Boba Pub, a small boba tea cafe with plenty of good vibes, opened in Longview, Texas just a little over a month ago – and so far, the buzz around it has been largely positive.

A lot of boba shops offer milk substitution options for their boba drinks, but what makes this cafe so special is that they take pride in their more authentic presentation of boba tea. The growing city of Longview has already had a few places that serve boba tea, as it is a growing popular trend, but from our perspective, all of them have been very Americanized.

Boba Pub stands out from the crowd by touting their authentic drink offerings with a myriad of customizations that you won’t see many other places, as well as flavorings such as winter melon that’s usually very difficult to find.

Our usual go-to would be anything with taro, so our first drink to try was their standard iced boba tea with taro. We also tried it blended, which we liked even better. Finally, we tried one of their most popular drinks, the brown sugar boba tea. We expected this drink to be overwhelmingly sweet, but we were pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn’t a sugar overload after all. The flavor was subtle, yet sweet. But let’s be honest, taro is always going to be the best. 🙂

The atmosphere of the cafe is chill and welcoming. They have a small seating area on one side of the store, and on the other side they have a spot for taking selfies. We suspect as time goes on and their business continues to go well, that they will most likely expand their seating area.

Drink preparation time can take a little bit longer than other places, but you can choose to either sit down and wait or stand nearby and watch your drink be prepared. Drink preparation can be seen in plain view. The menu encourages anyone with allergies or needing special accommodations to inform the baristas.

Pricing for the drinks is standard and mostly fall within the $5-$7 range. They do add an additional .25 cent charge for card payments under $10. Add-ons are available such as an assortment of jellies, cheese foam, and egg pudding (not vegan, of course).

Not interested in traditional boba tea? They also have “milk slushies” which is basically the equivalent of a milkshake and can be made with nondairy milk substitutes. They also offer brewed tea, flavored fruit tea, and Yakult.

Conveniently located next to Albertson’s on Loop 281, give them a try the next time you’re in the mood for boba. We don’t think you’ll be disappointed.