DaBoba? More like DaCustard! Wanting a little sweet treat, I stopped into Daboba for a Roasted Brown Sugar Pearl Milk Tea. I initially attempted to order at the kiosk, only to discover doing so comes with a 3% fee vs. ordering with a human. It's not about the nickels, it's the principle of the thing! I instead placed my order with the clerk - less ice, less sweet. Though it wasn't very busy at the time, the drink came out relatively fast. The service overall was friendly, too! Now, about this beverage... if I'd asked for a "surprise me," I'd be happier. This is because on its own, it was respectable and unique in its custard-like consistency. However, given that I'd ordered a milk tea, where neither the appropriate consistency nor tea notes made an appearance, my happiness and satisfaction levels go down. To give some credit, the beverage I received wasn't too sweet, and had a slight velvety mouthfeel. It was unique and interesting, unlike anything I had ever had before. Final verdict: there is no shortage of boba tea shops around, especially in Chinatown. If you're going to do something different, power to you. However, don't say you sell one thing, and sell another. read more

Daboba - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I had the Purple Rice Yogurt and the Honey Golden Pearl Green Milk Tea. The yogurt was super good--full of that rich purple rice flavor with a nice natural sweetness. The golden pearls in the milk tea were soft and had a great chew. Didn't have to wait long at all--service was quick and efficient. The shop's pretty spacious, though there aren't many seats. It's got a fun vibe with lots of cool Asian-inspired decor. Definitely a spot I'd come back to. read more

Daboba - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Roasted Milk Tea: 10/10. Vietnamese Coffee: 7/10. Not as sweet as I would like. I switched out the coffee jelly with honey boba which I liked. Service: 10/10. 2 Self serve kiosks or you can order at counter Ambiance: 10/10 Really cute looking place. Good photo ops as well as couches and tables where you can sit down and charge your phone. We waited here while waiting to get seated at a restaurant and time passed by fast. read more

Daboba - Roasted Milk Tea and Vietnamese Coffee - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

It's located on the second floor. The place is super cute as is the drinks with the teddy bear lids and it makes me giggle when it's juxtaposed next to its very serious bear that is part of their logo. It was very clean and spacious feeling. I loved the flower backdrop that is great for taking photos. The boba was delicious! I recommend ordering at the counter as opposed to ordering via the kiosk as it seemed like your drink was made faster that way. It also gave me the opportunity to ask for more information about the drinks which helped me decide to get the brown sugar taro bubble tea with both honey and brown sugar boba. read more

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This is one of my favorite boba spots in Chinatown. They have very extensive menu, with lots of choices, from brown sugar teas to milk teas and smoothies. Also lots of boba and fruit jelly add on options. Ample seating as well read more

Daboba - Brown sugar milk tea (right) and traditional milk tea (left) - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I greatly enjoyed the Kiwi Green Boba Tea. The staff were friendly and the atmosphere was cool.

No complaints with Daboba! It's a newer spot on the upper level inside of Chinatown, so there's less of a crowd. The inside is super spacious and well decorated, and there are some tables as well as a bathroom. They also have a touchpad ordering system. I got a hot boba and my only qualm was the paper straw and too small a hole!! haha read more

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Came here after lunch in Chinatown and there was no line. I ordered the brown sugar pearl taro milk and it came out in 5 minutes. It was good; I just couldn't really taste the taro flavor and it tasted more like a brown sugar milk tea. The boba was okay; it was chewy but wasn't soaked in anything so it tasted pretty bland. Might come back to try another drink but wasn't a huge fan of this one. read more

Daboba - Brown sugar pearl taro milk tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

First time here and was very impressed.. workers were friendly, store was cute & clean, and my drink (roasted brown sugar fresh milk tea) was excellent! I would definitely come back the next time I come back to Chinatown. read more

Daboba - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Located on the second level of the Chinatown Square Plaza, it can be challenging to locate at first, but I luckily stumbled upon it and decided to give it a try. I got their Roasted Brown Sugar Pearl Fresh Milk and it was good, not too sweet and a good amount of pearls that are cooked perfectly with a nice chewy/bouncy texture. The cap on the cup is also cool, it's shaped like a bear. I think it's on the pricier side of boba in Chinatown, being $8.76 for their top seller. read more

