Boba Loca

I love boba. I love this location and the drinks always taste great. They screwed order up a couple times but mistakes happen I guess.

If you know me, you know how much I love boba!
I was in the mood for it and since I was in the area with my boyfriend, we decided boba would be a great dessert after our dinner.
I went in to order. My boyfriend always gets honey dew slushie boba and my favorite is the passion fruit slushie boba! I love the taste of it.
The guy who greeted me was extremely nice. He was alone, but it wasn’t busy. The place itself isn’t big at all.
Although the taste of both the drinks were as expected, how it was made was odd. They seemed watered down and not blended. Also, he didn’t even seal the drinks properly. They weren’t aligned, which was really annoying.
The drinks felt soggy. I’ve never had boba this poorly made. I guess there’s a first for everything…
I don’t know if he was rushing or was new, but what he served was not good at all. I was really disappointed.
I won’t be returning, especially with the hundreds of boba locations around. Although the customer service was superb, the drinks served were not worth it.

2.5 stars… but rounding up to 3 because so conveniently located in ATWATER VILLAGE. Only 3 min drive from my place, so there’s def the likelihood of returning.
Came here on a Friday afternoon when I had massive boba cravings but did not want to make the trek out to SGV or Monterey Park. Bad decisions… I ordered the almond milk tea with boba, large for around $ 6. The milk tea was a joke, you can literally taste the fat amount of powder they used, which means they probably used crappy tea… or no tea? The redeeming factor was their boba quality, which wasn’t too terrible. Not too hard nor too soft (of course it’s not as good as the legit places, but I won’t complain).
Metered street parking available in front but gets crowded on weekends.
Conclusion– it’s highly unlikely I will be back, but who knows… boba cravings can be pretty serious.

I went in around 4:30 with my mother. We ordered a boba coffee with boba and a peanut butter slush WITHOUT boba. We also ordered a funnel cake with only powdered sugar. When I received my peanut butter slush it had boba. She had asked my if I wanted boba, and I had said no, yet there we were. Our funnel cake was also wrong, as if came with ice cream, whipped cream, and chocolate fudge. Again she had asked us beforehand if we wanted these things and we had said no. They seemed rush, so I can understand them messing things up, just hope the next time it’s a little better.

Just drive 15 minutes to get there based on my best friends recommendation and they were out of boba! Out of boba! Not like their name is BOBA-​loca or anything.
Total fail

Ordered off their «not so secret menu» of the T’OREO which includes: Taro + Oreo slush and I added boba and it was the shiiiizzzzz!
I also tried the OREO CHURRO BITES and they are bomb like KABOOM (if yah know what I mean) ;D

Glad this place is conveniently up the street in the neighborhood! Whenever I gotta have my boba, I head here. Oh, the convenience! Parking can be a headache, though. Read the street signs and don’t chance it trying to park in the Starbucks lot! They have a good selection of drinks and combinations to choose from. Its fun trying different combos! The last time I came in, I tried one of their new, seasonal drinks: Avocado shake– mmn! Yes, I have a stamp card. No, I’m not a high school kid. I’m just the type that will walk right past Starbucks any old day for a nice boba milk tea instead. I wish I could trade in all my Starbucks gift cards for drinks here instead!

I was dying for a honeydew over ice. Instead I got a luke warm drink. I asked the guy to add more ice to make it colder and it still came out the same. I guess this place is crossed off my list. SUCKED!

Not as bad as the other boba locas, its okay i guess because the people here are nicer than the other boba loca branches i have been to. Their Boba is also a little better than the other boba locas

The service wasn’t really that good. My drink got mixed with someone else’s and the customer service was bad. The boba drinks didnt taste that great. Like sometimes i woukd get it and its to sweet or sometimes to watery tatsting. This one worker named Ren was really good. He had great customer service and the boba drinks were great but ever since he has been gone the drinks haven’t been the same.

