I was looking to see if there were any new boba spots near Balboa Park since I play badminton around the area, and I came across this place after seeing all the good reviews so far. Obviously I had to investigate. It's connected to a nail salon, so yes, you do get a little bit of that nail salon smell when you walk in LOL, but the space itself is super cute, very clean, and the aesthetic actually works really well with the salon. They also have a pretty big drink selection, so I feel like there's something for everyone. They have: Taiwanese teas, fruit drinks, slushies, coffee, milk teas, etc. Perfect if you're getting your nails done and want a little treat, but honestly I'd come here just for the boba. The closest comparison I can think of is the old R&B Tea in Convoy. Our drinks came out pretty quickly and actually tasted fresh. The tea didn't have that sad "I've been sitting here since this morning" taste which I REALLY appreciate. The boba texture was also right in that sweet spot for me. It had a medium softness, not mushy, not hard, and still had a nice chew. And can we PLEASE appreciate a boba drink that does not somehow become $9 by the time you're done ordering?? The prices are actually really reasonable, especially considering the location. Overall, I was really surprised and I definitely plan on coming back more often. If you're around Balboa Park and want a cute, affordable boba spot with fresh drinks and good boba, I'd give this place a try. I want them to stay around so y'all better go support them. read more

My daughter started working here back in April and I'm only checking this boba shop today to surprise her. Unfortunately, she was off this warm June Wednesday afternoon...but fortunately, Rapha Tea has something familiar in the menu that caught my attention. Halo-Halo Slush. Halo-halo which is Tagalog for "mix-mix" is a beloved Filipino iced dessert, especially popular during the hot summer months. Perfect for today! Although not as filling as a traditional halo-halo I grew up eating, this modern iteration still hits the spot if you're craving something cold and sweet that neither soda nor juice can compare to. Nara prepared my order (her name rhymes with my daughter's name :D) and she served it to me with a smile! There is a doorless opening on the right wall leading to a nail salon and some of their patrons would peek in to Rapha Tea to see what's up. I told one lady as she saw me enjoying my colorful boba treat "this is Halo-Halo and it is soo good! Come in!" She nodded her head and I can tell by the look on her face that she made a mental note to order something after her nail appointment. Clean place. Someone was installing a coin-operated mini toy dispenser in the corner to the right of the entrance. I texted my daughter a selfie I took inside and promised to return when she's working! read more

Rapha Tea - Halo-Halo Slush - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

This boba shop was unheard of until my friend was searching for tea in the area. We made the drive to Hillcrest and the store is on the same side as the Gossip Grill and shares the space with a nail salon! How inventive, I would totally grab a boba if I were getting my nails done. They sell Taiwanese style boba and had milk teas, fresh teas, coffees, slushies, and refresher type beverages. They were out of green tea that night, so I ordered a Rising Phoenix Oolong Milk Tea. It had a well balanced flavor of the tea. I added herbal jelly to it and it made the drink less plain. My total was around $8 for the tea but it was a good portion. It's nice to have boba tea in the area as I feel like Hillcrest has a shortage of these places! read more

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The Hillcrest neighborhood has a new boba tea shop adjacent to a nail lounge on University Ave. I think they have the same owners, but I didn't confirm that during my visit. Rapha Tea is a chain boba franchise, but I didn't notice many locations based on my internet search results. It just debuted earlier this month without the fanfare that normally accompanies the soft opening of such a business. I parked in a plaza lot to the east of the set of suites where this shop was located and walked over. A self-service kiosk was located to the left as you entered. A diagram on the wall to the right depicted the processes followed to make a cup of boba tea. Only three tables were available for seating so this place was definitely suited for takeout orders. Menu screens hung above the service counter. The left one displayed pictures of the top ten drinks. The right panel listed the offerings including seven House Specials in the middle for $7.50 each. I chose the first listed House Special which was the namesake Rapha Signature. The contents were a house made black sugar sauce and black boba pearls with non-dairy milk and a sea cream topping. It was essentially a brown sugar milk tea, however the quality of the boba pearls was not good. They were much denser and not as soft as other places. The sweetness was also on the high side while the tea flavor was minimal. For the price and quality of my drink, I gave a three star rating for my experience at Rapha Tea. read more

