2.5 STARS kuma cafe is a small cafe serving quick bites and boba, conveniently located in downtown san rafael. even though it's in downtown san rafael, i've never had trouble finding street parking nearby. since you order on a tablet, there's not usually anyone behind the counter until the food comes out. it seems like there's only one person working, so it can sometimes take a bit for things to come out. i usually order online for a quicker pickup, although it's slightly more expensive. there are a few tables inside, but it's really a to-go place. - egg sandwich w/ salad (2.5/5): i love japanese egg sandwiches, so i really wanted to try this! the sandwich had a good kewpie mayo flavor, and it was slightly sweet. i enjoyed the flavor, but the sandwich was too wet and messy to eat. some of the mayo was dripping out of the sides. there were also small bits of tobiko and cabbage. it wasn't a big sandwich for the price, but it did come with a salad that was topped with a good sweet and creamy dressing - spicy tuna sandwich w/ chips (1/5): literally like canned tuna with some spicy seasoning, although it wasn't super spicy. it also had some thick slices of cucumber and red onion. the chips were kind of stale, and they tasted like they were supposed to be ruffles or lays salted chips. this was pretty disappointing, and i'm not sure why it cost that much - poke (2.5/5): pretty standard, and an okay portion for price. they offered all of the basic ingredients and different kinds of fish. my bowl didn't have a lot of fish in it, but they did give me a lot of tamago (sweet egg), which made up for the lack of protein. i ordered the soy house sauce, but it reminded me more of a bright ponzu. honestly, the ingredients didn't really taste the freshest, but i thought it was fine and the best food i tried here - jasmine rose milk tea (1.5/5): strong rose flavor! it was still pretty sweet at 50% sugar, and it got overwhelmingly sweet by the end. i usually finish drinks, even if i don't like them, but it was hard to finish - sando brown sugar milk tea (4/5): my favorite milky drink i tried! it had a pretty good black tea and chocolate malt flavor. i really liked the crunchy texture of the malt topping, although i think it could've used a little less malt and more drink. i thought this was very unique! - lychee dragon fruit (4/5): like a light lemonade! i didn't really taste the lychee. the dragon fruit flavor was subtle, but it was definitely there, especially at the end with all the dragon fruit bits. it came with lychee jelly, which made the drink pretty sweet - fizzy yuzu (4/5): literally a yuzu soda, which was tart and citrusy. it was a little too sour for me at first, but the yuzu flavor was great. i actually really liked the kiwi popping boba, which added some sweetness to the drink and curbed the tartness. the kiwi popping boba did taste like kiwi, and it was so unique! - momo peach iced matcha [seasonal] (1/5): the worst drink i tried... there was so much peach jam that it tasted super sweet, and the jam didn't even have a strong peach flavor. the amount of jam also made the drink extremely goopy, even after mixing, and i couldn't taste the matcha at all. i didn't finish this drink the boba here was inconsistent - sometimes it was soft and chewy, and other times, it was on the hard end. for the drinks that came with a topping, they didn't let me sub out the topping with something else. i would've had to pay for an additional topping in order to change it. overall, i'm not really a big fan of kuma cafe, but there aren't that many options in san rafael. compared to oddcha, i think kuma cafe offers more unique asian flavors, like dragon fruit or yuzu. when i'm working near downtown, i'll still stop by to get my boba fix but will head somewhere else for lunch. read more

Kuma Cafe - fizzy yuzu - Shaved Ice Near Me - San Rafael, California

Such a cute little shop! When you walk in, there's a self order touchscreen right by the entrance, which makes things super easy. The lady working there (an older woman) was just the sweetest. She greeted us with a big smile, welcomed us in, and even thanked us for stopping by. It really made the visit feel extra personal. We tried a few drinks: the Mango Fresh Milk with boba was light, refreshing, and not overly sweet which is perfect for a hot day. The Iced Matcha with boba was smooth and flavorful; I loved that it actually tasted like real matcha. I did ask for less ice, which oddly came with an extra 85 cent charge, but honestly, it was still worth it. My daughter got the Kuma Blue Cloud Raspberry, which was creamy, fun looking, and caffeine free! It's definitely a nice spot to grab a good drink and relax for a bit. The only downside is that they don't have a public restroom, which was a little inconvenient. Still, we'll definitely be back for more drinks and that friendly service! read more