The workers are so friendly here and easily answered all my questions! I had the «Tiger» Boba (I believe that’s what it was called) which was basically a combination of Thai Milk Tea and Tapioca Milk Tea! I usually don’t like boba but this drink seriously hit the spot. I can’t wait to go back again

PLEASE UPDATE YOUR HOURS ON Unilocal
I keep forgetting that they open late now and go to get my boba fix only to find they are closed til 11 instead of 10 ;_​; this is the second time I now have to go find somewhere else to be (drove from Beverly hills FYI, usually from Arcadia) because they won’t open til too late. Also wasted a quarter on the meter outside ;_;

Hours changed!
Monday 11:30−8pm
Tuesday 11:30−8pm
Wednesday 11:30−8pm
Thursday 11:30−8pm
Friday 11:30−9pm
Saturday 11:30−9pm
Sunday 11:30−8pm

I’m a fan of the Oreo Vanilla Boba drink, but on this particular occasion, my drink came with a huge block of ice. Not what I expected…

Very rude. Asked us to leave right when we walked in. Don’t come here. There are a lot of other places in the area you can visit.

Who doesn’t love boba?! Slurp and chew all the way! And on a hot day, a boba slush was necessary.
The workers here are always friendly and I give them props for that and for being the only boba spot in Atwater village or nearby. They also have a ‘not so secret menu’ of off the menu items listed below the actual menu with yummy options ;)
However, on a hot afternoon around 3:30 — 4:30pm, should there really be one employee working??? Taking the orders, making drinks, cleaning up?
The line was out the door and the poor guy behind the counter was trying really hard to do everything. He was even apologizing for the wait ever time he handed over a boba. I felt bad for him, especially with people clearly getting pissed off for the wait. So if there is one employee there and a bunch of people the day you go, expect to wait 30 – 40 mins for your order.

So I have been to this location twice. The first time I went, my experience was very good. The service was friendly and fairly efficient. The drinks were tasty and refreshing. I was very satisfied overall with my experience. Definitely worth going to again.
So my family and I went again today (Saturday March 14^th, 2015). I’ll preface this next part by saying that my expectations for service at places like this are pretty low. However, today even my low expectations were met. The girl at the counter was friendly enough, but definitely did not seem excited to be there. She took our order and everything seemed fine. A few minutes later the first of four drinks comes out. It’s for my daughter and she liked it. A couple of minutes later drink #2 comes out. It’s for my niece, and she’s happy. She also ordered a funnel cake which comes out a couple of minutes later. Everything up to this point is fine.
Duh…duh…duuuuuhhhhhh…a few minutes later another drink comes out. But it’s not for us. It’s for the people after us. Ok, I thought. Maybe it was just an easy one to make. Then 4 more drinks over the course of ten minutes, also not for us, come out. This is when I go ask about our last two drinks. She had totally forgotten about them. She couldn’t remember what they were, so I politely told her what they were. She was apologetic and said they’d be right up.
I’m a little annoyed at this point but I’m trying not to show it. While my drink is being made I can hear the guy that’s making it ask the girl how to make it. He’s never made one even though I just saw one be made for the people that were in front of us. She tells him what ingredients to use and the basics of making it. She tells him on his first try that it’s too watery and to add more ice. Heads some more and blends it. He calls it out and brings it to me and apologizes and I say thank you. Then I realize my drink is a regular when I ordered a large. I tell them this and they apologize again and say they’ll make me a new one. They make me a large and give me the regular also. That’s cool and I’m happy with this. However, the drinks were terrible. The guy had no idea what he was doing. The drink was much too watery. I ordered a peach mango tango which is under the shake menu. It should be a fairly thick consistency. This was more like a juice, but not since there is no juice in it. Which I found odd since the menu clearly states it is made with 100% farm fresh fruit. Uuhhhh… no. No fruit whatsoever. Just milk, syrup, and ice. Needless to say, I am very disappoint.
I personally won’t be going back. The service is lackluster, and the drinks (at least some) are not made as advertised. I hope somebody actually reads this and makes some changes.

