BobaLab Handcraft Bubble Tea - Addington — Restaurant in Christchurch

My friend and I have been coming here for years, every single week without fail. Trying the boba flavour of the week is a huge pick-me-up and always exciting, even after our years of patronage. We've tried most boba places in town, but there are none that come close to the level of love and care that these guys put into their boba and drinks. The customer service is beyond spectacular here as well. We've always been well taken care of by the lovely Hannah, who runs the shop. She truly cares about her customers, and it was she who made boba lovers out of the very unadventurous foodies that are me and my friend. We've never had a drink we didn't like here either! They have many beginner-friendly drinks, for me, it was the berry nebula with lychee jelly that got me hooked! My favourites now are the iron goddess or tieguanyin milk tea, (I've not found another place that has this particular tea and I highly recommend it!), the plain jasmine tea for pure strong floral goodness (their tea itself is excellent and I enjoy it even without flavouring or milk), the passion bomb (it's full of pure tart passionfruit yumminess), and of course the berry nebula (also very unique as it uses butterfly pea tea which has a mild flavour that pairs well with the strawberry puree). It's truly difficult to pick favourites though. They handmake most of their ingredients, including the boba itself, and it definitely shows! The price has always been worth it for us, even through COVID and inflation. At other boba shops, they really skimp on toppings, but not here, and we LOVE our toppings. If anything goes wrong with your drink, rest assured that the lovely Hannah will take care of you. If you want to support a local business with good values, amazing service and high-quality boba then this is your...

Overpriced and Underwhelming! Ordered the Choc Fantasy, which was described on the menu as "Rich and Creamy Belgian Chocolate". To my utter disappointment what I saw get made and the drink was is basically store brought hot chocolate powder, water, milk and with a bit of chocolate syrup squirted on the side of the cup. Nothing rich, creamy, or Belgian about it! Boba pearls were also quite the upcharge, compared to most other places being included in the price or not much more.

Also, got to be very careful with the paywave, I didn't even get anywhere near tapping the machine, was instead going to insert the card, but that oversensitive machine with unbelievable strength to read my card from far away triggered paywave and copped a 23¢ paywave fee, which makes me bitter out of principle.

Normally drinks from boba places have something really transformative done to them that would be challenging to replicated at home, as well as makes taste and texture worth paying a bit. This I could have easily done in about a minute for less for probably less than a $1, so paying over $11 for this bland and disappointing drink was frustratingly underwhelming.

As someone who can rarely afford to treat oneself, when the treat is very underwhelming, it's disappointing.

Was thinking of anyway to give this place 2-stars, as I think Kiwis often unfairly low-score things, but the share price for this disappointing drink which was nothing like how it was described, sealed the review as 1-star. Also, the fact that numerous regular cafes basically make the same drink of coco powder and milk (which I try to avoid, thus why I went to a boba place expecting something better), but charge far less to...

This bubble tea shop which I recently visited is now one of my favourite places in CHCH. Impressed by its thoughtful blend of Taiwanese tea authenticity and diverse menu offerings. The emphasis on Taiwanese tea was evident in their selection (not huge range of choices but are of great quality). Pairing this with sushi and fried chicken was a clever move, catering to a wide range of tastes. Was happy to see their commitment to environmental sustainability. Their use of eco-friendly milk tea cups reflects a responsible approach to packaging. The serene atmosphere and calm service also contributed to a pleasant experience. Overall, a commendable spot for bubble tea...