See all

The quality of their honey boba was top tier! It was soft with the perfect amount of chew.. my bf and I were so surprised. We have yet to find a boba joint that perfected their tapioca besides Tpumps in SF. I was very disappointed in their strawberry iced matcha. I was expecting fresh strawberries (as shown in the picture on the menu) however it was made with strawberry purée.. and A LOT of it too which resulted in the drink becoming thick in consistency. Personally not the biggest fan of strawberry purée only because it can sometimes taste too artificial. If I had known it was not made with fresh strawberries, I'd skip on it. Besides that, I definitely would like to come back again and try something new! read more

Kuma Cafe - Strawberry Iced Matcha and Strawberry Kiwi Lime Tea - Shaved Ice Near Me - San Rafael, California

If there's one thing I am not it's this: an expert on Boba. So take this for what it is. I read other people's reviews of Boba drinks at Boba shops and feel they're written in some sort of language that I've never learned. I don't know what half the add-ins are nor do I have even an inkling of what flavor profiles would meld together well. Because one orders on a touch screen at Kuma Cafe I just opted for a fairly basic order of something like Thai Iced Tea with Boba. Others with me ordered different drinks. All three of us remarked that we had no idea what we were consuming but all of us liked what we consumed and wolfed down our drinks (which ran about $8 apiece in full). Kuma Cafe sits conveniently near the Rafael movie theatre and though they have a menu that has other things (poke bowls) it's the Boba drinks that would get me back in here. Note: Kuma itself has a broader profile on San Rafael's 4th Street, with Kuma Market and Shiro Kuma Sushi a few blocks west, also on 4th Street. read more

Fun menu to assemble your own poki bowl. I got a boba and for $10 just didn't love it. Honey bobas were fresh but actually just prefer standard boba and couldn't find it on the menu. read more

Kuma Cafe - Boba with americano - Shaved Ice Near Me - San Rafael, California

See all

Ordered a Classic Milk Tea with no sugar, no ice and red bean drink thru DoorDash. Menu item didn't say "Classic Milk tea with Boba" otherwise I would never ordered it because I Didn't want any boba. Drink came with 1/3 cup of boba. Very sweet. Disappointed, Tried to call the shop but no number to call and didn't have time to drop by the shop. Prolly won't order from here again. read more

Kuma Cafe - Shaved Ice Near Me - San Rafael, California

My boyfriend and I really wanted to like this place, but the boba was very overcooked and the cookie, although cute, was stale. This place lies right in the heart of downtown San Rafael and it was pretty easy to find parking. There were so many yummy choices to choose from and it was decorated so well. The service was so kind and helpful, especially with the questions about which drink to choose. I don't think we'll be coming back to get boba but we'll definitely their poke bowls next. read more

Kuma Cafe - Bear Chocolate Cookie - Shaved Ice Near Me - San Rafael, California

See all

First time here. The inside looks cute with a couple of tables and wall decor. Our order took a bit longer than expected, but the lady behind the counter (prob the only person working) was really nice. We tried their onigiri, and they were not bad, but not that great either. It was a bit pricey :/ read more