Daboba - Roasted Brown sugar pearl fresh milk - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Daboba is upstairs in Chinatown Square Plaza. After lunch at QXY, we walked over as I was really intrigued by golden boba. I ordered the Honey Golden Pearl Green Milk Tea at 50% sweetness. Unfortunately, it was overall a bit of a let down. It was really artificial and floral tasting -- like those packets of fake honey. While the milk tea itself was decent (good strong tea and flavor), it was tainted by the weird floral-ness of the boba. I'd be willing to come back to try some other beverages as they have quite an expansive menu like their roasted series, yogurt series and cheese series. The place is incredibly clean and lots of instagram spots (walls, decor, etc.) read more

[ DRINK ] Taste tested the classic jasmine green milk tea with boba since it is my first time at Daboba. More on the creamy side but you can still taste the jasmine tea. The boba was fat and chewy. Overall this passes and it's pretty good honestly. [ SERVICE ] Standard. [ PLACE ] It's kind of hidden on the top floor of the Chinatown Plaza. The interior is very nice, modern, and cozy. Great place to spend time with friends and kill time. [ VERDICT ] Overall, Daboba is a solid choice and you can't go wrong with this place. I've only tried 3 other boba places in Chicago and this is the best one so far. read more

Daboba - Jasmine Green Milk Tea with Boba - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We tried two drinks and here's my take: Kumquat Lemon Seasons Tea: This drink is quite refreshing and enjoyable. However, I would recommend getting it with 50% sugar instead of the default. This will probably help the tea flavor stand out more. Cheese Green Tea: While the tea seemed to be of good quality, I found myself wishing the tea flavor was a bit stronger. I got it with 50% sweetness, but I think 75% or even 100% sugar would enhance the taste. The cheese foam was light and complemented the drink well. Overall, both drinks were good but needs stronger tea flavor. read more

Daboba - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Adorable place and bustling but we got our drinks super fast. The flavor was everything and you can get multiple types of popping boba in one drink I got mango and passion fruit in the mango slushie drink and I was in heaven. You can choose the level of sweetness as well which is always a plus. There are so many great flavors add ins and mixtures you can do! I will definitely be back! Def my favorite boba spot in Chinatown! read more

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Ordered a couple drinks here and one of them the staff somehow forgot to put the boba it. How that happened I don't know but then instead of just taking the seal off adding the boba the resealing it they gave me the boba on the side. I would understand doing that if there is a rush and you do not have the time to redo the drink but there was no one else waiting for their drink. So this is getting a 3/5 stars because while it was good, there is also seating and a restroom but I shouldn't have to fix my beverage. read more

Daboba - Brown sugar pearl matcha - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The most excellent boba tea I've had in the U.S. I had already given up on getting authentic boba tea when I walked in here on a whim. In one week, I've returned thrice and never had a bad drink. The Jasmine milk tea was my favorite, the Thai tea was sweeter, and the avocado one with mango boba was different but way better than any smoothie. I love this place so much I would be here every single day! read more

TLDR; Roasted Brown Sugar drinks are great, creamy and sweet Kumquat High Mountain Tea at 75% sweet tasted like 100% sweet , will opt for 50% sweet next time (along with their other fruit drinks) -------- 2nd floor of the Chinatown eateries strip mall Self-order kiosk + ordering with cashier is available Bathroom is available for customers Good amount of tables~ typically seats just 4 Regular and Large size cups are available Roasted Brown Sugar drinks are great, creamy and sweet - really enjoyed this drink when I tried it in Houston, TX Kumquat High Mountain Tea was really good and refreshing but realized over time their 75% sweet actually tasted like 100% sweet so will try to opt for 50% sweet next time for their fruit teas Will be back so I can try their Roasted Brown Sugar Matchaaa read more

Daboba - Kumquat Lemon High Mountain Tea ~ 16oz - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We got the gold pearl green milk tea. Looks like everyone's favorite at this place. It was good. Pretty solid. Comparable to good boba places outside of Chicago. The drink was good, balanced flavor and not too sweet. The boba balls was soft and chewy. Delicious. The place is located on the 2nd floor, so it may not get as much foot traffic as downstairs. But the place is big with lots of seats and decor is nice. Staff was nice and fast. read more

