I visited Chicha San Chen and it felt more like a tea workshop than a typical bubble tea shop. From my visit, there were two people working the counter, carefully making drinks and taking orders. You can see them measuring ingredients on scales and following a very deliberate process, so it is not a quick in and out kind of place. I ordered the lemon wonderland and the honey osmanthus oolong tea. Both were really enjoyable. The lemon wonderland tasted fresh and balanced, not overly sweet, with a clean citrus brightness. The honey osmanthus oolong was more subtle, lightly floral with a smooth tea base that came through clearly. You can tell the tea itself is the focus here, not just the toppings or sugar. Service felt focused and methodical rather than chatty, which fits the style. Drinks took a bit longer than average, but it made sense once you see the care going into each cup. read more

CHICHA San Chen - Bubble Tea Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

Have yet to have a bad drink from this place. Menu has enough variety but not too much where you're overwhelmed with too many choices. They are fast with their service. read more

It was so interesting to watch them make the tea. It was the first time I ever seen tea made through a machine that looked like an espresso maker. I got the Taro queen, which had black tea, cream, taro paste, taro balls. The black tea had almost a caramel flavor that was touch too fragrant for me. I wish that the taro paste was more blended into the drink. Taro balls were very good. Perfect chewy texture. This is a grab and go type of place. read more

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Came by to try this nice shiny new looking bubble tea place. Parking here is basically non-existent. There is some street parking a few blocks away, but one can also walk in from an adjacent mall I guess. Cough. The place is modern and fancy looking. There are some tables in a W facing outdoor patio, as well as a couple of long tables (standing room) inside. Staff were friendly and professional. The dong-ding oolong tea I had was actually quite good I must say. Cold and refreshing, with a very strong tea flavour. I was impressed. Special mention. Wouldn't mind coming back at some point. Recommended. read more

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I think I have unhealthy obsession with this place. This is my second time on the same week (diff location). Best bbt in Metro Vancouver for real! I tried the Ding Dong Oolong Tea Latte + Pearl this time. It's lighter than black tea, but stronger than regular oolong tea. The staff explained it very well, even let me to smell the tea. Although I can taste the tea, the milk definitely dilute the flavour of it. I could still taste it, but probably rather get it without milk or opt for black tea. Pearl was great, as always, chewy but not hard. Will come back for sure! read more

CHICHA San Chen - Bubble Tea Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

One of my fav bubble tea spots! What I like about here is the focus on tea rather than toppings or niche drink fads, Chicha takes it back to basics to serve quality tea with delicious home made toppings, my favourite is the taro balls which not every place makes! read more

CHICHA San Chen - Bubble Tea Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

This is the OG Canada location in Burnaby, located in a fairly busy part of the city. There is not much parking around but I notice people park at the strip mall across the street and cross the street to come here, but do that at your own risk since it may not be allowed. We got the dong ding oolong tea with fresh milk with bubbles (boba). We opted for less sweet and less ice, and they were able to make the drink as such. Pricing wise, it is about 30% cheaper than US locations, but the drink here was not as flavorful as the Chicha San Chens that I went to in US locations, so the quality here is not as consistent. Otherwise, fairly solid place and not too busy when we arrived on Sunday around 12:30pm, 30 minutes after opening. read more

CHICHA San Chen - Inside - IG @bougiefoodieboi - Bubble Tea Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

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Enjoyed the convenience Chicha being located at the lobby front of our hotel. Clean countertop to-go vibe. Tea brewed to order. Interesting menu. Service was friendly each time. Very pricey for a cup full of half ice. read more

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Best classic bubble tea I've tried in Vancouver so far. The beverage was so fragrant and brown sugar boba so soft and at the perfect level of chewiness. The place itself is bright, welcoming and smells like high quality tea. It is set up with essentially no seating so be prepared to grab and go. Service was fast and friendly. Highly recommend this place if you are craving authentic bubble tea! read more

