Happy Lemon

Great, cheery space. The drinks are super fresh - no powders here - and adjustable to your liking (sweetness, ice, toppings, etc). The boba is a perfect texture even really late in the day, and their pudding has a flan-like consistency and taste. They also surprised me by honoring my request to put my drink in my glass reusable cup that I brought - it felt like a weird request since I’ve only ever seen boba shops use those thin nonrecyclable plastic cups - but they were great and flexible. It’s also great that they ONLY do drinks - no snacks, other desserts, etc - so it feels like they put a lot of effort into making really good drinks.

I ordered a milk tea with salted cheese. A great combination of salty and sweet. There are posters on the wall for those who are not familiar with the cheese drink. The restaurant has a small, clean seating area. Staff was friendly and they even wipe the sides of the cup before they hand it to you to make sure it's clean!

I recently purchased the mango yakult smoothie and the oreo bubble waffle, I believe that was the name, sorry if I remembered it wrong. The smoothie was really good! I added boba to it which was a must. I appreciate the fact that they ask you how sweet you want the drink and that they have options for how sweet or not too sweet. The oreo waffle was amazingly delicious! The worker suggested we eat it while it was warm and they gave us a dipping which it sort of tasted like butter but mixed with some type of cream? It was super yummy though! I'll definitely be getting another one of those when I stop by again.

Went with a pretty simple order: Milk Tea with Salted Cheese + Lychee jelly. I really appreciate their new caps that have a cover to prevent spilling but also optimizes and encourages the 45 degree angle sipping position to enjoy both the drink and the cheese foam. This Berkeley location has friendly staff and a clean space. Line can grow in waves, so it feels like you just have to get lucky with the timing if you don't want to wait a long time.

Go to this place!! The lemon mango slush has pulpy chunks of fruit and is the bomb! The black tea with salt cheese is delicious too. A unique product - not just another boba tea spot- waaay better!

Sweet girl at the front taking orders/making drinks! Underrated boba spot in Berkeley! Highly recommend

The Black Tea with Salted Cheese and an addition of Boba might be one of the best things I've ever had. There is a reason that it is number one. I would highly recommend this to anyone. I'm in shock at how good it was.

Highly recommend the D13 Boba 🧋 - it was awesome! (And 100% it’s vegan 💯 ) It became my favorite place to go 😍😍

I had the Mango Lemon Slushy which was pretty good. The employees were also very helpful.

AMAZING DRINKS! Went here for the first time because an friend recommended it to me and was highly pleased with the service and the drinks! Would love to come back anytime!

love their salted cheese drinks! a bit expensive ($5 for a medium sized cup), but they make boba and salted cheese better than anyone else in the area. the atmosphere is cute and casual, with spacious seating. the salted cheese drink sounds kinda weird, but its not cheesy or too salty at all, it's more like a nice creamy contrast against their teas.

Kimberly Manzo

Sweet girl at the front taking orders/making drinks! Underrated boba spot in Berkeley! Highly recommend

Gerardo Abril

The Black Tea with Salted Cheese and an addition of Boba might be one of the best things I've ever had. There is a reason that it is number one. I would highly recommend this to anyone. I'm in shock at how good it was.

S PVV

Highly recommend the D13 Boba 🧋 - it was awesome! (And 100% it’s vegan 💯 ) It became my favorite place to go 😍😍

Hayden Wall

I had the Mango Lemon Slushy which was pretty good. The employees were also very helpful.

Maggie Zhen

AMAZING DRINKS! Went here for the first time because an friend recommended it to me and was highly pleased with the service and the drinks! Would love to come back anytime!

I LOVE happy lemon. This is one of my favorite boba places for a fruity drink. The blended lemon drinks, which are unique to happy lemon, are my favorite. I like sweet drinks, and I'd say 100% sweetness is pretty sweet. Occasionally I'll get a milk tea, though they aren't my favorite place for such drinks. I did learn recently that a lot of drinks have sweetened condensed milk, even if you sub soy milk for the regular milk. So for anyone lactose intolerant, be sure to confirm while ordering. For this reason, I'd recommend another shop for more milk tea options.

