Tip: The sparkling fruit drinks are amazing…read more Last month, after work, I drove directly from my workplace to CF Markville for dinner. I was craving my usual from Bourbon St. Grill and hit the food court. While heading downstairs after walking through mall entrance 3, I saw this Chicha San Chen store. I flagged it for a visit. After having a satisfying, casual meal at the food court, I returned to the second floor and walked over here to check out the drinks. It was almost as if this store knew that I like fruit and sparkling drinks. I saw a sign that said I could get two sparkling fruit drinks for $10. Three words: Sign me up! I got Kinson at the ordering area. He was great stepping me through everything. I let him know that this promotion interested me. He asked if I wanted one of each fruit flavour. Yes! My order consisted of the following: - Sparkling orange - Sparkling peach Each drink contains fruit, sparkling water, and konjac. I paid with a credit card. I tapped and I was done. He let me know that it wouldn't take long for my drinks to be made. The wait time wasn't much. The seating area had just cleared, so I could take photos of the branded throw pillows, various decorated bear figures holding tea cups in slings, and a wall celebrating a hundred years of tea love. It's my kind of tea joint. I stood next to looseleaf teas in mini containers. I smelled a number of them as I waited. They were so fragrant that I didn't want to leave! I love smelling these teas: - Cassia black - Dong ding oolong - Green - Black - Osmanthus oolong - High mountain pouchong My drinks came in one size. It seemed to be the case for all drinks on the menu. I like that you can customize your drink. There's a menu that steps you through it, from the type of tea that you want brewed, to the flavours and toppings that you want in it. If you find this method to be too complicated, it does have popular teas that are already configured, so you don't have to. I liked that I didn't have to fuss with my order. It was exactly what I wanted. My receipt had a number on it. Their system has an automated voice that calls out your order number. it was a nice change of pace. I could clearly hear my order number called out. I'm sure staff were happy to save their vocal cords, too. My drinks were on the counter. You can help yourself to a tray, which I did. My drinks looked good. What I should have done was sipped both before walking to my car. This place was so generous with the pour that my drinks were topped to the brim. One of my drinks did spill out a bit as I was about to go through the doors. Oops. I stopped to sip both of them. I was good! I got to my car and safely put my drinks down in my caddy. Just from sipping them, I loved the flavours so much. The orange one had slices of orange and chewy konjac. It was slightly sweet and fizzy. It was cheerful to drink. I had the orange slices, minus the peel, of course. Yum! The peach drink was equally as awesome. It was bubbly, with generous chunks of peach and konjac. It was fruity and chewy. So good! Both were so refreshing on a hot July evening. I'm glad that I got two drinks. I enjoyed my first two drinks from this tea place. I'll be back for more! (301)

First time coming to Chicha San Chen inside Markville Mall 2/F. The store was bright and clean, and…read morethe service was courteous and speedy. We saw that they just launched the NEW Pineapple menu and decided to try the caffeine-free, Creamy Pineapple Tart drink (sugar and ice level is fixed) - it was surprisingly tasty the mousse, fresh milk, pineapple bits, and topped with a pie crust crumble(?) on top.

Cute little place in a plaza with so many boba shops! Came here because I was craving matcha and…read morethis place had a matcha drink. Ended up ordering the Deerioca Matcha. I had asked to adjust the ice level on the drink but they told me it was fixed which I thought was a little odd. Other than that, ordering was super easy and straightforward. The drink tasted amazing and I could really taste the matcha. The boba was flavorful but was slightly hard in the middle. The drink looks small but it was just enough for me.

I had such a long day today!! I definitely needed some BBT to recharge myself. I ordered Royal No…read more 9 and my friend ordered something with Strawberry (sorry forgot the name). Both drinks were good, love the hint of blueberry in the Royal No. 9.

They have a wide variety of fruity vs milky drinks. The barista is well knowledged and patient in…read morelistening to our preferences when we couldn't decide what we wanted. I appreciate their wintermelon options as not many bubble tea shops offer them. This is a cute shop. They have sections similar to a consignment or pop shops. You can buy jewellery, accessories, tea related items, handmade cookies, etc. While sipping on your bubble tea. Very creative and great way to support local. However, this space does take away some seating options. If you're looking to sip and tap, if the weather is nice out, I'd recommend taking your bubble tea to one of the 3 nearby parks within walking distance.

