The workers here are eager to serve and are super patient, loved the service. I got the peach green tea, half sweet. I love that the sizes are huge but the width of the cups are very.... Inconvenient... But how else are you going to fit everything? :p also pretty pleased with the cleanliness of the store. However much I enjoyed purple kow, I've never really been the type of person to enjoy the floating chunkies of fruit in my drinks.. Haha... Maybe I'll try another PK drink without them! read more

This place is decent, but nothing too special. Ordered the honey lemon black tea w aloe, and the aloe had kind of weirder texture than what I'm used to. But I got it half sweet, so it was perfect as far as sweetness level goes. Service was a little slow, even though there was no line. read more

Purple Kow - Honey lemon black tea w aloe - Desserts Near Me - Berkeley, California

I thought they used to be good. Something about them is just off now. 1) super super sweet. even if you get it 50% sweet, it was still too much and I couldn't even finish half my drink 2) no dairy alternatives--their default is whole milk for fresh milk tea drinks and soy creamer for regular milk tea drinks (no I don't consider soy creamer as a proper dairy alternative) 3) they're always out of something. My sisters fiancé has been here a couple of times asking for honeydew slushy and they were out of honeydew every single time. If you're not gonna have it on stock consistently why even bother putting it on your menu? 4) don't have hot drinks 5) cups don't fit in your car and they're just too much in general There are so many other boba places in Berkeley. Purple Kow needs to step it up. read more

I like Purple Kow for their giant boba cups. Average price, very good boba drinks (though can be sweet but ask for less sweet if that's what you prefer) and nice decor inside. I usually order their milk drinks - they're so good. read more

Purple Kow - Desserts Near Me - Berkeley, California

See all

flavor was good, boba was a little too chewy for me. i hate that they don't have a smaller size. well, you can get a smaller cup, but it's just going to cost you the same amount as the giant cup, which makes no sense to me. i got the mango yogurt tea with tapioca. it had great flavor, but if you're trying to eat a meal with it or drink it after a meal, you're in for a food coma. i'd come here again. i'm not sure what other bubble tea options there are in berkeley, but i'm definitely up for hearing suggestions! read more

I've had drinks from here before, but mostly as gifts or shared luxuries, and since this will always be my top favorite boba chain place, I wanted to show my friend this place. I got D3: iced milk with caramel, pudding, and boba with minimal sugar. Delicious! Simple, yet a party in your mouth with one sip. The toppings are already pleasantly sweet, so not much additional sugar was needed. Satisfying amount. I never regret getting boba from here. I liked the extra seating on the second floor. My friend got the iced milk with double chocolate and boba. She loved it and hopes to return sometime. -1: The work area design could be rearranged a lot better to allow for appropriate customer flow through the restaurant. There's too much activity happening in the cashier area that could slow down business. read more

Not to bad actually. The prices are a bit high... but the size of their drinks makes up for it.. To a degree.. Although i wish they had taro and more classic drinks their drinks are pretty good and their boba is amazingly sweet and they give you a good amount of it. The staff is really nice... read more

Me and my boyfriend had a little quarrel about him joking too much so I was absolutely upset. Good thing my friends took me to Purple Kow in Berkeley. I really don't know the best ones so I just get what my friends get: D3 Caramel and boba 75% sweet. One sip and my dopamine levels shot up in a SNAP! I fell in love with it!! It was so obvious that my whole face lits up! And my boyfriend thinks I'm mood-crazy because I got from being upset into being super excited because of the D3 haha! THANKS PURPLE KOW@BERKELEY!!! Defiantly coming here again! read more

The boba's good -- chewy and soft, just perfect -- but the teas/actual drinks are sickly sweet. My default is microsugar (1/4 sugar), and it's still crazy sweet. The go-to drink is the iced milk drink with pudding and boba. I usually get this with no sugar and it's still more than sweet enough. Comparing this with Half and Half from socal, I'd say this is 5x creamier and 10x sweeter (if you get full sugar), but with better boba (Half and Half's isn't as soft). Side note, I once made the mistake of getting their matcha milk tea/latte thing because I got confused with Asha so close by, I thought it might be decent. It's not. Super sweet and nowhere near Asha's drinkability. I do not recommend it. They take card! No minimum. read more

I like how they let you customize the amount of sugar in your drink. I prefer 50% sugar even though I probably should ask for 25% sugar. They use high quality tea for their tea drinks and the flavors are great. The stamp card is another reason that brings me back to purple kow - it feels good to finally earn that free drink! Staff are friendly, the line can get long and wait time can exceed 15 minutes, but a good boba drink is worth the money and time. read more

