Camellia Rd Tea Bar

8199 Clairemont Mesa Blvd, San Diego, CA

★★★★★4.7(388 Google reviews)

Crema's Take

This San Diego institution has earned fierce loyalty through uncompromising attention to tea quality and boba texture—reviewers consistently praise how their drinks taste like actual tea rather than sweetened milk, with perfectly chewy boba that keeps customers returning weekly for years. Beyond the core milk tea excellence, their rotating monthly specials and creative signature drinks (including matcha offerings) give regulars reason to keep coming back, while the straightforward quick-grab format makes it easy to become a devoted regular. The warm consistency and genuine care in sourcing shows in every sip, making this feel less like a trendy boba chain and more like a neighborhood gem that's earned its stellar reputation the right way.

What to expect

Quick grabSignature drinksTraditional drinksMatcha & teaSpecialty drinks

Google Reviews

Lois
★★★★★5 months ago

My favorite boba shop in San Diego forever and ever and ever and ever and. High-quality teas; boba itself is chewy, warm, and amazing; variety of milk options. Love their frescas monthly specials. Service is always great. What more could you ask for?

Vincent Mejia
★★★★★5 months ago

Probably the best boba in San Diego. The boba texture is perfect and the right level of sweetness for me. The teas taste like actual tea, not like the sugary milk products at other places. I've purchased the bags of tea also and brew it at home. Highly recommend for tea drinkers and boba affictionados.

Sammi
★★★★★5 months ago

My friends and I drink a LOT of milk tea – we always go back to Camellia Rd. The quality of the tea and boba is unrivaled – both in San Diego and the Bay (where I live now). I’ll always try their seasonal flavor, and my go-to order is usually the camellia blend or matcha milk tea. Staff are always so nice, and the shop is really fun to sit in with the quirky decor and artwork. Nice to have outdoor tables, too. Always look forward to my next SD trip so I can carve out time to make a pit stop (or two or three) at Camellia.

Z Siddall
★★★★★9 months ago

I’ve been coming to Camellia Rd 1-2x per week for the last 6+ years. They have the best teas and best boba that I have ever had. When they were closed during COVID, this was truly the #1 thing I was looking forward to opening again. Beyond that, the shop is an amazing place to meet people. My best friend and I used to meet every Wednesday to relax, grab a boba, and chat. The staff is AMAZING. So kind and welcoming. You can tell that the owners and whoever is involved in making the monthly specials are really passionate. I could not recommend Camellia Rd more highly.

Arthur T
★★★★★a year ago

Stopped by here back in April'24. We stopped by after lunch looking to try some San Diego boba. 3 of us ordered different drinks and no one really seemed to enjoy it. I ended up tossing mine after a few sips... Parking is difficult in the area. Ambiance inside is nice, but the drinks were a miss for all of us.

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