This boba shop is located in the underground food court of the Chinatown complex center. We ordered -Zhang zhang milk tea (aka dirty milk tea or brown sugar milk tea) I loved it and want more! I have tried multiple brown sugar milk tea from a variety of milk tea shops but nothing similar to this one. I liked how it was not too thick with brown sugar syrupy and the milk tea tasted amazing! It came with the cutest round cup ever! -Brown Sugar Latte with cheese top Even though both drinks we ordered sounded very similar, they were very different. I personally didn't really liked this one. The latte tasted bland and watery and the cheese blended into the drink. There are many street parking available in the area so parking should not be a problem. If I come back, I will definitely get the dirty milk tea again! ***********My overall ratings************ Taste: 3.5 stars Price: 3.5 stars Environment & Cleanliness: 3 stars Service: 3 stars read more

Elitea - Dirty Milk tea is amazing! - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Another fantastic milk tea and beverage place in Chinatown! It is worth it to go through the Richland Center for this spot and you'll find other yummy things down there from all the different restaurants. Richland Center really shouldn't be overlooked! We ordered the Brown Sugar Milk Tea, Strawberry Latte with Coconut Pudding, and the Mango Latte with Coconut Pudding. The staff there really care about their drinks and are very attentive to their customers! They made sure to ask about Ice and sugar preferences. The Brown Sugar Milk Tea has a great and strong tea flavor. We asked for for less sugar and so the drink was perfect for us. The tapioca was also nice and chewy. The Strawberry latte tasted like strawberry ice cream! For this one we ordered Half Sugar and it was perfectly sweetened already. Normal sugar for this one might have been too much. The pudding also adds a nice texture to the overall drink. The Mango Latte was also ordered with Half Sugar and that was the perfect amount for us. Thy accept many methods of payment there, from Venmo to ChasePay to WeChat money, you'll be covered. read more

This has become one of my favorite boba shops in China town. They have many options like many other shops, but I believe they put care into their drinks. I've had the cheese caps and lemme tell you their cheese cap flavor is unbeatable. I've enjoyed the taste of their cheese because it's not too salty nor watery. The flavor of the drinks have the strong tea flavor and that's what I personally enjoy in my boba. I do choose less sweet when I order. The wait is a little longer than average like 7-10 minutes the last few times I went. They do offer credit cards now so that's a plus! read more

See all

Found a cockroach in the boba tea, got an apology and refund. Never again, pretty dirty venue. read more

Elitea - Cockroach in tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The good: My drink, the brown sugar milk tea with boba. No altered sweetness. I thought the tea was a bit stronger than other milk teas I've had, which I really enjoyed. The bad: My brother's drink was the signature milk tea no boba, and oh my word..... They packed his poor drink with SO MUCH ICE (see photo). Feel like we were ripped off. If it wasn't for this, I'd give five stars. Boba could have been improved upon, the texture was a bit strange. read more

Elitea - Brown sugar milk tea with boba - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Wow. The watermelon passion fruit tea was AMAZING. Hands down one of the best bubble teas I've ever had. read more

Elitea - Flamingo (Passion Fruit Jasmine Green Tea W. Watermelon) with mango stars - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I'm not from the area, but really wanted bubble tea late at night. We were looking for another bubble tea spot in this plaza but we couldn't find it. We came across Elitea and noticed the long line so decided to go in. I recommend it! read more

I've been to the milk tea places around here in Chinatown and all I can say is that this place is one of the better milk teas here. I ordered both the Roasted Mountain Oolong and the matcha latte with boba and taro. The Roasted mountain oolong is amazing! The tea flavor is very strong which I love. I usually get between 50 to 80% sugar with boba, and I thought it was the perfect ratio. 5/5 The matcha latte with boba and taro is very good. The matcha latte is naturally bitter while the boba and taro is slightly sweet, which is an amazing combo. The taro is real taro chunks and the matcha is a bit stronger than other milk tea places. 5/5 Overall, this establishment is such a hole in the wall and I hope that they get more business. They are such an amazing small milk tea place and I hope that other people get to try their drinks as well! :) read more

