Where to Find
The Best Boba in San Francisco

By Laura Kiniry

All across San Francisco, bubbly boba confections beckon to be tasted. Here are just some of our favorites.

Boba or “Bubble Tea” originated in Taiwan in the 1980s, but the tea-based drink is now a San Francisco mainstay. From the Inner Richmond to the Mission District, cafes and kiosks serve up customizable boba beverages filled with milk or fruit flavors, sugary sweeteners and chewy tapioca balls—the small, signature pearls that serve as boba’s key ingredient. Try your boba tea hot or cold, decide on your level of sweetness, and add extra toppings like herbal jelly, red bean, cheese clouds or whipped cream, depending on the place. From a compact dinosaur-themed spot in NOPA to a Japanese eatery in the Sunset that whips up bubble teas alongside bento box and sushi rolls, here are 10 San Francisco boba spots you won’t want to miss.

17 Kearney Street

Asha Tea House

High-quality, responsibly sourced, whole leaf tea and hand-crafted tea beverages are the speciality at this small downtown establishment. The expertly curated space features a small selection of teas from around the globe and made-to-order drinks that include chai lattes, mango match sparklers, and tapioca milk teas flavored with half-and-half and boba. Asha only offers the option of adding boba to beverages in which it’s a traditional ingredient, transforming the bubble tea experience into something extra special. They also make their own syrups, condensed milk, fruit purees and boba in-house, and have a small, stool-lined counter space for sitting and savoring drinks.

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320 O'Farrell Street

Black Sugar - Boba Bar

Along with a variety of fruit teas, milk teas and matcha lattes, this aptly named boba bar is known for serving boba soaked in pure black sugar, providing a rich and deep caramel-y flavor to its bubble teas. It’s a small space with black-and-white decor. The tapioca pearls are flavorful and chewy, and the drinks are made with loose tea and fresh milk products straight from Marin County’s own Straus Family Creamery. Opt for the sesame matcha latte with boba, an earthy and nutty beverage that’s especially good with the addition of jelly-like crystal boba or an ice cream scoop. The lychee green tea is another top contender. Try it with lychee jelly for an extra pop of goodness.

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1522 Fillmore Street

Boba Guys - Fillmore

This popular boba chain got its start in San Francisco in 2011 and has been drawing crowds ever since. Boba Guys uses home-brewed, heirloom organic tea from San Francisco’s family-owned Five Mountains tea manufacturer and organic milk from the Bay Area’s Straus Family Creamery; but it’s their mildly sweet tapioca balls that customers really seem to love. The bright and inviting space offers indoor seating and drinks to satisfy a wide range of palates. While beverages like the sweet ube latte and the dirty horchata tend to be more expensive than at other boba places, the use of premium ingredients is worth the price. Sign up for the Boba Guys Passport for access to secret menu items and discounts.

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2154 Mission Street

District Tea

There are no artificial flavorings or sweeteners as this family-owned, women-run establishment in the Mission neighborhood—just real ingredients. While there’s no indoor seating, it’s just a few short blocks to Dolores Park, where you can sip tea while enjoying fantastic skyline views. Pair an order of popcorn chicken with a traditional Vietnamese mung bean latte, made with fresh mung beans, pandan leaves, coconut milk and condensed milk (be sure and add some boba!) or go for a picnic pack for two, complete with three snacks (takoyaki, french fries, and egg salad sandos are all good choices) and two small-sized boba drinks of your choice. District Tea offers free size upgrades on beverages every Thursday, all year long.

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1330 Ocean Avenue

Dots Boba

Dots is your one-stop shop for Taiwanese street eats (think fried tofu, freshly made bubble waffles, and unagi rice bowls) and a wide selection of drinks that include black sesame milk teas, fruit-filled sagos made with translucent tapioca pearls, and Hong Kong-style milk teas. The small shop’s handcrafted wheel pies—pancake-like pastries stuffed with fillings like salty egg pork and corn cheese—are especially delectable. They are available Fridays through Sundays only, thought. The sesame-themed drinks (their rich and creamy black sesame milk tea is a must!) are an added highlight.

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3836 Geary Boulevard

Little Sweet

Expect freshly brewed tea handcrafted and made-to-order, and drinks that include everything from creamy and refreshing avocado banana milkshakes to white gourd milk teas made with double boba and extra toppings like whipped cream and salted cheese foam. Although the space itself is tiny, it’s ideally positioned for a sip-and-stroll to nearby Golden Gate Park. Snacks such as fried chicken wings and egg puff waffles are served from mid-afternoon on and go hand-in-hand with hojicha lattes and iced Thai green milk teas. Little Sweet has other locations throughout the city, including a Japantown space that features karaoke with touchscreen machines.

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1111 Taraval Street

Quarters Teahouse

The use of fresh fruit and a helpful, friendly staff make the Sunset neighborhood’s Quarter Teahouse especially beloved among boba connoisseurs, who also enjoy the shop’s wealth of add-ons that range from mini taro balls to caramel pudding. Types of boba here include honey, crystal agar (made from konjac root), and mango popping—a small, gel-like pearl that releases a burst of sweet fruit juice when bitten. Drinks run the gamut from Oreo puff cream lattes served with brown sugar boba to double peach green tea made with peach purée and juicy peach chunks. Hungry? The teahouse also serves up onigiri rice balls, egg puff skewers, and snacks such as fried zucchini sticks and mini spring rolls.

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250 Divisadero Street

Tea & Others

Place your order via kiosk at this compact, dinosaur-themed space where organic ingredients, fresh fruits and mildly sweet boba are the norm. Beverages come in both small and large sizes and include both cheese teas—featuring a frothy dairy topping that’s salty-sweet—and cake teas like the “Pink Panther,” a blend of strawberry cake and jasmine tea, as well as milk teas and fruit teas. Add some boba to whatever drink you choose, as well as additional toppings such as Oreo, crema, and egg pudding. Don’t miss the Dirty Boba (24-ounce only), a decadent and marbled bevy made with fresh milk and brown-sugar-flavored boba.

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488 Fell Street

Urban Ritual Cafe

This modern Hayes Valley space has a simple goal: to make boba accessible to everyone. Urban Ritual is known for its grab-and-go boba pouches (recent flavors include passionfruit mojito and guava hibiscus ) that are perfect for bringing to picnics or the park, and then recapping to finish later. The boba here is soft, chewy, and freshly made, and drinks range from the creme brûlée—a decadent blend of house-made creme brûlée, honey boba, and milk topped with crackling torched raw sugar—to matcha toffee, a powdered green tea mixed with milk and bite-sized, housemade toffee brittle.

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1518 Irving Street

Yoma Cafe

For a full meal to go with your boba-fest, head to this Sunset neighborhood favorite. The casual, counter-service eatery specializes in Japanese fare, including curries, bento boxes (don’t miss the teriyaki salmon bento) and sushi rolls, as well as bubble teas to match. Pair the chicken katsu bento with a brown sugar milk tea boba, or a boba-filled Thai iced tea with a beef curry. Additional boba drinks at this cozy spot include strawberry matcha lattes and ube taro milk topped with boba and mini mochi.

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Laura Kiniry

Laura Kiniry is a full-time freelance journalist specializing in travel, food, culture, and the outdoors, as well as a 30-year San Francisco resident. She writes regularly for Smithsonian, Atlas Obscura, BBCTravel, and VIA magazine, among others, and is managing editor for both the 2025 Visit Oakland and Visit Petaluma inspiration guides. When she’s not exploring the Bay Area, she’s out traveling the world. Occasionally, you can find her harvesting olives in southern Italy.