Love that they're open late and always hits the spot

My go-to boba spot. The boba here is super flavorful. Highly recommend!

Yogurt-based smoothies are yummy, but probably not in the super healthy category

Passion fruit black tea with boba was excellent! Just get a nice cup of boba, walk over to the East River Esplanade and all your worries will go away. Trust me on this! Enjoy 😀

Very yummy drinks and very good service 1 billion out of 5

First time going and my drink was delicious! Good fruity taste and quality tapioca. Had lychee black tea + pearls.

New favorite bubble tea spots on my Saturdays with my sister ! Real bubble tea here !! Super affordable && fast barista and customer service

The lady at the cashier was so sweet and welcoming. Our drinks were literally ready before I even payed!! amazing staff and service! i would come here again!

Super friendly staff, very clean, and a very good selection of boba drinks. The coconut slush is delicious!👍

Loved it

Best boba on the UES by far!

These people are incredibly kind, and they passion fruit slush with tapioca bubbles topics just out of these world... Excellent service, kind, polite and a smile on their face made my night...

Had milk tea with their sugar boba. It was an excellent choice

Milk thai tea is from another planet! SO GOOD

OMGGG ME AND MY SISTER CAME HERE AFTER WORK THE BEST BOBA IVE HAD !! IN NEW YORK GO THERE !!!!!

The reviews are right, this boba spot is that joint. Just got myself an XL passion fruit green tea w/boba&lychee. SO GOOD, and honestly the commercial boba shops can’t compete. Girl I did not even know that the XL was a mini bucket for two!! AND IT COSTS LESS THAN 10!! bruh. Do yourself the favor and check it out :) service is super friendly too~

Simply the best boba spot on the Upper East Side. My partner and I have been going since the day of their opening and it is a 10/10 every time. THEY DO NOT MISS!! It is always clean, with a beautiful and warm atmosphere.

Its a boba place near me and it has so many different options that i can try each time i got there!! Super affordable and it was incredible

super cute place, very friendly folks, and most importantly, very yummy! had the mango fruit tea with cheese foam, which was the perfect tropical drink for a hot day. the cheese foam had an unexpected coconut (?) flavor, which was nice with the mango!

Best boba in mahattan, so far 👍

Delicious tea and crepes and scouted their baked good supplier's information for nearly half an hour for us to make sure there was no peanut in the macarons.

The best Indonesian street food! The bakso were perfect in texture and taste. The es campur was addictive. It’s really hard to find good, authentic Indonesian food (let alone snacks), so I highly recommend this!

The best indonesian boba tea I always come here to grab my fav taro milk tea. Iike the way how they make their tea is that all ingredients are fresh plus you will be able To see how they prepare your drink order just right infront of you after paying the order,they make the order right away and you will be able to witness how they prepare it.

The store offers different varieties of boba options and drinks, I especially love the mango strawberry (very refreshing!), the prices are reasonable, and the store is very nice 👍🙂

I keep going back for more Strawberry Milk Tea!!! Absolutely worth visiting!!🍓🍓🍓

Great tea made with real tea and not syrup, plus very friendly staff. My favorite is their oolong tea, it really is exceptional. And their chai is real brewed tea, no syrup like sbux

Favorite bubble tea spot. Customer service is always A1 and the fact that it’s locally owned is a plus. Love their loyalty program.

Best bubble tea on the UES! The Indonesian delights are a must-try, they’re super good. The shop is very clean and the owners are very friendly too.

Really cute little shop with some seating! The drinks were tasty and for a great price.

Fresh & friendly bubbles tea place. They also close late.

Very cute neighborhood boba shop 🧋 Flavor: 5/5, service: 5/5, packaging: 7/5

Boba Whale never disappoints! Everything I’ve tried I’ve enjoyed: fruit tea, smoothie, pandan kaya crepe, es campur, coffee, and cakes.

Found this cute place and they have my favorite Indonesian meatball soup "Bihun bakso". I am also a big fan of their XL strawberry smoothie. Yum!!!

