We used to come here often when I was in high school. Fresh fruit smoothies and boba right after shopping at Nijiya. They are still good as I remember Today, I came here with my two boys and they were amazed with all the yummy looking snacks they had! The handsome young gentleman taking our orders was so polite. Boba texture was perfect and we all enjoyed our drinks! We'll try to come back again soon read more

Shaka Shaka Tea Express - My happy boys - Bubble Tea Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I love Shaka Shaka SO MUCH!!! This is my favorite Shaka Shaka location because of its calm ambience and delicious drinks. Service is always great and the lady who makes the drinks in the back is so cute and sweet! Even though this location is smaller than the others, they still have a wide variety of Asian and American snacks that I sometimes enjoy with my drink. Here are a few of my favorite drink orders: - Iced black tea with cappuccino cream topping - Strawberry milk smoothie - Coconut smoothie with one strawberry - Honeydew smoothie with cappuccino cream topping (it tastes like the Melona ice cream bar...:O) I usually order these drinks with 50%-75% sweetness! I love their boba (chewy an delicious) and I add it to my drink depending on my mood! Shaka Shaka Tea Express is definitely my go-to for a sweet treat:) read more

My partner and I stopped by Shaka Shaka Tea Express and ordered a medium lychee drink and an XL watermelon. The service started off great. The drinks came out very quickly and the cashier was really nice. Unfortunately, the lychee drink itself was disappointing. The flavor tasted off, almost like soap or freezer burn. It technically tasted like lychee, but something about it was strange and definitely not like the fresh lychee I regularly buy from the farmers market. I looked into it and it says lychee tastes soapy when it starts the fermentation process and it goes bad. When my partner went up to mention the issue, the staff's response was surprising and unprofessional. Instead of trying to help, they yelled back that "that's what lychee tastes like." That really put a damper on the experience. My partner ended up paying for another drink just so I'd have something else, which shouldn't have been necessary. Overall, the quick service and friendly cashier were the only positives. The drink quality and the way the situation was handled left a bad taste, literally and figuratively, especially right after our date. I wouldn't return based on this experience. I'm sad especially since I've been coming here since high school with my friends and we still came here. read more

Shaka Shaka Tea Express - Lychee watermelon and persimmon - Bubble Tea Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

So many options! Quite a few unique fresh fruits such as persimmon and plum. Lots of various toppings as well. Staff was so patient and friendly as he took orders for 10 of us. Large space with seating. Fresh fruit smoothies tasted a little water down. read more

Shaka Shaka Tea Express - Bubble Tea Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

A must visit whenever I'm back home. The most refreshing fruit smoothies & perfectly chewy boba. My go-to order is papaya milk mixed with strawberry smoothie (+ boba) at 75% sweet. Service is quick & efficient. Parking was a breeze on a weekday around lunch time. read more

Shaka Shaka Tea Express - Bubble Tea Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

Still love this spot. So milky and creamy. $10 for an XL. Ordered 50% sweet and was perfect read more

Shaka Shaka Tea Express - Bubble Tea Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

SHAKA SHAKA Y'ALL | so random fact, Shaka Shaka also has a couple locations in Orlando so I actually tried Shaka Shaka there first before we found this location in Honolulu. We'd had a boba deficit while island hopping and this was our first and only boba stop in Honolulu. And it was well worth the wait. They use fresh local fruits in their drinks, so when in Hawaii... I decided to forgo my usual order of milk tea for a papaya mango smoothie which was on their seasonal menu. Boba was perfectly chewy, fruit smoothie was sweet (but only from the fruit and some slight sweetener). Definitely recommend if you're looking for a fresh fruit smoothie or craving some boba! read more

