Simplee Boba — Restaurant in South Pasadena

Literally orderd this place on a recent random weekday night because I was really craving to finally try some brown sugar boba after watching too many YouTube videos about boba. This review is solely based on the 3 drinks me & the gf ordered since we had it delivered.

House Coffee (Vietnamese style coffee) actually had pretty good strength more than I thought it would. I'd still want it more strong (like I usually do). This is described as Vietnamese "style" coffee & I suppose that holds true since it didn't taste like dark roast coffee really.

Matcha Milk Tea (50% sweet, w/ almond milk) had a nice pretty strong matcha flavor which contrasted with the light subtle sweetness which is what we ordered. Well executed overall & looked nice which is always a win.

The Tiger Milk Tea is the first I ever had of this brown sugar boba style. I know there was the transit time it took for the drink to be delivered but the kid in me was a little letdown the sides of the cup weren't covered in brown sugar syrup as I've commonly seem this drink is. The boba was pretty much perfect for me. It definitely was not hard, not mushy & still had enough chew. It was very sweet (as expected) but luckily had good flavor which made me enjoy the drink even more than I thought I would. I could really taste that brown sugar, little toasty sweetness in my first sip.

For some reason only 1 of the 3 drinks was in a Simplee Boba branded cup with the cute bee logo & they gave 3 bobs straws when only one drink had boba. Not the biggest deal here but it is these little details that set places above others.

Oh & oddly enough one win here is something I don't usually see at other drink places. They gave very little ice in all 3 drinks resulting in very full cups of actual drink & not just ice. I literally ended up adding some ice in at home.

As you may know there's an abundance of boba shops in this area & there seems to always be another one to try. But I wouldn't be opposed to getting drinks here since none of the drinks were really a fail. I'd probably go in person to check the place &...

I went to South Pasadena to do some last minute Xmas shopping and stopped by this boba place since I was thirsty. Apparently they are in their soft opening phase and plan to open officially some time in January. Up until Sunday, they are giving away these really cute glass bottles with every drink purchase!

The staff is really nice and accommodating. I ordered a tropical tea with boba, half agave and was hit with a surprise that there was actually fruit in the drink. The boba was the perfect texture too! Looks like someone in a previous review mentioned that the boba was too hard, but you have to remember that they are in their soft opening and still trying to improve their menu, which it seems like they have done with their boba.

I had a chance to speak with the owner about their tea making philosophy and they believe in sourcing natural, high quality ingredients as much as they can. I really appreciated that because I'm making an effort to be more aware of preservatives and what I put in my body. I will definitely come back when I'm in...

Boba and ramen are a Tik Tok trend I get it-100% cash in. But don’t exploit an idea without knowing its full potential and origin. A $2 bowl of nongshim noodles which can be bought at Costco in a pack of 18 for $17 and some change is sold for $5 here. Ridiculous markup. Unfriendly service. I asked for Vietnamese coffee. Which is readily available at every boba shop in Hawaii- where I live. You would have thought I committed a culture faux paux. The cashier never spoke to me during the entire interaction but once I asked for the coffee she then only acknowledged me by pointing with her lips 😂 I watched a YouTube video that called Pasadena the pretend South and I agree. Weird vibes for sure and the rate at which boba shops pop up- you can spend your money elsewhere for better service...