New bakso in the town.. You should get it. The es campur was great. And the bakso comes with krupuk(crackers).

Great tea shop with high quality tapioca boba!

Cute place. Good coffee slush. We also got the Es Teler, one of their signatures. Def will come back 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼

Got the peach fruit tea with lychee jelly! 50% sweetness was perfect for me. The tea didn't taste artificial at all and was very yummy! The packaging is also super cute

Tasty Indonesian boba tea in midtown east and very friendly owner!

I love it here, the atmosphere is calm and when I went here during the weekday it was not crowded. I recommend getting the matcha brown sugar bubble tea with tapioca pearls.

The best bubble tea spot in UES! For years the only choice in bubble tea/boba was Vivi, but Boba Whale is a welcome addition to the neighborhood. Boba Whale serves Indonesian coffee, bubble tea favorites, and desserts. Love that they have southeast Asian ingredients and flavors in desserts -- kaya jam!! I ordered one of their signature milk teas, oolong milk tea and added grass jelly. The oolong actually has flavor and the milk had a rich taste. Love their version! They have small and large sizes, the total for my small customized milk tea was average, about $7. Worth it for the taste imo. Can't wait to try other flavors and the desserts next. Not much seating room so don't expect to hang out in big groups, but service was quick and friendly - all I could ask for.

Cute milk tea spot found! Love matcha milk tea that is made with authentic matcha. Plus snack foods like crepes and even dumplings!!! Highly recommend!

Small cute spot. I got the lychee slushie with bubbles. It was very refreshing. Couldn't finish in one sitting. Saved some for the next day hehe.

Fast service. The lavender tasted strongly of lavender! The grass jelly had perfect texture. I got half sweetness and it was perfect with the jelly but might be not sweet enough for me without it. Most places go too sweet so I was being careful.

Love the boba here! They have different flavors but my favorite is the lavender milk tea so far. The sweetness is to my liking - not too sweet but just enough to taste the lavender tea. Give it a try if you’re in the are!

Atmosphere is friendly and kind, I got the coconut milk tea with tapioca and I couldn’t be happier. The balls were warm and soft (the best) and the drink was coconuty and creamy. Reminded me of a coconut icey.

Today was their grand opening! At 5pm, they had a party-sized tray of free traditional Indonesian (?) food for grabs! Additionally, Boba Whale also had a Buy 1 Get 1 (today only)!! The store was flocked with members of the owners' friends and family who came out to support them. The owner served each and every customer with a smile and warmth. It appears some options are brewed teas while others are made from a powder. Ice and sugar levels can be customized. Toppings are an additional 75c.

This is such a cute little boba shop with good beverage options and delicious desserts. I ordered a mango fruit slushie and a red velvet cake. Both were delicious. I look forward to returning!

The best boba in town! Love all variant. Keep up the good work!

Outstanding Bubble Tea in the heart of the Upper East Side. Great flavors and very fast service. Ryan makes fantastic teas and gives recommendations to match your tastebuds

Mix of bubble tea place with some Indonesian drinks/food. Guy was very friendly and our Es Campur was tasty (would maybe not have that very artificial pink coloring).

Love this boba place! They have lots of flavors and the staff (specially Mega) is super nice to kids. I would go as far as best in the city. My kids normally get a honeydew 25% sugar or a taro 25% sugar with boba and they love it.

Great tea. Amazing customer service.

Great place to get boba, although there's not much seating inside, so expect to take your drinks to go! Prices are also standard - a large drink with boba ran me about 8 dollars. I got a lavender milk tea with boba, and the tea itself was rich, and the bubbles were sweet and chewy! Would definitely go there again myself.

