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I got B1. Purple kow milk tea, which was decent. It seemed a bit watered down, but the flavor was okay. I thought the half sweetness level was perfect. The regular size (what I got) is really big, and there's even a large size, which is absolutely massive. It did take kind of long for my drink to be made, even though there weren't a lot of people.
My fav boba place in berk! I've been coming here even before they moved to this location and it's still been consistently a go to place for me. I always get their toffee QQ milk tea, 25% sweet, less ice. The balance of texture with the boba and brown sugar jelly / crystal boba goes so well together, along with the milk tea not being too sweet. Their drinks tend to run on the sweeter side for me so keep that in mind when adjusting your sweetness level. My friends who prefer sweeter drinks usually get 75%. Their regular milk tea and passion fruit green tea is also good. Their grass jelly also has great flavor. ALSO you can choose oat milk over organic milk for no extra charge, which is a plus. Their snacks? Also top tier. Their garlic fries, sweet potato fries, and fried zucchini are my favs. They always come out hot and crispy, with the perfect texture. There's limited seating and some outlets around the tables. You can also order ahead on Snackpass.
I love purple kow. I've been going to the university location for years but they closed and opened a location in Channing. The drinks are consistently good. You can't go wrong with their milk teas, fruit teas, specialty milk drinks. I will say I miss their stamp card system. They had the best reward. Nonetheless, my fave boba. They are very generous with the amount of boba they include in a drink.
I'm so glad that Purple Kow is still around! The last time I came was about 7 years ago and when I came this time around, it looked completely different! I asked the cashier if they had changed locations and she confirmed my suspicions, they moved from Shattuck to this new location about a year ago! The location is very bright and there were a couple tables and chairs to hang out and chill with friends. Boba wise, I ordered D4, the iced milk drink with boba and grass jelly. It tasted as delicious as I remembered it! I asked for 0 sugar and it's still sweet. I wonder what kind of milk they use! The grass jelly is perfect and the boba is soft. The cup size is still pretty funny. If only parking was easier, I would come more often. But the boba is absolutely delicious!
Purple Kow is one of my go to places when the other boba spots close at 9pm or when I'm craving their specific drinks. You get a HUGE cup with boba for way cheaper than a lot of places around. Last night I stopped in for my favorites- their V-DAY STRAWBERRY MILK and TOBANGO WINGS W/ FRIES COMBO!!!! So good every time. The staff who work here are so sweet. I love hopping around all the boba spots in berkeley because they each have good things about them. Purple Kow is for sure in my rotation.
I realized my review is 5 years old! I still love Purple Kow so much, and I'll always go out of my way to go there, if I can. I think they moved since my last review and are a bit harder to find - there isn't a great sign out front - it is also hard to park on the street, so best to order and pick it up. Even with all this it is still completely worth it! Same great quality tea, and they're always nice - They even called us once when we ordered online to make sure we had the right location. The new location is more fancy than the old but I haven't spent much time in the store/seating. Recommend more than every boba place, ever - however you have to keep in mind I only ever get the one pineapple green tea drink --
If you haven't been to this location before, be warned that there isn't a ton of street parking directly next to the store, but there is a parking garage within walking distance that has 1 hour free parking! The interior isn't huge, but you can definitely go in to sit down with a couple of friends! We only came for the drinks (D3 & B2). The service was quick as well. I generally try to go by the rule that if you've never had a drink before at a new place, you should always get 100% to try the drink how it was intended to be made. That being said, we got the B2 with green milk tea & 80% sweetness but didn't really feel like the flavor was super strong... I definitely feel like I should have gotten a 100%! There was A TON of boba in there, which was half appreciated but also it was so difficult to try the drink on its own! We also got the D3 with 100%( Milk with Caramel, Boba + Pudding). The caramel definitely makes this feel like it's 200% sweetness, so you could totally tone down the sweetness for this drink. Other than that, the boba was nice and chewy, a little smaller than usual though!
Off Channing street, New location to me as only make a trip to berkley once in a blue moon. Today daughter was craving purple kow, we Used to frequent SF & SJ when we in town. The signature drinks are the D series & the pudding was really tasty in the milk teas. Pop corn chicken is always a hit as they are really chunky chicken pieces. Say that 5x. Parked in a parking lot $4 an hour with first hour free otherwise limited street parking.
