Pulse Café – Organic Boba

Nooooo!!!
Closed for business! I am sad and distraught. The food and the boba was OUTSTANDING and the service super-​friendly. It was a unique place for Montana, too, and I wonder if the less-​than-​perfect packaging of the place that led to its demise. The food and drinks were better AND better-​priced than its newer neighbors, but those other places have better AC, shinier surfaces, louder house-​music, and less personality. Welcome to Montana Ave, and goodbye Pulse café.

I had my last meal there last week not realizing Pulse was shutting down.
I will miss little gem and sad to see that june 28^th was their last day open. I loved their honest approach to food, drink, etc
I believe that stronger branding and design could have helped properly attract more customers.

Came here when I was hot and wanted to cool down. Ordered the organic chai milk tea with chia seed boba. Taste was not there– half of my tea was mainly crushed ice, and the sweetness associated with milk tea was missing. Also, since there was so much ice, tea became watery very fast. I won’t be coming back here…

I’m sitting in the café as I type and I can’t believe it’s empty. My whole family sampled different drinks and food, and they’re all delicious. My sister had the breakfast wrap, my mom had the quinoa bowl, my wife and brother-​in-​law had the powerhouse smoothie and I had a taro boba with hazelnut milk. Everything had such good flavor and was all made from organic fresh foods. I already know what I’m trying when I come back.
Right next door is the overpriced Beaming, and I would choose Pulse in a heartbeat.

Organic boba made with chia seed. Organic vegan boba is all you need for the rest of your life. Regular boba pearls are black from the burnt brown sugar which is toxic so these are not, their color comes from the chai seeds. I usually get the skin boost, organic green jasmine, or the detox. They make their own almond milk.

I love getting the breakfast bowl here. Then again, I also love figs. The textures in this bowl is just amazing (I’m also more of a texture eater than the taste itself). I also love the texture of the chia seed boba! It is strange at first but it definitely works for my taste buds. I also like how their flavors are light. Definitely recommend for a place of unique tastes and creativity. :)
Btw, it does take awhile since the owner is usually the only one working. So be patient! Also, tip lots! ;P

Drinks & food are way over priced even for Montana Ave, Whole Foods across the street actually has cheaper smoothies. Their boba is terrible and I’ve tried the regular and the organic.
Not to mention the owner/​manager (woman who’s always there running the shop) is completely rude, has terrible manners, no customer service what-​so-​ever. She won’t even greet you when you walk in, she leaves you curiously standing in the front staring at her play on her phone until she feels like walking up to take your order. SMH!!! I will never waste another $ 12 — $ 15 for a drink or bland quinoa bowl.
I cannot wait for Beaming to open a few doors down, hopefully the owner can learn something about customer service from her new neighbors.

Run, don’t walk!
I wish I had paid more attention to the one/​two star reviews before coming. This place has to be the worst boba tea/​tea place I have ever visited, and I have visited many. I’m sorry to have to give a bad review but after plunking down close to $ 12 for two drinks, I expected something at least drinkable.
I ordered a cup of jasmine green almond milk tea thinking that it would taste like a combination of (1) green tea, and (2) almond milk. Is that too much to ask? Instead, the weird concoction tasted like a HINT of green tea mixed with 3 gallons of hot water. I simply thought the worker (or owner?!) took the wrong order but she confirmed that it was what I ordered. There was absolutely no milk nor almond taste to my drink. It was bland, watered down and almost tasteless. My bf ordered a cup of chai almond milk tea which also tasted bad. There was again no hint of milk nor almond in the drink. The boba was tasteless as well. We both tossed the drinks out after a few sips.
This place is an epic fail.

I stumbled upon this place when I used to work on Montana Ave. Anyone who knows the street is aware that there are good places to eat around. However there are not many health conscious places such as this. I’ve tried their boba & chia drinks, wraps, bowls, you name it. I have yet to be dissapointed. The food here is diet friendly and best of all it’s incredibly delicious! All of my friends who I suggested to try this place love it just as much as I do. Despite what some of the Unilocal reviewers said I don’t believe this place is pricey for what it is. When you are getting top fresh quality and a great generous amount then yes, it’s going to be a little more money than say buying food at in n out.
Frankly what really upsets me is that I’ve seen so many people walk in and abuse the workers as if they’re supposed to only serve them. I always would give them an extra tip when I saw them patiently deal with theatrical customers. These were the people who never could be pleased. Just because you don’t know what you want in your food or drink doesn’t mean you should have them remake it 3 – 4 times for free. And worst of all act as if it’s their fault for not knowing what you want. Unacceptable.
Unfortunately I don’t eat here as much as I used to since I don’t work on Montana anymore. Also the drive from where I live is kind of far especially with traffic is a nightmare. But this is definitely my go to spot when I’m around Santa Monica!

