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Welcome to the Pearl Tea Review for Los Angeles. The following is a review of the pearl tea places I have personally been to in Los Angeles. They are arranged by geographical area and are rated from one (junk) to five (excellent) pearls. Note: If you don't understand what pearl tea is, it is basically a Taiwanese drink made from Black Asian tea, cream and sugar (either condensed milk, or honey, or molasses) that is served cold with "Pearls", which are black balls of tapiocca. The tapioca balls ("boba") sink to the bottom, creating a layered look. You then drink the balls and the tea through a (very) large straw. It is also known as Boba Tea or Tea w/ Milk. Pearl Tea is gaining in popularity, especially in Los Angeles and New York City. San Gabriel Valley Plaza Deli Address: 18920 Gale Avenue, Rowland Heights, CA 91748 Phone: 818-810-7838 Rating: 4.5 pearls Review: Plaza Deli is a small Taiwanese restaurant located next to Sam Woo's in Rowland Heights. But it is also the home of the best pearl tea in Los Angeles. Not that its milk tea is the best. It could use a bit more honey and cream. But above all, the Tapioca balls are PERFECT -- not too chewy, not to soft. And the price is excellent -- just $2.50 for TWO (buy 1 get 1 free)! But the true charm of this place is its consistency. Every time I go, it tastes the same. How they can make it so consistent when every other place tastes different everytime I go, I don't know. But you know that you will never be disappointed. Crepe in the Grip Address: 715 W. Las Tunas Drive, San Gabriel, CA 91776 Phone: 626-282-5265 Rating: 3.5 pearls Review: Yes, Crepe in the Grip is a crepe place (a crepe is a French desert -- kind of like a flat pancake with stuff inside). And they are quite good. But they also have an extensive selection of Pearl Tea, which strangely goes quite well with crepes. The taste is good, but they use too much powder creamer which gives the tea a bit of a gritty taste. Nevertheless, the pearls are good, the atmosphere fun, and the crepes make a tasty side dish. Lollicup Address: 2337 S. Garfield Ave, Monterey Park, CA 91754 Phone: 323-727-BOBA Rating: 3.5 pearls Review: Lollicup is a new entrant into the crowded LA Boba Tea market. This chain wins some points on good milk tea and pearls, although the Honey Dew is a bit on the sweet side. Smiling Face Address: 141 North Atlantic Blvd #106, Monterey Park, CA 91754 Phone: 626-308-9689 Rating: 3.0 pearls Review: Smiling Face may have an unusual name, but it has some good Pearl Tea. Located underneath the famous Ocean Star Restaurant (great Dim Sum), it has a wide variety of Chinese crack seed and Pearl Teas. The Pearl Tea is a bit on the sweet side and somewhat pricy ($3.00). But the convience to Ocean Star can't be beat and it can quench a thirst after all that Dim Sum you just ate. South Bay Old Country Cafe Address: 24631 Crenshaw Blvd, Torrance, CA 90505 Phone: 310-539-8984 Rating: 4.5 pearls Review: This place has the best Pearl Tea in South Bay. Tucked in the Home Depot Shopping Center at the corner of Skypark and Crenshaw, it is a small Taiwanese restaurant. Although the food here is tolerable, it is the Pearl Tea that keeps you coming back for more. You can get pearls in any drink they have (a wide selection of fruit drinks), but the standard Black pearl tea is the best. It is creamy but not too sweet. The pearls are the best in LA, with just the right amount of honey. You can't do better in South Bay. Boba Paradise Address: 25412 Crenshaw Blvd., Torrance, CA 90505 Phone: 310-534-3299 Rating: 3.0 pearls Review: This new place is located in the Rolling Hills Plaza (the one with the AMC 20) at the corner of Crenshaw and PCH. They offer a good selection of boba drinks, but at $2.50 for the small and $3.50 for the large, is a bit pricey. The tea is strong and not very sweet - which may not suite everyone's taste. A decent place overall, though. Go Go Juice Address: PCH Lomita, CA 90717 Phone: Rating: 2.5 pearls Review: This little place is located in Lomita Village at the corner of PCH and Eshelmann in Lomita. They serve a wide variety of drinks including Pearl Tea. But what is truly amazing is that they make the Pearl Teas by hand on the spot using a Martini Mixer. Cool. Unfortunately, the balls are somewhat chewy and the tea is way too sweet. Tapioca Express Address: 1425 W. Artesia Blvd. #19, Gardena, CA 90248 Phone: 310-327-7999 Rating: 1.0 pearls Review: This brand new Pearl Tea cafe looks good, and has an impressive menu. But it serves perhaps the worst pearl tea I have ever tasted. It has a bitter aftertaste, the pearls are completely tasteless (no honey taste at all), and they use blenders !! This was the first pearl tea EVER that I threw out rather than finish -- it was that bad. Downtown Joy Mart Address: Japanese Village Plaza, Little Tokyo Phone: Rating: 1.5 pearls Review: A pearl tea place in Little Tokyo? Yep, but the result is a disaster. They use Japanese tea (a flower tea I think) and very little cream and the result is a strange muddy tea that doesn't taste anything like real Pearl tea. This shows that you just can't copy Chinese tea with Japanese ingredients. Any additional places that I should know about and review? Please let me know by e-mailing me the name and address so I can check it out. Thanks. All material © Copyright 2005 by Dakine.net |