Disclaimer: I would have written about boba shops around the entire island but decided to narrow it down to a couple that are close proximity to the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
Teapresso Bar
Teapresso Bar is probably the boba chain that has the most locations on the island of O’ahu with a total of 18 locations around the island. If you’re craving boba during a late night study session, I would highly recommend Teapresso. Their Piikoi location closes at midnight and you can order via Uber Eats or Doordash! Teapresso has a large menu to choose from: signature milk teas, iced teas, lemonades, coffee, and smoothies. They also have the option of building your own drink. You would start with whether you want your drink iced or hot, what type of tea leaves you want, along with the flavor, your choice of dairy, the level of sweetness, and if you want any add-ons (like tapioca).
The closest Teapresso location to UH Manoa is on Waialae Avenue. You can catch bus 13 down and this is about a 10-15 minute commute.
Cowcow’s Tea
Cowcow’s Tea introduced Hawaii’s first rice yogurt drink. They released this drink during the nationwide boba shortage that hurt ABGs all over the United States. Personally, I enjoy the rice yogurt drinks. The rice reminds me of Filipino sweet rice desserts that I would eat as a child. Aside from their rice yogurt drinks, they have a wide selection of drinks such as: milk teas, fresh fruit teas, fruit smoothies, and sparking water. If you’re like me and like to sample boba shops’ classic milk teas on your first visit, you’ll be delighted to hear that their regular sized classic milk teas are $3.95 and their large sized are $4.75!
To get to Cowcow’s from campus, you can catch bus 13 and transfer to the bus 1. You also have the option to walk down towards Waialae Avenue and catch the bus 1. This will be about a 20-minute commute.
The Alley
The Alley is located at Ala Moana, on the second floor of the Ewa Wing, right next to Shabuya and Jamba Juice. The Alley is most famous for their “Deerioca” and crème brulee drinks. Some of these drinks can be pretty pricey compared to their regular milk teas. The Ube taro brown sugar is a great choice if you’re into ube and taro, as it comes with ube cream sauce and taro chunks! Another favorite is their “Snow velvet series” which are drinks that are topped with their in-house cheese foam. If you’re lactose intolerant like me (it’s a tough life to live), their milk teas are dairy free. If you plan to stop by on a weekend, I highly recommend going with friends because the line can get long. But if you’ve got friends to keep you company, the wait won’t seem too long.
To commute to The Alley, or Ala Moana in general, you can catch the 18 and then walk for about 5 minutes to The Alley.
Mr. Tea Café
Mr. Tea Café has two locations on island, one at Ala Moana and the other by Patagonia. They’re most famous for their cereal milk teas like fruity pebbles and cinnamon toast crunch. They have a wide variety of milk teas, fruit and iced teas, hot teas, smoothies, and an assortment of toppings (including ice cream)! You can order Mr. Tea Café via Uber Eats and it comes fairly quickly! The prices of their milk teas are decent, $3.99 for a regular milk tea, and they have good portions. Again, for you lactose intolerant kings and queens out there, they have dairy free options!
To catch the bus to Mr. Tea Café, you can hop on bus 13 and get off by Ala Moana then walk 7 minutes towards the shopping center. It will be located on the first floor next to the food court.