came in with a friend on a friday evening & ordered popcorn chicken. it came out in 5 mins! which is usually very fast. the flavoring on the chicken was alright and i believe their sweet & sour sauce is made in house. it was only ~$5 which is super rare now a days! read more

Cha For Tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Irvine, California

This place never misses! So many great drink options and complimentary samples are provided in line. Although there's normally a line out the door, staff is very quick and efficient. The vibes at the university plaza really add to the experience! read more

Cha For Tea - Mango green fruit tea and Royal milk tea with boba - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Irvine, California

Friendly staff! Enjoy the combo meal all the time! Always enjoy my corn with popcorn chicken and almond milk tea drink. We'll definitely keep coming back here read more

Service is friendly, teas and food are amazing with good pricing . My go-to is the Mango green tea with boba half sweet. They have tables inside so you can sit and chill , overall a very good boba spot imo. read more

That guy named Rudy such terrible customer service not polite at all when closing and when ordering rushing too much chicken fire tho!!

Good boba but I specifically asked for 3 servings of roasted boba but they only gave me 1 so I paid extra :(

A bright spot for cheery boba near UC Irvine. The staff is always cheerful and accommodating, and the drinks always efficiently served and freshly made. I can also say that today I observed the staff discreetly cleaning the floor at about 5pm and the place looked and smelled absolutely amazing! We ordered the mango fruit tea with half boba and half custard as well as a peach cooler with boba and no caffeine. The boba was fresh AND warm! Yum! Highly recommended. read more

Cha For Tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Irvine, California

Worst boba drinks I've had in my life. Everything tastes artificial and syrupy and the food is always cooked halfway through or partially unseasoned. No quality control here. On top of that, this location always has an extremely long line and the college students are super rowdy, making a huge mess here. read more

A staple honestly of uci utc. Always get their almond milk tea with their crispy chicken with sauce. Honestly their boba isn't rlly anything to write home about but it's acceptable. Their crispy chicken with sauce (I think it's worth it) on the other hand is addicting and what keeps bringing me back. read more

This place has been here forever. I don't know when they first opened, but I remember walking here from UC Irvine when I was a first year student and that was over 20 years ago. Having said that I'm glad this place is still here because the drinks and boba are very good. I can't find a place in San Diego that even compares to this and even my husband loves this place. They used to offer samples of their boba and milk tea at the entrance, but I notice they don't do this anymore. Also their menu has changed significantly over the years, but that doesn't matter. All the drinks here are still excellent and the service is great. read more

Loud, loud, and loud inside, and crowded too. But...I was pleased with my drink and my wife is fond of this location. Parking was okay, since it was later in the evening. read more

My absolute favorite Boba Joint! A bit of a far drive from where I am but Cha For Tea is absolutely worth it considering the price and consistency. The menu ranges from Milk Teas to Fruit Teas, along with hot foods such as dumplings and fries tofu. Prices range from $5-10 for most items with the Fruit Teas being $4. It's the absolute best spot for a college student; it's quick, delicious, and consistent. From my own personal experience the Fruit Teas are a must try, especially mango & passion fruit. It's located next to Yogurtland and across from Gogi Grill @University Plaza read more

Cha For Tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Irvine, California

Cha For Tea never misses. Their boba is always perfectly chewy, warm, and sweet. I must have been here a hundred times, and their service is always quick as well. My absolute fav from here is the mango green tea. I also like their brown sugar milk tea! What really made me want to write a review was a delightful experience I had a few days ago! I, along with a couple of my friends, decided to come here on a late night to celebrate a recent engagement! What other place to come to than Cha? I go in and order my regular mango green tea with boba as always; however, when my drink doesn't arrive even after all my friends' drinks do, I try to show my receipt to the cashier. He tells me that he remembers me and my order, and we're both surprised when my drink isn't at the counter. He tells me that someone probably took it by accident, and tells one of the workers to make another one for me as soon as possible. He even says to make it a large even though I ordered a regular. What a sweet man! read more

Cha For Tea - mango green teas with boba - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Irvine, California

I remember my obsession with Cha when I came to UCI I would literally take a picture of my drink every time I ordered the honey green milk tea (so like every day of the week) and I never got sick of it until the end of freshman year. I even asked the managers to have a stamp card heh I discovered the honey green milk tea because they always had free samples in line and it was SO SWEET I had to get it YUHHH and the tapioca balls are actually quality. I know some friends whose favorite boba shop is Cha and others who look down on Cha-- but they give props to their boba Thanks Cha, for all the memories ~ read more

