Gainesville snack scene at its best! This place was bustling when we went in. Didn't have to wait too long. Food and drink hit the spot We got the combo. Get a drink and snack and get a dessert for free. Kiosk was a bit tricky, but staff was standing by to help. Drinks were decent. Red bean milk tea, large size, light ice, and 25% sweet. You get the idea--lots of customizations were available. There were a large selection of snacks on the menu. Tempted to get the popcorn chicken ,but went with the veggie ramen. The spouts were crunchy, leafy greens were fresh, and the soup base flavorful. Served in a plastic bowl. Lots of snacks to choose from too. The ube cream puff was pre wrapped. The comment was it was better than it looks. And it didt look that bad... Thumbs up for this place. Including the bonus star for family owned, top marks! read more

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It's a cute little shop with lots of bubble tea flavors like milk tea, taro tea, oolong tea, fruit tea, cheese foam, and more. They also have seasonal flavors! There's lots of yummy sweets in the bakery like chiffon cake, cheesecake, basque cheesecake, cream puffs, burst cake, mochi, crepe cake, french macarons, and more. It's near the Enson Market. It wasn't too loud inside and there were plenty of places to sit. I think it would be a great place for a date or to meet up with friends. My order: The matcha green tea w. coconut milk (no boba). I also tried the tiramisu mousse cake. The green tea was really tasty, the tiramisu mousse was just okay IMO. Why I left a four star review: There weren't a lot of dairy-free milk options, the price point was a tad high, and there are too many other boba tea shops in Gainesville with a better price point and flavors. read more

Bestea & The Loop Cake - Bubble Tea Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

Look, I'm not from Gainseville. I'm from LA, on a visit, and LA is home to the best Chinese food/asian food and desserts in the country (don't let NYC tell you different). So the fact that I'm giving this place 5 stars means this place is stellar. It's not a place I would even expect to exist in a small place like Gainseville, let alone be THIS GOOD. BUT this place is THAT GOOD. The cakes were all LA tier, maybe even Taiwan/China tier, which is Saying SOMETHING!!! I travel a lot and my experience with asian stores in small towns has always been subpar. It might look authentic, etc but then the taste will disappoint and I'm reminded why the 626 in LA is known as an Asian food haven. But this store tasted straight out of the 626. I walked in looking for Asian desserts because I can only go so long existing on wypipo food tbh. I noticed there's a nice new Chinese market next door and the staff inside was all Chinese, speaking Mandarin - very encouraging. I looked at the cakes. They looked legit! Real Asian cake store level. But I still told myself to lower my expectations with the taste so I wouldn't be disappointed later. I bought four cakes and two drinks. Would have bought food too but their kitchen was closed (I came 30 mins before closing). Tbh, the drinks are just fine. I've had better, these were a tiny bit watered down - but still decent. The guava and lychee flavors we got were very prevalent and there was a fresh lime slice in mine. But the cakes!!! The cakes are 5 star. The cakes are LA worthy. TAIPEI worthy. What is this store doing in Gainseville?? I sure hope they survive. I have to come back to Gainseville often for medical events, so - I will be coming to this store EACH TIME. Please, please stay open for me. ;) The cakes are perfectly light, soft, not too sweet. (If you know Asian desserts you'll know what I'm talking about). The mochi layers inside were perfectly done, sweet, smooth, very QQ. Everything from the injeolmi flavor to taro paste to mango gelatin layers - all the flavors were there in just the right way. The textures - perfect. Lady M can't compete with the crepe cakes. The basque was cooked to PERFECTION. The mochi round cakes - like eating Taro clouds. This is not an amateur bakery, folks. This bakery know what they're doing. You have a gem here, Gainseville. I literally logged into Yelp to leave this review for them. Please do yourself a favor and try their cakes - Try them ALL. Experience the beauty of Asian desserts. I feel like every single thing here will be done perfectly. I know I'm gonna keep coming back to try more! read more

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The staff are incredibly kind and welcoming, and the shop itself is super cute and cozy--perfect for studying, hanging out, or just treating yourself. Their brown sugar milk tea is amazing--I seriously wish they offered an XL size because I always want more! Their mochi is also a must-try: soft, chewy, and just the right amount of sweetness. I tried a slice of their cake too, which was really good, but a bit on the expensive side for what you get. Still, the overall vibe and quality make it a spot I love coming back to. read more

First impression walking in was they had no a/c and there was no where to sit. Great for them that people still want to sit in a sauna at the end of June, but not me. The desserts in the pics grabbed my attention so I still checked it out. An Ube cream puff and a mango passion fruit crepe cake caught my attention. I picked the mango passion fruit crepe cake to go. I ate it at home and it didn't take like mango and passion. It only tasted like white cream so not impressed with the price. Maybe their boba drinks are better, but Tiger Baby is also next door at Enson. For Boba. read more

