Sydney J.

I decided to give this a try while in Castro Valley since I've never been to Goolu before, and I do tend to like lime. I ordered the pineapple lime tea, less sugar less ice. It was $8.50 before tip, which is very steep even with today's rising boba prices. They also have orchid oolong tea and a guava and peach flavor which I want to try next time, as well as selling hojicha and matcha. You can sign up for rewards at the ordering kiosk. It's sour and acidic but still sweet; I do wish in hindsight I'd asked for the lime to be removed, which is part of the drink customization settings, because the lime really overpowered it and it's harder to make out the pineapple. It had a rigid cup though, seems to be decent enough quality to reuse the cup. Overall, the drink was decent, but I took off a star because of how pricey it was. Still, I appreciate the premise of all the drinks containing lime and that they have some less common drink flavors.

Surge C.

After reading great reviews about this place, my husband and I decided to try it out today. He ordered the guava and peach lime drink with brown sugar boba and I ordered the rice mochi matcha latte drink. We also got the chocolate mochi donut and pistachio matcha mochi donut. While we had high hopes, everything we ordered was awful. The brown sugar boba was so soft that it was already falling apart with the first sip. The guava and peach lime drink tasted more like syrup than juice. My rice mochi matcha latte was disgusting - no flavor whatsoever and the mochi was so thick that it was hard to enjoy the drink itself. Despite getting two different flavored mochi donuts, they tasted identical - just like sugar frosting and dough. Not only did everything taste unpleasant , but it was also pricey. Should've stuck to Boba Bliss across the street.

Danae L.

A very unique tea shop. I've had their strawberry, guava, orchid oolong, and jasmine coconut. I'd say orchid oolong is my favorite amongst these BUT all are good in their own way.

Stephanie H.

Goolu tea has a distinct citrus flavor! I really enjoyed the refreshing taste, especially with the tea added in. I ordered the strawberry and lime flavor, and it reminded me of ginger in a way. The tea flavor was very strong, and I also enjoyed the bits of strawberry throughout the drink. Staff were also super friendly when ordering!

Mabel H.

So unique! I love their name. Goolu Goolu is the sound pronunciation of chugging a yummy drink to quench your thirst; might be a Mandarin Chinese thing since I grew up hearing this. Their store is located in the massive plaza near Castro Valley BART station. What makes them stand out is their lime tea! They're tactfully made to ace the flavor profile, and I've enjoyed every drink I've ordered so far. Not brave enough yet to get the Hand Squeezed Lime Drink ($6.50). My sister first told me about this place, and she dropped off a Phoenix Lime Tea ($8) for me that was refreshing and not as sour as I expected from a drink with a lime ingredient :P It came in a tall, sturdy plastic cup that I reused a couple times for iced coffee at home. Phoenix Dan Cong Oolong Milk Tea with Lime Cream Cold Foam ($8): Shoot that's good. I already love oolong milk tea, and the addition of creamy lime was smooth! Not too tart and didn't ruin the taste. It came in a smaller size cup and I was sad about less drink :( Durian Smoothie with Sticky Rice ($12.50): I hate that I love durian, and it's hard to find durian drinks. Because look at that price tag!! In this economy!! I also hate that I loved it. The durian was potent (not iced down) and the sticky rice was warm, didn't harden too quickly from the cold smoothie. Gosh darn it. Durian Lime Tea ($12.50): Comes with coconut noodles as a topping! Excellent combo as well with durian bits. Can opt to have lime slices in your drink or not. Can also hear the staff hand-pounding the limes for the juice! They have 2 ordering screens, and I've seen someone order at the register as well. I like the big screen that displays orders in progress and completed ones. They have WiFi and indoor/outdoor seating if you want to work from there. I saw a lot of students flooding in during after school hours. Boba is so competitive these days and I love their drinks, so please come so they'll stay open LOL I'm curious about the Rice Mochi Milk Tea ($8) and Mango Coconut Matcha ($8.50). Thank god they're a bit of a far drive, otherwise I would have a monthly Goolu budget.

Sabrina C.

I came in around noon on Tuesday and the place was fairly empty. I ordered on the kiosk with ease. I got a jasmine coconut lime tea with less sweet and it was super refreshing and not too sweet! They crush their ice by hand , which is nice to see :) They have plenty of seats, outlets, and WiFi. This is a good place to catch up with friends and Work if you have noise canceling headphones!

Kim l.

I was excited when I saw a place that specializes in citrus tea. The cups are pretty big. Drinks approx $7-9. We ordered: Tangerine lime: 5/5 with extra lime this was very good. I got it less sweet but it was still a bit sweet but had a nice citrus tart taste. Oolong lime: good oolong flavor. Guava lime: daughter liked it but had a gritty texture. Passionfruit lime: good tart taste

Loren P.