Cha For Tea - Honey Green Milk Tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Irvine, California

How the hell does this place have 3.8 stars? Drinks are awful, way too sweet (even at 1/5 sweetener), artificial flavor and no tea flavor. Probably the worst boba drink I had in all of OC in the last two years. There are zero redeeming qualities about these drinks. Don't waste your time here. Go to Jam Jam Tea Lab or Cha Redefine. read more

This tea place is located in Irvine center drive where it's one of the most popular places where UCI students like to come. In addition, the surrounding area has a lot of eateries and limited shops to explore. Perfect for date night. Inside is still following guidelines. Staff are wearing mask and asking each customer to wear a face covering to protect staff and safety of others. If you forgot your face covering, they will provide one at no charge. Three times of coming here so far and this tea place is by far one of the best tea places. They have a variety of drinks like tea, coffee, refresher and cooler and does offer food options. Each drink can be customize to how sweet it can be and what kind of ice you like (yes! They have cube ice). My go to drink is the passion fruit cooler and refresher. Be expected to sometimes wait...especially during one hour before closing because the line can be pack. highly recommend if you are in the Irvine area. read more

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Three and a half stars rounded down. I prefer the location in Long Beach. Cha For Tea is another (former?) Ten Ren franchise. It's a very popular spot for college students since they're right across from UC Irvine and they close late. You can find them in the University Center, next to Insomnia Cookies. Parking was easy on a Saturday afternoon, plenty of spaces near Mendocino Farms and Eureka! Everything was still take-out only, their dining room was closed. No samples available when I went. Online ordering is available at: toasttab.com/cha-for-tea-irvine-4187-campus-drive-m173/v3 Their drink menu consists of refreshers, milk teas, iced teas, hot teas, and packaged tea bags. Food options include various appetizers and entrees like crispy chicken or dumplings. For this recent visit I went with Royal Milk Tea, which is Earl Grey. The cup was not filled up all the way, I noticed the top had a thick layer of foam for some reason. But no complaints on the taste, the tea was solid. To me their drinks tend to be sweeter, so I normally adjust the sugar level lower than I usually would at other boba places. The boba was A-OK, on the soft side and had some chew to it but not much. I'd come again but I'm sticking to the drinks only, no toppings. read more

Cha For Tea - Royal Milk Tea ⋅ UTC - Irvine, California - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Irvine, California

I don't care what time or day it is, I will drive 20 minutes just to get Cha For Tea's Crispy Chicken! It is so addicting and delicious with the sweet and sour sauce. It is not like the usual sweet and sour sauce that you can get from the store or other boba shops. It is a light peach color and the flavor is so unique. I have tried multiple drinks here and I have liked them all. My go to drink is the Peach Mint Refresher. It really is refreshing and so yummy to sip! Overall, I love coming here! The staff is so friendly and the wait isn't too long for the food compared to other places. It is definitely inexpensive and there is plenty to choose from the menu. The shop is cute and small. There is currently no indoor seating, so it is just a simple to go experience. read more

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It's been awhile since I've been here. It was back when they used to leave out samples of their popular drinks for you to pour yourself in little sample cups. Ah, those were the days!!!! But not anymore. Even their dining area is completely closed off which I'm surprised about because I thought we were over that by now. I got here on a weekday but must've been the peak time or maybe not because there was a long line and a long wait. I got the peach milk tea to be different but didn't care for it. I should've just ordered my regular black milk tea, or at least that's what I think I used to order. Either way, nothing bad about the peach drink, just wasn't my style. But the boba itself was cooked perfectly and can't wait to go again. read more

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Decided to give this place another try since it's been a couple of years...this time around I decided to go with the baristas recommendation, which was the Mango Green Tea because it's a crowd favorite. The only adjustments I made to it was to lower the pumps of sugar down to 3 because I don't like it to be too sweet. However, 3 pumps was VERY sweet and Im curious how the regular 5 would've tasted. Boba was not that bad, it was pretty chewy and soft. read more

Cha For Tea - Mango Green Tea (Large) - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Irvine, California

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oh beloved, I am penning this letter near the lamplight on this weary winters eve. there is only one thing that could cure my sickness, the doctors have already recommended the sea, it is you dearest, Cha. still spending my 4.50 pence on a steaming tea in the grand year of two thousand twenty four. yee behold. read more

I went today and got their mango green tea with lychee jelly. This place makes their tea super sweet which I really like. A small tip from me is that I would get 1 less pump of sweetener if I get lychee jelly since the lychee jelly is still a little bit sweet. During this trip, I got their splenda sweetener which wasn't bad although it had a weird after taste. Honestly, if you really like sweet drinks and have a sweet tooth, come here. No regrets. read more

Cha For Tea - Mango Green Tea (Large) with Splenda - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Irvine, California

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I got the matcha latte with boba, and it was really good, the boba was nice and chewy, but it was a little sweet. Overall I loved it!