Elitea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Not going to lie: I wanted to experience drinking bubble tea from the new narrow containers. The verdict? Smaller portion compared to the usual large, but does the job!! It wasn't hard to find Elitea because right when you walk into the building it's in, you immediately walk to the staircase going downstairs on the left. Brown sugar bubble tea latte with a cheese topping. An alright drink with a slight bitter taste but the cheese topping mixed in with the rest of the drink. I thought that was supposed to float on top? You could control sugar and ice amount here which is nice. Cashier was helpful in explaining some of what they offered. I asked about those salted top drinks and she said it was a cheese top? I'm not sure though. The downstairs area isn't well kept. There's trash on the table, garbage bins were close to overflowing and overall doesn't have a clean look or feel. It is cafeteria style though so can't put the blame on Elitea. There are bathrooms but you have to ask the cashier for a key to use it. read more

Elitea - Brown sugar bubble tea latte with cheese topping (got mixed in) - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Legitimately the BEST boba I've ever had, they use all natural flavorings, fruits, and bases to create their drinks, not the powder mixes and you can taste the difference. So so so good!! I recommend the brown sugar taro mix. read more

I don't think I've visited this location in person (yet), but my friend picked up a Brown Sugar Boba Milk Tea for me and it was probably my favorite Brown Sugar Boba Milk Tea I've tried. Usually, I find that they are too sweet or do not have enough tea flavor, but this was perfect. Granted, I had gotten it 50% sugar so this may have helped, but I could taste the strong tea flavor, it was perfectly creamy/rich, and the tapioca pearls were cooked to perfect - not too hard and not too chewy. I would definitely visit myself in person and try their other drinks. My only complaint is that each drink can easily run you $7 with toppings and an upgrade to a large. I guess it's comparable to other high quality boba places, so not really something that would prevent me from going back. read more

Currently open for pickup and delivery through Chowbus!! If you do pickup, there's a sign at the usual entrance that tells you to go around the corner to their back entrance (there's a small parking lot). Their door is the one that's propped open, and then you go down a flight of stairs until you reach a closed door. They have a number on the door for you to text your order number. A worker then brings out your drinks and places it on a desk next to the door, so it's fairly contact-less! My FAVORITE bubble tea place in all of Chicago!! I don't drink milk tea that much anymore so I love Elitea has a bunch of great options for people like me. I love their grapefruit green tea and fruit tea because they put lots of real pieces of fruit inside the cup. I also love their Strawberry Latte and Taro Latte drinks!! read more

Their Brown Sugar Milk with boba is the best in town compare to Bingo Tea and Kungfu Tea. The sweetness is balanced. Caramelize is nearly perfect. Boba is chewy and flavorful with brown sugar caramel cover. Highly recommend this drink. read more

Elitea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Best mt ive tried!!! Wish i live in chicago to get it all the time. Get the brown sugar milk tea with brown sugar cheese top. Ive always paid with cash since that's what some reviews said that they were charged a different amount but idk cause ive always paid in cash so maybe to be safe do the same. read more

Elitea - Brown Sugar Bubble Milk Tea with Brown sugar cheese top - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

This place is one of the stands in the downstairs food court area. I got their brown sugar bubble milk tea. I ordered it without boba bc I don't like boba. I think they should make it cheaper if you don't include boba but they charged the same price. The total after tax was about $6. But it came in such a small cup! The brown sugar swirls were cool. It was a solid drink but nothing special and really not something I would want to spend $6 on. There are other milk tea places that are cheaper and that are just as good. I probably won't be coming back here. FYI they charge 4% if you use a credit card. read more

Elitea - Brown sugar bubble milk tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Located in that mall like building in the basement food court. I got three teas and they are all excellent. I think I like this place more than Kung fu tea and joy lee (although joy has very good fruit smoothies). Matcha latte with bubble-not over powering. I got "less sugar" but it was still very sweet. I'll ask for "half sugar" next time. Brown sugar bubble tea latte- very good. Got "less sugar" but I'll get "half sugar" next time. Fruit combo green tea- this is the drink with all those fruits inside. It was so yummy and pretty. I got "less sugar" and the sweetness was good on that. read more

Elitea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Honestly, I would believe this is the best milk bubble tea in Chicago! Numerous choices you can have. Each cup is made by individual tea bag. For a tea lover like me, can't be better! read more

