Soyful Desserts

$ 4 for a cool drink. Sure, I’ll take a sip.
I got the basil seeds and grass jelly soy pudding drink. Also incorporated in that concoction are coconut milk, brown syrup, and ice ice baby. I wanted to taste something different, though they also have the standard ngai chaaaaaaaa drinks (Cantonese speakers, you hear me). I enjoy how you can customize the level of sweetness between 0−100% (100% is 1 full syrup pump). Looks so pretty when it comes; stir that thing and blend all the ingredients together.
This is a small booth where you order at the counter. No place to sit. Plenty of parking in Grand Century/​Vietnam Town lot. Get a punch card (buy 9, get 1 free).

I was excited to come here because I usually go to the Grand Century Mall and I’ve seen this place. When arriving at the location, I didn’t expect it to be so so small! It’s really small. There are some chairs and tables outside. The doors open up to the counter! It looks kind of cramped for those who work back there. I was a little confused to where the menu was. My sister and I thought the menu were the pictures posted on the window outside and thought there were only 8 options to choose from. Once we decided on 4 drinks/​desserts from the 8 that we saw, we went up to the register to order. That was when we realized that the menu was actually on a TV screen inside the place to the right… I came from the right side of the place so I only noticed the left inside of the shop. I wish they just had a better placement for the menu.
We ended up ordering:
1. Basil Seeds + Grass Jelly with Soy Pudding
2. Pandan Jelly + Boba with Soy Pudding
3. Hong Kong Milk Foam
4. Cream Ice Milk Tea
The Basil Seeds with Grass Jelly and Soy Pudding was really good. I just wished there was a little more of the brown sugar that they put in it. After eating/​drinking it for a while, it was pretty bland because their wasn’t enough. I’ll know to ask for some extra next time.
The Hong Kong Milk Foam was also really delicious. I like the strong tea flavor that it had. I didn’t order boba in it, but ended up having boba… Couldn’t exactly check my receipt because they didn’t provide us with one.
The other two items were for my mom and brother so I didn’t get a chance to try them.
I’ll probably try it again and pay more attention to the menu the next time I’m in the area.

Still my # 1 favorite boba place in San Jose. Prices are fair, service is great, and drinks are always made perfectly. Never watered down and their tea isn’t overly sweet so you can still taste the tea flavor.
Recommendations:
— Hong Kong Milk Foam with Japaneses pudding (best pudding I have ever had. Soft and silky)
— Creamy Icy Milk Tea with grass jelly (regular milk tea)
— Extremely peachy (if you don’t want milk but something fruity this hits the spot just right)
They accept card but there is a minimum of a $ 10 purchase.

I go to soyful because Tealyfe across the street is closed on Monday.
To be honest, this place is not that bad as I’m making to be.
The best thing about soyful is that they are able to be consistent in terms of quality and wait time. Those two factors are what defines a milk tea place from good to bad.
honestly I would just get the HK style milk tea most of time since I hasn’t got very lucky with the other stuff on the menu.
Get the pudding options since their boba aren’t the best (probably I always come during the slow time)
Luckily their 50% sweet option is actually 50% sweet. Who would’ve though or that ?
Their pricing is cheap and affordable, but they have minimum charge on credit card if I remember. Just bring cash to avoid the confusion.
Soyful doesn’t use five stars but it has its own stamp card. Typical buy ten get one free kind of deal.
Parking is rock solid, I don’t vouch that during the weekend though
Doesn’t have a sit in area nor has cute girl serving you milk tea. That’s the down side. Oh well, I only comes here on Monday anyway.

Located in the ghost town of Vietnam Town, Soyful Desserts is a lone hub of life in that desolate area. Imagine a dark, cloudy day brooding with an air of imminent disappointment. Then layer that on a dilapidated plaza half populated with obscure asian shops and shifty-​eyed owners staring down those that pass like vultures. Throw in a tumbleweed for added effect. Honestly, no exaggeration is necessary if you’ve been there.
I don’t know why any store would find their way here (perhaps cheap rental?), but soyful actually holds its own here somehow. If you like soy, big surprise, you’ll probably love their drinks. I think of myself as someone who could enjoy a nice soy dessert. You know, I like a glass of soy milk, and I don’t mind getting the soy chicken at vegetarian places. However, I guess I’m just not a fan of soy drinks.
I had the Soy Pudding with red bean & sago added for $ 4. I love red bean and sago, so I thought this would be the perfect drink. If any of you have tried bambu, I had this idea that this place would taste someone like that, except you know with some soy. But it kind of wasn’t like that, no surprise.
The drink was decent for what it is. Maybe soy is just kind of whatever to me. Again, you should probably go here if you really love soy. Not like fake love it, but real love it. Right, I know.

