Boba Tea

Hydration Café munchies review

Cheap, fast, tasty. That’s all I ask a bento box to be, but places usually skimp on flavor, busting the sacred trinity. Hydration Café does not skimp. For about $5 and some change, you can get a generous portion of your choice of fried cutlets (chicken, pork, squid, mackerel, tofu, vegetarian fish filet) served with a small public-school iceberg-mix salad with a kind of creamy thousand island dressing on the side, half a salty sauce soaked tea egg, 2″ x 1″ x 1″ firm tofu rectangle, a navel orange crescent, and a large mesa of rice topped with kuro goma (black sesame seeds) and takuwan (pickled daikon radish) and a splash of savory broth. The vegetarian fish filets are so succulent: lightly fried and smothered in black pepper. Beware the greasy little cuttlefish balls, which is a funny little statement in itself, but heed my warning.

Pair your bento with one of their hot or iced milk teas (almond milk tea!) or smoothies (avocado!) with hefty boba (tapioca “pearls” –also called “bubbles” for those who can’t pronounce “boba” I guess– theirs are malignant melanoma brown) or coconut jelly and you’ve got a cheap, fast and tasty lunch for under $10. The Red (azuki) Bean and Green (mung) Bean Milk Teas are meals in themselves. I think you could even pop a dessert onto that tab as well, but I’m not familiar with the prices and I’ve never seen anyone order them so I’m unsure how long they’ve been trapped in the display case.

I’m not sure where all the personable baristas went to (although employee turn-around here is, like, a day) but they’ve all been replaced by smug robots. Affirmative.

Hydration Café is one of those converted Victorians a block away from SJSU, and smoking students love to lounge on the porch. Sometimes you’ll meet cool people like M Dot Strange here. The unisex bathroom is right next to one of the tables, just to warn you tinkle shy. This is a good place to bring a drink back to work that will make the uninitiated believe you are sucking down giant tadpoles’ eggs.

Hydration Café
310 S 3rd St - San Jose, CA - (408) 298-9968
HOURS: M-W 10a-11p; T-Sat 11a-midnight; Sun 11a-11p

About the Author:

Kris Kobayashi-Nelson is an avid food adventurist who has tried everything from jellyfish to sea cucumber to chicken gizzards. She is a vegetarian by day, pescetarian by night.