Boba and smoothies worth a two-borough trip
Two family-run counters, one on Forest Avenue and one uptown on Broadway, both mixing boba and smoothies to order.
📍 Two Cafes On The Map
🧋 Boba On Forest Avenue
Boba Le Tea Cafe sits at 1396 B Forest Avenue on Staten Island, tucked right behind the Cricket Wireless sign. The counter pours a wide range of milk teas, fruit teas, and smoothies, and regulars point to the boba texture and an owner who remembers orders. It holds a 4.8 rating across 159 reviews. The storefront can be easy to miss once the lights go dark, and a daytime visit makes the small shopfront simpler to find.
🥤 Smoothies Up On Broadway
Bora Bora Smoothie Cafe runs a bright, tidy counter at 3524 Broadway in upper Manhattan. The menu centers on made to order smoothies, with crepes and waffles rounding out the order for anyone staying to eat. Reviewers flag the clean space and staff who walk newcomers through the combinations. It carries a 4.8 rating from 96 reviews, matching the Staten Island stop almost exactly. Customizing a smoothie here takes a minute, and the staff talk through fruit and topping choices.
🚇 Worth The Trip Between Boroughs
The two counters share a format and a rating, yet they land in different corners of New York. Boba Le Tea Cafe anchors Forest Avenue on Staten Island at a 4.8, while Bora Bora Smoothie Cafe holds the same 4.8 up at 3524 Broadway in Manhattan. A ferry ride and a subway leg separate the two, which makes pairing them a full day plan rather than a quick walk. Both keep the drinks made to order, one leaning boba, the other smoothies.