Barista Ina is a hidden gem at Berkeley’s most underrated boba spot. Always positive, fast, and makes drinks that taste great!

Bonnie Teng

My son and I were visiting Berkeley and stopped in for boba. The boba balls were perfectly chewy and the right sweetness. One of the best bobas I’ve had and our family drinks a lot of boba!

Alethea D

Great boba. Very sugary, but you can customize your drink (I recommend 50% sugar and 15% ice with salted cheese) and you HAVE to get the salted cheese.

A. McElrath

I LOVE happy lemon. This is one of my favorite boba places for a fruity drink. The blended lemon drinks, which are unique to happy lemon, are my favorite. I like sweet drinks, and I'd say 100% sweetness is pretty sweet. Occasionally I'll get a milk tea, though they aren't my favorite place for such drinks. I did learn recently that a lot of drinks have sweetened condensed milk, even if you sub soy milk for the regular milk. So for anyone lactose intolerant, be sure to confirm while ordering. For this reason, I'd recommend another shop for more milk tea options.

Notes: Great drinks Loud music Automated number system to see when your drink will be ready. They do not provide split cups. College kids Gets supper busy at times.

Friendly staff & quick service. The drinks are made with consistent quality compared to other Happy 🍋's. Convenient location in downtown Berkeley. They need some ventilation or better air conditioning in there-it gets hot during summer & a bit stuffy.

Nice place to hangout and have tea. They are famous for the salted cheese top.

If you're looking at Happy Lemon, you're looking to figure out "What the heck is this salted cheese tea?" So here's the skinny, it's tea (black, green, milk, etc.) with a "cheese" topping on it. That topping is made of mostly cream cheese and milk. It's sweet and runny, and it is served pumped straight on top of your tea. You don't stir it in, it will slowly mix in as you drink it. Unless you are mad for sugar, you want to get this at least half sweet, I personally (a guy who grew up drinking southern sweet tea) find that quarter-sweet is the right spot for me.

After a weekend dinner we decided to walk and find a boba tea place to catch up. . Before coming here they were like have you been to this spot. I said no, they said its becoming popular in the bay area so made me more motivated to try this spot out. . I didn't know what they were famous for so i ended up with a kumquat lemon green tea with less sugar. It was so sweet i didn't like it much, but still finished it. As well i like how they put a preserved sour plum inside to make it more authentic. The drink was more citrusy and tangy sour but sweet at the same time. . Lots of seating and music wasn't too loud. So while we were catching up it was great. As well bathroom was clean and spacious. . I had a good experience and maybe i ask what they are known for before ordering. But just fyi parking was a bish, parking is tight and hard to find meter parking. Also lots of bum in the neighborhood and street at night so ya. But they don't bother you much but do ask for change. Thanks for reading and enjoy.

Chicken is very good🔥 Bubble waffe alr U can get better drinks in Berkeley.. this one is not the best quality..

fujino bby

Chicken is very good🔥 Bubble waffe alr U can get better drinks in Berkeley.. this one is not the best quality..

There are a lot of drink options to choose from. I tried the Yakult Green Tea and the Avocado Matcha. The Yakult was pretty decent. But the Avocado Matcha was just overpowered by avocado. Not enough matcha was put in it. The store is pretty small. The wait in line wasn't too bad.

My taro milk shake tasted more like blended ice drink with little flavor, I can tasted the taro but nothing else. It was eating ice.

Jay Sungvorn

My taro milk shake tasted more like blended ice drink with little flavor, I can tasted the taro but nothing else. It was eating ice.

