EDIT: Honestly, my coworker and I can't stop thinking about this place (we talk about it every day), so I wanted to upgrade my review to be more specific about their boba. We talked to the owner of the shop for awhile and here are just some things I want to mention.
1) The two owners, who are wife and husband, travelled for 4 months around Asia, including Japan and Taiwan, so they can find the highest quality tea supplier. For tea lovers, their milk tea is going to feel like heaven. Unlike many other boba shops that hinder the true taste of tea by putting too much sweetener, bobateaque reduces the amount of sweetener so you can actually taste the quality of the tea they use. If you normally get 50% sugar level anywhere else, get 75% here.
2) Their boba is so fresh. They don't keep the boba warm to prevent spoilage like other boba shops do. They keep the boba in room temperature like they're supposed to be and throw out any leftovers within a few hours. As a result, the boba is perfectly chewy and fresh AF. Also, they give you so much. For the first time in my life, I couldn't finish all the boba because it was too much. Not complaining though.
3) They use whole milk. Okay so I like to think I'm a health freak (at least at home) so I usually avoid whole milk, but oh my goodness, their milk tea is so worth that extra calorie. I don't know if it's really the whole milk they use or the way they make it, but their milk tea just tastes FRESH and the texture is oh so satisfying. It has the density of a true milk tea.
4) There aren't many boba shops that make boba or milk tea the traditional way. What does this mean? I don't know, I'm not an expert at making boba. But when I saw the owner whipping up my milk tea, he was doing some 10/10 bartender tricks, mixing and blending in ways I've never seen before at any other boba shops.
What did I order?
I ordered the popular Black milk tea thinking that the green milk tea won't be good according to one of the reviews. It blew my mind, but my coworker who lives close by and is starting to go every week said the green milk tea is even better. I don't even live in OC, but for this boba, I'm planning to go every month. My friends think I'm crazy but San Gabriel boba will never be enough for me anymore.
OLD REVIEW that was written in a hurry:
I happened to be eating pho in the plaza next door and craved boba afterwards. First thing I noticed is that the service is really good!! The guy working there is super nice and advised me on what sugar level I should get. I didn't expect too much from the boba but wow I love it. The boba is perfectly chewy and sweet and the whole milk makes a world difference to the milk tea taste. Give this place a try! read more