Bestea & The Loop Cake - Passionfruit mango crepe cake - Bubble Tea Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

Cute little shop with a whole selection of desserts to get with your boba. We tried the cookies and cream boba and the brown sugar boba with pudding. Both were delicious and tasted like a boba milkshake. Very quick service and they have very talented bakers and cake decorators. The cakes they make are sooooooo cute! And as a cake decorator myself I really appreciate other people's work. It's their art. We orders the mango crepe cake. It's super light and not too sweet. So if want a quick little dessert that won't be too heavy try a loop cake. read more

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I love fruit teas so was excited to try this place. I got the strawberry lychee green tea with half the sugar and it was still super sweet. It also had lots of chunks of lychee, which some people may enjoy. I personally don't like that much, which is why I don't usually get Boba became I don't like chewing my drink. The ice is also crushed ice so drinking with a straw seems slushy like and again needing to crunch your drink. I guess it's nice because regular ice cubes take up more space so this way you get more drink. My boyfriend got the oreo milk tea and said it just tasted like drinking milk. So not sure this tea spot will be dethroning our favorite spot but I'd be interested in going back to try their desserts. If I get a tea again I'd get it even less sweetened. read more

Very cute shop with plenty of options. The service was quick and helpful, and there were good choices for sweet vs dry, fruity vs dark, and additional toppings. I got the lychee tea with bubbles. I would have liked sweeter bubbles and less sweet tea, but to each their own! The lychee pieces were a fun surprise, too! Overall would definitely return and try some customer favorites. read more

Bestea & The Loop Cake - Lychee Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

There was no air conditioning when you walk in which is fine, but it was rather cold outside and the contrast to the stuffiness indoors was not great. They could've propped the door open perhaps. I've been here once before, so this was my second visit. I got the Thai tea and ordered via the kiosk. They didn't do a great job of calling out orders or names, so I assumed that the Thai tea that appeared on the countertop a little while later was mine even though it didn't print a name on the label. It was slightly busy, so the staff seemed occupied, but I did adjust the sweetness level. Overall the boba was a little too dense (like it had been sitting around for a bit) and the tea was mediocre. Some of us in the party went over to Tiger Sugar inside Enson Market for a second round. read more

Stoped here after shopping at Enson Food Market. Ordered Hokkaido Cheese Cake and my wife ordered Raspberry yogurt cheese mouse! Phenomenal! Come here and spend all your money! NO AC ISSUES TO REPORT! read more

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Checked this place out twice already but forgot to take a photo during my first visit! The place is located next to the Enson market, the biggest Asian grocery store in Gainesville at this time. As the name suggests, they sell Asian baked goods/bobas but also have some food options like ramen, etc. I always saw at least 3 different groups dining in for food. Anyways, the store is very clean and well-maintained and the cake here is delicious. The only downside is that it is little pricey for Gainesville, but given limited Asian baked good options, will come here more often! read more

Bestea & The Loop Cake - Bubble Tea Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

Drink-wise; they have a decent selection with good fruit teas. Their fruit teas taste refreshing and not too sweet. However, I did take off one star because they seem to always be sold out of multiple items when I visit. Food-wise, their ramen tends to run quite salty, which kind of overpowers any type so subtle flavors. The noodles are okay, and there's an appropriate amount of toppings in them. The egg was done well. The crispy chicken was too dry, and about a quarter of it was just fried bits. read more

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Food was delicious, the place was clean, and the pastry display was adorable. I bought a cake from the front, and after I was given my cake, the cashier answered the phone and ignored me when I tried to pay. It was pretty awkward, so I just left cash on the counter and took the cake to my table. I don't think the AC was on, which is terrible for the workers seeing as it's 95 in the FL summer. With 3 people buying ramen and boba tea each, the total came out to like $70. Super expensive, I have mixed feelings. read more

Bestea & The Loop Cake - Chocolate chiffon cake - Bubble Tea Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

I love the aesthetic of the place. It's clean, bright, and inviting. This was my first time here and I felt a little overwhelmed with all the tea choices but the employee walked me through and I ended up with black tea, matcha boba, and cheese foam. Even though I got 25% sweetness, it was still a bit sweet for me although I still enjoyed it. The reason I give this place 4 stars comes down to food. Pork gyoza: 5 stars. You get six pieces, and they are wonderfully crisp without feeling greasy. Ramen bowls: 3 stars. Here's the thing, they look extremely appetizing and flavorful, but surprisingly lacking in both flavor and taste. I was disappointed with both bowls. read more