Drinks are good. Rhey could be a bit more welcoming. Brown skin young was nice and informative about drinks and food. Large cup of chicken bite but they fill cup half way for 8.50 plus tax smh did care for the flavors. Prefer Quicklys💁🏽‍♀️

i've been here 3 times now, and my usual is the strawberry shortcake. the first two times were perfect, but i went yesterday at around noon to get proven wrong. girl has the meanest look ever and barely interacted with me as if it was my fault she was working here. my drink didn't really taste of strawberry and was really icy instead of having its usual smooth consistency. maybe she was new, but i doubt it if she was left out alone to handle register and orders. if i come back and see her making drinks ever again i'm walking out asap

Victoria Boozer

Drinks are good. Rhey could be a bit more welcoming. Brown skin young was nice and informative about drinks and food. Large cup of chicken bite but they fill cup half way for 8.50 plus tax smh did care for the flavors. Prefer Quicklys💁🏽‍♀️

jade

i've been here 3 times now, and my usual is the strawberry shortcake. the first two times were perfect, but i went yesterday at around noon to get proven wrong. girl has the meanest look ever and barely interacted with me as if it was my fault she was working here. my drink didn't really taste of strawberry and was really icy instead of having its usual smooth consistency. maybe she was new, but i doubt it if she was left out alone to handle register and orders. if i come back and see her making drinks ever again i'm walking out asap

Milk tea and tea are around average, but some items do not allow you to change the ratio (ice, sugar), and they add in excess ice (at least 1/3 of the cup). In addition, you will need to pay an extra of 75 cents for requesting no ice, which is totally non sense.

Service is terrible. Everytime I’ve been to this place they have messed up something. One time they didn’t give my boba, even when it clearly says boba on the sticker. Another time I got a strawberry green tea and it tasted like water for the tea. The service sucks, it’s very slow and they have said multiple times they are not taking any more orders after five minutes

Boba was really old. It was barely edible. So hard and just not fresh tasting. Very disappointing.

I’ve gotten the same thing (matcha/mango smoothie) at various happy lemon locations but here it was off. It had little flavor and was disappointing considering it’s basically $8 if you get a topping. The shop itself was also run down compared to other locations I’ve been too.

The formula of classic milk tea is different from all other Happy Lemons that I've been to, and it taste weird. I don't know if it's the sugar or the tea that's different, but it's not how they make it in other franchise location.

Megan Cole

Boba was really old. It was barely edible. So hard and just not fresh tasting. Very disappointing.

Sunny H

The formula of classic milk tea is different from all other Happy Lemons that I've been to, and it taste weird. I don't know if it's the sugar or the tea that's different, but it's not how they make it in other franchise location.

Mishu Pham

I’ve gotten the same thing (matcha/mango smoothie) at various happy lemon locations but here it was off. It had little flavor and was disappointing considering it’s basically $8 if you get a topping. The shop itself was also run down compared to other locations I’ve been too.

The lady who owns the place doesn't seem very nice, a homeless person asked for water and she said no. I feel like this act of kindness is so simple to do, it costs the owner almost nothing to give water. They also don't allow reusable glasses for their boba (the first place to turn me down). I will not be back to this location. Also, no public bathrooms, even for paying customers.

Very disappointed with their boba drink and service. Boba Was very hard and drink did not taste good. manager refused to make a new drink or refund. Will file a complaint. Very disappointed because I love happy lemon in san jose... dont go to this one. There are better boba places near by. Inedible boba. They dont know how to cook.

The worker forgot abt to put the tapioca pearls and when i told her it took her a few mins but the cup was the same it had the tapoica now but the cup was leaking :(

I got the okinawa roasted milk tea and it was so watered down and the boba texture was completely wrong--not chewy and totally overcooked. ive never had to throw away my boba before :(

Quality has really gone down lately. Drinks taste watered down, and the boba is consistently stale.

Happy lemon has finally lost my business. They messed up my order and proceeded to be rude about it. Tall white dude had issues with explaining why his “staff” took my order wrong and walked off after telling me that I had to pay for a drink they missed. So I paid and his “staff” stacked my drinks on the counter and also walked away. My initial reaction to their rude behavior was .. WTH? . But then I thought to myself, why bother when there are so many boba places to support. Good luck to the Franchisee and their staff. Rude people will be rude.

Terrible service. Upon entering the store, the doorbell chimed, and immediately, the staff turned and retreated to the back, ignoring my presence. I stood at the counter for ten minutes, during which the automatic service bell kept ringing, yet it seemed deliberately ignored by the staff. Eventually, she appeared, poured a cup of tea, grabbed some boba, and disappeared again without acknowledging me.

