Boba Loca

This is the best place to get your teas, smoothies, shakes, juices etc. with boba! I’ve been coming here for 5 years now and it is amazing. The drinks taste like the actual fruits unlike other places where you can actually taste the powder flavors. If you haven’t tried the funnel cakes here you must! Add some fresh strawberries on them too.

Place is not good. I ordered a smoothie and I drank several pieces of ice. Drinks are not blended all the way through. Quality is crap. Would not come back.

I love this place, but the card minimum of $ 10 really keeps me from going. Most people don’t carry cash around all the time anymore, and since nothing on their menu is over $ 10, you would have to go with a friend to make this feasible.
On top of that, there is no atm in sight. I would go again if it was a $ 1 charge for using the card instead of a complete block on buying their products. That’s not good business.
Also, the recent price change has really kept me from going. Almost $ 5 for a boba? Really, it’s a shame.

I don’t know why people are tripping about the pudding. Most boba places use a flavored agar that they call pudding and it’s good. This place uses actual pudding, like Jell-​O pudding and it has a little salt and it’s why I’ll be going back. So good! And they have free wifi.

One of the worst boba drinks I have tried.
The tapioca was very dull brown instead of being the clear brown or black, also tasted like nothing (flavorless) and like rubber when it is supposed to be chewy and sweet.
Price is on the higher side for boba.
It would be better to drive a little further to LA in order to get a good tasting and cheaper boba.

I love coming here to get a boba drink. They have free wifi and a seating place to relax, do homework and/​or hang out with friends. It’s in a great location, right in the middle of San Fernando street in Burbank, ca. The place is clean and the employees are friendly. I definitely recommend this to friends when we want to get a refreshing drink.

My best friend and I decided to get some boba tea, so our first thought was to go to Boba Loca.
Now, I am lactose intolerant, so I asked the person who was taking our orders if they had any diary free options. They told me that all the slush drinks on the menu do not consist any diary, so I order off the slush menu and received my «dairy free» drink.
After a couple of sips, I automatically tasted the diary product. So my first reaction was to stop drinking and after an hour I started dealing with serve side effects. And I still am at the moment.
Boba Loca’s employees are very unprofessional and clearly uneducated about people who are lactose intolerant or even vegan. So, If you are lactose intolerant or vegan, then I highly recommend not to go to Boba Loca because they false advertise their products.

Do not get the shaved ice House special! It is super sweet its just sugar and fruit, not enough ice on it. Would not recommend this to anyone.

Good to know Boba Loca exists in the Valley. Upon first glance though, I thought it was a bar until my friend pointed out the boba sign. Oops. We walked in and I noticed that the place was a bit warm. I see a floor fan and wonder how it gets during the summer months. They serve churros and funnel cakes along with their wide selection of drinks: slushes, milk teas, smoothies, frapps, juices, shakes, and fusion green teas.
Cantaloupe Juice ($ 4.50) — I was craving something fruity and refreshing. They do use real cantaloupe, which I am relieved and grateful for. The fruit is also in season, so my drink was naturally sweet.
Taro Slush with Boba ($ 4.50) — My friend and I think they may have also used some real taro for this drink. They may have mixed it with the taro flavored powder or maybe the powder is comprised of real taro? My friend claims it does taste different from the other taro drinks he’s had before.
Service was so-​so. It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t bad. We got our drinks in a timely manner. Because the place is small and somewhat narrow, the sound of blenders in action is quite deafening, so I don’t know how some people can study there. I couldn’t help comparing the prices here with the other Boba Locas. $ 4.50 for milk tea with or without boba is pretty pricey in my opinion, but then again, this may be the only place in Downtown Burbank to get the tapioca pearls.

When sticking to what I like, which is ice blended taro, always yummy! The other day I got an ice blended milk tea and it was a little thin but oh well. Still good.

