A Taiwanese Boba and Tea House Lights Up Kearny Mesa
Array of boba drinks.
A new boba shop that’s gaining buzz for its tasty milk and fruit teas has landed in San Diego. Twinkle Boba & Tea Lounge centers its menu around ingredients imported from Taiwan, from the tea to the brown sugar used to sweeten its drinks. The recently arrived Convoy District location is the brand’s first in San Diego, with three outposts already established in the LA-area cities of Pasadena, Cerritos, and Alhambra.
Standouts from Twinkle Boba’s lineup of milk teas, matcha, fruit teas, smoothies, and cheese foam-topped drinks including the Golden Nova (jasmine green tea, lychee syrup, pineapple, lemon, lime, orange), Cosmic Dream (butterfly pea tea, lemonade, mango cubes), and brown sugar crème brulee latte. Snacks, such as egg puff waffles, fried tofu, and French fries, are also on the way.
Interior space.
Owners and longtime friends Sam Duong and Kristy Le brought Twinkle Boba to Kearny Mesa after trying the Taiwanese franchise in Los Angeles. “We’ve been drinking boba for at least 20 years, getting together every weekend at different boba shops just to hang out,” Duong tells Eater. The duo is currently offering discounts on its products to members of Cars N Anime, a San Diego-based collective dedicated to motorsports and anime.
Interior space.
In the future, Duong and Le tell Eater that they’re hoping to open additional Twinkle Boba outposts in Chula Vista, Grossmont Center, and Rancho San Diego.