The Best Places for Boba in Los Angeles

The feline-themed 3CAT opened its Koreatown location in the former Kung Fu Tea space in 2024. The cat concept goes beyond the decor - you might find a paw-shaped sprinkle on your cheese foam! 3CAT features organic milk from Straus Family Creamery and locally sourced fresh fruits. Signature handmade toppings include rice mochi, coconut jelly and osmanthus tea jelly.

Favorites include the Avomango Sweet Dew, made with fresh avocado, coconut milk, housemade milk, agar boba, and pomelo; and the Mochi Barley Burst, a floral black milk tea with barley popping boba and house mochi. Limited seasonal offerings include the Icy Peach, a summertime smoothie with white peach chunks. 3CAT also has locations in Arcadia, City of Industry and San Gabriel. 

Meaning "Her Majesty's Tea," Ben Gong's Tea was founded in 2015 and has more than 700 shops worldwide. Known for its Chinese decor, Ben Gong's offers organic teas rooted in tradition with a modern twist.

The top-selling Special Boba Milk Tea is made with roasted premium black milk tea and brown sugar boba. Topping options include taro, sago pearl and lychee jelly. Another favorite, the Peach Oolong Milk Tea is made with golden oolong tea, milk, peach juice, highland barley and crystal boba; topped with cream swirl and sprinkled with coconut flakes. Ben Gong's Tea has two LA County locations, one in Arcadia and one in San Gabriel. 

The bi-coastal boba tea phenomenon, Boba Guys opened its first LA location at PLATFORM in Culver City in May 2018. Now, there are also locations on Beverly Blvd. in Historic Filipinotown and in Long Beach. Since launching in 2011 as a pop-up in SF, founders Andrew Chau and Bin Chen have garnered national acclaim for their artisanal, “third wave roasting” approach to boba. The Boba Guys only stock high end ingredients including Straus Family Creamery organic milk, house-brewed heirloom premium tea, house made syrup (no powders or artificial syrups), Grade A balls, and almond jelly and grass jelly made from scratch.

Originally established in 2016 in Chinatown, Bubble U opened a larger location in the Fashion District, offering the same authentic teas brewed from premium leaves, fresh milk and handcrafted sugars. Toppings include pearl (regular boba), crystal bobas, handmade mochi brown sugar, lychee jelly and honeydew whipping cream. Nosh on macarons and freshly baked pastries while you sip favorites like Uji Matcha Milk Tea, Ceylon Milk Tea, Rose Pu'er Milk Tea and White Peach Oolong Milk Tea, along with aromatic coffees, seasonal fruit specials and smoothies. While the Chinatown location is temporarily closed, the Fashion District outpost, on the bottom level of the Maxfield Building, is open. 

As its name suggests, Cha Redefine seeks to break from classic tea culture with unique blends, local ingredients, and latte and cappuccino style drinks with premium tea instead of coffee.

Neither a coffee nor a traditional milk tea, the signature Chappuccino is a fresh milk tea that can be made iced or hot. Options include Classic Black Tea, Refreshing Peach Oolong Tea, Osmanthus Oolong, Da Hong Pao Oolong and Jasmine Green Tea.

Bestsellers include the ice blended Mango Mango with fresh mango, jasmine green tea, agar boba, coconut milk and grapefruit; and the Taro Tornado with Classic Black Tea, fresh milk, fresh taro paste and brown sugar boba. Cha Redefine locations include Koreatown and Arcadia. 

Chicha San Chen was founded in Taichung City, Taiwan (aka the birthplace of boba) in 1998 and has since expanded to hundreds of locations worldwide. The global chain is known for its commitment to high-quality tea leaves and expert brewing techniques, earning the equivalent of a three-Michelin-star rating from the International Taste Institute. Chicha San Chen opened its first U.S. shop in San Gabriel, with subsequent locations in Alhambra, Arcadia and Rowland Heights. There are now also locations in Sawtelle Japantown and Koreatown. 

The ITI award-winning Cassia Black Tea is topped with mousse (cheese foam) and grass jelly. Other two-star winners include the Dong Ding Oolong Tea with organic Taiwanese milk, said to be creamier than its American counterpart; and the Lemon Cream Tart with high mountain pouchong, lemon juice and house special mousse. 

It's time for Dodger Baseball! And it's also time for new food offerings at Dodger Stadium, including The Slugger - a 16-inch, one-pound jalapeño cheddar sausage topped with white cheese sauce, corn relish, cilantro crema and tortilla strips; served with a pound of fries.

Also new for this season is the Popping Boba Dole Whip, which adds a mango-flavored bursting surprise to every bite of the beloved Pineapple Dole Whip. Find the Popping Boba Dole Whip in the Left Field Pavilion Section 51, Think Blue BBQ, Top Deck Section 4 and Elysian Park Grill.

Founded in Taiwan in 2006, Gong Cha (Royal Tea) has expanded to more than 1,100 cafes in 20 countries. The Little Tokyo location is conveniently located across from Japanese Village Plaza and a short walk from the Metro Little Tokyo / Arts District Station. Gong Cha takes customization to a new level. Specify how sweet you like your tea - in 20% increments - as well as how much ice you take in your drink. They also have milk foam toppers available as a “mustache series,” perfect for those craving a creamy, savory note with each sip. Popular orders include the Brown Sugar Milk Tea and Mango Smoothie, while 2024 seasonal favorites include Thailand Mango Milk Tea and the "Ultimate Indulgence," Strawberry Almond Jelly Smoothie.