I ordered a slush watermelon drink and the drink came almost watery like WAT DA HELL
But the employee was hella cute so I forgave them this time
Better be slushy next time

I had a wonderful experience.
Kat, was very friendly and quick. This place offers smoothies, funnel cake, and hot drinks.
Usually, I see 2 workers. This may be because they don’t get a lot of clients but, they are are growing clientèle.
I love this place and recomend you to give this place a try.
Their bobas are delicious!

I think this is the best Boba Loca location I’ve been to. They really know how to make their drinks here. I don’t really want to point fingers and say that maybe it’s because it was an Asian guy that made my drink… But major props to him, and he made everything so fast! My least favorite location is Burbank’s, their food and drinks are so plain and gross! My funnel cake tasted dry and my boba drink was so watery! Again, I don’t want to point fingers and say maybe because there are White guys who work at the Burbank location… But anyway, I ordered a Chai Frappé with boba here and it tasted so great! It was really yummy and had so much flavor. My husband ordered a Peach Mango Smoothie with boba and my mom ordered Red Bean with boba. They both loved their drinks too! I’m definitely coming back to this location again.

I was really craving boba, and while I usually hit up Pine & Crane for a tea, i stopped at this spot instead. Not good. The tea tasted really watery. The boba was fine. BUT i spend like $ 6 on one drink. For one who works in Alhambra, this is insane (can get 2 for less than $ 3 at places there)! I doubt I’ll be back for boba… maybe I’ll try a smoothie.

I ordered the Taro Slush and my friend got the Almond Milk Tea and we waited less than 5 minutes for our drinks. The drinks were great in the 95 degree weather. The ice to milk tea ratio was perfect — some places overwhelm the drink with too much ice. I did notice that the boba was smaller than most places but it was just as good.
This spot gets 5 stars because the woman at the counter was honest. I hadn’t realized that I had accidentally slipped her an extra $ 20 bill and she gave it back to me.
I also saw that they had a hidden menu but had already ordered after I saw the secret menu items on the board. I think I’ll get the taro with oreo slush next time after seeing another Unilocaler’s review on it.

7:10pm, 97°F, Yasss, Boba Loca to the rescue!!! Wifey wants her Taro Boba smoothie!
Boba Loca: «Sorry sir but we ran out of ice. It’s just that today was so hot that we had so many people. and…and…ya…soriiee.:} & (puppy face)…
Oh Hell Nah!, that is so faQing UN.A.CCEP.TABLE!
Really though? Ran out of ice? «Eek! Methinks not.» as Unilocal would say.
C’mon Boba Loca, get it together peeps! You think a Starbucks would let something like that happen? Eek! Methinks not!
My 11 year old said «What kind of a place that makes smoothies run out of ice???» Right? Geeez even a kid knows that ain’t right man.
You mean to tell me by the time it got to around 7pm the «ice ration» for the day ran out? Ice machine broke? Is there one in house? If not, invest on one (even the cheapest motels have one smh).
«Ran out of ice.» Thought I was at a corner «Sari-​Sari» store in P.I. lolz! Maybe I was. Laughable.

Happy hour 3−5pm Mondays through Fridays! Yum!
I got a large Taro Smoothie and it was… amazing. I’m not going to lie, I’m picky when it comes to taro and this place definitely delivered. I’ll admit, I was a bit apprehensive about the drinks here because the shop was cluttered with juice machines. I thought, «Oh no… I hope it’s not powdered…» Nope. The taro was extremely fresh and the thickness was perfect — not watered down and not chunky with ice. Even after sipping on it for 15 minutes, the smoothie thickness was still intact… impressive.
It’s not in the best location and parking is a bit further, but it’s not too bad. There are loads of fitness places surrounding it (yoga, dance, etc). It’s super cramped inside, but they get a good amount of traffic for the area they are located in. I love how they advertise community work inside and you can «get to know» the employees through their Instagrams. It made me want to work there because I’d have a higher chance of becoming Insta-​famous, hehe.
In short, if I ever ever ever ever ever find myself in this area, I’m making a pit stop for their taro smoothie, whether my passengers like it or not!