Kuma Cafe opened where Quickly's/Tuttimelon was. infrastructure similar. walls decorated with waves, logos, faux plants, menus...just a few tables.. 2 associates ready to take order. menu isn't transparent to lst time patrons. just picked a drink never drank. ordered. came out in 5ish minutes. offerings: poke bowl, iced coffee, snow shaved ice, special drinks, fruit drinks, hot drinks, organic hot tea, boba drinks, snacks. drink: lychee dragon fruit tea (L. 8.50) .50 surcharge for CC use under $10. -only description was lychee jelly -got less ice. sugar levels not adjustable. -drink is actually pretty tart, no sweetness. mystery of tartness origins. -lots of lychee jelly, 1 lychee fruit, no dragon fruit seen, just the seeds. -surmise pink color is from dragon fruit puree which is pricey. 4ish stars. lst time getting a fruit tea that wasn't overly sweet. ymmy. drips: -drinks very innovative, not typical of the main boba chains and indy's. little info beyond the name of what's in the drink. -pricey. may be worth it given the unique ingredients. -definitely a place to try something new if one if willing to pay for it. *menu isn't organized well, not all in one spot either, difficult to comprehend. menu assumes patron is familiar with boba drinks..... read more

See all

Very cool trendy place in Downtown San Rafael. Visiting from SoCal, and appreciate the variety of flavors/offerings that we see more often. Got their Honeycomb Coffee Latte which was truly special. The honeycomb topping has great texture and flavor. The cons were the price (quite high) and not able to adjust sweetness (this runs very sweet; I usually would want to get 50% sweetness). However it was fun to look at, taste, and savor- so overall greatly enjoyed it. We also tried their Earl Grey Tea 25% sweet which was nice. Their boba was also nice as well and not too sweet. They also offer Poke including multiple base options (of interest including soba noodles instead of rice), little ikura sushi-shaped cakes, and musubi. Overall a fun place to visit, try foods/drinks, as clearly the owners love what they do. Only reason why not a clear 5/5 is the price point and a good amount of drinks unable to change sweetness levels. But definitely would love to come back! read more

See all

Cute place and nice boba. My daughter loves the boba and poke bowl. We will come back next time read more

Kuma Cafe - Shaved Ice Near Me - San Rafael, California

This is my go to spot to get boba here in San Rafael. Ive tried several of their drinks and they are really good. Also the poke bowl I can customize it, tastes really good and fresh. I would recommend coming here if you like bubble tea. read more

My partner and I came here Sunday afternoon on our way back to the east bay. We were blessed with snagging parking out front and no line. I browsed the menu and asked what they recommended for non-caffeinated boba beverages. The staff recommended the taro milk tea. So I ordered that with regular ice and 75% sweet. I ordered their classic milk tea for my partner with light ice and regular sugar. The staff was friendly. The person at the register was getting training. I thought the person doing the training was a little harsh and wanted things done a very particular way. I get it, and it isn't quite my style. I had the drinks and was out of the shop in less than 8 minutes. The drinks were pretty and had some sort of syrup on the sides. My partner and I cracked into our drinks and they were SO SWEET. I suggest if you don't like super sweet things to go 25-50% sweet. I am glad I didn't get 100%. Luckily, my partner said it was the sugar kick they needed. The boba was also a bit on the mushy side, which isn't my thing, but I still enjoyed it. Overall, I don't find myself in SR very often and I am not sure I would go out of my way to visit again. However, in a pinch, I'd visit and get much less sweet drinks. read more

See all

Ambiance: 1/5 Interior is average Service: 1/5 Was below average, cashier was young and seemed bored. Food: 0/5 If you ever had good boba you probably would not even call these drinks boba tea. We got the Tiramisu Boba Iced Latte. The boba was powdery in the middle (very very under cooked) and the flavors were just so off. Basically undrinkable, we had to give up on trying to finish it, and tossed it after a couple sips. read more

The store is very colorful from the outside looking in! Nice to have a self ordering station or kiosk plus a real human human available to assist and take your order. read more

Kuma Cafe - Brown sugar tea and a seasonal coconut flavored tea bith in a small size. - Shaved Ice Near Me - San Rafael, California

Overpriced and unaccommodating - even though I selected 50% sweetness on the kiosk, it was extremely sweet, come to find the mix was premade and could not be adjusted and I would have to order another one since all sales were final.. read more

