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CHICHA San Chen delivers a premium tea experience, but it comes with a premium price tag! It's basically $10 for a drink, and they only offer one size, which is the smaller size of a usual tea place's volume. BUT they are remarkably consistent, with perfectly chewy pearls and high quality teas. So, even though I'm paying a lot, I know it's going to be good. I got the Dong Ding Oolong with cream, perfect sweet and less ice with boba. The Dong Ding oolong is a high mountain oolong with a strong malty, nutty, roasty taste. It perfectly complements the cream. I prefer cream as opposed to milk since I think the cream gives the drink a thicker, more velvety mouthfeel if you mix it into the tea, plus before mixing you can sip on the cream and the tea separately, so it's like you can enjoy two drinks in one cup!
As a tea AND bubble tea lover, this place is incredible! The drink options are limitless and very customizable, plus absolutely delicious. Incredibly high quality bubble tea. The team is absolutely lovely, it was my first time there and I had some questions/confusion and they were literally so patient, so kind and definitely pointed me in the right direction! As a Libra, decisions are hard ok luckily, you really can't go wrong with anything here. They even offer you free samples of their daily tea! They were pretty busy for a weeknight and yet we didn't wait long at all. Beautiful decor, very unique, relaxing and artistic. Definitely gives quality tea absolutely crushed it on the aesthetic front 10/10 gorgeous Sadly deducting a star because I got a very long black hair in my drink and I have very short blonde hair, so it was a bit unsettling and the drinks are quite expensive, so didn't super love that!
Great quality, but expect a wait and premium pricing (4 Stars) - Bell Square location I visited CHICHA San Chen at Bellevue Square and had a solid experience. I tried a medium-sized tea with taro paste and boba, and the texture combination was excellent. The tea flavor itself is definitely on the milder side, which worked well with the rich paste. The only real downsides are the value and the timing. It is definitely on the pricier side for a medium, and because they brew the tea fresh, you should expect to wait a bit for your order. Overall, it's a high-quality treat if you don't mind spending a little extra time and money.
We stopped by here after dinner and even though it was busy, the line moved quickly. The staff was pleasant and efficient, and they let us try a sample before ordering. I love their clean aesthetic and vibe. There's no seating inside, so people wait on the side for their drinks. They have lots of drink options for selection! If you're not sure what to order, they have a "Popular Menu" to choose from which is helpful. I usually get one of their iced teas or boba drink, and I love that the drinks aren't overly sweet or sugary. This place is now one of my favorite boba spots, and I try to stop by whenever I'm at the mall!
Overall: 5 stars Great tea chain with a unified quality that excites the palette. I think the premium tag for this tea chain is well worth for because it definitely tastes much better. Mango Fruit Tea - Love the intensity of the mango flavor that blends harmoniously with the tea to create one unified fruity palette. Very fresh, very bright, very refreshing. Pouchong Tea Mousse - Its quite impressive how mousselike they were to make the drink without any use of dairy. This lemon-forward tea is bright and refreshing on the palette, and the airation makes it really pleasant on the palette. Food: +1 Presentation: +1 Price: E Atmosphere: E Service: E Menu: +2 Insta/Yelp/Beli: @amei_eats Insta/TikTok: @ameizing.race
I really wanted to love this but at the price point I just couldn't get behind it. The tea machines are very nice and the experience feels very high end but the drink was just not the best I'd ever had. The drink was served fast and warm. I always get less ice and even with the drink starting hot, my drink felt watered down. The drink of the day was great!
Very pricey milk tea. The tea flavor was pleasant and prominent as soon as I walked into the store. The tea with the thick milk plus taro balls without sugar had enough sweetness for me. I liked the taro balls
Ordered the osmanthus oolong tea with mango with less sugar, less ice and konjac. Was surprisingly still sweet, but still very refreshing and very yummy. Plus, they put a lot of care into preparing the drinks fresh, resulting in the very lovely aroma of tea in the shop. I can see why it's a Michelin star boba place!
Still just as good. And yes, still need $10 boba. I got a sample of their tea and it's so good. Reminder to try one of their fruit teas next time!