See all

It's the Snack Express... You walk in for tea and if you make it that far to the counter to order it without stopping for snacks...bravo! This Puck's Alley location that prominently sits nearly on the corner of South King St and University which is a crazy busy intersection, parking is easily available with entry on University right between Kansai Yamato and Betty's Burger and the first hour without any validation is free! Walking in I was amazed how spacious it was and was so happy to see several seatings though that is trouble because you're able to see all that they have to offer...snacks! Lots of yummy snacks galore as I came here for some tea though they're more of fresh fruit smoothie kinda place but did have a few House Tea selection and got the "Green Lemon Tea" with boba which I usually don't care for the lady was so nice that I went with it. The tea was a delicate yummy perfection and the boba was made just right not too hard but just a delicate flavor and not too much of it as well which I did love so much along with a couple slice of lemon this was the perfect cup of tea. As for the snacks...you know I bought a few and added another as she made my tea. What a wonderful vibe that's so lovely and welcoming. Thank you! read more

See all

Shaka Shaka Tea is ok. It is a typical Asian snack shop which seems to specialize in boba drinks. However, they also sell 5-packs of dried ramen noodles and quite a few dessert type candies and packaged goods, all at prices slightly higher than at stores like Don Quijote. I had the strawberry milk smoothie without boba, 50% sweetness. It wasn't that great. I can't remember what drink Maris ordered but the best thing about this place was that after being in Betty's Burgers without air conditioning, this place was way more comfortable. This place is not what I would consider a destination centered shop, but if I were parked in the vicinity, i might return due to convenience. read more

My mango and avocado smoothies both had little to no fruit in them. They were mostly water and not delicious at all. I think the recipe changed because they were not this stingy a few years ago. read more

If you are looking for a sip of paradise look no further than Shaka Shaka Tea Express. Located near University of Manoa it is in a quaint spot for anyone craving a natural refreshing beverage. After trying both the Taro and Mango smoothie with boba I want to come back. It's all natural, no artificial powder or artificial sugar. They use the real fruit to make your smoothie with boba. It did not disappoint. Both drinks had the right amount of sweetness, it was rich, and balanced. The staff were friendly and welcoming. The service was quick and the ambiance was relaxed and laid back. read more

Shaka Shaka Tea Express - Taro Milk Smoothie, Mango Milk Smoothie - Bubble Tea Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Snack before lunch in Honolulu, Hawaii... Knowing that I wouldn't have lunch for at least another hour... and not having had any breakfast, I searched my Yelp app for a nearby Boba tea place and found Shaka Shaka Tea Express. Located at Puck's Alley, Shaka Shaka Tea Express is on the ground level, between Nijiya Market and Cricket on University Avenue. If you park at Puck's Alley, you'll get an hour of free parking with validation. I have been to the Dillingham and Kaneohe locations, so I know that the owner (Maggie) uses fresh fruits and no powders. I ordered the seasonal Dragonfruit Mango smoothie - yum! It came with free mini Boba! Hmmm... interesting. It held me over until lunchtime! The young man who took my order also made my drink. He was efficient and polite. However, he didn't offer me a Loyalty Card and I forgot to ask for a stamp on my card... I will return! The interior of the shop is colorful and full of snacks for sale! I looked at the many succulent plants and wondered if they were available for purchase... I had to walk away quickly because I have too many plants already! read more

See all

I got an oolong milk tea with boba and grass jelly and it was fantastic. It was fast, cold, and the boba was the perfect level of chewiness. They have some comfy chairs and footrests so I was able to relax and study for a little while. read more

I ordered a watermelon smoothie with boba, 50% sugar, and thoroughly enjoyed my drink! The smoothie had a nice consistency, and the flavor of it was very natural. The order was made extremely quickly, and staff was friendly. Would recommend! read more

Shaka Shaka Tea Express - Menu - Bubble Tea Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

1000% Yes. 100/10 highly recommend this place. I order here quite frequently, it seems like an addiction. lol My favorite order is Watermelon Smoothie with boba, 25% sweet. I love that their menu is fresh juices. Staff is always friendly and welcoming. Plenty of seating inside with lots of Asian snacks to pair with your drink. They even have a seasonal menu for certain fruits in season. Boba is not an added cost! You can decline the boba, but why would you?! Parking is a bit tough, but well worth it for the drink! Don't forget your stamp card. Trust me, you will be back. Yelp 2023 Challenge: 07/30 read more

