Momoko

Love this place!!!
If you haven’t checked it out I would advise you to do so for the delicious tea and GIANT rice balls! It also doubles as a mini gift shop and there’s a bunch of random things to check out. Although it may be on the pricier end, there are days I crave the blue lavender tea and their rice balls.
Side note: The owner is actually moving back to Taiwan soon and momoko will be closing on April 28^th!

Rice ball with salmon and avocado (medium spicy) was great! It was totally Texas (fist) sized with creamy avocado and fatty salmon. definitely a must try if you haven’t had dinner yet.
the boba however was way too sweet, all 3 of our drinks were unbearably sweet and we finished a quarter each and dumped them unfortunately

I used to get Momoko’s boba tea for years because it was the closest boba place to my apartment. I loved it for so long until I tried boba at from other places and realized that the tea/​boba/​jellies are not good quality here. The drinks come in a styrofoam cup which kind of hides the fact that most of the cup is filled with ice. The boba and jellies are also pretty soft so they don’t taste that great. The worst part about this place is that the drinks are expensive for what you get and the wait is terribly long for a tea place. The workers and owner are very nice though! I would only recommend this place if you live in west campus and really want boba tea.

GREAT RICEBALLS and bubble tea but sadly they will be closing for good April 28,2016. Will be so sad to see them go

My husband brought me here when we first started dating all the way from Houston. I love this quaint store, ran by the same little Japanese woman for years. I’m sad to say that Momoko will be closing April 28^th, 2016 for good. I will have to find massive onigiri elsewhere, much to my dislike! I believe in loyalty and will be coming often until they finally close their doors.

Awesome little hidden away place! Best bubble teas and cute gift shop ever! All kinds of cute asian things in this store! I got the flower tea and omg it was amazing!!! Sadly this cute place is closing down in April because the owner is moving to Taiwan!

Momoko and I have a long relationship. Like really long. I’ve been going to Momoko for over a decade now, and it’s hard to write this review. I LOVE bubble tea. I drink less of it nowadays than my younger years, but I still love the stuff. I have all but stopped going to Momoko, except for maybe once a year or so.
As some other reviewers have mentioned, there are a lot of annoying ‘quirks’ about this business that take it from the 5 star experience it could be, so the 2 stars I am giving it. Really, if I could give it 2.5 stars I would.
Hands down, flavor wise… best bubble tea around. Great hand crafted, artisinal style teas. Fresh brewed tea with unique flavors.
However, the service is SO spotty. Parking is a pain. There are a lot of ‘impolite’ signs in the store, AND on top of it, your $ 5 bubble tea is 75% ice. They even have a sign saying ‘Less Ice does not equal more tea’. I mean if you are charging me $ 5 for tea (cheapest beverage around), ease up on the ice if I ask. I can get a 12oz beer for that price (with no ice). I understand that they are near campus and have to deal with college kids all day long, but sheesh, insulting the consumer is definitely not the way to earn more business. And no taking photos? In today’s day of Instagram etc, that’s really missing the mark.
It really does hurt me to write this review, because it was SO great for quite a long time, but, alas, no longer.
I’ve thought a lot about how this place stays in business, and I think it’s because there’s always new blood coming in from campus.
There’s enough healthy competition around town these days to give Momoko a run for it’s money. Go somewhere where the owners value their customers!

Wow, it really did take me a long time (~4 years) to review this place. On paper, everyone is completely right on the fact that you’re spending a lot of money for the substance you get. My go-​to order is the Grilled Eel, Avocado, and Krab rice ball. The reality is that the size is good, but the interior is 75% avocado and 25% eel and krab. The wait for the food doesn’t help either. In a nearly empty café, the time from your order to receiving one rice ball usually takes around 10 – 15 minutes. If there’s a group of people ahead of you, prepare yourself and get comfortable. If the little trinkets in the shop wasn’t so entertaining, the wait would be near unbearable. At least there’s the option to order ahead of time by phone and pick it up later.
That being said, the flavors from the rice, seaweed, and filling is actually really good, and that’s what makes me come back again and again. It’s a great snack and relatively more healthy than other meals that you could get for $ 5. I’m actually a fan of this place.
I fear for this place’s survival. I want them to succeed, but as long as they continue being stingy with their ingredients, their clock is ticking. As a college student living in West Campus, I would make my way down here sometimes. Once I left, making the drive here needs more motivation.

Not great. The salmon was off color and I got literally four tapioca pearls in my drink. Too pricey for the quality.

I love love LOVE momokos rice balls. I have never found anything else remotely close. If I’d ever had a sushiritto, I would probably compare the two, but I’ve never had one, so the rice balls at momokos are my version of heaven for now.
Where else do you find rice balls made with raw fish?!? And avocado?!? I’ve only found rice balls with cooked salmon or dried meats elsewhere, which never failed to disappoint me. Something about the sauce and spices in the balls just sets it apart, it’s not the same as eating sushi.
I would definitely be 50% less excited about my lunch break without momokos.
My favorite is the R34 — salmon, tuna and avocado. :) can’t go wrong. The balls have gotten bigger, so they’re pretty filling for $ 5.50.

