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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!
B10 - purple kow fresh matcha milk tea!! Finally made it to Purple Kow -- what's the big deal? I don't know! I have a milk tea mission-- just gotta have it. :) There was a line when we got there, it was chill, order was taken, patience was needed as we were the third in line and the 15th drink waiting to be made. LOL, 3 ladies before us ordered 3 drinks each! I see why now, it's pretty decent, and made correctly. I had the Matcha Green Tea, I was fearing that the tea wasn't going to be strong, or extra sweet. No worries! You get the tea and the perfect amount of sweetener. I had the brown sugar jelly in my drink, after trying my friends drink, I will be sure to ask for the custard for my tea topping!. We were given the option to change our tea or wait 10 minutes as they were out of black tea needed for my friends drink-- being a touristy day, we opted for the wait, since we didn't have anything that needed us to attend to that urgently. There's an upstairs seating area, way warmer than being downstairs-- sun was shining in and we were relaxing. Our teas were ready and our fried zucchini had hit the right spot. It was an excellent snack to pair with our milk tea! I don't rightly know if it's made from scratch or frozen, but the parmesan in the batter was yummie! The ranch was definitely not made from scratch, so I ate it without the ranch-- it was still crunchy and delicious. Also, I'm not quiet sure if it came in any other size than ginormous? It almost slipped my hands a few times as I was trying to pick up the cup so that I could drink it. Fail. read more
13 years ago
It's a small compact place but I love their upstairs seating and the decor! Their selection in drinks is not anything special compared to most places but it's unique in its own way, I think the cups they use for their drinks are kinda cool. Overall, a nice place for some milk tea. read more
7 years ago
12 years ago
Always satisfies that sweet tooth! If you're not feeling sugar you can adjust your sweetness by percentage. Anyways the taste is on point, I usually get D3 which is the best combo of add ons IMHO. Took a star off for the expensive price tag and the proportion between the tea or milk and the add ons. Always end up with 1/4 of the cup left of jelly and boba with no liquid to go with it. But other than that, the drinks here hit the spot! Ps. They have a stamp card system, so if you're a regular.. You know what's up. read more
7 years ago
8 years ago
Good selection of boba flavors to choose from. The strawberry tea was so good. They also serve their drinks in these wide cups that make for a cute instaworthy pic. read more
5 years ago
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13 years ago
I ordered D3 for the first time (it's a special purple kow milk tea w/ caramel syrup, flan pudding, and tapioca) I have sweet tooth, so i don't mind with the sweetness. don't expect to come and have no line. This is is busy because it's located close to UC Berkeley campus in downtown berkeley (only 1.5blocks away from the bart) and you'll see lots of students in line for sure. they have a nice interior design and sitting area upstairs but unfortunately, they don't have wifi so it's kinda boring to hangout here if you come by yourself. lol updated 3/29: the fresh grapefruit green tea w lychee jelly is a good one too! just tried it...ask for less sugar so u can taste d tea n grapefruit better :) n i guessed they hv wifi now coz i saw a lady sitting w a laptop on.. Roosie oolong w/ lychee is also to die for!! will try more new stuffffff.. im excited. read more
12 years ago
"I'm thirsty. I need something to quench my thirst!" "Oh wow, we're early. Do you want boba?" "Purple Kow?" "Without a doubt!" Odd shaped cups. This is why I love this place. I feel like I'm getting a value. Otherwise I always get their fresh fruit tea with 50% sugar. This is another bonus... you choose the sweetness. It's in the details. I'm sold. On this trip... We tried the salt and pepper chicken nuggets. Yumm. read more
5 years ago
8 years ago
My favorite boba place. Norcal, socal, to asia, I have found no place better. My drink is d2 no boba 50% sweet light ice. If u get it prepare for an addiction. It is caramel flavored iced milk with pudding. If your looking for a boba place in berkeley look no farther. read more
13 years ago
So I finally got to try the "legendary" Purple Kow after moving up to Berkeley for school...and I have to say, I can see why it's gotten such a reputation among pearl milk tea fans, and I'll admit, I was very pleasantly surprised by how good it is--not to say popular things aren't bad, but I tend to be wary of how the drink tastes until I try it for the first time (too many bad first-times...) I got the most popular, basically black milk tea with boba, and specifically asked for it to be LESS SWEET so I wasn't overwhelmed by the sugary taste; in fact, it had a nice tea flavor. Next time, I'm going to try their "fresh milk tea" drinks, as I'm pretty sure those use actual milk instead of coffee creamer, which while they give the drinks that "taste", will also probably give you cancer ~50 years down the line should you keep consuming them daily. read more