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I stumbled across Rapha Tea while walking around Hillcrest and decided to stop in for a drink. It's located right on the strip near Gossip Grill so there isn't really dedicated parking for the shop itself. If you're just stopping in for a drink though, you can usually find parking somewhere nearby and walk over. The shop itself is pretty small. There are only a handful of tables inside and when we visited we honestly got lucky because a group was leaving right as we walked in. The menu has a lot of options and one thing that caught my attention right away was their Vietnamese coffee series. They were advertising drinks like the Sweet Corn Coffee and Jasmine Brew which both sounded really interesting. I ended up being in more of a tea mood that day so I skipped the coffee, but it's definitely something I'd come back for. Rapha Tea is actually a growing franchise and I noticed they also have another location in Temecula. Ordering was pretty straightforward since you can either order with the employee at the counter or use one of the kiosks. My biggest complaint was that the kiosks don't really have pictures or detailed descriptions. I found myself constantly looking back and forth between the kiosk and the menu screens trying to figure out what some of the drinks actually were. Things like the smoothies and slushies especially would've benefited from having photos. It's not a huge issue, but it definitely makes ordering take longer than it needs to. One thing I wasn't expecting was that the tea shop is connected to the nail salon next door. If you're sensitive to smells like I am, that's probably something worth knowing before you visit. There was a pretty strong nail salon smell throughout the shop and after a while it honestly started giving me a headache. Some people probably won't even notice it, but for me it made it difficult to imagine sitting there for an extended period of time chatting or studying. We ended up ordering the Rapha Signature with black boba and a Jasmine Green Tea with black boba and sea salt cream. The Rapha Signature came out first and immediately impressed both of us. By the time my second drink was ready, my partner and I had basically finished the entire thing because it was that good. It's definitely on the sweeter side and reminds me of a classic brown sugar milk. The boba was cooked perfectly and had a nice sweetness to it. After a little while, one of the employees came over and explained that they were still brewing the jasmine tea. It ended up taking about another 7 minutes before my drink came out, but honestly I didn't mind. She was really apologetic about it and kept checking in which I appreciated. Once I finally got the Jasmine Green Tea, I thought it was worth the wait. The tea was light, floral, and refreshing without tasting artificial. The sea salt cream added a nice richness and the boba was just as good as the first drink. The employee even told me to let her know if I wanted any adjustments made which I thought was really thoughtful. My biggest drawbacks were the limited seating and the strong smell coming from the neighboring nail salon, but if those things don't bother you, Rapha Tea is definitely worth checking out. read more

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I just had the passionfruit chamoy drink here (super excited because I've only seen mangonada before and I love passionfruit), and I requested for there to be no added sweetness besides whatever needed to be put in the drink for flavor. I also asked for a little light chamoy so that it's not too salty, and the employee was able to take my customizations and made me a perfect drink! She was so nice and considerate! I would definitely be back to try other drinks and the passionada again. I hope their other drinks are just as good. read more

Rapha Tea - Passionada - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

If you are new here and don't know what to order. Get the Rapha Halo Halo Slush!!!! #1!!! Best Boba I ever had in San Diego. It has a lot of stuff inside. Pudding, boba on the bottom, Ube, coconut jelly, strawberry jelly, lychee jelly and beans. Park by Trader Joe's and Ralph's. I will be coming back to get the same exact drink no other. It's connected to a nail salon if you want to get your nails done before or after. Cool place for sure. read more

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Came here specifically for the Halo- Halo drink and it didn't disappoint. Every flavor of Halo-Halo in a drink form. Every sip is a different flavor. I absolutely loved this. We also tried the Blue Hawaiian which looked appealing and tasted just like a Pina colada. Very nice as well.Parking is street parking unless you walk a little further and park at the Ralphs/Trader Joes parking lot. read more

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Rapha Tea offers a delightful treat. I got the MATCHA UBE with MANGO STAR JELLY. The beverage is definitely sweet, creamy, and delicious. The ambiance is pretty sleek and bright with limited seating. Staff is friendly and orders come out quick. I'll have to visit again to try a new beverage. Perhaps a coffee this time. read more

