Been coming to Cafe 101 since I returned to Houston years ago. Lots of good memories with friends…read morehere. For the best experience, come late at night on the weekend. The music is bumping and it's always full of young people. Passionfruit green tea is a must. Food is always enjoyable, even if service can be slow. Some of the shine has worn over the last 15 or so years, but I still come every chance I get.

As one of the quintessential late night options in Chinatown, Cafe 101 provides a specific…read moreexperience that few other late night spots can match. The lounge like ambiance, along with their diner-like menu, is a major selling point for folks and has been one of the reasons for their popularity over the better part of the last two decades. It is a bit trendy and plays music that you would think of and in a Miami lounge or a pretentious New York Club. While service is not their strong suit, the clean bathrooms, spacious seating, and semi-open kitchen makes up for some 'tudes from the staff. The menu is most definitely Asian, but blends from a predominantly Chinese menu and featuring various Taiwanese, Korean, Japanese items. The latter includes sushi, which is likely one of the only spots in the neighborhood that still has it after midnight. They have bluefin tuna and sea urchin, in which Cafe 101 is one of the only late night spots to offer it. Their beef chow fun is nice and greasy, but filled with excessive onions, bean sprouts, and various other veggies that almost take away from the noodles and beef (which was nicely cooked). Their shrimp and egg came in a nice set, which was a good surprise and surprisingly well executed. This is also a spot for Japanese curry, and even though it's not the best, it most certainly does the job. Taiwanese popcorn chicken is on point, cumin lamb is unsurprisingly spicy, and Singapore chow mai fun has a tinge of solid wok hei. (#1) I'm genuinely not a fan of their soups and think the sushi rolls are not their best work. While they also have milk, tea options, unless one is desperate, I would also steer clear of. Parking in the early evening can be an issue at Don Huang Plaza, but after 11pm, the parking options should be abundant. I would consider coming here in a larger group, especially with late night owls. ___________ (#1) Wok's essence (鑊氣)

Chi Cha San Chen is a Taiwanese boba chain that utilizes a patented "teapresso" machine to freshly…read morebrew premium teas for their drinks. I've visited many times and have been impressed with the consistency of both the tea and boba. My go-tos are the Cassia Black Tea, Dong Ding Oolong Tea, and Green Tea, all with Cream and Bubble. I typically order their drinks with less lce and light sugar, which have been perfect for me. Their fruit teas are also delicious, although I would definitely recommend reducing the sugar level to allow the tea flavor to shine through. The size of their drinks is also perfect for me; large enough to enjoy but small enough to not be overwhelming. At this location you can order at the kiosk or at the cashier, which helps to expedite the line especially when it gets busy. You could consider studying here, especially with its notably large tables, however seating is limited and it can get loud during rush hour. I would highly recommend Chi Cha San Chen, especially if you've never tried a high-quality, tea-forward milk or fruit tea.

I'm a big fan of CHICHA San Chen, and I've had the chance to visit locations in Southern California…read moreas well as the headquarters in Taiwan, so I was really excited to try the Houston location. I'm happy to say that the quality did not disappoint! What I love about CHICHA San Chen is that each drink is freshly brewed to order. Rather than preparing large batches of tea ahead of time, the tea is brewed individually when you place your order using their signature tea-press technology. You can really taste the difference--the tea is fragrant, fresh, and flavorful. My absolute favorite is the King Bubble Black Tea with Cream. The combination of the rich black tea, creamy topping, and chewy king pearls is just SO good! I was also pleasantly surprised that the Houston location still offers the Taro Series. The taro drinks are another favorite of mine, and it's wonderful to see that Houston has kept this part of the menu. After visiting CHICHA San Chen in different places, I can honestly say that Houston holds up beautifully. The tea quality, fresh preparation, and overall experience are exactly what I have come to expect from the brand. CHICHA San Chen never fails to deliver! If you're a serious tea or boba lover, this is definitely worth a visit.

I was in for a long drive from Sugar Land out to The Woodlands, so I decided to swing into Asiatown…read moreand grab a drink to help soothe the pain of driving on the Sam Houston at 3pm. I pulled over in the first parking lot I could find and opened Yelp to help me find something. I'm telling you all of this because I ended up walking into Le Drip and ordering the "Egg Coffee", knowing nothing about it. Now, I've been on this earth for a minute and I've drank a lot of coffee. This is among the best coffee drinks I've ever had. Certainly the best I've had in recent memory. What I'm saying is it's in the running for the best coffee drink I've ever had. The egg cream is thick and eggy, which I loved. The coffee itself is bold with a strong coffee taste. The cream is dusted with a heavy shake of cinnamon and it all melded together into a delicious concoction that I couldn't get enough of. If you're looking for a memorable coffee drink, I would recommend giving this spot a shot. Tell 'em Big D sent you.

