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Alameda, CA

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Top Up

4.1 (392 reviews)
Open • 12:00 pm - 7:45 PM
Updated over 3 months ago

Order Top Up Takeout or Delivery

Top Up Photos

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Recommended Reviews - Top Up

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Reviews With Photos

Uni C.

Solid boba spot with refreshing drinks Stopped by Top Up in Alameda and tried the Blueberry Burst Boba and the House Special Milk Tea. The Blueberry Burst Boba was fruity, refreshing, and packed with blueberry flavor without being overly sweet. The popping boba added a fun texture and made the drink feel extra enjoyable. The House Special Milk Tea was smooth and well-balanced, with a rich tea flavor that came through nicely. The boba pearls were soft and chewy, and both drinks felt freshly made. Service was friendly and efficient, and the staff kept things moving quickly even during a busy period. The vibe is clean, modern, and relaxed, making it a nice place to stop for a quick drink or hang out with friends. Overall, a great local boba shop with reliable drinks and plenty of options to choose from. I'd come back to try more of their specialty drinks next time.

Front
Sun L.

Parking lot free and spacious Small spot but well lit well decorated and so pretty Lots of selections, they have half gallon or full gallon Togo order too Order full gallon a few times to parties I go for their popcorn chicken, add more chili powder as well Service was friendly and fast Good place overall

Featured drink menu
Glenda B.

I was craving some tea so stopped by this shop since it was close by. Tons of parking in this little shopping center. Went on a Thursday afternoon and not busy at all. Ordered popcorn chicken ($7.95) and mango tango fruit tea ($6.75+.65 for boba). There's seating inside and some tables outside. It's not the cutest shop but tea isn't bad. It's not the best or somewhere I'd go out of my way to go - I felt even though I got 50% sugar the tea flavor itself was a bit weak, almost watery. Like other reviews the snack part was good or more why people would come here and I see that. (TBH I think the popcorn chicken at Boba Binge is better if you can go over to china town in Oakland.) Overall, decent. Curious to come back to try other teas or snacks.

Jordan Aaron C.

A Local Favorite for Boba and Hot Snacks (5/5 Stars) As a local to Alameda, this is my go-to spot for boba and delicious hot snacks. Everything on their menu is tasty and reasonably priced. I especially love their special teas; they have an endless list of refreshing combinations. Their popcorn chicken is the best on the island of Alameda--I can never visit without ordering it. It's a great place to hang out with a friend, catch up, and enjoy some amazing snacks.     It's a great spot to hangout with a friend to catch up and enjoy some amazing snacks.

Strawberry Milk Tea
Lily L.

Rating: 3.5 We ordered the Tropical Breeze (not pictured) and a Strawberry Milk Tea with added strawberry jelly. The Tropical Breeze, which features honeydew and pineapple, is a good option if you enjoy sweet and tart flavors. The Strawberry Milk Tea tastes like a classic milk tea mixed with strawberry puree. The drinks can be hit or miss; some days they are great and other days not as much. The shop itself is cute, with tables and seating available. There is usually music playing, making it a nice place to relax or hang out. Based on my visits, I would rate the place around a 3 to 3.5. The drinks can be inconsistent, and while the service is courteous, it is not exceptional. When they first opened, this was one of the few boba spots in Alameda. Although there are now many more choices, it remains one of my regular options when I am craving boba in the area.

Red Velvet and Bacon Cheese Fries (already took a bite because it's so yummy)
Vivian L.

Top Up has been one of my go-to boba spots in Alameda for a long time. There's just something about that place! I often get fruit drinks from there because almost all of them come with toppings. The drink my sibling and I always get is the Mango Tango, with 50% sweet and boba (I recommend!). I went there again today and I felt like it was finally time for a review. I got a Red Velvet drink with honey boba and it was good. My cousin dropped one of our drinks right outside, and staff was kind of enough to remake the drink for free. I also am obsessed with their hot season fries and their bacon cheese fries, which have this seasoning that I can't find anywhere else. Overall, Top Up has been consistent with their drinks! There have been times where I had to wait more than 10-15 minutes for drinks when it gets busy (from high schoolers), but I'm always happy with what I order from here! :)

Trinh P.

Honeydew milk tea 8/10 Jasmine milks tea 5/10 very light jasmine taste and watered down. Panda milk tea 9/10 The place isn't well lit at night. Plenty of parking as other establishment surrounding the shop is closed after and certain time. Located next to a market. Order at the kiosk. No one greets you. They will call your number on the left hand side of the counter. Didnt love the honey boba here. Would come back if I am in the area and want to avoid street parking off Park an Webster street boba shops.

James D.

This might be the worst boba place in Alameda. The shop was dirty, there was basically no customer service, and it took 20 minutes to make two drinks even though it wasn't busy. Unfortunately, the drinks themselves were also subpar and not worth the wait. I wouldn't come back.

Ratha C.

We were a large group of 8. Service was quick. Not the best boba or flavors but good options and ambiance.