I love that there’s FINALLY some boba place that’s lactose-​free! Asians of the world, rejoice!
I have been waiting for a day where I could spend basically a whole day in Viet Town especially because of soyful.
Unfortunately for me the most disappointing part of soyful was the drink itself. We ordered a taromilk with boba (THE BEST ONE), and two of their pre-​selected specialty drinks: the one with basil seeds, and the other one with pandan jelly (bright green). The sister and I felt like we were just drinking soy milk… or even watered down… water! We totally love soy and understand that the subdued taste was because of the soy. So maybe management can think of ways to bring out the flavors of the jelly/​boba/​pudding/​toppings. That would be a great improvement!
However, service and the shop itself were both great! Like many have said before, soyful isn’t a sit-​down shop. It’s a storeFRONT, so you order from the cashier once the doors open and you have no seating options except for the few outdoor chairs/​tables that surround Viet Town’s plaza. We had two lovely ladies who were very patient with us and our orders. Shoutout to those girls working as a fabulous two-​team on a slow Monday.
I’m glad I had soyful, but I’ll stick with my milk-​made boba. It’s probably a lot healthier at soyful, but I’ve definitely been conditioned to enjoy my cup of lactose.

No kidding about how small this place is! LOL. I was searching for a hip boba place near Phở 90 degrees & this place seemed interesting enough. I was scared that it was going to be packed but lucky for us — no lines! I got the creamy milk tea with boba & my family got other goodies.
Boba is just okay. I’ve had better. The tea is actually pretty good. At first I didn’t enjoy it too well but a few sips later, i was really enjoying it.
Service was nice as well. The girl helped us out and recommended a few things.

I love food with soy! And soy milk! But for some reason, I didn’t care too much for soy dessert =(My friend comes here literally almost every day so finally gave in and tried this place. I had no idea wth to order, so played it safe and got the Regular Soy Pudding that had brown sugar in it. It was weird… never had anything like this before and when I tasted it, no thank you! But honestly, I feel like it’s just me, because my boyfriend liked it and if my friend comes almost every day, then something must be wrong with my taste buds. *shrugs* at least I gave it a try!
Oh, and this place is more like a food truck but in a building lol. There is no space, the counter that you order from is literally AT THE DOOR! So… don’t expect to sit and chill, unless you want to sit outside (they have a few tall tables).

Danny’s Unilocal 2016.
After spending the whole day in Napa, my friend and I were craving some sweets so we decided to stop by here. Who would’ve thought silken tofu would be so good as a drink?
Drinks:
+ Basil seed tofu pudding (My friend likes this one alot and I like it too!)
+ Caramel coconut milk mixed with Pandan jelly and boba. (Too much toppings going on, maybe I’ll subtract some toppings next time so it’ll be even better.)
Conclusion: I like the concept of strong tea, silken tofu, and the sugary part about these drinks. I’ll be back!

Been here twice so far and i just love everything about this place! It’s a great place for a quick grab and go for drinks and desserts. Plenty of parking around the plaza in Vietnam town.
I’ve tried the HK milk tea with soy pudding and the basil seed, grass jelly, and soy pudding dessert. I never thought i’d combine milk tea and soy pudding together but it came to be the best combination that the pudding balanced out the sweetness from the milk tea.
For the basil seed, grass jelly, and soy pudding dessert, I did not realize the syrup was at the bottom of the cup and did not mix it very well so i thought it was not sweet enough until i reached the bottom. oops!
The only downside of this place is that there is only seating outside and nowhere to hide from the cold.

A friend told me about how great the HK milk tea + Japanese pudding is, and I’ve tried a bit of her drink before too so I know it’s good. I finally came here for the first time, and was really excited to order the soy pudding with boba and pandan jelly, since pandan jelly is like one of my favorite things but you only see it at places like Bambu and other Vietnamese places.
Unfortunately, their pandan jelly is disgusting. Before this, I didn’t even realize you can have bad pandan jelly since all the pandan I’ve had across multiple Vietnamese drinks from different locations had all tasted the same. I love the very chewy consistency of good pandan. At Soyful, it was probably the farthest from chewy you can get. When I bit into it, it just kinda fell apart. There was no pandan flavor. It pretty much ruined what would have been a great drink.
Heed my warning and stick with the Japanese pudding, since that seems to be Soyful’s only redeeming quality when compared to other boba places. The boba is standard, and the drinks are tasty, but not amazing. I guess the only other thing they’ve got going for it is the soy pudding, so unless you’re craving soy or Japanese pudding, there’s not much other reason to choose to come here over other boba places.

I love Soyful Desserts! Soyful Desserts is located in Vietnam town. Plenty of parking spots.
I was a fan from when they first opened. The shop used to be a tad, bit bigger when they first opened. There were about 2 tables inside of the shop. Now, they remodeled. There are no longer any tables inside, only outside of the shop. So, more of a place to grab your drink and go.
My go-​to drink is ALWAYS the honeydew soy milk with Japanese pudding. Omg! The Japanese pudding is delicious! It’s soft and creamy, but pretty sweet. It reminds me of flan. I really like how they have flavored soy milk. It’s different, not like your usual boba places. I’ve tried other drinks too, but there’s just something about the soy milk that’s soooooo good.
If you are a loyal customer that always keeps coming back for more, make sure to get a stamp card! Don’t forget to bring them.