Stopped here for boba on recommendations of my brothers coworker. I tried the lavender milk tea with boba. The tea itself was really good. I’ve never had lavender anything before but somehow knew that’s exactly how it taste. Definitely would go back for that. The boba itself was a little strange. Almost too slimy. Not really sure how I felt about it. It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t good. If that makes sense.
The building was pretty warm inside which is strange because they had a million fans on. How about a/​c instead?

I really didn’t think it was possible to mess up boba. I mean after all, the concept/​idea seems very simple. With that said, it is absolutely one of my favorite refreshments — especially on a warm day. The reason I am giving this place a whopping 1-​star is due to the really long piece of hair that seemed to never end as I pulled it out of my mouth. It really was a painful experience. With bubble tea, you really have to create a strong vacuum to suck the air out of the straw and have these heavy tapioca balls go through the straw. However, the last thing you’d expect is a piece of hair. I mean, how?! So having this thing stuck in your mouth and as you pull it out, it never ended. It reminded me of how those clowns would have those rollups in their mouths, playing a trick for the kids as the rollup seemed to not have an ending point. In the end, I found the one time I disliked boba. I guess the trick’s on me, I’m the loco for getting the Boba Loca.
Outside the food: The store is found within a strip in Burbank full of life. There is a movie theater nearby, so expect a ton of foot traffic going up and down the sidewalk of the street. Parking in front of the place is available, but you’ll be one of the lucky ones if you due end up pulling into one of these spots. They are 90 minute limit parking spots — FYI. There is a central garage for the area that is a few hundred feet away. It is free for the public (available certain times M-​F)

Extremely kind staff! Much better than the location in LA (off of Vermont). I always get the honeydew and it’s always perfect!
I will say that they’re cash only for orders under $ 10, but that’s easy to manage. The staff is always friendly and the place always has people!
I highly recommend.

If I could give zero stars I most definitely would.
Burbank is so devoid of good boba that it really saddens me whenever I give them a shot because it’s like a game of «I told you so». The store wasn’t really busy yet even while standing on the register with someone clearly there I wasn’t even given a nod to say I’ll be right with you.
I ordered a staple Passion Fruit Green Tea and it came out as if I got more syrup than I did tea. Eugh. I literally dumped out half of the tea and poured in water and it was still too sweet. Yes, I know I can ask for less syrup but as this was my first time here I would not have known they were trying to give me diabetes!

I mean, I don’t know what people are expecting here but I got two Bobas and they were ready in less than a minute! The girl behind the counter was nice. Cash is preferred there and it’s a minimum $ 10 on a card but they still took my order. Best chai boba I’ve had period.
I will say it does smell like a funnel cake place and you can smell the processed sugars lol
So don’t think you’re going to leave here with a green smoothie!
Fun stop! Go for it!

Pretty good Place, I got a Taro large today it was Delicious. The girl was really nice as well, I asked about the hours and she told me on the spot.
The ambiance is cool I would maybe upgrade the color of the walls something a little more Welcoming.

How does anyone think that this place is even decent? Really. Am I on the moon? I ordered a funnel cake and it was stale and microwaved! I should have known better, that sign outside should say it all.
Also? It is illegal to charge a fee to use a credit card. I’m really surprised they still try and get away with that. I will never go back. I don’t even like walking by that nasty place.

