I went to check out the neopets x gong cha collab and bought 3 out of 4 of the flavors from the collab. Aisha: Classic Pearl Milk Tea Kacheek: Mango Green Tea Glow Bruce: Strawberry Milk Tea I think it's smart how they used classic gong cha drinks and added the Neopets branding. I went like 50% sugar and I should have went lower. It was still sweet. If you like your boba sweeter, then you would want to stay 50 or higher. To break down the flavors more, the strawberry milk tasted like childhood to me. Mango green tea was my fave one. I went 50% sugar and I could taste the tea and mango at the same time. Classic pearl milk tea tasted like brown sugar milk tea. It tasted accurate like this drink should. I like trying their speciality flavors but this month isn't a new limited time flavor. Cookie butter was my all time fave and I can't wait til they get it back. If you are a fan of Neopets then this is up your alley, but if you just like gong cha this could be good too. read more

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My daughter I saw a video on TikTok about this place and the gingerbread men cups and we had to try it! Very small shop but super cozy and very inviting. It's Chicago so of course we had to pay for parking lol but we didn't mind because it was quick stop. Drinks weren't our favorite but we enjoyed the experience. read more

Gong Cha - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Instead of opting for milk tea, I opted for a fruit tea (peach oolong, 70% sugar, less ice). I probably should've done way less sugar cause it was too sweet for my liking. Drinks were exactly what you'd expect. Docking points because there's limited seating and it's not very welcoming or clean. Seems like it's undergoing renovations. There's no bathroom (and there won't be for a while). And I overheard the employee telling a friend that she was going to leave as soon as her shift ended whether or not the next employee who was scheduled showed up. read more

Great ambiance that is a nice place to chill out in. I had the brown sugar milk tea which was delicious There was also nice merchandise like keychains and cups for sale that was cute. They change on holidays too! I would definitely go again! read more

First time and didn't realize how close this location is to a lot of things in the South Loop area. I do appreciate having options to order on touchscreen and the location was clean. I will lie, the service was a little bit slow, even with it not being a rush. But again, this is my first time at this location. Prices were not bad, but I was expecting something a little cheaper maybe? There are snacks as well as teas, bubble tea, slushes, etc. a wide variety. read more

Gong Cha - a woman sitting at a table in front of a kiosk - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I've been to Gong Cha in many different cities and countries and am generally a fan of them. That being said, I had quite possibly the worst Strawberry Milk Tea I've ever had from here. Excessively sweet and artificial tasting, it's telling that the Large size at this location is sized like the XL drink containers you see at 7-11, instead of the usual stingy "large" size that most Gong Cha typically have. read more

If you don't already know I'm a gong cha fanatic. I love their bubble tea and it truly is tea for royalty lol. The bubble tea at this location didn't feel like the tgong cha I'm used to. The tea was more on the watery side. Instead of ordering with a person and being able to customize your order more, you have to order from a kiosk. I wasn't a big fan of that. I didn't stay long enough to really feel a vibe from it. What nice though is that of you make a review in Google, they give you a free gong cha key chain. read more

Gong Cha - Interior - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I normally love gong Cha and their teas are usually on point but my bbt was a tad on the watery side from my experience here. Hopefully this was just the one time. The store is very clean and spacious. The aesthetics in there are very cute and the staff was pleasant. There are self service kiosks which makes ordering super simple. I would come back! read more

Gong Cha - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The brown sugar milk tea was good. The tapioca had good texture but flavor was bland. The oolong milk tea was slightly watery but herbal jelly was good. Both drinks contain plant-based creamer according to the cashier so dairy free! However, marking this place with 2 stars because their mint cookies n' dream smoothie is SO bad, which is what my friend ordered. Do NOT order this because it is truly inedible. There is no mint taste whatsoever and it tastes like cardboard. When we brought this to the workers' attention, two out of three of them were extremely rude about it. The cashier (Gabriela) was the only understanding one. We were reluctantly given a replacement drink (earl grey) but don't think I will be back after that experience. (posting my Google review here on Yelp as well) read more

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Great bubble tea place, clean and neat, has contactless order and payment options. Flavorful tea and great options. Nice atmosphere. Friendly staff. read more