Tasty, always fresh teas and food! They are truly here to serve and have been trained well which adds to this tea places appeal. I have been going here since my daughter performs so much at the Barclay, this is my "go to" pit stop for food and teas. There is always an employee here, his name is "Phanu" (that's Tai) and he is so helpful to serve. I had a $100 bill and during the holiday season they can't accept those, which I can understand. Phanu explained ever so politely and respectfully, you could not be mad. It's his job to follow through manager orders, so he did his best. He took my order on hold until I could make change at Trader Joe's from buying anyhow a necessary item. I came back and the food and drinks were ready. Phanu offered to re-make them if the hot drink got cold, while I was away or if the cold tea was too watery. Consistently I see Phanu smiling, serving and just providing a genuine servant attitude but professional as well. Thanks Phanu for being such a gentleman to all of us and classy! read more

I was craving for boba and for a sweet drink and Cha for tea satisfied both. I don't do caffeine and they have a few lists of drinks under caffeine free. Of which brown sugar milk drink was my favorite. Medium size was small for me so I will recommend getting a large(about 50c difference) if you are thirsty. Also got their popcorn chicken and Cajun sweet potato fries. They were so-so and the quantity was less(~$6 for each). Service was quick. They have a few drinks to taste samples. Always a line and the crowd dies down after 2pm. read more

Cha for Tea at UTC is a bustling place for all the college students and locals to get their late night fix of boba. I'm definitely one of those people. With a bright and welcoming atmosphere, Cha for Tea has samples of their teas to try while in line and great staff at the counter. My favorite drink here is their mango green tea with boba and it NEVER disappoints!! So flavorful and their boba is such a sweet chewy texture, I absolutely love it. This is a must try boba stop for all you boba lovers! read more

When I'm thinking boba, this place always comes to mind. Their drinks are just so consistent, especially the boba, which is always perfectly chewy and sweetly glazed with honey. I'm a big fan of their milk teas, green, honey green, black, almond, royal, I've pretty much tried all of them over the years. The drinks are a bit too sweet for me, so I usually get 50% sweetness. Their coolers are also very refreshing and a nice way to mix it up. And when it gets cooler, they can make most of their drinks hot as well! We usually get their combo and will pick up a crispy chicken with boba. Hits the spot every time. You get your choice of rice vs noodles, salad, corn. The chicken comes with a sauce on the side. Parking is relatively easy. This place ebbs and flows in terms of busyness, so we usually order ahead online ;) read more

This is just like any other tea place. It's good but nothing that distinguished them from all the other hundred tea places available Service is good. I like drinking tea from places that brewed their teas. I'm not sure about this one. I definitely saw them use powder tea and it's a little on the sweet side so ask for less sugar. I had the Mango tea which was good. The campus location is packed but the line does go quick. read more

This place sells boba and dumplings and fried chicken. This place smells amazing. My drink came so fast even when the store looked packed. Pretty standard boba and milk tea but it hits the spot when you're in the UCI area. read more

Cha For Tea - Matcha - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Irvine, California

Cha is pretty much synonymous with UTC. It's been around for as long as I can remember, and it almost feels like you can't have one without the other. I came here with friends who requested meeting up at a place that served boba and popcorn chicken. And before my friend made that request, I had never realized before how I am seeing fewer and fewer boba places serving popcorn chicken. Service has always been slow at Cha, and it was indeed slow when we went. We waited the longest for our chicken (understandably so), and had to ask just to make sure they didn't forget our order because they kept cranking out drinks and no sign of our order. I would say the boba here is pretty average compared to a lot of other places around. They don't give you the option of customizing the sugar and ice levels on the menu and they did not ask. I gave back one star because I like that they still have the popcorn chicken, and can relive my middle school days of sharing a bag with some friends! read more

Cha For Tea - Matcha Latte with boba (on the left) - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Irvine, California