Elitea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I've ordered from here a handful of times via Chowbus because they have a 22% off deal and I LOVE all the teas. I haven't had a bad one yet, I haven't even had a "just okay" one yet. The brown sugar bubble milk tea is great for an afternoon pick me up when you want something sweet and easy. While writing this review I'm currently drinking the Flamingo which is a jasmine green tea with watermelon. Honestly, I wish I didn't drink it all down so fast because I think I should have spiked it a little bit it's so good. read more

So far, whenever I visit Chicago, I want to try new boba places. I'm not convinced yet that Chicago doesn't have good boba (even though Ann Arbor got a massive glow-up over the past few years). I got the regular milk tea with 30% sugar and brown sugar tapioca (their original boba). It was too milky for me :( It makes me think I might need to reconsider what my taste profile for boba is. I used to think my goto is black tea milk tea, but I might be transitioning to green tea milk tea. Maybe I'll come here again to try the green milk tea, but for now it wasn't my favorite. read more

***3.5 stars***** Elitea is located in the basement of Richland Center. I was wandering around hoping to get a late night snack from one of the other stalls when I noticed this new milk tea joint. I had the jasmine pekoe green tea with cheese top while hubby had the matcha latte with milk top. They ended up being pricer than I expected (~$6.50 each) for a large drink with tapioca. The jasmine pekoe green tea was okay but the matcha was the better of the two. The cheese top was interesting but I suggest mixing it because I saved it for last and it was way too rich so I was overwhelmed with my last few sips. read more

Great peach green tea!!!! Best I've ever had in Chinatown! Plus, the owner is super beautiful! read more

Elitea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The first time I came here, the flavor was on point. Best boba Ive had in Chicago so far, comparable to some places back in Los Angeles. The tea flavor was really strong just the way I liked it. Sadly, I've been twice since then, and it hasn't had the same strong, delicious flavor. But I'll still keep coming back because their basic milk tea is only $3.75 and worth the price for the flavor. I would recommend getting less ice. The mixed fruit drink is good too, but very pricey. It does taste like real fruit though!!! read more

Elitea - Delicious trio. Matcha. Brown sugar milk tea. Signature milk tea with honey red bean. - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Our drinks were awesome and I was glad we could adjust sweetness and ice levels. I love that we can order by kiosk but am a bit turned off by the fee to do so. read more

Amazing, it really is elite tea!! I ordered the signature milk tea with cheese foam and boba. The drink was perfect the boba and I quote from my mom "Melts in your mouth". I will definitely come again! read more

Elitea - Signature Milk Tea, Fruit Combo Green Tea, Grapefruit Green Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

As an avid boba drinker and one who works at a bubble tea place, this is the best boba in Chicago Chinatown. I always order the Signature Milk Tea when trying new places but I have been ordering this drink since because it is so creamy. I think what sets this boba place apart is the tapioca pearls are very chewy and the brown sugar coating is great. This milk tea is the perfect combination of milk and tea. One thing I dislike is the location. It is in the basement of a building and this food court is not the cleanest. I have seen a rat before. However I love the drinks too much that I am willing to forget about the rat to get my boba. read more

grapefruit green tea iced. enough said. LOL. my friend asked me if i wanted bubbletea and she took me here. parking is a bit rough but once you find it, you go downstairs to this underground store/market place where there's a bunch of restaurants/stores you can grab food at. there wasn't anyone there so we were able to order and go within 5 minutes which was good. the packaging is cute and the tea was absolutely delicious and refreshing which was nice. definitely recommend ! read more

I had no idea what to expect approaching this place. I'm from California and was curious and capricious about the boba from the other states. But we said why not and went for it. Elites is inside the Asian mall which is home to a lot of good places to bargain and great eats. I'm also very pleased to say that it home to one of the best boba places I've ever had. YEA this place is the bomb.com I ordered the pekoe milk green tea. It was the right balance between sweet and tea. It was also not overly creamy or underwhelming. Boba has great texture and it hits all the marks in my books. 10/10 read more

So first off, to get to Elitea, you must enter a building then take the stairs down leading to the food court. Elitea has really good milk tea. I ordered the brown sugar milk tea. I loved how the tea was strong because the brown sugar balanced well with the bitterness of the tea. I got half sugar on my tea thinking it's be too sweet but I think next time I'll do the regular amount. The tapioca was cooked perfectly, chewy on the outside and a just a tad bit harder towards the center. I agree the price is kind of expensive, but I think for Chicago, that's the normal cost for bubble tea. Definitely worth a try! read more