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I am pleased to say that several years after I first tried this place on their opening week, Tea Bestea has significantly improved their product. When they first opened up, I felt like their drinks were rather hit or miss. Sometimes the drink was made well. Sometimes the drink was so watered down with ice. But now, having come back a few more times, I think they have definitely come a long way from when they first started. They have a lot more drink options now. But even with multiple options, they are pretty consistent with their drink quality. Especially with their real tea leaf teas. The use of tea bags with real tea leaves really ups the depth of flavor in their teas and brings that enjoyable complexity to their drinks. Good job, Tea Bestea. Glad to see that you've continued to push yourselves to improve and become better and better over time :) read more

Bestea & The Loop Cake - Dark Roasted Oolong - Bubble Tea Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

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The chicken curry was excellent, I will definitely get it again! The service was quick. read more

Bestea & The Loop Cake - Chicken 9. Curry Chicken Bowl & Oolong Milk Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

Tea Bestea has some of the freshest fruit teas that I've ever had outside of Taiwan. I am also OBSESSED with their homemade tapiocas that are seasonal. They always have their original golden boba, but they also have other flavors, like; mango, taro, green tea, and dragonfruit on rotation. My favorite fruit tea is their ultra blended pinapple tea. But, all the teas I've tried have been great. I recommend ordering all teas with 70% or less sugar, otherwise it is too sweet. Their Black Milk Tea with original tapioca served hot with 70% sugar is my vice. I only order their cream teas warm because it brings out the tea flavor. My family and I are addicted to their sticky honey wings and their pop chicken nuggets. The flavor is just like it is overseas. The chicken is heavily marinated and brined, so the color of the chicken is dark and bouncy. Love it! Gainesville is so lucky to have this option of teahouse that represents more classic tea styles that you would find in a tea culture society. read more

Bestea & The Loop Cake - Bubble Tea Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

I love to come here for both milk tea and fruit tea boba drinks! The classic milk tea was very rich in flavor and had the perfect amount of sweetness. The boba themselves were slightly sweet and a little harder texture than I imagined, very chewy. I ordered the Sapporo miso ramen, and it was okay. Some pieces of pork were a little dry for my liking, but the little bit of dark brown flavored pork was very savory. The broth didn't taste super flavorful, and the noodles were your average store-bought noodles, an overall decent experience for Gainesville ramen. I'd give the ramen a 3/5 and the milk tea a 5/5! read more

Bestea & The Loop Cake - Sappoero Miso Ramen - Bubble Tea Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

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Spacious boba tea place. Great to hang out with friends. read more

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Yummy ! Cheesecake was good . Tea was sweet . Crepe cakes look so good- I'll save that for next time .

Great tea house in Gainesville also serve food. We saw their display board for a tea that is look good. So we ask can they make that same as the picture. They were able to make it for us. It is actually a fruit tea with multiple types of fruits in it. It turn out one of the best tea. Somehow the tea has fragrance of passion fruit that mixed in very well. We also got their Bestea Signature ramen. It is the grilled chicken ramen with shiitake mushroom and black garlic sesame oil. It was delicious. The chicken was well prepared. We also has their chicken wing. We ask if they can give us two flavors in one order. The honey glazed and spicy wings. They were able to accommodate our request. The wing is also one of the best I ever have. We love this place for accommodation, change per customer request, and good food. Definitely will revisit them one day. read more

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Very nice ramen and tea restaurant! The posted menus were easy to understand, tables were open (table for one), and the service was quick! My veggie ramen was delicious. If I'm ever in the area again, I'll go back for another round. read more

Bestea & The Loop Cake - Bubble Tea Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

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The decor is nice and clean and I like how they have an open kitchen. They also offer an array of options in terms of bubble tea choices and even have many options for bubbles such as green tea bubbles, crystal bubbles, and mango bubbles. However, I went to try the black milk tea since that is a staple but they had ran out of both regular bubbles and green tea bubbles. I ended up getting the black milk tea without bubbles with 30% sugar content (so you can customize your sugar level and ice level). The tea was okay -tasted mostly milky rather than having a strong tea taste. My friend got the black milk tea with the crystal bubbles and regretted it so much, saying these bubbles had no taste whatsoever -just to warn others! It is also nice that they are open pretty late, compared to other bubble tea places. I might want to come back to try the regular bubbles and green tea bubbles. read more