Gong Cha - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Gong Cha had some amazing boba options! I'm a huge fan of the usual brown sugar milk teas but this time I tried the caramel milk tea and it was really really good. Loved the balance. 70% sweet and slight ice and it was perfect to walk around with. I also tried the chocolate bubble waffle - what a treat! Light and simple, not too sweet. The server was really helpful in telling me all about the options available. Pro tip: they have $4 bubble waffles on Friday! read more

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I was really excited to see a boba place that I recognized from New England but omg do NOT order the limited edition mint chocolate... anything. It's so disgusting. It tastes like neither mint nor chocolate. The brown sugar crème brûlée was fine with the milk cap. The people working there seemed nice enough and there's a machine if you don't want to talk to people. However, the machine doesn't have the full menu and even their entire full menu isn't the usual full menu I'm used to at Gongcha. It's quiet here and pretty empty because it's new and I could see it being a nice study place/hangout place. read more

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[DRINK] Jasmine Green Milk Tea with Boba - I always get this half sugar and this is my 2nd visit. The first time I couldn't taste any sweetness at all as if there was no sugar. This time they got it right. The boba is okay. The tea has a good balance of tea and creamer. [SERVICE] Standard. [PLACE] This is a nice looking Gong Cha with large windows so you can sit and people watch. I enjoy coming here and is definitely a nice place to chill with friends. It sucks that the bathroom is never available. [VERDICT] I feel like consistency is kind of a hit or miss which is why there are so many low reviews but I am more forgiving. 4/5 would come again. ( : read more

Love $2 Oolong Tea! Boba was kinda on the softer side:( I wanted wintermelon oolong but they said drinks are not customizable sad

Clean, well lit, bright, modern, and the teas are great. You order the drinks on the kiosks and pay there also so it's convenient and you don't wait in line to order to a live person. The screen for the order kiosk is easy to see and user friendly and the pictures and details are very clear such as light ice and what kind of boba or jelly you want. I loved the peach tea with coconut jelly with milk. Definitely a great place to cool down during the summer in Chicago and anytime you want something good! read more

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Stopped in with my kid. Great flavor on the thai tea. Really fresh boba. Cute spot, clean and all that. A good place for a quick drink.

Updating my review: I came here today with my partner, and there were no customers there around 4pm. The two girls were just talking amongst themselves, didn't greet us, so we ordered at the kiosk. I didn't like that the system changes your preferences if you decide last minute you wanted a medium instead of a large, and because of that, I ended up with no tapioca and no pudding. The tea this time tasted like powdered milk with no flavor since I asked for no sugar and no ice. My partner ordered a slush which tasted good. I appreciate them following directions, and they were nice when we went to claim our drink. We opted to enjoy our drink there while we waited for the bus to go to the Navy Pier, and they turned on the music. My partner said it's decent, and I agree. I wouldn't go out of my way to come here, and I've had better. read more

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Eh, the keychains cute. The boba pops. Drinks bleh, and very busy underpaid bobssristas. read more

Gong Cha - FFXIV at 07/28/2024 - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Ahh! This used to be Spanglish, remember that. This is the third location here. I did a review for the one in Edgewater (look at my review for that one). The first day opening was on 12/21/22. This is average size. Had the Mango Green Tea with 30% sweetness. Staff and service is excellent. PS. Their going to open one in Lincoln Park this Winter. Stay tune! read more

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7$ for medium boba - out of tapioca sometimes so call ahead - Oreo caramel milk tea boba is good - always open and next to K-pop store - good service read more

Gong Cha - Regular black tea boba with Oreo - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I've come here a few times since they've opened and every time is a little bit of a different experience. Overall I'd say it is decent boba if you stick to the classics. The dirty brown sugar and the crème brûlée ones are both super tasty. I prefer to order through the computer because it's easier for me not to forget the options/specifications. I wish the drinks were made more consistently, because sometimes they're great while other times mediocre even when I re-order the same thing. read more

Great tasting tea. Easy, fast, delivery. The end. Sheesh how many words do I need before I can submit it?

