THEY STOLE MY MONEY! LITERALLY!! so I went in one night and was getting a bubble milk tea for $1.79. I put a dollar down on the counter and while I was pulling out the 79 cents, the cashier took my dollar off the counter. When I put down the rest of the money, she said I still owed her $1. I insisted that I had already given her the dollar but she kept saying she "didn't see it" and that I "still owed her". She then proceeded to stare blankly at me. I didn't know how to tell her that I SAW HER SWIPE MY DOLLAR FROM THE COUNTER without outright accusing her. When she took it, I didn't think she was TRYING to steal from me. I thought she was just holding onto my dollar and waiting for me to get the rest of the $ from my wallet. I was absolutely appalled. I don't think I will go here anymore. I prefer Double Rainbow Cafe on Bancroft (they have a 2 for $3 deal with better flavors). DON'T SUPPORT MONEY HUNGRY THIEVES!!!! read more

I'll agree with some of my fellow Yelpers here and vouch for the superiority of Sweetheart over the nearby Quickly. The tapioca here is just about the perfect consistency. The milk teas are nothing special, but good for a cheap tapioca fix. I'm a huge fan of the coconut milk ice with tapioca. I don't know much about the food. I'm a tapioca-tea-only kind of guy here. The service is as fast as it can be with 9-10 UC undergrads crowding the counter almost consistently. Could be made faster if this cash-only establishment made their prices more change-friendly and predictable (including tax in the price list might help). The cumulative slow-down stemming from the cashier counting out the change from the commonly proffered $5 or $20 for a $1.62 boba (listed as $1.50 or whatever) might be ok in a place that doesn't see as much business, but it's less than inefficient when it has to take place nonstop....and it's a pain for us customers who have to shovel a bunch of useless change into our already burdened pockets. I just want a boba, not a quarter pound of coins. read more

Very cheap and fast service, but the quality of the milk tea and pearls is pretty bad. You get what you pay for. Bubble milk tea and jasmine green milk tea are $1.29 with no tapioca, and $1.79 with tapioca (for the small size). Beware: Sweetheart uses powder for these two drinks, not real milk tea, resulting in a powdery flavor. Service, while fast, is generally pretty unfriendly. Tip: If you want regular bubble milk tea, you have to ask for BUBBLE milk tea. If you ask for PEARL milk tea, they WILL give you a more expensive Thai milk tea. And it's not good at all. I made this mistake a few times when I first came here, and left very confused. I direct you to Quickly's (inside the same square) or Moccaccino Cafe (on Bancroft). read more

Not impressed, and its a shame that the Berkeley students on this side of campus are deprived of good milk tea. This place is mediocre-subpar at best and the only reason why its crowded is because of its great location and lack of good competition nearby. I usually come here with friends late night and get their milk tea, popcorn chicken, or jasmine tea. Their teas are nothing special. It tastes like cheap milk tea, which is exactly what it is, Milk tea thats cheap. The Jasmine tea is watered down and the popcorn chicken is just ok. Pearls are meh. Granted, this place will cure your craving for milk tea but don't expect anything spectacular. Servicewise, this place is pretty bad. No Hello, No Thank You, nothing. In fact, the owner is very prejudice towards people who can speak Cantonese. Not cool. read more

I would've originally given Sweetheart Cafe 3.5 stars because they're a pretty standard boba place, order your drink, pay and get a yummy treat after. Minus a star for cash only and minus another half star for the wait.. but I give Sweetheart two stars today because after they got my order wrong, a cold almond milk tea instead of a hot one, they proceeded to fix the problem by pouring the cold drink into a hot drink cup, scooping the ice out and then heating it up. I ended up with a hot almond flavored water drink. I'd come back if it was one of my last resorts to fix a hot milk tea craving. I need to find myself another cafe/tea house with hot milk tea as good as sweethearts, minus the horrible service. read more

For a quick fix by campus, this is the place. Cheap drinks, with sweet boba that is addictive to nom on, what more could you ask for? Too bad the tea isn't made-to-order and they ladle it into your cup when you order it. It's probably made from powder (complaints complaints...) but I really do enjoy coming here for: Honey Lemon Aloe Tea (very yummy) Jasmine Green Milk Tea (very refreshing, though slightly watered down, and cheap) Roasted Milk Tea (interesting flavor!) Why 2 stars for such a great deal (most drinks under 4 bucks, with boba)? I found a hair in my boba, but I'm not gonna freak out over that stuff and scream at them. But it does prove that they're not big on hairnets when they're cooking this stuff up. Sanitation is very important after all. But otherwise, I do like coming here for a relaxation drink coming home from the library. They're open later than Quickly's too. read more