When we passed by in the morning, it wasn't busy at all. By the afternoon, the line wasn't too long but there were a ton of people waiting for their drinks. We got ours in about 10 min. I ordered the Bubble Volcano (organic milk + brown sugar + bubble) with less ice, which was absolutely delicious. Although there are a few tables, the space inside is quite small, so we found seating elsewhere in the mall. It was the perfect stop for an afternoon bubble tea.
Chicha truly deserves all its flowers as one of if not the best boba spot in Seattle. I've tried several of their drinks everything from classic milk teas, fruity drinks, and seasonal options and this place is just consistently so good. Tea quality is always top notch and even when there's a massive line, they manager to churn out their drinks within 15 - 20 minutes. My quick tip is if you see a large line in the mall, just order online and swing by 10 - 15 minutes. If you're not sure what to order, grab an oolong or black tea with cream. If you're looking for something without caffeine, the Organic Milk w/ Taro Ball and Paste is absolutely delicious with earthy taro flavor and the toppings were still warm with the cold milk. Seasonal Pineapple Snowy is also literally a Taiwanese pineapple cake in drink form. How did they get crunchies into the drink? Honestly, you can't really go wrong here and when I am craving boba, this is just ol' reliable.
Seattle-Area Boba Shop Review #114 This was my first time visiting the new Chicha San Chen location after they moved to Bellevue Square. It's still just as popular as ever, although their constraint now seems to be on the drink making side rather than the ordering side. For ordering, they have 2 kiosks and one in person register. Due to more efficiency on that side, it only took us about 5 minutes in the order line. Picking up the drink, however, was a slog, taking more than half an hour. The main thing we wanted to focus on this time was the difference between the Cream and the Milk, so we picked the same base (Black Tea) and adjustments (Perfect Sweet, Less Ice w/ Boba) for both drinks. As always, the base is excellent, great black tea flavor and fragrance. The differences between the cream and milk are as follows: Cream - Smells like cream with perhaps a little vanilla essence. The cream adds a ton of body, making the drink thick and luscious, allowing it to coat the entire mouth in film while drinking. It adds additional flavor complexity to the drink, with a strong dairy cream notes and perhaps even a little funky umami. Milk - Smells like smoky black tea. The drink is definitely more watery than the cream, although it's mixed well without much milk so the dairy flavor is balanced with the tea. The tea fragrance is much stronger in this tea and is the dominant flavor, with only slight milky undertones. After comparing the two, I definitely enjoy the cream more, although if I ever want a stronger tea flavor, I'd go with the milk. Chicha San Chen remains my favorite boba shop in the Seattle metro. It costs more than other places, but the quality is among the highest around. There's a reason I always search for this brand wherever I travel.
I was looking for a fresh boba tea place in Bellevue Square (other than Happy Lemon) and came upon this amazing Taiwanese tea house. The tea is so fresh and light. The flavors are amazing with real fruits added and all extras (boba or cheese topping) are made so well. I ordered one each for my mom and I. I will be back! There isn't really a place to sit so once you order, you go into the mall.
