After school, when North’s campus is quiet and less populated, it is common to see groups of friends gathered around tables discussing and enjoying a meal. Usually, the food originates from places like Wingstop, Little Caesars, or Jack in the Box, all conveniently located in Town Square. Other students that aren’t as hungry instead opt for a nice refreshing drink, before or after sports practice.

  The Taiwanese drink commonly known as boba has been the recent spotlight of social media aesthetic foods. Accordingly, new boba establishments have emerged in areas in Riverside where younger generations reside: next to UCR and John W. North. Thus, a couple of students from North were asked to recommend the ideal after school boba shop that would take into account taste and cost.

Junior Ellen Myung recommends R&B Tea Riverside located on 1889 University Ave. According to Google Maps, it’s roughly one 18-minute mile walk from North. Her go-to order at R&B is a mango Stormy; she also recommends the mango and passionfruit Yakult.

Myung expresses her opinion on the recent appreciation of boba drinks, “I think boba gained popularity due to the freshness of the drink, [like] the experience of drinking it. Also because it’s new to a lot of people, a lot of people are interested in trying it for the first time. Also due to the plethora of options that you have, when you go to any place, there’s going to be something that can fit the tastes of anyone in comparison to, like, a coffee shop.”

Junior Grace Ingram recommends Krak Boba (3907 Chicago Ave, 17 min. walk) and Tim Boba (1450 University Ave, 16 min. walk.) Her go-to order is the King Creme Brulee drink. Ingram credits boba features on TikTok and social media for piquing people’s interest and introducing new drinks to people who aren’t familiar with the Taiwanese drink.

Although Starbucks has been an integral part of teenage culture, students are excited to find new drinks to try instead of a Caramel Frappuccino or a Pink Drink. The popularity of Boba has created a whole new fandom and it is common to see a Boba Cafe vlog or Boba themed plushies and pins.