Good selection of boba + slushies + food +etc, but the milk tea just isn't as good as Mochaccino Cafe on Bancroft... the milk tea is too diluted here and tastes extremely watery, especially when the ice melts. Maybe the slushy drinks are better, but I've tried the honeydew one and I'd just put it at mediocre. read more

CASH only! Credit/Debit with Surcharge. To this day, I still do not know why this place has a pretty good rating. Honestly, if this wasn't the closet boba shop to my place, I wouldn't come here at all. Most of the drinks taste really watered down and powdery. A couple of drinks here are really cheap, such as the regular milk tea, jasmine milk tea, strawberry milk tea and taro milk tea. However, the rest of their (flavored) drinks tend to get pretty expensive. Drinks I've Had: Honeydew Sago- This is one of my favorites. It's like a honeydew slushie with really really small tapioca. It actually tastes like honeydew (I think it's because they use real honeydew). Strawberry Milk Tea- This tastes a lot like the strawberry milk tea at Quickly's. It's really cheap, but the tea tastes really watered down and powdery. Jasmine Milk Tea- One of the better ones. Green Tea Smoothie- It's like a Matcha Green Tea Smoothie. I really like this drink, but it's pretty expensive compared to the others. Roasted Milk Tea- A LOT more flavor than the regular milk tea. Overall, Sweetheart's is terribly mediocre, and if not for staying open late at night and being close to where I live, I wouldn't go. read more

I Heart Fresh Boba I Heart Green Tea Ice Cream Milk Shake with Boba I Heart Salt and Pepper Squid I Heart Curry Fish Balls This place is __________ (enter any extremely positive adjective here). read more

This place was the cutest thing!!! The little old man was the most enthusiastic and sweetest person ever when helping me and my friend! Our food and drinks came out really fast! read more

Typical cheap, fast, dirty campus food service. Within the set of its peers, it does alright. Make sure to come here with the right expectations. DO get the boba here over Quickly's next door. I don't know why, but I really don't like Quickly's. Their boba tastes like they dump a buttload of sugar when mixing every drink. Sweetheart's isn't much better, but it IS better. And thats all that matters when making the decision of which bad boba place in the south-side campus area to visit. Don't get the burgers here. They're small, expensive, and not tasty enough to warrant buying. Also the jasmine green milk tea is probably the best thing I had here. Also, if you're having trouble ordering, just say the name of the base drink you want (example: jasmine green milk tea) and THEN add "with boba/tapioca/pearls. Avoids some confusion, as their stuff is named weirdly here. read more

Nothing too special about this place, but it IS close to campus, which is a plus, and there's TONS of Asian food you can choose from to eat with your boba, so that's awesome too. (Love Bear Ramen's Kimchi fried rice/noodle) My go-to drink is Jasmine milk tea with boba. Very Jasmine-y and the bobas are sweet too, which I love. Another plus side for this drink is that it's REALLY CHEAP!! (BUT only for this drink and their regular milk tea. But then again, every once in a while, they'll have a special, so keep an eye out for those) I haven't tried much food here, but their crispy popcorn chicken is fantasticccc. It's fried and cooked with basil (yum), and it's given to you in a bag with two skewers. I recommend adding in the white pepper and the chili powder, which are situated by the entrance (atop the trash can). Mix it really good, and VOILA, best chicken you've ever eaten. trust me on this. And if it's hot outside, and you really want something Ice-y, I recommend the watermelon freeze. REAL watermelon with ice slush + boba. SO refreshing. you will not regret it if you love watermelon. read more

I've already graduated from Berkeley for a few years now but whenever I go back I always try to visit Sweetheart's. Can't say anything about their milk tea since I usually resort to my default.... Papaya milk shake with extra boba. OMFG SOOO GOOD!!!!! They use real papaya since sometimes I'm thrown into a state of depression when they say "sorry, no more papaya today..." O_o The boba balls are also the perfect amount of chewiness and sweetness. AND they don't charge extra if you ask for more boba (unlike other places) =) They also have a HUGE list of types of drinks they make. I've only tried a few, but really...I'm only reviewing their papaya milk. read more