Quickly used to be in this location. That was one of my favorite spots in Marin and I'm sad do see it go. HOWEVER, Kuma os a more than worthy replacement. The coffee here is of high quality and interesting. I have had Ube and Sesame Lattes here which were very fun. It's a nice small spot to hang out for a few minutes before a movie or after dinner. The self-service kiosk is very responsive and your order will come out within a few minutes of ordering. A spot you should certainly keep on your radar. I have yet to try their food but it looks tasty. read more

Kuma Cafe - Hot Gomae Black Sesame Soy Latte - Shaved Ice Near Me - San Rafael, California

We swung by on a Sunday evening on our way home from work. We always like to treat ourselves by trying a new place when we're in the area, and Kuma had really great reviews. The area seems nice, street parking is meter parking. The exterior is super cute and we loved the design. When we walked in, there were a people inside, and a few tables you could sit at. Not really meant for large groups, as the seating is a table with two chairs. We ordered: - Daijo fresh milk - Sando Brown sugar - Mango cheesecake croiffle Daijo fresh milk 3/5 This is a purple Yam based drink with brown sugar boba and cheesecake cream. My drink came to me leaking and with a hole! It spilled everywhere, but that isn't why it's a 3/5 stars. Maybe my standards are super high, but the only thing exceptional about this drink is the cheesecake cream. Once I was able to transfer the drink to another cup, the purple yam paste stuck to the bottom in a clump. Once mixed, the purple yam flavor was underwhelming, and the boba is soft but 0 brown sugar flavor or sweetness. Simply to put it... it was bland. The thing is, I eat a pretty bland diet already and all my friends think my diet is super bland. If I think it's bland, that says something. A few weeks ago I had Bopomofo cafe's Taro milk tea and I was blown away by how good it was. I guess they set the bar really high. Sando brown sugar 2/5 This drink is based off of Milo, which both me and my friend grew up with in SE Asia. We were pretty eager to try this, but the Mili flavor was underwhelming. We both agreed that they didn't put enough. We essentially paid $7 for a watered down Milo milk with boba. Which you can definitely make at home for much cheaper if you just buy a container of Milo. Also, the boba here was also bland with no brown sugar taste. Croiffle with mango cheesecake 4/5 If anything saved the day, this did. It'a a mini waffle, the size of your palm, which is unfortunate how a $6.59 waffle is so small. My friend and I cute it up and we each had three bites. The mango and cheesecake cream goes well together. We wanted to try it because we had a really tasty Croiffle in Barcelona two years ago. We still prefer that one, but this one wasn't terrible. It was crunchy on the edges which I give them props for that. Overall, we'd skip over coming here next time. There logo and shop is super cute, but the drinks were quite underwhelming. All in all, we spent $23 for two drinks and a croiffle. read more

See all

Top marks for boba in the area. So far we've tried their coconut boba and their brown sugar boba and both were delicious. For my teen boba fan, Kuma ranks above the other big spot for boba locally. While we haven't tried their poke or other food items, I can attest to solid and dessert-level sweet boba drinks at this location hitting the spot, served up with a cute teddy bear mascot. read more

Kuma Cafe - Shaved Ice Near Me - San Rafael, California

So my little sister goes to get boba at Kuma cafe and they charged her 11 dollars for ONE drink. She asks for light ice and they charged an extra dollar. First of all the drink isn't even big for that amount of money. But also not to mention the drinks aren't even that good. They also have the cups be taller so you get the illusion that it's bigger. But it's not. If you want good boba that isn't as expensive as that bs go to Oddcha down the street. read more

I like the boba tea. Service is good and the drink is ok. Quicklies was better but this store took over. read more

Kuma Cafe - Shaved Ice Near Me - San Rafael, California

I've gone here only once and it was pretty good but sometimes they don't have what I like