Finally got around to trying this cozy little coffee shop. Perhaps it wasn't for me, but I found…read morethe drinks at Le'Drip to be just okay. The famous Egg Coffee didn't stand out at all from all the praise it receives. I expected a rich, creamy coffee experience, but I couldn't find any coffee essence at all. Instead, the drink was overwhelmingly sweet from start to finish. I was also excited to try the new Lychee Jasmine Matcha since it sounded phenomenal, but it ended up being my least favorite. The lychee flavor completely overpowered matcha, making it hard to enjoy the drink. Overall, it was a good try but it wasn't cup of coffee.

We stopped by and tried a milk tea and a fruit tea. The tiequanyin oolong milk tea was so fragrant…read morewith very qq boba! I had it at 50% sweet and thought it was still too sweet for me, will try lower next time! The mango orange tea has fresh fruit which very refreshing, though we couldn't taste the tea very much. The interior is modern and clean. The staff was patient and helpful to explain the different drinks!

Macu Tea is located on Bellaire in Chinatown, on the south side, in the same shopping center as…read morePappaRich. I decided to check it out after a good friend raved about it--and I'm happy to report it absolutely lived up to the hype. I'll keep this short and sweet: I ordered the Ruby Grapefruit Li-Li Tea with green tea jelly, and it was legit. Incredibly flavorful, super fresh, and loaded with real grapefruit pulp. I went with 100% sugar (no regrets--just work out an extra hour afterward ). The balance of tart and sweet was spot on, and the quality really stands out compared to your average boba shop. Yes, the drinks aren't cheap, but they're worth every penny. You're paying for freshness and flavor, and it shows. The ambiance is clean, bright, and modern, and the service was solid. Drinks came out relatively quickly, even though it was busy. If you're tired of the same old average boba places, definitely give Macu Tea a try. Enjoy!

I thought it was going to be totallllyyyy overrated... I was wrong. Heytea was super duper yummy!!…read more I got the coconut mango blue and my friend got the mango grapefruit boom! I loved the sago, fresh mango chunks, and coconut jelly in mine! The mango grapefruit boom was similar but had grapefruit pulp if you like a tart twist. We ordered on the app and were nearby for pickup when it was ready, so not too much to say for the service other than the bobarista at the counter was friendly. Pickup seems like the best option as there isn't too much seating.

This spot remains one of my absolute favorite boba places in Houston, thanks to their top-notch tea…read moreand milk tea quality. I love their app, highly recommend it to pre-order through the app, it's extremely accurate in term of wait time and easy to use. However, there are a couple of downsides: their matcha is just average, their menu is a bit limited, and my favorite drinks are frustratingly often out of stock or out of season. My top recommendations are the Coconut Mango Boom, Cloud Jasmine Tea (basic but so good), Yuzu Oolong Tea, Brown Sugar Milk Tea, Mochi Yingde Black Milk Tea, Grapefruit Boom and the toasty/wheat-y Longji Cloud Milk Tea.

A spot dedicated to tiramisu treats (as well as mousse cakes, panna cotta, cookies, and croffles)…read moreand pretty drinks that is open all day? Count me in! The inside is mostly white and going for that IG "it spot" vibe. Most people were ordering their drinks that come with a little slice of tiramisu, but we were there to try just the latter! The tiramisu varieties aren't all truly tiramisu (which traditionally has espresso and alcohol), but they're called tiramisu because there are cookies or ladyfingers layered with their mascarpone cream. I tried the Biscoff Tiramisu-- while they could work on their presentation (the filling looked messy and slapped on), the taste was quite nice! Sweet, creamy, and the mascarpone filling was light and not too heavy despite being sweet and indulgent. I'm excited to try the other tiramisu varieties :D I like how the tiramisu comes in its own container instead of scooped into a takeout box because it's a lot less messy + prettier when eating it. Service was really friendly and there is self-serve water available too. Lots of tables for two but they were all taken during my visit. There's a little table outside in the shade if you're willing to sit in the heat. Overall, 4.5 stars for the tiramisu-- will be back to try some more! Check them out next time your sweet tooth calls :)

