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Fat Straw
Categories: Food Coffee & Tea Food Bagels Coffee & Tea, Bagels [Edit]
4258 SE Hawthorne BlvdPortland, OR 97215
Neighborhoods: Southeast Portland, Hawthorne, Richmond
(503) 233-3369
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 8 am - 9 pm
Sat 9 am - 9 pm
Sun 10 am - 7 pm
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
66 reviews for Fat Straw
Review Highlights
"Great quality and selection of bubble tea."
(in 40 reviews)
"The boba-ristos are so nice - they even know my order."
(in 21 reviews)
"I have never had milk tea made with coconut milk."
(in 8 reviews)
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66 reviews in English
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Review from Kristina S.
Portland, OR
2/2/2012 5 Check-ins Here
I LOVE MY BOBA TEA.
and I love this place! they even make me my own veggie banh mi, which is SO nice of them.
staff is always friendly and efficient. -
Review from Cee A.
1/23/2012 1 Check-in Here
It's always kind of hit or miss when it comes to having your bubble tea put together just right. Sometimes it's a little too milky, or too watered down, or something. But man oh man did the lovely lady slap together the most satisfyingly delicious mix of milk, chocolate, and tea together for me. I was stoked.
A few minor complaints:
- As wonderful as my boba tea was, she served it on ice. I know it's kind of a pain in the butt, but I like it so much more when they steep your bubble tea in ice rather than serve it on ice. A minor complaint, but doing so gives the drink a little more staying power flavor-wise as it won't get watered down as the ice melts. I'm sure she could've done this if I asked, but so many places do it by default, I often forget to make sure.
- Four dollars for a bubble tea? Not wicked expensive, but about a dollar more than I'm used to paying elsewhere.
- Five dollar credit card minimum? Not really feeling that, but whatever. -
Review from Grez T.
Portland, OR
1/6/2012
Apparently this place now serves one of my favorite sammies, banh mi. Translation: I have to try it. Crust was warm and flaky, and had the perfect give to it, not stale at all and not thin. Fair amount of bbq pork that was rich and tender. Vegetables were fresh and well proportioned.
One of the best I've had in Portland, and at $3.50 i'll be back. -
Review from A J.
Portland, OR
9/7/2011
*Sigh* why do I keep coming back here? Oh, that's right because their boba tea is flipping delicious.
But goddamn do they have the slowest.service.ever. If you come here, you will wait 15-20 minutes just to get your drink. I have NO IDEA what they do back there because they always look like they're busy doing something, but yet.....I still have to wait FOREVER to get anything. Last week, I made the mistake of ordering a Banh Mi to eat. I wasn't in a hurry, but I had things I could be doing....but it took 25 minutes after ordering to get. I think that is completely unacceptable.
AND I KNOW that I'm not the only one dealing with this - I was standing next to a woman who had ordered two sandwiches. The first they got wrong (after working on it for at least 20 minutes) and I'm pretty sure she was there for about 35 minutes waiting for a basic sandwich. I know I see the irritation in the eyes of EVERYONE IN THERE waiting for a to-go order.
Come on, owners of Fat Straw - your food and drink are AWESOME. Step up the service or else I'm gonna have to start recommending people not bother with you.
*in response to owner: it wasn't busy. I wouldn't complain if that were the case. Having 1 person ahead of you and it still taking 25 minutes....that's STILL unacceptable, anywhere.*Comment from Jenny V. of Fat Straw 9/12/2011
Hi AJ, first things first, thank you for the nice compliment… More » -
Review from Burk M.
Henderson, NV
9/8/2011
Fat Straw recently raised the prices on most of their bubble teas to $3.75. This, in and of itself, is not a problem. However, without explanation, they also increased their debit/credit card "convenience fee" cut-off surcharge of $0.25 to $4. It had been $3.75.
When I questioned the gentleman behind the counter about the increase of the cut-off, he would not acknowledge anything had changed. Disappointingly, he simply kept repeating that the convenience fee is $4. The small, faded, orange post-it notice that had been stuck near the resister of the old cut-off was removed.
