Good Bubble Tea Place. I do feel that this place tastes very natural and not like a fake or artificial-flavored powder milk tea. It was a chilly night in NYC so I got my Taro Ball Tea Latte with less sugar and less ice, it was perfect for me! Would definitely come again. It is a place that is very aesthetic and calming inside. It was pretty crowded in the place though! read more

Chicha San Chen - Taro Ball Tea Latte - 25% sugar and less ice - Bubble Tea Near Me - New York, New York

A little Taiwanese boba shop - the costs are higher, but they do have a cool twine carrier for your drink. While the tea is good, the boba lacked much flavor, and they were more expensive than many other shops in the neighborhood. Small area for seating (although table was dirty and needed cleaning off). Not a good area to do work on a laptop, as the tables barely held the drink. The mountain tea w/ orange was good as tea goes, though. Nice flavor - will skip the boba next time. read more

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Came here on a Saturday afternoon and had to wait 30 minutes to get a $12 latte. It was very busy in the store, and the estimated wait time board was inaccurate. The drink itself was tasty. It had great natural tea flavor and was not too sweet when adjusted to less sugar, but I didn't find it to be worth the wait and the cost. read more

Chicha San Chen - Dong ding oolong latte with mousse and boba - Bubble Tea Near Me - New York, New York

Walking throughout Chinatown and having a craving for bubble tea, my group stumbled into the very first storefront we could find - and definitely wasn't disappointed. The first thing to hit you here is the smell of fresh tea leaves - pretty similar to the smell you would find if visiting HEYTEA, which seems to be the common thing boba shops are striving for now. It's a very modern, sleek space with futuristic tea barista machines that make you want to work here and be able to use. Multiple signs around the store encourage ordering ahead online via a QR code, but we were quickly discouraged with that idea once we realized that method didn't take Apple Pay - so straight to the cashier we went. The staff seems nice, but didn't seem as if they were in the mood to be answering anyone's questions about the menu m, discouraging a few patrons in front of us from successfully placing an order. Conclusuon: the tea was fresh and tasty, though I wished there were less toppings as it was 1/3 of my cup. It seems as if they're aiming to be trendy, which is fun, but definitely could be overhyped. read more

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It is the ambiance that makes you experience tea in a new way. Plus the employees are soo good at "making the tea" And you can control the amount of sugar/ice/etc. read more

Chicha San Chen - Osmanthus oolong tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - New York, New York

Good flavor tea with a great helping of fresh fruit added. I got the oolong tea with peach flavor which was nice and strong with strong floral elements. My only drawback was the prices were steep even just for tea shop. An okay one and done for me. read more

Chicha San Chen - Bubble Tea Near Me - New York, New York

It's a very nice shop with some seats inside. As we were waiting in line to order, they gave us some samples of an orange drink, and it was pretty good. We got the peach oolong tea with konjac and the pineapple oolong tea, which were both okay. I probably would not get a fruit drink next time though. The drinks itself were very pretty! We did have to wait about 10-15 minutes for our drinks, on a Friday afternoon. read more

Chicha San Chen - Bubble Tea Near Me - New York, New York

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Best boba I've ever had. The tapioca pearls were just so soft I've never had better bubbles. The teas are very high quality and aren't too sweet. Would definitely recommend this spot as I was never a huge fan of boba before. read more

Chicha San Chen - Bubble Tea Near Me - New York, New York

A friend from NYC kept telling me to go here. Since I am from Taiwan, I have been thinking of stopping by here for some time now. I finally stopped by to get a drink while we were in Chinatown. They have unique teas, measure every ingredient, and use a machine that looks like an espresso maker to brew tea. This place seems to be very busy; there were so many people hanging around. Overall, the store was very clean, and the service was very good. It took a little while to get a drink, but it was worth the wait. I would go back there again if I were in Chinatown. read more

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I only exclusively come here for the taro milk tea with taro balls. I love the consistency of the taro balls and the milk tea is pretty good. I'm sensitive to caffeine so the tea is quite strong for me, but I love the taste. Also be prepared for the very high prices. It's basically the same as a meal at $12 for a rather small cup of tea. read more