Daboba - gold pearl green milk tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Very cute spot in Chinatown to take a break at and enjoy some delicious drinks. They have tons of options that you can't really go wrong with. I tried the taro milk tea with brown sugar boba which was the perfect level of sweetness. Personally i found the amount of boba to be a bit too much but otherwise still really good. I'd recommend stopping by if you're in the area! read more

Daboba - Taro milk tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My new favorite boba spot! I have been craving purple rice yogurt ever since I first tried it years ago in another city. I think this is the first place I've found in the Chicagoland area that does this drink. It's very unique, and I love the texture of the rice in the drink. The purple rice yogurt drink is probably my favorite drink from here. I get it at 75% sweetness. I would recommend this drink if you want to venture out from the typical milk tea and you like more tart-tasting drinks. The yogurt is a bit sour and creamy. It's an interesting taste. I also recommend their green milk tea with golden boba. Any of the drinks I've had with golden boba are great. I have also tried the mango yogurt drink. It was ok. I don't think the mango was very sweet. Service is decent. You can order at the counter with a cashier or at the kiosk by the door. The ambiance is nice. The decor is very colorful and vibrant. They have neon signs, some cute plushies on their couches, and other nice backdrops for pictures. It can get busy and loud during peak times, so it's not a great place to study if you need it to be quiet, but it's a great place to catch up with friends! read more

Daboba - Mango yogurt IG: @mealswithmarina - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The menu is limited compared to the other boba shops in the same area; however! What they have is unique and they do it well! I got the Brown sugar pearl fresh milk boba that is advertised as highly sold. It did not disappoint. The milk was creamy and just thick enough (not a watery milk but not a cream thickness) and the brown sugar flavor mixed so nicely. It was almost a nutty sweetness. This is coming from someone who doesn't like milk. I will be returning to try their other options that seem to be unique to their store. The bear is also a nice touch! read more

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Just reviewing oolong and jasmine milk tea. Solid drinks! Good balance of creaminess and tea flavor. Jasmine tea was notably fragrant. I want to go back and get less sugar on the oolong milk tea to enjoy it more. Boba was cooked to perfect consistency. Service was timely. I like the wide space and ample seating. The cute plushies are a plus to the ambiance. read more

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Like the Boba. Self-serviced Kiosk or personnel. It had an average amount of people. read more

Daboba - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Daboba is such a cute boba shop. Very pleasing to the eye. The matcha brown sugar and oolong are some of our faves. Definitely worth trying on your next trip to Chinatown! read more

Where there is boba there I am! My friend brought me to Chicago's China town and we stopped here while walking for some boba. It was packed however we did not have to wait too long. The service was friendly and fast. They have an array of options and for boba they are adequately priced. Maybe it was the time of day we went but it was load so this would not be a great place to study. Seating was also minimal. Parking terrible! read more

Daboba - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

3.5/5 I really want to like this place. It had so many great aspects, but came up short on arguably the most important part. The place is comfy and nice to stay at and do work in. They have free wifi which is really fast! Restrooms are available for paying customers. It's upstairs which adds a bit to the ambiance. Sadly the boba I got was hard to drink. It might be this one batch of tea, but it had a rather strong sour aftertaste. I ended up not being able to finish it. I do want to try some other drinks and see if that was just a one-off, especially because I would love to work there more often! read more

Daboba - Honey Boba Green Tea Milk Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I got the honey golden pearl tea per a friend's recommendation and it was tasty - though a little bit too milky and not enough tea for my taste. The pearls had a good texture which is big for me. For the interior, the space is very open and had cute decor. It seems like a great place to study or work. Not much to say on the service as I had limited interactions with the staff but no complaints thus far. read more

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10/10 for the chewy and fresh boba. The boba was not hard nor was it over cooked. They keep it in a warmer so it's fresh all day for customers! My drink was complicated and I appreciate the employee for trying her best to make it right and remade it to make sure it was right. The interior is super cute with the bright lights and lanterns on the ceilings. Not many tables to sit but there are a few for gathering with friends. read more

