Happy Lemon | Berkeley

Chicken is very good🔥 Bubble waffe alr U can get better drinks in Berkeley.. this one is not the best quality..

I hate to leave this review since I've had good experiences here in the past, but what happened last time I went (10/28) was just so unacceptable and I am still disgusted. I ordered the dragon fruit/lychee juice salted cheese drink with aloe and every part of the drink was literally rotten. The drink part tasted fermented, old, and it clearly was not fresh. The aloe texture was way off (super bloated and gooey), tastes (again) fermented, and even had a sparkly carbonated feel - indicating it was in the process of fermentation. Probably the worst part of it all was the salted cheese. It tasted like actual cheese! Like a very very stinky and pungent cheese. It was clear that the milk or cream cheese used had gone bad because I have never tasted that before in a cheese foam. Overall, I had exactly 3 sips of this drink before throwing the entire thing in the trash where it belonged. I am still so mad that I paid almost $8.50 for this drink after tax and tip. It really sucks because I like Happy Lemon, but after this I don't think I'll ever go back. Clearly, this store has a significant issue with cleanliness and food safety.

Sweet girl at the front taking orders/making drinks! Underrated boba spot in Berkeley! Highly recommend

The formula of classic milk tea is different from all other Happy Lemons that I've been to, and it taste weird. I don't know if it's the sugar or the tea that's different, but it's not how they make it in other franchise location.

i've been here 3 times now, and my usual is the strawberry shortcake. the first two times were perfect, but i went yesterday at around noon to get proven wrong. girl has the meanest look ever and barely interacted with me as if it was my fault she was working here. my drink didn't really taste of strawberry and was really icy instead of having its usual smooth consistency. maybe she was new, but i doubt it if she was left out alone to handle register and orders. if i come back and see her making drinks ever again i'm walking out asap

Barista Ina is a hidden gem at Berkeley’s most underrated boba spot. Always positive, fast, and makes drinks that taste great!

Staff had a weird attitude, kept staring at me while I was waiting for my drinks. Also, I specifically asked for non-dairy milk because the drink was for my younger sibling who has a dairy allergy and I know I put in the order because it was on my receipt. I come home and give my brother the boba and his skin breaks out in hives and hour later! Cannot trust this location to get their orders right

I’ve gotten the same thing (matcha/mango smoothie) at various happy lemon locations but here it was off. It had little flavor and was disappointing considering it’s basically $8 if you get a topping. The shop itself was also run down compared to other locations I’ve been too.

Quaint boba store along Shattuck with a few tables and a VERY yellow inside. Staff is friendly and efficient with orders. Mango Yakult: pretty dang good. Tastes like those Asian milky mango jelly cups they sell in a jar. Matcha Tiramisu Salt Cream: got 75% sugar and the drink just tastes like poor quality matcha. It was giving matcha pocky. Not my fave. Dragonfruit lychee juice salt cream: man that's nasty. it's just not my favorite combinations of flavors. Overly sweet & fruity and also too salty @_@ Roasted tea top cream: got 50% sweetness and honestly it tasted like 50% TEA. Like it was watered down. Boba quality throughout all the drinks was some of the BEST boba I've had in a while. The drinks themselves... more miss than hit.

I tried their "Boba Milk Tea w/ Puff Cream" (D5), which comes in one size (large). It was fine. The milk tea itself was watery and not super flavorful, even at 75% sweetness. The drink relies heavily on the puff cream, which is delicious, to enhance the overall flavor. Unfortunately, the puff cream is so thick, it's not really blended at all--they just coat the inside of the cup with it and pour the boba and tea on top. Nothing actually gets mixed together, so you need to scoop a lot of the cream out towards the end if you're not constantly swirling your drink. I also felt it was a bit pricey at $7. I also tried their chocolate bubble waffle, which was also fine. It does not come with any dipping sauce, so you have to pay $1 extra if you want that, and it's really needed for an otherwise dry waffle. In total, this was $7.50, and I don't think I'd order it again. Maybe I will try something different next time I am in the area (perhaps one of their blended drinks), but I'd stay away from the straight teas.