CHICHA San Chen - Dong Ding Oolong Milk Tea with Boba - Bubble Tea Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

Had their dong ding oolong with pearls. It came to over $8. The size was not as big as other bubble tea places. I really enjoyed the tea though. You can taste the oolong tea and it was almost perfectly sweet and still cold with no ice. The best part is the tea quality is good since you can't taste the tannins (?) afterwards and no dryness in the mouth either. Service was great. Ambience was good too. The inconvenience of parking and price were the reasons for 4 stars. read more

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This was my first time here! I've been wanting to try this tea spot for a while, since I go to the Goodlife gym upstairs and pass by it often. On a friend's recommendation, I tried the honey osmanthus oolong tea. I got it with 0% ice, and 70% sugar. Service was very quick and attentive! I really enjoyed this tea! I thought the oolong flavour was nice, and the drink overall was light. It was refreshing and clean. However, this was too sweet for my taste. I think next time I'd try it with 30% sugar since I'm quite sensitive to sweetness. My partner, who is a sugar fiend, really enjoyed this drink (and sweetness level) though lol. Can't wait to come back and try more teas (with less sugar) soon! read more

CHICHA San Chen - honey osmanthus oolong tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

Ive been to Chicha twice -- both times have been really tasty! Today I got the Taro Party iced, sweetened perfect. It has this incredible taro paste and taro ball (similar to Mochi) and it's was the perfect amount of sweetness and creaminess. Service was very quick and the gal working was so patient when I was ordering. She even let me have a sample of taro ball before I placed my order. Highly recommend! read more

CHICHA San Chen - Taro Party - Bubble Tea Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

This place had very good quality tea. Their menu is simple but if you enjoy tea then highly recommend. It's not your typical boba spot it has won awards for the quality they have. Recommend this place for sure read more

One of my favourite bubble tea stores in the lower mainland for sure! They use a teapresso machine to get out the best flavours of the tea leaves, and you can definitely tell with all their tea drinks. Tea is always super fragrant and the flavours only help to enhance each sip. For a full tea experience, I would recommend picking the fruit(s) or honey flavour. My favourite drink to get is the Osmanthus oolong tea with honey ($6.5). Even while getting cream or mousse, you can still taste some of the tea flavour which I quite enjoy, as many places instead have dairy that overpowers the taste of the tea. I would say that the price is on the pricier side and they only have 1 standard drink size. Definitely worth the treat though! Unfortunately, the staff was quite rude and impatient one of the times we went. We were thinking of what we wanted to order and he was tapping his pen while waiting for us, seemingly to hurry us to pick our drinks. However, this doesn't deter me from going back as I don't really put that much thought when I receive bad service, but just something to keep in mind! read more

CHICHA San Chen - Menu - Bubble Tea Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

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A friend recommended this boba shop, announcing it as the "Hermes of boba". Such a high recommendation that I HAD to go out of my way to try this out! It's located across of the Crystal Mall on the corner of Willingdon Ave and Kingsway #101 in the Element Vancouver Metrotown building. We walked across from the Crystal Mall, so I'm not too sure if there is parking for the building (most likely) or have to park at Crystal Mall. Small menu but with customizable drink options. I got the Taro Queen with 50% sweetness which had black tea with cream, taro walls and balls. Sounds sooo good! The drink looked really good too. When I tasted it, there honestly wasn't much tea flavor that I was hoping for. Known for their teas, I had expected the tea flavor to be more prominent. But not much in the drink I got. But the taro! Really fresh and super good. The walls and balls were both made with real taro which I loved! My boyfriend got the Dong-Ding Oolong Tea + Fresh Milk. Same thing, not a huge prominent tea flavor that I was hoping. It was good but not mind blowing compared to other boba places that have a strong tea flavor. The prices are definitely on the pricier side (Taro Queen was $8.50) compared to other boba places too. Overall, I thought this place was okay. It didn't make it to my top favorites but to each their own! Fresh ingredients used but the tea flavor was a tad lacking when we visited but maybe we gotta try the other drinks. read more