Daboba - Oolong tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The service was fast and the area was super clean, im glad we went here :) I recommend this, I think (I didn't try other bobba places so maybe it wasn't the best, but to me, it was read more

Daboba - Kiwi tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I always order my favorite passion fruit tea and did not disappoint. The service was okay and the place was the best i get to see pictures of my BTS oppas, I am ARMY and I always go there to look what they sell. read more

Daboba - Passion fruit tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Came here last night with my fiancé! It was our first time and we absolutely loved it! The space is so cute! There are fun pictures on the walls, pretty flowers through the space, and they had the cutest pillows on the couches. We took our order and our drinks were made really quick as well! We were able to sit at a table and thought the milk teas were delicious!! I had the one with oolong in it and they honey bubbles and it was the perfect amount of tea taste! There are quite a few boba places throughout Chinatown, but I think this is a must try!! read more

Daboba - I had the honey boba oolong milk tea (on the right) and my fiancé hade the coco milk tea (on the left). - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place is so cute and has such a wide selection of boba drinks. It's so hard to pick a drink every time we come. You can order at the counter or if you need time to peruse you can order at a touchscreen. Either way you won't be disappointed stopping in and grabbing a boba because it's yummy and adorable to hang out in. Even if you stay to drink whatever you order, it's a nice relaxing place to sit and chill or catch up with a friend. I keep coming back every time I'm in town. And you should too! read more

Daboba - Roasted brown sugar boba milk tea, roasted brown sugar boba taro milk tea and a butterfly pea tea lemonade - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Out of all the boba places in Chinatown Square this has to be the most aesthetic. Love all the cute lighting, decor, and plushies. Service was quick and we tried the Sparkling Night and the Honey Golden Pearl Roasted Oolong Milk Tea. Personally wasn't a fan of the Sparkling Night but the other one was pretty good! Wasn't too sweet and can never go wrong with honey golden pearls. Also the drinks in the picture are the same size. read more

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It's on the 2nd floor across from Joy Yee. There were a few vendors inside selling BTS and accessories. Had the Mango black tea with Mango popping and boba and oolong pearl milk tea with coffee jelly. You don't get to choose the sugar level, but it wasn't too sweet where it hurts your teeth. Overall it was delicious. read more

Daboba - 2nd floor across from Joy Yee - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Perfect to order. I got 25% sugar, and it was just perfect. Boba was soft and chewy, and the black tea was made just right. The decor is cute and cozy. It was perfect for enjoying tea and downtime. read more

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My girls were itching for some boba. This was one close by so we popped in. They had a fruit tea with mango boba. To my surprise, it was not super sweet and actually something I would consider. My experience in other places is that this is beyond sweet even at 50%. I normally go with milk tea but I wasn't in the mood. I would definitely like to come back and try it though based on what the girls ordered. read more

Talk about the cutest Boba place ever!! Very instagram friendly! Between the flower wallpaper, the couch with squishies and the LED lights this place was so cute!! I got the avo-yogurt boba and liked it. Cant wait to be back! read more

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Came here multiple times and it never disappoint. Love their purple rice yogurt drink that's what y boyfriend always order, there is different kind of drink from milk tea, fruit tea, slushy to frappe. The best part is that their drinks are dairy free, you can request dairy. People are nice and there are tables for you to sit and enjoy the drink. Would come back and recommend family and friend. read more

Daboba - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I was super excited to try Daboba for the first time and I was not disappointed! The shop is super spacious with lots of seating with lots of Insta worthy corners. I recommend their golden pearl milk tea! (It's delicious and not too sweet) the bear lids are also very unique and cute! I can't wait to try more flavors! read more

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Had a little fun night with family for my sisters birthday in December. We usually go to Joyee but my cousin told us to about this place and my nieces and nephews loved it. It's very nice and aesthetic. The servers were really nice as well. I got the brown sugar roasted matcha or something like that, and now I'm in love lol. It was so good. And I never liked boba but it was really good paired with the drink. My nieces and nephews loved their drinks. One got a cookies and cream slushie and the other a strawberry yogurt and they couldn't get enough. Definitely recommend this place :) read more

Daboba - Brown sugar roasted matcha - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois