Con Bondo
LOVE SWEET TREATS đ§
Blackball is located just off bourke street. Great lil spot for some chinese desserts. đ
Service was fast.
Food was prepared quick.
Open to 12am on friday night which is great.
Matcha shaved ice was awsome! Not too sweet or strong and a great size serving which i love.
The strawberry waffle was very delicious as well. Just wished it had more strawberries on it đ
Fairly well priced for the serving sizes.
Great selection of treats.
Would recommend and rerurn.
KinzEats
LOVE. THIS. PLACE.
As a Taiwanese I can safely recommend this w confidence to other Taiwanese folks visiting from Bris or Syd and after some good legit Taiwanese dessert- look nowhere else, do yourself a favour and get the signature bowl.
Please never close.
Favourite place in Melbourne alongside Hectorâs deli that I tried on this trip- was so good I had to go back daily. If youâre Taiwanese and after some legit, fresh taro/sweet potato or yam QQ balls with grass jelly and shaved grass jelly- THIS IS IT.
Forget about meet freshman black ball is so good.
Pearls are cooked well, not too chewy but also not over cooked. Usually I hate red bean in dessert places as most places use gross premade canned or packaged stuff but their red bean was good! Not too sweet which is so important.
The numerous kinds of QQs in their signature one is great! I loved it w the shaved grass jelly ice option so so yummy just like in taiwan!
Just love the signature one here so much, please come open a black ball in Brisbane we desperately need a good Taiwanese dessert shop.
Grass jelly milk tea was also yummmm, flavour of the tea was roasted and strong just like how I like it. Cannot fault this place
gianna z
The presentation of the drink received was very different to the one advertised on the menu. Not only was there barely any mini balls and red bean, but the overwhelming amount of sago was also undercooked. The service was also pretty poor.
Drink was definitely not worth $8.50 and will not be coming again.
Carlos Jaime De Leon
This is a bit of a disappointment. Ordered hotpot and made sure to choose hot option. However, it was luke warm at best and the area beneath the hotpot bowl looks like should have candle or something to make it hot(?) was empty - but wasn't sure.
lala chuang
Amazing milk tea hot pot! The best enjoy dessert place for sisters after dinner. My no.1 is taro balls and the milk tea also tastes good wonât be too sweet. But in the end I recommend to buy one more tea for take away. That will be more comfortable to the throat.
KK Kor
I was very shocked with the presentation of my mix and match dessert. Itâs totally different (nearly unacceptable with this kind of presentation) from the photo menu. However the taste is good and consistently. The store and cutlery are clean. Overall is excellent, taste is good, quality is remained unchanged, sadly only the presentation is very shocked.
Piggy Eatalot
Quite disappointed tbh with the whole shop. Looks like a fairly busy time but only one server there managing everything. It was slightly disorganised as our food all came separately but she has collected the beeper in the first instance already. We ordered three things. The first thing came out (black rice and red bean soup) and we had no idea when the second thing would come out so instead of relaxing I had to keep an eye out for it. When the second thing came out (qffles) it was then she informed me that the last thing we ordered, black sesame soup was unavailable. I wasnât sure why we werenât told earlier, like when we order. The staff member, to their credit, was super apologetic, but she also doesnât really know how to refund us and had to contact the manager, which meant we had to be kept waiting.
The black rice w red bean was overly sweet and very watery, nothing like a Taiwanese dessert I expected and certainly nothing like the picture.
David Shi
Finally got to try the milk tea hotpot. Decent amount for 2 persons with generous toppings. Wish they came with small candle as advertised so it kept the "broth" warm.
Sweet N Spicy Queen
To be honest it is very average. The best of these three is waffle and the bubble tea is under average very tasteless. Throw it away after a couple sips. Tell me what should I try next time, definitely not These three.
Eat Good Melbourne
After strolling through Chinatown and the arcades we finally found the white rabbit ice cream. If you didnât know, white rabbit is a milky flavoured candy most Asians would associate with their childhood. This dessert was not so much nostalgic but very yummy. The soft serve was milky and not too sweet but lacked creaminess. The pearls however were chewy and didnât harden at all. Highly recommend trying it before itâs gone !
Amy
Milk tea here is really good (5 stars) but dessert quality has dropped (got big herbal jelly clumps with mini milk to put in myself). Fav milk tea is the Green tea milk tea with mini balls and herbal jelly. Mini balls is always a must here!
Y
BlackBall is similar to Dessert Story and Meet Fresh in my opinion.<br/><br/>They sell a range of bubble tea options, as well as waffles, shaved ice, and other Asian desserts. <br/>Not my favourite option for bubble tea. <br/><br/>There drinks are alright, not bad or really good, They have a wide selection of milk teas, teas and toppings. <br/><br/>A big menu with lots of things to choose from.