CHICHA San Chen - Dong-Ding Oolong Tea (left) and Taro Queen (right) - Bubble Tea Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

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Amazing boba but definitely on the pricy side. You get what you pay for here! I stopped by for a post-hike drink on Saturday around 4 pm, and it wasn't crowded at all. The store is located near Station Square and Crystal Mall and is in the same building as the Element Hotel. I believe there's some retail parking in the Element Hotel parking garage. Since I was just grabbing a quick drink, we parked in the Element Hotel check-in area for a couple minutes. There's no seating inside but there are a couple of small tables outside for 2 people. Since it was my first time here, I primarily looked at the drinks on the popular menu instead of customizing my own drink. The drinks range from $6.50 to $8.50 so it's on the pricier side. I asked for a recommendation from the staff since it was my first time here, and she suggested either the bubble milk tea ($7.50) or one of their taro drinks. I got the bubble milk tea with light sugar and less ice. I'm actually not sure what tea they use for the bubble milk tea, but it was delicious. The tea flavor comes through very strongly and goes perfectly with the cream. However, what impressed me most was the pearls. I normally am not a huge fan of pearls and get most drinks without them, but I was hungry after my hike and decided to give them a try. They were probably the best pearls I've ever had in a boba drink: super chewy with a light brown sugar flavor without being too sweet!! I was a huge fan, and so was the hubby. I'm so glad I tried Chicha! This Burnaby location is their only location in Canada and one of 5 locations in North America. Hopefully they'll keep expanding to the bay soon so I can get it closer to home! read more

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Stopped by given the higher reviews. Ordered the house MT with boba along with oolong tea with milk. I think this place has a nice Taiwanese flavor and ambience. Not overly sugared and can taste the fragrance of the tea. Boba was fresh and soft/chewy. Definitely would recommend for those that are visiting the area for boba cravings. read more

CHICHA San Chen - Bubble Tea Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

First time trying this spot but have been told nothing but good things! The tea is made fresh similar to brewing espresso which was pretty cool to watch. I ordered the dingdong tea with fresh milk which was strong tea flavour with roasted notes. read more

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It has been so long since I've been impressed by a boba shop, but this place is LEGIT. We literally made the trip from downtown Vancouver to Burnaby just to try this place, and we're so glad we did! We had high expectations from reading the reviews and seeing videos about this shop on IG, and luckily this place exceeded all our expectations. Green tea with boba: On the menu, the green tea had 3 stars (whereas all the other drinks had 2 stars), so we assumed it was the best?? I'm still not quite sure what the stars mean LOL. I really liked the green tea, but I'm not sure if it's anything particularly special. The boba however, was REALLY good, and perfectly soft, sweet, and chewy. Dong ding oolong tea: From the very first sip, this drink blew me and my husband AWAY. It was soooo delicious! Hands down the best oolong tea I've ever had at a boba shop. It was perfectly sweetened, had a strong tea flavor without being bitter, and surprisingly so refreshing!!! I'd definitely come back here the next time we visit Vancouver. If you haven't tried this boba shop yet, you are missing out! read more

CHICHA San Chen - Green tea with boba (left), Dong Ding oolong tea (right) - Bubble Tea Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

Since I had missed my chance to try Chicha san Chen in SGV when I was there, had to try it while visiting Canada! Got the oolong tea with crystal boba, I really liked it and this reminds me of my favorite place in Irvine--Orobae! Service was spot on, the guy there was very friendly and helped me realize that in Canada, it's called bubble tea, not boba! Drink felt fresh, had the oolong flavor despite reducing the sugar %. Would definitely come back. read more

CHICHA San Chen - Oolong milk tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

