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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UC Berkeley chapter.

To all the boba fiends attending UC Berkeley, you may have been trying out different shops near campus to figure out your favorite one. Look no further, here are some suggestions on where to go, so that you can hopefully prevent yourself from spending more money than needed. 

The Alley

At the top of the list, we have The Alley. While they only just recently hosted their grand opening, I’ve already visited them a handful of times. Their drinks are just that good! If you have to get one drink, I’d recommend their Ube Deerioca Creme Brulee Milk Tea. The combination of a milky ube base with brown sugar and egg pudding is seriously addicting. Also, for all my lactose intolerant friends, The Alley doesn’t charge extra for milk substitutes, so that was definitely a huge plus for me! If you ever find yourself strolling down Telegraph Ave. wanting a nice pick-me-up, give The Alley a try!

image of woman drinking tea
Photo by Charlotte May from Pexels

Teaspoon

My next suggestion is a bit further from campus than other boba spots, but the trek or bus ride to Teaspoon on University Ave. is always worth it. The shop’s tight space is definitely made up for in their yummy drinks. My favorite from them is their Taro Lover which is put together with taro milk, taro chunks and top-tier brown sugar coated tapioca. In case taro flavor isn’t really your taste, my friends have also been raving about their Black Sugar Assam drink. I should also say, despite Teaspoon being a relatively small shop, you may be lucky enough to snag one of the two tables they have inside. I’ve studied there before and I found myself to be really productive! The cozy ambience and yummy drink was very motivating!

TP TEA

TP TEA deserves some love, too. As a matcha girl myself, I’m a huge fan of their Matcha Tornado! It’s very creamy and sweet. Their boba isn’t coated in brown sugar, but it’s very chewy, which I personally love. What I will say, though, is that TP TEA doesn’t offer milk substitutes for every single one of their drinks, so some of you may want to be wary about that. Just like The Alley, TP TEA is very accessible to most students and resides on Telegraph. 

There you have it! With Berkeley’s diverse array of boba shops, these three are the ones I found to be the best the city has to offer. Give them a shot!

Phenelope Pasco

UC Berkeley '27

Phenelope is currently a freshman attending UC Berkeley, majoring in Media Studies and intends to double major in Business. She is currently a staff writer for the Berkeley department. Phenelope has experience in journalism and design for school newspapers. She previously worked as Editor-in-Chief for her high school newspaper and oversaw the whole publishing process. She mainly loves writing and reading food reviews. Besides HerCampus, Phenelope also writes for a Pilipinx magazine called (M)aganda where she steps outside of her comfort zone and gives a go at prose and poetry. She is still exploring her options in regard to what career fields she may enter after graduating. With both of her majors, she hopes her future job will involve a blend of the two. Besides writing, Phenelope pours her love into her hobbies such as baking, reading, and cafe hopping. She also always has her handy digital camera with her and loves to capture moments of her family and friends.