I was introduced to this place about 4 years ago. It had been near and dear to my heart ever since. I like to visit to look at the many gift items they have for sale and order my all time favorite taro root milk tea. I always get the tapioca pearls, if you haven’t tried them you should. The milk tea can be ordered to your preferred sweetness. Keep in mind there is only one size so you won’t be about to super size your drink order.
They now have rice balls filled with various items such as eel,“krab”, avocado, cucumber and many others.
Normally this place is staffed with one person, sometimes two during peak times. So only visit when you have a bit of time to wait. The park can be pretty tough here. So if your in walking distance I suggest you walk. I was lucky today and got a parking stop right up front. I assume this is where all the college kids go but don’t let that detour you, this place is worth it.

I have a lot of fond memories associated with this place, and the drinks have never disappointed. If you like floral teas, I recommend the lavender and rose milk tea! While the milk tea is kind of thick, it doesn’t taste powdery and once the ice melts, it dilutes it enough. The boba is decent, better and fresher than Taphouse’s. The lady who works the cashier is sweet and always asks to make sure how sweet you want your drink. It’s a small nice place to stop by for quiet conversations or after you get sushi next door at Sushi Niichi!

I really want to like this place but I just can’t. Don’t come here for boba tea. Please just don’t. I ordered one of the specials and the boba tea tasted like old (bad!) coffee and expired jellied fruits. I can’t believe I paid $ 12 for two drinks. My nihon lovin’ ass could’ve gotten a bowl of ramen at Michi for that price.

I’m generally not a very picky eater, but Momoko’s food is pretty disappointing. Sure, their menu has a wide selection of rice balls and drinks and their shop is decked out in cute Japanese merchandise, but that’s where the pros end.
Drinks: Overall, it’s not too bad and I like the amount of variety. However, it’s pricier than Coco’s or Tap House but it’s of lesser quality. They ask for «sweetness levels» and I would suggest always going for «less sweet». If you get taro flavored drinks, sometimes the drink tastes a little… powdery?
Rice balls: Now this is where Momoko loses most of its points. I once ordered a rice ball with avocado, cream cheese, and salmon. But since I asked for «not spicy», I guess they decided to dunk my salmon in a bunch of soy sauce because that’s all tasted in my rice ball. SOY SAUCE. I decided to give them a second chance and ordered a rice ball with eel and crab at «normal» spiciness the next time I visited. The rice ball tasted better, but in both cases the ingredients were about ¼ of the total rice ball (I got exactly two small pieces of eel). Too much rice and not enough ingredients.
Lastly, the wait time can get a little ridiculous if you’re not the only customer waiting for food. I think it’s because there’s only one person making rice balls.

I never say this in Unilocal reviews, but I seriously wondered if I came here on a really bad day. Because this was the worst Boba Milk Tea I’ve ever had. And if you had jumped up from behind the counter and shouted «YOU’VE BEEN PUNKED,» I wouldn’t have batted an eye — I would have chortled inwardly and then asked for my real order.
My tea wasn’t freshly brewed like people have mentioned, it was a pre-​made super strong concentrate diluted with lots of ice & mixed with milky creamy stuff. Four sucks of this concoction — pretty much the entire $ 4.79 serving — and I thought my head was going to buzz straight through the roof. I dunno, some people enjoy that feeling.
Maybe I’m just more accustomed to Tea Haus & Teapioca Lounge these days, and props to the nice Anglo guy working the counter here. This was my third visit to Momoko’s, but the first time for their lightly sweetened Boba Milk Tea. I don’t feel the need to hurry back for another.

