Ashley C.
Yelp
Soft opening weekend for Honeybee! They are offering BOGO for their self serve boba bar. $6 per drink (no refills) which is a pretty good deal considering how expensive boba places are getting these days.
They are located on the corner of 65th and Folsom, so it's super close to Sac State. There are not a lot of boba options around here and I would've loved to have this here when I was in college! It's a very busy intersection and also near student housing so it'll be nice for them to have this in walking distance. There is a parking lot too so if you can snag a parking space you won't have to worry about finding street parking! There is seating inside and it's a bit of a darker ambiance, but there are some low bar seating options right at the entrance too if you want the warm sunlight.
The self serve boba bar starts with your toppings. I thought it was weird there was no boba until I realized it was in a separate pot on the other counter. I decided on mango jelly since it closely resembled pudding but I didn't see any pudding there. My husband had the boba and grass jelly in his drink, and the grass jelly was my favorite. The boba was a little bit too hard for me but the owner did mention that she's working on figuring out timing for the batches of boba and appreciates any feedback!
After toppings, you'll add ice, then pick your drink. You can choose from assam milk tea, jasmine, roasted oolong, taro, thai tea, or passionfruit (the only non dairy one). They are all pretty basic and your main/most popular flavors so it makes sense that you wouldn't see anything crazy unique, plus you can only have so many options available at once. It would be awesome if they could have an extra dispenser with a flavor that rotates out every week or month, maybe something more unique, which would entice people to come back and try it out. I mixed the taro with roasted oolong to try to get a unique flavor but it mainly tasted like taro to me.
After that you can pick your sweetness level with either cane sugar or locally sourced honey. I should've tried the honey at Honeybee Cafe, how did I not think of it! I decided on half sugar, and despite all of the drinks being labeled as unsweetened, the half cane sugar was actually quite sweet. I would recommend taking a sip of the drinks before you add any sweetener. The owner also recommended mixing with a straw after adding sweetener to see if you need more before sealing. Then you place your cup in the self sealing machine and you're all set!
Aside from the self serve boba bar, you can also order coffee, matcha, smoothies, and waffles. If you're familiar with the Cafe La Vissmenu, you'll find that it's an abbreviated version of all their classics! Perfect for those who love their existing menu but can't make it all the way down to Elk Grove.
Definitely some things to work out but I'm appreciative of owners that are open to feedback and willing to listen! I wish them success on this new opening!