Elitea
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Stopped by to get some boba, ended up getting the strawberry matcha latte with the brown sugar boba. It was delicious!! I tend not to gravitate towards strawberry drink because I'm not sure if places use artificial strawberries or real strawberries- can confirm they use real strawberries here! You can even taste pieces in the drink because I think they muddle it down at the bottom before adding the milk/matcha. I will say it was on the pricier side for a drink, granted it was a large, but I don't know if I would pay that much for boba again.
Elite Boba Tea is tucked inside Richland food court. You will find it in the basement. Their neighbor sells Hainanese chicken rice plus Vietnamese coffee and Thai tea. We ordered the Jasmine Oolong latte with boba and agar crystal. The agar crystal was an extra $1.25, boba was $1.00, and we upgraded to a large for about $0.80, so the drink came out to around $10. Pricey, but it was loaded with toppings, and the flavor didn't disappoint. The Jasmine Oolong had a nice, smooth taste, and there was plenty of chewy (maybe too chewy for some!) boba and agar crystal in every sip. Parking in Chinatown is a nightmare (as always), but if you manage to find a spot, this is a solid stop for a drink. There are other popular chains nearby like Tiger Sugar and Kung Fu Tea, but Elite Boba definitely holds its own.
This is a pretty solid boba spot in Chicago's Chinatown. They don't served any food like other boba spot might serves fried chicken or sandwiches, but that doesn't matter. I enjoyed tried their boba and didn't want for food because it's a food court and you can order food elsewhere if you want. I ended up order dumplings in the food hall. L I ordered the mango milk tea with mochi and the brown sugar bubble milk tea (with 50% less sugar). I enjoyed the flavor of the mango drink and the brown sugar boba was as good as one I've had elsewhere. The service was good and the staff were nice. The ambiance and the atmosphere is just ok. Not really a the fault of the boba place, the lights are low and bit hazy in the food hall. It would be nice if the food hall would work on that. In sum, this a good spot to get boba in Chinatown.
Milk foam boba was delicious, fast service and quality tapioca. Location is a bit hidden below the karaoke spot dont be alarmed just go down the stairs.
Super tasty, fruity and creamy milk teas! I recommend any of the smoothies as well. The ladies gave awesome service. The place was in a huge basement food court.
This bubble tea shop is located in the basement food court in Chinatown. We ordered a signature milk tea with Oreo cheese foam. It was cool to try the cheese foam top (it provides a savory complement to the sweetness of the milk tea), but I would probably just stick with a regular milk tea next time because that's what I'm more used to. The location of this bubble tea shop is very convenient as it's a great place to pick up a bubble tea to go with your meal if you happen to be in the basement food court grabbing a bite to eat.
Ordered boba here yesterday when I went to lunch with a friend. I ordered the black tea latte w taro and boba. WHOA I haven't never had anything like this. At first I was taken aback by the gritty-ness (yes I believe thats a word) but then I enjoyed it very much after I mixed every together. I somehow chose the "less ice" option and that was a mistake. So I'll have to go back and try again. They are located in the little food court under Chinatown. Easy to order on their kiosks and quick service!
We had a chance to stop by Elitea (it's located in HeungSeng square, in the underground food court). I ordered Peach Green Tea w Cheese Top and added Brown Sugar Tapioca and Rose Jelly. My partner got a Matcha Latte w Taro and Boba. The Peach Green Tea was a good sweetness at 30%; the tea was fragrant (I could definitely taste the peach) and the cheese foam was very creamy and dense. There were also sweet peach bits at the bottom of the drink, which was nice. The rose jelly was interesting; it comes in large blocks (like aiyu) and had a slight creamy rose flavor, though the consistency was a bit more like egg pudding. I enjoyed trying it, but probably wouldn't get it again. The Matcha Latte had a generous amount of taro paste. The matcha tea itself was refreshing and not overwhelming sweet, and the taro paste was a really nice addition - thick and slightly grainy (my partner really liked the texture); sweeter than the matcha milk tea, but still not too sweet. They definitely paired well together. The brown sugar tapioca was a good sweetness as well, though a little softer/mushier than I would've liked. Overall, a very pleasant experience.