I tried the Piña Colada Slush at Boba Whale I’m so obsesionada It’s alcohol free but still gives such a fun tropical vibe. The sweetness is just right refreshing, smooth, and not overpowering at all. It honestly tastes like a mini vacation in a cup! Plus, I love how they always decorate the Shop seasonally, it makes every visit feel special. and the cups even have a little Bahasa Indonesia phrases guide on them, which makes the experience feel extra unique and thoughtful. a Definitely one of my favorite drink to order there!! 🥥🍍

Love this place. Boba Whale has some of the best bubble tea I’ve had in the city—great flavors and really good quality ingredients. Ryan provided excellent service and was super friendly and attentive. It made the visit feel really welcoming. I’ll definitely be coming back again.

Good atmosphere and fast service. Incredible looking crepes and yummy teas from my opinion. Thanks for the great service!

Actually really good! The employees are so kind and the drink quality is really nice. Honestly better than the gong cha nearby and the price is very reasonable. Plus 15% discount for hunter students ♥️♥️♥️

A friendly bobarista recommended one of their Indonesian Delights -- Es Campur (pronounced: Es sham-pour) It's a refreshing shaved ice dessert with cocopandan, condensed milk, jackfruit, grass jelly, lechy jelly, tapioca, coconut meat No sticky hands, the dessert is served in a convenient boba cup

I visited Boba Whale in the late evening following more than 4 stars review at 10.30pm just before it closed, the service was still amazing with the smile as if they were just opened in the morning. I personally am a Boba lover and needed a good one after a long day tour of NYC during my visit from Dubai. Surprisingly the sweetness and taste is just right. The Honeydew, Strawberry, and Taro takeaways were amazing. I also tasted original Boba for dine in, everything is just right. Just before I left and Ambulance stopped in front of the shop, I thought there was an emergency, but apparently the driver preferred Boba instead of Coffee for her long night shift. Well done Boba Whale, you have not only provided good quality Boba but saved a lot of people too!

I've been looking for a spot that replaces 'The Alley' since they closed their Cooper Sq location as their brown sugar milk tea was my favorite! Well, Boba Whale has officially become my new fav! They have a lot of different options on the menu & the prices were very comparable. Definitely recommend!

The Boba place in 1st ave area.... A Cozy place with freshly brewed drinks... Definitely Ryan and Shaloum are the best barista!!! I'll be back ...

So proud that this boba store is owned by an Indonesian,we love to see it! The taro boba was gweddd, and don’t even get me started on the kaya banana. As a certified (LOL) kaya jam fan, this one instantly reminded me of the iconic kaya jam from Raffles Hotel Singapore. And trust me,this one is gewddd. Like, dangerously good.

Had a great experience working with Boba Whale for our lunar new year celebration. The drinks were delicious and the service was great! Love the cute packaging.

Super cute boba place, drinks are a little on the sweet side but not a problem if you get less sugar. Boba always cooked well and employees always really nice!! Definitely my favorite boba place in the area

Syeda Rahman

Actually really good! The employees are so kind and the drink quality is really nice. Honestly better than the gong cha nearby and the price is very reasonable. Plus 15% discount for hunter students ♥️♥️♥️

한 번 먹고, 두 번 먹고,자꾸만 치킨 땡겨네

A friendly bobarista recommended one of their Indonesian Delights -- Es Campur (pronounced: Es sham-pour) It's a refreshing shaved ice dessert with cocopandan, condensed milk, jackfruit, grass jelly, lechy jelly, tapioca, coconut meat No sticky hands, the dessert is served in a convenient boba cup

Raman Anggorodi

I visited Boba Whale in the late evening following more than 4 stars review at 10.30pm just before it closed, the service was still amazing with the smile as if they were just opened in the morning. I personally am a Boba lover and needed a good one after a long day tour of NYC during my visit from Dubai. Surprisingly the sweetness and taste is just right. The Honeydew, Strawberry, and Taro takeaways were amazing. I also tasted original Boba for dine in, everything is just right. Just before I left and Ambulance stopped in front of the shop, I thought there was an emergency, but apparently the driver preferred Boba instead of Coffee for her long night shift. Well done Boba Whale, you have not only provided good quality Boba but saved a lot of people too!

hendarta irawan

The Boba place in 1st ave area.... A Cozy place with freshly brewed drinks... Definitely Ryan and Shaloum are the best barista!!! I'll be back ...