Smoothies are pretty good here. And inexpensive. It's a small shop but the service was fast. read more

This place is cute and in a great location, but the person working (owner) has a very bad attitude. Very short and curt with very little patience. Drinks were ok. read more

Shaka Shaka Tea Express - Bubble Tea Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

TLDR; don't get the lilikoi boba I was nearby at the Blazing Steaks getting food so I figure go across the street to get some boba while I wait. The store has A LOT going on..Snacks, saimin, all kinds of stuff on both sides of the store, mini fridges lined up on the side with snacks on top, larger fridge close to register and then the register that had a lot going on too. I walk in and the sales associate doesn't say anything, just stands up. I'm so overwhelmed by the selection of drinks it's taking me a while to decide. He looked grouchy but whatever, maybe long day? So to break the ice I was like, "there's so much options!" And he was totally silent. LOL okay... awkward..Wasn't the greatest customer service...but moving on. I asked for the lilikoi seasonal tea, with extra coconut jelly. There seemed to be a miscommunication because he charged me for two coconut jelly's. My intention was to get the boba it already comes with, and in addition get coconut jelly added to it. I even confirmed before completing the sale, asking, "it already comes with boba right? So can I also add coconut jelly." I guess me saying "extra" the first time made him charge me twice for two orders of coconut in addition to the boba. I paid and had the receipt sent to me and I asked why it was so expensive because I looked back at the menu and the price wasn't adding up in my head..my order came out to $9.41 and that's when I noticed he charged me for two coconut jelly's. When he was explaining to me he made me feel like a dumbass and I just wasn't having it. "Does this make sense to you?" I was like "no but it doesn't matter." At this point I don't care, just give me my drink so I can go. I like boba so it's ok I'll just enjoy the extra I paid for. I get back to my car and try it and the blended seeds from the lilikoi were all throughout the boba and it was totally inedible. Literally tasted like sand all over my mouth. I thought maybe if I let the blended seeds settle it would be good, but nope. It was so unfortunate because the tea itself tasted pretty good but that gritty sand taste of the excessive seeds just ruined it. It was so bad, even my boyfriend couldn't drink it. I took pics and threw it away. $9 wasted. Went straight to Tiger Sugar and got my regular over there. Guess that's what I get for cheating on my regular boba place. read more

See all

This place was fine. You can get better smoothies elsewhere. As soon as you walk into the store, you'll notice a bunch of Asian Snacks lining the walls: potato chips, cookies, crackers, ramen, candy, mochi, etc... There are lots of options and most of them are extremely overpriced, especially for what they are. $5.99 for an instant ramen? No thanks. You could probably get it for cheaper at Costco or Don Quixote. There are a couple of tables scattered throughout the store, though only the green chairs near the entrance have an electrical outlet located conveniently nearby. There is no restroom in the store and you'll have to either go to Nijiya or Cane's if you need to use one. I thought the smoothies were just fine. I got the Lychee Smoothie which included fresh lychee from Big Island and it cost me about $10. It was definitely a bit overpriced for what it was. My friend got the Strawberry Banana smoothie and she thought it was just okay. They definitely use fresh fruits and while that's nice and all, I wish the smoothies tasted better. Size upgrades are expensive, as are toppings, so I recommend sticking to the small size of the drinks. It's interesting that they never updated their menu and so the prices have been taped over, multiple times, with new prices handwritten in Sharpie. read more

We love Shaka Shaka for its fresh smoothies especially on a hot afternoon. Ordered delivery on Door Dash and scored since delivery was only 99 cents! Got our order in 20 mins. The only problem the large cups had lids and not sealed so one of the drinks spilled :( other than that we love the fresh smoothies! read more

See all

Craving for watermelon juice, and found this place from yelp. Real watermelon and tastes very fresh. The place very clean and organized. read more

Shaka Shaka Tea Express - Bubble Tea Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Amazing drinks and an even better customer service! Ty is a sweetheart and makes visits so enjoyable and pleasant.

