The boba pearl flavor variety is certainly one of the most unique things about this boba shop. They offer brown sugar, honey, taro, and black sesame varieties of boba. We got the brown sugar boba pearls with jasmine green milk tea and taro milk tea. When we asked for less sweetness, that's exactly what we got and it was perfect. The Jasmine green milk tea wasn't as flavorful as I expected, but it definitely wasn't packed with artificial flavoring like many other boba shops rely on. Not much seating inside and parking is hard outside. It is a great location in Oakland Chinatown. Service is friendly and they make the drinks quickly. Cute place to hangout with friends or a large group on the weekends. No public bathrooms available at the time we were there.Husband's review: "Chewy and not too sweet!"
Inverleith F.
First time being in Oakland Chinatown town after 5pm and it's so sad to see the number of shops already closed. I decided to pop in her for a non caffeinated drink which ended up being the lime winter melon tea. It's my fault for not wanting caffeine which is obviously what is missing here.Some essence of lime and a sweetness hit the spot. They have plenty of options to try in the future at a very reasonable price.Please support the local businesses!
Lee D.
Daughter suggested to try this new place for their different flavors of boba but sadly this was a failed visit. Quality/Quantity - We got the following today:Oolong Milk Tea with Sesame Boba + $1.Pineapple Fruit Tea with One Zo Boba + $1.25. One Zo Boba topping is a combination of the 3 boba flavors.Mango Fruit Tea with Lychee Jelly + 75¢. They were out of the One Zo Boba topping, but tried to sell it to us anyway. Then they refunded the extra charge when my daughter brought to their attention that they only put honey boba and 4 sesame boba and 0 brown sugar boba. We also got the last of the black sesame boba for the Oolong drink. And they were out of brown sugar boba. In summary, if you are out of your signature boba, please do NOT sell it to a customer and with an additional up charge... At least you refunded the difference of the One Zo topping and just the honey boba topping (75¢). My daughter said the One Zo in LA tasted better.I see that you have 4 locations in the Bay Area. Atmosphere - Only open 3 days a week from 11:30am to 6pm; Yelp hours differ.Not sure how businesses can make $$ when they are only open 3 days a week and also run out of their signature product.Street parking only, so good luck. But today is New Year's Eve, so it's not a problem for us.Small local boba business, 1 table for 4 people, and two bench seating. Service - Good. Price - $21, pricey for what we got. Owner Comment - Congrats on your success since 2015 from Taiwan and since 2018 at this location. Not sure if you are a franchise or a license model, but wishing you the best.
Ash D.
We were craving boba and found this place online. The actual boba place is pretty empty inside so there is no inside seating available. For the drinks, they had a good selection of milk tea, fruit teas and slushies available along with a variety of bobas. The staff was really nice and helped answer our questions about the drinks. They only have medium and large sizes so I do wish they had a smaller size since I couldn't finish my whole drink and a lot of it goes to waste. Overall good place if you're craving some simple boba.
Mito I.
Quick Summary: - boba pearls are squishy and soft; really loved the black sesame - Strong and good tea flavor - There is one bench near the entrance to either wait for your order or drink here That day was very warm, hot even. I felt like walking from one tea place to another because I needed something to cool down. This day, there was a street festivals, so some of the streets were closed off from cars. This encouraged us to walk along the blocks and found this tea place. I was interested in their handmade boba pearls, so after quick discussion, we entered the store. There were a lot to choose from, so I decided to go for the original One Zo tea with the black sesame. The wait time was about five to seven minutes, and for this order it came in a cute cup. The tea was strong and also refreshing for that hot weather we had a couple weeks ago. I also enjoyed the black sesame boba pearls. The black sesame pearl was subtle, my relative couldn't taste it at first. Some chews of the boba pearls, I got the black sesame flavor. It's good and the boba pearl is chewy, almost like a warabi-mochi texture than the common boba. I would like to come back here again to try their other teas, and also each the other boba types.
Tina Pak
Nothing to blow your mind. Just your average bubble tea place.
Samantha Hayes
B bless that woman soul who made my drink but when I tell you I had the nastiest milk tea I’ve ever had in my life overpriced and not worth it at all it literally tasted like rice water and I asked for whole milk somehow she made it taste like rice water it was not sweet at all at all it tasted like I just paid for soy milk with no sweetener I’m very disappointed for my first time
Christine T.
