!) and there is everything including tapioca, popping boba, pudding, lychee jelly, grass jelly, etc. I got a Hokkaido milk tea with lychee jelly, pudding, and tapioca pearls. The tapioca pearls have a pretty good texture! I wasn't a huge fan of the pudding though. A regular sized drink came out to $6 including tax and tip. I'll definitely be back here! read more

Two words: DIY BOBA! There is no shortage of bubble tea in the U-District and Boba Up's unique be-your-own-bobarista business is a welcomed addition. The model is simple: customers buy one of two cup sizes from the counter upon entering, walk in a counter clockwise line to fill said cup with toppings and drinks, hand the cup to staff at the end of the line to seal, and voila! It's a lot like building your own froyo, and I'm honestly surprised that this is the first bubble tea store of its kind to come around. To start, the selection of flavors is pretty impressive. There are 8 types of toppings and 23 types of drinks to choose from. Toppings include classics like grass jelly and fruit jellies, while drinks range anywhere from the OG milk tea to strawberry slush. If boba-making isn't your thing, you'll also have specialty drinks and savory snacks available for order. Now, while I appreciate the freedom to go cRaZeE and create whatever drink my heart desires with as many toppings as I want (!!!), there are a few things that keep me from giving Boba Up a higher rating: 1) For those who are more particular about sugar levels, the majority of their drinks are all 75% sweet. This was a bummer for me as I like my drinks to be less sweet, and watering my milk tea down with the three sugar free teas that were available did not taste v good. 2) In regards to the set up, I was def confused about the direction of the 'flow' when we first walked in. Some more signage about the process and the ingredients would be nice. 3) The toppings are all uncovered and that set off some germaphobe alarms for me. Also got me wondering how often toppings and drinks are refreshed/switched out. Still, I enjoyed my experience and I'll definitely be back to try my hand at boba making again. This is a really fun and unique business and I hope it continues to get better. read more

Boba Up - Something for everybody! - Bubble Tea Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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I like how you can make your own boba and put your own toppings, mix your own flavors etc. I ordered the spicy chicken with rice. It was alright but for the price and amount they gave us a little over priced. Everything closes early but at least this place stays open late. read more

Boba Up - Bubble Tea Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Cool self-serve boba shop in U District. Once you enter, select your size and pay at the register on the right. Prices were cheaper than I had expected (~$4 for a small). Then, sample away to your heart's desire until finally filling your cup with whatever you want. There were a lot of milk tea and slush flavors to choose from in addition to toppings. I gotta say the popping balls were truly poppin' and I probably filled half my cup with those and mango jellies. The last step is to hand your cup over to the staff who will seal it for you and give you a straw so you can enjoy your fully customized boba. My only complaint would be that the base drinks by themselves are wayyy too sugary. I think they should start out with less sugar so then people who want more sweetness can then just add it themselves. read more

Boba Up - Taro milk tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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BobaUp just opened up on the Ave today. It was hopping with people. It is unique because it is 100% self-service. It's $3.95 for a small (16oz) and $4.95 for a regular (20oz). You can also order a speciality drink (taro oreo slush, rainbow drink, passion fruit, and lime refresher) for $5.25. They also have serve food like yam fries and potstickers. After you pay, the cashier gives you a plastic cup to fill with your toppings and flavors. You can mix and match them and add your desired about of ice. Toppings include: boba, taro bits, grass jelly, lychee jelly, egg pudding, popping boba, fresh milk, and rainbow jelly. Flavors include: Plain tea (green, black, oolong), Milk tea (green, black, oolong, honeydew, taro, chocolate, strawberry, brown sugar), and Slushes (matcha, iced coffee, lychee/passion fruit, and mango(?)). Once you've finished filling your cup up,the employee at the end of the counter seals the cup and gives you a plastic straw. Bobaup's main draw is obviously the ability to choose your flavors and amount of toppings/ice. However, you are NOT able to adjust the SUGAR LEVELS. I admit, I prefer 0%-25% sugar level when I order drinks at other bubble tea chains, but even my friends who order regular sweetness levels admitted the sweetness levels were over the tops (100%+ sweetness). I wish they would offer unsweetened teas and the ability to adjust sugar levels. I sampled my share of flavors, and got a coffee slushee with boba and fresh milk. It reminded me of a coffee frappucinno and was the least sweet of the drinks I sampled. Another plus is that similar to a frozen yogurt place, they have condiment cups so you can sample different flavors. Personally, I don't think I will come back because of the inability to adjust sugar levels. However, service, cleanliness, and the overall atmosphere make it a great place to hang out with friends. It's definitely a good place to try just for the experience, but if you are looking for quality bubble tea, I would look elsewhere on The Ave. read more

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Awesome place to customize your favorite bubble tea. You choose your cup size to pay upfront, then you can add boba tapioca, grass jelly, etc to the cup. The last is to choose your drink (all sorts of milk tea, green tea, oolong, and various slush. You being the cup to the counter to seal it with plastic film to enjoy it! read more