Doris J.
Ordered one almond and one soy. Good service allowed us to have the sugar separately. We used buy one got one free coupon. So theses two for $8.5.jelly was ok probably bit too much? Loved the yuyuan ( taro and purple potato) and the red beans. Large amount, the overall presentation could be better, and wish the containers look cleaner.
EatJin
Very good waffle! Warm and crispy on the outside, soft in the inside. Strawberries were fresh and sweet. The ice cream quality was alright, but it was overall very delicious meal!
Jasmine
Right next to Mrs Zan for dinner, BlackBall became the optimal choice for dessert. <br/><br/>Ordered:<br/>đ§ Mango shaved ice: $12.90<br/><br/>Review:<br/>It was pretty good - but nothing wow. The popping pearls and the vanilla icecream were all great. The shaved ice was easy to eat and tasty. <br/><br/>The interior is quite haphazard with stools but it lends itself to a casual environment! Not a bad spot but it's a little cramped.
Dana Sole
The venue is quite cozy and the drinks are nice but the staff are very rude. It doesn't hurt to greet your customers with a smile, thank them, answer their questions, etc., <br/><br/>That being said, I do recommend their blackball signature. It's loaded with toppings and very delicious. I prefer to have it cold, but iced is also tasty.
Stelly
We were strolling around Chinatown looking for a nice and refreshing drink after dinner, and finally we decided on BlackBall. Though their stores are not as common as some other franchises such as Gong Cha or ChaTime, BlackBall still seems to be pretty popular as thereâs always a queue every time we pass.<br/><br/>Along with serving bubble tea drinks, they also offer a range of Taiwanese desserts such as crushed ice, puddings, soups and even Qffles (chewy waffles). The venue is quite spacious, with plenty of seating. We decided just to get a couple of drinks to go - the 3Q Passion Fruit Green Tea and the Melon Lemon Tea with Ice Jelly (both at 30% sweetness level and standard ice). The passionfruit tea was quite pleasant and had a nice variety of textures from all the different ingredients. The winter melon tea was okay, the tea had a really strong roasted flavour and there was plenty of jelly. I really like how theyâre very generous with all the toppings/ingredients.<br/><br/>Staff were also friendly and we were served relatively quickly. Will be back to try their desserts.
Kirara Noms
Had to try out the Watermelon Snow IceďźčĽżçéŞčąĺ°ďźsince I believe it is my first time seeing it in this flavour. It is also available depending on the season. Watermelon is also one of my top favourite fruits and seeing it as not a common flavour to see in a shaved ice/snow ice series had to give in!<br/>The flavour is more artificial and sweet feel, personally not so fresh and could feel the gentle sliced cut of the snow ice. It wasnât really that fresh in my opinion and the side jelly were ok as even mixing it didnât really give off any special flavour and more a watery and sweet taste. The vanilla icecream is creamy. <br/>Although watermelon snow ice was ok, I would love to try out the milk tea and see how that is for tasting seeing milk tea is also a flavour I like.<br/>On side note you have to collect the ordered drinks or dish whether seating or waiting for takeaway! As seen in the menu they have a variety of desserts and drinks such as waffle and tarĹ etc. Personally would love to try out the drinks with tarĹ balls in future!
Lina's Music House
My favourite bubble milk tea place.<br/><br/>I travelled to Taiwan a few years ago and fell in love with the bubble milk tea there.<br/><br/>I've been a regular customer here since it opened a few years ago.<br/><br/>The pearls are sweet and chewy. You can choose the level of ice and sugar you desire.<br/><br/>I love the bubble tea here so much that I decided to order two drinks to go. One with 30% sugar and one with no sugar.<br/><br/>The shop is located in Chinatown in the Midcity Complex. It's close to all the shops and restaurants. Great place to have some Taiwanese desserts after dinner.
Sreerag Nampoothiri K
A nice place to try Taiwanese bubble tea and desserts. I was quite surprised, puzzled at the dessert selections they have in Asian countries. Unlike the ice cream and other sugary desserts, these ones seemed very healthy and very less sugary. You can always choose the level of Ice and Sugar from the options displayed in front.<br/><br/>I am no expert in Asian desserts and I would love to know more. For writing this review, I have done some research and the studies amazed me. The Taro, Grass Jelly (made from the Chinese mesona), Sweet Potato ball and of course my favorite Black Pearls. <br/><br/>I and my friend reached this place 30 minutes before closing and we had a dessert and bubble tea. Unfortunately, they were running out of Black Pearls and I was pretty sad about it. Wish they have stocked more. The store ambiance is quite good and the staff (mainly Taiwanese) were quite friendly and happy to help me through the menu. There are enough seating options if you planning to visit with a group of friends. This place can be accessed both from the china town and the Bourke St. Would love to explore more of their delicious products.