Every Happy Lemon shop I go to never fails to meet my expectations. My go to order is the boba milk tea with puff cream, 50% sugar and 50% ice. The worker made my drink to perfection. Puff cream adds an extra layer of creamy richness to the milk tea. 10/10 would recommend happy lemon to anyone as it's one of my favorite boba spots.

Happy Lemon has decent selections and most of their drinks are good but sometimes can be get a bit expensive once you add extra items to your drinks. We've been to this locations and many others across NorCal, this one is at the heart of downtown Berkeley, so unfortunately we can mostly do to-gos at this location. Street parking is limited and hard to find so we don't always visit this location and used to go Purple Kow instead. It varies on locations some Happy Lemon has very good promotional deals. Service wise is fairly quick but once in a while can be slow when orders pile up. We would go back and a would rate this a 3 stars

I enjoyed trying Happy Lemon for the first time! The tea was tasty, but I was more of a fan of the dessert! The sweet dipping sauce flows perfectly with the egg waffle!

The Berkeley Happy Lemon drinks and are consistently good. This trip I got a -Mango Yakult Smoothie with boba which had a sweet, tangy and tart mango flavor -Black Tea with Salted Cheese with boba (25% sweet), my favorite because it was the first salted cheese drink I ever had and the catalyst to my addiction. -Bubble Waffle which was hot, not overly sweet with a good amount of chew It wasn't too busy today. The staff were nice and quick. The ambiance was not so great. This location always seems like it needs tidying. Gotta take a star off for that.

Food and drinks are great, but the place was severely understaffed when I went. Small order of drinks and bubble waffles took about 40 minutes to bring out and required multiple trips to the counter to check status. It wasn't the fault of the poor employees. This location just doesn't have small efficiencies that make the experience better, like ordering from kiosk, more than one waffle iron. Simple cheap stuff that an alert owner could add with little effort. Until then - just too frustrating of an experience to repeat.

Wanted to try another boba shop since my kids and I are boba fans. So we decided to give this place a try. Meh it wasn't all that all 3 of us were disappointed. There was more ice than anything in the cup. So much ice we couldn't even get to the boba bubbles at the bottom of the cup.

This was absolutely the worst experience ever! I've eaten from here before so I knew what I wanted. I ordered the fried chicken bites original with light salted plum. The little girl at the register was super unfriendly but whatever. Maybe she was just having an off day. After I received my food, I said thank you and have a good day. She didn't respond so whatever. I take a bite and the first piece i bite is RAW!!! RAW CHICKEN, I am pissed! I walk back, and I stand there for about two minutes and before I have to yell hello like four or five times before someone comes from the back. I saw this chicken is raw and show her the piece that I chewed... she looks at it and then me and says "oh wow". Not I'm sorry, not are you ok, nothing. I said I'd like a refund... she walks off and tells the other young girl do it! It took the other girl about 10 mins to figure it out. I'm so annoyed and disgusted! Happy Lemon needs to do better!!! This was the worst!!!!

one of my favorite boba shops in berk!!! love their snacks and their drinks. All super high quality and you can really taste the tea flavor

The worst taro drink I ever had (ordered the D6). Missing ingredients and what was there looked and tasted disgusting. It was supposedly at 100% sweet but was bitter and artificial tasting. The staff girl who took our order also had attitude and was unfriendly. So also the worst customer service I ever experienced at a boba shop. That's why I didn't bother asking for adjustments (I normally request no to low sugar) nor let them know in-person it came out so awful. I tried reaching out on Happy Lemon customer support online about drink quality and possible refund but no reply yet. The event occurred around 1:30pm last Wednesday 12/20. So disappointing. My husband's fruit tea was alright. Anyways, there's so many other better quality options and places to visit so we definitely will not be back.

Kumquat Green Tea with Lychee hear taste like piss! Seriously tho, I ordered 100% sweetness and instead of being greeted with a tart refreshing beverage, it's better described as rancid. I only took a few sips of it before I asked to exchange it and was told no. Go elsewhere for your boba needs!

