Heard about this place from a friend and decided to check it out. Nice and cozy trendy feel when you walk in. Lots of choices. Friendly staff. Plenty of seating to just hang out and maybe work while you have your Tea. I try to check out how places do chai whenever I can. You can customize what kind of milk you want to use. They have a regular Indian Chai latte as well as a Bubble Tea version. I wanted to try the Bubble Tea version and it was pretty good. read more

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Gave it another try. I don't get the great reviews here. Mediocre food at best. Commonwealth around the corner is Michelin by comparison.

Lovely tea shop in downtown Birmingham. Fun decor and positive vibes. Very knowledgeable and friendly staff. So many teas to choose from! I loved my chai tea. Fabulous holiday decor. Many tea related items for sale too. read more

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Great environment. Has everything from coffee/tea to bakery and books. A cute place to spend a relaxing afternoon at. I got their rose white bubble tea. 8/10 drink for good taste, fresh milk/tea (not made from milk tea powder), good bubble texture, and not too sweet. However the rose flavor is lacking. Honestly couldn't tell it's a rose tea from first sip to last sip. Still a 5 star for the nice environment, real ingredients, and friendly staff though. Staff is very knowledgeable about their tea options. read more

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Quite possibly the best tea place I've ever been. They have a wide selection of teas, they make them all fresh right in front of you, and there menu explains exactly what you're getting, including the caffeine level, sweetness, etc... I often find tea places intimidating, and don't know what to order. But this place makes it easy. The service is good, and the setting is nice. I had the Roobios chai, which was great. read more

Eli Tea - Making the tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Birmingham, Michigan

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Got the ti guan yin oolong tea expecting a stronger more fragrant tea with a hint of honeydew like the menu said. The drink tastes watery with no distinct flavor besides a light watered down tea 2/10. Tapioca was great - loved the chewy texture and the sweet taste of the tapioca 9/10. Overall may come back to try a different drink. read more

Eli Tea - Ti guan yin oolong tea, Matcha Mango Bubble Tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Birmingham, Michigan

Absolute best bubble tea!! My favorites are the ube tres leches and the mango matcha, but you can't go wrong with any of their teas! There's limited seating, but it's never too crowded and the wait is always really short. read more

Eli Tea - Ube tres leches bubble tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Birmingham, Michigan

Like this place a lot. enjoy the drinks. very fun little place. quality service. nice atmosphere.

Super small tea and bubble tea shop just south of Maple on the west side of old north Woodward. There's about 22 table seats and about 4 counter stools. I got the matcha mango minus the matcha since it's caffeinated. My husband got chai bubble tea. My mango bubble tea is subtly mango flavored, it's not bad. My husband's chai bubble tea wasn't bad. The bobas, almost all of the bobas in the cup in both the mango and the chai were hard and either not fresh or partly frozen still. My husband likes them when they are chewy and hard but I liked them soft and chewy, which is how it should be. read more

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I was looking for a place where I can grab dessert. Three of us came in and were greeted right away by a very friendly staff who immediately seated us, without giving us a stink eye for ordering dessert only. Our waiter was very friendly and showed us an electronic picture of each item on the menu, which made our selection easier. Definitely recommend read more

Eli Tea - Lava cake - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Birmingham, Michigan

This place is AMAZING!!! Small but cute hole-in-the-wall type tea shop that has tons of teas/boba and baked goods. I stopped in for a quick afternoon pick me up, and I was pleasantly surprised by all the options! So many different types of tea to choose from - and you can have them with boba too! Since I was feeling a little drab, I opted for the strawberry matcha (hot). While I waited for my tea, the cashier was super friendly and helped me pick out a couple of baked goods. I ended up picking out the birthday muffin (tons of sprinkles that my kids LOVED) and the peep donut (fluff filled with peep cereal on top - so cute)! But friends, DO NOT SLEEP ON THE UBE BARS!!!!!! They are small and not in the pastry case, so you might miss them. But if you ever stop into Eli Tea, you'v got to try the ube bars. They are decadent, rich, flavorful, and DELICIOUS. But back to the tea - the strawberry matcha was TO DIE FOR and was perfectly mixed and balanced. It had the right amount of sweet and even had little pieces of strawberries in it! I loved this place, and will definitely return. If you're ever in the Birmingham area, add this to your list of "go-to" spots! As an update - I came back after a couple weeks and brought my daughter. We both had the ube tres leches with boba and it was AMAZING. Just the right amount of sweet to compliment the ube flavor. Naturally, we left with 4 ube brownies and they barely made it home. Lol! They are SO GOOD and are so dense and flavorful. Don't miss out on those! read more