See all

Worth a trip if you are craving Milk Tea! First time at this location for us. We've been to the Balboa location before and was disappointed with the wait and taste but had to give it a second chance when we stopped by this location on our last trip to Berkeley. We shared the Double QQ Milk tea (egg custard and grass jelly) - 50% sweetness - without ice. The custard/jelly was fresh and tasted like it was made in-house. Definitely the highlight of the drink. The tea had a nice flavor. The super cup was perfect for sharing. And, conveniently it was next door to Top Dog :) read more

Complete and utter flop. This is just bad milk tea. I came with a small group and we ordered about 5 different drinks, which included the standard green milk tea and black milk tea. We also tried specialty flavors (which I forget, but I remember the awful part). Each and every one was a flop. It wasn't even just "not" to our liking, but when compared to properly made boba milk tea, this is just bad. When you get a milk tea and you taste it, and you know it's just IMPROPERLY made--can't even be classified as innovative new flavor or even "personal" preference-- well, Kow takes the cake. They win for the worst milk tea, probably tied with Tea Pumps. But then again, I don't consider Tea Pumps even in the running as makers of milk tea. Having tried so much milk tea in my lifetime, and being right there for the dawn of milk tea in Irving St of San Francisco, I can tell you this.... Tea Pumps is not milk tea. Purple Kow is just disgusting and an offense. Boba Guys is hype. At this point, I'd settle for one of the GOOD Quickly's owned and operated by a Taiwanese or Chinese dude that knows his milk tea. I do NOT know why people still go to Purple Kow. But then again, people still go to Olive Garden and Sbarro's for what they call "Italian" food. So it's understandable.. I guess. read more

Pleased with the mango + boba + red bean drink. Pleasant staff. read more

D3. That's all I have to say. Well if you don't know what to get when you're here and you're overwhelmed with choices, D3 is a really good one because it comes with pudding and boba. The pudding is a caramel flavor and overall the entire drink has a milky dairy flavor to it so it is a pretty rich drink. I'm not sure what is the liquid part but it's not a fruity or tea flavor, it's just creamy goodness. The pudding was a really nice surprise because it gives more texture besides the boba and you can really taste the flavor of the caramel in the pudding. I've been to places where they put pudding but it doesn't taste like anything and it's a waste of extra cents. If you don't like caramel or richer flavors then this is most definitely not for you. I'm really picky when it comes to boba places and their popcorn chicken but this place has some pretty decent chicken. It has a good amount of slice added to it and it's not too salty. Some of the chunks though we're pretty big so I wish they were a little smaller. It comes in a good size portion in Chinese to go box so it's really easy to walk around the area just munching on some chicken without having to worry about bags and extra things some other places put their chicken in. The location of this place is really convenient as well as it is near a pizza place, burger and hot dog diners and right next to the campus. read more

I LOVE MILK TEA. This location use to be my all time favorite. For the past year to year and half, things seem to have changed. They don't give as much as they use to anymore But besides giving less, purple kow is still an awesome place took to for milk tea/dessert. The milk tea portions of purple kow tend to be on the sweeter side. If you're the type to not like your drinks so sweet, be sure to ask for less sugar or half sugar. Their popcorn chicken is the best I've had in the area so far, so a big plus for that! read more

Inconsiderate cashiers. She stood there and watched me struggle as I try to carry FOUR drinks by myself. Then she goes, "I feel bad." If she really felt bad, she would've given me a bag or asked me to purchase a bag when I purchased the drinks in the first place. What else could I had done after the purchase was already made. I was not going to break a $20 for $0.10 nor would I had been able to charge my card for just $0.10 read more

I went here once but it was a long time ago but I recently came back with a friend! The lady who took our order was super kind, and helped us with what to order! We were unsure what percentage of sugar we should put in our drink and she told us we can get 50% sugar and if it was too little we could go back and ask to put more sugar in it!! If she didn't tell us I would have never known we could do that!! 4/5 stars because it wasn't the best boba I've tasted! Cute little boba place with aesthetic decors!! :) read more

Purple Kow - Left: Matcha Milk tea with 75% sugar. Right: Regular Milk Tea with 75% sugar. (Originally 50% sugar but asked to put more) - Desserts Near Me - Berkeley, California

I love going to Purple Kow. They have some of the best drinks around and its also close to home. I would recommend it to anyone. Kindest Regards read more