27 days ago
Love the Chicha here! They tasted better than the Chicha in Singapore!! SERVICE 5/5 Staff was so earnest, kind and attentive. The two times I was there, they gave me samples of tea to try. AMBIANCE 5/5 Very limited seatings but if you were lucky like me, you will enjoy sipping tea here. Bright, clean and very lively esp on weekends (meaning long line! lol). DRINKS 5/5 The first time I had the "Osmanthus Mango" (did not quite remember the name) and the 2nd time "Bee My Plum". Both drinks were excellent. Funnily, this ChiCha and a couple of other places would be something I miss in Bellevue. read more
If you want quality tea and flavor, go here! There are so many choices of tea and toppings -- definitely something you'd want to go for a refreshing tea experience. Not really like a basic boba shop where you get a plethora of powdered drinks. They use to be at a different location in Bellevue but now they're at the mall. So yummy and you get to walk around after with a cup of tea in hand. read more
1 month ago
CHICHA San Chen delivers a premium tea experience, but it comes with a premium price tag! It's basically $10 for a drink, and they only offer one size, which is the smaller size of a usual tea place's volume. BUT they are remarkably consistent, with perfectly chewy pearls and high quality teas. So, even though I'm paying a lot, I know it's going to be good. I got the Dong Ding Oolong with cream, perfect sweet and less ice with boba. The Dong Ding oolong is a high mountain oolong with a strong malty, nutty, roasty taste. It perfectly complements the cream. I prefer cream as opposed to milk since I think the cream gives the drink a thicker, more velvety mouthfeel if you mix it into the tea, plus before mixing you can sip on the cream and the tea separately, so it's like you can enjoy two drinks in one cup! read more
2 months ago
As a tea AND bubble tea lover, this place is incredible! The drink options are limitless and very customizable, plus absolutely delicious. Incredibly high quality bubble tea. The team is absolutely lovely, it was my first time there and I had some questions/confusion and they were literally so patient, so kind and definitely pointed me in the right direction! As a Libra, decisions are hard ok luckily, you really can't go wrong with anything here. They even offer you free samples of their daily tea! They were pretty busy for a weeknight and yet we didn't wait long at all. Beautiful decor, very unique, relaxing and artistic. Definitely gives quality tea absolutely crushed it on the aesthetic front 10/10 gorgeous Sadly deducting a star because I got a very long black hair in my drink and I have very short blonde hair, so it was a bit unsettling and the drinks are quite expensive, so didn't super love that! read more
3 months ago
Great quality, but expect a wait and premium pricing (4 Stars) - Bell Square location I visited CHICHA San Chen at Bellevue Square and had a solid experience. I tried a medium-sized tea with taro paste and boba, and the texture combination was excellent. The tea flavor itself is definitely on the milder side, which worked well with the rich paste. The only real downsides are the value and the timing. It is definitely on the pricier side for a medium, and because they brew the tea fresh, you should expect to wait a bit for your order. Overall, it's a high-quality treat if you don't mind spending a little extra time and money. read more
3 months ago
We stopped by here after dinner and even though it was busy, the line moved quickly. The staff was pleasant and efficient, and they let us try a sample before ordering. I love their clean aesthetic and vibe. There's no seating inside, so people wait on the side for their drinks. They have lots of drink options for selection! If you're not sure what to order, they have a "Popular Menu" to choose from which is helpful. I usually get one of their iced teas or boba drink, and I love that the drinks aren't overly sweet or sugary. This place is now one of my favorite boba spots, and I try to stop by whenever I'm at the mall! read more
Overall: 5 stars Great tea chain with a unified quality that excites the palette. I think the premium tag for this tea chain is well worth for because it definitely tastes much better. Mango Fruit Tea - Love the intensity of the mango flavor that blends harmoniously with the tea to create one unified fruity palette. Very fresh, very bright, very refreshing. Pouchong Tea Mousse - Its quite impressive how mousselike they were to make the drink without any use of dairy. This lemon-forward tea is bright and refreshing on the palette, and the airation makes it really pleasant on the palette. Food: +1 Presentation: +1 Price: E Atmosphere: E Service: E Menu: +2 Insta/Yelp/Beli: @amei_eats Insta/TikTok: @ameizing.race read more
I really wanted to love this but at the price point I just couldn't get behind it. The tea machines are very nice and the experience feels very high end but the drink was just not the best I'd ever had. The drink was served fast and warm. I always get less ice and even with the drink starting hot, my drink felt watered down. The drink of the day was great! read more
