There is endless boba in Los Angeles. I currently live in Ktown where every block seems to have a boba shop, a patbingsu shop, or both.

It’s hard to rank boba joints, because the drink customization (sugar level) and drinks on the same menu vary so much. There could be a big difference between the house specialty (let’s say rose milk tea) and the random drink (almond milk tea).

I value the quality of the ingredients (made in house with real things instead of powder), the freshness of the pearls (boba), and the flavor profile (not mind-numbingly sweet). I’ve tried many dozens of boba joints in LA, and I usually order large, 50% sugar, and less ice.

Below are places that have consistently good drinks with a sample recommended order. Not every order is your standard PMT (pearl milk tea).

Good

• Gong Cha
  • QQ Passion Fruit Green Tea (comes with pearls & coconut jelly)
    (fruity & refreshing)
• Sharetea
  • Taro Fresh Milk Tea with Pearls
    (real taro bits is a plus)
• Tan-Cha
  • High Mountain Green Tea with Cheese Foam
    (as a cheese foam drink, it is heavier than a PMT)
• Ten Ren’s Tea Time
  • Honey Milk Tea with Pearls
    (their teas are underrated)
• Twinkle Brown Sugar (Ozero)
  • Brown Sugar Grass Jelly
    (drinks like a meal)

Decent

• 7 Leaves Cafe
  • Sea Cream Jasmine Tea with Honey Boba
    (crema top layer)
• 85C Bakery
  • Sea Salt Mountain Green Tea
    (has a good foam/crema top layer. their boba is bad)
• Kung Fu Tea
  • Jelly Wow
    (not a traditional PMT, more of a meal)
• TPumps
  • Mango Passion Peach with Boba
    (tea is very “drinkable”, not the best, but it goes down well. boba is not fresh)
• Wushiland Boba
  • Jasmine Green Milk Tea with Pearls
    (try 1/2 regular & 1/2 small pearls)

While I don’t inherently favor chains, I’ve found that big chains from Asia are more reliable and consistent with the boba freshness. Gong Cha 9 out of 10 times will have fresh boba, whereas your average LA boba shop will probably not have fresh boba.