Craving boba? Need to de-stress from all the studying? If so, go on a quick boba run with your friends! Here are the top five boba places within walking distance from campus that you must try out.
1. Sharetea UCLA
Photo by Sharetea via Sharetea
Sharetea opened up a UCLA branch at Westwood Village just a couple of years ago. Their drinks range from flavored milk teas and fruit teas to ice-blended and fresh milk drinks. You can choose the sweetness level, ice level, add-on toppings and different milk options based on your preference. There are a variety of toppings you can choose from, including classic pearls and red beans! Popular drinks at Sharetea include classic pearl milk tea, Thai tea ice blended with pearl and matcha with fresh milk. There won’t be an instance where you don’t find the boba drink you want at Sharetea!
2. Junbi
Photo by Junbi via Junbi
Any matcha lovers out there? This one’s for you. Junbi is known for their flavorful matcha drinks extensively ranging from straight up matcha to Madagascar vanilla matcha to rose water matcha. Their classic menus include a variety of teas including black tea, Earl Grey tea and lychee oolong tea. But if you are going to Junbi, definitely try out their matcha drinks; they have a whole section devoted to them. They even have matcha soft serves!
3. Just Boba Tea House
Photo by Just Boba via Snackpass
Just Boba Tea House is the closest boba shop to campus, located right on Gayley Avenue. Students may not be as familiar with Just Boba Tea House since it is not a franchise store, but you should definitely try it out! Popular orders at Just Boba Tea House include classic boba milk tea, classic fresh fruit tea, classic Assam black milk tea, Thai milk tea and popcorn chicken. They even serve snacks like taiyaki to enjoy with the boba.
4. Meet Fresh
Photo by Meet Fresh via Meet Fresh
Meet Fresh is most commonly known for their exquisite Taiwanese desserts. Their fresh, unconventional taro balls and grass jelly toppings set them apart from other boba places. Popular food items at Meet Fresh include icy taro ball and icy grass jelly desserts, which are served in bowls with different types of jelly toppings. Don’t worry; they have boba drinks too! You can choose from a variety of tea bases including green tea, oolong tea and Jin Xuan tea as well as adjust the sugar level based on your preference. Check out Meet Fresh if you feel like trying out a unique boba drink!
5. It’s Boba Time
Photo by It’s Boba Time via It’s Boba Time
It’s Boba Time has emerged as one of the most famous boba shops in Los Angeles, providing us with a selection of more than 100 drinks! You can customize your drinks with a variety of fruits and toppings including milk teas, smoothies, slushes, coffees, juices and more. A selection from the top ten drinks at It’s Boba Time includes boba coffee, house milk tea, strawberry matcha milk tea and pistachio frappe. Unfortunately, the store in Westwood is temporarily closed at the moment, so let’s hope that it will reopen soon!
Not in the mood to walk? Don’t worry! All of the places listed above provide Uber Eats services so you can have boba delivered to your place.
There are also ways you can get boba on campus and even on the Hill too! Lollicup Fresh, one of the few boba spots on campus, is located on the first floor of Ackerman Union. You can also get boba from one of our dining halls, Rendezvous. With one meal swipe, you can choose from a variety of boba drinks including horchata, milk tea, taro, Thai tea and Vietnamese coffee boba.
