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    Eli Tea

    4.3 (158 reviews)

    Eli Tea Photos

    ELI TEA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Eli Tea

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    Rose White Bubble Tea (small)
    Elaine W.

    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.

    Making the tea
    Fahim R.

    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.

    Ti guan yin oolong tea, Matcha Mango Bubble Tea
    Jessica L.

    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.

    Ube tres leches bubble tea
    Erin L.

    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.

    Nicole E.

    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.

    Lava cake
    Irina G.

    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

    Ube bar
    Czara V.

    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!

    Ube tres leches boba tea
    Tonee S.

    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.

    Sara M.

    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!

    Tastes like a dozen roses
    Jenny P.

    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.

    Thai Chai
    Dorothy W.

    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

    Dalia R.

    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!

    I think India in a cup might not taste as good as they think it would
    Fox E.

    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.

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    6 years ago

    Meh. Came in for some Local Bubble tea. Just wasn't impressed in the slightest. Probably the worst made bubble tea I've ever had.

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    6 years ago

    Their peach white and Thai bubble tea are one of my favorites! Their staff is always very friendly!

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    9 years ago

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    6 years ago

    Great teas, great vibes, knowledgeable staff. A true gem in the community. I would recommend Eli Tea to both locals and visitors!

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    9 years ago

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    6 years ago

    Their chai Thai bubble tea is my favorite! The staff is very welcoming and there are so many options to choose from.

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    5 years ago

    I tried the cinnamon rooibos bubble tea. Was very yummy and loved that it had oat milk!

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    Page 2 of 4

    Ask the Community - Eli Tea

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    Hers Zakka Market & Onezo Cafe - Onigiri and Sides

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    4.7(20 reviews)
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    I've been here twice in 2 days because my daughter and I were so excited to try all the things!…read more They seem to be best known for their bubble waffles, bubble tea, and fried Japanese fare (karrage and corn dogs) Our first visit we tried the mango bingsu which is finely shaved ice with condensed milk, mango syrup, popping boba, and pocky sticks. The next day we came back and tried the bubble waffle, brown sugar bubble tea, and onigiri. The attached shop sells some great snacks and essentials, the people working there are so kind, and I love the vibe and ample seating.

    My husband and I visited Hers Zakka Market & Onezo Cafe after making a late decision to get some…read morelunch. We were curious about Hers Zakka after seeing an influencer video about it. We were a little confused though, because Hers Zakka is a small Japanese market, and the influencer video made it seem there was a cafe inside (did not see mention of Onezo Cafe). Actually, Hers Zakka is a market, but it does not sell cooked food. For that, you go to Onezo Cafe, and the two businesses are joined on the inside. That being said, Hers Zakka has a lot of cute items and yummy-looking snacks, that we fully intend to return and explore later. Now, I will focus the rest of my review on Onezo Cafe. Onezo Cafe is very spacious with comfy seats and a cute setup. There is a glass case full of delicious-looking confections, but my husband and I needed real food. We walked to the counter and ordered, then we noticed the ordering kiosk off to the side. The staff was very friendly.... My husband ordered the Karaage chicken combo (#8), which came with salad, California rolls, and either a tonkatsu miso or spicy tofu broth. I ordered the Korean fried chicken (KFC) combo (#10), which came with rice, salad and the same broth choices. Though my husband and I both chose spicy tofu broth, they gave him the tonkatsu, and to my dismay the spicy tofu had egg in it. Since my husband has a pork allergy and I'm allergic to eggs, we just switched. While I'm not a fan of pork, I must say the tonkatsu miso broth was delicious! My husband said the same about the spicy miso. The California rolls on my husband's place looked very mayoey, so I could not try them. My husband confirmed however, that they were indeed very good. The chicken on both our plates was very good. The Karaage was fried well and had a very good taste. The KFC was essentially the Karaage rolled in sauce. While tasty, the KFC sauce was more sweet than spicy, when I prefer more of a kick. Onezo Cafe also sells boba teas. My husband got the Coral Sea with Crystal Boba (lychee honey lemon tea), and I got the Grape Crush with Aloe (subbed coconut jelly). Both teas were delicious. We lived on the East Coast for a while, and there was a boba tea chain named Mr. Wish. I used to practically mainline this stuff, and was sad there was no Mr. Wish in MI - or anything close. One sip of my Grape Crush had me saying "Mr. Who?"! I'm not being patronizing. After three years back home I had given up on finding a boba tea I liked as much as Mr. Wish! The portion was perfect, as we were able to fill our bellies with minimal food waste. We had a plan to grab a few of their onigiri (rice balls) for later along with a dessert, but we were too full! Our total order (including tax)nwas about $40, which was a good value. I'm giving a 4-star rating. It was not clear that the spicy tofu soup contained egg, and the KFC was more sweet than spicy. Im not counting the soup mixup because that actually was a blessing in disguise. We will definitely return to explore the menu more! Same for Hers Zakka; I have my shopping list ready!