(Drank 04÷05÷14 SA @ 5:30pm): I go crazy for boba and so should you!
Every morning as I prepared to make a u-​turn at the intersection of Glendale Blvd. and Glenhurst Ave. to catch the freeway to work, I recently noticed a sign for Boba Loca which made my heart jump with glee; another boba place in my surrounding hood (Silver Lake was only over the bridge). So while I was in the area this fine sunny and warm day, I swung by and grabbed me some boba before I headed elsewhere. Here was my first of what I expected to be many experiences at this location:
Mango Slush w/​Boba — Regular ($ 3.45) — Based on my reviews, you knew I had to go with this mangorific drink with mango goodness throughout. I swore I had a mini mangorgasm as I slurped down each boba on my drive. I felt it could’ve used more boba, and by the time I arrived at my next location I’d wished I ordered the large. Even after a decent lunch that included three beers, there was always room for boba!
Service — I was greeted immediately by the young man behind the counter. I was the only customer, so after I took some time and scanned the wall menu I placed my order. About two minutes later my bobalicious elixir was ready to go… and so was I. Easy peasy!
Parking — I came from next door at Link N Hops so I’d secured parking at there and walked over. Otherwise, there was metered street parking all along the main drag of Glendale Blvd. I believed there may have been some parking along the many nearby residential side streets but you’d better check any posted signs first.
Atmosphere, décor, ambience — A shack was the best way to describe this place. If there were more than five customers in here, you’d thought you’re involved in a game of Twister! There was a small tight counter along the equally small front window that had four stools to your immediate right. There were also one or two small tables directly outside the window. Otherwise, once you entered you were in front of the order counter. The aforementioned wall menu was to your right, and another «top selling» menu on the wall to your left. I believed there was a small stand that had flyers and such. Everything was up-​front and personal. I didn’t recall any TVs but there was background music.
Attire — Totally casual, so I would normally be in a t-​shirt, boardshorts, and flip-​flops.
Overall, this Boba Loca in Atwater Village was just what I needed and I will definitely be back to try the many unique flavors, especially the Oreo Vanilla Milk Shake with boba! The nearest Boba Loca was in Koreatown and we all knew how hectic that would get. Parking may be tough but I planned on scoping the situation out for better accessibility. I found exceptionally good value based on the prices, service, and experience noted above (total paid experience was around $ 4.00; no tip required). It may have been slightly more than average (most places the large was around this price), but it was tasty, satisfied me, and I won’t quibble over quarters. And, they accepted my credit card of choice… AMEX! 4.5 STARS

Work right by here and been wanting to try it! Glad I came, got the thai milk tea, I think the tea is made before hand but tastes fresh and kept cold, and the half and half added in def was fresh. Too bad they opened at like 7 but he said the boba wasn’t ready, good thing I don’t like boba, but if I did that would have been upsetting. I will be back! Came in the morning and it was fast.

Was really glad to see that there was a boba place opening up finally near work… The sign was up for months, it seemed. It finally opened but it took me a few months to finally try it out. My verdict is that it was just OK. Let me explain… I ordered the mango smoothie with boba. The mango taste wasn’t bad. I know they probably just use a mango syrup but that wasn’t the problem. Some of the boba wasn’t fresh… Meaning they were chewy. I hope that wasn’t some old boba in my mango smoothie. Boba, I mean, FRESHLY made boba should never be chewy or tough to bite into.
This was my first time trying it. I might try it again but I’ll wait a while. You know what they say about first impressions.