It was an unseasonably warm spring weekend, and I was looking for a different boba spot that didn't just serve the usual drinks. Goolu Tea came up during my search and I was immediately drawn to their lime teas. Goolu Tea is right off Redwood Rd, across the parking lot from Peet's. Upon entering, the AC was blasting and the smell of limes strongly greeted us. There are kiosks to order from. The tiny shop was pretty busy, given the heat wave, but we managed to find a table to sit down at, since I had some photo editing to do. I went with the guava and peach lime tea, while my husband went with the phoenix lime tea. It didn't take too long for our drinks to be made, considering the staff were very busy processing fresh limes and brewing tea. I was instantly enamored with the cups our drinks came in! They were sturdy and quite well made. Definitely cups that I brought home to wash and reuse. The little tabs on the lids were genius. If you wanted to seal your drink, you simply moved the tab over to cover the straw hole. Goolu was the absolute best choice for that afternoon. It was refreshingly delicious and so satisfying. I had no idea mine came with a jelly, so that was a nice surprise. The lime flavor was prominent and so different from anything I've had. I wish they would open more locations elsewhere, because this is definitely something I'd see myself coming back to often. Since we strictly came for the lime teas, I can't speak for the other items Goolu has to offer. But I will say that I for sure will be back the next time we are in the area. What a unique little spot! If lime-flavored drinks are right up your alley, you will definitely love Goolu Tea.

Maggie W.

After having hand-smashed fruit tea in China, I have been looking for somewhere in the US that has it too. Goolu Tea answered that quest! I ordered the pineapple lime tea and added peach jelly to it. The peach jelly flavor is just rich, doesn't taste artificial, and complements the tea flavor well. The fruit tea itself is wonderfully flavored: pineapple and lime complement each other so well! The drink comes in a thick plastic cup -- so I will be reusing this for cold drinks at home. Service was super quick (although the store was empty when I went at a very off hour on the weekend). The inside has ample seating with green-themed seats/deco. It's located in a plaza so parking is pretty easy! I will definitely be adding this place into my rotation for post-Lake Chabot refreshments

Tiffany S.

I've been dying for a hand smashed lime after coming back to the US and goolu hits the spot. They always use fresh fruit and every lime drink hits. Chinese matcha is lighter than Japanese matcha, which pairs great with the fruit! The mochi drinks add a fun texture while drinking. The interior is a chill spot and they've had a local artist sell super reasonably priced cat crafts! The workers are all super nice and helpful. Service can be slow if there's a lot of orders so be nice! Every drink is hand made :)

Ann T.

One of the stops for my NorCal boba pilgrimage for places that don't exist in SoCal. I was a bit deterred by seeing the default pic for the business being this super long line coming out of the business and all the way out of the parking lot, but it's been awhile since they open and we went later on a Friday night, so the hype has died down a bit. It's attached to a much larger plaza, so parking is readily available. You can order ahead from pick up or you can order from their kiosk there. They text you when your drink is ready and they have mochi donuts there too. There's a couple of tables and seats inside but when we went almost all of them were occupied (some people enjoying their drinks, a lot of people waiting). Restroom door was locked the entire wait I was there so either someone was blasting their guts out or maybe it was out of order. I've noticed a lot of Chinese chains work like a human machine with the staff quickly pumping out drinks, but this one seems to have a bit more personality? I think it's the Polaroids of the staff and the funny pictures of staff on the TV. Love the Poke'mon spread picture random staff! The ONLY hand smashed citrus species tea place in SoCal closed (RIP), so I was surprised that they had this Chinese chain here. Definitely had to try. There's lots of unique drinks on the menu and it takes some time for the drinks to come out because they do hand smash them here. And when I sent the picture of my drink to the group chat, was informed that the style of the cups are similar to what they use for lime drinks in China, nice. I got their Strawberry Lime Tea with Hawthorn Sauce, 2 familiar flavors and 1 slightly more unique one. I got this with less sugar (don't want it too sweet but also don't want it too tart) and with less ice. You can also ask for no lime in the cup if you're saving it for later and don't want the potential bitterness from the peel. I got it with the lime inside so I can smash it more for flavor. Drink comes with the actual fruit inside and with pulp, so grab a bigger straw to enjoy some vitamin C and other fruit goodness. Very refreshing and is a perfect balance of slightly tart, sharp lime taste, and sweetness of the strawberry and hawthorn. Yummy in the winter, I'm sure super refreshing in the summer. Would love to visit again.

Carson M.

I was excited to try their drinks after seeing a few videos on TikTok, but it was a bit disappointing. I do think they have the potential to be 4+ stars (maybe other drinks?), but the drinks my wife and I got were just ok. Two kiosks inside were easy to use and order from. Small tables to sit but I'd say it's more of a to go spot. Mango coconut matcha - got it less sweet and less ice. Couldn't really taste the matcha that much, and did get a hint of coconut. The drink itself looked good. I think what really ruined the drink was the mango. It was very tart and not really sweet at all. The tartness overpowered everything else. Matcha jasmine - not a strong matcha taste on this either. Better than the mango coconut matcha though. Not sure I'd return when Boba Bliss is right across the street.

Helen L.

You order through a kisok and wait for your name to be called. I got the golden turtle lime tea with regular sweet and less ice. The drink was super refreshing! Not sure what golden turtle tea is, but the tea flavor was prominent. The lime was also super fragrant as well! They also have this challenge where if you can balance a quater on a lime in water, you get a free drink. It's harder than it looks, but fun to try.