LAFAYETTE, CALIFORNIA — One of downtown Lafayette’s most prominent boba shops has a new name and a substantially expanded menu built around a classic Hawaiian treat.
The shop at 3488 Mount Diablo Boulevard, previously branded as Lilikoi Boba, is now presenting itself as Lafayette Milk Tea Co. New green-and-blue signs bearing the local name appear on its windows and walls, replacing the recognizable Lilikoi branding that had identified the location since it opened in 2022.
The boba is not going anywhere. But the refreshed shop has reworked its offerings, most notably by introducing a colorful Hawaiian-style shave ice menu.
A New Name at a Familiar Lafayette Shop
Lilikoi Boba opened across from the Lafayette Police Department in early 2022. It had strong Hawaiian vibes.
“Lilikoi” is the Hawaiian word commonly used for passion fruit, and the original menu focused into tropical flavors including pineapple, mango, coconut, guava and ube. Its drinks were served in cups inviting customers to take a “boba vacation to Hawaii.”
Not the same as a real vacation to Hawaii, of course! But cheaper!
The business became especially popular with local students, who stopped in for boba, smoothies and colorful mochi doughnuts. It was also a hit with students of the Kung Fu studio next door.
The shop’s physical branding is now clearly Lafayette Milk Tea Co. The new identity puts Lafayette front and center while retaining many of the tropical flavors associated with Lilikoi.
We’re not sure if the location changed hands or just rebranded.
Online listings are also still catching up. Google currently identifies the business as “Lilikoi Boba / Lafayette Milk Tea Co.,” while ordering platforms continue to display both names. The Contra Costa County health-inspection placard visible at the shop also still carries the Lilikoi Boba name. So this might be a work in progress.
The Shop Has Added Shave Ice
The biggest menu addition is a dedicated shave ice section. Lafayette Milk Tea Co. offers three preset combinations, each priced at $6.50.
The “Lafayette Special” combines green apple, lemon-lime and piña colada flavors with condensed milk and mini mochi.
A creation called “Panda Shaved” includes brown sugar, cheese foam, Oreo, boba and condensed milk.
The most explicitly tropical option is simply called “Hawaiian.” It combines blue cotton candy, coconut and pineapple flavors with sour gummy candy and rainbow jelly.
Customers can also build their own shave ice. A $5.50 base can be made with milk or a non-dairy alternative and includes three flavors.
The unusually large flavor list ranges from familiar choices such as strawberry, cherry, watermelon and root beer to tropical selections including pineapple, coconut, mango, banana, piña colada and ube.
Available additions include traditional and crystal boba, lychee jelly, fruit-flavored popping boba, mango star jelly, strawberry heart jelly, mini mochi, aloe vera and sour gummy candy.
We tried the shave ice, and it’s more of a snowcone or crushed ice consistency than the snow-like shave ice you’ll find in Hawaii.
However, my kids enjoyed it a lot, and especially liked the ability to stud the ice itself with lots of candy and mochi, which isn’t available at most places in Hawaii.
Boba, Matcha and Egg Puffs Remain Central
The new name does not mean boba is off the menu, either.
The posted menu includes house milk tea, Thai tea, jasmine green milk tea, oolong milk tea, Oreo milk tea and Okinawa boba fresh milk. Fruit-based choices include passion fruit green tea, mango green tea, lychee green tea, strawberry lemonade and strawberry black tea.
Smoothies are available in mango, strawberry, piña colada, mango-coconut, avocado-mango and other flavors.
Matcha has become another major focus, as with pretty much every other place in the Bay Area it seems! Along with a traditional matcha latte and strawberry matcha, the shop advertises several specialty and seasonal matcha drinks. Its Lafayette Special section includes a matcha latte with cloud foam and a honey-lavender matcha latte.
Customers can also order “coconut cloud” drinks in flavors including ube, matcha and strawberry.
The posted food menu highlights egg puffs in original, chocolate, matcha and Oreo flavors. Promotional signs inside the store also advertise crispy chicken bites, showing that the shop is expanding beyond drinks and desserts.
The Hawaiian Influence Is Still Visible
Although the Lilikoi name has disappeared from the shop’s prominent signs, its tropical bona fides remains easy to spot.
The shave ice menu features Hawaiian imagery, tropical flavor combinations and a drawing of a traditional ice cart. Hawaiian-branded snacks are also displayed near the counter.
So basically, it seems Lafayette Milk Tea Co. is adopting a highly local identity while keeping boba, ube, coconut, pineapple and other tropical flavors at the center of its offerings. Adding shave ice may make the Hawaiian connection more apparent than it was before the rebrand.
The shop’s posted hours are noon to 8 p.m. daily.
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