Basic milk tea spot, it's definitely a hit or miss here from service to consistency in taste. I only come here for the Almond black tea bc that's the only place in the area that carries it that I like. I think their drink are on the sweeter end, even at 25% it's still too sweet for me maybe not for others. read more

The people here are really sweet. However, their green tea is SO steeped that it's unbearably bitter. Yuck! I'm sorry to say there. They are a good place for vegans tho because they are one of the few places that offer soy milk. If they fix the oversteeping issue they will be great. read more

Slow service, terrifyingly sweet drinks. Maybe it was opening week kinks, but I didn't have a good experience. The wait to get in was really long. I came first on a weekday around 4:45 and saw that the line was too long. I told myself I'd come back later. At 5:30, I came back and saw that their hours were 11-5. Boo. I came back a few days later at around 4 PM on a weekday and stuck out the line. It took about 25 minutes to order. The wait for the actual drink wasn't long at all, but getting to the register was just a bit much. I tried the "purple kow milk drink" with pudding, pearls and caramel because it was on their "most popular drinks" poster. I couldn't finish it because it was way too sweet, and the "milk drink" label made me think about how little milk or milk product was probably in the drink. I definitely don't recommend it. I might come back once the hype dies down/they have more hours to try one of the fruit teas. They looked slightly more promising. Extras: Prices include tax, so you pay what you see. Cups are kind of obese. They don't fit in car cup holders. You can order by letter-number pair. read more

I've heard about this place from one of my good friends and she said they have a puple kow in San Francisco that is so popular that the line is an hour wait. This puple kow opened maybe a few months ago. Decided to stop in this evening and I was happy to find that there was no one in line except for a few college students waiting for their milk teas that they already ordered. I decided to get the green milk tea with boba. The cashier was super friendly and really really nice. I was pleased to find that they ask you how much sugar you want in your drink. Since I am trying to cut down on refined sugar, I decided to try my drink with no sugar at all. My green milk tea was refreshing and the boba tasted great although next time if I come back, I may add a little sugar. The drink comes in a HUGE cup and they do charge a bit more than other boba places. They also seem to have really strong tea here. I drank this tea about two hours ago, and I kind of feel like I am on a caffeine overload. Overall, I liked this place. I was mostly impressed by the how friendly the cashier was. read more

***NOTE: I'd actually give this place a 2.5 out of 5, but I'm going to round up to 3. One of my housemates, who's from Cupertino, LOOOOOVES Purple Kow. Every time we talk about boba (or "pearl milk tea" as she calls it), she raves about this place. For our 3 day weekend, we took a mini roadtrip to Berkeley/SF, so I figured, why not try what's supposedly "the best boba in NorCal" + IMPRESSIONS: The storefront is kind of confusing. It shares a lot with TopDog next door, so the line on the right is for TopDog, but the line on the left is for Purple Kow. When we got there, there wasn't a railing delineating the two lines so it was kind of awkwaaaaard standing around the front of the store, looking confused. Also it was kind of annoying because we were at Purple Kow by 12:15ish (Saturday), and they still weren't ready, despite having their store hours for 12. Although the store-front itself was small, the interior is quite lovely and modern. Similar to a loft, there's an upstairs (which has both cons & pros, read on to find out why!) + SERVICE (1.5/5): As the store finally opened, a girl pulled up the chain to open the giant, sliding glass door. There were already a few parties waiting, but it wasn't like we were all swarmed around the cash register, screaming, "TAKE MY MONEY!" My friend politely asked her if they had a bathroom (since we had been on a 2hour car ride) and the girl replied yes, with an indifferent tone and without even making eye contact. Then my friend asked where it was, but the girl ignored her and walked back to the register to start taking orders. I understand you're busy with opening the store, but it doesn't mean you have to be rude, especially when all you had to say was "the restroom's in the back of the store." As we ordered, the girl looked dazed and frantic. It was only the first 5 minutes, with ONLY 5 parties ordering too, so I'd be concerned if it was rush hour with the line trailing out of the door. Ordering was pretty slow as well, so I wasn't really happy about that. + DRINKS (2.5/5): I'm from SoCal, where the giant boba cups first came from Half & Half, so I really wanted to see if Purple Kow lived up to it. My friend directed me to their "popular drinks" poster that was near the register and it was refreshing to see that they had a multitude of drinks, other than just iced milk + boba combinations. I ordered two D4s (one was for my sister since I was seeing her later), which was iced milk with grass jelly and boba. I thought it'd be a change from the typical iced milk + pudding/boba I always order. The cashier did make note to tell us that the boba would take 20 minutes to cook, but we were fine with it. Since there are only 2 tables downstairs, and both are awkwardly located suffocatingly close to the entrance, we opted to go upstairs to sit. The upstairs was spacious, clean, modernly/well-decorated, and the natural light through the windows was perfect for a fun adventure in Berkeley. HOWEVER, the downside to sitting upstairs is that it's pretty hard to hear your order being called. I'm not blaming this on the cashier, who was belting orders from the top of her lungs, but because of the normal traffic in/out Purple Kow, it gets really loud, really fast. So sitting upstairs required vigilance about your order and possibly running up/down the stairs multiple times to check if your order was ready. Once I got my drink, it was rather... mediocre? I know it's an iced milk drink, but it was really creamy and basically tasted like coffee creamer to me. It was way too sweet (even at 75% sweetness) and too rich (but not in a good, decadent way) for me. The boba wasn't soft, and was annoyingly overchewy. It was pretty mediocre for something that everyone raved about so often. I did appreciate the grass jelly though, and thought it gave a nice brown sugar taste to the overwhelmingly creamer drink. + OVERALL: I'd probably go again, but order the milk teas. The special D4 I ordered was too creamy, even for an iced milk drink, which tends to be blended more smoothly. Service was lacking, and if you know you've got lots of people that like Purple Kow, possibly hire an extra staff member, to make things go more smoothly. The store itself was pretty large for a small exterior, but I'd suggest investing in some type of PA system to alert customers upstairs of what orders are ready (something many boba places in SoCal have, Half & Half, Factory Tea Bar, etc.) read more