This was my favorite Popcorn chicken spot until yesterday. Since their ToastTab website was down around 5pm yesterday, I decided to call them and place my order. After at least 7 rings later, my call was answered by this young female cashier, who immediately cut me off mid-speech, and put us on hold. We patiently waited and when she finally was ready to talk to us, she didn't ask for our order but immediately, with an impatient tone, lectured/warned us that next time, effective April 1st, they will no longer take phone orders. I didn't want to wait too long for just 1 popcorn chicken because this location gets packed every weekend, and the line usually extends outside their door. I went to pick up my order and there was no line at all except another couple that just walked in at the same time. I don't understand why this cashier was being so impatient during a more empty day. I get it you're probably not paid enough for this job or whatever but I recommend the cashier and anyone else to be more appreciative & grateful of having work, because many people probably lost their jobs & businesses during this pandemic. Also, being in food service in the past, it is recommended to take the customer's order first, and then providing a friendly reminder on the new phone policy or any changes. Otherwise, it comes off as unfriendly, and a lack of basic friendly/courteous service. We are trying to support local businesses and that's why we've been coming here every week at UCI location. I wouldn't doubt that the rent is higher since it's Irvine company owned. Hope that the management will remind their employees to be at least courteous. read more

Cha For Tea - Toastab multiple times that I tried ordering online - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Irvine, California

My girlfriend and I came by to order some Crispy Chicken and Sweet and Sour sauce expecting it to be boneless chicken. My girlfriend took her first bite into her chicken and felt something hard and hurt her teeth. To our surprise, she found a huge bone in her "boneless" chicken! She could've choked or broke her teeth if she didn't know it was a bone. Be careful eating the chicken here as they don't check thoroughly. read more

Cha For Tea - Crispy Chicken with bone size of a penny - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Irvine, California

Ambiance is good, service is ok but drinks are average! Not my go to place though. Can try their few drinks like taro milk tea, mango slush, and rose tea. read more

We recently picked up Cha for Tea to enjoy. We each got the mango green tea, no ice, level 2 sweetness because hubby and I have a low tolerance for sweet drinks. Unfortunately, level 2 was still too sweet for us. We had to dilute our drinks with half a cup of water just to make it tolerable. Honestly, the flavor is good but the sugar was extremely off-putting. read more

I thoroughly enjoy Cha For Tea at any of their locations, however I find that this location is the most consistent in quality and service. I always get either the almond milk tea or mango green tea, which are their most popular - makes sense because they're both so good! Their drinks really are on the sweeter side though so I honestly can even do just 1 pump of sweetness for both drinks - also makes me feel better about myself but it truly is still so flavorful. Their boba is also consistently chewy and perfectly cooked every time I order it. My husband loves their mango green tea and I recently ordered it for him to go and he savored it so much that he sipped it from our fridge within a three day time span to make it last LOL but to be honest, it's because we were able to keep adding water to it because of how sweet and flavorful it is so the tea still tasted just as good. It does get pretty crowded because it is located in the UCI town center with a lot of college kids and also just guests in general, however they definitely have their staff and routine down to make sure service is up to par. There's a lot of outdoor seating if you wanna enjoy your drink there but it's also very easy to just drop by and grab a drink to go super fast as well. read more

It's a busy college Meka. And orders were done 2 minutes from ordering it. Overall Great spot

Good place for its location near UCI but I'm pretty sure thats the only reason it's busy all the time. The drinks are just okay. Lots of college students inside always. read more

Came here for a little bite to eat before class and was pleasantly surprised. The chicken was great and the bubble tea was yummy. We enjoyed the noodles and salad that came with our chicken meal. Olenty for one and e ought to share as well. Pretty popular and located inside the Woodbridge shopping center near Grocery Outlet. Lots of seating available outside and some kid play area structures available for the little ones. read more

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Food= food as always! Popcorn chicken and rice! They charge for Sweet & Sour sauce now though! Drinks= still good! They're my favorite place for boba! Service is pretty quick and very accommodating! Ambiance is giving UCI SPOP days! (IYKYK!) Miss and love it! read more

The drinks here are so consistent, it doesnt matter who makes them it'll always taste the same and the boba is so sweet and chewy. I always get either the almond milk tea or the honey green tea, less sweet, never disappointing. All drinks are adjustable- sweetness, ice leve, type of milk. The cafe has plenty of seating and they have self serve samples for you to taste. Staff is always friendly. I havent had a bad experience yet. read more

Cha For Tea - Honey Boba Green MilkTea & Almond MilkTea | 11/30/2019 - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Irvine, California