This kind of nickel and dimeing disproportionately affects their most frequent customers, and is not indicative of a business that values them.Comment from Jenny V. of Fat Straw 9/12/2011
Hi Burke, there must be some miscommunication on your most… More » -
Review from Sam O.
Portland, OR
11/30/2011
Have always wanted to try one of their sandwiches, so I gave them a shot, and left very happy! The Bahn Mi was really good, and although I was scared of having pate on my sandwich, it was surprisingly good. I tried the bubble tea, and while I'm not usually a fan of sweet, milky drinks, it was pretty good as well. It was a bit too big, and I couldn't finish it though.
I would definitely go back. -
Review from Rob D.
Portland, OR
5/19/2011 2 Check-ins Here
These are the words that cut straight to the core of my bubble tea fetish:
Coconut Milk Thai Tea w/Tapioca Balls
I love the bubble tea at Fat Straw.
That's pretty much all I have to say. -
Review from Bryan I.
5/14/2011 15 Check-ins Here
If you like to gamble with quality of your bubble tea, this is your place!
You bet right, and you have one of the best bubble tea's in PDX...but you come on a bad day, and they might "crap out" with a terribly weak, watered down tea (I haven't figured out why they have such variation)! Sadly, you have a ~1 in 3 chance of getting an AMAZING, above average, or disappointing drink. and if you ask them to beef up the flavor a bit, they say it's not possible, suggesting it's all premade (maybe melting ice in the mixture dilutes it by the end of the day?) :-(
That being said, the shop itself is FANTASTIC with an awesome atmosphere: huge area for reading, studying, hanging out, + free internet computers, plenty of local papers, usually decent staff.
If they can make their quality consistent, I'd seriously make this a 5-star joint, but when it's a hot day and you're craving some good taro tea, a bland watery drink is worse than nothing at all! -
Review from Strea T.
Dayton, OH
Vegan friendly! Great staff. Mango-coconut was awesome!
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Review from Sarah E.
This was a nice little find while exploring Portland. Coming from San Diego, I know all about Boba and Vietnamese sandwiches. I almost dies when I saw how much this place costs. It's not super expensive, but compared to my stomping grounds in SD, this place is expensive. And I also find it funny thatthey call it tapioca. It's BOBA! Anyway, the seating area is very comfortable and relaxing and there's plenty of parking on the residential streets in the area.
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Review from Luann A.
Portland, OR
6/26/2011 14 Check-ins Here
Favorite boba place in Portland! Although it lacks the Asian dishes that are served at popular establishments back in southern California like Guppy's or Lollicup and so forth, Fat Straw's boba drinks are just as great if not, better (I know, I know...such bold words coming from a native Californian!) I've been here several times since my move to the southeast side of Portland and I'm delighted to know that this place is only about a 10 minute walk from my place off of Division. The smoothies, teas (hot and cold), and coffees are wonderful and of course the boba is freshly made (I can smell the fresh batch at different times of the day!) My favorite drink so far has been the Mango Green Iced Tea. Delicious! Prices are a bit up there (regular size is $3.75 I think) for my liking - or for what I'm used to anyyway - but their drinks have been the best I've tasted out of the other boba smoothie places I've been to here in Portland. They sell Banh Mi sandwiches too and those are pretty good!
There's free wifi offered so long as you buy something. The ambiance of Fat Straw is very laid-back, chill, and intimate as most people come in to use the computers located in the front, study, read, or just meet with a friend to converse over smoothies. There's a back lounge area where there are couches to relax on, a large table for a study group to work or if you prefer to study alone there's a long desk where you can study at as well. I like Fat Straw mostly because of the quiet, studious atmosphere as the music played throughout the place is mostly instrumental, smooth lounge music. Come here to cure your boba (or tapioca "bubble") craving! -
Review from Sarah C.
11/24/2010 13 Check-ins Here
We asked what was a popular drink with the customers & the first mentioned was the taro milk tea with boba (tapioca). With that highly recommended drink we tried it & boy we're we happy & satisfied!
This is a very tasty & refreshing drink to have on a warm PDX day or any time for that matter! Always get the drink with boba as it makes it so much better. Once in awhile though we'll end up having one that really lacks flavor & unfortunately asking for additional flavor is not an option as the tea is pre-made.
Don't use a credit card if the purchase is under $5 as there is a .50 cent charge for using it :-( There is wi-fi & also a back room to lounge & chat with your buddies, surf the internet, read the paper or your favorite book.
By the way, I tried the strawberry smoothie once & that was NOT good! It reminded me of the strawberry flavored fluoride at the dentist office. I was really disappointed & since vowed to always stick with taro! :-) -
Review from Bud F.
1/18/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Unusual in that you can get a decent smoothie and good food all at one place... name me someplace else that does that.
We had a strawberry smoothie with no boba and a turkey bagel. Both were good and this hit the spot for us exactly. Great place to go when one of you is looking for something light like a smoothie, while the other wants real food. -
Review from Nik R.
The first time I had bubble tea, it was over a thousand miles away in hot and sweaty Arizona. Not knowing what to expect, the texture of the boba was enough to turn me off of bubble tea for the next several years. Little did I know that one could make bubble tea in several different ways, and that there were more things than boba which could grace a bubble tea.
Fast forward to 2008, and a reluctant visit to Fat Straw with a friend. I told the boba-rista that I was looking for something refreshing, and she suggested a Strawberry Lemon smoothie. Noting that one could add jellies instead of boba, I asked her to put lychee in as the "bubble". The result was a bubble tea of beauty, grace, and refreshing sweet-tartness.
I had seen the light - now I knew what the hub-bub was about: the magic is in the bubble! I now visit Fat Straw regularly to get my bubble tea fix, and love that one can stay and study (or have a business meeting) in the back room, or just pick up some delicious bubble tea and get on with one's day with equal ease. -
Review from Kelly G.
Charlottesville, VA
8/8/2011
The boba tea was really wonderful; however, they seemed to have some sort of inventory issue today, as they ran out of the honeydew flavor by the time I got there at 2 PM-ish. I also ordered a bagel sandwich. My only complaint is that this place advertises on their windows that they have bagels, but when I arrived they only had two bagels left, leaving me and the guy who ordered a bagel sandwich before me to choose between the plain and sesame one. The sandwich tasted just fine, but it took them a good 20-25 minutes to make it ... And I ordered a cold-cut.
Comment from Jenny V. of Fat Straw 9/12/2011
Hi Kelly, thanks for your recent review. Sometimes when we… More » -
Review from Samantha J.
Washington, DC
11/4/2011
OK, I'm a HUGE fan of bubble teas, especially when they're made well. This place is off the hook. The combination of tea and coconut milk is fantastic. We tried the coconut (my favorite), pineapple and blueberry iced milk teas. It's a good thing I don't live in Portland, else I might be there every day. My only regret while visiting is I didn't get to try the banh mi. Maybe next time I'm there!
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Review from Aayla M.
Portland, OR
6/24/2011 4 Check-ins Here
I LOVE THIS PLACE. I have yet to find another local bubble tea shop that has consistently delicious teas like Fat Straw. The original with coconut milk and tapioca is my absolute favorite although I'm also a fan of the taro. The location is pretty awesome too. They have computers you can use, magazines to read, places to chill out and cute animals to gawk over (I still need to submit some photos).
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Review from Adam E.
Portland, OR
7/29/2008 ROTD 4/15/2009
One star for cuteness, another for price,
The third for selection of teas--hot or iced!
A fourth star for wi-fi, (it's free, boys and girls!)
The fifth star for perfectly cooked little pearls.
A sixth star would probably go to the staff,
for the folks down on Hawthorne are better by half!
So put down that latte from Starbucks, you fool!
And get down to Fat Straw! It's totally cool. -
Review from DJ G.
Portland, OR
2/26/2010
I lived 0.17 blocks from Fat Straw for close to a year and never tried it. Now I've been there at least five times, all great experiences, and feel obliged to review it.
If you like bubble tea, you'll dig The Straw. If you don't like bubble tea, stop pretending you don't like sweet milk and chewy tapioca and come here anyway. You can always have a tasty Voodoo Donut! And then try your friend's bubble tea, even though you don't like it...and then order your own.
(No, I do not own stock in a boba plantation or design the cool illustrations on top of the cups. I just think bubble tea is fun!)
Other reasons to like this place:
1. Free computers (not to take, Dillinger - to use!)
2. Cool art work by local artists
3. Always-friendly staff (you can sample the different tea flavors)
4. Different areas to hang - front computers where you can watch Hawthorne rumble by, a relaxed, hang-by-yourself middle section and then a cozy back room with couches to melt into with a bubble tea or bagel.
If you haven't tried the taro bubble tea hot (not iced), you are missing out. Get one immediately, if only to make me happy. -
Review from Olivia T.
6/16/2009
What is big, fat, and you can suck out balls out of it?
....
.....
Dirty mind people, I'm talking about Fat Straw. I think this place chose the right name for their business, just because their tapioca balls are huge and you'll need a big fat straw to enjoy them. I tried their regular milk tea with tapiocas and jellies and it hit the spot.
I will come back to get more bubble teas and choose the fattest straw of the bunch. Fat rules! -
Review from Kimberly V.
Portland, OR
7/12/2008 3 Check-ins Here
Things to Ponder on a Lazy Saturday Afternoon:
How do the people at Fat Straw apply the plastic seal over the mouth of the bubble tea and smoothie drink cups?
Why do the seals have pictures of a cartoon girl with a puppy and a monkey?
Why is it so disturbing to me that you need to pierce the cartoon girl right in her abdomen, sometimes through the monkey's head, with the sharp end of the fat straws to get to the liquidy delights inside the glass? I know it's just an image, but the idea of sucking this poor animated gal's intestinal juices and the monkey brains is just wrong, mostly because the drinks are so refreshing.
Am I the only one with a head for the macabre on a lazy Saturday afternoon where one's greatest ambition should be putting on pants? Should I nibble on a store-baked bagel, read the comics, and turn off the disturbed part of my brain, which could be a huge chunk? Check out my nifty Yelp graphs using the free Wifi access? Drink more coffee?
Why are the tapioca pearls so good? Sorry, little cartoon girl.Listed in: The Hawth, C8H10N4O2 or Caffeine Without…
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Review from Krizia A.
Portland, OR
11/4/2011
i am one bone-shaped stamp away from my free smoothie! woohoo! I love this place for many reasons. the decor is great, pleasing shades of green, a lucky bamboo, a fish, comfy and clean couches, a raised wooden seating area overlooking the street. The girls who work here are really nice and helpful. The smoothies, bubble tea, coffee and such is a great size for the price, and super refreshing. I gotta say, the veggie bagel sandwich is a little skimpy, everything is spread quite thin, and im not sure its worth the 4.50. It's a little irritating that they are always so low on bagels, but they are nice about letting you know. This is a very inspiring place to come do some writing on your laptop or work on projects with your friends. It has a very mellow vibe, is always really clean which the germophobe in me appreciates, and always has a really pleasant aroma in the air. This is a cool place to meet up with friends and have meetings. Just a good place all around. Business well run! i recommend trying a peach strawberry smoothie with green apple jellies, but there are about 100 other things to choose from!
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Review from Holly C.
Seattle, WA
9/1/2010
It's really not bad.
I had a strawberry smoothie bubble tea and my friend had peach. First the tapioca was acting like it was scared of the slush, it wouldn't mix together! Slush (space) tapioca. After violently shaking and pounding it on the table, success! The taste was medium to me, I've had better but I've had much, much worse. It didn't have too much flavor but I could tell it was strawberry. The same went for the peach. If I lived in Portland I think I would find some place else for my bubble tea. -
Review from Suzanne F.
Portland, OR
7/14/2008
On the way back from Lost Lake, Stuart promised all of us a slice of pie in a town called 'ZigZag' along the Lolo Pass if we tolerated the uber winding roads....this did not come to pass as the spot he fondly remembered, alas! was closed. We were hot, sweaty, and more than a little cranky. Fortunately he's a guy who doesn't need a weatherman to know which way the wind is blowin' (or sweltering, as case may be) and he relieved all of us with a stop at Fat Straw. Aaaahhhh!! Perfection in a slurp...
Bubble tea with a zillion variations: black tea, green tea, smoothies, fruit...it's all there. I had the Jasmine green vegan bubble tea made with coconut milk. Does it get any better than this? I think not. Musk-a-teers opted for mango bubble tea, & The Big Man had a regular black bubble tea with coconut milk. Everyone was happy. Family restored to civility! -
Review from Michael H.
Portland, OR
6/19/2011
Most original drinking venture in Portland. Been here several times, our kids love this stuff. Tapioca 'beans' in the juice that you can suck into your straw. People who work here are super friendly. Convenient, fun location on Hawthorne. Yes we will be back.
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Review from Hope T.
St. Augustine, FL
3/20/2010
I love this place! I've easily become a regular. I love getting the hot almond or the iced coffee milk tea (with an extra shot!) and OF COURSE, tapioca. I've even somehow made a non-bubble lover into a fanatic. I also love the atmosphere, very mellow and the free computers with internet access that you can use to check your email and whatnots while waiting for your drink, or get it into a giant mug and hang out in the window.
It's also fun to watch people attempt to parallel park in front of the businesses there while sipping your drink outside. -
Review from Annette V.
Portland, OR
9/16/2008
Do you ever read these Yelp reviews and wonder how many of them are actually written by the owners, family members or friends of the establishment? I mean, are they real honest reviews or fabrications of a less than stellar business, attempting to justify their existence?
Worse yet, are the bad reviews simply of the competition, trying to steer the customers in the opposite direction?
Ok, OK...so here is my disclaimer to all you interested in Fat Straw, (since I would never want to tarnish my Yelp street cred)...I am friends with the owners. In fact, those of you who frequent Fat Straw probably have seen my mug there chilling at one of the computers leeching off their free wifi, counting the pennies in my piggy bank hoping to be able to afford one of the cool paintings on the wall by local artists, or reading the latest copy of US weekly magazine. However, in writing this review...I was neither paid or threatened bodily harm in any way, shape or form...nor was bubble tea withheld from me at all.
With all that being said...Fat Straw delivers the goods!! Even if we got in a huge fight and I ceased being friends with said owners, I would still pay random strangers off the street money to nonchalantly walk in and order me a pomegranate green tea with tapioca while I lurked around the corner, salivating for that first bite into a soft and chewy tapioca ball.
I'll be the first to testify: these folks take their Stumptown espresso shot pulling, tapioca cooking, bagel baking, tea brewing, and drink concocting SERIOUSLY. I've seen first hand how quality always come first..if it's not perfect, it's getting re-made!
So Yelpers, if you're strolling down Hawthorne one day and find yourself parched for something unique and downright tasty and thirst quenching, march on over to Fat Straw and let the Bubble Tea Baristas introduce you to your newest addiction! Tell them Annette sent you so if I happen to be in the joint, I can say HI!! :) -
Review from Timothy A.
Portland, OR
11/1/2010
Sweet spot. Literally. Bubble tea is awesome and they have bagel sandwiches and coffee to suit any tastes!
Friendly people and they always have good music playing.
Check em out! -
Review from Courtney D.
Portland, OR
3/6/2007 1 photo
Bubble Tea in comfy cafe
If you love Bubble Tea and some funky ones like pomegranate black tea, strawberry milk tea and taro milk tea, you'll love this cafe. It reminds me a lot of the Tea Zone in the Pearl but parking is much easier to find around here. They also serve Stumptown Coffee but definitely try their imaginative and tasty teas.
This is a great place to chill out with your lap top since they have free Wi-Fi and a lounging room with comfy couches, which is so relaxing, especially on a rainy day. If you're hungry, definitely try one of their bagel sandwiches.
Tip: Feel like something cold? They serve wonderful strawberry and mango smoothies with real fruit chunks. -
Review from Del R.
Hillsboro, OR
8/30/2009 37 Check-ins Here
Oh how I miss you Fat Straw. I was a regular (a few times a week) for several years until I moved to California. Today I attempted to go to the one bubble tea place in the small town I am temporarily residing and now I miss Fat Straw more than ever.
