Milk Box: A Restaurant Review

March 21, 2017

The Jasmine milk tea with boba order at Milk Box (Katherine Nguyen).

By KATHERINE NGUYEN
Staff Writer
I would normally start out this review by stating that I’m reviewing the newest boba milk tea shop to pop up, but I already know what you’re thinking: another one?
Trust me, I know Irvine has its fair share (meaning probably too many) of boba stores, but this one is necessary. As a self-proclaimed elite boba connoisseur, I promise you this is well worth it.
So what is it, exactly? Milk Box is your standard milk tea shop, except it’s served with “real ingredients.” It’s considered a healthier option seeing as it has “real milk, real tea [and] real sugar.”
Located in The District’s Union Market, the store is placed in a small corner beside The Dirty Cookie and across from the Central Bar. The shop in itself is quite small with no customer seating – there’s only enough room for the cashier and a transparent counter bar for employees to make the drinks. If you want to find a place to relax and talk with friends, you must venture out into the market or find seating outside.
The store has a very clean, modern aesthetic to it – the color scheme remains black and white with splashes of silver and wooden objects. If you look around, you’ll see greenery all over their shelves to add a little life.
Their menu is split into three sections: organic milk tea for $4.50, creative items ranging from $5 to $23, and iced tea ranging from $4 to $4.50. There are four add ons available (boba, chia, mustache cream and activated charcoal) for $0.50 each.
Each drink’s’ sweetness levels can be adjusted to your liking, and you can also have your drink served hot if you wish.
Since Yelp recommended I stick to their organic milk teas, I opted for the most generally basic drink order: Jasmine milk tea with boba. (Side note: they allow you to have samples, so I say just go ham and choose what you love.)
I went on a Sunday afternoon, so I wasn’t surprised seeing the long line outside the door. My drink was ready roughly 15 minutes after I ordered it, and with it I received an apology for the long wait.
I’ve been consuming boba since I was a young, young child, and I must say that I really did fall in love with their drinks. The tapioca boba pearls themselves were too sweet to my liking, but they definitely complement the tea, which wasn’t too sweet.
My overall reaction? It’s great. I decided to go as a recommendation from my friend, who is a very picky eater herself, so I was already expecting great things.
Definitely go check Milk Box out if you haven’t already – I’m already making plans to go there again!

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