First time trying Happy Lemon and I was disappointed with my drink. I ordered the D6. Ube Milk Tea w/ Taro Puff Cream & Taro Balls. The drink itself was not very good, the redeeming factor were the taro balls. They were fresh tasting, chewy, plentiful, and the perfect size. If I come back, I will be ordering the taro balls as toppings. The drink itself had an off taste to it. Not sure what it was or how to describe it. Maybe the tea didn't match the flavors of the ube and taro? Not that there was much of a taro or ube flavor. Overall, if skip this drink and try something else...

A nice location and friendly staff! I always get the Yakult Green Tea, not too sweet and refreshing

I was in the mood for boba and my friend recommended Happy Lemon. I had their Okinawa Roasted Milk Tea with Boba and it was quite good. Staff were friendly and our drinks came out very quickly. Prices are about the same as we'd pay in NJ/NY, so in my opinion, fair.

Typical boba chain. Will say the service here is relatively quick and the employees here are very kind. Price is a bit high ($7-8) but the sizes here are quite generous so maybe that makes up for it.

Happy Lemon is one of my favorite boba chains. I really like the flavor of their black/ classic milk tea. The boba is always the perfect texture and the lychee jelly is really yummy. I would definitely recommend lowering the sweetness percentage. As with pretty much all boba places in berkeley, it's pretty pricey at about $6 per drink. If you get a milk substitute it's an extra $1 which is a lot in my opinion. The actual shop is small and casual. Service was friendly :)

I had such a craving I hopped off my bart train just to satisfy it! Thankfully Happy Lemon closes at 9p during the week, I arrived just in time. D11 is my go to - Okinawa Sugar Fresh Milk with Boba ($5.75) with added Egg Pudding as a topping for an additional $0.50. Creamy, sweet, satisfying, addictive, amazing deliciousness! The menu is expansive and offers a variety of flavor combinations and toppings other boba locations couldn't fathom to include. I am looking forward to trying Ube w Taro Pudding, a combination I have had separately but never together. Looking forward to my next trip. You should venture to visit. Whether it's your first visit or had many before, go...enjoy...satisfy your craving!

I really enjoyed Happy Lemon. It's one of my favorite boba shops in Berkeley. I ordered their bestseller the Green Tea Salted Cheese with lychee jelly and my friends ordered another bestseller Milk Tea Salted Cheese with boba and Passionfruit Green Tea with boba. I got 75% sweetness for the Green Tea Salted Cheese drink but I wish I got 50% or lower. It wasn't overly sweet but I like lighter teas more. The salted cheese was perfect and paired so well. The Green Tea was really refreshing. The Milk Tea was heavier and still pretty good but I preferred the Green Tea more. The lychee jelly was good but boba was a bit undercooked. The Passionfruit Green Tea was also very refreshing but it was too sweet for me with 100% sugar. Overall very yummy. Nothing really stood out about the service, but there are a couple tables around and could be a nice study spot if you like to work with liveliness around you. I can't wait to try more drinks on the menu and the egg waffle!

This Happy Lemon location is in the downtown Berkeley area. It is more convenient if you are walking compared than driving here, parking was very hard to find. Since it is a busier area, it takes awhile to get your drinks/bubble waffles, but nothing too crazy. I ordered a mango green tea here and a variety of other boba drinks as well. The mango green tea was good, a bit on the sweeter side, but refreshing. I usually order a bubble waffle as well and I love the mochi texture.

Happy lemon makes me feel like a little happy lemon It's such a consistent boba place, you know that whatever you'll get will be good. I tried the boba milk tea and it was great!! The cream puff inside the drinks are pretty unique and make the drink light and fluffy. Also, I love the location! You can easily walk around and find somewhere to sit outside.

Happy Lemon is great but sometimes the workers here are kind of stand-of ish. Typically the tea is made pretty well though, their boba is pretty consistent as well

Excellent amazing customer service by Alesha!! She put a smile on my face and made my night!! When they didn't have the taro I had my heart set on she made excellent recommendations for an alternative that turned out way better than expected!! Feeling blessed! Keep shining Alesha!!