If you enjoy signature milk tea, you will not be disappointed! The staff is quick to take your order and prepare with accuracy! The shop is bigger than you think with decor of cool inspirational sayings throughout. Hot tea, boba tea, and more! Thank you!!
This spot is within a larger building, kind of in a food court-like area. We ordered off their touch screen monitor and got the drink pretty quick. The rose milk tea wasn't too sweet and I really enjoyed the lychee popping boba.
This is a high quality boba tea shop, located in the basement of Richland Food Court off Wentworth Ave. They have a large selection of flavors, and they are constantly coming up with new exciting flavors (for example, rose milk tea with cheese cream and edible GOLD?!?). You go downstairs and you end up in this basement food court, which also has a hair dresser and a store that sells washing machines. It's definitely an unusual locale. Drinks: I don't think you can go wrong with any of the drinks. The pineapple orange green tea is wonderful. So is the white peach oolong tea with cheese top. And the matcha green tea with cheese top. Cheese top is a heavenly topping that is akin to liquid cheesecake. You can choose to mix it into the drink to make in creamy, or you can consume it the traditional way, which is alternating between sips of the plain tea and the cream by changing the angle of the cup while you drink it. This way allows you to taste the true flavor of the tea, while also enjoying the sweet cheese cream. I usually like to order my drink to go and enjoy it while walking around Chinatown. They do set up tables down there, if you want a sit-down experience.
We decided to order some bubble tea while stuck in the hotel using Ubereats. It took a while but eventually we got our 4 drinks. I decided to order the strawberry matcha latte - something refreshing, and hopefully not too strong since I'm slightly sensitive to caffeine at night. Adding boba cost an extra 0.50 so my drink came out to $6.25, which seems to be the standard these days. The drink was fine - nothing special, but not too sweet. I adjusted the sugar level to 0% since I figured there would be enough sweetness in the strawberry. My friends weren't as impressed with their orders, but maybe we have high standards all the boba options in Atlanta. I wasn't mad at my strawberry matcha, but I guess it's not too hard to mess up.
Elitea is located in the basement area of the chinatown square mall which has a variety of different stalls to choose where to eat/drink. Elitea definitely competes with the other boba spots in the area. We ordered a regular brown sugar boba, less sugar and less ice which was very good and everything you expect of this classic. I ordered a Matcha Latte with Taro and bubba which was not a mix I have tried previously. Taro and Matcha are naturally unsweet items so asking for less sugar probably was not the move and tasted on the bland side. Learned my lesson there! The tea was smooth and the boba still had a nice chew and flavor!
5 years ago
$6.33 for a small Brown Sugar Bubble Milk Tea. Boba was nice and chewy, and the tea was decently strong. Only qualm is with the price: we had to order on the kiosk and they charge a 4% transaction fee, resulting in this being rather expensive for a small cup of boba. read more
We were ordering food from the stall next door and when I saw their beautiful teas, I had to try. I had the strawberry matcha tea with no ice and less sugar. It was still pretty sweet. It is also quite creamy and rich and felt like lots of calories. Definitely felt like the richness and calories of a whole meal in one drink. Sat in my stomach for a while. The strawberries are all mashed up without any chunks, so I couldn't judge whether there were any real strawberries in there. It felt artificially flavored to me. The place was very busy with online orders, so it took like 20min to get our tea. I had better tea drinks. read more
Just a side note: I hate walking down to this dinky basement of a food court. It smells awful and I always half expect to walk in on a group of old Chinese men furiously smoking and yelling while playing mahjong in white tank tops. Besides the location, (seriously, it smells like something fierce) the tea here is worth the hefty price. I ordered the green tea with cheese top and it came out pretty perfect with my personal adjustment of sweetness. I love the attention to detail. From the quality of tea to the actual cup it came in, I was really impressed and would totally recommend trying this place at least once. As a Taiwanese American, I take my bubble tea/milk tea seriously. I'm glad this place did the popular drink justice. read more
Glad that we found this milk tea place! A friend who is a foodie recommended it to us, so we could not wait to give it a try. Real milk (instead of milk powder) + freshly brewed good tea + chewy, good quality bubbles = good bubble tea. Nice environment and pretty cups would be extra points. They got everything except for the environment due to its location. Not a big deal at all! We got regular sugar, cold cheese oolong tea and sugar free, hot cheese rose Tieguanyin. They both tasted great. Actually the regular sugar was not over sweet. My sugar free one tasted kind of plain, but the cheese top was delicious and the tea was of good quality. Next time I might just get a regular or less sugar one. read more