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    Kung Fu Tea

    Kung Fu Tea

    4.0(38 reviews)
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    I think it's kind of funny that TKK fried chicken has a 2.5 star average on here and KFT has four…read morestars, but I digress. It's the same company although I'm assuming people are leaving reviews here for the bubble tea more so than the chicken. I wanted a quick lunch and it turned out I had a free bubble tea reward in my KFT app, so that enticed me in today. I always get the almond milk tea with (lychee jellies, but they call it nata jelly), usually from the Sterling Heights location, and it's always delicious. The one I got today was just as delicious. The TKK chicken I ordered was a combo and it came with their kiwi punch drink, I haven't tried it yet but it looks pretty good. Be aware that when you're redeeming a free bubble tea on the app with points, it's only valid for the base tea. I still had to pay the $0.70 or so to get the nata jelly in it. If you're hungry, I do recommend the chicken there as well and the cheese curds, they were all delicious as was the biscuit. Overall this is a convenient location for me so I will be back again at some point.

    Their limited Princess Peach peach strawberry slush was the smoothest, creamiest slush they have…read moreever made at this location. It was a ten out of ten delicious. It came with this cute straw topper that looked like her crown, super adorable. I also enjoyed their peach green tea with the lychee jellies, it was very good. I am a little sad, on the day we came I found of they got rid of their kwakwa baos just the day before. I was so sad, I really wanted one. They told me they might come out with bao bites. I was also told they are getting rid of the curly fries and might get some sort of chips. I will be excited if they do come out with some sort of bao, but I was very sad that I missed it by only 24 hours.

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    Light Cantine - Brown sugar shaved ice bowl

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    What a fun spot for the meal and dessert!…read more Love the make-your-own pot - it's a savory, custom, spicy pot of goodness. Perfect over white rice. So hearty! Good options from meats, veggies, noodles, fish/meat balls, etc. Very easy to rack up to nearly 2lbs of food... but makes for great leftovers. Had to top it off with a refreshing, icy dessert. The perfect combination. The taro paste was so delicious. Lots of places to sit. Staff is swift and kind. Would return!

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    Htea Cafe

    Htea Cafe

    4.2(39 reviews)
    1.5 mi
    Locally owned & operated
    Speaks Mandarin

    H Tea Cafe is such a cool spot. The atmosphere is warm, inviting, and honestly just fun to be in…read more It's one of those places where you walk in and immediately start thinking, "Yeah, I could hang out here for a while." Bonus points because it's a great place to take pictures -- the vibe is definitely aesthetic. Plus the staff had great recomendations. The food is delicious with tons of variety. I love all the little treats and snack options, and the beverage menu is huge -- there were so many drinks I wanted to try. It's the kind of place where you could come back multiple times and still not work your way through the menu. They even have board games you can play, which makes it perfect for a chill hangout, low-key date, or just catching up with friends. Definitely a spot I'd recommend if you're in the area. -- DonnyLB | IG & TikTok

    Maybe they had new staff but this was a very underwhelming visit. Extensive menu and cute cafe…read morevibes with fun seating and lots of folks camped out with computers and food. Good sign! However after placing our order on the screen, the two iced latte drinks came out with no espresso added? Apparently on the ordering screen you have to CHOOSE to add espresso, which is counterintuitive because then it's just sugar milk. Anyways that was fixed and my bubble fruit tea was good. I appreciate all the ways to personalize the tea and it's Good that they have non dairy drinks options! The staff person kinda awkwardly set the tray on our table and left - she didn't hand out the drinks to us, which is kind of weird? The cake we ordered took awhile to come out even though it was right there in the display - and I even inquired about it. we were done with our drinks by the time it came out - so it wasn't great timing and we were just over it. The spoons were cute but way too small to enjoy anything - my kiddo liked it though for a few bites. I feel like this was just for ambience and not really sustenance, not sure if I would come back. Maybe for the noodles or other foods but there's lot of other options nearby! They also advertise pizza on their front sign but I didn't see any on the inside menu...? Easy lot parking - watch out for the large pothole up front though!

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    Eli Tea - coffee - Updated May 2026

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