I hate to leave this review since I've had good experiences here in the past, but what happened last time I went (10/28) was just so unacceptable and I am still disgusted. I ordered the dragon fruit/lychee juice salted cheese drink with aloe and every part of the drink was literally rotten. The drink part tasted fermented, old, and it clearly was not fresh. The aloe texture was way off (super bloated and gooey), tastes (again) fermented, and even had a sparkly carbonated feel - indicating it was in the process of fermentation. Probably the worst part of it all was the salted cheese. It tasted like actual cheese! Like a very very stinky and pungent cheese. It was clear that the milk or cream cheese used had gone bad because I have never tasted that before in a cheese foam. Overall, I had exactly 3 sips of this drink before throwing the entire thing in the trash where it belonged. I am still so mad that I paid almost $8.50 for this drink after tax and tip. It really sucks because I like Happy Lemon, but after this I don't think I'll ever go back. Clearly, this store has a significant issue with cleanliness and food safety.

I ordered a milkshake and waffles both items where bad in the way that the flavor was terrible, the milkshake tasted like literally water and the waffles were not well cooked. Hope they do a better job next time

I won't trust this location again. Ordered for our group and two individuals including myself got the Mango Matcha Smoothie. Both who had drank the smoothies had food poisoning for two days, had tried to call the location no one picked up, tried to contact Happy Lemon through cooperate to inform them people had gotten sick never got a response.

Staff had a weird attitude, kept staring at me while I was waiting for my drinks. Also, I specifically asked for non-dairy milk because the drink was for my younger sibling who has a dairy allergy and I know I put in the order because it was on my receipt. I come home and give my brother the boba and his skin breaks out in hives and hour later! Cannot trust this location to get their orders right

Very bad experience. The milk tea is very powdery tasting. They forgot to put egg pudding, so you just paid extra for nothing. Very unprofessional person at counter and don’t tell you what options are available (ice level, sugar level, etc). So if you forgot to specify yourself they’ll go with 100% sugar… I’m surprised they’re still in business

Yujie Xu

Very bad experience. The milk tea is very powdery tasting. They forgot to put egg pudding, so you just paid extra for nothing. Very unprofessional person at counter and don’t tell you what options are available (ice level, sugar level, etc). So if you forgot to specify yourself they’ll go with 100% sugar… I’m surprised they’re still in business

Evelyn Mulen

I ordered a milkshake and waffles both items where bad in the way that the flavor was terrible, the milkshake tasted like literally water and the waffles were not well cooked. Hope they do a better job next time

Erin A

I hate to leave this review since I've had good experiences here in the past, but what happened last time I went (10/28) was just so unacceptable and I am still disgusted. I ordered the dragon fruit/lychee juice salted cheese drink with aloe and every part of the drink was literally rotten. The drink part tasted fermented, old, and it clearly was not fresh. The aloe texture was way off (super bloated and gooey), tastes (again) fermented, and even had a sparkly carbonated feel - indicating it was in the process of fermentation. Probably the worst part of it all was the salted cheese. It tasted like actual cheese! Like a very very stinky and pungent cheese. It was clear that the milk or cream cheese used had gone bad because I have never tasted that before in a cheese foam. Overall, I had exactly 3 sips of this drink before throwing the entire thing in the trash where it belonged. I am still so mad that I paid almost $8.50 for this drink after tax and tip. It really sucks because I like Happy Lemon, but after this I don't think I'll ever go back. Clearly, this store has a significant issue with cleanliness and food safety.

a a

Staff had a weird attitude, kept staring at me while I was waiting for my drinks. Also, I specifically asked for non-dairy milk because the drink was for my younger sibling who has a dairy allergy and I know I put in the order because it was on my receipt. I come home and give my brother the boba and his skin breaks out in hives and hour later! Cannot trust this location to get their orders right

Dark Heartz

I won't trust this location again. Ordered for our group and two individuals including myself got the Mango Matcha Smoothie. Both who had drank the smoothies had food poisoning for two days, had tried to call the location no one picked up, tried to contact Happy Lemon through cooperate to inform them people had gotten sick never got a response.