The most expensive dessert drink I've ever paid for but it was worth every penny! The store is super cute with lots of Instagram-able photo ops. I ordered a Coconut Taro Ube Affogato, large size, no agar, with oat milk - the total came out to be over $10!! I was the only customer in the store and it took almost 10 minutes for the drink to be made. But once I tasted it, the wait and price was completely justified. The espresso shot mixed with the oat milk, silky ube and creamy coconut ice cream was just the perfect combination. I was mind blown at how good each sip was. Each flavor was very distinct if you focused on it. Even after I was on my last few sips, it kept its creaminess and did not taste any more diluted than when I first got it. I'm so sad I was only visiting the area and can't come back regularly, but I will definitely be back for this drink the next time I'm in San Rafael! read more

Kuma Cafe - coconut taro ube affogato - Shaved Ice Near Me - San Rafael, California

Yay for another boba spot in San Rafael! Came in on a thursday afternoon and it was really slow so we didn't have to wait very long. The service is good and they have indoor seating. Got the sando brown sugar drink with boba and 100% sweetness. It wasn't the best and it's just fresh milk and milo on top with some brown sugar so it just tasted like watered down chocolate milk. The boba is too soft because it is over cooked and it wasn't sweet. The other drinks my friend purchased was the hojicha and the fresh milk brown sugar and they weren't the greatest either. The fresh milk brown sugar and the sando brown sugar are the same thing with just milo added to the sando one lol. Had really high expectations because I've heard so many good things about this place and it is a soft opening so it was upsetting that it wasn't as good as I expected. Maybe I got the wrong drink but it was pretty expensive for boba so we'll see if I try it again. read more

See all

Great location, cute store and fun drinks. We have enjoyed everything we have purchased. Extra happy when they have Spam Musubi :)

Cute boba spot in a cute area! I got the coconut ube affogato and my husband got the tiramisu, and we got our son a little teddy bear banana bread. -Coconut ube affogato (added boba) was yummy! I loved the added coconut chips which gave a nice crunch. -Tiramisu was also really good! It came with lady fingers (I think that's what they're called?) on top of the drink -teddy bear banana bread was so cute! I stole a bite out of it and it was pleasantly moist and reminded me of home made banana bread Service was super friendly and quick! read more

See all

My review is based on a compilation of comments from my daughters and I. One daughter had a boba and very quickly said that Sharetea was better - not sure why but she's the boba expert. My other daughter had a Thai icea tea boba which she enjoyed. Unfortunately, she was not impressed by her poke bowl: teri chicken and shrimp with many other things. I'm not a poke bowl expert. This was my first one ever. I got the noodles with teri chicken and tofu and a great variety of veggies. It was tasty, but didn't really excite me. The flavors were good but didn't pop. I really liked the woman who owns this place. I wish I could give it more than 3 stars. read more

Kuma Cafe - Base: noodles Proteins: teri chicken and tofu - Shaved Ice Near Me - San Rafael, California

See all

Cute little boba spot that also has poke bowls. I finally decided to check it out and so far so good. I got a medium sized poke bowl and it was $16. It was so bomb! I'll definitely have to try out their drinks the next time i pop in. The wait was a bit longer than i wouldve liked BUT it was only one person working so i was patient. read more

Kuma Cafe - Medium Poke bowl with cooked shrimp and imitation crab - Shaved Ice Near Me - San Rafael, California

Terrible service. Unhelpful staff. Won't help with ordering. Makes you order on a device which doesn't have the choices to make. Would never return. read more

Great spot in the San Rafael area for boba and snack items. They had something for everyone, even my husband who isn't big on tea.

Pretty good boba. The staff is so sweet but be patient they have it set up so they don't really have to interact with people so you order at the machine, wait and then they'll call out you drink read more

This a great spot in San Rafael if you're looking for boba or other more creative drinks. The mango shaved ice is amazing! I was underwhelmed by the melon version though. They have all kinds of interesting specialty drinks which is really the only reason I'd visit. It's too pricey and too slow (way too slow) for just regular boba teas. read more