Salt and Pepper Chicken: 5 stars for this because the chicken nuggets are big and juicy and you get a lot of them. Definitely enough to share with friends as a snack. They should be called Spicy nuggets though as they definitely taste more like they have Spivey flavoring vs "salt and pepper." I would get the chicken again, it was tasty and a good value. My roasted oolong milk tea with aloe was alright... I'll probably try something else next time as I think it just wasn't my preference. My friend's drink was really good. Don't remember what it was. The cup is annoying to hold. Service: The person working told us there was no WiFi but we saw there was a WiFi and were able to sign on no problem... Ambiance: loud as heck!! Spend a little over an hour doing some computer work in here and it sounded like a college cafeteria with the kids constantly coming in and out and talking loudly. Definitely a place to hangout and not necessarily to work but there is WiFi and one bathroom decently clean.
This Purple Kow location is closer to where most of the other boba spots are in Berkeley and in the area where most of the students hang out in. Parking is a bit hit or miss here, as everyone is always doubled parked, but they are located on a quieter street, so there is usually some parking right in the front of the shop. Not much service - I ordered ahead on the app and sat inside waiting for my drink and even though they finished making it, the time for the drink being done was not updated and my drink was just sitting on the back counter. I ordered the Purple Kow Green Milk Tea with boba and grass jelly. The milk tea tasted a bit off like the milk tasted a bit funny like it did not go well with the drink and it also tasted a bit lukewarm, even though I ordered it cold (there was no % option for ice, only either cold or hot). I feel like I only go here because I like how big the cups are, but the milk tea is just eh.
I was surprised to hear Purple Kow had moved to Telegraph! It's one of my favorite boba places to go to in Berkeley because their drink size is huge compared to other shops so you get more bang for your buck. We had the peach green tea and mango green tea, both were yummy and full of flavor. This location is a lot smaller than their old one understandably, so keep in mind there's only around six tables inside. The only thing was service was very slow, we waited around 15-20 minutes for our drink to be finished on a Saturday afternoon. Otherwise, I recommend Purple Kow if you're looking to get boba in Berkeley (which seems to be everywhere).
Purple Kow is one of my favorite boba shops in Berkeley. Their milk tea is consistent and are served in large cups! Some may say this is inconvenient to hold, but I personally don't mind it. My go-to order is their Twins QQ Jelly Drink, which has milk tea, grass jelly, and pudding. I usually like to taste the flavor of the tea, so 50% sweetness always works for me. Overall, solid spot for boba. They recently changed their location to be closer to Telegraph, which makes it more convenient for UC Berkeley students to stop by. The new location is very spacious and is definitely an upgrade from their old location. The service is quick as usual!
2 months ago
crazy.... the most chill weekend back in the yay area but not complete w/o Purple Kow - @eatingwithricardo read more
Parking can be rough! There's a restroom. I got the Purple Kow Black Milk Tea with boba. Drink was pretty quickly prepared. I do like the tea flavor and I got it 0% sweet so I love how it came. The boba has the subtle sweetness and was a good texture. The staff taking my order was nice. read more
Pretty solid spot for milk tea and quick bites! Their chicken is well seasoned and crispy as are the fries. I usually get a D6 (fresh milk series) with no boba no sugar and it's good and super refreshing every time. I have also tried their fruit tea drinks and their thai tea and they're all really solid options as well. It's also a good place to catch up with friends or study and grab a quick bite but space might fill up quick since there isnt too much seating. Service was really good and really quick too! My only real problem was parking since it is in downtown Berkeley but the area is full of lots of students and people so the walk is nice if you park a few blocks down. read more
1 month ago
I got B1. Purple kow milk tea, which was decent. It seemed a bit watered down, but the flavor was okay. I thought the half sweetness level was perfect. The regular size (what I got) is really big, and there's even a large size, which is absolutely massive. It did take kind of long for my drink to be made, even though there weren't a lot of people. read more
My fav boba place in berk! I've been coming here even before they moved to this location and it's still been consistently a go to place for me. I always get their toffee QQ milk tea, 25% sweet, less ice. The balance of texture with the boba and brown sugar jelly / crystal boba goes so well together, along with the milk tea not being too sweet. Their drinks tend to run on the sweeter side for me so keep that in mind when adjusting your sweetness level. My friends who prefer sweeter drinks usually get 75%. Their regular milk tea and passion fruit green tea is also good. Their grass jelly also has great flavor. ALSO you can choose oat milk over organic milk for no extra charge, which is a plus. Their snacks? Also top tier. Their garlic fries, sweet potato fries, and fried zucchini are my favs. They always come out hot and crispy, with the perfect texture. There's limited seating and some outlets around the tables. You can also order ahead on Snackpass. read more
