We were hungry late at night close to midnight. Our go to place... Fufu cafe is gone. Saw the…read moreCafe 101 was open till 1 am and plenty of people eating inside so that's always a good sign. Cafe 101 serve Japanese and Chinese food. There are table and booths inside as well as a full bar. We started with a couple of sushi specials... bluefin toro and Uni. Thought the bluefin toro were fresh as well as the Uni. Wasn't expecting so was pleasantly surprised. For our mains, we ordered the twice cooked pork and beef galbi. Both came as a set... with rice, side dish of pickled radish and carrots and dessert. Price-wise, it was reasonable considering it came as a set. Twice cooked pork hits the spot. It was plenty and had some to go. Galbi was decent... it's not like Korean Galbi. It was pretty saucy, sweet and tender. It was decent portion as well. Think we found our new late night spot! Look forward to trying out the rest of their menu in the future. :-)

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)

I have tried just about everything on the menu across the Houston, Dallas, and Austin locations,…read moreand can confidently say that they knock it out of the park every time. While the osmanthus with cream remains my personal favorite, this visit I ordered the high mountain pouchong with orange and was not disappointed. It's refreshing in the Texas heat, a little tangy from the citrus and perfectly sweet (the lemon variety of it is also exceptional). Seating inside is rather limited, but the atmosphere is warm and welcoming, good for sitting awhile and having a chat while you drink. One of my favorite tea stops of all!

Aside from their name that is really hard to remember, I've heard about how good the tea was but…read morenever stopped by because of the hype and lines when they initially opened. Luckily there wasn't a line. I picked up a green tea passion fruit tea and was surprised how tasty it was! The drink was a pretty yellow hue with passion fruit seeds at the top. The green tea flavor wasn't overly strong or dry wnd was very fragrant-- super tasty~ It came in a recyclable little sling carrier too, super cute :) I love how the brand focuses on real fruit, milk/cream so there aren't any artificial ingredients lurking around. You can order at the kiosk or at the cashier. For sweetness customization, they only have full level, less sweet, and no sugar options. The less sweet is already plenty sweet for me, so wish there was a slightly less sweet option than that. The service was polite and friendly, and the inside was clean with several tables. Besides the great taste, I really appreciate the "no artificial stuff" way of doing things. After one drink I'm Chicha San Chen fan! Be sure to stop by sometime and try their tea :D

A drink shop with a really wide variety of drinks. They have matcha, boba, and vietnamese coffee…read moreand a wide range of unique flavors. I tried the pandan bic siu after reading other yelpers liked it and it was delicious! The drink is vietnamese coffee with a pandan foam on top. I mixed the foam in thoroughly with a utensil and it made a unique, creamy flavor. The coffee taste is not overly strong which can sometimes be the case with viet coffee drinks. I would definitely come again!

It's a small place with a couple of tables. Service was good and knowledgeable…read more The coffee is good. I like how it's a little bitter and the foam makes the drink sweeter. It's a great balance. Can taste how strong the caffeine. However, was not a fan of the matcha. Didn't really taste the matcha.

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!

The tea here is beautiful and that's the only positive thing I have to say…read more King of Mango: Got 80% sweet - tasted 10% sweet. It was 40% jelly that tasted like flowers, didn't taste like mango at all. King of mango should be swimming in mangoness. Did not like this one at all Brown sugar tea: not the best out there but a solid choice. They drizzled chocolate in the cup which seemed like a lot but wasn't the most awful tasting. Oolong tea: was supposed to be 30% sweet but tastes like pure sugar and was disgusting. Avocado: barely any avocado flavor, far too much jelly - was not enjoyable in any way. Some of the worst boba I've ever had.

BREAKING NEWS - Heytea now has the famous pistachio cloud jasmine coconut! I had to compare if it…read morewas just as good as the one from Molly Tea, and omg... I think it might be better. The pistachio cloud is much more nuttier, you can taste more of that coconut, while still retaining a strong jasmine flavor. Molly Tea is definitely more fragrant when it comes to the jasmine tea, but the other flavors (pistachio & coconut) are lackluster now that I've tried Heytea's version. The Coconut Mango Boom is also very good. I can see why is a fan favorite. The coconut jelly is a nice touch. I need to come back to try the grape one because I saw at least 10 cups of it being prepared in a row.

Hey, tea, you are too expensive for my wallet! Almost $10 for a milk tea. Yikes! It's good, but not…read morethat worth it in my opinion. I rather walk across the parking lot and buy a whole Chinese bbq rice box for lunch. On top of that, the last time I went during the afternoon, they ran out of boba. The layout and interior decor of this place is interesting. It's minimalistic and simple. There are no menus to read on the wall and the restroom door blends into the wall. The line to order is slow. I'm not sure if it's intentional or not. You can't read the menu until you get to the counter. Then you are in the "ummmm" and question mode. The payment screen asks for a tip. Why? It's getting out of hand. I'm waiting for grocery stores to start asking for tips for bagging your items.

overall: 4/5…read more tiramisu: 5/5 both matcha and coffee were delicious drinks: matcha 3/5, imo just okay but the coffee one was 5/5!! would rec coffee tiramisu if you are between one of them

I was at Bijou located at Bellaire Chinatown Center during its soft opening and I know those people…read moreposted reviews unfairly. Really, nothing official yet. I was convinced to come back to experience when they are fully operational. I love coming here. Especially hearing about how this coffee shop started as a pastry caterer. Looking at the Ube Tiramisu... Mmm... so yummy. I had it during soft opening and it was good. Today, I'm trying Coconut Water Matcha. I don't drink coffee past 2 pm but I can have teas up till 6 pm. I asked for no sugar but it came a little sweet. It was still pretty good. Not what attracted so many female clientele to Bijou. I was the only male customer at the whole restaurant.

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.

I'm really glad Mtea opened its doors at 8 AM. It's a rarity in Bellaire to find a place that…read moreserves coffee so early, making it the perfect spot for a quick cup before heading to work. My go-to order here is the salted Vietnamese coffee, and I can confidently say it's amazing--rich, flavorful, and just the right amount of sweetness. In addition to great coffee, Mtea offers a selection of desserts throughout the day, making it an ideal place to satisfy your sweet tooth. I love the skinny baguette that comes with the combo options, though it does take a bit of time to prepare, so keep that in mind if you're in a hurry. I also tried their matcha latte, which was decent but didn't quite hit the mark for me as much as the coffee does. However, overall, Mtea is a solid spot worth checking out, especially for early risers looking to enjoy a delightful start to their day!

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.

Honestly in my opinion tea top and feng cha taste very similar. They are both good and known for…read morethe milk foam. My only complaint about them is that they don't have a lactose free option for those of us who are lactose intolerant. It is also the reason why I stop going here

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

I like their milk foam series but I wish they have a lactose free option. The jasmine milk foam tea…read moreis my favorite at feng cha

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!

Nut allergy friendly: No issues with my drink…read more Parking: Totally depends on how busy the Chinatown plaza is that day. Will be rougher on Friday/Saturday nights. Time to drink: 5 minutes I've been to other locations of The Alley before, and learned the hard way about their 900+ calorie Creme Brulee milk drinks (my stomach was annihilated after I had it on an empty stomach). I instead opted to try their Jasmine Green Milk Tea with less ice and 25% sugar. Honestly, it was one of the weaker milk teas that I've had. Minimal tea flavor and the boba was just okay, nothing special. The signature Brown Sugar Boba Creme Brulee Milk is really easily drinkable... and fair warning, it does come packed with 800+ calories. The bathroom pin code is on the receipt.