Eli Tea - Ube bar - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Birmingham, Michigan

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This place is gorgeous!!! I definitely want to return to try some other their default teas and bubble tea concoctions. When you first come in, it's super cute and inviting. Artsy modern vibe. You are immediately treated at the door. Biggest plus is that they carry to the non-dairy/ lactose free community in only their drinks but some of their sweets abs baked goods as well. Major win. Tried the Ube Tres Leches bubble tea with oak milk. Pretty fast overall. Gives a tarp vibe in color and taste. I do wish they had the traditional tops for the cups instead of lids so that I could shake the drink instead of just stir. I also wish they made it part of the process to ask the amount of sugar you wanted in the drink. These weren't enough to take off a point though. Will definitely return. read more

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Cute boutique tea shop with craft boba tea and loose tea. We had the Jasmine dragon tea with honey and a matcha mango boba. They have amazing fresh scones too! read more

Eli Tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Birmingham, Michigan

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What a cute cafe and they open pretty late. Came after getting my hair done and I heard about this place from my cousin. She said it's her favorite rose milk tea place. And I have to say. It was pretty good. I'm craving it now actually. read more

Eli Tea - Tastes like a dozen roses - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Birmingham, Michigan

I'm so happy I checked this place out after eating lunch at Try it Raw. Eli Tea has so much variety (from brewed teas to bubble tea)! The Thai Chai Bubble tea is really tasty and it's one of their most popular teas! Definitely need to check this place out if you're strolling around in downtown Birmingham read more

Eli Tea - Thai Chai - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Birmingham, Michigan

Such a special spot in Birmingham! Very artsy and warm environment. Really extensive tea selection available for purchase as a drink or bulk loose leaf to take home. I tried the Black Rose tea most recently and thought this was delicious (just like every other tea I've tried)! They also have a great selection of mugs, tea pots, and other Knick knacks that would make great gifts. Service is very quick and friendly. There's a good amount of seating available to study/work and some board games available as well. Lovely spot! read more

Eli Tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Birmingham, Michigan

An eel just slithered into my eye! Ew! Now I have Eel Eye. Better than Ecoli I guess. And better than Eli Tea, to be honest. In the rich burbs north of downtrodden old Detroit, but you're better off not bothering. I'm ashamed to share my last name (partly) with these guys. They're nice guys, don't get me wrong. But they don't make actual Asian bubble tea. At all. And American Bubble Tea is like... you may as well drink soda from a soda machine. Ew. Or Kool Aid. Eli is absolutely nothing, sadly. Nothing to report and nothing to write home about. The service is really nice but the tea just tastes like sweet milk. I don't get it. And their tapioca was squidgy and chewy and not good. I don't understand the good ratings. But then I don't understand why your mother's many boyfriends give her bad ratings, I think she's pretty amazing. She was last night, anyway. The wonderful service, friendly employees, and incredible decor are the reasons I give it a neutral 3. And it's a family business. The products, though, for me, would score 1. Like your Uncle would. read more

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Great tea, great service. I love to get some of their bulk tea to take home. If you use the right ratio it turns out the same! So great! We sometimes drive out just for Eli Tea. read more

Eli Tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Birmingham, Michigan

We walked by this place a million times since we moved to town and today we finally went in. So glad we did! My son had the strawberry matcha and it was delicious, the pieces of fruit mixed with the boba are so good. I had the cheese tea, it was my first time trying it and although it is sweeter than what I normally get, I'm glad I got something new. It felt like a mix between an ice cream shake a boba tea. The staff is very friendly, they got us out the door really quickly and everyone was wearing a mask. We will definitely come back! read more

