At some point in the last decade, Irving Street stopped being a street that had boba shops on it, and became a boba street that also has other things.
There are at least six dedicated boba and tea shops between 5th Avenue and 23rd Avenue. That's not counting the restaurants that also serve boba, or the dessert cafes on the cross streets that pour it alongside crepe cakes. It's a density that doesn't exist anywhere else in San Francisco, not on Clement, not on Taraval, not on Noriega. Irving is the one.
Here's what you'll find if you walk it.
Momo Tea
549 Irving St.
Momo Tea took over the old Third Culture Bakery space and turned it aggressively pink. The aesthetic is straight out of the Chinese premium tea wave that produced Chagee and Molly Tea: minimalist interiors, beautiful cup designs, whipped cream with pecans on top. Their menu splits evenly between leaf-based and fruit-based teas, and the floral options are the ones to get. The narcissus oolong and the gardenia milk tea taste like actual flowers without veering into perfume territory. They don't carry regular boba, only crystal boba and aloe, which will either delight or enrage you depending on your loyalties. Cash gets you 10 percent off.
Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea
645 Irving St.
Yi Fang is a global chain with a legitimately good origin story. The founder's grandmother developed their signature fruit tea recipe using homemade pineapple jam from the family's plantation in Taiwan, and the company still uses natural ingredients and house-made cane sugar. This particular location sits in the space that used to be Mi-Tea, which closed after a few quiet years. The pineapple history is displayed on the walls if you're waiting for your order, and the citrus drinks are where they shine. The Mango Pomelo Sago and the Aiyu Jelly Lemon Green Tea are both good, balanced, and not too sweet. It's a chain, yes. But it's a chain that takes the sourcing seriously.
Tpumps
1916 Irving St.
Tpumps is the one everyone knows. It's been on Irving for close to a decade and still draws a line, especially on Tuesdays, when they offer a free upgrade from a regular cup to a large. (Go at 3 p.m. on a Tuesday and you will be surrounded by high schoolers. You have been warned.)
The whole operation is built around customization: pick a tea base, add milk or don't, choose up to three flavors from a massive syrup wall, and top it off with their house honey boba, which is made fresh daily. The drinks tend to run sweet, so regulars will tell you to order light or no sugar. If you've never been, start with a fruit tea combo and work your way toward the milk teas. It's fast, it's loud, and it's the closest thing Irving Street has to a boba institution.
Wonderful Dessert & Cafe
2035 Irving St.
Wonderful Dessert & Cafe has been called San Francisco's "OG" boba joint, and the vibe backs that up. It looks like a candy store because it partially is one: the shelves are stacked with Asian dried snacks, preserved fruits, and chocolate-covered gummy bears. The boba is almost secondary to the atmosphere.
They use real taro instead of the artificial purple powder that most shops default to, and the portions are generous. It's also the cheapest boba on the strip. The space recently got a remodel, but the staff is the same, the classics are the same, and the popcorn chicken is still worth ordering alongside your drink. They've added card payments, but for years this was cash only, and regulars still talk about it like it's a personality trait.
Quickly
2116 Irving St.
Quickly is the late-night option. We researched it as open until midnight, seven days a week—although always check that—and it has a menu the size of a short novel. It's a Taiwanese chain that's been around since the '90s, and the Irving Street location has been a fixture for years.
The menu includes items like "flirty milk" (a Nutella milkshake, basically) and popcorn chicken bowls alongside the standard boba lineup. The teas can be hit or miss and lean sweet, but the sheer variety means there's something for everyone. Um I've been hitting this one for years actually, and the drink sizes are fairly insane. Get a jasmine milk tea that will certainly put you near a diabetic coma.
i-Tea
2150 Irving St.
i-Tea sits at the western end of the boba strip in the space that used to be Teaway, the self-serve boba shop that was one of Irving's originals. The concept is more polished: premium loose-leaf teas brewed in-store, a deep menu of milk teas and fruit teas, and prices that are noticeably lower than most of the competition.