Drink (5/5 stars!!!): I ordered the Brown Sugar Milk Tea with Brown Sugar Boba and it was perhaps one of the best brown sugar tea drinks I've ever had!! I loved that a strong tea flavor came through, and the brown sugar boba was the perfect amount of sugar and chew. I usually finish boba drinks quite slowly but I can honestly say that this is one of the few times I didn't stop taking sips until it was all gone! I will be using this drink as the standard for all brown sugar tea and brown sugar boba comparisons now. Everything else (4/5 stars): I almost gave this place a 5/5 stars because I am just completely obsessed with the drink I had. But holistically, I have to rate the place just 4 stars. 1) parking is a nightmare in Oakland Chinatown so unless you're here for other reasons, I don't really think it's worth to go and suffer the traffic, lack of parking, and other drivers that are aggressive. That being said, the owners likely recognize this issue so the spot is very much a to-go location -- they don't have tables so you really just order, grab, and go. 2) Service is acceptable in terms of efficiency, but the workers definitely aren't the most friendly. They were good about taking orders immediately and making drinks quickly, but they were just there to get the job done asap and also talked quite loudly amongst themselves. I feel like this doesn't really matter that much though, especially since the place leans more towards a to-go location, but it was just a thing I noticed and felt a little weird about. 3) Facilities were clean but there was an awkward pile of supplies out in the customer area. I saw a jug of what was probably whatever syrup they use in their drinks on the ground, as well as other miscellaneous kitchen appliances. Not that anything looked dirty or problematic, but it was just strange to see.
Tina Pak Piano
Nothing to blow your mind. Just your average bubble tea place.
Joshua M.
The one fun-zo thing about One Zo is their variety of homemade boba choices. I've been to other boba places with homemade boba but this is the first place where I've seen different flavors of boba such as matcha, strawberry, and chocolate. Their tea drinks are comparable in taste to the average boba place. The appeal really comes with trying their different flavored boba, mixing and matching the different flavored teas with different flavored boba.
Love this place. They offer a huge variety of drinks and never disappoint with their homemade boba! Matcha brown sugar latte is incredible. 10/10 :)
Sammy T.
It's a tough boba world out there. Recognizing that the boba is handmade, I can understand why it's expensive. However, for the price that they charge and the cup size, i don't know if i can say that the boba tasted any different. Maybe my gut would know better but my taste buds didn't. Overall, this place is a good boba place. I got the jasmine milk tea and brown sugar milk tea. Between the two, I think i liked the brown sugar milk tea more (and I liked that you could control the sweetness of this drink - something you don't typically get to do). I noticed that the Yelp Profile now has a label that says it's Temp Closed so double check before you go!
Sandy M.
Walked by here on Friday and decided to check it out. Looked over the drinks and saw the many boba flavors and ultimately decided to get Uji Matcha Latte with sesame boba. I got less sugar and less ice. Omg. This drink was soooo good! This was the best Uji Matcha I've had, like ever. The sesame boba went so well with the drink. It was a match made in heaven! It was like an Asian dessert on its own. Highly recommend this combination. My bf order onezo milk tea with honey boba. The drink was pretty standard, nothing to rave or complain about.
Anela Iki
Quick, but their drinks are not always on point (some days the drinks are better than some of the other days)
Harvey K.
*****Customer Experience During the COVID-19 Pandemic***** Originated from Taiwan, One Zo is known for their handmade boba pearls. This location is one of seven in the US and the first one in Northern California (second one opening in the new Fremont 99 Ranch). It has been on my to-try list forever. Finally got a chance a try it when I was picking a few things in Chinatown on 05/07/2021 at around 4 pm. I was greeted by the owner immediately upon entering. The shop was clean and bright and several COVID safety measures were observed (plexiglass shields, hand sanitizer, and contactless payment). The owner and his relatives all had their masks and gloves on. The menu featured a good selection of drinks. I ordered an Oolong Milk Tea with brown sugar pearls (~$5.25 less tax and tip, customized it with less sugar and less ice). The owner went to work right away and it was ready in a few minutes. The tea taste was decent, with a noticeable black sesame flavor. I wasn't sure if that's from the tea or the pearls (since they offer black sesame pearls). Speaking of the pearls, they had a nice brown sugar taste but lacked chewiness. It's possible that they were made hours before. Overall, this place is better than 3 but not quite a 4 because of the pearls. But despite that, I will still come back. Hopefully it will be better next time.
