I've been coming to Purple Kow in Berkeley for about 8 years now and it is still one of my favorite boba shops! Definitely in my top 3. My go to order is D3 (purple kow's special milk with caramel, egg pudding, and boba). Their boba is sweet and chewy and milk drink is creamy (almost tastes like whipped cream). 100% recommend this place.
Sophia T.
Purple Kow is a cool place with very cool cups. The packaging of their drinks makes them stand out amongst competitor boba shops. The customer service is kind, helpful, and patient. Regarding the quality of boba, it is good- not the absolute best, but it still eases boba cravings. I recommend trying Purple Kow- I feel like I always look so cool when I carry around their unique cup walking around downtown Berkeley!
Grace Chang
Slow. 25 min for a boba when there’s no one here ?
Chef C.
Best boba place ever. Amazing taste. Texture was phenomenal. Best boba shop in Bay Area hands down. Snacks are great too! Popcorn chicken and Tabango wings are absolutely B.O.M.B.
Effy W.
Good milk tea place in Berkeley. But tea flavor need to be improved. I ordered the hot B2, the tea tasted bitter.
karen m.
delicious boba and snacks. decent downtown berkeley area too.
Benjamin Barzen
“How about we open a noodle place that only serves cup noodles!” — this is probably how this place got started, and it’s pretty awesome.
Elizabeth L.
Purple Kow is located by UC Berkeley, so it gets busy here. Parking is street parking, but since it is Berkeley - it may be hit or miss. This location is two stories, usually they will let you hang upstairs where there are chairs and tables there for you to hang out and enjoy your boba. I had tried multiple drinks that I do not like, so I usually just stick with the jasmine milk tea with boba. The milk tea is just okay - honestly, I feel like I only come here because of the size of the cup, since it is so big (more for me to enjoy without buying multiple boba drinks).
Nancy P.
Good variety and lots of tasty bobas. Flavor was on point and good prices. We also got the sweet potato fries (large portion) and garlic chicken wings. Both were tasty!
Jessica W.
Kinda bland, not great at adjusting their sugar level, cup is too big to hold. Should change their logo to a different font because comic sans. But have nice seating, nice vibes, nice workers. Thankyoubyebye.
The F1 is amazing and always brings a smile to my face.
Eric Lobdell
Overall experience is reminiscent of walking into a McDonald’s play place. Kids screaming. Teeming with high schoolers; flirting, loitering, spending what’s left of their lunch money. The bubble tea lacks in clarity and chokes down like syrup. Indicative of the energy charged atmosphere, the menu is missing a decaf tea, offering up a smattering of artificial flavors. The novelty cup size challenges your grasp, just when you thought you’d mastered holding things.
sbbcampervan
Loved Purple Kow and was super excited to find one close to campusFood/Taste/Flavor: 1/5 - D3: purple Kow Iced Milk Drinks with caramel, pudding, and boba at 25% sweetness and less ice. The boba texture was awful. It is way overcooked and falling apart but so sticky. The caramel didn't seem like it was cooked long enough or they used a cheap quality one as it doesn't have the typical buttery/creamy undertone that other shops have.Ambience: 3/5 - small shop but there is an upstairs for seating. A really artificial sweet smell in the airService: 3/5 - slight language barrier and the cashier didn't seem very knowledgeable about their productsValue for price: 1/5 - They charge an extra dollar for no ice! They didn't say anything and I only caught it since it was more expensive than expected. The drink was disappointing
Conner B.
One of the most consistent boba places I've ever been to, the C2 mango green tea with boba and pudding is still my favorite boba drink ever 6 years later. Their boba pearls are the best, very chewy and sweet but also soft. Service is still just alright, their staff isn't too friendly.
Jake E.
If you like spider webs and dust, venture to the narrow alley by the front window. Ordered mango green tea boba at half sweetness. Damn, half sweetness tasted incredibly sweet or they just messed up the order.
I've been coming to Purple Kow in Berkeley for about 8 years now and it is still one of my favorite boba shops! Definitely in my top 3. My go to order is D3 (purple kow's special milk with caramel, egg pudding, and boba). Their boba is sweet and chewy and milk drink is creamy (almost tastes like whipped cream). 100% recommend this place.
Purple Kow is a cool place with very cool cups. The packaging of their drinks makes them stand out amongst competitor boba shops. The customer service is kind, helpful, and patient. Regarding the quality of boba, it is good- not the absolute best, but it still eases boba cravings. I recommend trying Purple Kow- I feel like I always look so cool when I carry around their unique cup walking around downtown Berkeley!
Slow. 25 min for a boba when there’s no one here ?
Best boba place ever. Amazing taste. Texture was phenomenal. Best boba shop in Bay Area hands down. Snacks are great too! Popcorn chicken and Tabango wings are absolutely B.O.M.B.
Good milk tea place in Berkeley. But tea flavor need to be improved. I ordered the hot B2, the tea tasted bitter.
delicious boba and snacks. decent downtown berkeley area too.
“How about we open a noodle place that only serves cup noodles!” — this is probably how this place got started, and it’s pretty awesome.
Purple Kow is located by UC Berkeley, so it gets busy here. Parking is street parking, but since it is Berkeley - it may be hit or miss. This location is two stories, usually they will let you hang upstairs where there are chairs and tables there for you to hang out and enjoy your boba. I had tried multiple drinks that I do not like, so I usually just stick with the jasmine milk tea with boba. The milk tea is just okay - honestly, I feel like I only come here because of the size of the cup, since it is so big (more for me to enjoy without buying multiple boba drinks).
Good variety and lots of tasty bobas. Flavor was on point and good prices. We also got the sweet potato fries (large portion) and garlic chicken wings. Both were tasty!
Kinda bland, not great at adjusting their sugar level, cup is too big to hold. Should change their logo to a different font because comic sans. But have nice seating, nice vibes, nice workers. Thankyoubyebye.
Restaurantji Recommends
The F1 is amazing and always brings a smile to my face.
Overall experience is reminiscent of walking into a McDonald’s play place. Kids screaming. Teeming with high schoolers; flirting, loitering, spending what’s left of their lunch money. The bubble tea lacks in clarity and chokes down like syrup. Indicative of the energy charged atmosphere, the menu is missing a decaf tea, offering up a smattering of artificial flavors. The novelty cup size challenges your grasp, just when you thought you’d mastered holding things.
Loved Purple Kow and was super excited to find one close to campusFood/Taste/Flavor: 1/5 - D3: purple Kow Iced Milk Drinks with caramel, pudding, and boba at 25% sweetness and less ice. The boba texture was awful. It is way overcooked and falling apart but so sticky. The caramel didn't seem like it was cooked long enough or they used a cheap quality one as it doesn't have the typical buttery/creamy undertone that other shops have.Ambience: 3/5 - small shop but there is an upstairs for seating. A really artificial sweet smell in the airService: 3/5 - slight language barrier and the cashier didn't seem very knowledgeable about their productsValue for price: 1/5 - They charge an extra dollar for no ice! They didn't say anything and I only caught it since it was more expensive than expected. The drink was disappointing
One of the most consistent boba places I've ever been to, the C2 mango green tea with boba and pudding is still my favorite boba drink ever 6 years later. Their boba pearls are the best, very chewy and sweet but also soft. Service is still just alright, their staff isn't too friendly.
If you like spider webs and dust, venture to the narrow alley by the front window. Ordered mango green tea boba at half sweetness. Damn, half sweetness tasted incredibly sweet or they just messed up the order.