Elitea - Brown sugar milk tea (half sugar) - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great bubble tea place in what feels like a "hidden" area of China-town. Try the strawberry matcha tea! Also interesting are the "cheese" toppings you can get on the drinks. read more

Their milk tea is SO. GOOD. Nuff' said. I came here after seeing picture's on yelp of this delicious drink: brown sugar milk tea. It immediately caught my attention cause of how beautiful it looked, along with many positive reviews so I had to try it out. I got the large brown sugar milk tea w/ tapioca and an Oreo cheese top. GET THE CHEESE TOP. You won't regret. Sure, it sounds weird but it's delicious and reminded me of an Oreo cheesecake but was subtle and light. Definitely made my drink even tastier. I had a little trouble finding it, you have to take some stairs going down which will take you to the food court area. Wish I lived closer to Chinatown, if I did this would be my new go to place for milk tea. I took one star off just because I wish they had more selection for non milk tea drinks. read more

Random 3% transaction fees and only gave one order boba when I paid for two orders. Their workers don't pay enough attention to customers orders. read more

The brown sugar bubble milk tea is different than before. Try to contact the owner but no response. So disappointed. I will not order milk tea from here anymore. It's not taste good as before. read more

Elitea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Glad my friend told me Elitea was open for pick-up. Went and grabbed a taro milk tea - my absolute favorite. It is actually made with real taro unlike the other boba places I tried. Do yourself a favor and copy my exact order below. 30% sugar, less ice, and boba. Definitely get it large. Thank me later. read more

Not my favorite place but definitely one of the better bubble places in Chinatown. I ordered the Jasmine Latte with boba and it tasted like watered down milk with a hint of tea. The bubbles itself could be improved. I heard a lot of positive reviews about this place, but I'm not sold. If I had to choose between Hello Jasmine and Elitea, I would order from Hello Jasmine. read more

It's good bubble tea it's just I wish her prices where not so expensive I could get bubble tea around the corner for 6 bucks and she is 8 bucks and it's a small cup. Sorry prices to high but awesome tea read more

First time trying this place. Not gonna go back EVER! We ordered two large brown sugar "dirty" bubble tea. Flavor wise is fine. When I was about to pay, the girl told me that although my order was above $10, they have to charge me 4% for using CC. I've never heard of that, and decided to pay in cash. But what I didn't realize until we got home was that the register charged us an extra "upgrading fee" of 80cents each to have "Extra large" cups! We ordered large! No one told me the upgrading, nor mentioned any fees. Found it very unpleasant. I'm ok with paying more to get premium service. But it's never ok to charge the customers extra without even mentioning a word! Not gonna go back! Tons bubble tea places in Chinatown to go to. read more

Elitea - Black sugar bubble tea charging extra without telling customers ahead. - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

It's tricky to find if it's your first time, but oh so worth it! Whenever I'm in town, it one of my first pit stops. It's my favorite milk tea spot anywhere, not just in Chicago. The rose milk tea is sweet and not too perfumey, which I love! My other top recommendation is the kumquat lemon fruit tea. It has a whole kumquat just floating it in. It reminded me of the sour plum drink I loved in Singapore. This place is top notch - a must try if you're in Chinatown. read more

I am basing this review on 2 things. Service and product. Product: The tea was good, there's not much else to say as it wasn't exceptionally special. I ordered two teas for myself and company, the one I had was sitting out much longer while waiting for the 2nd to be made, I'd say about 20 minutes apart so it wasn't that great anymore if it was great to begin with Service: Horrible, I waited almost or if not over an hour for 2 teas. They were taking more orders then they could handle storefront and online orders and they definitely were not making things in order as I was still waiting after other people who ordered after me got theirs. read more

Good bubble tea! I enjoyed it! I like that they asked for the sweetness level. I usually have 50% sweetness. And it's what I expected-- that it'll be good! I have been looking for bubble teas here that feels like home (Philippines-- Chingkeetea is the best). So far, this feels closer to home. That's why I am giving 5 stars to Elitea. read more

A very popular boba place in Chinatown--located in the food court. So many different options! I like to get milk tea. One of the most popular drinks here is the brown sugar signature milk tea with boba-- I would recommend that if you like sugary drinks! read more