Eli Tea - Cheese tea bubble - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Birmingham, Michigan

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It is very small and cramped and also very hot in there. But either way, the drinks are always amazing and tasty. I've never had a bad experience here. read more

Eli Tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Birmingham, Michigan

Ordered a London fog bubble tea with almond milk. The tea was incredibly too strong and the tapioca pearls were undercooked. Sadly nothing redeeming as I wanted the tea shop to be good. It's cute and charming inside. Might be a place to order more traditional tea drinks. read more

My absolute favorite bubble tea place is Bubble Island (Ann Arbor) but I wanted to try this place out today, I was meeting an out-of-state friend who is in town for a few days. They have a chart with the bubble teas by caffeine level, which was interesting, so I tried the matcha mango tea, with almond milk - you can choose regular milk, soy, almond, or rice milk, which is great since regular milk and I are not friends. The tea was okay - I'm more of a lychee jellies / mango stars fan vs. the actual tapioca bubbles, but they didn't have those, just the regular bubbles. My friend got some sort of fruity tea and liked it, as well. If you check in on the Yelp app you get 3 free cookies (woot!) so I tried one of each: the cardamom cookie (excellent!), the biscotti (very good), and the cumin cookie (just okay). My favorite of the three was the cardamom, it's got some sort of powder on the outside and is very good. This tea place was smaller than I had thought it would be too, but I liked it - we met up around 1pm on a weekday so it was pretty quiet, but I can imagine it being busy on the weekend. I'll be back to try a non-bubble tea at some point, too. read more

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Eli Tea adds a new dimension to bubble tea, aka boba. They sell more traditional English type teas, hot or cold. I ordered a cold lavender tea, they used actual tea leaves since I actually sniffed the tea leaves from the jar beforehand (thanks kind staff member!) They also have lots of dessert options. I tried 4 different macaroons and each were tasty. I also had their biscotti (spelling?), which was also delicious, probably because it's mostly made with butter. Overall, great ambiance to catch up with friends or doing your own thing. Staff members are super nice, told them it was my first time visiting and they went over a little history and popular items. I'd love to come back again! read more

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Seeing boba in Michigan made me super excited and very skeptical. I was curious if Michigan could make decent "bubble" tea. Entering the tea shop, it looked like they really knew their tea. There were containers full of tea leaves and the people working there looked like coffee hipsters. Talking to the person behind the counter, she made some great suggestions. Great honey matcha tea with milk. The boba was on the firmer side and could have been warmer, but it was a pretty good drink. Overall I would come back for the tea, not sure if I want the pearls next time. read more

Eli Tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Birmingham, Michigan

Been trying to find a place like Eli Tea Bar for some time now.. it is perfect! They have so many choices including kombucha on draft, bubble tea, chai tea, herbal teas, speciality teas, and a good amount of decaf options. Fun tip: try the "Happy Tummy" tea which combines camomile, mint, and rooibos! read more

Eli Tea - Happy Tummy and Traverse City Cherry - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Birmingham, Michigan

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I really wanted to love this place more but it was just okay. The staff earned the stars but the tea itself wasn't a favorite of any one of our five person party. One positive is if you are into cheese topping my friend said that part was great! With all of the tea places popping up everywhere I guess I was expecting a little better. read more

I would have loved to enjoy a tea. But, I walked in with my seven month old in a stroller and my wife with a Starbucks drink in her hand and we instantly got kicked out for "no outside food or drink". I wanted to try a tea from them and my wife wanted Starbucks... is it worth kicking people out for? I don't know, you be the judge? I would say no. Horrible experience and unfortunately, felt singled i Update: the business owners response is very insensitive. Not even sure he read the scenario. Regardless, I'd recommend giving business to Starbucks over this place any day, which he recommends anyway. read more

Amazing drinks, and lovely staff Definitely coming back once COVID-19 subsides Wish I could frequent the shop more often! read more

I grew up in Michigan and make it a point to swing by this place whenever I visit. Tried their new Ube tres Leches drink sub oat milk and it was fantastic per usual =D Thanks as always Eli! read more

