Oh My the Line – Omomo Tea Shoppe

Ok, so in the About page I mentioned boba is a hip young people thing. Omomo Tea Shoppe is very much the epitome of the hip young people thing (at least for me at the moment) and that’s genuinely not a bad thing. It’s definitely generating a following as seen by the line, so it’s got to be doing something right, and I can tell you their drinks are good from experience. My former RA, a fellow boba lover, absolutely loves this place. It doesn’t exactly help that they’re next to Hui Lau Shan, a famous Chinese mango dessert place that has also garnered a huge line (to be reviewed!). Nowadays in quarantine, you would think that the line for boba would shrink, but according to my dad, it’s as long as ever, probably people like us that want their boba intake. On the plus side, they make the line social distance. Omomo is also trying to be environmentally friendly with a unique aluminum lid and recycled straw, but a downside is that this straw breaks way too easily.

Chain? Yes. I’ve been to both of the Irvine locations.

Drinks Tried: Omomo Matcha (very good matcha smoothie), Thai Tea, Uji Green Milk Tea, Strawberry Green Tea (very fresh taste), Camo Thai, Oolong Milk Tea (#2), Itchy Peachy (Seasonal!), Osmanthus Oolong Milk Tea (Creme Brûlée, #2), Jasmine Milk Tea (#2), Matcha Cortado (Tiramisu Foam), Jasmine Creamomo (Cheese), Black Jade Milk Tea, Mango Tornado, Cocoa Latte, Taro Paste with Fresh Milk

Boba: Their boba is a better than ok, but it doesn’t stand out that much. It does have a good chew, and it’s decently sweet, but not that sweet.

Price: Omomo’s drinks are a little on the pricy side, but you’re paying for the quality, novelty and specialty of the drink and experience. Also the aesthetic!

Size: There’s only one size here, and it’s that tall, thin cup you’re seeing at places nowadays.

Interior: Very millennial boba shop-esque. Pretty and aesthetic, and there’s a little bar next to the window for seating. The shop (on Alton) is way too tiny for the amount of traffic it gets though.

Wait: I literally created this section for Omomo. To say Omomo’s line is long would be an incredible understatement. If you want to not wait as long, you should probably go when they just open, or just pray other people aren’t going when you are. I’ve read on Yelp that some people have waited an hour. I like my boba, but I can get quality drinks for way less wait time elsewhere.

Sell Food? They offer matcha soft serve.

Reward System? Yes. Last I personally went there, there were two ways for you to earn points. One is through the Clover app, and the other is to just text the code on your receipt. They practically function the same since they both need the code, but I guess the difference is you need a whole app for the former, and you use text data for the latter. Regardless, after you buy 10 drinks you get a free one.