Rapha Tea - MATCHA UBE with MANGO STAR JELLY - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

Good range of options, easy to order at the counter or through the kiosk, and everything is prepared well. Not a lot of seating inside, but still cute spot to hop in and grab a tea! read more

Woohoo first review! Rejoice for a new boba shop that has finally graced the hillcrest/north park area. We were seriously lacking! I went to Rapha tea during the Soft opening and it was a very clean restaurant. Attached to a nail salon, this place will do very well with the crowds that will want a drink while they get their nails done. I opted for the matcha tiger tea with boba. The matcha drink was pretty milky and muted, and I would've liked maybe double or triple matcha flavor. The boba however was perfectly cooked and had a really nice floral taste to it. Id definitely try this place again and maybe try a different type of drink. read more

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Cute boba tea shop in the Hillcrest areas next to Gossip. I love a green milk tea on a warm night so that's what I tried. Overall I felt like the jasmine green tea wasn't as strong as I would've hoped it to be. It felt like it was hiding behind the milk part. Staff were kind and attentive . read more

Who came up with this brilliant idea to combine boba place and nail salon?? Hands down master mind! Every time I get my nails done I get a sweet treat on the way to the salon. This way both places are combined eliminating a need to get a treat elsewhere. For my last visit I only got boba and it was delightful. I might be back to check out the nails too read more

Blue Hawaiian is DELICIOUS . Wanted to turn around for another flavor!!!!!! Will definitely be back! read more

Rapha Tea - Blue Hawaiian DELICIOUS - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

I would recommend coming here for the tea - it was actually very perfectly made. However, get it to go. This place smells absolutely awful. It's connected to the next door nail salon and you cannot even enjoy a sip of tea without the fumes of toxic chemicals. A very poor design choice to connect the two as well as neither places having adequate ventilation doesn't make any sense. I don't know how the employees can even work through the smells. They should know it's not good for their health or the health of their customers. read more

I work right next door and was so excited to have a new spot to try out especially during an afternoon slump as a bartender. I've been back multiple times since they opened and dang those are some fantastic teas! I love the lychee pea flower tea. They're fast, friendly, and reasonably priced. A cute, small spot with 10/10 teas. read more

We needed a boba spot in hillcrest, so bomb!! And Carol hooked it up with excellent service!! Love this place

Cute place attached to this nail place. It looks super clean inside and the lady that helped me was very nice and sweet read more

Rapha Tea - 3 drink orders - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

I've been waiting for a boba shop to open here in Hillcrest and I can honestly say it didn't disappoint. The service was really good, even with all the questions I had about the drinks. I got the passionfruit butterfly with strawberry jelly and it's definitely my new go two drink, super refreshing and looks so pretty. I will definitely be coming back. read more

Rapha Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

NOT BLACK PERSON FRIENDLY!!!! Be WARNED! Place was so empty and workers looked upset... Workers at the nail salon looked shady too. Is that apart of the bubble shop? Confusing! Why such nasty looks?! Better off walking out. Read another review saying that the location felt weird and staff was rude and I'd have to agree. WHAT IS GOING ON HILLCREST ??!. Not worth it. YUCK! read more

I got the imperial thai tea and was very disappointed. The drink tasted like bitter watered down milk. I didn't ask for any modifications on sweetness, but the standard drink was not sweet at all. Not sure the drink was made properly. read more

Honesty, I got a Thai tea it tasted extremely watered down, my friend got the same thing and hers was very concentrated, it's okay maybe if we got something else it would've been better. But not my favorite read more

Really disappointing experience. The drinks were nasty, the service wasn't good, and the location felt weird. What made it worse was that the menu didn't clearly explain what was in the drinks and there were no pictures, so I had no idea the Thai Tea Swirl came with cheese in it. That should definitely be explained or optional because it completely ruined the drink for me. DO NOT GO! read more

One of the best drinks I've ever had! The staff is very friendly and welcoming. Would definitely recommend to milk tea lovers! Their signature is caffeine-free but is still so good. Very chill vibes too. read more