Pulse café you piqued my interest with your chia boba. I learned that the chia boba is made in house and that none of their tea drinks come from a powder. It’s all freshly brewed tea. The Jasmine was really nice and floral, and although it was not the most pleasant looking boba milk tea, it was one of the tastiest. Love all the healthful options!

In a girlfriend/​boyfriend dynamic, I think it’s usually my job to have inexplicable food cravings, so you imagine my delight at the role reversal when my boyfriend announced, «Oh my god, I could just really go for an acai bowl right now!!»
Okay.
Next thing I knew, we were driving down Montana Avenue in hot pursuit of chilled acai. Things were looking dismal, when out of the corner of my eye, I saw the health-​conscious buzz words «organic,» and «bowl,» below the headline of «PULSE CAFE.»
We walked in with a mission, wanting one thing and one thing only. And they had it!!! Yes!!! I had satisfied my partner’s food cravings! So this is what it feels like to be a man!!!
Our acai bowl was made with frozen blended acai, bananas, blueberries and a really yummy granola mix of coconut, hazelnut and dried pineapple. The granola lent an interesting flavor that I hadn’t experienced before, and the hazelnuts went surprisingly well with the Acai. Very tasty, but the price was a little steep at $ 11.95! I mean, I know rent’s expensive on Montana, but seriously?
The boy however, wasn’t phased by the price and would have been happy to pay up to $ 15 for it.
But, since I’m the one writing the review, Pulse Café gets a pricing penalty. Three stars for «A-​Okay,» but not «Great.»

Dropped by for a post workout drink and was sorely disappointed.
The menu looks really great and includes a variety of healthy drinks, smoothies, and bowls. They even make all their nut milks in house which is awesome! I ordered the green milk tea with almond milk and the «healthy» boba made with chia seeds.
The place was run by one woman so first she took the orders of everyone in line before making our beverages, which I don’t mind at all because it can be tough to run a small business. However, what I didn’t like was that she made the drinks in order to her convenience rather then in order of the line. This caused people to get incomplete orders and unnecessary additional wait time.
When I finally got my drink, it was watery and the «healthy» boba hadn’t congealed right so it was lumpy and falling apart. I definitely gave this place a go but I won’t be back.

I’m a boba fan and always try to discover new boba places wherever I go. This time I discover the Pulse in Santa Monica. I was intrigued by the organic Chia boba, never heard of it before. After a little 1,6 km run I made it to the little shop.
I love that everything is organic and/​or homemade.
I decided to go for the green jasmin tea with homemade hazelnut milk, which was excellent! I asked for the Chia boba.
Those are good but less chewy than the regular boba.
I’ll be back.
After sipping it, I still have the 1,6 km to run back home.

This is my first trip here. Trying it on a whim while killing time and looked for a healthy option breakfast place on Montana Ave.
Location: Santa Monica on trendy Montana and 15^th right across from Whole Foods. There is a lot of metered parking available on the street out front.
Ambiance: This is a casual quick food style restaurant serving healthy options fast. There are a few tables and some cute bright orange bean bags inside with a couple of outdoor tables as well. You place the order at the counter and are served at your table with paper and plastic disposable utensils and serving ware. Lots of organic and natural snacks for sale as well as prepared to order fresh foods.
Food: I had the Organic Quinoa Bowl. Large serving with warm quinoa, black beans, cheddar cheese, pine nuts and avocado over kale, spinach and red cabbage. The greens are left in large pieces so plan to use a knife to cut it up at the table! Greens were very fresh and crispy. The crunchy seasoned sunflower seeds and basalmic served on the side were delicious add ins!
I also had a large green tea. Perfect for the nippy morning! I liked that everything on the menu is available all day. Several options had eggs and chicken so it’s not just vegan or vegetarian. Bring your carnivorous friends! Many gluten free options as well.
I like the food here and the friendly service! The bathroom is located through the kitchen and that area could use a bit of creative organization and decorating to make it more appealing to customers. I think if that were done, there might be more traffic in from the street as the concept and food are really great! I will definitely be back.