I went to Momoko yesterday for the first time in a couple of months and made a very conscious (albeit potentially temporary) decision to never go back again. I spent every single one of my sleeping and waking hours last year contemplating the next time I would eat, and then regret, and then crave another Momoko rice ball. To actually say I will never go back again is very… normal, but I figure if I declare it on Unilocal,I’ll go through with this.
Here’s why:
1) THE GLARING PRICE-​FILLING DISCREPENCY: I spend $ 5.00 for a ball of rice filled with ¹⁄₁₆^th of an avocado (not even ¹⁄₁₆^th of a «large hass avocado», no, probably just those regular $ 0.50 ones at HEB), 2 tablespoons of cream cheese, and less than 2 square centimeters of fish. You can go next door to Sushi Niichi during happy hour, pay $ 7, and receive a whole Blue Moonlight roll — filling with shrimp tempura, salmon, tuna — and you will NEVER receive a mouthful of just rice and cream cheese.
2) POOR QUALITY OF INGREDIENTS: Yesterday, this fish (salmon) tasted and looked (!) like it had been marinating in soy sauce for about two months. I was not the only salty one in this experience: my salmon tasted like straight up soy sauce. AND more often than not, the rice in my onigiri is waaay too mushy, wet, clumpy, with zero flavor.
3) RIDICULOUSLY LONG WAIT: Literally, if you are not the ONLY person wanting a rice ball, you’ll have to wait 20 minutes or more. Once, I waited an HOUR when four people ahead of me ordered rice balls. NOT WORTH.
& Their drinks!!!
1) WAY TOO SWEET. Even when you ask for «low sugar», it’s too sweet, and all they do to fix it is add water. I’m constantly waiting for the ice to melt in my milk teas and drinks to dilute the sugar.
2) WAY TOO MUCH ICE. I posted a picture last year or so demonstrating how much ice there was in an average drink — nothing has changed. I could finish the drink in less than ten seconds flat because of all the ice. True story. Please Momoko, I did not order a cup of ice with a side of taro coconut milk tea.
3) WAY OVERPRICED: Like, WAY overpriced. I watched a person in front of me spend $ 20 buying three small-​sized cups of hot boba yesterday. They charge $ 5.50 for hot boba and then ask you to pay an extra $ 0.50 for tapioca (which, by the way, always tastes microwaved). WHO PAYS $ 6.00 FOR HOT TAP?! AND WHO CHARGES $ 6.00 FOR HOT TAP?! Talk about taking advantage of desperate college students in Texas weather!!! I once ordered a SMALL matcha drink (again, with way too much ice) and ended up paying almost $ 6.00 for tap and tax. I felt sad. NOT OK.
Goodbye Felicia, goodbye.

Ignore your sweet and cheap tea shops that are meant for the bubble gum generation. This place does legitimate tea, not something that will make your teeth fall out. I do occasionally enjoy that stuff once in a blue moon, but this place does it right.
We ordered the Jasmine Lady tea, lightly sweet. The sweetener (not sure if it was sugar, honey, or what) was barely noticeable. The tea came through the creamer and was aromatic. The tapioca was fresh. I’d enjoy another cup here.
Only two gripes, it’s a bit expensive and it does take time. Our teas took approximately 20 minutes, but like I said, it is real tea. Doing things right takes time.
Next time I’ll have to try the food.

Momoko is sorta weird. It an Asian gift store with a bunch of cute stationary, Sanrio products, and misc. Asian goods and then there is a small counter that takes order for drinks and food!
I went with the Milk Green Tea with less than half the sugar and a rice ball. I saw the girl (owner’s daughter) take out a pre-​mixed cup and I immediately started having second thoughts. Usually pre-​mixed milk teas are really bland and overly sweet. Once I got milk tea and tried it, half of my fears was realized.
The Milk Green Tea had really strong tea flavor, which I was really surprised by! The tea is really flagrant and it is much stronger than any milk tea I’ve had, and it is a green tea! However, it was just way too sweet. The owner added some more tea to it after I asked if there’s anything that can be done, and it helped, but not much for me. I think for people that has a sweet tooth, then it’d be perfectly fine.
Also had a bit of the Rose Milk Tea. Again, pre-​mixed and really sweet, but also, really strong tea flavor.
Didn’t try boba (or pearls/​bubbles as some call it). Drink sizes are normal, as in, no bucket sizes like Half & Half and other LA spots.
For the rice ball, I went for the Eel Rice ball, which also had avocado in it and made it spicy. I had to wait for about 20 minutes since there was a huge order right before I got there. Really really big rice balls. I got mine to go so the seaweed wrap came separately. Pretty thoughtful.
The rice ball was surprisingly spicy. Not like burn your turn spicy but it lingered on my lips for a good 15 minutes. That spicy powder is pretty potent haha. Thank goodness for the avocado cooling it down somewhat. For around $ 5 on most rice balls, it is a bit pricey for what I am used to but again, it’s big.
I think if I lived in Austin, I’d frequent this place quite a bit to get my milk tea fix.

THE BEST RICE BALLS EVER!!!
ok I’ve had many versions of onigiri and these are the best I’ve come across. The rice is not twice cooked, filling is just enough.
There drinks are great as well. Had the strawberry pineapple.
The wait was not bad. It gave me a chance to look around at the shop. Very neat. Must goto place if you love sushi

After reading the reviews, we wanted to go for some good tapioca. I ordered the Sweet Kick — taro root, coconut, chocolate, coffee, no added sweetness with tapioca balls. Oh dear this was soooooo sweet! My order took forever for them to make as well. But the only boba maker was training a new girl so I suppose it’s understandable. They forgot my friends rice ball order as well.
Overall the drinks are too sweet and powdery. But the service is good.