KumaCafe' new and one of its kind in Marin. I've stopped in on a few occasions. Have tasted their coconut-taro-ube Bingsu creamy but snow refreshing. Lychee-Dragonfruit drink fruity, fresh and clean. Today, the iced Honeycomb Latte. Perfect balance of deep rich coffee with a perfect milky froth and topped with light-airy and crispy honeycomb topping. Soft Boba sugar pearls and jelly bits just because, too. Yummmmmmmy! While waiting for my order. Observed quite a few Poke bowls being ordered as well. Will have to try. Highly recommend. Kind and courteous service all around. read more

See all

The Japanese pizza (okonomiyaki) was sooooo good! The base had the texture and consistency of a scallion pancake and I asked for the veggie pizza so they baked some veggies into the batter. They topped it with at least two sauces, one seemed like a type of mayo and the other a sweet sauce (it reminded me a bit of unagi sauce). As a finish, they added some bonito flakes . I ordered the honeycomb latte which was incredibly creamy, sweet, and they actually add these little cake pieces (for lack of a better word) on top of your drink that are made to look like honeycombs! Every time I come into this spot I leave so happy. I didn't order it but it looked like they even had onigiri which I'll have to come back and try sometime! read more

Ordered the Coconut Taro UBE Affogato. Service was friendly and prompt. Drink was very delicious. Would go back and try a different drink. read more

I wish I could give this place more stars! It's super cute, with fun signage and a clear menu and really tasteful and fun decor inside. Nice tables and chairs. I was hopeful because the menu seemed to feature some creative and higher quality drinks. But the Thai tea and boba I had was lackluster and lacked flavor (my "benchmark" drink to test at new boba places) and the boba was super weirdly...chewy and soft? Took forever to chew it. Maybe their other offerings are better, but the drink itself gets a solid 3 stars for being...just consumable. Great location though. And note that the bathroom is for employees only; no public restroom which is a bummer! read more

I'm so glad that marin finally has a decent boba spot (trust me, I've tried the other spots and I've been unable to finish their drinks bc of the tea flavor being off or the boba being too gross). The flavors at Kuma cafe are creative and delicious. I will say, their boba is always a little over cooked; however, I wonder if this is due to low traffic so the boba is sitting there longer than expected? Also, I wish they had a regular jasmine milk tea, not only jasmine rose. But, I'm still so happy this shop is here and whenever I have a boba craving I don't have to go all the way to SF/East Bay now! read more

Kuma Cafe - Shaved Ice Near Me - San Rafael, California

So cute and very well decorated. Ordered the honeycomb coffee Latte and it was perfect. So much to choose from. Quick and friendly service. Definitely will be back to try others. Highly recommended. read more

Kuma Cafe - Shaved Ice Near Me - San Rafael, California

See all

I stopped by here with some friends for bubble tea before heading home to San Francisco. The store wasn't busy and our drinks were prepared in very little time! I ordered the Passion Fruit Drink with came with popping bubbles... it was deliciously tart & tropical, without any artificial taste. Boba pearls were freshly prepared. They have a pretty extensive menu here so seems like there is probably something for everyone. Would definitely come here again next time I'm in Marin! read more

Kuma Cafe - Passion Fruit Yakult with popping bubbles - Shaved Ice Near Me - San Rafael, California

My favorite place to get a decadent dessert drink in San Rafael when I'm too lazy to head into Berkeley or SF for my boba fix. My favorite drink here is the purple yam milk drink! It's really creamy and has a good sweetness level (non-adjustable). Also I appreciate that it's not caffeinated. This a new business and they are just starting out, but a few things I feel like would help them take their business to the next level: 1) The few times I've been here the boba is a bit too overcooked, with no bounciness or chew. 2) It takes some patience and extra time to wait for your drink to be made. There is usually only one person making the drinks and taking orders. 3) The prices are STEEP. A small size drink is around 7 dollars +. If you like to add toppings and/or alternative milks it can cost up to 9 to 10 dollars for a small size drink. Overall I still enjoy coming to this place and feel happy there is a new boba place in Marin!! The drinks themselves are pretty good, and I love their cute bear mascot. read more

Kuma Cafe - Cute logo! - Shaved Ice Near Me - San Rafael, California

See all