Very welcoming! I really like the person who took my order. He was very nice explaining the menu to me and the different types of tea they have. He also gave me a sample of one of their house teas. It was not very busy when I went so it was very peaceful and calm. My order came out quick and they had an electronic voice call out my name, I thought it was pretty neat. The drink was super refreshing, I believe I got the passionfruit house tea. I liked the bits of passionfruit in it. read more

Chicha San Chen - Bubble Tea Near Me - New York, New York

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This is the second time I'm here. The last time I was here was a year ago. Upon entry, the place is busy but there's people and staff are busy preparing orders. The counter and ambiance is clean but the seating area was full of straws paper and left overs cups with sticky tables. Disappointed. The staff gave me sample of high mountain pouchong with orange and it was so good. So excited to try another drink since I was not fully convinced last time. I decided to order Dong ding oolong tea with mousse after requests for recommendations and questions the cashier couldn't answer except is to you preference. After about 10 minutes wait, we got it drink. The packaging as always was nice. But the drink just didn't hit the spot. The tea felt diluted and the mousse was not enough to enhance the tea. It tasted like diluted mild tea. Very disappointed. Probably won't try again. Sorry, not my cup of tea... no pun intended. read more

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Stopped by for a LnD event and got the passion fruit green tea with less ice and perfect level sugar (basically 100%). I haven't been back since they first opened after a disappointing drink experience. This time, it came with a bubble tea straw to drink up the passionfruit seeds. During busy periods, there was about a 10 minute wait but you could keep track of order numbers on the TV towards the back. I liked how I could sample a bit of the orange high mountain pouchang tea before ordering. It was quite nice and I might get it next time I visit. One thing I really like about this spot is the drink carrier that comes with each drink. It's super convenient to hold just the string handle instead of having to hold the cup in my hand. My drink was much better this time (I guess I didn't get enough sugar added last time)! read more

Another day another new tea spot I have to try. I came across this place during my search and the interior is what drew my attention, extremely modern, upon entering the staff was attentive and offered samples of their orange flavored tea and a quick lesson on the teas they use on what drink. Ordered a boba like usual to try out the comparison. Compared to many spots, the pearls used in This spot are fresh and enjoyable, the tea on the other hand was average, I'll most likely come back or try a different flavor read more

Chicha San Chen - Bubble Tea Near Me - New York, New York

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We got the passionfruit tea and it was very nice. You can really taste the tea in all their drinks. The wait was bit long even though there wasn't a big line or anything, but I guess it is well crafted. I've been to one of their locations before in Atlanta, but I liked how I got the string carrier this time around. It didn't carry it quite evenly, but it did the job somewhat decently. The inside was very crowded with no empty seats, but I think that it was due to people escaping the snow outside. read more

Chicha San Chen - My husband carrying our passion fruit tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - New York, New York

I've been wanting to try Chicha San Chen, & finally popped by on one of the colder days since the wait would be shorter. We waited about 10 mins for our order. Honestly I was really underwhelmed considering all the hype. We ordered the Dong Ding Oolong Latte, & it lacked tea flavor or any discernable taste other than milk. The boba texture & flavor were good, but the drink overall was really mediocre for $10. read more

Chicha San Chen - Bubble Tea Near Me - New York, New York

Tried this bubble tea shop and thought it was just ok, I got the fruit tea and thought the favor was pretty average, it did come with lots of fruits in the cup, but maybe a bit too much. It's cool they make tea for each cup but that also means it takes a bit longer to get your tea and they're really popular with a crowd, expect a wait for your drink! read more

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Came here as soon as it opened at 11am and there was already about 4 customers ahead of me. I didn't really know what to get so I got the typical milk tea bubble tea. This place is famous for the way they prepare their teas and it takes a while for them to prep their drinks... Service is great. The person at the register was extremely efficient in taking orders and getting the line to go down, but it's not helpful when the barista making the drinks takes long to get the drinks out. My bubble tea, which normally would've taken 2 minutes to get at a typical bubble tea place, took 15 minutes to make. Imagine if I had ordered a tea specific drink. The first couple of customers had their drinks out the same time as I did, so it seemed like they bang out 5-6 drinks all at once. By the time I got my drink and left, the place was completely packed with people waiting between 10-15 mins for their drinks. I really want to say that my plain milk tea bubble tea was outta this world and the best bubble tea I've ever had, but for $10, I'd much rather have gone to another bubble tea place that made my drink in 2 minutes and for half the price. I couldn't taste anything different about the milk tea and probably only paid for the drink and the little cardboard cup holder it came in. I'm sure the tea specific drinks tastes much better, but having tasted so many different flavors of bubble tea/tea drinks from Hong Kong, this place was nothing special. Definitely not the hype or the 15 minute wait IMO read more