Linda
If youâre after a grass jelly dessert, then this place is the real deal. The grass jelly itself had the perfect texture. It also had a good balance of âgrass jellyâ flavour, sweetness and lightness. The toppings were also good. I very much enjoyed the jelly custard. Massive thumbs up!
BubbleTeaBoy
BlackBall entered the Melbourne scene relatively early, around the time of Chatime. I thought BlackBall was a bit above average in those early days, which would probably translate to being average or even below average today. From memory, like many stores from that age, the presence of tea in their bubble tea was good enough but it lacked any complex depth to it (things may have since changed as I havenât tried BlackBall for a few years).Having said that, I think their grass jelly offerings are above average, and this is one of the few stores where I would be certain to always pick grass jelly over pearls. I really like grass jelly so it is uncommon for me to find a grass jelly drink I donât enjoy, but I have tried some places where the jelly lacks firmness and flavour. This was not the case at BlackBall whose grass jelly has a bite to it along with having that smoky herbal undertone grass jelly should have. While writing this post, I found out that BlackBall was born from a wish to spread grass jelly to the world and so it makes sense that this is the product which makes them noteworthy.
Cindy Tran
great place to catch up with friends and chill while you have your Asian dessert or bubble tea fix. <br/><br/>ordered:<br/>trio bubble tea (grasss jelly, custard, pearls) $6.5<br/><br/>review: <br/>great bubble tea high quality tea and pearls had good texture.
LT X EATS
First time at blackball. Some friends and I were looking for some dessert after having dinner and I just followed them to this place.<br/><br/>Desserts;<br/>Choc Banana waffles with ice cream: this was absolutely delicious! We all finished this one real quick. The ice cream, chocolate, banana and the waffles were a great combo. I know that I will be craving for this in the future. Shaved milk tea ice cream with pearls and pudding; omg the shaved ice cream was a bit too strong in flavour. The pudding really does match well with the ice cream as the bitterness gets cut with the sweet pudding. <br/><br/>Is blackball a place Iâd come back to in the future? For the waffles definitely but as for the shaved ice cream, Iâm not sure. However it is a great place to sit and have some desserts with friends
AaronN
The caramel milk tea I got from here with pearls was lacking in flavour and overall underwhelming. Don't think I'll be returning when there's Bubble cup less than 10m away.
Eat Around In Melb CBD
Blackball - Bourke Street located in 206 bourke st. They offer a wide range of bubble tea and Asian dessert. The milk tea they offer was great and the purple rice dessert tasted fantastic. But do NOT expect a smile from the staffs, customer service was not so good.
Some Bunee Loves Food
When you're alone but you want two flavours - Pudding milk tea and Fresh milk with grass jelly in a duo cup. Best decision ever made :) Love the fresh milk one âĄ
Alijargalb
Came here for the desserts and it was very busy. Had the matcha waffles with red bean and the shaved ice with grass jelly and others. Both dishes were great but ice cream could be creamier. Would definitely go back to try the milk tea
Hello. Imnikki
3.5<br/><br/>Mustard is right. I was amazed by how good the milk tea with pearls is. Strong pronounced flavour, and not overly milky. The pearls were soft and chewy too. In fact, I had too much of a good thing because they added so much pearls (could have been double the pearls) into the drink.<br/><br/>The signature grass jelly was pretty good too. I love grass jelly so it was hard not to like this. I just didn't really liked the sweet potato balls and taro balls, which weren't Q enough.<br/><br/>The waffle was already soggy when I ate it, but that's not their fault as I ordered delivery. As such, I can't comment on the texture, but I could tell that it was a bit thin and taste-wise it was just passable.
HildaLuv2Eat
Tried their Honey longan ice jelly drink and a glass jelly dessert, not bad when I didnt have much expectations. But it is a good place if just looking somewhere that opens till midnight!
Cookielessvee
4.0<br/><br/>Blackball is a Taiwanese bubble tea store that sells drinks and asian desserts. Generous amount of seats and the drinks are great.<br/><br/>The brown sugar green milk tea has an aromatic scent and the brown sugar cubes are well made although some are cut too big to fit through the straw.
Hungry Hieu
Great that warm and cold options are available. Also customisable sweetness and ice level for most drinks. The drinks and desserts here are pretty much made from the same 2 dozen ingredients in different combinations. Desserts was pretty average for me but the milk tea have a nice strong tea flavour fused with fresh milk.