Boba Up - Drink Station - Bubble Tea Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Neat new boba shop on the Ave with a self-serve build-your-own boba idea. They have many different flavors of milk teas, straight up teas, and slushes as well as toppings. You just buy a certain size of drink and you can put whatever/all you want in there! They also have sample cups for you to try the different options. Out of the ones I tried, I enjoyed the taro milk tea and thai tea the most. Their lychee jelly was also excellent. Bubbles were good. Pudding was not as flavorful as I had hoped. I was worried that the tea would be too sweet since it's premixed already but it was just right! Priced very reasonably at about $4-5, this is a novel concept and fun place to try so many different tea options. read more

Boba Up - Bubble Tea Near Me - Seattle, Washington

The only self serve boba place that I know of in Seattle. There's a good selection of at least ten to choose from. I really liked the rose milk tea with real petals. My friend wanted something less sweet so she chose the wintermelon and Thai tea. There's also toppings to choose from such as aloe, lychee, green apple and boba. You can add more simple syrup to the boba tea however, I don't like that you can't make the tea less sweet without diluting it with water. Also, there's no sneezeguards. read more

Boba Up - Bubble Tea Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Hmm... Boba Up has a great concept, but their boba leaves a lot to be desired. Pros: -You get to customize your drinks, with unlimited toppings! -Prices were reasonable considering the unlimited toppings. We paid less than we normally do for boba at our usual places. -Service was great. Our cashier was fantastic at explaining everything to us, and he let us know that there were sample cups to try everything we added to our self-served concoction. -Pudding and grass jelly toppings were good. -The brown sugar milk tea was very creamy. -Plenty of seating. -Snack options if you're hungry. -Extended hours. Cons: -The boba was terrible. No flavor and way too soggy. This is the reason why I'm giving 2 stars, since it is a boba shop after all. I only had a couple mouthfuls of boba until I decided it wasn't worth the calorie intake and tried to avoid the toppings altogether. -Street parking: good luck. Overall, this place is worth giving a shot. I'm hopeful that they will improve since they are still new. MILK+T in Los Angeles has a similar concept and figured out a way to nail their boba/toppings, so it's definitely possible for self-serve boba to be just as good as competing boba shops. However, for the time being, Boba Up won't come to mind first if I'm craving boba. read more

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This is my first yelp review and I am compelled to do one about my family's favorite boba place - Boba Up. We had just moved to Seattle in 2018 and later that year, my wife saw this DIY boba place on Yelp. Already I knew that I was going to love it. When it comes to boba beverages, I'm more into the toppings - the boba, the grass jelly, the pudding, etc. Whenever I get boba milk tea from other places, I always wish there would be more boba in it. So the concept of DIY Boba is genius and totally appeals to me. And being able to sample the different drinks is great. Coming from the Bay Area, this reminded me of Yogurtland. Customizable to my liking! Since the first day we went to Boba Up, we would go at least once a week. Whenever we hosted our friends & family from out of town, we'd bring them here. It's on our list of top things to enjoy here. Not only do we love making and drinking our own boba drinks, we love the environment inside. It's nice to get together with friends and enjoy a good time together here. As a campus minister for a Christian fellowship here at UW, I've met up with students here and have even brought the whole group. Before the pandemic, I met with my men's small group here every week. We tried meeting at another boba place but that place was just too quiet and it didn't seem like a place to talk. Boba Up was the place where we had awesome engaging discussions. It didn't take long before my family became friends with the owner and his family. When I thought about bringing my fellowship group here for the first time, I talked with him over the phone. He was very helpful and more than accommodating. Since then, it's always nice to see him and say hello whenever we're there. We're so grateful that Boba Up is here and has stayed opened during this pandemic. We love Boba Up. read more

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Love the variety of flavors at this spot! We ordered takeout and it was ready pretty quickly. You get to choose two toppings from a lot of different options. read more

Boba Up - Bubble Tea Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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A great spot in the U-District. The staff are friendly and helpful. There is a wide variety of options available for toppings such as strawberry boba and jelly. Also, there is a wide range of drink options from milk tea, slushi, and tea. As for the food, it's pretty good and reasonably priced. The combo was filling and tasty as well as the wontons. Definitely will be back! read more

Boba Up - Wonton - Bubble Tea Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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I would recommend coming here for the experience! I came from out of town and was visiting the street next to the university, which had SO many cute shops. We stopped here first to get boba. When you first go in, you can order the size of cup that you want, and then you can sample the 20+ teas and the toppings all you want. Then you can wreck whatever chaos you want into your cup and regret that you didn't get a well tested combination of teas . I specially liked their iced matcha slushee mix, And got it together with boba and pudding. Overall, it's a very fun time if you've never done it before and I'd highly recommend coming if you've never had self serve boba. read more

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Personally did not think highly of this place as most people said that it's just a fun place to check out since you can make the drinks yourself and customize it more than other boba places. I thought the concept was cool and interesting, however the flavors and choices they had did not seem as freshly made and rich tea flavor as I expected. Would say this is a good place to go if you are wanting a sweet drink and pay for what you get. read more