after looking on yelp for the best boba in chinatown, i decided to try elitea because of its good reviews and more importantly price. elitea is in the basement floor of a shopping center so it's kind of a hidden gem. the basement made me feel like i was back in china because all of the little shops and restaurants. you can order online or order in person. we got the signature milk tea with boba, less ice and 50% sweet. i think the drink is $4.35 + boba which is way better price than other boba places in the area that come out to $7+! they use real milk, black tea, and brown sugar as the sweetener. i like that the tea is a really strong flavor and the boba was really good texture. 50% sweet was also good because the tea itself is a little bitter so the brown sugar balances it out. service is a little slow but understandable since it's a small shop. would definitely come back next time i visit chicago! read more
5 years ago
7 years ago
The brown sugar milk tea was the perfect dessert! There are a lot of topping options to choose from and the boba was really soft and tasty. You can choose how much ice and sweetness level. We circled China town because I never realized there was an entrance to additional shops in the basement. There are automatic sliding doors that we noticed after others were leaving. read more
5 years ago
Many options for bubble tea here. It's located in the basement of the Richland Center. I got a rose oolong milk tea and fruit tea but one was too sweet and the other wasn't sweet enough despite the fact that I got both at 50% sweetness level....would definitely recommend asking the store workers about what sweetness level to get for their different drinks! read more
4 years ago
Used to like this place until I found a roach in my drink. There is complete lack of hygiene in all the shops in that basement but this one surprised me... read more
Accidentally stumbled upon this place when I went to Richland Center in search of Hello Jasmine. At first I was pretty disturbed & confused by the idea of cheese topped tea - but boy am I glad I ventured out of my comfort zone and tried it. I got the iced Jasmine green tea w/ cheese top + boba and I can confidently say that it was one of the best tea drinks I have EVER had (definitely the best in Chicago Chinatown). The cheese top was kind of like a cream cheese cold foam kinda thing that's pretty sweet but I always get 50% sugar in my teas so it balanced out really well. I would highly recommend trying if you haven't before! This is going to be my new go-to boba spot in Chicago. Tip: they do not take card here - but they do take Venmo. read more
4 years ago
Find your delicious tea downstairs in the food court on the outside corner of Chinatown. Really good selection of tea and fruit drinks. Boba is super tasty. Will 100% be back to try more tea flavors. read more
4 years ago
Everyone that left reviews said good things so I was excited to have another boba place open up near me. I was surprised to see it literally a booth/unit down from Hello Jasmine. After spending time trying to make boba at home, I've come to realize it's tough when you're making big batches. But why offer/sell something you can't make well? In other words, the boba was less than mediocre. They were literally melted together as in you couldn't even pull them apart. There was more than just one clump stuck together. With that being said. The tea was really good. I ordered the grapefruit tea, half sugar, and half ice. I was satisfied with the sweetness level and that there was just the slightest tartness to it. Service was average. We did wait quite a while but then again there were a good amount of people waiting. I will say that the cashier took our questions with patience. She clarified that they use real fruits and not just fruit syrup. Would love to return just because of the convenience of the location. Would give the boba another chance but if it's the same I'd probably just not order boba there. Would for sure come back for the tea! read more
I heard the hype about cheese tea and was eating nearby so stopped in here. It's in the basement food court and at 8pm was one of the few things open. It also had a healthy line. The stars are for the experience, but I can say I'm not a cheese tea lover. Ordering is prompt, but note they charge 4% more for using a credit card. Our regular size basic cheese tea with no add on was $6 with tax! Starbucks has nothing on these guys. The drinks come out cool looking, but the single counter gal in the front was swamped so we didn't exactly know if we were supposed to shake it up, get a straw or what. A quick Google and we learned you drink it from the cup, no straw. It tasted like lightly salty cream in your tea. Umm, not for us. Cheers to those who love it - there were a lot of people waiting - but we will stick with regular bubble tea. read more