Savannah Fifield

I've been looking for a spot that replaces 'The Alley' since they closed their Cooper Sq location as their brown sugar milk tea was my favorite! Well, Boba Whale has officially become my new fav! They have a lot of different options on the menu & the prices were very comparable. Definitely recommend!

Sanam

Had a great experience working with Boba Whale for our lunar new year celebration. The drinks were delicious and the service was great! Love the cute packaging.

Teddy Almuktady

So proud that this boba store is owned by an Indonesian,we love to see it! The taro boba was gweddd, and don’t even get me started on the kaya banana. As a certified (LOL) kaya jam fan, this one instantly reminded me of the iconic kaya jam from Raffles Hotel Singapore. And trust me,this one is gewddd. Like, dangerously good.

Summer Hardy

Super cute boba place, drinks are a little on the sweet side but not a problem if you get less sugar. Boba always cooked well and employees always really nice!! Definitely my favorite boba place in the area

Justine Leonard

This is such a cute little boba shop with good beverage options and delicious desserts. I ordered a mango fruit slushie and a red velvet cake. Both were delicious. I look forward to returning!

Steph W

Today was their grand opening! At 5pm, they had a party-sized tray of free traditional Indonesian (?) food for grabs! Additionally, Boba Whale also had a Buy 1 Get 1 (today only)!! The store was flocked with members of the owners' friends and family who came out to support them. The owner served each and every customer with a smile and warmth. It appears some options are brewed teas while others are made from a powder. Ice and sugar levels can be customized. Toppings are an additional 75c.

Rani Andhini

Love the boba here! They have different flavors but my favorite is the lavender milk tea so far. The sweetness is to my liking - not too sweet but just enough to taste the lavender tea. Give it a try if you’re in the are!

Nice boba! The owner is a friend of mine...the most honest guy i've known so far. Not to mention that everything here is so good. Just try it yourself!/

I planned my run around getting bubble tea here at the end and I’m so glad I did. I got a jasmine milk tea with brown sugar bubbles. Truly hit the spot, and I took some es campur home with me to try. The es campur is such a unique and delicious dessert. The service is also a treat - they were so friendly and welcoming and even offered to let me try the brown sugar bubbles because I didn’t want something too sweet.

Jay Strickland

Outstanding Bubble Tea in the heart of the Upper East Side. Great flavors and very fast service. Ryan makes fantastic teas and gives recommendations to match your tastebuds

You should try this meatball soup

Flavors are good and tea is on the strong side. Price a little steep. More flavors would be nice.

Got a mango smoothie. I realized later on it had milk in it. I asked to remake. The guy in the back did it but with an attitude. Was kinda my fault, but come on. Who adds milk in mango smoothies

I ordered the oolong bubble tea here with 50% sugar. It tasted pretty good, nothing super special. My friend forgot to ask for less sugar, so his drink tasted extremely sweet. Would definitely recommend asking for less sugar, otherwise a nice boba shop. I think the pearls here are definitely not my favorite, but the tea itself was pretty good. The seating area was nice when we first arrived, but it got crowded quickly since it’s a small store with limited seating.

The atmosphere is cute and simple. Service was great. The gentleman at the cashier was very patient with me when my sister was taking some time to choose a bubble milk tea. The milk teas that we ordered is good. Much better than the Kung Fu tea a couple blocks away. Doesn’t have a chemical after taste that leaves in my mouth, unlike kung fu tea.

First time coming here and it does taste different from your usual bubble tea. It tastes sweetly refreshing, especially for my order: Jasmine Green Tea with Boba. Space is limited, so be mindful of being in large groups if ever coming here. Suggest to try at least once if you want different type of sweetness to your boba tea. =^^=

Enak! Stopped by here today while in the area for lunch. I got the mocha cold brew with tapioca pearl topping. The drink was the perfect amount of sweetness and the cocoa flavor was great. Only thing I wished was different is for boba that are a little bigger. The service was great and quick! I would come back if I’m in the area.

