While there are many fantastic boba shops in San Mateo, there are a select few that really stand out. One of these shops is Urban Ritual, located in the heart of downtown San Mateo.
In terms of quality, it doesn’t get much better than Urban Ritual. Although its menu is much smaller than those of other local boba shops, it makes up for that with high-quality, all-natural ingredients. The tapioca pearls made at Urban Ritual are fresh and perfectly chewy with a sweet but not overwhelming brown-sugar taste. For fans of traditional boba tea flavors, matcha, honey oolong and jasmine green tea are all great options. If customers are looking to try something new, the crème brulée milk tea is a delicious spin on the classic dessert that won’t be found at other boba shops. It has a house milk tea base, topped with honey boba, pieces of crème brulée pudding and torched raw sugar.
“For fans of traditional boba flavors, matcha, honey oolong and jasmine green tea are all great options”
Next up, Cup of Blooms is a beautifully decorated hidden gem on the corner of South B Street. It has a quiet seating area with calm, relaxing background music, making it a perfect place to study and complete work.
The boba tea is fresh, authentic and above all else, delicious. Each tea is freshly brewed to order, and a variety of flavors are offered, such as traditional teas like matcha, lavender and taro, plus a wide variety of fruit teas as well as coffee drinks. Sweet and savory toasts are also offered, like avocado toast, made with fresh sourdough bread and hearty avocado spread, topped with spices and an optional egg. To satisfy anyone with a sweet tooth, there’s the Nutella toast. Rich, creamy chocolate-hazelnut spread is set on a thick, fluffy slice of white bread, topped with sweet, bright red strawberries.
Meet Fresh stands out among other boba shops by creating an immersive experience out of getting boba. Another unique aspect of Meet Fresh is that it doesn’t just serve boba; it also offers a range of other desserts, such as shaved ice, mochi, waffles, ice cream and more. The mango milk shaved ice is a delicious combination of sweet, fluffy shaved ice topped with fresh mango pieces and creamy mango-flavored ice cream.
Finally, one last spot to visit is Sweet Moment. Much like Meet Fresh, Sweet Moment is popular for both its delicious boba drinks and its many other unique desserts. The menu is huge, so customers won’t run out of options. The boba tea menu alone consists of a vast variety of beverages: slushies, smoothies, milk teas, fruit teas and more. Beyond boba tea, there is a plethora of other handmade sweets to try, including Sweet Moment’s much-loved “snowflake” cups. For example, the strawberry snowflake cup has a delicious shaved ice base and is topped with strawberry ice cream and strawberry pieces.
With so many boba shops to choose from within San Mateo, it can be a challenge to pin down the best ones. Urban Ritual, Cup of Blooms, Meet Fresh and Sweet Moment are all excellent places to start, whether a customer is new to boba or has been a long-time lover of the drink. With expansive menus, top-tier ingredients and unique qualities, each of these places offers a great boba-drinking experience.