I love their watermelon smoothie. Super refreshing and fresh! It's like having a straw in an actual watermelon. If you love watermelon... you'll love this! I order without boba or any toppings, it'll change the flavor. Remember to get the stamp card!!! read more

This place is amazing! Their service is really friendly. My girlfriend and I stayed in Hawaii for a week and happened to cross paths with this place and we are so happy that we did. Out of the seven days we were in Hawaii, we visited on four different days. Their mango smoothie is my favorite, it's not the same mango smoothie taste that other places usually have. As well as their smoothies, teas and drinks, they also have a wide selection of snacks and candies. On our last day of our trip, we decided to give it one last visit and get ourselves mango smoothies and ramen which they actually decided to cook for us! They are really sweet and I enjoyed coming here, I'll definitely be missing this place. read more

so sweet the girl working and she was kind and was patient while we had trouble picking out a drink. :)

The owner of this tea shop clearly asked people to report my previous reviews to have them removed. This is my third time posting this. I found a live running mouse on their table when I order my drinks at their shop a few weeks ago while I was in Honolulu. I was really disgusted. I will provide the video too if you inquire. Dear Maggie, If you really wants to hide my review on public, then why don't we have a moderator from Yelp, me, and you to prove the authenticity of my review? This is not cool. read more

Shaka Shaka Tea Express - Bubble Tea Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

The Bubble Tea they make here is REALLY GOOD. The staff are very nice and explain their selections add ons and pricing. There is also a large selection of healthu snacks available for you to choose from. All in All: Great Place for Bubble Tea read more

Shaka Shaka Tea Express - Bubble Tea Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I used to love Shaka Shaka. I've been going here for years getting various smoothies and my go-to: black milk tea with boba. For the past year or so, I've noticed that this location does not taste like how it used to. Super watery milk teas and an increase in price. I understand inflation and don't mind paying more, but not when the quality has decreased. I've recently been to the Salt Lake location, and their milk tea tastes as good as I remember. Dillingham location also tastes watery unfortunately. read more

Compared with other boba places, I thought the juices here were fresh and tasty! I got one of the items on their "popular combos" menu, the dragon fruit watermelon green tea. It was nice and sweet and felt refreshing! They also have various food items for sale, such as Japanese kit kats and other asian snacks. Service was friendly and fast. read more

See all

Lady working on 6/17 had an off day. Tried ordering a combination of flavors and when we asked to add pineapple she proceeded to have some attitude like we were inconveniencing her. we asked if this was ok and she explained that it was an extra cost. We had to ask how much more since she didn't explain. She then kept slamming the cup down like she was frustrated while we were standing there confused. Like why the attitude and poor customer service?! Then we asked for 3/4 sweetness because she never offered. Then slammed the cup down again! lol. What? She asked if we wanted anything else and we said no and walked out. Weird experience for a place we normally would spend money. read more

Love the smoothies, service is terrible,thanks to 'flower' or so she says that is what her name is.

I love Shaka Shaka Tea Express. They have such fresh ingredients for their smoothies and I love that you can chose the level of "sweetness" I normally get the 25%. You can do any combinations that you want. I haven't tried any of their baked goods, but they always have it on display and it seems great. They have tons of seating inside with air-conditioning a perfect spot to study, go on a light date, or meet up with people. They validate parking too for an hour. There's no bathroom. Definitely a good smoothie spot to check out if you're over Jamba Juice. lol read more

This place is alright... I'm big on avocado boba.. so every place that I go to I try it. This place was just average.. nothing too special... it could have been a bit sweeter.. I have pretty strong taste buds... I like really sweet and salty things.... It's a bit pricey too... I got four shakes, 3 regular and 1 large and it came to over $25... the regulars are small compared to other places that I have been to. The large is what would regulars be. Not sure if I'll come here again since I was visiting Hawaii... read more

