The Alley

Located at 5665 Balboa Ave Spc 104, San Diego, CA 92111, The Alley operates as a bubble tea shop serving San Diego in California. This page gathers the practical details people usually look for before visiting: where it is, how to reach it, when it opens and how customers rate it. Besides its main category, the business also describes itself as dessert shop, so it may cover more than the name suggests.

Tea in the United States covers everything from a traditional Chinese or Japanese tea house to a Southern sweet-tea counter, and the fastest-growing segment is bubble tea: Taiwanese-style milk teas and fruit teas with tapioca pearls, sold by chains and independents alike with adjustable sugar and ice levels. Tea rooms serving afternoon tea with scones and sandwiches usually require a reservation, while boba shops, juice bars and smoothie shops are walk-in and quick. Kava and kombucha bars are a newer category, and loose-leaf tea stores sell blends, teaware and gifts, often with a tasting counter. Prices for a drink run similar to coffee-shop prices, with premium teas and cold-pressed juices at the high end.

Hours are published for 7 days a week. On most of those days it is open 10 am–10 pm. Hours in the United States do change around federal holidays and long weekends, so a quick call before a special trip is sensible. You can reach The Alley at (858) 737-4292; calling is usually the quickest way to ask about availability, prices or directions. Its website is the-alley.us, where you may find menus, price lists or booking options.

Customers rate it 4.4 out of 5 on Google across 92 reviews, placing it among the better-regarded bubble tea shops in San Diego.

San Diego is in California, on the West Coast, where the climate ranges from foggy coast to hot inland valleys, wildfire season can affect air quality in late summer, and traffic is the main thing to plan around. Getting around San Diego is easiest by car; street parking is metered in busy downtown areas, and most suburban businesses have their own lot. Ride-share apps such as Uber and Lyft operate across California's larger cities, and public transit varies from extensive to minimal.

Looking for alternatives? Browse all bubble tea shops in San Diego or explore other categories in the area from the links below. Details on this page come from public sources and may change; confirm anything important by phone before relying on it. Business owners can claim the listing to keep it up to date.