A great location and a Happy Franchise!! My favorite is Ice Tea and Lemonade. The Avocado smoothie is great unsweetened. Healthy choice.. I don't want my voice being recorded!!

The drinks are amazing! Happy Lemon is definitely my favorite boba place. The decor is nice and themed, and the staff are really nice!

Happy Lemon is the most consistent boba joint in the Bay period. If I'm ever craving milk tea or boba, Happy Lemon will always be my go to place. I was in the area for dinner and while I ordered milk tea there, it was a sad excuse for milk tea- expensive too. I sadly only took a few sips before I called it quits. Thus my milk tea craving went unsatisfied. Thankfully, there was a Happy Lemon nearby and I got my fix. I ordered 2 milk teas with salted cheese 25% sweet with regular ice and boba. The boba was perfectly soft and chewy and the balance of milk and tea was just magical. I don't like my drinks too sweet so 25% sweet was just right for me. I guess it's a good thing that there isn't a Happy Lemon near me otherwise I'd be 50 pounds heavier. But hey at least I'd be happy. If you are craving boba or milk teas, this is your place.

The salted cream is really tasty and properly compliments the boba. The wait was a bit long for my drink but the staff and drink where great

We've been going to happy lemon for years and have never had a negative experience except for this one located in Berkeley. I usually order a mango matcha or a Oreo milk tea with salted cheese and it usually comes out perfect. However, this time my order was completely made wrong. I wasn't upset about it, but simply asked the cashier AND manager if I can get it made correctly.. the simple answer was no and was instructed to buy another drink. Customer service was not up to par. Any restaurant, boba shop, or any food establishment for that matter would replace the mistake with no questions asked. Comes to show how much of a Penny pincher some places can be I guess? Moral of this review: If you go to this happy lemon, double/triple check your order and make sure it's correct because they will NOT be replacing it without having you pay for another one.

I've always gotten what I wanted here. But sizes are fairly small for the price, and special drinks are into one size.

Picture was taken back in 09/02/2021. Made a quick stop to grab a cold tea and some egg puffs. Delicious, fast and easy --

It was a hot day and I wanted smth non-milky and this dragon fruit yakult (yogurt) smoothie was calling my name! I haven't been to a Happy Lemon since China so...I kinda didn't realize how many non-lemon drinks they now offer. And good ones too! The best thing about this was the boba wasn't frozen or hard even though the smoothie was more like a slushie (very cold!) :D Will be back!

i love happy lemon! my favorite order is the matcha mango smoothie with boba. super refreshing and i haven't found anything similar anywhere else. the baristas are also super nice!

Tried twice for Bubble waffles at Berkeley outlet. First time was tasting sourish, I suspected the batter was old? Gave another chance and it was undercooked. I would not recommend to get them at Berkeley. Once bitten, twice bitten, aint gonna be fooled again. Get them from El cerrito which has been consistently yummy. Drinks? Pass.

Stopped here yesterday before my flight out of Oakland Airport and ventured away from my usual for once! I got the ube milk tea with puff cream and taro balls, and it was delicious! The taro balls were a little harder than I'm used to, but still really good. I don't think I normally see that at other happy lemons so I'm glad I tried it! The staff was nice and it wasn't too busy, although their restroom was out of service.

Very nice boba place! In comparison to most boba place in bay it is pretty nice! I will definitely try again.

Cheese foam? Yes, please!! No, it's not regular cheese foamed up which seems to disgust people at the immediate thought of it. It's a foamed version of cream cheese! It's my favorite trend right now and Happy Lemon does it justice. My second time to this Happy Lemon location. Semi-convenient since it's near the Berkeley campus on Shattuck. The first time I came, I ordered the oolong year with cheese foam and 50% added sugar. For some reason, it didn't taste that great. I think it was because I got it with the added sugar when the cheese foam already has sugar. This time around, I ordered the black tea with cheese foam and no sugar. It was perfect. And yes, for the most part it was drunk at a 45 degree angle as instructed. It's the way you'll get the tea and the cheese foam! The store is clean with multiple tables. After ordering, you'll receive a Happy Lemon token with a number on it. Once your number is called, go to the right side of the counter to pick it up. I'll definitely be back again when I head down this way.