I forgot what time it was, but I came here after the freshman homecoming dance at the beginning of the year and it was about to close..but the nice man still let us buy drinks because we were very thirsty :) I ordered a pina colada snowbubble that just tasted like sugar water, but I was thirsty at the time so I was satisifed. read more

Sweetheart Cafe - green tea w/boba, jelly, and lychee - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Open late, yeah! Sweetheart is pretty much my go-to boba spot, even though I live closer to Tapioca Express. Major pro: if your friends don't like boba, there is /everything else/ to choose from. They can get frozen yogurt, donuts, or a full dinner! I've really only tried Sweetheart's slushies and milk teas, so I can't speak on their ice cream, but I'd like to try it, too. They also have a nice little assortment of Asian snacks and candies, and those can be hard to find in this area. They're a little expensive, though, so be careful! The drinks are reasonably priced and pretty tasty. It's fun to head over to Durant late at night and fill up on random desserts and boba! (God, I can't wait for the semester to be over so I can do just that, guilt-free.) read more

I'm giving Sweetheart five stars because it serves up the best boba I've ever had. I've been coming here for the three years I've lived in Berkeley-- at first because it was less than a block from my dorm, and later making the trek across town because it is *just that good*. Great boba, and open late. I come here maybe once a month these days, but wish I made the trip more often. Their boba makes the perfect snack. Sweetheart won't get any points for ambiance-- the location is dicey, across the street from Top Dog and La Burrita, and right on the edge of Asian Ghetto. Most of the folks who come here are students, and you will probably see some homeless folks hanging out outside. The cafe is small and busy, and not really somewhere you want to sit and chat. I usually take my boba to go. But the drinks themselves? Amazing. This is my favorite spot to get boba, because the pearls are fresh and cooked just right. They're soft and chewy without being grainy, and deliciously sweet from being soaked in syrup. I've tried a few of their flavors, but the milk teas, especially the black milk tea with pearls, are my favorites. I've tried ten or more boba spots in Berkeley, and this one serves up the best by far. read more

I go here for a quick drink everyday during my lunch break. Not only is it fast it is cheap I can order and be back in 5 minutes with my drink on the counter waiting for me. read more

I love you even though you're average because it only takes whatever change I have at the bottom of my purse to get a pearl tea fix. Thanks!

Price and boba balls Super cheap and great for college students who need that caffeine or just sugar rush during those laggy days Yummmm, flavored sweet and chewy boba balls. Awesome texture. read more

I've found myself here many a time now ever since Quickly decided to raise their prices. And they do have better popcorn chicken! Full menus, great meal combos, and good priced syrupy drinks! read more

They sell a bunch of different drinks, but I usually get their bubble milk tea or jasmine milk tea. They have a deal where you can get generic milk teas for only $1.29! (Plus 50 cents for boba) I also like their green apple slushy, and it comes with lychee jelly! Their boba is pretty consistent, and slightly sweet, which my sweet tooth is definitely a fan of. And they make your orders really quick! read more

Boba: prices went up! decreasing supply, increased demand :(? Popcorn chicken: CANCER IN A BAG. Every piece I popped into my mouth was another offense committed against my body. Afterwards, I went to Peet's to buy a box of green tea to detoxify. (but I still come here anyway to get my boba fix before every all-nighter.) read more

they use dryers ice cream for the milkshakes, and they are very well made. good fries as well. I don't get anything else there, but my friends like the burgers. its open late, but I always go for lunch. I would say its the best place to get a high quality milkshake in the east bay, and it is quick. I have been going there for years, and it is always good. read more

Their balls taste really sweet - in fact, this is the only tapioca place I know that has balls THIS sweet. Some of you may like that...but I prefer my balls to have only a slight hint of sweetness. In terms of the actual drink itself, their pearl milk tea can sometimes taste really sweet as well, or watered down as hell - it's a hit or miss. If you want authentic black milk tea, I think they charge you $1-1.50 extra. After you order, you normally get your drinks super quickly. read more