6 years ago
8 years ago
I've always seen this place on yelp but have never been able to find parking a comfortable distance away. Today I was lucky to find a parking spot right out front. I ordered the Purple Kow milk tea with black tea and boboa. The gentleman taking my order was very patient with my questions about what kind of tea they have and the tea was very good not to strong not too sweet and the cup was huge price very affordable and top dog is right next door so I got the best of both worlds!!! I will be back! Thanks. read more
7 years ago
Long overdue review...several months after my visit. I had been wanting to try this place forever, and finally got the chance!! When I came in, the line was very long, up to the door (though this isn't the business's fault, therefore not a factor in my rating) but the service was still pretty quick - after I ordered, I waited for about 10 minutes to get my drink. I had the Purple Kow milk tea w/boba, 25% sweet as usual, and although I wish the tea flavor was a bit stronger, it wasn't very weak either, so I enjoyed it. The boba was cooked and sweetened VERY well, and trust me when I say this because I'm the harshest boba critique ever (and I work at a boba place!!) Another thing I was happy about is that the prices are about the same as other boba places in the bay area, while the portions are bigger. I had the regular size which was 24oz, and I'm not sure how big the large size is. But at other boba places, a regular size is typically 16 ounces while a large is 24oz, so I literally got 1.5x the amount for a similar price!! The place is small but I love how they have upstairs seating too - it's more peaceful up there. The only downside if I'm being really picky is that the straws seem to be very cheaply made. I tend to chew on my straw a lot while I sip, and it usually isn't a problem. But Purple Kow's straw cracked when I chewed on it. Not a big deal though - I just need to refrain from chewing my straw lol. And despite how crowded the place was, the interior, tables, and chairs were all very clean!! I almost gave five stars...but I wish the tea flavor was a bit stronger. Other than that, I left completely satisfied and finished my drink pretty quickly. I can't wait to come back when I'm in the area again!! read more
4 years ago
8 years ago
Diff flavors for diff folks. I usually get the jasmine green tea with boba. The balls are just right, not over cooked. They also sell spicy wonton, noodles and fries. Not bad overall and a cool place to hang out in. They have. Second floor with cool decor. read more
6 years ago
Convenient location and satisfied my cravings for a decent price! Came in around noon on Monday and got there right before this crazy rush! I ordered B3 honey milk tea (soy milk) with grass jelly, so delicious. Perfect amount of sweetness & milkiness for $4.49. I also ordered the salt & pepper chicken nuggets which was a decent size for $4.95, didn't even finish it all in one sitting. Slightly crispy with delicious and slightly spicy seasoning. I got the spicy soy sauce noodle $3.95 thinking just the chicken wouldn't fill me up but it usually takes 10 mins + to make so I didn't eat them together, just took it togo. It is right across the street from campus so I'll definitely be back :D read more
6 years ago
9 years ago
8 years ago
9 years ago
YUCK! Hair in my boba! I took the drink back to the store and the lady who made the drink pulled out the hair and said it was only on the outside. I told her that is not true because part of it was inside the sealed cup. It was a disgusting experience and I was appalled at how they handled the situation. Never going back to this place! read more
This quant little spot next to Berkeley had some good boba! You can choose different flavors and choose different toppings as well. Given that it's the only boba place around Berkeley next to campus this is great for a grab and go. Parking is a bit tricky with the street parking or even with the main parking lot. Also the seating situation inside is small whether you're on the ground floor or top floor. If you come during a rush hour the line could be out the door. Overall I enjoyed my boba experience here. The quest is always on! read more
12 years ago
I've been here 3 times & the first two times I've been here I've been very satisfied with my drink. I'm not 100% sure what it was called but it was milk tea with caramel and pudding. VERY YUMMY!! However the third time I went to Purple Kow, I was very disappointed. I wanted to try something new so I decided to go with their Mango tea w/ boba. (Basically just tea with bits of mango and tapioca) It was so sour and I didn't even finish the drink halfway. However, this drink just wasn't for me. I think others may like it though since it was on the popular menu. I give this place 4/5 stars b/c service is okay, but I really like how they decorated their shop, so cute heh, & there's also more seating options if you go upstairs WHOO. Their drinks are pretty good too. Very unique. Would recommend this place if you're around the UC Berkeley area. :) read more
8 years ago
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