Happy lemon is my happy place! Their drinks have never disappointed me out if the many times I have gone here. Most of their drinks with the salted cheese topping come out rich and creamy which I really like. Their tiramisu salted cheese topping is also quite rich and goes well with the black tea. I like that you can get puff cream as a topping here which adds a similar texture as the salted cheese but less rich. Adding that to any of the tea options won't disappoint. Their egg waffles are also made fresh for every order so it's warm and chewy right when you get it. For the millions of boba places in Berkeley I think happy lemon does it right with pricing, toppings, and quality of milk teas.

This bubble tea place is pretty modern (almost too modern) - drinks come out quick and the time it takes to make the drink shows up in real time on the board. The drinks are on the pricier side and can be a bit disappointing. Ive been here twice now and both times the drinks were sweeter than the 25% sugar I asked for. Additionally, they can skimp on the toppings, since I ordered tea with grass jelly and there was very little grass jelly to be found in my drink...

The boba is literally the best, its chewy and nice and the okiwnawa milk tea w boba is the best!!! The service is nice aswell, and the place looks aesthetically pleasing

Happy Lemon; the salted cheese haven of my existence. They've since opened a location that's closer to me, but that doesn't mean that I can't still come down here to get my Berkeley fix too. I've said it once and I'll say it again: Happy Lemon makes me a happy girl. And, boy was I excited when they finally started to expand into the East Bay. It was like salted cheesy dreams all over again. Yes I go cray for that salted cheese because it's so motha effin' DELICIOUS. A wonderful creation from GAWD, and I'm so glad that they're in my hood now. This location is so stinking cute! It's so colorful and bright. Located right smack dab in the heart of Downtown Berkeley where all of the college kids like to play. They have a TV screen that lets you track the progress of your drink preparation. They give you these cute little "happy lemons" with order numbers on them that you bring back when redeeming your drink. Free WiFi and friendly service! I can dig it. They've got a nice variety of drinks available from your standard milk teas, to lemon specialities, to fruit teas. I'm a big fan of their taro with fresh milk. They use real taro root which is a weakness for me. I didn't really care for the taro root when I started drinking this, but now it's become addicting. And that salted cheese... mm mm MMMM! Just slay my life. That. Salted. Cheese. Is. LIT! The perfect combination of sweet and savory and everything that you need in your life right now. It's so damn good. The kids who work here are always focused and always super nice. The location isn't the most accessible if you're coming by car, but it's just a few feet away from the Downtown Berkeley Bart line. Loving Happy Lemon's expansion into the East Bay! I'll be coming back for more of that salted cheesy goodness.

Its ok, i like the cream puff. I might need to buy other flavor next time maybe i might like it. I ordered A7 plus cream puff. Its not a good combination for my taste, but i do like the puff.

I love happy lemon, the one star is due to the following incident: Today we found a hair in the drink, please see the attached picture. Definitely not going to go anymore. Giving one star because I can not give zero stars.

Been here a few times and always enjoyed it. It seems like most places that serve bubble tea don't have seating, but this place has little round tables, perfect for a date. Maybe not a double date. Everything made promptly and to satisfaction.

I love Happy Lemon! My favorite drinks so far are the A4 Oolong Tea w/ Salted Cheese, A2 Black Tea w/ Salted Cheese, and D11 Okinawa Fresh Milk w/ Boba. Their salted cheese is really one of a kind. They're well known for their salted cheese so I highly recommend ordering a drink that has it. I'm sure you'll love it! I'm also obsessed with their bubble waffles, particularly the matcha flavor! It has got to be the best bubble waffle I have ever had. The matcha flavor was perfect, it wasn't too strong at all. They were also nice and chewy too! I loved it so much that I came back a few days later because I was craving it lol. The parking is obviously a bit hard because it is Berkley. I suggest ordering through the phone so you don't have to wait as long if you're in a rush. Overall, they have great drinks and bubble waffles. I'll be back very soon!

