By Walter Wu

You’ve probably heard of Boba—or Bubble—tea; it’s everywhere from food trucks to restaurants. Boba tea is made by combining fruit juices or milk with tea and chewy pearls of tapioca.  It originated in Taiwan in the 1980s, and quickly spread to America. The Lyon Park area has two options for Boba tea.  Boba tea is a matter of preference, and I have shared some of my thoughts below.  Visit one of our local Boba shops, and sample for yourself!

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Kung Fu Tea
3018 Wilson Blvd.

Overall: 9/10—Stellar 

Options: 9/10

The sheer number of drinks at Kung Fu Tea is staggering, from lemonades to coffee, but the real reason everybody goes there is because of the wide selection of tea.  The teas themselves offer something for every taste, from the black milk tea to green honeydew. (My personal favorite is winter melon.) When you decide on your drink, you can choose toppings, such as boba pearls, popping boba, and several flavors of jelly.

Tea: 8/10

When you go to Kung Fu Tea, you’ll notice that they have several massive tanks on the back wall, one filled with each kind of tea, black, green, and oolong, to name a few. When you order, they prepare your drink with tea directly from the tanks. The tea is amazing and fresh, and is the highlight of the place. 

Boba: 9/10

The boba at Kung Fu Tea is chewy, sweet and delicious. It is a little tough for my liking, but that is ok.

Service: 10/10

The service is very quick.  The shop only offers beverages, and they have the preparation down, so it takes just a few minutes.

Atmosphere: 10/10

Although Kung Fu Tea is small, it has a sitting area which is well cleaned. The walls are clean and covered in art, and the counter where drinks are served is also polished and neat.

Kung Fu Tea: Daily hours of operation are 11 a.m.–10 p.m. Phone number: 703-528-1686. 

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Bobalicious Cafe (Pho & Banh Mi Eatery Cafe)
3000 Washington Blvd.

Overall: 7/10—Good  

Options: 8/10

The cafe has a wide variety of teas, coffee and other drinks and juices. They have a good selection of toppings, and most are boba. The shop also offers food, including Pho and poke bowls.

Tea: 9/10

The tea is extremely the best I have ever had. It is sweet, fresh, and just plain amazing. My favorites are the milk teas. 

Boba: 5/10

The Boba at Bobalicious is not to my liking.  The flavor is mild and the texture is soft. If you don’t like boba that is too chewy, you might want to stick to the tea.  

Service: 6/10

The service at Bobalicious is a little slow and clunky with orders, and you will have to wait longer for your drink than Kung Fu Tea. The shop is new, and I expect operations will speed up over time.

Atmosphere: 9/10

The atmosphere there is clean and neat, but otherwise plain in my opinion.

Bobalicious Cafe: Hours of operation are 11 a.m.–8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, Sunday hours are from 11 a.m.–7 p.m.  Phone number: 703-489-8212.