Elitea is my favorite boba place in Chicago. The brown sugar boba is amazing. I order at 100% sugar, which surprisingly is not too sweet at all, but the perfect amount of sugar for me, which is interesting because I don't like very rich things. Something to keep in mind when ordering the sweetness level. I always get less ice as well. The location is not the most ideal, which is why I knocked off a star. I try to give a holistic view when reviewing a restaurant. It is located in the basement that is a food court in Chinatown. There is space to sit and drink but the environment is not the most aesthetic or has the best ambiance, so be aware of that. Typically though, when I order boba I just take it to go. read more
2 years ago
7 years ago
Whenever I go to a new boba tea place, I never know what to order. I went up to the server and ordered one of the most popular drinks -- the signature milk tea with oreo cheese top. I really liked my drink with the cheese top because of the sweet and savory combination. This drink is pretty interesting because they of the oreo sprinkles texture on top. Next time I will order the drink with regular sugar instead of 50%! read more
6 years ago
7 years ago
I got that brown sugar milk tea with boba that everyone claymores about. For a large it costs me about $7. In my head it should taste like the delicious aftermath of the leftover milk after eating Cinnamon Toast Crunch. It didn't taste that sweet. It had a tiny bit of bitterness/aftertaste that coffee does...not that its bad but I expected AMAZING like everyone said. It was ok but I won't order it again. I'll try the mango smoothie next time I'm around. Ummm what's the cheese thing? read more
6 years ago
Yum! The passion fruit lemon fruit tea with tapioca is so good! The green tea flavor is very subtle, but the fruit flavors come through nicely. I love that they use fresh fruit in the drink. Plus, I love the flavor + chewiness of the tapioca. A really refreshing drink on a warm summer day! read more
The bubble teas here are hYUGE. And the flavors are interesting and delicious. I think I sort of fked up with the Lychee slush + Cheese foam special cause the cheese foam was just TOO INTENSE. LIke i tried to get both the fruity sweet tea and savory cheese foam combined in one sip but I just kept getting mouthfuls of the salty foam and the weirdest thing was the cheese foam was GROWING??? Dark magic. So then I tried to mix the cheese foam with the lychee slush with a spoon (manual work) which I then learned that the two apparently don't mix... like oil and water - the two would repel against eachother. Anyways, science gone wrong I guess. So I just flushed it down a toilet cause I was afraid too many weird things have happened and I needed to rid it forever. The pineapple yakult and fruit medley teas are def must-gets though. read more
Looking for a new bubble tea place in Chicago, I stumbled upon Elitea and was intrigued. My friend and I came from out of town to try Elitea's bubble tea and my honest opinion was that Elitea's bubble tea was underwhelming. First off, the bubble tea is extremely overpriced. My large brown sugar boba was $7. Yes, $7. That's the most I've ever spent on boba. They charge a 4% credit card fee without disclosing the information to you. Second, the boba. Honestly, it was ok? The presentation was nice but it tasted just ok and I felt that my drink wasn't as sweet as the average brown sugar boba drinks. The service was good, and the decor is nice. In my honest opinion, I would not go out of my way to have Elitea's boba. read more
This is the best boba I've had in the world - and I've tried them across Asia. The location is hidden away in a Chinatown food court. 1. They use fresh fruit 2. Not too much surgar 3. The boba texture is soft and chewy, and served warm and fresh. (Boba shouldn't be hard) 4. The presentation is beautiful read more
5 years ago
Good place to have bubble tea. It is located in Chinatown building underground. It is so good. I have rose milk tea 80% sugar. It is still sweet. Next time I try something else. read more
Favorite place to get bubble tea in Chinatown! I first came here to get the brown sugar milk tea because I was told that this was the best place to get it. I ordered it and while it's good, it's probably not something I would order regularly. Their "special" this summer was peach oolong tea. I tried it in both a latte and with the cheese foam. The cheese foam here is so good!! 5/5 for the cheese foam. Perfectly rich, thick, and not too salty or too sweet. I also generally don't get tapioca pearls in my drinks but the ones here are really good! I would recommend their cheese foam in a drink over the brown sugar milk tea if you're looking for something "different" to try. Prices here are okay but I do think the product is worth it -- good tea taste and not too sweet (of course you can also adjust the sugar and ice level.) Most of the times I've been here there has been a line but it usually won't take more than 5 minutes to get your drink. read more