The boba pearl flavor variety is certainly one of the most unique things about this boba shop. They offer brown sugar, honey, taro, and black sesame varieties of boba. We got the brown sugar boba pearls with jasmine green milk tea and taro milk tea. When we asked for less sweetness, that's exactly what we got and it was perfect. The Jasmine green milk tea wasn't as flavorful as I expected, but it definitely wasn't packed with artificial flavoring like many other boba shops rely on. Not much seating inside and parking is hard outside. It is a great location in Oakland Chinatown. Service is friendly and they make the drinks quickly. Cute place to hangout with friends or a large group on the weekends. No public bathrooms available at the time we were there.Husband's review: "Chewy and not too sweet!"
First time being in Oakland Chinatown town after 5pm and it's so sad to see the number of shops already closed. I decided to pop in her for a non caffeinated drink which ended up being the lime winter melon tea. It's my fault for not wanting caffeine which is obviously what is missing here.Some essence of lime and a sweetness hit the spot. They have plenty of options to try in the future at a very reasonable price.Please support the local businesses!
Daughter suggested to try this new place for their different flavors of boba but sadly this was a failed visit. Quality/Quantity - We got the following today:Oolong Milk Tea with Sesame Boba + $1.Pineapple Fruit Tea with One Zo Boba + $1.25. One Zo Boba topping is a combination of the 3 boba flavors.Mango Fruit Tea with Lychee Jelly + 75¢. They were out of the One Zo Boba topping, but tried to sell it to us anyway. Then they refunded the extra charge when my daughter brought to their attention that they only put honey boba and 4 sesame boba and 0 brown sugar boba. We also got the last of the black sesame boba for the Oolong drink. And they were out of brown sugar boba. In summary, if you are out of your signature boba, please do NOT sell it to a customer and with an additional up charge... At least you refunded the difference of the One Zo topping and just the honey boba topping (75¢). My daughter said the One Zo in LA tasted better.I see that you have 4 locations in the Bay Area. Atmosphere - Only open 3 days a week from 11:30am to 6pm; Yelp hours differ.Not sure how businesses can make $$ when they are only open 3 days a week and also run out of their signature product.Street parking only, so good luck. But today is New Year's Eve, so it's not a problem for us.Small local boba business, 1 table for 4 people, and two bench seating. Service - Good. Price - $21, pricey for what we got. Owner Comment - Congrats on your success since 2015 from Taiwan and since 2018 at this location. Not sure if you are a franchise or a license model, but wishing you the best.
We were craving boba and found this place online. The actual boba place is pretty empty inside so there is no inside seating available. For the drinks, they had a good selection of milk tea, fruit teas and slushies available along with a variety of bobas. The staff was really nice and helped answer our questions about the drinks. They only have medium and large sizes so I do wish they had a smaller size since I couldn't finish my whole drink and a lot of it goes to waste. Overall good place if you're craving some simple boba.
Quick Summary: - boba pearls are squishy and soft; really loved the black sesame - Strong and good tea flavor - There is one bench near the entrance to either wait for your order or drink here That day was very warm, hot even. I felt like walking from one tea place to another because I needed something to cool down. This day, there was a street festivals, so some of the streets were closed off from cars. This encouraged us to walk along the blocks and found this tea place. I was interested in their handmade boba pearls, so after quick discussion, we entered the store. There were a lot to choose from, so I decided to go for the original One Zo tea with the black sesame. The wait time was about five to seven minutes, and for this order it came in a cute cup. The tea was strong and also refreshing for that hot weather we had a couple weeks ago. I also enjoyed the black sesame boba pearls. The black sesame pearl was subtle, my relative couldn't taste it at first. Some chews of the boba pearls, I got the black sesame flavor. It's good and the boba pearl is chewy, almost like a warabi-mochi texture than the common boba. I would like to come back here again to try their other teas, and also each the other boba types.
Nothing to blow your mind. Just your average bubble tea place.