This place is legit if you’re all about watching what you eat. It’s a no-​frills, honest approach to health food. I like that they serve a lot of items that you can’t really get anywhere else.
I’ve had the acai bowl and a few of the energy bowls. They are all surprising filling. I have a hard time finishing the bowls actually. The acai bowl is a pass for me — tastes a bit bland, too healthy. However all the energy bowls I’ve tried are weirdly good. Kind of how Café Gratitude is good. Except the bowls are actually moderately priced. One of my favorites is the chicken & wild rice bowl.
I’m actually the opposite of Pulse’s target customer. I could care less about nutrition fads and eating organic or vegan. But occasionally I need to detox and watch what I eat (predisposed to high cholesterol!), so Pulse is a good spot for that. Out of all the «healthy» places I’ve tried on the west side, Pulse is one of my favorites.

Try to be healthy.
But I think they get the concept, but taste wise they need to work on it.
And the store is not well decorated. Kind of sloppy.

ALICIA SILVERSTONE must be stalking me cuz I found this organic boba place first! Check out her supportive review!
Gweneth Paltrow and other celebs adore this place!
HANDS DOWN BEST BOBA IN THE UNIVERSE!!! It’s gonna change your life and you’ll never want any other black preservative filled boba ever again! No sugar, just a touch of honey or agave.
I WILL DIE FOR THE PARADISE OMEGA! Protein rich, unique, thick smoothie, nutty, and feels great after a workout or before and goes perfectly with boba!
COFFEE BOBA ALSO DELISH!
GREEN TEA JASMINE is so pure!
CHAI TEA is super popular!
Thank me later boba snobzzzz: D

What a cute little store on Montana! My boyfriend and I strolled here on Saturday around noon. When you enter, the menu is on the wall to the left. It was my first time so I had to analyze everything, and everything looked delish!
*Acai Bowl $ 8.95* It came in a bigger bowl than I expected! :) That’s a great thing. Organic acai blended with banana, dates, organic flax, and organic housemade chia milk. And then topped with an abundant of coconut flakes, bananas, and gluten free granola. It was smooth, creamy, and not very sweet. The coconut flakes and granola added the sweetness to the bowl. And it was filling. I didn’t even finish the bowl! Super tasty.
*Organic Chai Milk Tea with Almond Milk* I got a little 10oz, it’s a small little drink, but it was super tasty Chai. I loved it. yummie!
The lady did recommend getting one of the bowls, and they all did sound good. I will definitely come back for lunch and give it a try! They have paleo cookies and other great treats there too! I was soo tempted to buy, but I did resisted. One day when I have a sweet tooth craving I will probably buy a $ 8 of paleo cookies, and eat it all right then and there while walking down on Montana (I can picture that right now…).
Only thing about this place is that there is no music… lol. My boyfriend and I was in there and it was just SILENCE… *crickets*.

Fresh and light.
Does not taste like dessert boba beverages, which comes in 2 sizes — 10 oz and a larger size. Get the larger size because the 10 oz looks like a kiddie size. The large size will run you $ 5+ though.
Mild tasting in flavor & sweetness because all the ingredients are fresh and au naturel
A healthy alternative for those on a diet
I am more curious about their food than their beverages though so I shall return
Parking: street metered

Being that I was so thirsty I thought the sign outside that read «Healthy Boba» was a mirage. But alas it wasn’t. What makes their boba healthy? It’s gluten free. The boba was chewy but of course being healthy not sweet. I got the tropical blast. It was very refreshing on a hot day. The fruits were all fresh and if you like the texture of coconut you can definitely find it in that drink. No powder is used to make their drinks. Of course with it being healthy and all the prices are a little steeper than other places. I just realized that I payed 6 bucks for a regular sized boba drink. They only have small size and a regular size.
There was a sign inside that compared their boba to gummy bears but guilt free. The service was excellent. You could tell that the employees know about the food and drinks they offer and want your business. It’s not that big, but I did see someone studying inside this little café.