Lai2 Lau
I love come here to get my drinks but after my recent visit their customer service is becoming unacceptable. I order two drinks but when I told them one of it is wrong the staff said"what did u order?" "Didn't u double check your order before paying" and she gave me the impression that too bad I didn't check the bill so what do I want her to do. She doesn't look like she wants to change it so I just took the drink and decided I will never come back if thats how they want to do business and treat their customers.
Lobo
The milk tea was quiet good last few times tbh. However, the SERVICE made us disappointed.<br/><br/>We ordered two milk tea and one of them we ordered 'No Ice'. When they served the drink there was ice in the drink and we asked about that. The front staff just said ' I can't see.' We double checked and told her there is ice. Her reply was, 'Just a little.'<br/><br/>We were VERY DISAPPOINTED to the service. It could be seen from her face that she didn't want to change the drink (Obviously it was not because of busy as there was only one or two tables of customers), and she didn't even apologize (apparently she thought nothing's wrong with it).<br/><br/>And after we left i realised they gave me RED TEA for the other drink, which I ordered GREEN TEA. (Can be seen in the photo)<br/><br/>Little service can make great impact on impression.<br/>
Vanessa
If youâre looking to chill in the CBD with your friends or your other half and itâs getting pretty late, this place is probably your best bet. Iâve found that this dessert store opens past midnight on weekends. Donât expect wonderful service or anything and youâll have a great experience. Just order your dessert and sit down at a table. Youâll have a device that buzzes when your food is ready to collect at the counter. Most of the desserts are nice. I usually stick to the safer options so I havenât had a problem with any of them yet. **NOTE: Minimum spend of $5 per head for dine in during busy hours. EFTPOS minimum, $15.
Mustard
I've been here once before for dessert and thought it was just okay. I've returned to give their bubble tea a whirl expecting it just to be average but I was pleasantly suprised! I got their signature milk tea to do a comparison with their competition but was taken aback by the flavour of grass jelly and I loved it! Sugar levels were not adjustable as I did want to reduce it down by 50% but it was fine as is. The pearls were of a good consistancy which gets my stamp of approval, not many places do.<br/><br/>Was this place a fluke? I'm not sure if I'll be getting anything other than their signature milk tea!
"JT" Jeffrie Trika
Just adequate ...<br/><br/>Can be tricky finding a Chinese or Asian desserts in Chinatown, Blackball is one of the desserts vendor that specialised in Chinese/Asian desserts, more like Taiwanese style desserts.<br/><br/>Second time around, desserts are still not quite right, messy, not well presented, boring taste, don't get me wrong, it's okay for what they are charging, but not that we want to go back there anytime soon. JT-10/05/2018.
Bie
Super generous amount of pearls!! My top 3 picks are boba milk tea, 3Q cranberry and winter melon lemon juice. Might not be the best in town but can satisfy your craving for milk tea with reasonable price. There is only 1 size for all drink and they only accept cash which is a big minus.
Annie Leung
It's a really cold day and we were craving for something really warm. As last time the warm dessert that i ordered was not warm enough at all, i asked if they would be able to make our dessert warmer but they said they couldn't do it. I'm sure they have a microwave or some sort of electric appliances that could warm up the food more, so we felt the staff were not helpful at all. As expected, the dessert that we got was only at room temperature which wasnt what we were after. Their taro milk tea was rich and flavorsome, and was a lot warmer than the dessert so i really enjoyed it
Good Food, Good Mood
Melbourne has a massive food culture, but has only started to grow their dessert offerings in the last 1-2 years. <br/>Very interesting service. There are tables but no table service, so you have to wait in line to order. They donât give out water either which I found a bit strange for a dessert place. <br/>We ordered 2 x DIY warm black jelly - was very delicious! Not too sweet and thereâs a great range of toppings to choose from. The waffles were NOT delicious, I wouldnât recommend ordering them!!! We got food envy looking at the photos and ordered the strawberry with vanilla icecream âqfleâ they call it, simply put, it tasted like plastic. And the waffle itself was extremely small and had no crunch. Next time will stick to the bobba teas and black jelly desserts đ
Grape Life
Build your own dessert! Grass jelly + Coco jelly + Icecream is awesome. The Milk tea is pretty average. We usually go here for the dessert build, otherwise there are other places that do better bubble tea. <br/><br/>This place is pretty chill, a cool hang out place in China town. <br/><br/>Don't really expect much from service, sort of like a fast food style dessert place.
ď˝Happy Neko~
The best milk tea iâve tried in the past 6 month!! Love the grass jelly and popping mango pearls â¤ď¸â¤ď¸ I had taro milk tea with no ice, normal sugar level with grass jelly and mango popping pearlsâ¤ď¸â¤ď¸
Amyna
It was good when there is not much competition in Melbourne. However, their artificial ingredients and milk powder drinks will looks bit low end after so many bubble tea shop came from all over the world. Anyway, I was had some good time there.
