Boba 7

Alcoholic boba at Boba 7!

Not enough to get you there? Here's summore reasons...

* GET - Honey Milk Tea Boba = boba (being the boba-freak that I am) was cooked perfectly...chewy throughout, not too hard or too mushy, and my HMT was perfect at 50% sugar
* GET - Horchata Boba = alcoholic (they use soju) horchata?! Well, somehow it works and tastes like delicious cinnamon-y milk tea...and you add boba to that equation
** GET - Taro Smoothie = ermahgerd...the barista was raving about the taro soju smoothie (which we did not get since we already placed our order) so she brought 2 small sample shots out...I'm so going back and getting this another time

** YES - Free magic show with check-in = "WTH?" was my initial thought when I saw the Yelp check-in offer. Like some cheesy bit performed at the cashier?? NOPE. The other barista came around to our table and showed us his magic card tricks...he was awesome and it was sooo entertaining!
* YES - Friendly service
* AOK - Bar-top fits 3 seats comfortably on each side and couple extra tables on side

* FYI - No signage...Boba 7 is the tiny casual shop in back of Soi 7 restaurant
* FYI - Street meter parking is difficult and hard to find in DTLA...good luck
* FYI - Accepts credit cards

Recommend~

Unless I'm super mistaken and correct me if I'm wrong, but Boba 7 is the only place in LA that sells alcoholic boba drinks.

I've been stopping by sporadically over the past couple years, and this is the first time I'm reviewing; long overdue and definitely well-deserved- there's a good selection of drinks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic.

Elton (or whoever is working) can make the drink to however you like, less sweet, etc. There's some bar seating, not a whole lot, but there's some more in the back outside.

Inside of Soi7 in the way back, you'll find the hidden counter where bills and plastic are exchanged for some alcohol and boba. Or in my case, some non-alcohol and boba. So Boba 7 is in what I call the nicer part of DTLA, pretty close to Bottega Louie if you're trying to get an idea of where in DTLA (aka the area where most of Corporate America is located). Good luck with limited street parking or use the Sugarfish lot for $8 (without validation).

The menu is split between alchy (left) and non-alchy (right). Alchy comes in a glass, no to-go cups. I got the #Bobafete ($4.25) that had non-alcoholic Irish cream and Kahlua flavored milk tea with honey boba. It is pretty much the non-alcoholic younger sibling of the #Bobagasm. The milk tea is pretty darn good, though the boba is smaller than other places and not as soft and chewy. I didn't adjust the sweetness and it was just perfect, not as diabetus sugary as other places. BF got the #Bobabeam ($7 - named after one of Squirtle's signature moves, mainly the reason why BF got it, that Pokémon nerd). Instead of honey boba, this drink came with popping lychee boba, which BF described as the perfect pairing for the alcohol aftertaste from the blue curacao cocktail.

Similar to some boba places, you get a free size upgrade if you post to Instagram, Twitter or FB. Unlike most boba places, they take credit card! You get a magic show with a Yelp check-in but only if the owner is here (he wasn't on our trip =/).

Boba 7 is the answer to the question no one ever asked...what if I spiked my Asian milk tea with booze?

There are a ton of interesting combinations of adult boba (and Asian jelly) drinks here that will actually entice you to buy one for about $7/8 per glass. The clever names alone will get you in the mood, like the Mango Fett, which was a blended soju margarita with lychee jelly blocks. Or the Barack Bobama, which has a red white and blueberries thing going.

There are also a ton of non-alcoholic boba drinks here which are half the price, and probably half the fun.

They use honey boba in their drinks. I asked if they make it from scratch (rare, so I didn't expect this here in downtown LA), but they said it is pre-purchased and cooked on site.

Friendly, young staff.

Surprisingly this place, located within Soi 7 Thai restaurant, was super empty when I visited this past Saturday.

To get to the boba shop, you have to walk through the Thai restaurant (Soi 7) because it is in the back. I wish they had their own shop instead.

They will give you a size upgrade if you tweet, Instagram or post on Facebook. If you check in yelp, you get a magic show lol... It was interesting.... If you believe in magic that is...

My favorite is the horchata milk tea. I'm not a fan of regular horchata because it is usually too thick and rich for me, but this is just right! My alcoholic recommendation is the Heineken green tea. The atmosphere is a little dark and limited in seats... Just like a bar! :P

I'll be back whenever I'm in LA!

Cave of Wonders

Hidden deep in back a dark restaurant that is always empty (Soi7), is an even darker and even more empty place that sells mediocre milk teas. The reason why it's on people's radar is because the unlikely marriage of two ingredients that never should be mixed, boba and alcohol.

