Purple Kow — Restaurant in San Francisco

the wait time is atrocious,, but purple kow is a sf staple.

i'd give them a 3.5 if i could, based on nostalgia and taste overall.

with three people working the shop, it's just hard to justify the near 15 minute wait time on a weekday with school still being in session. maybe it's because i ordered food. but i also waited the same amount of time when i went back multiple times back 2021 when i ordered ONLY drinks (usually ordering just one drink every time i went).

usually there's a line but when i got there, there wasn't a line but (3-4) people who've ordered waiting. ordering never takes long at purple kow. it's always the waiting. i think it's because they offer food items--so that really delays the whole process.

it would be awesome if they can figure out a way to separate the food from the drink making station, or completely remove the food and make purple kow solely a boba shop. they can just stand alone as a drink place, they can survive.. maybe? it's so sf staple so,,

the garlic fries is a complete letdown, do not get it at all. the garlic flavor doesn't even stick to the fries so it's just regular,barely salted fries. just don't get it.

my mango green tea was solid. no toppings doesnt delude the flavor, so i'll just keep getting that in the future. pricing is honestly not bad, it works for me, 10$ for fries and boba :')

i'd get purple kow again if i'm ever around the area, but man. the wait time really just turns me off all the time. so who knows...

The first time I ever had Purple Kow was with a few friends after the 2013 Color Run. So what if that thing is "only" a 5K? So what if we mostly wogged (walk-jogged) it? By the time we were all covered in an array of colored corn starch from the roots of our hair to the barely worn soles of our sneakers, we decided that we needed to properly refuel and ended up here at Purple Kow for tubs of starch-y goodness. Their boba is just perfect. And they've got the right boba to liquid ratio going on, too. However, I don't find it spectacular enough to make a special trip out for their drinks specifically. If I happen to be in the Sunset and/or Berkeley area, though, I do try to stop by.

I've been to the Berkeley location a couple of times since it opened, and I think PK SF needs to step up their interior design game just a tad. I was here last night with my boyfriend and we stood next to the dark brown wall in the back after we placed our order. There aren't any flat screens to distract you with K-Pop music videos while you're waiting for your drink (coughQuickly San Ramoncough), and the bf and I have come to a solid agreement about face time being more important than phone time, so what's a girl to do but look around and... up, unfortunately. Either PK SF has some customers who really love watercolor painting ceilings in brown, or we've got ourselves a "30 Days Without An Accident" situation and it's about to start...

As you probably already gathered from other reviews, Purple Kow uses huge cups, and they model their drinks, decor, and style after Half and Half in LA. The line is long here because there are a zillion Asian people in the Richmond, and the drinks are tasty and unique compared to nearby competitors including Quickly, Tap Ex, Ten Ren, etc. The wait is usually long only because everyone is confused about what to order, they need descriptions on the menu! Here is what you need to know:

The Ice Milk Drink (~$4) has no tea, very similar to Half and Half's ice milk (LA), and it is delicious. Make sure to get it with egg custard, which is slightly sweet and silky. Get a double portion! Tea Crema is their signature drink - a lightly sweetened tea (not mixed with milk), topped with a luscious layer of whipped cream. Make sure to continue to stir your drink lest you be left with a big layer of cream at the end! My favorite is the black tea crema w/custard, the High Mountain Oolong Crema is their "most popular" tea crema; it's good but tastes too strongly of oolong to me.

Add-ons include egg custards (recommended!), boba, grass jelly, coffee jelly, lychee jelly. Boba is sometimes too hard. Mango slush comes default with green tea.

Tip: Ask for a loyalty card. Also, they accept credit! I know.. shocking for an Asian bubble tea joint. Also, they no longer accept...