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To promote their grand opening, Tea Bestea is offering a BOGO offer on their tea/boba drinks. Although I truly wanted to like this new restaurant/tea shop, the staff/management has a lot to improve on. My friend & I came in at 8:30PM on a Thursday night. Their grand opening deal has attracted a decent number of customers; we waited in line briefly, and proceeded to order. First, the cashier was not helpful in answering our questions; I asked about the difference between their regular vs. crystal boba, and his answer was "they're pretty similar." I ordered the black milk tea, as well as taro milk tea, with boba. A few minutes later, I put in another order for my friend; she originally wanted a green tea latte and matcha latte, but they ran out of matcha. Thus, she stuck with a green tea latte and black tea latte with boba. We were informed that only matcha boba was available, so we opted for that too. For these four drinks, I waited over 1.5 hours; I clearly saw people in line after me receiving their drinks first, simply because they complained about the wait. In addition, they continuously messed up orders - I saw people continuously complaining about their boba or poke orders. After waiting for almost two hours, I received my drinks. However, I was told that they ran out of matcha boba, but now had regular boba. Although I wanted regular boba in the first place, their inconsistencies and lack of communication amongst the staff made the experience more bothersome. They left out the boba in one of my drinks, and it took them a while to add it in. In addition to sealing their cups with the typical thin layer of plastic cover, they add an additional lid. At first, I told them to keep the lid to minimize waste, only to find out that the sealed top immediately peeled off, and was spilling on sides. As for the actual drink, it has a strong tea flavor, definitely of nicer quality. I got regular sweetness, and it wasn't overwhelming! However, the boba is poorly prepared; it lacked honey flavor and stuck together. The pearls were so melted together that they wouldn't even go up the straw. Overall, this place has a super nice aesthetic; fruit paintings, grayscale interior, and picturesque neon lights. Contrary to the appearance, they play heavy electronic dance music (literally headbanging material). The employees were nice and apologetic, but these aspects were not enough to compensate for the extremely long wait. I would potentially try this place again when they're less busy, or when the hype dies down. read more

Bestea & The Loop Cake - Drink Menu - Bubble Tea Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

Definitely the best bubble tea in Gainesville! Hubby and I are boba fanatics. Forget daily Starbucks, we do daily bubble teas. It's actually so bad for our wallet, but the addiction is real. We've lived in many cities and he's relocating to Gainesville for grad school. Imagine our excitement when we discovered this gem! At first we were disappointed to see there weren't many well known chains here (Gong Cha, Tiger Sugar are some of our favs) but this place more than makes up for that! I would describe it (if you've been to many chains) closest to Happy Lemon? The cheese foam drinks are INCREDIBLE, the sweetness adjustment is perfect (I always do 25%), the regular tapioca boba has the perfect chew, and the teas are fresh and strong in flavoring. They also sell food here and are located in this plaza with a bunch of Asian places (Asian grocery store, hotpot place, Sichuan food place, rolled ice cream) so if you love Asian food like we do definitely give this plaza and boba shop a visit! read more

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I didn't know what to expect from the other reviews of this place. The service I received was prompt and polite. I ordered a tea and a veggie ramen. The tea came out pretty quickly and the person who took my order brought it to my table. The ramen tasted pretty good. The broth was exceptionally good and the vegetable dumplings in the soup were great. I think more veggies could be added to the ramen, and the tofu needed to be marinated. It had no flavor. I asked for my ramen to go, but it came as a dine in order. The top to the container I was given just would not close, which was frustrating for transport. Obviously this place is still working out some kinks as it just opened, but I think it has really good potential. Also, the interior decorating is on point. Very modern and cool. read more

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I recently graduated from UF and damn I miss this place so much. They have so many good teas. My favorite was the green tea with 50 percent sugar. I used to come here every week for my tea fix! The staff is super nice and cafe has a nice vibe to it. The only thing is that sometimes this place would be packed on the weekends with no seats. I would come to study here but would have to come early to be able to get a seat. read more

Boba tea is AMAZING! After trying dozens of others this is by far the BEST! Highly recommend!

