Restaurant Review #90: Volcano Tea, Sawtelle, West LA

Volcano Tea can be a bit hit or miss, but it's still my second favorite boba shop, after Upper House, and in fact, sometimes I prefer it to Upper House, either because it's actually open, because it's not as sweet, or because the drinks are a normal size. Volcano tea is pretty cheap, at about $3.00-3.50 per drink, after adding boba, and offers the usual wide variety of flavors and consistencies (smoothie, milk tea, etc). I almost always get a honeydew smoothie, though I occasionally gravitate towards plum or taro, and all are quite good, depending on what you're in the mood for.

It seems to be more popular than Upper House, perhaps because of its close proximity to many restaurants, which makes it an easy dessert stop, or perhaps because the valet makes it easier to park here than in the shopping center across the street, which might send you to the underground garage.

My only complaint about Volcano Tea is that sometimes the boba isn't fresh enough, meaning that it's a bit dried out and cakey in the middle. Upper House, by contrast, never fails in delivering warm, moist, and gooey pearls. What is their secret?

Like most similar places, with the notable exception of Tapioca Express, Volcano Tea has no atmosphere and is noisy, both because of the often boisterous clientele and because of the constant blender grumbling and whirring.



Volcano Tea
2111 Sawtelle
Los Angeles, CA 90064
310.445.5326