Shaka Shaka Tea Express - Avocado shake with boba - Bubble Tea Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Strawberry smoothie with boba, orange & pineapple smoothie. Both 75% sweet, I should have gotten regular (100% sweet) because they're not as sweet as other places (but that's because other places aren't fresh fruit, it's fructose syrup) this place is the real deal! I've been craving a real fruit smoothie for a while and finally got it! Customer service was great, and quick! read more

Shaka Shaka Tea Express - Strawberry smoothie with boba, orange & pineapple smoothie. Both 75% sweet. - Bubble Tea Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

It was alright, I opt for watermelon juice with no boba. I felt like they still blend it with some ice because there is a chunky part in it. So is not 100% watermelon juice. But good they offer free boba when you make a purchase. read more

If you like fresh fruit smoothies/boba then this is the place to go. It is moderately priced at 5$ each and a scoop of boba is also included! (If you like chewy tapioca balls in your drink). I always stick to my usual - honeydew. I got the regular sweetness cause sometimes fresh honeydew doesn't have any taste. They also take credit card which is a plus! Supposedly there is a stamp card but I wasn't offered one :( but it's okay I don't really go here very often. Parking is around the corner and shared with some other establishment. It's free with any purchase! Although I don't know how long it's valid for so if you plan on staying awhile there might be a minimal fee. Or! You can just go on Sunday and it's free all day and you don't have to worry about validation if you want to hang out. read more

Shaka Shaka Tea Express - Honeydew - Bubble Tea Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

My friends like going to this place and all the flavors sounded good, so I decided to try it. It is kind of pricey. I got the watermelon smoothie, which doesn't have any milk in it (which is a plus for lactose intolerance peeps like me :P ). You can get boba in it with no extra charge. The watermelon tasted kind of fresh, which I believe they use real watermelon. When we went it was pretty empty, at around 4 or 5pm, which was kind of good because our drinks didn't take that long to be made and we could hear each other's conversations. There is a tv mounted inside playing cartoon network, which was entertaining and hilarious. Might try it out again if I ever feel like drinking boba. Tip: When you finish a stamp card, a certain amount is free I believe. read more

It is conveniently located in my neighborhood at Pucks Alley. There is free wifi Milk tea uses real milk as compared to other places who use coffee creamer. Real fruits are used in smoothies. read more

I was a little disappointed when I found out about Shaka Shaka taking down their yellow health placard, and I was hesitant about going for a while. But, I absolutely love their mango smoothie, so I had to satisfy my craving. I always get 75% sweetness with boba. All of Shaka Shaka's smoothies are made with REAL fruit, which makes it better than most other boba places. read more

Shaka Shaka Tea Express - Mango smoothie - Bubble Tea Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

This is my absolute favorite boba place! Reasons for being 5/5 stars: 1. Fresh fruit smoothies - you can taste the fruit and see the fruit being used in the fridge. 2. You can actually get the smoothies at 100% sweetness without feeling like you're getting a cavity. They also taste good at 50%, since they are fresh fruit! 3. Location is great for hanging out with friends, studying, grabbing boba pre-graduation or post-volleyball game. 4. They offer to open (put the straw in) the drink boba for you. Fun fact: it was because of Shaka Shaka that I didn't learn how to open a boba drink for an entire year. 5. Boba quality is good (and not an additional charge)! They also have taro chunks (among other toppings) which are delicious in any of the smoothies. Go to smoothies: - Strawberry Milk Smoothie (refreshing classic) - Mango Smoothie (go to refreshing and tangy) - Coconut Taro Smoothie (tastes like ice cream!) - Avocado Taro Smoothie (THICC! It's like eating a meal. Be prepared for the creaminess!) - Pineapple Ginger Tea (when I'm sick and want pineapple chunks) Note: no restrooms, nearest one is in Nijiya read more

Shaka Shaka Tea Express - Strawberry Milk Smoothie, 50% sweetness, normal boba - Bubble Tea Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii