The Alley

Patricia Curry

This place is legit the best boba I’ve ever had! This is the first time that I had a choice in the type of milk they use, which is 🤯! Also, there is no extra charge for non dairy milk! Their boba is super good, chewy and comes with brown sugar syrup. Very unexpected though, besides the syrup, there are pieces of peanuts (or some other nuts) amongst the boba, which I have never seen done before. Ask beforehand about that if you have a nut allergy! The drink itself was thicker than I expected, I got the taro-ube milk tea, and the consistency of the taro ube part was very frothy/thick. Mixing everything with the straw was very difficult, so if you care to mix everything together really good, make sure to shake it real well before poking it with the straw. This drink is not too sweet, I thought it was just perfect. This place is a real winner and the only downside is how busy it already is. We probably waited for like 15-20 mins to order, since their self-order machine was out of order. I can’t wait to go back though, it’s worth the wait for sure!

Janey GoExplore

I ordered Ube Brown Sugar Deerioca Creme Brulee, it's $7.25, a little pricy compared to other boba tea places, but it’s a large size and super tasty, I think it's worth it! They cannot change the sugar level, if I want Less sugar means less boba.

Robert Lewis

Wow!!! This boba is absolutely incredible. Came for the soft opening and already came back for the grand opening. It's sooooo good. The boba is soft, sweet, and chewy. The teas are so well done. The Ube Taro Brown Sugar Deerioca is insane. They put bits of taro in the drink. Delicious. Be warned, you'll want to come back for more.

Cristian Garcia

Highly recommend the coconut mango smoothie, bomb.com, everyone there is so sweet

Kristina Bolt

Long line but it went by quick. Their kiosk is down so I’m sure if that was up and running it would have been a little faster. I got the brown sugar crème Brûlée with Crystal boba and pudding and it was very good. The milk they use almost taste like oat milk and the boba is sweet and has a good chew. Large size drink but pricy for sure. But delicious ! Something to not get all the time but nice treat once an awhile.

Gwen Tan

I can’t say enough about the matcha at The Alley. I’ve gone to so many special places for matcha drinks but The Alley on Balboa is now my go to. The duo matcha 👍👍👍. Thank you Patrick such a good quality drink. Btw, their croffles no matter which flavor you won’t go wrong. I wish you lots of luck Patrick in your business 🍀🧧

kiana

Got the strawberry yogurt and it was delicious. The staff was super sweet and welcoming. I got it with boba and lychee jelly. The place was clean and the decorations was amazing!

Van Huynh

We love coming here, especially now under new management. The new team provides great customer service with better drinks and a welcoming atmosphere. Highly recommend giving it another try if you haven’t been in a while!

Anastasiia Pominchuk

Always delicious and definitely lifts the mood. There’s a very sweet girl who always greets you with a smile — such a pleasant experience every time💞

Danny Duong

This is my go to place when im in kearny mesa or looking for a chill place to do some work. The parking is very convenient and the staff is kind and respectful. Especially the girl she welcomes and gives us good recommendations each time. I had the matcha purple rice smoothie today and the purple rice is a signature to get!

Amie Truong

They use real Japanese matcha, the drink is 10/10 ; the modern design features white lighting, and the environment is perfect for studying !

I enjoyed a very well made Duo Matcha Latte at 10 percent sweet with oat milk. The ceremonial first harvest matcha was clean and herbaceous in a really good way. The beverage was more costly than most but the quality of the matcha was there, so I had no problem paying $9 for 20 oz beverages. The young lady who made it, "Natalie'" was very nice and quite informative. The place was very well organized, clean, and comfortable to sit in. In addition to all the milk teas, matcha, and coffees, they also offer baked goods. I observed Belgium waffles while I visited.

When I asked for a recommendation for a drink that isn't very sweet, the employee behind the counter kindly recommended the Royal No. 9 Milk Tea to me, with 50% sugar. The tea was delicious, and the level of sweetness was just right. The seating is comfortable, the bathroom is clean and smells nice, and the music played in the shop is at a good level; not too loud. They have free wifi as well.

I just started to frequent this lovely Boba establishment . We will be repeat customers. My God child and I love their Boba teas . I order the Ube and my niece orders the milk tea. It’s delicious and fresh … very addictive. Natalie always greets us with such warmth and kindness . We always feel so welcome and appreciated and this matters ! There are several Boba shops in the area but The Alley stands out! Thank you , Thao

One of the best boba milk tea spots in SD! Great flavors and toppings! Texture of the boba pearl is perfect! ❤️

This place is amazing! since the new management they don’t charge 3% fee for credit cards. I just saw there promotions of there new matcha series on Insta and the quality is definitely from japan. would recommend!!!

This is my favorite location. The drinks already always on point and they're really sweet and attentive. I live far from this location and have another one nearby but we prefer this one always.

Tiffany

This is my favorite location. The drinks already always on point and they're really sweet and attentive. I live far from this location and have another one nearby but we prefer this one always.

Peachilla Foster

One of the best boba milk tea spots in SD! Great flavors and toppings! Texture of the boba pearl is perfect! ❤️

cirrus

When I asked for a recommendation for a drink that isn't very sweet, the employee behind the counter kindly recommended the Royal No. 9 Milk Tea to me, with 50% sugar. The tea was delicious, and the level of sweetness was just right. The seating is comfortable, the bathroom is clean and smells nice, and the music played in the shop is at a good level; not too loud. They have free wifi as well.

Extra Petite

I just started to frequent this lovely Boba establishment . We will be repeat customers. My God child and I love their Boba teas . I order the Ube and my niece orders the milk tea. It’s delicious and fresh … very addictive. Natalie always greets us with such warmth and kindness . We always feel so welcome and appreciated and this matters ! There are several Boba shops in the area but The Alley stands out! Thank you , Thao

Yosemite Mateos

This place is amazing! since the new management they don’t charge 3% fee for credit cards. I just saw there promotions of there new matcha series on Insta and the quality is definitely from japan. would recommend!!!

Mary Morabito

Love the Ube milk tea with pudding! So creamy and perfect amount of sweetness. The place has a nice vibe too, and they have a punch card

This boba tea shop may not be quite the same as the ones I’ve had in Japan or Korea, but it was still very good and enjoyable. I ordered a milk tea with brown sugar boba and asked for less sugar, which was a great choice—the balance of sweetness was just right. The boba had a nice chewy texture, and the drink was smooth and satisfying. On top of that, the staff was very friendly and welcoming, which made the overall experience even better.

Stopped in for a quick boba drink while I was in the area. It was in the middle of the afternoon and the place was dead. The girl who was working there was very nice and my drink came out quicker than expected. It was good. Bobas were soft and chewy.

12-31-24 Nice decor and plenty of comfy seating area. Good place to chill w some friends. I definitely will be back to hang out w my son to enjoy their cold drinks. The only problem, we waited 25 min for our orders. Ordered: -Lychee Yogurt Smoothie $7.75 -Mango Green Milk Tea $5.95 Both were refreshing. My mango drink was still a little on the sweet side even though I asked for 50% sweetness. Note: -3% charge for credit card fee -All gender restroom -Located in the same mall as Vons on Balboa Ave

I dropped in during its soft opening so not everything on its menu was available. No problem as I was in the mood only for a boba milk tea of some sort. Its signature line of drinks is the Brown Sugar Deerioca, so I ordered one. The brown sugar taste is pretty strong and left a lingering taste in my mouth. At almost $7, I'm not sure it is worth the extra buck and a half over the regular milk tea they offer.

E Graze

I dropped in during its soft opening so not everything on its menu was available. No problem as I was in the mood only for a boba milk tea of some sort. Its signature line of drinks is the Brown Sugar Deerioca, so I ordered one. The brown sugar taste is pretty strong and left a lingering taste in my mouth. At almost $7, I'm not sure it is worth the extra buck and a half over the regular milk tea they offer.

Rina

This boba tea shop may not be quite the same as the ones I’ve had in Japan or Korea, but it was still very good and enjoyable. I ordered a milk tea with brown sugar boba and asked for less sugar, which was a great choice—the balance of sweetness was just right. The boba had a nice chewy texture, and the drink was smooth and satisfying. On top of that, the staff was very friendly and welcoming, which made the overall experience even better.

Sue Duong

12-31-24 Nice decor and plenty of comfy seating area. Good place to chill w some friends. I definitely will be back to hang out w my son to enjoy their cold drinks. The only problem, we waited 25 min for our orders. Ordered: -Lychee Yogurt Smoothie $7.75 -Mango Green Milk Tea $5.95 Both were refreshing. My mango drink was still a little on the sweet side even though I asked for 50% sweetness. Note: -3% charge for credit card fee -All gender restroom -Located in the same mall as Vons on Balboa Ave