Have you ever wondered what beverages from small cafes and boba shops in Santa Ana are worth your money? Taking a look at their menus may overwhelm you with all of their choices. However, I will review a few shops to let you know which drinks you’ll enjoy without spending too much money.
The taste of the beverage is one of the most important aspects when reviewing a place, but it is also good to note the experience and seating when choosing places you want to spend your money on.
The first place I tried out was Wushiland Boba, located on Bristol Street. Their standard cups are 24 ounces, so you obtain a significant amount of the drink for a pretty good price. There are various selections for toppings, including sorbet, ice cream, jellies and boba, as well as lots of different flavors for the drinks themselves. Their menu has symbols to represent non-caffeine, dairy-free, hot, and cold options, and you can adjust the sweetness level and ice level.
However, this store is cashless, so you would need to pay with a debit card or use the tap to pay feature on your phone. This cafe is also more of a to-go style place with not much seating or areas to study.
Here, I bought a Roasted Oolong Milk Tea with oat milk and tapioca boba for $6.92. In my opinion, the flavor is very creamy and not too sweet. The milk tea itself had a strong yet subtly sweet flavor. The tapioca pearls were not super sweet and had a good chew to them. I would rate this place an 8/10 overall for the taste, experience, and price.
The second place I visited was Enchanted Coffee on 17th Street. Once you step in, there is a very nice interior with cozy vibes for studying as well as free Wi-Fi and charging outlets. The menu is easy to read with the simple style it was written in; it is categorized by espresso, teas and other types of drinks, with descriptions of what’s in each drink.
I ordered a hot vanilla latte with soy milk (half decaf, half sweet) for $6.75. The latte wasn’t piping hot when I took the first sip, which was a nice touch. The steaming technique the workers used added a really nice frothy texture to the milk. The flavor of the espresso was strong with a smooth texture, seamlessly incorporating itself with the milk.
Although the flavor was pretty nice, it didn’t have a strong vanilla taste and tasted a bit artificial. I know places that are a bit cheaper, even with modifications added to the drink. Additionally, the size was okay; the cup didn’t seem very big compared to other places I’ve gone to as well. Overall, I would give this place a 7/10 for the coffee, price, and experience.
The third place I tried was Summerfield Tea Bar, located on 1st Street. Inside, they have a lot of seating, outlets, and free Wi-Fi. Their menu is very easy to read and has a small guide to what is caffeine-free, contains dairy, etc. There is also a kiosk you can use to order if you don’t want to order at the register. If you are curious about certain drinks, they offer small samples for you to try out. You can adjust the sweetness and ice levels for the drinks. They are combos of one drink and a munchie for $13, so you can save a couple of bucks if you get hungry.
From here, I ordered a Rainbow Snow for $7. This drink is made with non-dairy creamer, strawberry, peach, mango, and rainbow jelly. This drink itself had an amazing texture, and it was very delicious; the jelly was sweet, but not too sweet. I would say it was a pretty good size of 23 ounces. However, these drinks and munchies are a bit on the pricey side. This place gets very crowded as well, more towards the evenings and weekends, since it’s well-known for its drinks and study spaces. Overall, I would rate it a 9/10 and would recommend it if you want to grab a drink during a long study session.
The last place I visited was La Milpa Cafe on Walnut Street. This is a small, outdoor Latina-owned coffee shop surrounded by small gardens that serves coffee, matcha, teas, and pastries. They also offer a selection of plants, including flowers and cactuses, as well as a small pantry area with teas, baking ingredients and herbs. They have a seating area composed of large picnic tables as well as small, two-seat tables.
The area it is located in is nice and quiet, which is great for studying, especially since they have free WiFi as well. Their menu is simple and cute, showing which drinks come hot, cold, or both. Their small drinks are 12 ounces, while their large drinks are 16 ounces.
At this coffee shop, I ordered a small Fresas Con Crema Matcha with oat milk for $6.50 and a croissant for $3. The matcha has strawberry puree at the bottom, matcha and a crema-flavored cold foam on top with red and pink sprinkles. The puree itself was delicious, sweetening the flavor of the matcha when mixed in. The matcha was not super sweet nor too grassy either. The cold foam tied it together, making it taste like I was eating fresas con crema.
The croissant itself wasn’t too buttery or too flaky. It was a nice touch in addition to the matcha. Overall, I would rate this place a 9/10 as well. I would recommend this place if you want a quiet, outdoors study area with nostalgic Mexican drinks.
All of these places had many positives and very few negatives to them. Their drinks are delicious, and they have good spots to study. Out of all of these places, my favorite was La Milpa with their Fresas con Crema Matcha. Overall, these places are nice to spend a couple of bucks for a sweet treat and a drink, whether you go by yourself or with friends.