The Darth Zader
Honestly, I stopped by here as I needed something to fix my thirst. The name of the establishment is cute âblackballâ. The bubble tea itself is pretty average in taste and price (5.20$) for a boba iced milk tea.
Harapeko Abacus
You will be asked how much suger and ice you want. I chose no ice and 30% suger, but 50% suger might be better for me. Fresh, tasty milk parl tea.
BlueBelle
Weâve been here multiple times and I always get my favourite 3Q Cranberry Lemon. One of the best drink available. Itâs got everything and I donât need to add anything to it. Plus they make it how I like with âno sugar and no iceâ. I always buy this drink when we are in the area.
Domnick
This is my go-to spot for late night desserts! Reasonably priced and quick service - food is average but you pay for what you get! Good for late night catchup with friends
Michelle Leong
Working late meant that I should "ideally" treat myself to a warm cup of tea or coffee that will fuel me until the end of my shift. Having brought in a cup of bubble tea from Chatime one day, a colleague commented that she preferred the bubble teas from Blackball which then stirred my curiousity. As a once off, I treated myself to a cup of bubble tea post work and was impressed at how flavourful it was aka right depth of infused tea and perfect amount of sweetness. Moving forth, I dragged my siblings here after dinner.
Vick Eats
Delicious desserts with a wide variety of icy desserts and drinks. Good staff and timely service. Wouldn't recommend the waffles, definitely try the icy desserts.
Peter Nham
Quite shocking to be honest.<br/>We tried out their signature blackball dessert and it definitely came as a surprise for us.<br/>We ordered shaved glass jelly for the base, what came out was massive chunks of ice.<br/>As for the toppings, each topping will get you 3 pieces. <br/><br/>Definitely not worth the money you pay for it. I would not recommend. Not sure if it's the whole chain or just this store.
John
I'm not a milk tea addict, so I've no idea how good a milk tea will be. But I tried BlackBall milk tea, not remember the name but I asked the staff the best seller there, also ordered a salted waffle. They're all good in my point. đđť Unfortunately, the waffle was kind of costly because it's really small and you only need 2 times to swallow at all. -1 star. đž
Food Critic
Come here every week lately. Good for quick cheap desserts and milk teas. Love their mango smoothie and taro milk smoothie. The sizes is pretty generous and there plenty of set around to enjoy if you want to eat in and you don't need to share table like other place like dessert story. <br/>You must order from the front and when the dessert is ready, you must get the desserts or drink yourself. đ
LittleM
Stopped by for a late night dessert and I ordered the Jiu Fen taro ball crushed ice. It was good and refreshing. I like that the taro balls nice and chewy. I wouldn't mind returning to try the bubble teas that they have.
Stellios
I have tried all bubble tea chain stores in Melbourne and this is by far the best. It appears the ingredients they use is more authentic such as using real milk instead of powder that is used at other stores and the serving size and price is more generous too. Wish they had one closer to where I live
Nomafoodic Chipineats
Favourite go to place for taro balls. Don't go anywhere else! This is the place... the Taro Q is amazing. They make it themselves. The heart shaped Taro balls with filling inside is also so great. Only downside is I wish the milk poured over was a thicker sort of cream.
Hungry Jeweller
Blackball is the place to go for their signature qaffles and iced jelly deserts. Beware as there's often a long queue and some waiting. Waffles are nicely done, light and springy. The iced desserts are refreshing and delicious. Service is a little hit or miss due to language barriers<br/><br/>Verdict: black pearl
A
cheap waffles !! fast and friendly service and the half and half boba choice was so good ahahaha it's really different however the choice of flavours weren't so good... the cranberry tea goes alright !
Feargz_26
Fantastic bubble tea. Loved how you could choose the sweetness and temperature. Highly recommend the milk boba tea! Great service with reasonable prices. Wonderful after lunch in China Town!
Love At First Bite
Find us on instagram: loveatfirstbite_aus<br/><br/>Stumbled upon this great little Asian dessert place in the Melbourne CBD and tried their cookies and cream ice cream and waffles, not expecting much but they were amazing! Made fresh and the dough was still warm and slightly gooey, just the way we like it. Great value for money!
Valerie
After having many milk teas in Melb, Blackball offers relatively unique toppings and Asian desserts. While blackball's milk tea can be better (Gong Cha's milk tea is much better), I have to say - the mini taro balls are a very nice and refreshing addition to the topping scene in bubble teas. The mini taro balls are chewy, more flavoursome and healthier than the typical tapioca black pearls đđť
Split The Bill
I tried the pineapple smoothie here. It was deliciously sweet and a great portion for $5.90. I'll definitely go again to try other flavour combinations & the duo cup.