Fusion is the new Black

It's so hot right now in cuisine, you see it everywhere, the fusion of two unlikely things to make something totally unique...donuts and croissants, Mexican food and Korean food. Huge fail here in my book, but you may like it. If you know me, you will know I love my alcohol and I like it pristine. If it's not broken, don't fix it.

Boba 7, home of the notorious alcoholic boba! You can get alcohol in boba drinks at other places, but usually that's just for shots of soju. Boba 7's drinks are much more imaginative and interesting than that. Go for the novelty, stay for the magic tricks.

Their space is shared by a weird fancy Thai restaurant called Soi 7. It is super awkward walking through there, because nobody is eating there and it's completely silent. The workers stop to stare at you expectantly, then quickly realize that you're there for the boba and go back to ignoring you. It is cool if you like speakeasies, though. I had a excited geeky moment when I saw the punny names of some drinks and Boba Fett gracing the wall.

Their extensive menu includes normal, non-alcoholic drinks too, but I definitely wanted to go for the alcohol since it was my first time! You can tweet/Instagram/post elsewhere to get a free upgrade or $0.50 off your alcoholic drink. My friends ordered the Horchata and another milk tea I don't remember, and they both enjoyed them. I got the Green Tea Heineken ($6)...I'm not a fan of Heineken but Asian people usually always drink it, so it makes sense that this was the beer chosen. It actually tasted good, and I am impressed by their efforts to make it not taste like piss water! The honey boba definitely made it. The taste was great, but I like my balls a little firmer, if you know what I mean.

What really made our visit was the owner, Elton. We jokingly wanted to claim our Yelp check-in offer of a free magic show, and since it was a little slow, he sat with us and showed us several impressive card tricks. Yes, he's good, he used to perform at the Magic Castle and he graduated from Hogwarts! We wanted to stay longer to hang out, but our meter was close to running out so we had to leave abruptly...so sad. Card magic might be nothing but sleight of hand, but Elton made some real magic happen by being so awesome. You better hope he's there on your visit because he's a very approachable, cool guy.

Drinks: 4, Service: over 9000!, Environment: 5, Price: 4

Located at the back of Soi 7. I've been here on two occasions. The main draw of this place is that they serve alcoholic boba. I have tried several of their drinks and by far, my favorite has been the Green Tea Heineken with the boba. I like how I can taste both the green tea and the Heineken, but also appreciate how non-overpowering the flavors are.

Wasn't too crazy about any of the other drinks. The Mango Fett and BarackBoboma were too sweet for my taste. The Bobabeam was by far the most alcoholic tasting with the curacao and popping lychee jelly. The Blue Tea Heisenberg taste like the Green Tea Heineken but stronger and with a soapy aftertaste.

Wish their were more alcoholic boba places. Of course, you can always try making your own.

Going through my bookmarks like nothing these days. Boba 7 has been bookmarked for quite some time now as well.

- Alcohol & Boba: Weird. Sounds gross. But it was delivered just fine. Got the MangoFett, friend got the Bobasour, & his brother got the Bobagasm. The boba and lychee were good. You can taste the alcohol but it's not over-flooded and strong which it really shouldn't be anyway.

- Set-Up: It's all the way in the back of a restaurant front (Soi 7). At first I thought, "What a really fancy boba place, let's sit by this cool looking wall.." But nope that was the restaurant. Then you finally make it to the back, limited seating. Small space. Cool artwork hanging around but because of how small it is and everything seems to just be there (not really organized), it looks strangely unkempt.

Anyway, the whole purpose of Boba 7 is alcoholic boba. Which I got, they delivered, & they presented with clever word play on their menu.

Worth trying at least once. But next time, I think I'll just go for their horchata boba.

Alcoholic drinks and boba.

These two items are not something I would think of putting together, but Boba 7 did and it works wonderfully well. It's located in the back of a thai restaurant and thus is limited on space.

I should also mention that Boba 7 also offers non-alcoholic drinks which are just as good as the alcoholic drinks so all you non-21+ people who adhere to the law are golden. My favorite alcoholic drink was the bobagasm which was essentially a white russian with boba. My favorite non-alcoholic drink was the horchata boba drink because who doesn't like horchata and boba? The prices are fairly reasonable too, the alcoholic drinks are cheaper than what you pay for at a dtla bar like Perch or whatever.

So it's fair to say my experiences here have been very positive and the servers?/bartenders? are awesome and very pleasant people to talk to. My only problem is that they aren't open late but oh well, doesn't bother me too much since I prefer earlier nights nowadays.