Golden lemonade
Amy T.

The food and drinks are okay here, but at least it's affordable for NorCal prices. The popcorn chicken was just alright; I wouldn't order it again. I tried the golden lemonade, and it was on the sweeter side. Maybe I would come back to try different menu items if I were in the area.

Wall menu as of December 2024.
Vi T.

Stopped in for a drink and snack. Their wall menu doesn't seem to have all items available compared to the 2 self-ordering kiosks they have at their counter. I recommend you order from there so you can see photos of all the drinks and snacks they make. Drink prices range from $5.75 and up. I tried the sweet potato milk tea drink and added the fried tofu snack. I enjoyed both of them, but realized after I ordered that the drink didn't come with boba. I think toppings are about $0.65 extra.

Maruko X.

Ambiance: the boba tea place is located in a plaza not far from the waterfront, shared parking lot and restroom with the rest of merchants Service: very patient and friendly with specific requests Drink: numerous items on the menu with most popular selections Brown Sugar Milk Tea - *** add boba, very light taste Price: each drink costs about $6, convenient contactless payment

Bacon Cheese Fries with HAIR RIGHT ON TOP!

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11 months ago

Tea is great, service not so much and food items take forever. It also has a weird smell.

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Page 2 of 10

Ask the Community - Top Up

If you purchase a glass bottle, is there a bit of a discount for bringing it back to use?

Do you offer milk alternatives? I didn't see anything on your website that allowed a customer to pick a milk preference. I'd love to grab some boba, but can't drink dairy or soy!

We only have soy. Most of our milk tea are dairy free such as Taro milk tea, jasmine milk tea, roasted oolong milk tea, brown sugar milk tea and fruit milk tea.

What's in the galaxy lemonade?

Hi there, It’s fresh squeezed lemonade, paired with strawberry jelly and topped with Butterfly pea flower juice.

View All 4 Questions

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TOMO Tea House - Catering Boba Bar

TOMO Tea House

4.0(116 reviews)
0.9 mi

After miles of cycling, TOMO Tea House was the perfect place to cool down. This hidden gem in…read moreAlameda offers much more than just boba--they also serve authentic Vietnamese phin-drip coffee and specialty coffee creations. The Mango Sago was absolutely amazing (soooo good!), and the Taro Shake with jellies was delicious. Service was excellent, and the staff was incredibly friendly and welcoming. I loved the relaxing ambiance, family-friendly atmosphere, indoor and outdoor seating, and the play area for kids. Plenty of parking too, conveniently located next to Lucky Supermarket. Highly recommend whether you're craving boba, dessert, or a great Vietnamese coffee after a long ride. Cheers!

I had such high hopes for this chain boba place, I chose to go here instead of a local business and…read moreREGRET IT I ordered a mango sago with boba for $9.60 only for the staff to tell me they didn't have boba so they refunded me $0.85 back. That wasn't great as it was 3:30 pm on a Wednesday so I'm not sure how you run out of boba that quickly. So at least the drink was under $9. But for the price, this drink was awful. The presentation is terrible; they literally put plastic wrap on top of the lid because they didn't buy the right sized lids for the drinks! Now onto the drink itself. There was so much ice in this drink even though I selected less ice. For $9 there better be the least amount of ice possible. Taste wise, they did put real mango chunks in it but the sago was mushy and didn't blend well with the rest of the drink. After 3 sips, I had wished I had just gone to the mom and pop boba place instead. Long story short, my experience here wasn't great at all and I won't be coming back.

Photos
TOMO Tea House - Mango Matcha Latte

Mango Matcha Latte

TOMO Tea House - Brown Sugar Boba Fresh Milk

Brown Sugar Boba Fresh Milk

TOMO Tea House - Brown Sugar Boba Milk Tea

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Brown Sugar Boba Milk Tea

T4 Alameda - Earl Grey MT with grass jelly.

T4 Alameda

4.1(35 reviews)
2.0 mi
•$$

Overview: nostalgic, my favorite boba place that offers mini boba!, delicious and fresh food…read more/snacks too ---- I used to come here all the time back in high school when it was located across the street in front of the bus stop next to the martial art place. I'm so glad that they are still open and running. They have happy hour from 6-8pm with discounted drinks and food which is great for the high schoolers in the area and to just hang out there too! I LOVE mini boba, so much more than the regular sized boba balls and T4 is one of the only places I know that still have the option to add it. I got my favorite Wintermelon Milk Tea for $6.35 ($5.75 for reg size + $0.60 for mini boba topping) and it was just like I remembered it. Sweet, creamy, chewy, and refreshing. I also got the Popcorn Chicken $7.75 which they offer sauces like ranch and sweet chili (there are more options but I forgot). It came out piping hot and the chicken was still tender and juicy, also had crispy basil on top. The girls working were so sweet too! You can either order directly from them or through their small kiosk iPad on their counter. There's plenty of seating but parking is always an issue. We had just come from playing at SubPar Mini Golf so we left our car over there and just walked a few minutes. ---- Overall: a classic boba institution that I'm so happy still operates, fresh food and drinks that tastes the same as I've had them years ago! I can't wait to be back when I'm visiting Alameda again!