Ordered the osmanthus oolong tea with mango with less sugar, less ice and konjac. Was surprisingly still sweet, but still very refreshing and very yummy. Plus, they put a lot of care into preparing the drinks fresh, resulting in the very lovely aroma of tea in the shop. I can see why it's a Michelin star boba place! read more
When we passed by in the morning, it wasn't busy at all. By the afternoon, the line wasn't too long but there were a ton of people waiting for their drinks. We got ours in about 10 min. I ordered the Bubble Volcano (organic milk + brown sugar + bubble) with less ice, which was absolutely delicious. Although there are a few tables, the space inside is quite small, so we found seating elsewhere in the mall. It was the perfect stop for an afternoon bubble tea. read more
Chicha truly deserves all its flowers as one of if not the best boba spot in Seattle. I've tried several of their drinks everything from classic milk teas, fruity drinks, and seasonal options and this place is just consistently so good. Tea quality is always top notch and even when there's a massive line, they manager to churn out their drinks within 15 - 20 minutes. My quick tip is if you see a large line in the mall, just order online and swing by 10 - 15 minutes. If you're not sure what to order, grab an oolong or black tea with cream. If you're looking for something without caffeine, the Organic Milk w/ Taro Ball and Paste is absolutely delicious with earthy taro flavor and the toppings were still warm with the cold milk. Seasonal Pineapple Snowy is also literally a Taiwanese pineapple cake in drink form. How did they get crunchies into the drink? Honestly, you can't really go wrong here and when I am craving boba, this is just ol' reliable. read more
Seattle-Area Boba Shop Review #114 This was my first time visiting the new Chicha San Chen location after they moved to Bellevue Square. It's still just as popular as ever, although their constraint now seems to be on the drink making side rather than the ordering side. For ordering, they have 2 kiosks and one in person register. Due to more efficiency on that side, it only took us about 5 minutes in the order line. Picking up the drink, however, was a slog, taking more than half an hour. The main thing we wanted to focus on this time was the difference between the Cream and the Milk, so we picked the same base (Black Tea) and adjustments (Perfect Sweet, Less Ice w/ Boba) for both drinks. As always, the base is excellent, great black tea flavor and fragrance. The differences between the cream and milk are as follows: Cream - Smells like cream with perhaps a little vanilla essence. The cream adds a ton of body, making the drink thick and luscious, allowing it to coat the entire mouth in film while drinking. It adds additional flavor complexity to the drink, with a strong dairy cream notes and perhaps even a little funky umami. Milk - Smells like smoky black tea. The drink is definitely more watery than the cream, although it's mixed well without much milk so the dairy flavor is balanced with the tea. The tea fragrance is much stronger in this tea and is the dominant flavor, with only slight milky undertones. After comparing the two, I definitely enjoy the cream more, although if I ever want a stronger tea flavor, I'd go with the milk. Chicha San Chen remains my favorite boba shop in the Seattle metro. It costs more than other places, but the quality is among the highest around. There's a reason I always search for this brand wherever I travel. read more
I was looking for a fresh boba tea place in Bellevue Square (other than Happy Lemon) and came upon this amazing Taiwanese tea house. The tea is so fresh and light. The flavors are amazing with real fruits added and all extras (boba or cheese topping) are made so well. I ordered one each for my mom and I. I will be back! There isn't really a place to sit so once you order, you go into the mall. read more
This place always temps me when I'm in the mall. The passion fruit tea is so refreshing and the dragon fruit is delicious. Yeah, it is expensive but you can taste the quality. I love the ambience as well. The boba milk tea is wonderfully balanced and doesn't make me feel sick after. Love the bag with handles- so practical. read more
My friend and I -- both tea nerds who usually brew our own at home -- decided to try Chicha San to see what their freshly brewed approach was all about. We ordered the milk tea, taro, and fruit tea. Each cup was well-balanced and true to style: the milk tea had a clean, rounded tea backbone, the taro was creamy without being sickly sweet, and the fruit tea tasted bright and fresh. The boba deserves its own mention: chewy and soft with a subtle gummy-bear note that lifts the drinks without overpowering the tea. The standout here is the live-brew ritual. Watching them steep the leaves and build the drink from start to finish felt like a little tea ceremony -- a detail both of us appreciated as people who care about the craft. Service was friendly and the vibe relaxed, perfect for catching up. My friend enjoyed his drink but, like me, found the price a bit steep compared with what we pay to make similar drinks at home. read more