Been here a few times now in Vietnam Town & the drinks have been consistent! Fairly quick service with helpful workers. I always get the dessert with tofu, pandan jelly & boba! Oh so good & refreshing! Perfect for a sweet tooth craving :)
Kinda hard to find so when you enter Vietnam Town so go to the right perimeter. Small shop: P

YASSSSS. If you love soy tofu, then try this place out!
I have a soy tofu addiction, I often request it as dinner… That’s right. Just soy tofu. So when I heard of soyful, I bookmarked it and promised myself I’d go immediately!
Boyfriend was in the area and kindly offered to pick some up for me. I ordered the soy tofu with basil and grass jelly.
As I stared out my window, like a kitten, watching for my BF’s car to come by with my dessert, I thought this dessert was going to be like Che but with tofu in it.
When I got my dessert, I was immediately surprised by how healthy, for the lack of a better word, it tasted! The tofu was mixed with coconut milk and sugar and tasted really light. The coconut milk was subtle and not over powering. I thought it had the perfect amount of sweetness. The basil seeds and jelly were fun add ons but I didn’t think they were amazing or anything. The tofu, as it should be, was the real star! It was soft and delicious in the coconut and brown sugar mixture! I shared some with my mom and she loved it! … And continued to eat it as I stared in fear that she would just gobble it all up. Jk love ya mom.
The dessert didn’t make me feel immediate regret of calories and I was so sad when I finished it. I highly recommend soyful as for a light dessert! :)

I love this milk tea place! Located inside Vietnam Town. Basically a hole in the wall! Lots of parking space and next a restaurant called Binh Minh. Nothing I had here over sweetened and the workers here are really nice. $ 10 minimum for card usage. There’s a stamp card too so don’t forget to grab one! Although, if you do use your stamp card for your free drink, it will account for the $ 10 minimum. So, if your total is $ 10 and the fee drink socks off $ 3, you can’t use your credit/​debit card. It still has to be a $ 10 minimum after the free drink.
Anyways, my favorite is the HK style milk tea. Not too sweet, some bitterness to it. You have the option to lower your sweetness level of the drink too. I usually add the Japanese pudding to it which makes it taste perfect with the amount of bitterness. The boba here is nice and chewy also; for all you boba lovers. Their other drinks are really good too. Hot tofu is perfect for this cold weather too. Currently my favorite milk tea place! Should definitely give this place a try!

My 5-​star review is based solely on their soy pudding desserts.
– SOY PUDDING + PANDAN JELLY + GRASS JELLY –
I LOVE THIS DESSERT!!! Usually I stray away from getting milk-​tea-​like desserts at 100% sweetness, but this cup of awesomness is perfect at 100% sweetness (coming from someone that gets 25%-50% for milk teas). I have tried this dessert at 75% sweetness, it’s not sweet enough – tastes more bland. GO FOR 100%!
I have tried their Hong Kong Milk Foam, it was extremely bland and not yummy. It would not satisfy a dessert craving or a milk tea craving. I’d say Soyful’s specialty lies within their soy pudding desserts.
I initially thought Soyful desserts were like Bambu desserts, but I personally do not like Bambu. Soyful and their soy pudding is amazing in comparison… I CAN’T WAIT TO COME AGAIN :’)

This place was suggested to me by Michelle S. and when she sees this review, she might freak out because this was her favorite boba shop.
I ordered my usual mango green tea and was informed that they only accept cash when I was about to hand them my credit card… Then I found out that their minimum was $ 10. Excuse me, it’s $ 3.75 for a drink. I’m not gonna buy 3 drinks to meet the minimum qualification of using a credit card. Data & processing fees are around only $ 0.03, I don’t know why boba shops don’t have card readers.
Thank goodness one of her friends gave me $ 5 cash and was able to pay for it. When I got my drink, I was highly disappointed. Soggy boba, lack of flavor, and overall distasteful.
Would not come back here again.

Came back and tried the soyful desserts! Pandan with grass jelly was A+. Wished they put more pandan in mines though, felt like there were only a couple ;(But overall it was fantastic! Really satisfied my sweets craving, even though the tofu and honey was not overly sweet. It was just the perfect amount of sweetness 30%. Prefer this over Vietnamese Che hands down.
Highly recommend the soy desserts! Totally worth $ 4!

Ah Soyful… so satisfying :)
Don’t forget to ask for a stamp card! And when you do come here again. don’t forget to bring it!!!
I’ve tried their creamy iced milk tea, hong kong milk foam, jasmine tea, mango tango tea, and lily’s lychee tea. Nom nom. I’ve had Japanese pudding, soy pudding, lychee jelly, and aloe vera toppings.
Get the Japanese pudddinggg! so creamy and delicious ! I also enjoy the soy pudding! My favorite is the jasmine tea… haha yes, so simple. but I love teas!
The most popular drink is the creamy iced milk tea with Japanese pudding! If it’s your first time, get this!

Very friendly worker serving great drinks.
It’s a small booth that’s facing outside in Vietnamese Town.
Please try their Pudding drinks. It has a unique taste from the soy. Tastes healthy and satisfying as a dessert at the same time.
Asked for 0% sugar thinking they would include sugar with the toppings anyways like many other drink places but this place really kept it 0%. I recommend at least 25% sugar.
Note: Hot Pudding desserts shown in other people’s pic is only served during winter (November+)