This was the first time I have ever seen a self-serve boba shop. Definitely a very intriguing concept and I like it. First you pay and the front desk and you're given your cup & your own gloves which I liked. First you start by putting in boba, jelly, etc into your cup. I got the taro slush and to my surprise it was just the right amount of sweetness. Typically at other boba places, the taro slush drink is way too sweet and I have to request 70% sugar but this was one just right & it didn't have the burnt taro taste either. After you fill up your cup, you bring it to the counter and they seal it up for you. Def recommend this place! read more

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A super fun place! It was bound to happen someone was bound to make a self serve boba place lol! They have so many flavors of both milk tea and the slush! Very decent prices! You get to choose how much tapioca and other jelly's you want in your drink and then pick as many flavors you want! I mean who doesn't love that! Street parking! Right next to some fabulous food spots but we opted for the popcorn chicken and fries right where we were! Loved the popcorn chicken and the fries! Came in a nice recyclable container! I think it was air fried or convection. Did not seem deep fried. There was no grease!! Service was fantastic and very friendly! Explained what you might need explained !! I've been asking Q to go back already! read more

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This self serve boba place provided a very unique experience. I had lots of fun scooping my own toppings and sampling tea, all for a reasonable price. Though I was a fan of the milk teas here, I really like the fruit teas. The boba pearls was soft and chewy and flavorful. The toppings were limited but they have a good selection. The fruit teas were extremely sweet, so I was a little disappointed that we couldn't alter the sugar levels. However, this could be fixed by adding more ice to your drink. I also mixed two fruit teas, the mango passionfruit and the honeydew lemon and got a unique and delicious flavor. They also provide split cups, which I haven't used myself yet, but it's great for sharing or indecisive people! Overall, greatly recommend if you have some time on your hands to come in and make yourself a drink! read more

Boba Up - Bubble Tea Near Me - Seattle, Washington

This was close the the college campus so it was packed with students and had that playful vibe. First buy your cup to self serve. I gave up sugary drinks for my new years resolution but still wanted boba. So they had two options with no caffeine or sugar. I got green tea with boba and some other toppings. Love that this places closes late! There are lots of tables to sit and play some board games with friends/family. read more

Boba Up - Bubble Tea Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Ordered from grub hub late at night as they were the only place open in the area and I was craving for boba . I was super satisfied that I ordered again the next day . Ordered a lot this time three different kinds of teas waffle and fried chicken . Everything was really authentic and reminded me of Taiwan . The chicken was really good . I got the original and it tasted perfect even when it was grub hub . read more

Boba Up - Grub hub order from boba up - Bubble Tea Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Boba Up is a game changer among the excessive amount of boba stores on the Ave. Self serve is a great concept. I love sampling new flavors and adjusting the sweetness levels. Get creative, folks! 1 liter cup for $5.99 is so cheap comparing to other boba places. Bubble waffle is yummy (though they take a long time to make). Staff are always so friendly. Bathrooms sparkling clean. And the location!!! So close to west campus. The only reason I'm not giving it 5 star is because HeyTea remains the only 5 star boba place on earth. read more

Boba Up - "Hi can I get a regula-" "She's gonna have a jumbo, please" And y'all, that's how he became my boyfriend - Bubble Tea Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Love going here with friends!! Have gone several times and they have a virtual punch card through clover that you can use for free to get free drinks. They have implemented gloves for their safety precautions and have social distancing measures in place. There's a huge set of games that you can play if you happen to sit in which is super fun (Jenga especially)! Definitely recommend as a must-go-to boba shop! read more

Boba Up - Self Serve Boba - Bubble Tea Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Tasty boba! I love how you're able to completely customize your drink. After you pay at the counter and they hand you an empty cup, you can build your drink with whatever teas, slushes, and toppings you want. You can also keep ice to a minimize to maximize your volume for everything else. Once you're done, you head back to the counter, and they seal your drink for you. Only downside is that you can't really control the sweetness level, and their teas and slushes are on the sweeter side. They have a few specialty drinks, but I recommend making your own and having fun with it! read more

Boba Up - Strawberry Slush with Ice Cream and Lychee Jelly (specialty drink) - Bubble Tea Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Cool concept of having to DIY your own boba according to your taste preferences. The toppings and drinks were very tasty and it was smart to have the option of making the milk tea sweeter at the syrup station. In addition to our boba, we also ordered their combo of fries and popcorn chicken. We thought it was just okay, chicken didn't seem the most fresh; hence, a knockoff for one star. Overall, our experience was great! We had a blast and enjoyed their adorable designs as well. read more

Unique and fun way to get your Boba shop Get a cup. Get your fix ins. Get your ice. Get your milk tea of slushee. Friendly crew and also place. First time and I'll be back. One thing to know: you add sugar sweetner towards the end. read more

Boba Up - Self serve boba bar. How cool is that? - Bubble Tea Near Me - Seattle, Washington