They offer the best variety, greatest consistency and wonderful customer service. They definitely deserve your patronage. And for the bubble tea newbie, this is the place to go. They are willing to walk you through the ordering process and give you a sample if you are feeling a bit intimidated by the "bubbles."
And if you absolutely can't bring yourself to do the bubble tea, they have a great selection of Tao of Tea teas, as well as an espresso bar.Listed in: Tea/Chai Time
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Review from Dabe A.
Portland, OR
9/8/2010 31 Check-ins Here
Definitely THE place to get bubble tea in Portland. While their menu is a bit hard to navigate, their sheer amount of flavors and textures makes up for it. They seem to be pretty passionate about consistency which is really nice for a boba shop. They have a few secret menu items, and are always trying out new flavors.
The atmosphere is pretty killer, and it's never really crowded. The back room is nice for relaxing but it can feel a bit like you're invading other people's conversations if you head straight there after getting your beverage.
The staff is really awesome and always helpful with suggesting good combinations. They also help out people who are new to bubble tea and a bit scared to try it. I find that people will go for it right away after trying a sample.
Recommendations:
-Nutella Milk Tea w/ Tapioca & Custard
-Watermelon smoothie w/ green apple jellies
-Taro anything -
Review from matt l.
2/19/2009
I have never had bubble tea like Fat Straw bubble tea. I like bubble tea so much that I'm willing to accept sub-par drinks just for the sake of having some... but now that I've discovered this little place on Hawthorne (as well as their new and just as good location in NW) I know that nothing will ever be the same.
It takes a lot of self-control not to go every day. Sometimes, I want to go twice a day - sometimes, I buy two drinks before I leave. The varieties are actually all distinct - they aren't just sweet with a hint of synthetic fruit flavour. A lychee drink tastes different then coconut, and honeydew, and mango. I always get both tapioca and coconut jellies - the mango jellies are another good choice. I tried a banana with mango jelly, and it wasn't my favorite, but it was interesting. My favorite is pure coconut, because it mixes all the best aspects - young, fresh, creamy, and toasted. Coconut bubble tea with coconut milk, tapioca, and coconut jellies.
Once I tried an experiment - I concocted a custom bubble tea using the least appealing ingredients on the menu: red bean flavour with sour apple jellies and custard. You know what? IT WAS AMAZING. It is my most fervent belief that if you selected bubble tea ingredients through dart-throwing or some other suitably random method, you would never be disappointed. My one proviso is that I prefer to the cold ones to the hot ones - but that could be just me.
Also, they have food - at least once a week, my breakfast/lunch consists of a bubble tea and a pesto bagel covered in humus. Mmm, so good! The tapioca is actually surprisingly filling, so consider bubble tea as a snack!
As if that's not enough, they've got a great interior, a little mini internet cafe, a nice back room (which I'm considering using for future client meetings) and a sort of quiet, comfortable atmosphere.
One tiny negative: card payments are charged extra if they're below $5, and all the bubble tea is below $5. It does, however, give you an excuse to buy an afore-mentioned bagel, a second drink to save for later, or a voodoo doughnut, which they also carry...
EDIT - protip: if you just order the 'original' milk tea, you get it almost immediately, because it doesn't take any time to prepare. Also, it tastes delicious with coffee jellies.Listed in: On The Daily
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Review from Dana S.
Austin, TX
11/2/2009 1 photo
I liked this place so much! The counter gal was really helpful and explained the differences in the bubble tea choices because there are A LOT, I tell ya. I settled for Thai bubble tea ($3.75 with tapioca), which is like Thai iced tea, except it wasn't. Shrug. I chose my straw color (purple!), pierced the top of my cup and took a nice long sip. BAWLS. LOTS OF EM. Next time I will definitely ask for half as many, though they are delicious, the tapioca becomes a little too much after a while. The drink itself was fabulous! Definitely recommend that flavor.
I sat down, drank my tea and did some work. The atmosphere is very peaceful and relaxing. The Chill station on Sirius was on, which I enjoy, let's not lie (Sirius sucks though if you don't like, own a business. Has anyone ever had it? Total waste!) I got the impression that this isn't really a place to socialize but to get work done or do other quiet activities, which is fine because I have like, two friends and cats who stay indoors.