I like how they always have cute and convenient packaging for my tea, and they also offer non-caffeinated drinks such as Osmanthus tea. I also liked their organic milk, which helps me avoid an upset stomach. The staff are very efficient when serving drinks. It's a perfect place to grab a quick drink! There aren't many seating areas, but that's okay since it's in a mall and people usually tend to walk around. read more
This part of my review is for the visit to the location inside Bellevue Square Mall, some time after their first location around Safeway closed down to a Sharetea (and then Unique Green, what's going on with that area anyway???). I've been here during its grand opening when they were handing out free plastic bottles with their logo on them, which you could only get if you wrote them a review on Google. Well, this review is for Yelp, and I came here with family around 2pm or so to lines that kept getting longer and then shorter; people kept coming in and out, and waited near the counter in bunches after placing their orders, either at the kiosks or with the servers themselves. This is located at the mall's first floor near Macy's and a pair of escalators. I always forget what I should be getting here because the drinks don't appeal as much to me as before, so when I got a dong ding oolong tea latte at light sugar and less ice, I thought to myself, "I need to get more sugar in this next time!" I'm pretty sure I've said that many times before, just not in my reviews. At least with the lack of sugar, you can taste how powerful their tea is, and why it takes a while for the servers to make each drink - about 10 or so minutes for four drinks I got. This location doesn't have any seating inside unlike when it used to be Chamei, so it's a grab-and-go situation here. Hype for this place and in my mind has died down considerably but I don't mind coming here every now and then to grab a drink or two. read more
I don't really drink tea nor get boba drinks much anymore. Anyways, we had to go to Bellevue Square and saw this was new, so the other half decided to stop and try something. We shared 1 drink between us and stuck to a more classic choice. Taro Bubble Milk Tea. You can choose a kind of tea, we just got black. Took like 5 mins or so to get your drink. Overall, it was actually pretty good, we enjoyed it, you can definitely taste the tea. Boba was nice and soft too! Staff works hard to get all the drinks knocked out. Depending on what you get, prices are about $9. Cool design to the cup/holder! Next time at Bell Square I would consider coming back to get something again. read more
Oh snap, bling, bedizzle that hit the spot my first 5 stars ever and it's tea . It was cool and refreshing and sooooo good by the way it's alittle pricy but worth it ever now and than, I wasn't sure to give it a high rating because if it get busy than I might have to wait read more
The Osmanthus teas are amazing here! I got a sample of the honey and I love how sweet it was. I got a Osmanthus mango with konjac jelly and i definitely will be getting this combo again; I love how chewy the konjac balls are. Service was amazing, I ordered on a tablet and got my order within 5mins on a Friday afternoon. Decor is beautiful as well, there was some seating inside but it's limited. read more
Have been a few times now with friends and colleagues, got lucky on all occasions that there was no line, maybe during the week is better than weekends. The staff were very helpful, on one occasion we had a lot of questions and the lady was super patient. They have a broad range of teas to choose from and a small collection of non caffeine drinks too. The prices do feel steep, but it's Bellevue so honestly it's expected. That being said, they are very quick, the teas are freshly brewed and the interior is so cute. You forget you are in a mall! I enjoy the bubble volcano drink (milk, brown sugar and boba), the boba is sooo yum! Definitely recommend if you are in the mall and craving boba! read more
Located inside the mall, I've been in a recent bubble tea craze so had to add Chicha San Chen to the list. I like that they offer oat milk alternatives and chose the pineapple snowy with oat milk alternative. I like the crunchy topping and the sweetness level. read more