Chicha San Chen - Milk tea bubble tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - New York, New York

I love a good quality bubble tea and this one hits the mark but the price point is a bit unreasonable, even in today's world. We came on a Tues right at open at 11:30 and there was already a group of people inside ordering and a few online orders coming through. You order at the counter and they have a digital screen that updates you on where they are with making your drink. You pick it up at the counter when they're ready. They only have a few indoor seating areas but we were able to grab a spot. They have a menu of their top specialities but they also have a completely customizable menu where you choose the tea, the flavor and the toppings. You can adjust sweetness and ice level. They said they are most known for their green tea, so I had a green tea with cream and boba ($9.25). My partner got the Taro bubble milk tea off their specialty menu ($10.75). Both at light sugar and less ice. The taste of the green tea was soooo floral and fragrant. Definitely up there for tea flavors I've had at boba shops. The boba themselves were lightly sweetened and the perfect chewy texture. Maybe slightly larger than a normal boba size. My partner liked his taro drink but thought he's had better/stronger taro flavor elsewhere but it's probably because they use all fresh taro ingredients here. Happy we got to try it but probably wouldn't come back due to the price. read more

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Tried their boba over the summer and I do believe it is one of the best bubble milk teas you can get in NYC right now. We're in the midst of a new wave of milk tea, with places like HeyTea and Molly Tea putting their names on the map and for good reason, but Chicha San Chen will be my go to for boba milk tea if I'm craving that in Chinatown. The tea quality is excellent, and the boba is pretty good too. The hype definitely has died so there's no crazy line these days but do yourself a favor and try some of their drinks because I don't think you'll regret it. The boba had a fresh, nice chew to them and the tea aspect to the milk tea was prominent and you could taste the quality of the tea they're using (they're not trying to hide it by dousing it with milk and sugar). On that note, it's also not too sweet or milky. read more

It was really good!! Fresh boba! Especially don't forget to add Jelly into high mountain pouchong tea! read more

Chicha San Chen - High mountain pouchong tea with orange - Bubble Tea Near Me - New York, New York

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Overall this is a solid bubble tea spot that I'll definitely come back to. My only qualm is that the drink options are super limited because the cashier wouldn't let us customize ANYTHING... I wanted to get bubble tea with NO boba and she said that wasn't possible. I also wanted to add taro balls to a drink and she said NO... even though they make all the drinks to order. Very bizarre. Came on a weekend afternoon and inside looked busy, but there wasn't a line to order and the drinks come out pretty fast. I think a lot of people just hangout inside. I got the classic Bubble Tea and Passion Fruit Green Tea (both light sweetness). Recommend both. Boba literally melts in your mouth. Tea has the perfect amount of sweetness and tastes fresh. read more

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Move over espresso, it's teaspresso time! If you're a serious tea-lover, Chi Cha San Chen is the place for you. We've had this in ATL and NYC now, and it's fantastically consistent with wonderful tasting tea. Love the free sample the give you at the counter to promote their tea of the day. The leaves here are very high quality and their brewing technique is precise, which is reflected in the quality and flavor of the actual tea. I'm not gonna kid myself that this is healthy (even if I chose 25% sugar), but it's definitely refreshing and I know it's made with the good stuff. They do tea demonstrations if you wanna learn more about tea. We came around opening on a Thursday and there wasn't a line at all, so definitely worth it! The interiors are always bright, clean, and fresh feeling with a drink counter and tea demo counter. There's not a ton of seating, but there's enough if you're going by yourself or with 1-2 friends. read more

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Excellent bubble tea and service. Their kitchen is open and is pretty clean. Always a must-try in Chinatown. read more