The patio. That's what first caught my eye when I visited this chic bubble tea shop! They have a lovely raised platform outdoor patio that's perfect for chilling with a cool drink. The interior is fancier looking than most other bubble tea places. They have special tea-brewing machines on the counter, and the staff don a uniform, adding to the classier feel of the place. We ordered the Bubble Volcano (milk, brown sugar, pearls) & the Honey Osmanthus Oolong Tea (osmanthus oolong tea, honey). Both tasted really good! The Bubble Volcano is essentially a brown sugar pearl milk drink, perfectly done. The Honey Osmanthus Oolong Tea was light and refreshing, with a curious foam that made it look and sip somewhat like a beer. Overall, the drinks are a little pricier here than at other bubble tea places, but the taste quality is apparent. Will definitely be back again soon to try their other drinks! read more

As a Taiwanese, I'm so proud to say that my country was the founder of bubble tea! Therefore, whenever there is a new BBT joint from Taiwan that has opened up in the Greater Van, I've gotta try it! Chicha San Chen is rather popular in Taiwan as well so I've formed preconceived notions about this place. Upon walking in to the establishment, oh man, the smell of tea was so strong that it seeped into my nostrils. It was like someone had taken a tea-flavored Fabreeze and sprayed it all over! "I'm definitely in the right place!" I thought to myself. The interior is modern and well-lit. It's quite small; however, if you wanted to enjoy your tea with your friends, there are seats outside overlooking Willingdon. The selling point about Chicha is that they really promote their tea-flavored drinks made with "fresh brewing technology." I heard that they're rather pricey so we ordered one drink for our first visit to ensure that we do like their drinks before we tried other flavors. We ordered their classic "bubble tea" with no ice and light sugar, and it was PERFECT! When was the last time I had a classic bubble tea? Maybe back in high school when the BBT joints used powder and Coffee Mate to make a classic? Yes, the cup size is a smaller version for the price you paid but I think the quality of the drink made up for the price. We definitely got what we paid for. The drink had a strong tea taste and pearls were soft and chewy. They used cream (instead of milk) for their classic so the texture in my mouth was very smooth and velvety. I will definitely be back to try the other flavors. I highly recommend this place if you're looking for quality bubble tea! read more

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Service was great. The person in front had me some samples of the tea to smell to get a better sense of how dark each tea was. I ended up settling for the Dong Ding Oolong Tea with milk and boba. Each batch is individually made and it was so so good. It was probably the best boba I've had!!! read more

CHICHA San Chen - Bubble Tea Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

CHICHA San Chen Burnaby is a Michelin bubble tea place as they use a teapresso machine to brew the fresh tea at order. The vibe of the shop is very stylish like going to a Japanese Tea Tasting Room. They even have a book introducing their products and tea brewing. It's an interesting experience to watch the fancy machine brewing the tea in front of you. I have ordered a popular item - Bubble Milk Tea (Black Tea, Cream, Bubble) and a custom drink - High Mountain Pouchong Tea with Honey and Taro ball Tea flavors are much stronger than other places I have tried. Even the milk tea is much smoother too. The bubble pearls and taro balls are soft and chewy. I love the freshness and the flavor of the tea here. They use environmental friendly paper straws, paper cup holders with strings for take-out. Taste: 5/5 Thanks for having me! Follow me @eatisvibikki #eatisvibikki #lovetodrink #lovetoeat #cameraeatfirst #Taiwan #taiwanesedrink #bubbletea #Michelin #bubblemilktea #highmoutaintea #taroball #bubblepearl #taiwanfoodie #getinmybelly #fullbelly #eat #vancouverfoodies #vancouverfoodie #vancityfoodie #Burnaby365 #vancouver #instafood #foodblogger #foodbloggers #yvreats #canada #foodforlife #canada #supportlocal read more

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I love this place. I stay at this Element for work and when I'm in town, these associated see me about 2-3 times a day. The drinks are so good - boba pearls or not. The shop smells sweet and toasty when you walk in and the team is so friendly. Wish they would open one in Atl read more

CHICHA San Chen - First drink remnants and refresh - addictive stuff - Bubble Tea Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

