5 Bubble Tea Cafes in SoCal To Try
In our development of our bubble tea games, we want to make the experience of creating your own cafe as realistic and creative as real life. With our team being so small, it’s been hard to get inspiration for what drinks to include in the game and what interior decoration options to give to users. After looking online for boba places in SoCal, I realized there are a TON of different stores and drinks (even all in the same area). I went on a mission to see who makes the prettiest drinks and has the coolest interior. The 5 of the week (Early Dec 2020):
Photo Credit: Bria Sullivan
1. Aroma Tea
Probably my favorite drink of the week and was one of the prettiest. This drink is one of their famous Galaxy Teas. I believe this is a Sunset Galaxy Tea, which if I had to guess contained Butterfly Pea Tea, Lemonade, Passion Fruit and Mango. I added Lychee Jelly to mine, while my cousin got the same drink with Boba.
Overall Review:
• Drinks - Pretty and tasty
• Menu - Lots of variety but not overwhelming
• Interior - Simple and clean
Photo Credit: Roasting Water’s Official Website & Menu
Interior Decoration at Garden Grove Location
Photo Credit: Roasting Water’s Official Website
Quick note: I am very biased because I love all things Studio Ghibli. This location blew me away. The entire store is covered in merchandise or cups they’ve sold and served in the past. The sweet bobarista working when I got there explained that they get new merch every day. I got the Midsummers Night - a smoothie that contains pomegranate, blueberry, and almonds.
Overall Review:
• Drinks - Unique and cute cups!
• Menu - Lots of variety & very special smoothies I haven’t seen anywhere else
• Interior - It’ll be hard to top this one. If we could get the licensing, we’d add these decorations to the game in a heartbeat.
Photo Credit: Bria Sullivan
3. Tea Brick
The first thing you notice (and appreciate) are the walls adorned with Corgis in cute poses to entertain you while you wait for your drink. The most special thing about this place in my opinion is each drink comes in a reusable cup that is covered in some cute design. Apparently their cup designs change regularly, so people will want to come back to collect them all.
Overall Review:
• Drinks - Yummy (sometimes overwhelming # of ingredients). +1000 points for the reusable, cute cups!
• Menu - LOVED that the menu has pictures of each drink on it. Helps when you’re trying to optimize for aesthetics
• Interior - Very cute and I loved their Top Ten Popular Drinks Menu on the wall
Photo Credit: Ding Tea’s Official Website
4. Ding Tea
A popular chain in SoCal, it’s what I like to call ‘Ol Reliable’. Every drink here is good. Even the simple ones. The greatest thing about this place is their Golden Boba. It goes with all drinks! I always have to opt for a jelly when I get a fruit tea because brown sugar boba doesn’t sound that appealing to me with Passionfruit. I’ve tried so many drinks here but in December I decided to go for the Yakult Lychee tea.
Overall Review
• Drinks - Really good. Love their golden boba
• Menu - Standard Tea Types (with some specials here and there)
• Interior - Some locations are standard cafes and some have some cute aesthetics
Photo Credit: Bria Sullivan
A popular Taiwanese tea chain that has a few locations in California. I’ve only had 1 drink from them (Passionfruit Yakult) and it tasted similar to a high-end orange juice. I’m not writing them off yet because there has to be a reason they’re so popular. I’ll be back! I love how the store looks though.
Overall Review:
• Drinks - Looks good! Haven’t had one I enjoyed yet
• Menu - Smaller menu (which I prefer!) and specialize in a few types of teas
• Interior - I LOVE their interior. It’s simple and elegant with the Noren curtains juxtaposed with the wood details on the walls.