Carmen Joy
A must try dessert shop in town! The taro balls and pearls are just so chewy, and the custard pudding i just can't!! This all-in-one bowl is my to go to dessert whenever i'm in town.
Malcolm Peou
Ordered a 'Signature Milk Tea' and ended up getting a Grass Jelly flavoured milk tea. Went up to try and change it to a regular milk tea and basically got greeted with rudeness... Saying that the 'Signature tea' was Grass Jelly.... Well it certainly wasn't listed anywhere. Won't be back. Go to Chatime and / or Gong Cha and don't waste your time or money.
World Eats Food
The only place in Melbourne (that I know of at present) where you can get duo flavoured bubble tea! It's a cool concept however comes with an $8 price tag. When you're indecisive about what flavour you want to drink.. why not have both! Another downside is currently you can only pick from 10 flavours.. can't go wrong with the classic milk tea and grass jelly combo & the second half is passionfruit green tea. Great novelty! Too expensive to try again.
Kimky
I found blackball to be one of the better dessert store. Had milk tea with pearls. Friend got a mixture of pearls and grass jelly with milk tea. Price is reasonable. And there are ample space to sit and chat while drinking.
Macias
All round good experience, cash only is a bit of a pain in the butt though, even if there is an ATM nearby - we shouldn't have to pay a fee if we don't bank with the banks the supply the ATM just to get our waffles. Also, some rude patrons really should have been told to keep it down.<br/>maciaslifestyle.wordpress.com/2017/03/07/blackball-melbourne-cbd/
Ling Yap
Had the Entertainment voucher for the place so we ordered a mango waffle ice cream and soy bean delight dessert for half price. Both were $7.90 each and we paid half of each. Turns out the portion was also half! I would prefer to go to Dessert story to eat for that same price. It wasn't fanciful or great...
FoodieCCC
Always like to order mix&match, cause it is the best choice to have taro ball, jelly, sweet potato ball, red bean or something delicious in one plate. For milk tea, I don't think they are as good as GongCha's.
Big Belly Full
I ordered the taro milk tea with black pearls and less ice and half sugar. I wanted to order the taro balls with my milk tea but I was told they've ran out of it. The taro milk tea was promoted as a special on a banner near the front counter and I decided to try for myself. What a mistake. The taro milk tea tasted relatively sweet and when I got my milk tea from the counter all the ice had melted. The pearls were slightly over cooked and was on the soft side. Not the best milk tea I've had but not the worst.
Charlie Daniels (Curious Charlie)
We discovered this place while searching for those custard balls further towards the end of the arcade, Little Bourke end. BlackBall isn't very English friendly... so we haven't been back. There's a $2.80 takeaway waffle offer, a plain one.  Crispy and airy it was awesome! Needs more icing sugar, though a light drizzle of salted c or Nutella would work too.  A waffle like no other we loved it!Come for the light and airy takeaway waffles!
Foodie Guy
Good dessert stop over place we just wanted to try out, its similar to Dessert Story nothing exciting, the sweet potatoes, taro, soybean curd and sago were good. <br/>The dessert was not too sweet and has just the right balance.
Thunder8621
Good place for after dinner Asian drinks and dessert. Large range of bubble teas for under $6. Desserts with grass jelly/taro etc in the bowls are around $8 and yummy. A little bigger and this joint would be a 5/5!
Donnali919
Strongly recommended! It taste better than any other milk tea in Ct. Nice milk tea and the melon tea is soooo special as it put lemon on it and mix the sweet flavor
KAZUKITA
Quite decent place to have dessert. Boba and waffle is quite average. Waffle is quite bland unfortunately but on a plus side it's cheap and affordable.
Melbourne Explorer
Waffles with a variety of flavours.<br/><br/>Find me on Instagram: @melbourne_explorer.<br/><br/>I tried the maple syrup and the green tea waffles. Check them out.
M. T.
Ordered the Taro Milk smoothie and was pleasantly surprised - it actually tasted and looked like the real root vegetable and not artificial like a lot of other bubble tea vendors.