I was still hungry and decided to get a bagel sandwich. I chose the veggie sandwich on a pesto bagel ($4.50). Pesto bagel?! I have NEVER seen such a thing! And I worked in a bagel place! It was soo good! The bagel comes with cream cheese, cucumbers, sprouts, lettuce and avocado. Yum.
There are so many tea choices, and I have so much work to do, that I must return here immediately! -
Review from Sara A.
Portland, OR
8/24/2010
I think Fat Straw personally was one of the first several bubble tea places in Portland that became popular...I used to work next door and it used to be a crappy antique store that was run down. They made it awesome in there. Looks great, and it's just fun to hang out there.
Anyway, their bagel sandwiches are amazing, coffee is good, and most importantly, their smoothie bubble teas are perfect! They're cheap, too, which is even better. The bagel sandwiches are a little spendy though, from what I can remember. They're always really friendly and generally pretty fast when it's busy.
I would recommend this to friends, in fact I've taken them there :) -
Review from Kate B.
Portland, OR
10/11/2009
This was our first visit and we'll definitely go back. The kids both got smoothies w/ the tapioca balls and went away quite happy. My daughter did a strawberry/pineapple combo that was delish and my son had orange.
The service was friendly and helpful (free tastings too!) The environment is clean and well-lit with plenty of seating. They serve Stumptown coffee and tons of teas so there is really something for everyone here. -
Review from Sean O.
Portland, OR
6/2/2011 1 Check-in Here
Going to get busy. Quality sandwichs for $3.50 are going to be noticed. Needs more sauce!
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Review from Irene C.
Manhattan, NY
5/14/2009
I have never had milk tea made with coconut milk. It is known that coconut milk acts as a natural laxative. Throw in tea as a diuretic, and you're spewing outta two holes. Aaanywho, boba is hard to come by. I haven't been able to find it elsewhere in Portland -- well, anywhere worth trying anyway. The man loves boba, so I was determined to find a boba place for him. (Is it even called 'boba' on the mainland? Maybe it's a Hawaii thing. .anyway. . )
This place is pretty good. Boba is soft and chewy. Drink itself is not blended. . . . I HATE BLENDED BOBA DRINKS. . .primarily because it hardens the boba and becomes a pain in my ass to ingest joyfully. Drinks are flavorful. Jasmine green tea was very refreshing. White peach is surprisingly and overwhelmingly sweet, but that's what I get for venturing out of my comfort zone and not getting regular milk tea boba. Also love that you can add custard. If you guys haven't had milk tea with custard, get it here. . . it's a great alternative to boba.
And drinks are only $3.25. Sweet deal. -
Review from Natalie W.
Portland, OR
6/9/2010
Definitely some of the best bubble tea I've had in town. My favorite flavor is honeydew, although the hot almond milk tea I had once is pretty high up there as well. Stopped in here today for a bagel sandwich (came with cucumber and bean sprouts - yum!), and I almost got their drink special because it sounded so tasty (pomegranate green tea) but that'll have to be postponed until the weekend (ah, caffeine sensitivity).
Good atmosphere, lots of places to sit. Friendly and bright. Computers in the front, games in the back (including a Hello Kitty puzzle), magazine stand in between. -
Review from Giggly c.
Portland, OR
3/11/2011
Ironically, i didn't drink the bubble tea (caffiene from tea makes baby crazy). the other food/snacks pretty good. the baristas are supernice and remember people. wow... set up is 2 rooms, one in back is cozy. bathroom has something where you can change your baby - table at waist height, no straps so for infants only. We had a good time.
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Review from Clare M.
Portland, OR
5/6/2009
One of the top two bubble tea places I've found in the Portland area. The tapioca is soft and chewy, the milk tea is made with actual coconut milk, and they have so many options! I adore the original milk tea with tapioca made hot. The bagel sandwiches are also pretty simple and tasty. The regular tea selection is pretty wonderful, too.
Free wifi, lots of comfy seating. The staff are very friendly (this didn't used to be true, but as it's changed, the place gets all 5 stars).
