Boba Guys

About Boba Guys

Boba Guys is a milk tea company that grew out of San Francisco and now runs shops around the Bay Area, in Los Angeles and in New York. Its Palo Alto shop is in Suite 120 at Town & Country Village, the shopping center on El Camino Real across from Stanford. It is one of eleven Bay Area shops on the company's location list, alongside stores in San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Los Altos, San Carlos, San Ramon and Brisbane.

The founders, Andrew Chau and Bin Chen, met while working at the bag company Timbuk2. They bonded over lunch runs to a boba shop in the Mission District, which later closed. With no shop to go to, they taught themselves to make milk tea. About two months later they ran a pop-up at Ken Ken Ramen. Their own telling is frank: they had no business plan and no customer base. In the summer of 2013 they decided to open a store. They say they started Boba Guys to share the milk tea they remembered from childhood and want to change the way people think about boba and tea.

Ingredients and approach

The company's main selling point is what goes into the cup. Boba Guys says it uses organic milk from Straus Family Creamery and brews organic heirloom tea from Five Mountains in house. Syrups and almond jelly are homemade. The boba balls are described as Grade A. The goal, in the founders' words, was to make drinks with fresh ingredients instead of the powdered mixes common at many tea shops. They also say they wanted to open up the boba process so customers could see how the drinks are made. That focus on sourcing, more than any single drink, is what the company highlights most when it describes itself.

What is on the menu

The menu is built in a few groups. A build-your-own section lets you choose a tea base such as classic black, jasmine green, decaf black, rose black, Tie Guan Yin oolong or hibiscus mint. Matcha and hojicha drinks include a matcha latte, a hojicha latte and a strawberry matcha latte. Specialty drinks cover Hong Kong milk tea, Thai tea, an ube latte, Strawberry Fields, horchata and Korean banana milk.

For something lighter, the fruit frescas include strawberry jasmine, lychee oolong and berry hibiscus. Coffee drinkers get a shaken cold brew, a latte, an espresso milk tea and "dirty" versions of the horchata and banana milk with a shot added. The company notes that the menu can vary by location, so the Palo Alto lineup may differ a little from what is online.

Dietary notes

Several drinks are dairy-free as listed. The horchata uses rice milk with a splash of almond milk, the Korean banana milk uses oat milk and the ube latte uses coconut milk. Lattes and some specialty drinks come with your choice of milk. If you want to skip caffeine, the decaf black tea and the hibiscus drinks are good places to look. Boba Guys posts an allergen page on its website for anyone with a food allergy.

Ordering and perks

You can order at the counter or use the order-ahead link on the Boba Guys website. The company runs a loyalty program called Passport and offers catering for events. Gift cards are listed as in-store only. The Palo Alto shop's posted hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday, so it closes earlier on Sundays.

Tips for visiting

Town & Country Village has its own parking lot, which makes a quick stop easy. You can also pair a drink with a meal at the center. Nearby choices in our directory include Boichik Bagels for breakfast and Howie's Artisan Pizza for lunch or dinner. Our Town & Country Village guide lists the other shops and restaurants there. For more drinks around town, including matcha and boba, see our coffee guide. If you are spending the day at Stanford, our visiting Stanford guide covers the campus across the street.

Location and getting there

Boba Guys is at 855 El Camino Real, Suite 120, Palo Alto, CA 94301, in the Town & Country Village area of Palo Alto. Our Town & Country Village guide covers what else is around.

The nearest train stop is the Palo Alto Caltrain station, about 0.5 miles away. That is roughly a 12 minute walk.

Parking: the center's own free surface lots.

Hours

Hours from the business's own website, checked October 29, 2026.

What is nearby

• CVS Pharmacy El Camino Real, practice, under 0.1 mi
• The Penny Ice Creamery, bakery or dessert shop, under 0.1 mi
• Sweet 55, bakery or dessert shop, under 0.1 mi
• Tennis Town & Country, studio or gym, under 0.1 mi
• Boichik Bagels, quick-service spot, under 0.1 mi
• Town & Country Village, under 0.1 mi
• Stanford Stadium, 0.3 mi
• Palo Alto History Museum, 0.4 mi

Other cafes and coffee shops nearby: Peet's Coffee Town & Country Village (under 0.1 mi); Peet's Coffee Homer Avenue (0.2 mi); Philz Coffee (0.3 mi); Joe & The Juice Hamilton Avenue (0.4 mi). Browse the full cafes and coffee shops list.

Before you go

• Weekday mornings bring a rush of commuters and students, so expect a line between about 8 and 9:30 a.m.
• Some cafes limit laptop use at busy times or have few outlets. Ask before settling in for a long work session.
• Hours often change with the school calendar and holidays. Check the cafe's site or map listing before a special trip.

About this listing

Checked October 29, 2026 against Boba Guys Bay Area locations; Boba Guys story; Boba Guys menu. How our listings work. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

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