By Jessica Nguyen, Brian Pham & Lylyan Yenson
Orange County is home to lots of different foods and cultures, so it is no surprise that it is home to many shops that sell boba, a Taiwanese drink consisting of tea and tapioca balls.
There are a variety of boba chains in and around Fountain Valley that are already known and popular, such as Tastea and 7 Leaves, but if you’re looking for something new, check out these spots!
Half & Half Tea Express
Half & Half Tea Express has several locations in Southern California, however, there aren’t any in Orange County. The closest locations are located in City of Industry on Gale Avenue and Colima Road; both locations are estimated to be a 35 minute drive from Fountain Valley.
The original store started in San Gabriel back in 2008 before many other chains started popping up in the Los Angeles and Orange County area. However, these pint-sized drinks haven’t lost their popularity, only continuing to expand since.
Their menu contains a wide variety and may seem overwhelming at first, but each drink is equally enjoyable from their Rose Milk Tea to their classic Brown Sugar Boba Milk. The experience is definitely worth the drive.
Sunright Tea Studio
While Sunright Tea Studio may not be as popular as 7 Leaves or Ding Tea, this boba chain is slowly building with a current number of four stores in Orange County. There are two located in Irvine, one in Costa Mesa and one in their newest location Garden Grove.
Sunright not only brings joy with their bright colors, but also with their sweet drinks. Their menu ranges from classic milk teas to frosties to fruit drinks and even to cheese foam. Their menu truly has a drink for everybody as they even have brulee latte with oat milk for friends who are lactose intolerant.
This chain may be smaller, but it’s just as delicious and worth trying.
Knottea Cafe
Knottea Cafe is a small neighborhood cafe nestled in the Katella Knott Center in Stanton that offers a variety of refreshing drinks from numerous types of teas, smoothies, agua frescas and coffees. Although they have a large menu, they also have special drinks created by their baristas, such as the Strawberry Cloud and Matcha Melon, that make it unique compared to other boba shops. Their boba is sweet as they are soaked in sugar and also very squishy and easy to eat.
The cafe offers inside and outside seating with an aesthetic mural that is great for Instagram photos. They also still have stamp cards so make sure to keep coming to get a free drink!
The Alley
The Alley is a Taiwanese boba shop with locations around the world. The Alley has two locations in California, one located in Irvine, California and one located in Fountain Valley, California. The Alley was brought to the U.S by Kei Concepts, who wanted to bring the Taiwanese boba recipes to the U.S.
The Alley is home to many types of drinks such as their Brown Sugar Deerioca Series, consisting of different varieties of brown sugar milk tea, their Original Brew Tea Series, consisting of different varieties and brewed teas, their Lulu Fresh Fruit Series, with blended fruit drinks, and more!
Theres a variety of boba shops in Orange County, so don’t limit yourself to the same shop!