You know when you’ve loved a place for so long that you’re blinded by all the red flags that normally would cause you to steer clear of it? Yeah. This place is that situation; compacted into a tiny little outdated bubble of discomfort.
I’m literally sighing as I write this.
Pros:
–They use REAL fruit for the fruit drinks and that’s something I absolutely love. I despise boba drinks made from packs of fruit flavored powder that actually taste like dehydrated cough medicine mixed with kool-​aid extract.
–They have a wall of drawings and doodles created by customers. I’m assuming you can just put up something you drew. It’s by no means well kept and it looks like it it would smell if you were standing too close to it but its still a cool idea.
Cons:
–There is literally no concept of customer service here. None. Whatsoever. There’s a handwritten sign on the wall that basically says whatever drink you get is final and nothing can be done if you don’t like it.
–If you use a credit/​debit card they charge you $ 0.35, which is fine. But if your purchase is under $ 10, that still doesn’t cut it, they just give you a hard time. I’m not kidding. I tried to use my debit to buy a $ 6 boba once (yeah I get a lot of boba) & kinda had to plead for the employee to accept it. I’m totally fine with the $ 0.35 charge but its super inconvenient to entirely refuse customers their card payment if their purchase is under $ 10. Its 2016 come on.
— It’s a hole in the wall and it sure as hell feels like one too. Don’t go if its over 78 degrees outside. Definitely don’t go if you’re on a date. Definitely don’t wear grey. They don’t believe in ventilation and simply have a giant fan in the small sitting area. It’s like a sauna in there.
–The employees hate each other. Usually that wouldn’t affect my life but when I confirm with the guy handing me my drink that my watermelon boba doesn’t contain added sugar (which I had requested of the girl who took my order) and he responds with «I don’t know, she made it» it’s kinda annoying. I laughed it off and said «No but really, there isn’t sugar in it right, can you ask her?» and he hits me with «I have no idea what she put in it» with an eye roll. Okay passive aggressive-​saucer-​plug-​earlobe-​angry-​boy.
–Touching upon the customer service thing. On another occasion I asked passive-​aggressive-​saucer-​plug-​earlobe-​angry-​boy for a «watered down» black milk tea boba. He scoffed and replied with «what does that even mean». Well, it means that «the pre-​prepared barrel of milk tea is too sweet and to pour some water in it so it becomes diluted.» I explained slowly and clearly so angry-​boy didn’t get too confused. He seemed to have understood me, and I continued my order by asking him to add extra boba to my order. When he responded with «Nope, we’re running low on boba, can’t do that» I knew I couldn’t continue with my unwavering support for this Boba Loca location and had to address those red flags I mentioned at the start of my review. Like come ON dude, you guys are running low on boba so you won’t sell me extra boba for my drink? You’re too lazy to prepare some more boba. Passive-​aggressive-​saucer-​plug-​earlobe-​angry-​boy definitely hates his job and is really good at letting you know. Prepare yourself.
–I once called to make sure they were open and an employee (possibly angry-​boy) replied with «its online, you can check there» followed by an awkward pause, one that I interrupted with «okay can you please just tell me». Whyyy do I spend a percentage of my life essentially begging Boba Loca to let me buy their product whyyy.
Is it called boba loca cause there may or may not be boba but you’re guaranteed to go loca dealing with the employees? Possibly.

This place is extremely EXPENSIVE.
Plain large jasmine tea with mango and lychee jelly is $ 5.50 (no boba). The same Boba Loca in Manhattan Beach location charges $ 4.50 for the exact same drink.

I love this tea and it’s absolutely delicious if you request for less sugar. But honestly it’s once in a while purchase. Unfortunately this is the only boba place in the area.
Service from the owner is not the best but the guy behind the drinks is always super nice.
If you’re looking for boba in the area, this place is it but beware of the prices.

Meh. Boba in the super touristy white part of town.
Super super sugary, extremely bland flavors, you can practically taste milk powder, and the boba is small and inconsistent.
It’s really a 1-​star boba place, but the only reason that it’s 2 is cause the cookies are pretty good. 50c for a chunky chocolate chip cookie, yeah I’m down for that.
I’d get boba elsewhere if I could.
Jasmin Milk Tea: It was like drinking green tea. The milk didnt even have flavor.
Green Tea Frappé: I just tasted sugar and ice. It wasn’t thick or creamy at all.
Oatmeal Raisin cookie: dry as fuck but delicious
Chocolate Chip cookie: worth 50c. i would buy the jar.
Also the girl behind the cashier was super nice and adorable– and you get to sample stuff!
:)