Purple Kow - Two number D4's (~$8.80) - Desserts Near Me - Berkeley, California

I love "PURPLE COW" the BEST ever... All drinks is so good, i try it all but my favorite is CARAMEL WITH PUDDING & BOBA. try it!, you will love it!... The place is better, better than San Francisco purple cow but i give4stars bcoz of the location, parking is so invisible hard to find, side curve parking is always full lucky if you find one but over all impact love it!... read more

Purple Kow - I love "PURPLE COW" the BEST ever... All drinks is so good, i try it all but my favorite is CARAMEL WITH PUDDING & BOBA. - Desserts Near Me - Berkeley, California

See all

Huge portion! I tried the B2, with boba. Not too sweet, but definitely filling and satisfying milk tea! It has a nice ambience and a spacious upper lounge too Its definitely a chill place to study and get your asian drank on read more

Purple Kow - HUGE PORTIONS - Desserts Near Me - Berkeley, California

I was walking near by and decided "why not?" :) and went to this place because I've read many good reviews. It was lunch time so a little bit crowded. I ordered caramel milk tea with boba. They have just one "huge" size (I prefer regular size). And they gave me receipt with number... I don't want to tell anything bad, but I think asking your name is more polite than "number 26 you order is ready" :) and you can't see how they are making your tea... P.s I like milk tea a lot, but this size even to me was more than enough... read more

First time I went here, I enjoyed it, but wasn't impressed. I had ordered the mango green tea, and added boba. The boba is delicious, chewy, and sweet, but the mango chunks that came with the drink were so hard and sour! It really ruined the drink for me, so now when I come here I nix the mango. My favorite so far is the Peach Oolong Tea, with boba and green tea jelly, but no mango chunks. It's sweet and flavorful, but the flavor is subtle and not overpowering. It's awesome how you can choose the sweetness level. I also like how their tea is brewed from tea leaves, not made from powder like a lot of places. The prices are a little steep, but the default 'chubby' cup is pretty huge so I guess it makes sense it is more expensive. I really like the ambience and set up of the place, it's really colorful and hip, and there is a lot of seating. If you can't find seats downstairs, there is a nice and pretty roomy upstairs area. I gave Purple Kow 4 stars because so far every time I come in they have a sign up saying they don't have slushies. I can look past that, however last time I went my friends and I ordered food off the menu and AFTER we had paid, the kitchen staff informed me that they don't have any food whatsoever. How does that happen? And why didn't they put up a sign? It took a long time to get refunded the money and it was really disappointing and inconvenient. Other than that little hiccup, the sour/hard mango chunks, steep prices, and never having slushies, I really like this place. Their stamped rewards card also motivates me to return. All in all, this place has quality and consistent products that for the most part taste amazing. You just have to experiment a little to figure out what you like! read more

Trying the Strawberry over chocolate. Usually go to the one in SF and gave time a review. Strawberry over chocolate could do without the chocolate chips. read more