I was craving for some cheese foam and had to look up some in the area. This place just opened and the photos looked good; so I went to give it a try. It's located in the food court of a building and we were lost at first looking for it, but eventually found it. I ordered a STRAWBERRY GREEN TEA WITH CHEESE TOP and I was pretty disappointed. I liked the strawberry pieces and that it didn't taste artificially flavored overall. The green tea was too light and I could barely taste it. The most disappointing thing was the cheese top. The consistency was too thin and also it was too bland. I wouldn't order a drink with cheese top again. I wouldn't necessarily come back and try another drink either. I might venture around and try other places before coming back here. read more
Yummy authentic boba shop! There I've had a hard time finding Boba shops in Chicago that remotely compare to LA and I finally found the place! Elitea is in a underground food court that is honestly hard to find but it's worth the search for boba this good! I just got the regular milk tea and I was in love! The prices are also better than other boba places in Chicago so far! I believe it was $4.50 for my boba. read more
5 years ago
For a change of pace, if you like bubble tea like I do, this is slightly different from the traditional bubble tea you can get at Joy Yee's. Most are from Northern China and they all speak Mandarin fluently so it was hard at first to ask questions about their menu because I didn't always grab the right words she tried to communicate. They do sell tapioca pearls, but they had this coconut pudding concoction that had me curious and they blend it with taro milk tea served hot or cold and large (+0.80) or small ($4.55) so I didn't order the tapioca because I figured the coconut pudding was going to be like the other texture and I am so glad I didn't because this Taro milk tea with coconut pudding was fantastic, hot or cold. I've ordered from them twice and I have another favorite drink. You just have to realize this place is in the basement so when you are looking for the address 2002 S Wentworth and you see the place boarded up, it is not the real place and you have to go to the basement to the food court to check out Elitea. read more
8 years ago
Ordered brown sugar bubble milk at the counter. They gave me brown sugar bubble milk TEA. Upon realizing after tasting it since they print the label in Chinese, I asked the girl at the counter to give me the right order. She took it to the back and they brought out my "correct drink" in the same cup with the same label on (I could tell because the order number was the same). There was no brown sugar syrup at the bottom, and tea between my boba, so I knew they had just poured out the tea and put milk in instead. How an establishment can give so little effort into what they serve is beyond me. If I wanted a half-assed beverage, I would have just gone to Dunkin's. For +$6 for a large drink, save your money and go to Bingo Tea or Kungfu Tea instead. read more
3 years ago
it was kinda difficult to find the place becuz it's part of a plaza in the basement of the mall. the drinks did take a while, but the boba was very chewy and the milk tea was good. read more
I wish Elitea was closer to my house so I could try the entire menu. Their offerings are reminiscent of bubble tea shops in Taiwan and I wish I could go back now. Elitea is located inside what looks like a shopping building next to the long plaza with restaurants and shops. It is in the basement with other tea shops and restaurants. Their brown sugar bubble milk tea was so delicious with a caramelized brown sugar taste and their tapioca was yummy too! I was torn between that and their combo fruit tea, which my friend ended up getting and I had a sip...divine! Prices range from $4-$6. Worth it IMO. read more
7 years ago
As a boba enthusiast, I came in with the expectation of a mediocre drink. But, Elitea exceeded my expectations. I ordered the brown sugar milk tea, and it tasted surprisingly authentic. They do not skimp out on the tea flavor like many other boba places do. With one sip, I tasted the strong tea and rich milk flavors. The sweetness level was adjusted with the perfect amount of sugar. The boba could be a bit chewier, but it was still good. read more
8 years ago
Newly open in Chinatown, almost visited every week. Love the brown sugar bubble milk tea and jasmine tea with cheese top! Fresh tea on the bottom which made by single tea bag, the cheese top is like salted cream top in Starbucks but richer. I like drinking a little bit cheese top first and then mix with tea. As a milk tea lover, I'm really addicted to the brown sugar bubble milk tea, strong oolong taste perfectly match the chewy boba. Will try some fruit green tea next time! read more
More info about Elitea
2002 S Wentworth Ave
Ste B09
Chicago, IL 60616
Chinatown
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(312) 468-9909
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