Best bubble tea I've had by far. Their boba (pearls) are so soft that it literally brought me back to was visiting Taiwan. I always order their Bubble Volcano (similar to brown sugar milk tea). The service is a bit slow, but there's ALWAYS line ups and worth the wait. I took my partner here on April 23, 2022 because I was raving about it and when she tried the Bubble Volcano drink, her legs went weak when she took her first sip. She also got mad at me because I was drinking hers too and she wanted to enjoy it all to herself, haha. Love this place and will get bubble tea here whenever I'm in the area. Sometimes even going out of my way to get it when I'm craving bubble tea! read more

CHICHA San Chen - Bubble Tea Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

For around $8 for a cup, we thought the drinks were quite pricey for what they were. I appreciate their idea of focussing on quality and making tea shine. I ordered a passionfruit green tea which had a slight hint of tea flavour; I wished it was stronger. The passionfruit seeds in the drink were quite sour, but the pearls were chewy and made well. It's great that they allow different customization based on your tea leaf preference. The cashier wasn't unfriendly, but she seemed tired. I saw some customers standing at the front waiting and not being acknowledged. Overall, I might come back if I am in the area though I can't say it's my go-to bubble tea shop. read more

CHICHA San Chen - Bubble Tea Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

The quality of the tea is very good and the bubbles were made very well. I really love the taro balls. The only downside is that the price is so high and the drink is small so maybe only a treat once in a while. read more

CHICHA San Chen - Bubble Tea Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

CHICHA San Chen has been on my radar for quite some time and it did not disappoint. The honey osmanthus oolong tea was perfectly brewed and sweetened to my liking. The tapioca was perfectly cooked and still warm for a short period. Knocked off a star as they only allowed one topping per drink and wished they had larger cups. read more

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Heard SOOOO much hype about this place when it first opened. So of course, I had to come try it out myself. I visited with me and my girlfriend, she has been here a couple times already and loves the boba barista that works here too. I love how you can modify the taste of your boba to your liking and on top of that they have SO MANY FLAVOURS~!! I love the design of the place too, as they have such a minimalistic vibe to it. The music that they play here on the speakers are always trendy and sometimes have good C-Pop. The staff here are so nice and they have a really cute guy barista there. His name is Rios and he is so much fun! He was extremely helpful when I was trying to decide on a boba drink. On top of that, he was just cute. Would come back just for him ;-) Anyways, the taste of the boba was perfect, not too sweet and not too creamy. It was a good temperature and it was extremely tasty~!! Will be coming back here from time to time for some boba when I am in the Metrotown area~! read more

The newest chain to hit Vancouver from Taiwan, CHICHA San Chen is refreshing, both literally and figuratively. I can't count the dozens of chains that are in Vancouver now (both local and international), but it's refreshing to see that CHICHA brews the tea for each and every one of their drinks. I haven't seen that many staff (about 7) behind a bubble tea counter ever before. I think this really speaks to their approach of making high quality drinks, which is clearly recognized by their recent 2021 award at the Brussels International Taste Institute. Yes, the drinks are pricey at about $7.88 per drink for a regular/medium sized drink with pearls, but you can tell that the aromatic tastes and the different tea blends are carefully balanced. The flavours are refreshing and light, which is also a delicate balance to achieve -- not to mention the pearls are a perfectly chewy consistency. More customizations are still somewhat desired. The options for sugar level are only: Perfect, Light and No Sugar while ice levels are: Normal, Less Ice and Ice Free. Overall, remember that quality is not quality and if you're looking for a large drink or a strong flavours, this isn't what CHICHA is trying to achieve, but rather, a sophisticated and refined taste to our beloved Taiwanese bubble tea. read more

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Decided to stop by here on a hot sunny day to try some premium bubble tea. We got the taro queen and bubble volcano. With tip came out to $19.00. It seemed a little steep when we first got them as they are on the smaller side for bubble tea cups. However once we tried them - they were amazing. Best bbt we've ever had. Especially the taro queen. Was a lovely treat. The taro balls were like special bbt pearls and really unique. If you are looking to find this place, it's a bit hidden on willingdon under the element hotel. read more

