I Tried Chili’s New Popping Boba Marg—And It Delivers Way More Than Expected

Last week, Chili’s released one of its most unexpected Margarita of the Months yet: the Popping Boba Marg. The Margarita of the Month (MOTM) is typically released on the 1st of the month, but in honor of National Boba Day, it dropped a little early on April 30th. Now, I won’t say that I was at the door when Chili’s opened to get my hands on the new drink, but I was pretty darn close.

First off, and this might be a shocker to some, I’ve never actually had boba before. I’m very much familiar with what it is, but no, I’ve never had it. Something about the idea of tapioca pearls just never seemed digestible…literally. But the boba in the Popping Boba Marg do seem a bit more promising given that they’re dragonfruit-flavored and should complement the lemon and watermelon flavors pretty well.

As a reminder, the $6 Popping Boba Marg is made with Lunazul Blanco Tequila, Deep Eddy Lemon Vodka, Monin Watermelon, house-made sour, and Dragonfruit Popping Boba. Now, let’s get into it…

The Popping Boba Marg is served in an oversized martini glass, so you get a pretty sizable portion. The boba were resting at the bottom of the glass, and there were quite a few of them. I would guess about 15 to 20 boba in each glass, give or take. It might take a few slurps for you to get to the boba, but it’s well worth it. Just try not to unknowingly chug down your margarita while trying to get to the boba (one of my friends was guilty of that).

The boba are a tangy little treat that provides a pop of welcome dragonfruit flavor. It complements the drink pretty well, but I also wonder what kind of energy different flavored boba would bring to the drink (think blueberry, raspberry, etc).

Boba aside, the drink is a win on its own. It’s the perfect mix of sweet and tangy that’s so indicative of warm weather cocktails. The watermelon gives the drink a mellow juiciness while the lemon provides just the right bite of citrus. You can absolutely enjoy it without the boba because it’s flavorful enough on its own, but why would you?

I also had the chance to try the new Nashville Hot Big Crispy. It’s one of several chicken sandwiches Chili’s has added to its 3 For Me menu. So, I will say that I remember Chili’s Nashville Hot menu items being way saucier. I expected my Nashville Hot Big Crispy to be on the saucy side, and that was not the case (my Nashville Hot Mozzarella Sticks were also a little lacking on the sauce side).

Despite my qualms in the sauce department, the sandwich was solid. First of all, it was huge. There was a nice bit of heat from the spices and the chicken itself was pretty juicy. At $10.99 for your beverage, starter and entree, the Nashville Hot Big Crispy flaunts a fast food price tag, but with fine dining ambitions.

Still, the standout moment might’ve come from what I was sipping alongside it. As a reminder, the Popping Boba Marg will be available at Chili’s until the end of May.