Colin O'Malley
Two stores have come and gone in the past few years in the Vons shopping center in Rancho Penasquitos. The location between Smoker’s Land and Round Table seems to be a cursed venue, but the new boba and waffle cafe, Bubble Up, is hoping to change that.
With an assortment of teas and delicacies, Bubble Up appeared to be an instant success with the community as my visit on its first night had a line almost to the parking lot.
With its wide variety of drinks and gourmet waffles, Bubble Up has something for everyone.
The Thai Tea Boba I ordered had the perfect amount of sweetness with the boba being springy and extremely tasty. I also tried the Matcha Green Tea with boba and I found that they did a solid job balancing the sweetness.
Moving forward, I decided to order a bubble waffle with ice cream and a plethora of toppings. The waffle was absolutely delicious being incredibly light and fluffy. Even its look was appealing with its aesthetic bubble design that reminded me of something straight from a food blog. The ice cream was an excellent complement to the waffle, elevating it from just a regular sundae.
More than the food though, the place had an incredibly bubbly (pun intended) and fresh atmosphere. The worker’s were extremely nice and although it appeared that they were rushing several orders as I witnessed several spills, this is to be expected for a store that just opened with relatively inexperienced employees. Ultimately, the customer service itself was cheery, polite and inviting.
The aesthetic of the shop appeared much like that of a cafe as I could see myself conversing with friends over some boba and a sweet waffle outside on a bench or table near the plaza’s fountain. Pristine glass panes covered the top half of the walls in the store with the bottom half consisting of cool steel plating adding to the ambiance.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience. The lure of having a boba place so close to school is too much to resist. Only time will tell if Bubble Up will survive the curse, but the nice atmosphere, delectable waffles, and great boba may have convinced me to keep it in my thoughts.