Scouring Shattuck, one weeknight, It seemed as there were none in sight. Though it was shit, and now I'm far, Sometimes I think of UCR. Where bubble tea, I oft enjoyed, 'Cause I was rich, and unemployed. Bubble tea across from bubble tea, All open late, just right for me. Now Berkeley, though I love you so, There's no late night place I can go, To satisfy this need? I can't! Until I wandered up Durant. There surely was a magic town, For there, my boba, I had found. Small shopping alley, tucked away, I came upon this sweetheart cafe. Inside was simple, small, and cheery, Although the staff seemed kind of weary. I understand, 'cause it was late, With tea in hand, I could not hate. The price? Not bad, the tea, real good, I made it last, long as I could. As each pearl burst, inside my mouth, I thought about my days down south. I thought, "Why do I miss them so?" But this shit's better, so let's go. read more

I've committed an error in judgment. I stand by my statement that the drinks here are not that great at all. Very artificial, extremely sweet. Still diabetes-tier, but serves a purpose when I really, really want something disgustingly sweet at an odd hour. BUT. Based on a recent experience I had going here late at night, I've realized the food is actually much better than I thought. I keep coming back here not for drinks, but for food. Chicken strips here are actually bomb. Perfectly tender chicken, delicious breading, and the seasoning problems I have with the popcorn chicken are a non-issue because of how widely across each individual strip the seasoning is dispersed. These are quality strips. Also! The other foods -- the fries, burgers, etc. -- are quite formidable in their own right. Especially the fries. They're quite good. A worthy place to go for food late at night. I just wish their drinks weren't so mediocre/terrible. read more

Oh my gah... how does this place have this many stars. My friend and I walked down here at the beginning of the semester on a Sunday afternoon. What a mistake that was. We both ordered the same thing.. a regular pearl milk tea.. but hers was $1.20 more expensive than mine...?? We obligatorily finished, and 2 hours later we both had agonizing stomach aches. Worst food -er- boba poisoning of my life.... lucky for her, she felt better the next day. But me? I wish. Spent more time in the bathroom than in my actual room that night, and I had to skip class for 4 days. This place completely ruined pearl tea for me, and I'm still scared to drink it even at the places back home in Cupertino where it's actually clean. read more

Go here for the drinks, not the service. I usually like this place because it's super fobby, you're guaranteed a boba drink reminiscent of Taiwan and it's close to Steve's Korean BBQ which I like. In the years I've been going there, a guy named Raymond but whom I call "Eva" because that was the name on the receipts he'd hand me, always helped me. Nice guy and fast, too. Anyway, I go there yesterday after having place an order at Steve's and order what I always order - a jasmine green ice tea, but this time I got it with sago. So she's like, "You don't want milk?" and I said no milk. And she says, "Who orders it without milk?" And I think, wtf is your problem, I can order it however I want. So my friend is sitting there and sees them whip up a slushy green drink. You know, those kinds that are like moss green and look super gross and are made from powder. So I look on my receipt and lo and behold, it says I ordered a slushy. I go up to the counter and tell the older, manager-looking man at the counter now and I ask him nicely that I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't getting a slushy, I just wanted a green tea cold. He was like, oh okay, and said that if you order ice, it means slushy. I was like, okay, whatever. So I bust out the Chinese and say I didn't want a bing sah, just bing kwai. So he was fine and he actually gave me money back. So they make my drink, while the biatch in the back is muttering about how I didn't order it right, and I'm thinking that she probably should've been listening to my order instead of criticizing it. So 2-stars since I don't feel I need a cashier at a boba shop judging my orders, but I've had great experiences there before and they addressed my concern. That biatch needs to leave. I didn't get her name, but she has long, straight hair and talks on her cell phone instead of taking your order. And her cell phone has like a million charms hanging off of it. I'm not against fobs as I feel I'm one myself, being MIT, but I'm just against rude cashiers. read more

Great Pearl Milk Tea here that has a unique flavor setting it apart from most other places I've tried. Doesn't quite match up to that of Ten Ren in Richmond, but the tea and boba are very consistently good. read more

$1.79 for Jasmine Milk Green Tea. The drink itself was not too sweet and the boba was of pretty good quality when I received my drink (not too hard like it had been sitting there forever). read more