Quite pricey- as boba tends to be. Their cakes were a little overpriced for the quality but their fruit and milk teas are wonderful. The service is a little iffy and orders were taken by oneself. read more

First visit. The ramen was flavorful and the noodles were fresh. It's a very wide open space with spaced out table. They have an open kitchen and you can see the cook at work. The boba tea was pretty go also. I always get brown sugar and it was nice to taste since I live so far away from any boba places it's always a treat. read more

Bestea & The Loop Cake - Brown sugar milk tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

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Tea Bestea they win for the fruit teas! We got strawberry green tea and mango green tea. You can pick the level of ice and sweetness. They even added pieces of the fruits in there. read more

Bestea & The Loop Cake - Mango green tea with less ice and half sugar, strawberry green tea with less ice and sugar - Bubble Tea Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

Quiet & clean environment with lots of food options. No server necessarily. The ramen was delicious but felt a little too salty. read more

Bestea & The Loop Cake - Bestea Signature Ramen - Bubble Tea Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

Tried their Taro Milk Tea and Strawberry Rose tea with cheese foam. The tea flavor was excellent and a strong brew! Usually you do not get to taste the tea flavor with Taro, but Tea Bestea managed to balance the combination really well! The strawberry rose was pretty good also. They have different boba types including: crystal boba, matcha flavor boba too! Its a large space inside and they have a full food menu. read more

I ordered a birthday cake for my wife. Despite placing the order just the day before, they accommodated various requests and actually made the cake exactly as I wished. We are from Japan, and we thought it was difficult to find cakes to our liking in America, but here we were able to order a cake just like the ones we eat in Japan. It was very delicious, and my wife was very pleased, making it a wonderful birthday. If you're considering ordering a cake, I recommend including this store in your options. read more

Bestea & The Loop Cake - Bubble Tea Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

I always enjoy this place. Food is consistently good. Love the ramen here and the bubble teas are great too. My only complaint is the main cook had his mask only around his mouth. Otherwise all good read more

Bestea & The Loop Cake - Counter - Bubble Tea Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

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The pastries are beyond good! The cheesecake kept its texture perfect even after a long car ride. the taste was sweet but still balanced and had a nice roastyness on the back end. The mochi desert was fantastic and special. The combination of the flavors went really well together and the texture of the mochi was perfect. Highly recommend this place for really good pastries. read more

Bestea & The Loop Cake - Bubble Tea Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

Best tea has apparently redefined "best". We should have known better, but ate lunch here because Sohao was closed. The ramen was a mix of cold and lukewarm broth, glistening with fat globules. Not best. Not even good. Not even well-microwaved. I get that ramen is not the specialty here. And I concede that I kind of knew that going in. read more

The milk tea is mediocre, but I keep returning for the convenient location. The popcorn chicken is the only food I've tried. And it's TERRIBLE.. couldn't finish it. Uncooked with hard bones or tendons intact.. undercooked inside but overcooked to a dry amount on the outside. Might as well pay a bit more and go to the other milk tea sellers nearby. Also, found HAIR in the chicken. I thought it was part of the meat, first.. it's not.. pieces kept having hair poke out. See photos. read more

Bestea & The Loop Cake - Popcorn chicken.. with hard and uncooked tendons intact. - Bubble Tea Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

I've been to literally every place that serves ramen here in Gainesville but A friend recommended this place. First, they say simplicity is the ultimate sophistication and indeed this place nailed it. Simple, modern and sophisticated without trying so hard. Minimal interior design but leaves quite a remark which I do like. Service is good. Friendly and courteous staff. Some language barrier is there but A+ still. Price is reasonable and cheap. I ordered their popcorn chicken appetizer. The level of saltiness is perfect. It was crunchy and well-seasoned which makes you want to eat more. Matcha Slush Tea with Taro Toppings Most people probably will say its not good because its not as sweet but that's how milk tea are supposed to taste. Its because their boba are home made. It will usually taste different from most but thats how you know they are going for the authentic taste. I always order Taro Boba Tea but i did not regret getting the matcha! I sincerely appreciate what they're going for. As a foodie, I must give credits when its due. And this place deserves it. :) Finally, the signature Tea Bestea Ramen dish, The flavors were not over powering each other. It's simple but comforting. I must say thou, they should add roasted garlic. I couldn't stop eating regardless. I added a bit of their chili oil and hot sauce on my ramen to add a bit of a kick. My fave ramen and go to place is Volcanic Sushi + Sake in Haile but this place made it to my cut. Both places are great but definitely worth every penny. I am glad i tried this new kid in town. It was all worth it. I usually couldn't finish my bowl but I cleaned it up pretty well. If you're looking for authenticity. This place is a must try. I am coming back! Thank you Tea Bestea! Best regards to everyone who is part of your team! read more

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Tried Tea Bestea for the first time. I thought it was just going to be a tea place by the name, but there is also Ramen and Poke. I wasn't hungry and had only stopped in for bubble tea. This place was super clean and bright and inviting. I loved the decor and plants by the windows. I got a Taro tea it was extra delicious (no graininess or anything in sight). There are various option for tea flavors and tapioca ball flavors, sweetness and ice levels. Prices seemed spot on with other tea places in the area. Food appears to be in the $10-13 range. I look forward to visiting again! read more

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