B bless that woman soul who made my drink but when I tell you I had the nastiest milk tea I’ve ever had in my life overpriced and not worth it at all it literally tasted like rice water and I asked for whole milk somehow she made it taste like rice water it was not sweet at all at all it tasted like I just paid for soy milk with no sweetener I’m very disappointed for my first time
Drink (5/5 stars!!!): I ordered the Brown Sugar Milk Tea with Brown Sugar Boba and it was perhaps one of the best brown sugar tea drinks I've ever had!! I loved that a strong tea flavor came through, and the brown sugar boba was the perfect amount of sugar and chew. I usually finish boba drinks quite slowly but I can honestly say that this is one of the few times I didn't stop taking sips until it was all gone! I will be using this drink as the standard for all brown sugar tea and brown sugar boba comparisons now. Everything else (4/5 stars): I almost gave this place a 5/5 stars because I am just completely obsessed with the drink I had. But holistically, I have to rate the place just 4 stars. 1) parking is a nightmare in Oakland Chinatown so unless you're here for other reasons, I don't really think it's worth to go and suffer the traffic, lack of parking, and other drivers that are aggressive. That being said, the owners likely recognize this issue so the spot is very much a to-go location -- they don't have tables so you really just order, grab, and go. 2) Service is acceptable in terms of efficiency, but the workers definitely aren't the most friendly. They were good about taking orders immediately and making drinks quickly, but they were just there to get the job done asap and also talked quite loudly amongst themselves. I feel like this doesn't really matter that much though, especially since the place leans more towards a to-go location, but it was just a thing I noticed and felt a little weird about. 3) Facilities were clean but there was an awkward pile of supplies out in the customer area. I saw a jug of what was probably whatever syrup they use in their drinks on the ground, as well as other miscellaneous kitchen appliances. Not that anything looked dirty or problematic, but it was just strange to see.
Nothing to blow your mind. Just your average bubble tea place.
The one fun-zo thing about One Zo is their variety of homemade boba choices. I've been to other boba places with homemade boba but this is the first place where I've seen different flavors of boba such as matcha, strawberry, and chocolate. Their tea drinks are comparable in taste to the average boba place. The appeal really comes with trying their different flavored boba, mixing and matching the different flavored teas with different flavored boba.
Restaurantji Recommends
Love this place. They offer a huge variety of drinks and never disappoint with their homemade boba! Matcha brown sugar latte is incredible. 10/10 :)
It's a tough boba world out there. Recognizing that the boba is handmade, I can understand why it's expensive. However, for the price that they charge and the cup size, i don't know if i can say that the boba tasted any different. Maybe my gut would know better but my taste buds didn't. Overall, this place is a good boba place. I got the jasmine milk tea and brown sugar milk tea. Between the two, I think i liked the brown sugar milk tea more (and I liked that you could control the sweetness of this drink - something you don't typically get to do). I noticed that the Yelp Profile now has a label that says it's Temp Closed so double check before you go!
Walked by here on Friday and decided to check it out. Looked over the drinks and saw the many boba flavors and ultimately decided to get Uji Matcha Latte with sesame boba. I got less sugar and less ice. Omg. This drink was soooo good! This was the best Uji Matcha I've had, like ever. The sesame boba went so well with the drink. It was a match made in heaven! It was like an Asian dessert on its own. Highly recommend this combination. My bf order onezo milk tea with honey boba. The drink was pretty standard, nothing to rave or complain about.
Quick, but their drinks are not always on point (some days the drinks are better than some of the other days)
*****Customer Experience During the COVID-19 Pandemic***** Originated from Taiwan, One Zo is known for their handmade boba pearls. This location is one of seven in the US and the first one in Northern California (second one opening in the new Fremont 99 Ranch). It has been on my to-try list forever. Finally got a chance a try it when I was picking a few things in Chinatown on 05/07/2021 at around 4 pm. I was greeted by the owner immediately upon entering. The shop was clean and bright and several COVID safety measures were observed (plexiglass shields, hand sanitizer, and contactless payment). The owner and his relatives all had their masks and gloves on. The menu featured a good selection of drinks. I ordered an Oolong Milk Tea with brown sugar pearls (~$5.25 less tax and tip, customized it with less sugar and less ice). The owner went to work right away and it was ready in a few minutes. The tea taste was decent, with a noticeable black sesame flavor. I wasn't sure if that's from the tea or the pearls (since they offer black sesame pearls). Speaking of the pearls, they had a nice brown sugar taste but lacked chewiness. It's possible that they were made hours before. Overall, this place is better than 3 but not quite a 4 because of the pearls. But despite that, I will still come back. Hopefully it will be better next time.