Tucked inside a Rosemead strip mall, Good Alley opened in September 2024 and garnered widespread acclaim as the first restaurant in LA to specialize in guan tang bao, a soup dumpling from Kaifeng in Henan. Like many boba shops, Good Alley's boba drinks are grouped into "Series" like the Creamy Cheese Foam Series, which includes Honey Black Tea and Osmanthus Oolong; the Icy Series with cheese foam (Strawberry Slush, Green Grape Slush) and the Silky Milk Tea series, featuring the White Bud Jasmine Milk Tea with jasmine that's hand-picked during the Yunnan tropical season, paired with Maple Hill organic whole milk.

Half & Half is a longtime San Gabriel Valley favorite with several Tea House / Tea Express locations and especially good tea and freshly soaked boba. Just when you thought tea house menus couldn’t get any more extensive, the Half & Half Good Old Time menu offers yogurt drinks, slushes and smoothies as well as brick toasts and dry noodles.

In 2012, then-19-year-old Neo Nie Yunchen opened HeyTea in Jiangmen in Guangdong Province. From its modest beginnings in Jiangbianli Alley, HeyTea has grown to a global chain spanning thousands of locations in China, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, the UK and Australia. After opening its first U.S. shops in New York, HeyTea made its West Coast debut on Rodeo Drive in July 2024.

Yunchen is known as the creator of cheese tea - boba tea topped with cheese foam - which has since become a staple of global boba culture. The best-selling Grape Boom is made with grape juice, HeyTea green jasmine tea slushie, grape-flavored jelly and a layer of hand-peeled grapes at the bottom. The California Sunset is a seasonal LA exclusive, featuring a green jasmine tea slushie infused with OJ and pulp.

In November 2023, Loose Leaf Boba Company moved from its Melrose location to The Biltmore Hotel in Downtown LA. Driven by a “Keepin’ It Real” ethos, Loose Leaf touts its sustainable practices - no powdered milk teas or non-dairy creamer powders; milk from Straus Family Milk Products, Califia Farm Plant Based Milks and Oatly Oat Milk; real fruits and real sugar. Instead of honey, Loose Leaf's boba balls are soaked in a house-made brown sugar molasses marinade. Straws are made of 100% bamboo fiber. The "Inspired Menu" features drinks inspired by different cultures and boba shops around the world, from the ever-popular Matcha Green Tea Latte to Hong Kong Milk Tea, Pandan Piña Collision and the blended Purple Roots with ube and taro. Loose Leaf is located just outside of the Biltmore's Olive Street entrance. 

Inspired by the San Gabriel Valley, Moon Rabbit is brought to you by Sticky Rice founder, David Tewasart and team. Located in the historic Grand Central Market, Moon Rabbit offers a selection of traditional boba teas, such as Sea Salt Coconut (jasmine green, brown sugar, coconut milk, sea salt, coconut cream) and Brown Sugar with black tea, half & half, brown sugar and boba. To nosh, there are katsu sandos and several bánh mì options, including Grilled Chicken, Grilled Pork, Tempura Soft Shell Crab and Roasted Mushroom.

Taiwan-based Odd One Out opened its first U.S. location at Sawtelle Japantown in November 2023 and has since expanded to the Third Street Promenade, Old Town Pasadena and Koreatown. OOO is renowned for its small-batch boba and creative blends from a team of "flavorsmiths" that includes mixologists, tea experts and pastry chefs.

Highlights include the Signature Silk Boba and the aptly named Champion Milk Tea, made with red oolong, fresh milk, cream foam and winner of the 2022 Milk Tea Festival in Taiwan. Sip your way to health with the Blue Matcha, which features the superfood blue spirulina mixed with fresh milk, handcrafted lavender syrup and topped with Uji Matcha.

The mantra at Sunright Tea Studio is "Shake 17 Times!" which is the chain's tried-and-true technique to enjoy the perfect blend of flavors and textures. Sunright locations span LA and OC, Northern California, Texas and Washington state. The Little Tokyo outpost is conveniently located next to Shin-Sen-Gumi for post-ramen refreshment.

The top-selling Sunright Boba Milk Tea features Ceylon black tea blended with their signature house milk, drizzled with freshly made brown sugar syrup, and topped off with a scoop of deliciously chewy brown sugar boba. The fruit tea is sunshine in a to-go cup, made with high-mountain Four Season tea from Taiwan; freshly squeezed orange juice, passionfruit and garnished with orange and lemon slices. The playful Oreo Brûlée Boba Milk combines sweetened fresh milk and boba, topped with creme brûlée foam and crushed Oreos.

Founded in Taichung in 2017, Tiger Sugar has since expanded to more than 250 locations in Asia, North America and more. Ming Tsung Yang created the famous Black Sugar Boba Milk with cream mousse and its signature tiger stripes - it was a sensation and waits could sometimes be three hours. The bubble tea variation has no tea in it, just fresh milk, brown sugar syrup ("the stripes") and tapioca pearls, which are cooked for eight hours in a proprietary method. LA-area Tiger Sugar locations include Little Tokyo and Rowland Heights. 

Options include the Black Sugar Espresso Series (Coffee Latte, Boba Coffee Latte, Boba Oat Milk Coffee Latte) and the Fruit Drink Series, including the Tiger Mango Sago, Lychee Black Tea and Passion Fruit Oolong Tea. Add-ons include crystal boba, mochi, taro and Oreo.

The global chain Yifang Taiwan Fruit Tea is famed for the signature Brown Sugar Pearl Latte, which takes two hours of prep to serve. Described as one of its world's best selling items, the drink includes creamy organic Straus milk and is available with fixed sweetness and ice level. The Fresh Taro Latte uses real taro from Taiwan Dajia - renowned for the best taro in the world. LA-area locations of Yifang Taiwan Fruit Tea include the Arts District, Koreatown, San Gabriel, Arcadia, Torrance and Rowland Heights.