I love purple kow. I've been going to the university location for years but they closed and opened a location in Channing. The drinks are consistently good. You can't go wrong with their milk teas, fruit teas, specialty milk drinks. I will say I miss their stamp card system. They had the best reward. Nonetheless, my fave boba. They are very generous with the amount of boba they include in a drink. read more
I'm so glad that Purple Kow is still around! The last time I came was about 7 years ago and when I came this time around, it looked completely different! I asked the cashier if they had changed locations and she confirmed my suspicions, they moved from Shattuck to this new location about a year ago! The location is very bright and there were a couple tables and chairs to hang out and chill with friends. Boba wise, I ordered D4, the iced milk drink with boba and grass jelly. It tasted as delicious as I remembered it! I asked for 0 sugar and it's still sweet. I wonder what kind of milk they use! The grass jelly is perfect and the boba is soft. The cup size is still pretty funny. If only parking was easier, I would come more often. But the boba is absolutely delicious! read more
10 months ago
Purple Kow is one of my go to places when the other boba spots close at 9pm or when I'm craving their specific drinks. You get a HUGE cup with boba for way cheaper than a lot of places around. Last night I stopped in for my favorites- their V-DAY STRAWBERRY MILK and TOBANGO WINGS W/ FRIES COMBO!!!! So good every time. The staff who work here are so sweet. I love hopping around all the boba spots in berkeley because they each have good things about them. Purple Kow is for sure in my rotation. read more
5 months ago
Great service by the ladies that took my order and made my drinks today! Very kind and helpful thank you read more
2 years ago
I realized my review is 5 years old! I still love Purple Kow so much, and I'll always go out of my way to go there, if I can. I think they moved since my last review and are a bit harder to find - there isn't a great sign out front - it is also hard to park on the street, so best to order and pick it up. Even with all this it is still completely worth it! Same great quality tea, and they're always nice - They even called us once when we ordered online to make sure we had the right location. The new location is more fancy than the old but I haven't spent much time in the store/seating. Recommend more than every boba place, ever - however you have to keep in mind I only ever get the one pineapple green tea drink -- read more
If you haven't been to this location before, be warned that there isn't a ton of street parking directly next to the store, but there is a parking garage within walking distance that has 1 hour free parking! The interior isn't huge, but you can definitely go in to sit down with a couple of friends! We only came for the drinks (D3 & B2). The service was quick as well. I generally try to go by the rule that if you've never had a drink before at a new place, you should always get 100% to try the drink how it was intended to be made. That being said, we got the B2 with green milk tea & 80% sweetness but didn't really feel like the flavor was super strong... I definitely feel like I should have gotten a 100%! There was A TON of boba in there, which was half appreciated but also it was so difficult to try the drink on its own! We also got the D3 with 100%( Milk with Caramel, Boba + Pudding). The caramel definitely makes this feel like it's 200% sweetness, so you could totally tone down the sweetness for this drink. Other than that, the boba was nice and chewy, a little smaller than usual though! read more
1 year ago
3 years ago
Off Channing street, New location to me as only make a trip to berkley once in a blue moon. Today daughter was craving purple kow, we Used to frequent SF & SJ when we in town. The signature drinks are the D series & the pudding was really tasty in the milk teas. Pop corn chicken is always a hit as they are really chunky chicken pieces. Say that 5x. Parked in a parking lot $4 an hour with first hour free otherwise limited street parking. read more
3 years ago
Salt and Pepper Chicken: 5 stars for this because the chicken nuggets are big and juicy and you get a lot of them. Definitely enough to share with friends as a snack. They should be called Spicy nuggets though as they definitely taste more like they have Spivey flavoring vs "salt and pepper." I would get the chicken again, it was tasty and a good value. My roasted oolong milk tea with aloe was alright... I'll probably try something else next time as I think it just wasn't my preference. My friend's drink was really good. Don't remember what it was. The cup is annoying to hold. Service: The person working told us there was no WiFi but we saw there was a WiFi and were able to sign on no problem... Ambiance: loud as heck!! Spend a little over an hour doing some computer work in here and it sounded like a college cafeteria with the kids constantly coming in and out and talking loudly. Definitely a place to hangout and not necessarily to work but there is WiFi and one bathroom decently clean. read more
3 years ago