I'm going to get a little bitchy here and say I seldom liked this place. One year an employee came out to quite angrily yell at me for how I parked my car. I went full Karen and reviewed them on Yelp, which of course they disputed. I'd been back in subsequent trips only to find they'd crammed the tiny space with supplies and trash bins. Is the tea ok though? Sure.
Honorable Mentions
You don't have to stay on Irving to keep the crawl going. Little Sweet at 1253 9th Ave is a multi-location chain that pairs boba with egg puff waffles, fried chicken wings, and, at some locations, karaoke rooms. The Inner Sunset outpost is the one closest to the Irving corridor, and it's open until 10 p.m. Just around the corner, Sweet Glory at 1336 9th Ave is more of a dessert cafe than a boba shop, with elaborate crepe cakes and pastries alongside their tea drinks. The salted egg yolk latte alone is worth the detour.
Bonus Points
Holy Crepe at 715 Irving opened in spring 2025 and does sweet and savory crepes with Mitchell's ice cream, plus boba drinks on the side. The Thai tea crepe, which comes with Biscoff crumbles, warm brown sugar boba, and Thai tea ice cream, is a notable one. (UPDATE: We've heard from a reader that the "Thai Tea Lava" crepe does not appear on Holy Crepe's online menu. It is still listed on Postmates, though.)
Oh Dessert Cafe at 1919 Irving is an evening-only Korean dessert spot that serves bingsoo, mille crepe cakes, soufflé pancakes, and honey toast in a dim, date-night setting. They pour milk tea, cheese tea, and matcha lattes alongside the sweets. The boba here is a supporting player, not the star, but the Mango Bingsoo comes with lychee popping boba at the bottom and it works. Doors open at 6 p.m. on weekdays, 4 p.m. on weekends. Yelp reports they're now closed on Mondays.
Yoma Cafe at 1518 Irving is technically a Japanese bento and sushi spot, but the boba menu is real and the brown sugar milk tea is a popular combo with the chicken katsu sandwich. The whole operation is run by a guy everyone calls Yo-yo, who works the counter, knows his regulars by name, and sends out free miso soup while you wait. It's the only place on this list where you can get a teriyaki salmon bento and a taro milk tea in the same order.
Did I miss one? Please scrawl an angry email, you know I love those! 😂
Saul Sugarman is editor-in-chief and owner of The Bold Italic.
The Bold Italic is a not-for-profit media organization, and we publish first-person perspectives based in San Francisco and the Bay Area. We operate under a fiscal sponsorship of a 501(c)(3). You can become a paid subscriber. Or donate. Or Learn more about us.
A big thank you
Today we received a $2,000 donation from one of our readers, Rebecca. I have not sought permission to name our donors in full, so I will simply list them by first name here. Thank you for supporting this work. I will continue to produce TBI content and fundraise from my home in Forest Hill — quite happily. Thank you to:
- Jacob
- Bunnie
- Kerry
- Tiffany
- Elizabeth
- Susan
- Mike
- Tamaron
- James
- David
- Aimee
- Rishi
- Devin
- Brittany
- Wesley
- Nisa
- Moira
- Andrea
- Daniel
- Maria
- Aaron
- Denise
- Rachel
- Kristan
- Lila
- David
- Deborah
- Jennifer
- Jennifer (a second one)
- Jason
- Patricia
- Liv
- Jay
- Madeline
- Brandee
- Karen
- Paula
- Tony
- Scotty
- Kelly
- Gabriel
- Rob
Did I miss anyone? Let me know; I want to thank you publicly. I combed through new subscribers, Mazlo, and Venmo payments.
You may have missed
Saul Sugarman
Now at the Ritz Carlton, the Community Music Center gala intimidated me enough to park my Subaru down the street instead of using the valet. I was fresh off Brides of March that day and in my white couture ballgown; always a fun way to walk past rows of children singing choral tunes.