I was in the area and wanted a drink, so I decided to revisit YGO Lab. I think it's safe to say…read morethat I will not be coming back here unless I'm really desperate for a drink. I tried their Osmanthus Honey Americano and it was terrible. Knowing that there was honey in the drink, I asked for 0% sugar. The drink was incredibly sweet and I feel like I would get diabetes if I left the drink at 100% sugar. The osmanthus flavour and americano did not pair well together. I love flavoured americanos, but this has got to be the worst flavour combination that I've ever experienced. There were osmanthus flowers at the bottom of the drink - I was not a fan of the texture. I couldn't bring myself to finish the drink. There was only one staff working in the afternoon and they weren't busy, so they're a one-woman show (taking the drink order and then going to the back to make it). The wait wasn't long as the woman was efficient. I see other people giving good ratings and maybe it's because we're getting different drinks, but my experiences are vastly different than theirs. I generally don't go for fruit teas and my preference is milk teas and coffee-based drinks. This is not the place for those drinks and I'm sad that I wasted two drinks worth of money to experience less than mediocrity.

Tips: - There aren't any humans taking orders when you walk…read morein. You must use the kiosk. - This place is on Fantuan, but doesn't offer the full drink menu that you see in the store. - Most drinks are regular in size. Only a handful are large. Last Monday, after work, I was in downtown Markham. I was driving up Birchmount Avenue, just before Highway 7. I pulled into a parking spot on the street. It was my first time parking here. I thought that I'd check out the businesses and remembered Machi Machi. You can also park in the plaza. Machi Machi is across from Panera Bread. There's lot of parking. It was the last bubble tea store in downtown Markham that I had yet to visit. It was time. The store has a couple of steps to get to the door that faces Birchmount Avenue. It also has a ramp. I took the steps going in. There is no hand rail. I left using the ramp, which seemed spacious enough for a wheelchair. I entered the store. There were two folks ahead of me at the kiosk to place orders. No one was behind the counter taking orders, so your kiosk is your best bet. There was a group of four folks waiting for their orders next to us. I also saw seating off to the right and left. They are limited. You get three seats on either side of the order area. I was order number 29 with these items: - Fizzy plum green tea (fixed sugar and ice) - Coconut lime strawberry smoothie (light sugar and fixed ice) Both were regular in size. There are few drinks that are large. Customizations aren't as flexible as other bubble tea places. They are my reasons why this place doesn't get a five-star review. It was such a nice day outside that due to demand for cold drinks here, it took long to get my drinks. The woman in front of me decided to go outside. It was weird to me. If I had a drink waiting for me and I'm a party of one, I'd be inside the store, waiting for my number to be called. Sure enough, order number 28 was called. I said that I was number 29 when the woman looked at me. I was standing by the glass window. It's all glass, which was nice seeing the sunshine come in, but it also heated up the place. I lightly tapped on the glass. Number 28 heard me. I pointed to her to come inside. She did. This woman was extremely introverted. She got to the counter and didn't say a thing. I went around and got the attention of a nice female staffer. I said that 28 was here. She nodded and got 28's drink. 28 was happy. Both thanked me. It was my good deed of the day. My order was ready. My good deed helped. The female staffer asked if I wanted a bag. I said yes. I got it for free. I thanked her and left with my bag of drinks and straws. I immediately had the fizzy plum green tea. I love fizzy drinks. This one was awesome. The plum flavour was excellent with the green tea. It was refreshing, fizzy, and perfect. I drank it as I drove to fetch some takeout before heading home. I had the coconut lime strawberry smoothie after dinner. It tasted tropical and delicious. The flavours were so good. Excellent! I'd get both drinks again. I'd also love to try more items on the menu. I had a wonderful first experience here. (166)

So cool this place I feel like in Asia with absolutely gorgeous flavors ! I highly recommend thisread more

I searched for 30 minutes trying to find this place based on the reviews. It doesn't even exist…read more It's closed down.

4.5 STARS Stumbled…read moreupon Yi fang on a hot day of walking and mr. Tran wanted something to drink. We saw Yifang and decided to give it a go. We ordered two large fruit tea with 70% sugar. Order was made very quickly and was done within minutes of waiting. Took my first sip, and it was beautiful. So good, so refreshing, and couldn't get enough! I don't know what took us so long to try this place!!

takeout only, came for a late night bubble tea run and tried their new omanthus series. I got their…read morefruit tea, it was a good with a balance of lemon. The only thing i have to say is the worker could be a little faster. She took about 25-30 minutes in total to make 5 drinks. 3 for the person ahead of us, and 2 for me. We went around 10, so they weren't closing anytime soon either. She was nice though. Depends on the nights at the plaza, weekdays is okay but weekends are always chaotic. I like getting their signature milk tea as well.