This Purple Kow location is closer to where most of the other boba spots are in Berkeley and in the area where most of the students hang out in. Parking is a bit hit or miss here, as everyone is always doubled parked, but they are located on a quieter street, so there is usually some parking right in the front of the shop. Not much service - I ordered ahead on the app and sat inside waiting for my drink and even though they finished making it, the time for the drink being done was not updated and my drink was just sitting on the back counter. I ordered the Purple Kow Green Milk Tea with boba and grass jelly. The milk tea tasted a bit off like the milk tasted a bit funny like it did not go well with the drink and it also tasted a bit lukewarm, even though I ordered it cold (there was no % option for ice, only either cold or hot). I feel like I only go here because I like how big the cups are, but the milk tea is just eh. read more
1 year ago
1 year ago
2 years ago
I was surprised to hear Purple Kow had moved to Telegraph! It's one of my favorite boba places to go to in Berkeley because their drink size is huge compared to other shops so you get more bang for your buck. We had the peach green tea and mango green tea, both were yummy and full of flavor. This location is a lot smaller than their old one understandably, so keep in mind there's only around six tables inside. The only thing was service was very slow, we waited around 15-20 minutes for our drink to be finished on a Saturday afternoon. Otherwise, I recommend Purple Kow if you're looking to get boba in Berkeley (which seems to be everywhere). read more
Purple Kow is one of my favorite boba shops in Berkeley. Their milk tea is consistent and are served in large cups! Some may say this is inconvenient to hold, but I personally don't mind it. My go-to order is their Twins QQ Jelly Drink, which has milk tea, grass jelly, and pudding. I usually like to taste the flavor of the tea, so 50% sweetness always works for me. Overall, solid spot for boba. They recently changed their location to be closer to Telegraph, which makes it more convenient for UC Berkeley students to stop by. The new location is very spacious and is definitely an upgrade from their old location. The service is quick as usual! read more
2 years ago
Decent boba place in Berkeley. Convenient location with wide selection of flavors. The serving sizes are generous and the cups are awkwardly large. I recommend the fruit teas, specifically the mango green tea. The yakult drinks are good as well. Great place to get boba with friends. read more
3 years ago
Man...what happened to purple kow....idk if it's just this location, but I've never been so disappointed. I am obsessed with iced milk from purple kow for years now. Boba her3 was so hard. It was either undercooked or old. Horrible. Non edible so we had to strain it out all 3 drinks. Chicken wings sold out, was offered a refund and never received it. I will have to dispute charges at this point. Popcorn chicken at purple kow used to Hella hit. Man where is the seasoning?!!! I asked for one spicy one not and they both looked and tasted the same. Attached photos. I also got the salt and pepper fries...in which we're missing the seasoning at all. Please don't ask what seasoning we want when ordering if you do not plan on adding it. read more
The 10 Year Anniversary Celebration was so sweet! I loved the plethora of stickers and the pins that were given out! I got the Green Tea Purple Kow Milk Tea which had super nice and chewy boba! Definitely will be coming back to eat the snacks and try more boba later on! read more
3 years ago
The store is located on Channing, which is one of the busy street but if you are lucky you could still find some parking nearby. The store has some seating areas inside. The staffs were great and the food did not take long. They serve drinks and snacks such as noodles and cheese sticks. We ordered garlic fries and F5. Twins QQ Jelly Dink with Boba. It has two types of jelly and it was good but the toffee milk tea I had before was better. The serving size is great for the price, both for the drinks and food. I ordered extra boba and they gave me 1/3 of the cup full of boba. I would also recommend the popcorn chicken. They would serve it in a bucket, so it was bang for the buck read more
5 years ago
Loved Purple Kow and was super excited to find one close to campus Food/Taste/Flavor: 1/5 - D3: purple Kow Iced Milk Drinks with caramel, pudding, and boba at 25% sweetness and less ice. The boba texture was awful. It is way overcooked and falling apart but so sticky. The caramel didn't seem like it was cooked long enough or they used a cheap quality one as it doesn't have the typical buttery/creamy undertone that other shops have. Ambience: 3/5 - small shop but there is an upstairs for seating. A really artificial sweet smell in the air Service: 3/5 - slight language barrier and the cashier didn't seem very knowledgeable about their products Value for price: 1/5 - They charge an extra dollar for no ice! They didn't say anything and I only caught it since it was more expensive than expected. The drink was disappointing read more
5 years ago
Prices increased from a few years ago which is fine but the iced milk drink (D2) I usually get at 25% was extremely diluted and it lacked any flavor except milk. Maybe they readjusted their sweetness level from before, but their drinks were consistently the same for 6 years. Back then I would have give this drink a five star review and it was one of my favorite drinks. I went back a year later just to give it another try, this time at 50% sweetness, and I had the same experience. Unfortunately, the drinks were bland and actually gave us all a stomachache this time around. I'm not sure if they reformulated their drinks, but I don't think I'll be coming back. read more