Eli Tea - Ube Tres Leches with Oatmilk - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Birmingham, Michigan

The staff was very friendly, which only added to the hip, relaxed atmosphere. The pineapple and mango boba were delicious for a sweet tooth, and for someone who doesn't love a ton of sugar, the coffee one was good. Overall a good place to come and study and drink some tea :) read more

Loved the bubble tea choices here! It's not like your other common bubble tea options like Kung fu tea as it was all herbal teas and their tapioca bubbles were very chewy too. It was a nice place to sit down, relax, and grab some tea and chat with a friend. I'd recommend this place to try out a different bubble tea/dessert experience as it's also conveniently located in downtown Birmingham read more

I came here with a friend for bubble tea! I ordered the matcha honey drink(I don't remember the exact name). I thought that the tea was very good, but the pearls were a bit lackluster; they didn't have much taste at all. Overall, I thought my drink was decent but would recommend just getting tea here. read more

Eli Tea - Matcha and honey bubble tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Birmingham, Michigan

This actually tasted. So bad. As a professional food reviewer, I have tried a litany of delicious drinks... but also several disgusting drinks. Unfortunately, my brown sugar boba drink from Eli has earned itself a spot in my infamous disgusting drinks category. I cannot even begin to describe the taste... an overly sweet yet strange flavor combination that I would not recommend to anyone... not even my worst enemy. Waste of calories, and now my stomach churns with disdain for the place I thought I loved. Of course, I plan to return to try another flavor, but Eli has NEVER served something to me that tasted this horrendous. Please improve your recipe, or at least cut down on the sugar level. My doctor says I might die because of the amount of sugar that is dancing in my arteries. (picture attached below of me having to strain the tapioca... not gonna waste those). read more

Eli Tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Birmingham, Michigan

It was a hot day today so my husband and I decided to stop by and try their chai drinks. I ordered the Thai Tea Bubble drink and it was delicious. The bubbles were super fresh. When you check-in you receive a complimentary coupon for 3 free biscuit cookies. I tried one of each, but didn't like any of them. The ambiance is cute and the staff was very friendly. I would definitely come back again to try their other bubble tea flavors. read more

Eli Tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Birmingham, Michigan

This has become my go-to! I come here at least 3 times a week for the Thai Chai bubble tea and I'm honestly obsessed with it. The workers are SO sweet I love them! There's a little second for people to sit and have tea or study. They even have a table with games or cards! Just love this place read more

Eli Tea - Thai Chai Tea Latte with Almond Milk and Extra Bubbles! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Birmingham, Michigan

Great, High Quality Tea! Friendly, Knowledgeable Staff. Great assortments of loose leaf teas and incredible tea beverages. On tap kombucha, one of my favorites. read more

Eli Tea - Open again and Kombucha on Tap! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Birmingham, Michigan

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Bubble tea in Birmingham?!?! What whaaaa!!! I'm jumping for joy right now while enjoying my peach white bubble tea. So delicious. The best bubble tea I've had hands down!!! The tea maker was very sweet and modest too. This place played very zen music and the atmosphere was so laid back and nice to relax in. Good WiFi too! Always a plus read more

Why does this place get such good reviews? The atmosphere is kind of a let down.

Love their special CHEESE TEA! My fiancé got it and I just fell in love with it. I got their Assam milk tea with bubbles, which wasn't bad. I honestly don't really care for their boba. A bit hard, tasted old, and not very flavorful. I like my boba chewy, with a little bit of sweetness to it. Definitely will keep coming back though, especially for that cheese tea. Plus they have a pretty good size menu. Gotta love boba spot with freshly brewed tea. read more

How could you not love this place? Is the only question I have. I've brought countless of my friends here to hangout and have tried every flavor on the bubble tea menu and have never gotten anything less than delicious. This is definitely my favorite place in downtown Birmingham and hands down the best quality bubble tea in the area. With so many different flavors you really can't go wrong! Not to mention the interior is so pretty and such a chill environment to hang out and spend time with friends or even get some studying down. I love this place! read more

Eli Tea - Sipping on a Mint Matcha bubble tea! The best! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Birmingham, Michigan

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