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Tried the Dong Ding Oolong Tea with added cream, light sugar and less ice with boba. The line was not too long and moved quickly. It didn't look like they had a menu clearly visible until you got to the counter so it took me a second to decide what to order - felt a bit rushed by the person taking orders. After 10-15 minutes or so we got a text notification when our drink was ready. The added cream was at the recommendation of the person at the counter, though not sure how much of a difference it made in the drink. The tea was otherwise smooth, fragrant and delicious. The boba was soft and chewy, and the light sugar was still plenty sweet for me. Overall, solid boba and it was nice to try but I don't think I could justify $10 to get it again. They have very limited seating inside. read more

Chicha San Chen - Dong Ding Oolong Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - New York, New York

I'd come back for the regular milk tea with boba, really solid choice. Tea was nicely brewed for a deep flavor. Boba was excellent.

I went a few times on the weekday after work and they were not pack. Great for me because I did not want to wait long. You can really taste the tea! I think it ruined me for other milk tea. My current favorite is the taro ball tea latte. It is quite pricey tho; ~$10 a drink. This will only be a treat for me. read more

Chicha San Chen - Bubble Tea Near Me - New York, New York

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I had heard about Chicha San Chen being popular for their drinks, which also meant it comes with excruciating long lines. Fortunately, we came here when the hype over this place was winding down, but it was still pretty busy with a bit of a wait. We tried: +the High Mountain Pouchong Tea with Orange; this was actually prepared super well with a very strong orange/citrus flavor; very refreshing! +the Creamy Lemon Tart - prepared with High Mountain Pouchong Tea, lemon juice, and mousse; this was just not good, as it tasted like lime water; the mousse didn't add anything to the drink +and, the Bubble Volcano - prepared with fresh milk, brown sugar, and bubbles; very watered down with absolutely no flavor at all; not sure where the brown sugar taste was? I really liked the cute little drink carrier, which is convenient if you are ordering multiple drinks. Staff were super efficient; very limited seating inside, so most tend to get their order(s) to go. +the High Mountain Pouchong Tea with Orange +long lines/wait read more

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I've been to three Chicha San Chen locations (Austin, Atlanta, and now New York) and the quality of the teas are so consistent and do delicious! I usually prefer milk tea over fruit teas, but I almost always get fruit teas from chicha because it just tastes so good, and it doesn't have the artificial flavor that a lot of places have. We were also able to do the tea tasting demonstration. It was super informative and pretty fun! I think normally you need to make a reservation to do it, but if they have open slots, sometimes they'll just take whoever is in the store! read more

Chicha San Chen - Creamy lemon tart - Bubble Tea Near Me - New York, New York

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I'm so glad we came across this place after doing so much walking in the area. The drinks are so refreshing and they have plenty of indoor seating. The peach oolong tea I got was so fresh and juicy, I loved the peachy bits/puree at the bottom of the drink which paired so well with the drink. The service was very quick, and we able to enjoy our drinks with no wait read more

Chicha San Chen - Bubble Tea Near Me - New York, New York

Literally the best fruit tea I have ever had omg My boyfriend wanted a quick pick me up so we stopped by in here. It was a little busy, it was probably 15 minute wait for our order to be ready. The shop is clean and minimal. We ordered their regular fruit tea and it was SO GOOD. The perfect balance of sweetness and tea!! I'd so recommend this place. read more

Finally we got a chance to try CC San Chen since the line was short, less than 5 people were in front of us. Usually the line wraps around the store. I loved the beautiful look of the store, gracefully articulating its Taiwanese origin and roots of the tea leafs. There are lots of spots to seat. There's a screen that shows orders in progress. The corner part of the store has their popular merchandises. When it was our turn to order, I was surprised to find out we get to try the tea flavors before ordering. I tried the Oolong tea that was so tasty. We ordered three teas in total. It took about 15 minutes for order to be ready. The cups were so nicely packed with string attached to them for easy carrying. I loved the flavor of my bubble milk tea. It has a sweet taste to it. Bubbles were in abundance and they were so soft. Overall we were thrilled to finally able to experience the tea from the famous TW brand. read more

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Quick service, very efficient and friendly staff. The drinks are delicious. I recommend the dong ding oolong tea latte. read more