This is my favorite boba place that I have ever tried. When I'm in the area, I make sure to pick up some drinks for me and my friends. The reason why this place is good is their boba. Every time, the boba texture has been consistent. Sweet and chewy, perfectly cooked. There is also sufficient tea flavor in their milk teas, which I prefer. I know some people who prefer watery milk tea, but whatever peels your banana. Also, their boba is honey boba!! However, sometimes I do run into the problem of not enough ice in the cup so it's not cold enough. :( read more

Well. Finding parking can be hard. There is always a line (of course at a bubble tea spot). Slightly higher price... But their size is bigger than normal. They also offer some foods, but everyone goes for the drinks. I personally get the Green Apple fruit slush. Being that this place is busy, expect to wait a few extra minutes... especially if there is a big group ordering at once!. Definitely another cool spot to check out! read more

Definitely a great place to go if you want a large amount of milk tea. I'd recommend sharing a regular sized one between at least two people. Service: - Really good service. Sometimes you'll get a funny guy or a friendly person to take your order, so that's always a great thing to have. The drinks: - I really like the roast oolong milk tea with regular boba. I share it with my partner, and it's a great portion for each of us. One thing that annoys me is how they'll put up a sign that says a new drink is available, but in reality when you ask they'll say "oh it's not ready till next week" or "oh we don't have it." It's kind of annoying when you have high hopes to get this new drink that looks great too! It happens from time to time, but I still go here regardless since it is that good. read more

Really tasty milk tea with sweet boba, probably the best boba pearls I've ever had. Great service and good sized proportions, one $4 drink is good for two people. read more

Purple Kow - Roasted oolong milk tea - Desserts Near Me - Berkeley, California

I only get their milk tea. It tastes different each time but at least they don't use powder but real tea leafs. Their drinks are getting more flavorless. Warning: it's really hard to look for parking. Best to drop off a friend, grab the drinks and bounce. read more

Purple Kow - Desserts Near Me - Berkeley, California

Good place for boba if you're around the Berkeley campus. I usually get the d4 which is an iced milk drink with boba and grass jelly. The milk drinks are pretty sweet even when you ask for micro sugar or no sugar. The boba pearls are consistently chewy and soft they are generous with their pearl toppings. There is minimal street parking, but it's conveniently located near the Bart station. read more

Purple Kow - D4 drink - Desserts Near Me - Berkeley, California

I ordered Sweet potato and 2 drinks. The drinks were ok, but they used old oil and unfresh sweet potato. That why the potato is soft and look over cook. When i put the potato on the napkins, it had dark yellow colors. I came here before that why I know how it is taste and look like. When i told them, they said it looks normal to them. Then they said maybe they changed oils. I requested them to make another one, but they refused it. Bad service. read more

Purple Kow - Desserts Near Me - Berkeley, California

See all

Pretty good boba. Pretty standard boba. Nothing too special. The cups are the chubby kind. Pretty unique place compared to standard though.

First time visiting this establishment and was feeling adventurous. Tried the spicy noodles. It's the right amount of noodles and spice! Thoroughly enjoyed it as a nice midday treat but was left wishing it had some protein in it. Let a brother have some beef with his spicy noodles! (I'll pay extra). Wait was approximately 10 minutes for the noodles to be prepared so be ready to hang around while the cooks work their magic. read more

Purple Kow - Spicy noodles! :d You can't go wrong with these as a snack. - Desserts Near Me - Berkeley, California

Inconsistent drinks, and indeed diabetes in a cup. I ordered microsugar at 25% and it was still wayy too sweet. Like a few other reviewers have experienced.. I actually got physically sick from the matcha fresh milk tea with boba. Still feeling nauseous from the drink I had today. And a headache from all that sugar. Ugh, never again. read more

First time for the Berkeley one, usually go to the sf one! I had to say altho it's pretty good, it's not as good as the sf purple kow. The boba was a little bit too hard, and the milk tea was not as creamy as sf one. But still better than other milk tea place! read more

My favorite milk tea place in Berkeley! I was borned and raised in Taiwan- super picky when it comes to milk tea. And I like their drinks here, I've tried many different drinks here and haven't really had one that I don't like. Only down side is they charge for no ice. My friends all really like the milk drink which is pretty authentic compared to the original ones in Taiwan. I But a little sweet, so get it with less sugar to make it perfect. Almost always a long line, especially after 4 when people get out from school so best to avoid that. read more

Purple Kow - Desserts Near Me - Berkeley, California

See all