Cute neighborhood boba shop with some seating inside. I liked how they had the option of oat and almond milk for the milk teas. I got the oolong milk tea and I think it was pretty fine. They had all the basic selections with some fun ones like oreo (which i would not really categorize as bubble tea). I think the person working was one of the owners and he was very kind; definitely great to support a small business!

Tl;dr version- Go here for the more unique Indonesian dessert drinks, such as the Es Campur. I have been to this unique bubble tea place a handful of times. Along with the usual bubble teas and fruit teas, they have a couple of Indonesian specialties, which are mostly desserts, as well as beef meatball soup called bakso. The desserts include crepes, coffee slushes, and a handful of iced or rather "es" drinks. The staff here are very friendly, and there are a handful of seats. The first time I had an Oolong Milk Tea for $5.25 with added grass jelly, which was decent. I asked for low sweetness, and the sugar level was properly low. In terms of oolong, I prefer other spots with a stronger tea flavor, but it was better than some standard spots like Vivi or others like it. Regarding the topping, the flavor was standard, and they added a lot of grass jelly, which was a plus. The second time, I had the much better Es Campur for $8, consisting of Cocopandan, condensed milk, jackfruit, grass jelly, lychee jelly, tapioca, and coconut. This was a fun spin on the usual Indonesian dessert, which is served over ice, as per the name. There was a mild floral flavor, some sweetness, and plenty of lychee jelly in particular. The tapioca was alright, but other spots have a better chew. The bit of jackfruit inside was nice, as was the coconut flavor. This was good. While this is not my favorite bubble tea place (which is a given, as they use powders for many flavors,) it certainly beats out some of the more generic options. I'd probably go back to try their coffee slush or bakso.

Been here a few times and it satisfied my craving. The workers are very nice and the prices are usual for the city. Love that they have herbal jelly but it would be even better if they had red bean too. Definitely recommend if you are nearby

Good boba. Cute atmosphere. Friendly service. Would definitely come back if I’m in the area. The milk teas we got could have used a bit more “tea” flavor. Sweetness was very well balanced otherwise.

We ordered the brown sugar tea with tapioca and an oat milk earl grey latte with brown sugar jelly. The brown sugar tea was pleasantly sweet, however there wasn't a prominent tea flavour and the boba could've been chewier. The earl grey latte was very watery and tasted more like mild black tea than earl grey. The lids had cute faces on which was nice. It was a fairly decent place but I don't think I'd go again.

Glenn C

Tl;dr version- Go here for the more unique Indonesian dessert drinks, such as the Es Campur. I have been to this unique bubble tea place a handful of times. Along with the usual bubble teas and fruit teas, they have a couple of Indonesian specialties, which are mostly desserts, as well as beef meatball soup called bakso. The desserts include crepes, coffee slushes, and a handful of iced or rather "es" drinks. The staff here are very friendly, and there are a handful of seats. The first time I had an Oolong Milk Tea for $5.25 with added grass jelly, which was decent. I asked for low sweetness, and the sugar level was properly low. In terms of oolong, I prefer other spots with a stronger tea flavor, but it was better than some standard spots like Vivi or others like it. Regarding the topping, the flavor was standard, and they added a lot of grass jelly, which was a plus. The second time, I had the much better Es Campur for $8, consisting of Cocopandan, condensed milk, jackfruit, grass jelly, lychee jelly, tapioca, and coconut. This was a fun spin on the usual Indonesian dessert, which is served over ice, as per the name. There was a mild floral flavor, some sweetness, and plenty of lychee jelly in particular. The tapioca was alright, but other spots have a better chew. The bit of jackfruit inside was nice, as was the coconut flavor. This was good. While this is not my favorite bubble tea place (which is a given, as they use powders for many flavors,) it certainly beats out some of the more generic options. I'd probably go back to try their coffee slush or bakso.