2 years ago
6 years ago
I saw this place on Yelp and was instantly lured in by the cute chubby cup design. I can't help it -- I have a weakness for cute things like this! I got the D4 -- Purple Kow iced milk drink w/ grass jelly and boba with 25% sugar. This drink still came out pretty sweet, so I wouldn't recommend getting above that unless you're a sweet tooth. The boba was a little chewy but still yummy, and I loved the combination in toppings. I honestly wasn't expecting too much for this drink other than the cute chubby cup but it turned out better than I expected and I love that they use organic milk for their drinks. I would definitely come back whenever I'm craving a sweeter dessert bubble tea. Another note is that these cups are a little too big to put in a cup holder so keep that in mind before putting the straw in if you're driving! read more
Due to the pandemic, I will be removing criteria that I had added to my reviews, such as restaurant ambience, mood, and wait time. This review will only focus on the dish. Quick Summary: - Large cups - A tad sweet at default sweetness - Chewy boba - Favorite here is the milk drink with coffee jelly and boba I've known Purple Kow for a while now, and it has been a great partner in nice snack times. Compared to the other boba drinks I've been to, this one is sweet. I would order at 80% or under to get the sweetness I prefer. There is one drink that I think it can only be found here, and it's the milk drink with the coffee jelly. It tastes like a sweet coffee milk drink. I like the creamy flavor to the milk drink with the nice chews of the coffee jelly. The only small warning is that the cup is large. It's like a full meal if you request more toppings. read more
1 year ago
I wanted something refreshing on this hot Berkeley day, so I dropped by Purple Kow. Being that it was my first time, I pointed to the photo of the beverage I wanted. Unfortunately, I should have been more specific because I just received the base matcha flavor without all the toppings I wanted that were featured in the photo. Pros: -you can adjust your sugar level for your drink Cons: -be specific when ordering or they will give you just the base drink -I did not see any hand sanitizer. -there was only on physical distancing market in an odd location on the floor read more
I've been coming to Purple Kow in Berkeley for about 8 years now and it is still one of my favorite boba shops! Definitely in my top 3. My go to order is D3 (purple kow's special milk with caramel, egg pudding, and boba). Their boba is sweet and chewy and milk drink is creamy (almost tastes like whipped cream). 100% recommend this place. read more
2 years ago
The storefront is kind of cool, it's on the bottom floor of a private apartment complex for UC students. Service is fast and attentive. I don't like the drinks here, there are just better boba places around. I am, however, a huge fan of the giant salt and pepper chicken bowl, which I 100% recommend. It's also reasonably priced, especially for Berkeley standards. You should get the chicken and skip the drinks. I can't speak for any of the other food because I haven't had it. read more
Just had this recently and for the second time (last time was 2-3 years ago) and was a bit disappointed by their roasted oolong milk tea. It was a bit too 'watered down' and didn't really taste the milk tea flavor. However, they did give a generous amount of boba pearls! Not sure if I would come back. :( read more
4 years ago
Pretty average boba place, nothing really stood out to me. I remember trying this spot almost 3 years ago and got a milk tea with boba. This time I decided to try the Peach QQ tea since it seemed to be one of the more popular specialty drinks. I got it half sweet, which actually ended up being a good level of sweetness. The drink itself was decent, with the peach flavor coming through. I do wish the tea was a bit stronger though. It also came with boba and lychee jelly, both of which was also pretty standard. The size of the cups is honestly a bit inconvenient since they dont fit in any sort of holder and carrying it around is therefore really awkward. They have a few tables inside to sit at, but otherwise the place is pretty small. I think there's a lot of better boba options in the area, but this spot isn't bad by any means. read more
1 year ago
WHEN: Saturday @9pm I was actually on my way to U-Cha when I stumbled upon this spot and thought I give it a shot. Here's what I had: SALT & PEPPER POPCORN CHICKEN - $5.55 Okay I don't usually care for popcorn chicken but this is more like chicken nuggets because they are huge, not mostly batter, and lots of meat! The meat is mostly dark and tender. There's a lot of mice seasonings with just a tiny kick. I'm amazed at the size of this portion too! There must have been at least 10 of them! My only complaint was that there was not enough sriracha mayo that came with this. Check it out! F7 - PEACH OOLONG w/FRESH MANGO - $5.29 I requested to have the green tea jelly's be replaced with grass jelly. This drink is so refreshing, I'm really happy with it. They say there's fresh mango in it and I do taste the flavor! I was expecting actual fruit chunks but it's okay! Still really enjoyed it! This place isn't very large. If you want a place to sit down and hang out, go up stairs. I think it only seats like 8. Staff is friendly and very efficient it seems. read more
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