Out of the many other boba places in Alameda, we decided to come here and left kinda disappointed…read more Ordered a couple drinks and popcorn chicken. Came during HH where there were discounts on certain drinks and snacks. It didn't seem crazy busy but it took over 20 min for the popcorn chicken. Finally decided to ask for refund since it was taking much longer than anticipated, and of course it was ready right after. Didn't end up getting a refund. The popcorn chicken was crispy but didn't have any basil in it as pictured. Also not a fan of seasoning it myself, but it's nice that they have the different seasoning shakers to customize. Around the same time, a couple other customers went up to the counter to inquire about their orders as well. One customer was waiting on a single drink for 15 min and it wasn't made until he brought it to their attention. Maybe they were short staffed or something but I think they should have warned customers how long to expect to wait before ordering.

Photos
T4 Alameda - Earl grey MT with French pudding.

Earl grey MT with French pudding.

T4 Alameda - Strawberry matcha milkshake. (AI enhanced photo of real item).

Strawberry matcha milkshake. (AI enhanced photo of real item).

T4 Alameda - Grapefruit tea with real grapefruit pulp.

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Grapefruit tea with real grapefruit pulp.

Chicha San Chen - Bubble Volcano and High Mountain Tea w/cream & boba

Chicha San Chen

4.6(323 reviews)
6.8 mi•Telegraph Ave
•$$

I've been to enough tea shops that the memories of them start to meld together. However, I had a…read moretrip to Chicha today and it is one I'll remember. After ordering at kiosks, it took about 20 minutes for our drinks. Good things come to those who wait! We ordered: Bubble Milk Tea, light sweetness, less ice Dong Ding Milk Tea, perfect sweetness, less ice Both teas had really good tea flavor. Bubble Milk Tea being more of a traditional black tea and Dong Ding being closer to a green tea. The Bubble Milk Tea had more cream, not sure if this was on purpose. For sweetness, light sweetness was good for me with boba. Perfect sweetness would be good without boba. Overall, the tea was fantastic. 90th+ percentile, but also on the pricier side. Each tea comes with a disposable cup carrier. The space is also really nice place to hang out - modern, spacious, and with a couple of interesting tea-related things to look at including a running video of tea harvesting and processing. As we were looking around, we noticed they have free tea tastings, but reservations look like they book out at least a few days in advance. Really impressed with this shop and will make a point to visit next time we're in the area.

This is the first boba places I've been to where they have tea demonstrations. There is a display…read moreof their tea blocks. A nice boba shop, pretty big. There are 2 ordering kiosks. They have unique drinks. I went with milk tea w/taro ball and taro paste. I really liked the taro ball and taro paste. So glad they serve fresh taro and not powder. Street parking. It is located by a college so this place does get really busy.

Photos
Chicha San Chen - Main counter

Main counter

Chicha San Chen - Busy any time. Lots of nice table configurations

Busy any time. Lots of nice table configurations

Chicha San Chen - HH signage

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HH signage

Gong Cha

Gong Cha

3.5(209 reviews)
2.0 mi
•$$

This is one of my favorite boba spots in Alameda. We recently stopped in on a hot afternoon to…read morequench our thirst. Tried the Matcha Iced Smoothie (matcha, ice, and milk) and the QQ Passionfruit Green Tea (includes coconut jelly and boba), both in Medium size. Substituted herbal jelly for boba in the QQ Passionfruit Green Tea drink. Both drinks were refreshing and satisfying. I like the variety and changing specials that Gongcha has throughout the year. Service is always prompt and attentive at this spot. You can order at the counter or in one of the kiosks. Definitely sign up for their membership rewards for discounts off future purchase and members specials that they run. Plenty of seating inside too for locals to bring their laptops and work remotely. I also love that Gongcha uses biodegradable boba straws (made from sugarcane pulp), which hold up really well. Note: sadly, they no longer offer their happy hour drink special after 6pm (BOGO half off). But still have various seasonal specials throughout the year. If you get hungry, there's a Peppermint Baguette food venue (which I also recommend) inside the same shared store space (different order counter) with tasty and good priced Vietnamese dishes, snacks, and banh mi sandwiches too.

I should expected something was off when it was completely empty during peak weekend time…read more Staff didn't greet us... which yknow -- if the drinks are good, I can overlook. But you could see that the one person who was making drinks didn't really care much. The drinks were very watered down and powdery. The matcha was so light green and tasteless. Given all of the ingredients it feels like it would be impossible to taste flavorless but it was. I've been to other Gong Cha's before and they were way better.

Photos
Gong Cha
Gong Cha
Gong Cha

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Top Up - bubbletea - Updated October 2026

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