Look, the small business food scene in LA is just so much better than in the Bay Area. Maybe the Bay has gotten priced out due to land prices and people are less committed to non tech jobs, but every time I go to socal I'm impressed.I heard about Bopomofo when they were opening. I watched Wong Fu videos since it's inception when downloading the videos directly back in like 2004-2005. So I heard Phil was opening a boba shop and heard his story as to why. I was at a restaurant in the same plaza and figured I'd stop by Bopomofo to try it out. We got an espresso drink and a Tea drink, and what I can say is that the quality of the ingredients is evident but also the way the staff is trained to help guide you on recommendations and converse with the customer is top notch. They want to make your boba experience great and they executed.The Assam Black Tea was super toasty and earthy, but not over cooked or bitter or oxidized. And the coffee milk tea gave a nice kick of caffeine before heading out for the day.We came back the next day too, as it was along our route and grabbed a Mapo Tots and another case of a well thought out and tasty dish. Mapo Tofu works so well on a tot base instead of the traditional rice or even noodles. Really clever rendition and glad to have tried it.Support small businesses! The food scene in LA is evidence of this need.
Now this place was actually pretty good, shout out to Phil Wang for opening such a premium/Boujee boba chain establishment. First and foremost, I only had the Assam milk tea and it was delicious and done right. The price is negotiable since everything here is fairly pricey but you are paying for quality and experience which is what should be expected when going here. I'm not sure if it is preference but I usually dislike the taste of Assam milk tea at other boba shops and assumed that it wasn't for me. But this place did it right! It handled the bitterness to sweetness ratio in a good manner and it balanced out well!Definitely recommend that drink. However, I do have some gripes on the wait time it took to get my drink. I know everything is made with care (?) With premium ingredients but everything just took way too long. The day I went, there wasn't even a big line and not many orders but it still took at least 10-15min where 80% of my drink only took like 2 minutes to make. Idk if they were understaffed that day but ut was a minute... I might buy food and more items here to change ny judgement but that wait time is sort of... unnecessary.But highly recommend though! Great Selection of boba teas and grab a bite
Too be honest it was a great experience. I tried to order online to skip the line but it was problematic because there were errors on it which was frustrating - for example, the codes sent to me to log in kept saying there’s an error and when I entered my payment information there wasn’t a visible area to type in my billing address and it wouldn’t go through unless I did. I ended up driving to the story to order and the wait on the food was 20 minutes but it was REALLY fresh and well made. I got the Taiwanese chicken sandwich, the dark meat popcorn chicken (which I think is more fatty and juicy than the white meat, which is more dry - depends on what you like), and the strawberry corn milk boba 25% sugar less ice. The boba drink airs on the side of less sweet than other boba places, which I appreciate. I feel like I’ve had more cue and chewy boba but it was good still. Overall it was a good experience! Would recommend trying at least once.The store was also super cute and the staff was really friendly!!
Used their website to make our online order. Pick up time was accurate. We ordered the Carrot Matcha Latte and Coffee milk tea (50% sweet) Enjoyed both, they had the right amount of sweetness. Will return when we are in the area. Thanks Phil!
The atmosphere here is 10/10
I have been waiting to try this restaurant since it first opened and I finally got to do that this evening. Their food and drink did not disappoint. The walnut shrimp burger was on point! The all-shrimp patty was crunchy on the outside and juicy and flavorful on the inside. It was well worth the money and the calories! I also tried their jasmine milk tea - it has a great tea flavor. I will definitely come back!
A little slow but worth the wait. The mapo tots were delicious and the portion was huge. I got the Jasmine milk tea and forgot to change the sugar level but it was perfect.
I tried the honey walnut shrimp burger... Wow $14.50.What you'll notice is everything seems abit pricey.The walnut shrimp burger was pretty good. My wife really enjoyed it. It reminded her of sugar cane shrimp.Also tried the popcorn chicken. That cost $8.50 and tasted like your standard popcorn chicken.Tator tots cost $5 and Mapo tots are $11. My wife suggested not to get the tator tots because she thought they were abit priceyIt's an okay place. They have drinks here too. I don't think I would come back.. seems like your run of the mill place.
Do not listen to the rest of the reviewers. They are all paid actors and have not posted a single objective reviews on this restaurant. I cannot recommend this place despite being a BOPOMOFO fan since 2007.
The best chicken sandwich in the area! There's always a line when I drive by, but the wait isn't too bad and worth every minute after you get that first bite