Quick Summary: - Inside is narrow - On summer days, inside is warm - Very good lemon drinks too - Different types of topping choices My first visit here and I'm going to have to put this up in my favorite places to have refreshing boba tea drinks with Asha Tea. It's rare to have a menu for lemon drinks, so that's an extra boost. It's a great drink during the summer warm days! We ordered two drinks: lemon yakult and the most popular black tea with the cheese cream. I have heard stories that the cheese cream here is the best or the first that created the topping, so I was curious to try what the best tasted like. I was pleased for sure. It had a nice balance of salt and cream, but the saltiness wasn't overpowering that it was the last thing I drank after finishing the tea. I requested the crystal boba instead of the usual boba because the staff told me that the boba is cooked in honey and it having a softer chewing texture than the crystal boba. Since it was my first time here, I ordered the sweetness to be the default to see if I like it as it is. Both drinks were very refreshing, and even though the cafe was slightly humid, it cooled up down within minutes. The lemon yakult slushie was good! On the first sip, I tasted like lemon, and then after finishing the sip, the yakult flavor crawls in. It's very nice! I really enjoyed the black tea cheese cream! The flavor was just right, the sweetness is perfect! After drinking these two drinks, there was no lingering sweetness at the back of the mouth, like some places, when the sweetness is strong. I will definitely going to return and try their other drinks.

Happy Lemon is honestly one of my favorite boba places. They're consistently good and reliable. The SC is the best and I drink these up so quickly! Anyways I'm changing my review to a 5 star because I went yesterday and tried a new drink. I usually don't delve away from my typical milk tea SC but I decided to get the matcha latte tiramisu and ended up not liking the drink at all. I went up and asked if I could change it (knowing that they could deny my request) and they were kind enough to make a new drink for me. I'm so happy they did that because I would've sat there and hated my matcha drink. Thank you Happy Lemon for your great customer service. For that reason along with the delicious drink (get the right one LOL), I'll be back of course.

Past weekly regulars- won't be coming back d/t recent changes in service. I asked for a carrying tray and the girl did not put the drink all the way (I'm assuming) as when I went to pick up the drink it tumbled out. I spent a few minutes cleaning it up (no offers to help clean, get a mop, or remake the drink). Despite enjoying the boba and spending hundreds of dollars there/taking lots of friends. Also today after spending a long time with a new cashier, I was called up twice to fix my order. I used a reward for one of our drinks and then afterwards called me up twice to pay .75 extra cents for soy (first saying nvm because I used a reward)... Also following up on past comments, they always - for the past year say the bathroom is out of order.

Came in 20 minutes before closing. I try to not be THAT person that comes minutes before closing and try to be courteous but I felt like 20 minutes shouldn't be that draining. The workers looked DRAINEDD lol you can tell they weren't happy that we came in. I get it, you're ready to go home, we're the annoying customers. They took someones order ahead of us and worked on their drinks. Didn't greet us, no "we will be with you," just ignored. I'm like okkkayy.. there goes a tip. Anyway, more groups of people came after us. I would usually feel bad, but I didn't anymore cause these workers didn't look like happy lemons, they looked like mad, angry lemons! Didn't see them greet anyone else, they're just dragging their feet at this point. Welcome to customer service and the food industry sweethearts. Don't even try or think to order waffles at night, they're gonna cut you off from ordering like how they did to us and say that they're out. Drinks were made at a reasonably time because obviously they're trying to hurry and go home. We ordered four drinks, and of course everyone's drink came out fine besides mine -.- Maybe because the drinks were made half-assed cause they were trying to rush? The worker yelled out our number all breathless. We tried encouraging him like you're almost done, and he's like ha...yeah....like make it more obvious you're wanting us to leave lmao I ordered a large honey green tea with cheese. The dude added lemon in it. They probably thought the "L" for large meant lemon. So my drink was gross. And of course I'm not gonna go back in and have them fix it cause they'll probably soak my drink in their tears LOL Don't expect a bathroom at night. It's "out of service." You already know they aren't gonna try to deal with that if they aren't gonna deal with making drinks near closing. Oh and parking sucks.

Always yummy always friendly staff it's just such a great place. Parking can be hard but it's worth it!