One of my favorite little spots to grab a matcha! I love the insane variety of matchas they have on…read morethe menu because apparently having just one or two good options would be far too easy. And if I'm with my boyfriend, he always spoils me and allows me to get 2 (one for the next day, of course)! One of my favorites is the Biscoff Banana Pudding Matcha. It's basically a dessert and a pick-me-up in one, so obviously I'm going to support that kind of decision-making. It's creamy, sweet, and with the crunchy textures, it's just such a fun combination. The other thing I am OBSESSED with here is the croffles! Easily one of the best I've ever had. They're super fresh, buttery, and have the perfect texture. But honestly, the cream they put on top is what really gets me. It's not overly sweet or super heavy, which I appreciate because I would like to enjoy my dessert without downing a whole glass of water... or maybe... a matcha? lol My boyfriend and I like coming here every now and then and sharing a croffle (because apparently we are capable of sharing things), and we love the indoor and outdoor seating areas too. It's such a cute little spot to hang out, grab a drink, eat something sweet, and just chill. Now for the one downside: the parking. If you know, you know. The parking situation is... less than ideal, especially considering this is Bellaire. But honestly, if you're coming here to grab a drink, eat, play on the claw arcade, and get a dessert, I'd say it's worth surviving the parking chaos. Pro tip: CALL AHEAD AND ASK IF THEY STILL HAVE CROFFLES! I learned this lesson the hard way. One time, I brought a large group of friends here after dinner specifically so everyone could try the croffles... only for us to find out they had just run out. SAD! You can imagine my devastation after hyping them up. They actually felt really bad and told us that we could call ahead next time to check if they still had any available, which I thought was incredibly nice of them. So now I'm passing that wisdom along because I refuse to let anyone else experience the heartbreak of arriving croffle-less. Overall, such a cute spot with great matcha, delicious croffles, and a fun little atmosphere. Just prepare yourself mentally for the parking situation and CALL AHEAD FOR THE CROFFLES!!!

Everything was so DELICIOUS and AMAZING! I ordered the green milk tea and it tasted great. The…read moredecoration is beautiful and the whole place feels perfect. Definitely a nice spot to hang out with friends.

Cute place! 2nd time here! Today Only - BOGO Soursop Smoothie & Avocado/Soursop Smoothie!!…read more The Avocado & Soursop Smoothie is sooo good!! Decided to also try their 3 different Banh Mi Que!! My favorite was the Banh Mi Que Thit Xiu!

There are so many boba places along Bellaire and I personally recognize how expensive of a habit…read morethese sugary drinks can be, so I generally avoid going. But when I'm in town I go out of my way to "eat all the things" to take advantage of being near the Vietnamese community. I decided on trying Tea Top over other -- seemingly indistinguishable boba shops -- simply because this shop participates in the Dining Rewards Program, which allows me to earn airline miles per dollar in addition to my standard credit card points per dollar. I will say, the tea here is very good. They actually sell tea, rather than just sugar water. You can taste it. And for that, I appreciate this place. I tried their Alpine Green Tea with boba. It was good. I came back a second time to try their Wintermelon Alpine Green Milk Tea and thought it was even better! Quality drinks and I can earn additional airline miles per order? I'll be coming back. I also like that their in-store rewards program keys to your credit card so it recognizes your account and you can instantly apply small discounts to future orders every time, or save up your points to get a buck or two off an order when you feel like it.

My friend said this was his favorite boba place in Chinatown and it did not disappoint…read more Taro milk tea usually sucks with these giant taro chunks, but Tea Top's taro drink was well integrated into the milk tea and went down smooth! Good attention to detail and good drinks.

They have great drinks, the Ube, Cookies and Cream, and Crème Brûlée are the ones I've tried and…read morehighly recommend all 3. The service is good but sometimes they get very crowded and so you may not always find a place to seat.

Strawberry Breeze - 50% sugar: Perfect level of sweetness,…read moreespecially if you don't like overly sweet drinks. Very refreshing. Don't forget to mix it first! You can taste a nice balance between the lychee jelly and strawberry purée. 9/10 Mango Breeze - 25% sugar: Still on the sweeter side, but really enjoyable if you're craving something sweet. Great choice if you love mango drinks. 9/10 Service: Always excellent. Staff has consistently been friendly and efficient. 10/10

Stopped by The Alley for drinks and really enjoyed the experience! The boba tea was fresh,…read moreflavorful, and perfectly sweet. The pearls had a great chewy texture, and the drinks looked just as good as they tasted. The atmosphere was clean, modern, and relaxing -- a great place to sit and chat with friends or family. Service was friendly and quick as well. Definitely a spot I'd come back to when craving boba!

Bold of The Alley to open up in this plaza given there's so much competition: Molly Tea, Heytea,…read moreTea Top, Sharetea, Kung Fu Tea, AtCha, Ninja Matcha, Nu Cafe, Xing Fu Tang. Good variety of drinks, with a few limited series including the Demon Slayer series. The strawberry mochi and Royal No. 9 milk tea were excellent. Prices are roughly on par. They originally forgot to make it light ice, but they quickly corrected it. Note, 'normal' ice takes up WAY too much of the drink. They have a Pokemon pack vending machine, but the prices are CRAZY, also it has some janky AI slop art as a background. If you have trouble saying no to your kids, I would recommend steering away... What brought this review from a 3 to a 4 was their ambiance. The space is fairly spacious, good amount of tables, plugs, and chairs, really great for studying. The Alley might be the best study spot in this plaza!