Serena E

Been here a few times and it satisfied my craving. The workers are very nice and the prices are usual for the city. Love that they have herbal jelly but it would be even better if they had red bean too. Definitely recommend if you are nearby

Marco Espinosa

Good boba. Cute atmosphere. Friendly service. Would definitely come back if I’m in the area. The milk teas we got could have used a bit more “tea” flavor. Sweetness was very well balanced otherwise.

Iris RD

We ordered the brown sugar tea with tapioca and an oat milk earl grey latte with brown sugar jelly. The brown sugar tea was pleasantly sweet, however there wasn't a prominent tea flavour and the boba could've been chewier. The earl grey latte was very watery and tasted more like mild black tea than earl grey. The lids had cute faces on which was nice. It was a fairly decent place but I don't think I'd go again.

Irene H

First time coming here and it does taste different from your usual bubble tea. It tastes sweetly refreshing, especially for my order: Jasmine Green Tea with Boba. Space is limited, so be mindful of being in large groups if ever coming here. Suggest to try at least once if you want different type of sweetness to your boba tea. =^^=

Melissa Mu

I ordered the oolong bubble tea here with 50% sugar. It tasted pretty good, nothing super special. My friend forgot to ask for less sugar, so his drink tasted extremely sweet. Would definitely recommend asking for less sugar, otherwise a nice boba shop. I think the pearls here are definitely not my favorite, but the tea itself was pretty good. The seating area was nice when we first arrived, but it got crowded quickly since it’s a small store with limited seating.

S -

The atmosphere is cute and simple. Service was great. The gentleman at the cashier was very patient with me when my sister was taking some time to choose a bubble milk tea. The milk teas that we ordered is good. Much better than the Kung Fu tea a couple blocks away. Doesn’t have a chemical after taste that leaves in my mouth, unlike kung fu tea.

Lychee green tea tasted good. I got it with no added sugar. The sweetener in the flavoring was enough. Bubbles were disappointing. Very soft and not particularly flavorful.

Small place but they do offer the bucket.

I liked mine but my son didn’t and we mainly went there for him bc it was rated so high

Because the large supreme mocha slush with boba ($9.53, tax included) had warm boba, the slushy consistency of the drink melted. The two other signature coffee slush options were not available.

They got my order wrong bc my drink was full of sweet popping boba. Also the milk looked curdled and the sweetness was too much despite having ordered 0% sugar.

Augusto Paulino

Because the large supreme mocha slush with boba ($9.53, tax included) had warm boba, the slushy consistency of the drink melted. The two other signature coffee slush options were not available.

I was excited to try this place. I ordered the blueberry slush which didn’t taste like blueberry at all. It tasted like grape medicine I had as a child and I couldn’t finish it. Won’t go back here.

Not worth my time, NYC has better boba.

Both my husband and my bubble teas were so watered down, flavorless, and had super overcooked boba. To the point that the boba had zero bounce, almost mushy. I got the oolong milk tea and my husband got the brown sugar matcha milk tea. Both had maybe the slightest essence of tea. We each got them warm, so idk if the shop is watering down ice-less drinks to save money on tea or if an iced drink would even be more watered down. I’m not sure where all the good reviews are coming from.

The service was good, but it was probably the worst boba I’ve ever had. I ordered the Chai milk tea which had an odd chemical aftertaste, and the boba pearls were small and hard in the center. Probably undercooked.

used to love this place for their coffee but i found a literal fingernail in my coffee. was sipping and felt it in my mouth. words cannot describe how disgusted i am.

Horrible!!!I didn’t try the boba but I had the worse crepe I ever had $15 for something that I don’t know how you make so horrible. Really bad .

If I could give negative stars I would, a month ago I ordered a matcha tea from a delivery service and when emptying to recycle…. I found there was a roach in the drink i had finished most of . Disgusting and disturbing was an understatement, I have yet to hear from anyone after emailing twice and calling the location 3 times, regarding this issue so here I am making a review. I should not have to chase around management for an issue this bad . I use to love ordering from here but I DO NOT RECOMMEND ANYONE TO DRINK HERE AFTER FINDING A ROACH IN MY DRINK!