Chicha is the current "it place" to get a milk tea. This Taiwanese chain moved from a small shop with limited parking to the current larger spot within Bellevue Square. The line can still snake outside the door on a busy weekend. They famously pack individual servings of tea to be brewed-to-order. That is their niche. I waited to go during a week day, and the line is more reasonable even though they are still very busy due to online orders. Counter service was slow on the day I went; multiple people ahead of me were asking many questions. I always start with a basic black tea, this time with organic milk instead of cream. I ordered light sugar out of habit (typically 25% or 50% at other places), but it turns out their "light sugar" is very, very, very light. Trust me, order the "perfect sugar" instead. I also advise ordering "less ice" to get more drink. A basic milk tea without toppings is $7.50. That is pretty steep. I added grass jelly, which I always do to test a place's authenticity to traditional arts; that added $1.00. With tax, that is close to $10 for that cup. Both the drink and the topping cost more than the other places I frequent. Honestly, the brew-to-order niche did not deliver any extra flavor. For the cost and the line, I will skip this place in the future. The drink is 4 stars, minus 1 star for the cost. Side note: This is my second visit and went to their previous location. I wasn't impressed with the order the last time but decided to wait and give them another chance. Still not impressed. read more
Giving it 5 stars because of the service and quality of ingredients used! If you like your milk tea on the sweeter side, ask for extra sweet. I didn't and I regretted it. The employees were so helpful and let me try samples before trying something new! You won't find that at other boba places. Their regular boba pearls were so soft and chewy- literal perfection. I ended up with the taro balls which was so good! The line moved pretty quickly as well. Will be back next time we're in Bellevue! read more
1 year ago
My first experience at Chicha at factoria was great, so I was excited to try this new location. I got their brown sugar milk again, however, it wasn't as great as I had in the past. This time the milk wasn't as fresh and tasty as last time. The sweet taste of it wasn't as great either. The service was okay. The server was knowledgeable, but wasn't enthusiastic to be there. The drink didn't take long to make. My favorite part of this place was their ambiance! It's very clean and organized and I love the decorations throughout the wall. There's a decent amount of seating as well. A good place to chat with some friends or maybe even do some work. read more
1 year ago
This is a nice bubble tea shop from Taiwan that serves premium tea and ingredients. It is now located inside Bellevue Square 1st floor close to Macys. The drinks are pricier ranging from $6 to $9 depending on if you add milk, flavor or topping). There is also 1 drink size and it is relatively small compared to other bubble tea stores. I got the mango green tea with boba. Due to the mango flavor, I could not taste the difference of this premium green tea vs others. The boba was great, warm, soft but still chewy and lightly sweetened. Overall, I can't justify coming here often and spending more for this bubble tea since I couldn't tell the quality difference. read more
The drink was very tasty, though the boba was maybe a little on the softer side, and it was ready pretty quickly. There's a lot going on and it was very busy but a server waived me forward, gave me a sample, and then took my order. There's minimal seating and decor - this is more grab and go. Overall though I'd say the drinks are quite good and come out quickly. read more
The location is conveniently located within Bellevue Square. It wasn't too busy yet when I ordered. I went with the taro ball tea latte. The balls were nice and soft. I only wished there was more liquid in the drink. I debated getting another drink, but didn't want more caffeine and the price is a bit high. read more
Dong ding and green tea was our order. The location is in the mall and the ambiance is beautiful and aesthetically pleasing. Metal tables and chairs are on the side behind the line if you want to sit. Not too sweet at the full sweetness level so good in my book. read more
$ Expensive $ * Boba 5/5 * Tea 4/5 - the Boba was super soft and had a great sweet caramel flavor. The tea itself taste pretty good too. Sometimes tease can taste so much like just plain milk but this one had sweet flavor to it. - Bubble tea $9.50 before tip read more
I wish the parking lot for this place was bigger. The chance you will find a space and there is not some kind of line has definitely increased since opening but is still pretty low. Luckily there are multiple parking options across the street. The best time to go is near opening or not on the weekend. This place has some high quality tea with some equally high prices. Unless you have the budget, I wouldn't say this is an every day type of treat but definitely a well worth it treat yourself drink. You can't go wrong with any of the drinks on the menu but my all time favorite is their Bubble Milk Tea. Their boba being great in quality as well. My least favorite drink is probably the Fruit Tea but only because of the textures that end up being sucked through the straw. If you don't mind, go for it. read more
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Ask the Community - CHICHA San Chen
They moved locations in Bellevue?
Yes, they moved to Bellevue Square. They're located near the Macy's entrance!
What are the store hours?
12 noon to 8pm most days. Till 9pm on Friday and Saturdays.
What is their signature drink or what should I order?
Milk tea, dongding oolong tea
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