SueyLuey
Browsing through my entertainment book i spotted a buy 1 get 1 free deal for blackball Melb which is located in chinatown opposite bubble cup. <br/><br/>Service was efficient and pleasant. Numbering ordering system which took less then 5mins before your order is up. <br/><br/>I got 2 of the cold grass jelly option takeaway. The free one is actually in a smaller bowl but she didn't charge me for the toppings that was considered "extra 50cent-$1" so im not going to complain. <br/><br/>Not as much topping options available in the mix and match component compare to asia but good enough when the craving hits!! First mix i went for some extra grass jelly (cold option includes grass jelly), taro heart, coco jelly and caramel pudding. Second mix i went for the purple bean heart, coco jelly, pearls and icy jelly. Everything was great! The icy jelly was a bit too sweet for me - the lil milk tub did help with that and there isn't enough of the hearts! Only got 2 in each! <br/><br/>Overall a nice lil joint for desserts. Will come back to try other specialities...!
TresHungry
I tried their black glutinous rice soup with red bean. It was pretty tasty, but it's nowhere near as good as the ones you get in Asia. It'll still hit the spot for when those Asian dessert cravings hit, though.
Chow Yum Fat
I turn up. Look at the menu. Not sure if the winter melon tea with mini taro balls has milk in it. To the girl behind the counter --<br/><br/>"Does the winter melon tea with mini taro balls have milk in it?"<br/>"What?"<br/>"The winter melon tea with mini taro balls. Does it have milk in it?"<br/>"Milk? I don't understand."<br/>"Milk, does it have milk in it?"<br/>"Milk, what's that?"<br/><br/>Hmmm. Yeah. Gotta improve that service. Starting with language skills. Anyway, the winter melon tea was sickly sweet. The mini taro balls didn't add much pizazz.
S A R I N A H.
BlackBall is my all time favourite Taiwanese dessert place! They honestly make the best boba (tapioca/pearls) it's so soft and perfect. I love thier boba milk tea, it's so good!!! Other boba joints ain't got nothing on BlackBalls. Their cranberry lemon tea is also bomb! There's one female worker who makes the best drinks, but I don't know her name. <br/>The workers have bad customer service skills, but I go there for the boba milk tea.
One Piggy & A Bear
I have been to BlackBall a few years ago when it first opened, and left with no impression. A couple of days ago my friend asked me to go there, I was a bit skeptical but had no idea where else to go, so I followed him. Now they have changed the menu, many items are added. I only wanted the milk tea with mini taro balls and it seemed to be their special. My husband ordered a mix & match dessert (grass jelly, taro balls & sweet potato balls) and my friend ordered a chocolate banana waffle. I tried a bit of each and actually they were not bad. The waffle don't taste like those Belgium waffles, (perhaps its the Asian version?), but the batter is very light which I like. The taro balls & potato balls are much better than Dessert Story and don't taste artificial. Unfortunately I didn't quite enjoy my milk tea, it was not bad, but not sweet enough for my liking (I much prefer Gong Cha) and the mini taro balls are just average. Overall Blackball is a nice place to hang out since they are open till late. Next time if I'm here, I will go for their desserts instead.
DrinkAndFeast
Run of the mill Asian dessert venue d>.
May
Love this outlet where you can chill and enjoy your desserts. Our favourites are their signature mix of taro balls, sweet potato, grass jelly, red bean where you can choose the temperature level - hot, warm,cold, icy. They also have refreshing drinks - loved the plum drink, herbal drink, lemon melon, qq passionfruit.
FOOD TRIP
Decent drinks and desserts of the Asian style, but the biggest plus is that you can actually sit down and enjoy your purchases. Desserts are not as good as Dessert Story, but the place is a lot nicer and cleaner to relax in.BlackBall Signature ~ $6Â Taro balls, Red Bean, Sweet Potato Balls on Grass Jelly
FOOD TRIP
Decent drinks and desserts of the Asian style, but the biggest plus is that you can actually sit down and enjoy your purchases. Desserts are not as good as that of Dessert Story, but the place is a lot nicer and cleaner to relax in.
Nomnom
Beautiful authentic desserts, will be coming back for more next time I'm in Melbourne. Very friendly service too and nice n comfy, nice feel to it .
Dewmelen
Refreshing break. I've been here a few times and enjoyed their drinks. A nice place in china town to kick up your feet and recharge the batteries with a refreshing drink. The frothy topped drinks a surprisingly nice.
Beng Kwan Lim
As good as Taiwan!. I got back from a trip to Taipei about 3 months ago. Since then, I found BlackBall here in the cbd and have been going there for my Taiwanese desserts fix!<br/><br/>The potato balls and yam things are just so rich in their natural vegetable flavour just like the BlackBall shops in Taipei! Love their teas too. My partner loves their Boba milk tea but I have a sweet spot for their grass jelly milk tea. Best thing is, like Taiwan, they allow us to tell how sweet we want it (good for dieting after an overseas trip eating out all the time)!
Elvin Chee
Avoid this place! Tried a few of their desserts. Dessert story is anytime better. Only given 3 taro balls and 3 sweet potato balls. Pathetic. Don't waste your money.