Last Tuesday, after a lovely lunch at Sushi Gin, I felt like bubble tea. Commerce Gate has a lot of…read morebubble tea joints to try. I have never been to any of them. I typically hit Kinton Ramen in this plaza, fetch food, and leave. It was nice to have already parked for two hours. I got here at noon. There were plenty of spots available. After doing a quick look at the bubble tea places to choose from, I chose TP Tea. There's one closer to my home, across the border (it sounds fancy) in Scarborough. I needed to check out a different location. TP stands for Taiwan Professional. I still think of my former intern who disliked a software tester at our workplace who creeped her out. She nicknamed him TP, which stood for Toilet Paper.... haha! Anyway, I digress. I walked in and there were two staff members. A young man came over to help me with my order. The Thai milk tea looked so good in the poster on the door that I went with it. I couldn't get it without any sugar, so my order became less sugar and ice. I also got tea jelly. I had never heard of tea jelly before. Tea jelly in tea? Hey, why not? I paid with a credit card. I tipped and tapped. I also signed up for TP Tea's points program. You simply enter your phone number and sign in through the touchpad each visit. You can get free toppings, free drinks, and more. It didn't take long for my order to be ready. This store is deep and narrow. You can't sit down and enjoy your drink. You also can't use the washrooms. The woman behind the counter asked if I needed a bag. I politely declined and said that I was going to drink it now, which made her laugh and nod. I wished both folks a great day and headed to my car. The Thai milk tea ws excellent. If you like strong tea, you want to come here. The milk was perfect to balance out the tea. I loved the tea jelly, which added a cool flavour dimension to my tastebuds that I have never experienced. It was awesome and I got a decent amount of it! Less sugar worked out nicely. My drink was a touch sweet. Perfect! I had a great experience. I hope to return to this plaza and get more drinks off the menu. (463)

Very surprising experience! We came here with little…read moreexpectations and came out amazed. The bubble tea came out delicious as ordered and honestly surprised us on how flavorful it was! Ordered the Strawberry Lemon tea and Lime Jasmine Green Tea. Both had really nice notes of their main flavor and a very impactful tea flavor. The service was truly amazing, quick and efficient. The inside was nice and welcoming. Definitely coming back here!

Last Thursday, I was picking up a takeout order. I hit this plaza and parked steps away from Cha…read moreMiao. After having fetched my takeout order, I felt the need to check out this bubble tea joint. With my food with me, I entered the store. It's a cute, quaint bubble tea joint. It's small, with a few spots to sit down and enjoy your bubble tea. The lone man working there greeted me. He allowed me to take a bit of time to look at the menu and figure out what I wanted. He was friendly and nice. I tend to go with fruity drinks. I got B8 on the menu, which was strawberry lemon tea. I splurged and got jelly. I went with 30% sugar and less ice. I always find it difficult to gauge whether I can take the lemon without sugar because the jelly has sweetness or if it's disgustingly sweet. The bar table was perfect for me to place my takeout on it. I took photos of the place. I saw this man muddle lime and strawberry slices. I'm not sure why lemon drinks are lime, but it doesn't matter to me. I like citrus. I paid with a credit card. You can tip if you'd like. It was straightforward. This store got a bit busy with two other customers entering as I was waiting for my drink. I was happy that I beat the rush. Another male staffer came into the store to help out. He ultimately handed me my drink, along with a straw. I thanked both men and left. It was my first time getting anything from Cha Miao. It won't be my last. My drink was so good. I'm glad that I did 30% sugar. The jelly didn't have any sugar or taste to it. You basically got it for the chewiness factor, which was fine. The strawberry and lime flavours were excellent. This drink felt like a partial meal with refreshing tea. It was so good that I have wanted another drink from this place ever since. I like that this place has daily specials for $4.99. Nice! I should remember to visit on Monday or Tuesday because those days are the fruity drinks. I'm a fan. I have two reasons to return to this plaza: Millstone Rice Rolls and this bubble tea place. I'll be back! (215)

This is my go to spot if i'm ever in Scarborough. The monet garden fruit tea is super refreshing…read moreand has real fruit in it. It's also 1L size, a little expensive since it's $10 but totally worth it!!! For service, not really the best... everytime I went the employees don't really look happy or greet me. Sometimes the drinks will take along time to make because they're so busy so I do like to order ahead of time. Ambiance is casual and ideal for takeout but they have a few seats in the back room and a bench in the front of the store.

Rebranded as Qing Yu Homemade Tea (or The Green Isle as it is listed on Google), this bubble tea…read moreshop used to be World of Tea. Both an art studio and a bubble tea shop this location is both hip and fun. As it is extremely popular, be prepared to wait for quite sometime for your drink. On a regular night you'll probably have 10-20 orders before you when you order. But at least you get you get to look at the art from the studio. Made with fresh fruit, all their drinks are superb. If you like slushes, I'd highly recommend their pan yuliang peach glacier. This bubble tea shop is tucked into a plaza out of the way from many other bigger plazas so unless you've been here before for other things like the dim sum restaurant, a hair cut, or the hockey rink across the street, it's kind of a nice local secret. Charming with delicious drinks, I'd definitely recommend it. (They used to have a very cute cat too but not sure where it is now. Hope they bring the cat back).