i-Tea Honey Brown Rice Milk Tea with Basil Seeds and Agar Boba: From Taiwan, this bubble tea chain has all the signs of an authentic Taiwanese tea shop: its menu is ridiculously long; you can customize sweetness, ice, and toppings; it's cash only; there's absolutely no place to sit and chat (you purchase your drink and enjoy it elsewhere); and while there are lines out the door, service is fast. Drinks only come in one (large) size but are very reasonably priced. I ordered their honey brown rice milk tea at 30% sweetness, and the drink was one of the b... (read more) 4.5/5.0
exceptional drink boba itea honey brown rice milk tea basil seeds agar 4.5 bubbletea
Mr Bartley's Black and White Malted Milkshake: For my last official snack in Cambridge, I had to get one of Bartley's famous malted "frappes" (milkshakes). Over the 9 years I've lived in Cambridge, I've had their milkshake a few times, spaced several years apart. One of my earliest memories is going on a trip with a few members of my undergraduate dorm, walking from MIT to Harvard Square just to get milkshakes to go. Their legendary shakes are thick (and stay that way, due to the incorporation of soft serve instead of ice cream), and ... (read more) 4.5/5.0
drinks cambridge harvardsquare exceptional mrbartleys black white malted milkshake 4.5
The Juice Collective Homemade ginger soda: The Juice Collective is a shop in Berkeley that serves meals and drinks to go out of a narrow kitchen. I stopped by on a whim to check out their offerings and had to try their ginger soda given how much I love ginger drinks. The soda is thirst quenching and very well balanced, with an ideal level of sweetness (honey) and a bit of citrus (lemon). After taking a sip, the spicy ginger heat leaves an incredibly invigorating tingle in your throat for minutes. I don't think I've ever had a gin... (read more) 4.5/5.0
exceptional thejuicecollective homemade ginger soda 4.5
Fresco Gelateria Lemon Basil and Strawberry Gelato: Located in the East Village, this small shop has an impressive mountainous range of gelato on display, each labeled with Scrabble tiles. They serve some of the best gelato the city has to offer. The lemon basil was equal parts sharp and herbaceous, and the strawberry flavor had excellent texture. Just the right amount of sweetness too. Highly recommended. 4.5/5.0
exceptional frescogelateria lemon basil strawberry gelato 4.5
Berkeley Bowl wasabi snack mix: An incredible value, at a little over $4 for 1 lb, this bulk rice cracker mix has all of the classics: unforgivably spicy wasabi peas, varied shaped (stars, squares, and more) crunchy glazed rice crackers, and nori-covered pieces. I do wish there was a sweet cracker thrown into the mix, but really, there is little to find fault with. 4.0/5.0
berkeleybowl wasabi ricecrackers asian exceptional 4.5 snack mix 4.0
Asha Tea House strawberry black tea with grass jelly: A small tea shop with locations in Berkeley and Sam Francisco, Asha offers several milk and fruit tea options. I was thoroughly impressed with the strawberry tea I ordered, which contained real crushed strawberries. The strawberry seeds added great texture, and the grass jelly complemented the herbal black tea. While the strawberry "purée" was on the sweet side, the rest of the drink appeared to be unsweetened. Highly recommended. 4.5/5.0
ashatea sanfrancisco blacktea strawberry drinks 4.5 exceptional grassjelly ashateahouse black tea grass jelly