Rogeramo
I like this place the dess.... I like this place <br/>the dessert I reckon is prettt authentic<br/>it s much better than alot of dessert place in the city.<br/>Try the signature dessert which is good
Kevin Lee
The best dessert place. Move over Meet Fresh and Dessert Story. The new Dessert Queen is in town and Blackball earns it with freshness and quality of their produce. The signature blackball icy dessert is a clear winner.
Blue Monday
Nothing special/Bad Service. It's the same as the million other "bubble tea" places so it doesn't stand out and not worth a special trip, plus it costs more... But the clerk, depending on who's helping you, they can be VERY RUDE!! she'll leave your change on the counter for you to pick it up youself!!???? Not worth it for bad services, there are too many similar shops in CBD. go elsewhere.
Suzysays
Preferred over dessert story and meet fresh! Great service (never been asked is that sweet enough for your bubble tea) . Asked for more ice and they were happy to top it up and reseal the drink. Got the speciality dessert which was good as well. Will def return to try mango ice dessert
Gabsy_shops
I agree with the other review. This place has the best grass jelly in Melbourne. And the tea drink has no after taste or bitterness to it. Hence a very refreshing drink that I can completely consume unlike others that I can only drink halfway because of strong tea flavour and quite solid squarish grass jelly that can't pass through the straw. What were they thinking ? Blackball got it right. Love it.
KKC
My new favourite. I must say I am now addicted to this new dessert store in Chinatown. I have been there three times in the past fortnight. The signature blackball dish and the various shaved ice desserts are absolutely to die for! I am also in love with the ice milk tea with grass jelly. The portion size is HUGE! If you are looking for QUALITY desserts and value for money this place is simply unbeatable.
Kon Soulianidis
Refreshing Drink Heaven. Most refreshing drinks I've had since being on a trip to Asia a couple of years back. <br/>Do not confuse this place with an average bubble-cup vendor you find in the city or in shopping centres, this is something much better (and drinks dont need to have jellies)<br/>The deserts can be a meal in themselves - very filling.
Irene Koay
Fantastic Dessert Place. Been here a couple of times, and must say it has the best grassjelly around in melbourne! They also serve a huge variety of drinks and taiwanese desserts! In addition, Blackball is in a really central location in Chinatown, and the staff there are also very helpful. To top it off, they have spacious seating arrangements which is good for having a group of friends around to catch up........highly recommended! :)
TheBondingTool
BlackBall has interesting beverages categorised under Traditional Tea, Winter Melon Tea Series, Fresh Milk Series, Specialty Drinks Series and BlackBall Crushed Ice Series. If you are not sure what to order, I highly recommend the Signature from BlackBall Special Series, so you get to taste a little of everything.
Tammy
To test out the place, I had the green milk tea with boba (a.k.a. pearls, tapioca), a pretty standard drink. Â The pearls were a little smaller and denser than that of ChaTime, which I've gotten really used to, but I really liked them! Â They were very "Q" - chewy, bouncy - whatever is the best description for tapioca - and I would recommend trying them out! Â The milk tea was nothing special, but...
MikhaelfBlue
BlackBall specialises in Taiwanese drinks and desserts.  According to their website, they got their name from their main ingredient, 'xian cao' (aka grass jelly) for it's black jelly goodness and yam balls  in their desserts :)
Katherine Chiu
Black ball are just those pearls.There wasn't a lot of them in my dessert. Rather there was more shaved ice than anything else. I had paid $6.50 for this. The pearls were lovely and so was what I ate of the grass jelly. There were potato balls in there, but there was only two measly balls in there. I'm not too sure of what the yellow stuff is.
Melbourne Glutton
I am a self-confessed dessert fan and an Asian dessert fanatic. When Dessert Story opened, I lined up, when MeetFresh launched in Australia, I was ga-ga and substituted MeetFresh for dinner for two nights in a row. Aside: If I could, I would use my dinner budget on Asian desserts every night of the week and become a star analyst. Desserts => Happiness = Creative Ideas x Smart Thoughts x Efficient Methods = Awesomeness Anyway, thus given my predilections, I was very surprised to hear about BlackBall from someone else, and a very unlikely source at that. My friend A isn't exactly the kind of poster boy that one might expect for a place like BlackBall. Well, because he's white, i.e. a non-Asian shade of white, and certainly not black like BlackBall. Even so, kowtows to A for sharing BlackBall with me. Its extensive menu and close proximity to the office is likely to make it an excellent source of comfort, solace and happiness. The interior is still new and shiny and the staff are friendly
An error has occurred! Please try again in a few minutes