CHICHA San Chen - Bubble Tea Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

After drinking bubble teas at over 50 different places around the world, I can confidently say this place has the highest quality tea! I love how they brew each cup fresh, and use only highest quality tea ingredients. My kids love their taro balls and taro in drinks. I wish we have this place in Houston, TX! read more

CHICHA San Chen - Bubble Tea Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

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Cute boba place with freshly brewed tea and handmade boba. I got the taro queen and the sweetness was perfect! They have taro boba which is rare to find and was surprisingly tasty. The texture was a bit weird because it was more sticky than chewy, however, it wasn't bad. The tea taste is also very strong which I appreciated. The packaging is adorable and is great for pictures. Overall, I would come back again! read more

CHICHA San Chen - Bubble Tea Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

* Dongding Oolong milk tea w pearls * It was my second last day in BC so I had to end it with some bubble tea after I did some shopping at #metrotown I stared at the menu and honestly had no idea what I really wanted so I asked the cashier and he was SOOO friendly and gave me the suggestions - and not just what was popular - but details about each recommendation! I love it when they are so patient and friendly Recommend checking this place out! read more

CHICHA San Chen - Bubble Tea Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

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Wow - Did not expect this at all! Read the reviews before deciding to give it a try, glad I stopped by for a treat today. I haven't tasted BBT like this outside of Taiwan! But finally, found one!! A bit on the pricier side though, but enjoyed it while it lasted read more

CHICHA San Chen - Bubble Tea Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

Totally worth the wait! Came here passed by and waited for half an hour for the drink. This is a tea shop that you could make bubble tea from choosing what tea do you want. Every drink's tea is madely fresh so is not diluted and tastes very fresh. Something i love is that they have the paper carrier like when you get kopi or teh in singapore and instead of plastic they use paper. However, the plastic straw and container defeats the purpose of the carrier though. Also, the tea might be a little bit expensive since it is madely fresh. But this is gonna be my favourite bubble tea in town then. Nonetheless, even though the bubble tea is good, there are a lot of improvements to consider: - A digital loyalty card would be a good idea to eat - A paper container and straw would be ideal since you are using paper carrier - A good management of the shop would be needed. 7 working employees are working at the same time in such a confined space. Many of them are hard to move and looked jobless. There are too many staffs. A good management to divide the labour would be significantly needed. A lot of ways to improve but i am giving a high rating for how good the tea is. Ohh this is a tea shop not a bubble tea shop for your information which is a bit controversial in my opinion. There was no seating. A tea shop is where you can enjoy your tea for very long cozy time. No backlashing please treat this as a feedback thanks! Cheers! Good job for the opening! read more

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I'm actually a huge fan of this place! It is a bit pricey, and the taste is definitely not your typical bubble tea experience. These drinks are not overloaded with sugar - instead, they use the natural simple flavors from the tea or add on to make it work. The best way to compliment this is - "not too sweet." Really enjoyed the experience and would try again! read more

CHICHA San Chen - Bubble Tea Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

I randomly came across CHICHA on Instagram when I was planning for my trip, and I'm so glad I stopped by. Don't be alarmed by the limited menu - they focus on a small selection of high quality teas. I got the Ding Dong Oolong and really enjoyed the authentic flavor of my tea. Their drinks run less sweet, but I appreciated that it highlighted the natural flavor of the tea. I would definitely come back to try a different tea next time. read more

Another Taiwan bubble tea chain that has arrived in Vancouver. We got the "Dong Ding Oolong Tea" at 30% sugar and less ice. We wished there was more tea flavour and felt it was a bit watered down. The pearls on the other hand were perfection - soft and tasted extremely fresh. Overall, a pretty good place for bubble tea however on the pricier side and the drinks were on the smaller side. read more

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