Not a fan, unfortunately. Whenever I'm at a new boba place, I like to judge the quality by ordering a regular milk tea with boba. Sweetheart's regular milk tea is extremely disappointing. It tastes like a watered down thai tea. The pearls are really good at first - very soft & chewy with a nice sweet flavor. However, after having a couple pearls, it ends up being way too sweet for me. I tried other flavors such as jasmine and taro, but to no avail. All of them tasted watery and overly sweet to me. I've tried to like it. I've gone a good 5-10 times, hoping to like it more since so many of my friends recommend it. I always end up regretting my decision. I even prefer Quickly's over this. read more

This place is conveniently located in berkeley's notorious "Asian Ghetto." I always stumble into here on my way back to my apartment on a hot day. Their boba is pretty standard; average prices. I always get the strawberry milk tea for 2 bucks. My favorite drink from here is the strawberry peach smoothie w/ boba. A little pricy at over 4 bucks, but it's delicious! Don't get the strawberry banana one though...no flavor :( read more

I only ever order one drink here: the avocado fresh fruit smoothie with boba (don't hate it until you try it!). I prefer my tea drinks elsewhere, but for cold and thick smoothies, this totally satisfies my craving for just under $4. It is the only place that makes my avocado drink like they do at my fave spot back in Seattle. And I do love their boba: soft, chewy, and sweet (although I run out quite a few sips before I'm done with my drink; I tend to like lots of boba in my drinks). This place is a simple, no bells and whistles boba joint, almost like homestyle comfort when compared to other boba establishments in the area. I get my drink here a lot faster too. But..they charge extra to run credit cards. Le sigh. read more

I used to love sweetheart cafe, it was my favorite boba place in Berkeley, however it's not even my top 5 anymore. Their boba have been too mushy the past few times I came, in addition, I feel like the price keeps going up too. If I'm going to end up paying like $4 or so, I would rather take a trip to share tea than sweetheart. That being said, I'll probably continue coming here since it's so conveniently located & I still really like their vanilla great milk tea. Also despite the crazy greasiness of their popcorn chicken, it's still yummy. read more

They have really sweet balls. I think they soak it in sugar or something. The iced boba is really good, not like other places that don't mix the powder in very well so that you're choking on it. But if you still hadn't had enough with their boba, you can order their popcorn chicken, too. For full out food coma - I'd do this - order a boba and the popcorn chicken, get a hot dog from Top Dog (across the street), and then have a doughnut from King Pin (next door to Sweetheart's). Omg, I used to drive up to campus just for this late at night with my friends. read more

I love this place! completely and utterly do! where else can you can 2 milk tea's with tapioca for $3?! I'll tell ya, no where!! and they are soo good to! they beat Tapioca Express any day in my book! read more

Not one of my favorite places to go for tapioca drinks, but it will have to do while I'm at school. I always get the Jasmine Green Tea here, but only because it is slightly less watered down than Quickly's just a few feet away. Downside is that they don't have small pearls, and I believe that their green tea is a few cents more expensive than Quickly's. Popcorn chicken is good, but sometimes it will be extremely greasy to the point of absolute disgust. Not much seating here, sometimes people don't know how to get out of the way, but eh. Whatever. read more

Very good tea !! The discount is hard to use but it is nice they include it I continue to go back, & definitely would recommend it

Originally, I gave them 5 stars for having Taro milk tea for under a dollar...BUT i walked in there today and they increased it to a wallet devouring $1.45. Not only is $1.45 more expensive, but it's also a very inconvenient amount to pay for a drink. Paying 2 dollars will result in you getting at best 3 (2 quarters and a nickel for you philosophy majors) coins back...how inconvenient =( . I've recently seen a lot more people walking around with Quickly drinks and now I know why. read more

The tea used to be more like sugar water than tea and now I hear it's too watery, but Sweetheart consistently makes the best pearls. They're soft, which makes them easy to chew and swallow, and I swear, they're infused with sugar or magic or something. At other tea places chewing pearls can be a chore, but at Sweetheart, each pearl is a perfectly cooked snack. I always swing by for a pearl milk tea whenever I'm in Berkeley just to taste those pearls again. There's not much else to like here. The burgers and desserts are pretty bad. The ice cream and shakes aren't that good a deal. There's hardly any inside seating. The pearls keep me coming back though. read more