Chicha San Chen - Bubble Tea Near Me - New York, New York

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There are tons of options for boba in NY, and Chicha is one of my favorites. The shop is nicely decorated with tea leaves and other decor, and you get a good view of how they make the drinks. The lines can be long, but service has been quick every time I've visited. Drinks are wrapped with this distinctive hanging twine, which is surprisingly balanced. They have somewhat smaller cups than other shops, but are focused on quality over quantity. As for what I've tried: The Classic Fruit tea is a 5/5. One of the best fruit teas I've ever had; full of fresh fruit and tons of flavor. Cool and refreshing. The Creamy Lemon Tart is a 4/5. It tastes just like a lemon tart. Had a few great first sips of cream and lemon, but the taste does get a little monotonous. Tart and sweet. read more

Chicha San Chen - Mixed Fruit Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - New York, New York

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Authentic Taiwanese tea. Very rich and flavorful. They brewed each cup just for the order so it takes time. To me it's worth the wait because I can tell they use good tea leaves. Once you order, the staff will ask you to punch in phone# and your name. There's a board to check how long until your order is ready. Gift tea boxes for purchase if you want for yourself or friends. Some bench and tables. It gets crowded quickly due to waiting time. read more

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I had attempted to visit previously but the line was way too long. Now that the hype has died down a bit, I came to visit an hour before closing on a weekday. Still surprising busy but a short line. You can also order online via snackpass but there's a convenience fee. I ordered the creamy lemon tart and it was quite good! I loved the tartness. It's a quite unique take on a tea drink that I haven't seen anywhere else. My friend ordered a black tea with boba but it wasn't anything too impressive. Overall: it's definitely a pricy place but worth a try read more

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This Chicha San Chen location in Manhattan Chinatown was incredibly packed -- no personal space whatsoever. Fortunately, we didn't have to wait too long to order, but it took at least 15-20 minutes for our drinks to be ready. We were able to find seats after camping around for a bit. DONG DING OOLONG TEA LATTE - 7.25 +1.50 for bubble Steep pricing here. 8.75 for bubble tea is crazy -- you can get a full meal in Chinatown for this amount. I got my drink with light sugar and no ice. The tea and milk ratio was off. Either the tea wasn't steeped long enough or there wasn't enough of it because my drink was pretty watery. The bubbles at Chicha is consistently good, but that wasn't enough to elevate my drink. Very disappointing to pay almost $10 for a drink that wasn't good. My friends enjoyed their fruit teas, so maybe that's the move if I ever go to Chicha for boba in the future. read more

Chicha San Chen - Dong Ding Oolong Tea Latte - Bubble Tea Near Me - New York, New York

I have had Chicha San Chen multiple times when I was in Hong Kong, so I was really excited to check out their Chinatown location in NYC. It was constantly so crowded so I'd highly recommend ordering online in advance. The pricing is significantly higher than that in Asia. It is at least double the price. I ordered Dong Ding Oolong Tea Latte (hot, no sugar) for $8.62, but I found it just okay. The milk overpowered the tea flavor, and felt like the whole drink was watered down. Though you could still taste they used premium tea leaves and milk. The milk was also well-frothed. I was a little disappointed, but it might be an off day because they were extremely busy during lunar new year parade. I'll still go back to try other tea. read more

Chicha San Chen - Dong Ding Oolong Tea Latte 凍頂烏龍鮮奶茶 (hot) - Bubble Tea Near Me - New York, New York

This might be the best tea drink I have ever had. Green tea + passion fruit + coconut jelly, 75% sweet, normal ice. Lovely green tea flavor, not bitter, not too floral, smooth and delicious. Real passion fruit pulp and firm jelly. So refreshing on a really hot day, just the right amount of sweetness. Only had a 5 minute wait. Took it to go and drink in my hotel room. The store was a bit crowded to sit down in. This place is worth the hype, serious quality! read more

No line on a Tuesday afternoon, and thank goodness because I thought this place was merely fine and would have been super bummed if I'd waited. I went with the Ding dong oolong iced with oat milk, and tried my friend's Cassia black tea mousse. Both were good, but spots like HeyTea and Molly Tea are wayy better. They were giving out samples of a mango tea that was actually delicious - I should have just gotten that one haha. read more

Chicha San Chen - Bubble Tea Near Me - New York, New York