The service was fast and the drinks were excellent! Ambiance was very relaxed and I'll definitely come here again! read more

Gong Cha - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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New bubble tea spot in the south loop. Close to my place. Replaced a failing Mexican food joint. I think they are welcome addition to the neighborhood. It's a nice change of pace from all the pizza and burger spots that have saturated the South Loop. I was a huge fan of the brown sugar Boba. It was super flavorful and definitely hit the spot. I know other people who have left reviews for this place have commented on the long wait for their order, however, we did not experience that. Service was good. This place seems to be relatively busy at all hours of the day, so they definitely must be doing something right. Happy to have them in the neighborhood. read more

Gong Cha has some solid boba. I liked their strawberry milk with white pearls. I got it with 100% sugar which I found not too sweet. I always love getting strawberry flavored drinks and this was done well. The bits of strawberry and white pearls made this drink very texturally interesting. There's quite a few tables to sit at and pretty accessible by public transit. Their milk teas are also offered hot! And they also offer coffee boba which is different from most other boba shops. Gong Cha is known for their high quality tea and they did not disappoint! read more

First time here. Sooooo happy there is another Taiwanese bubble tea drink option. Had the green milk tea with boba, 70 % sugar. The boba was decent, but not the best. & next time I'd probably order it at 100% sugar just to see how it suppose to taste like. But I will definitely give it another chance ;) read more

Gong Cha - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I visited Goncha last Friday(5/18) evening and ordered a iced green tea with boba. Initially, the worker mistakenly made a green milk tea with boba, despite the label indicating green tea with boba. He was very nice and promptly remade the correct drink for me. After receiving the new drink(I didnt take the old one), i tried it with a straw in store, then my mouth was filled with undissolved, granulated sugar(tasted like bunch of small rocks with boba). Upon checking, i saw the layer of granulated sugar had settled at the bottom. This was surprising to me, as i never experienced this with boba tea before from asia to usa. I approached to the worker to suggest that sugar should be fully dissolved before serving to customer. I had no intention of asking for refund or return but a small suggestion. The manager(or the other worker) was impatient and insisted that this is the standard procedure for serving boba with undissolved granulated sugar at Goncha since they dont use sugar syrup and its customer's job to not to drink until it dissolves. Very disappointed about the manager's attitude. read more

Authentic Taiwanese tea drinks in the city! Looks like they got off to a rough start, but crossing my fingers that the quality here will match typical Gong Cha standards. Had a perfect lychee tea, less ice & 1/2 sugar the other day & was thirst quenched & satisfied. read more

Snarky and rude register staff. Service was terrible. Order was wrong. Tea was bitter (overbrewed). It's very aesthetically pleasing inside. Overall, not a big fan of the place. It sucks because I was really looking forward to this being my new favorite place. read more

Ended up just dropping in for a quick water. It took about fifteen minutes until I got the water. I was the only one in there.

The teas are very bland and boring, not worth the price decided to try this place out instead of Vivi's mistake on my end

The flavor of the Brown Sugar milk tea was good, however the tapioca pearl were not fresh. They had a bland flavor and more of a gelatinous texture than the gummy texture most have. Unfortunately, the service was pretty poor. The two stars is for the tea. The three girls working today were more interested in chatting than working and delayed orders. After reading some other reviews, seems this is the norm for this particular spot. Good luck in the future to the business owner. And if you decide to try this place, good luck as well. read more

Very convenient location for south loop residents and visitors, consistently yummy. Fast service and cheery interior.

Bad :) I kinda disappointed by the fact that they canceled my order without reasons and we have to come in the store just to reordered. No welcome sign and slow while it's not busy at all read more

Unfortunately this was the longest wait I've ever had for a drink. They desperately need to hire more workers, as it was just one employee the whole time I was there. He was doing his best but I'm not trying to wait over 25 minutes for boba ever again. Oh, and paper straws are really not it for boba either. the boba itself was pretty mid, have to say. Absolutely not worth the wait. read more

TLDR: Strawberry Yogurt Slush is good, service is inconsistent. My first time coming in, the place was nice, the drink was good. (I got the Strawberry Yogurt Slush. Cool Second time around, we found out that we could order from the screen that was on the wall, but what we didn't know was that some of the pictures don't match what the actual drink is. So this led to the wrong drinks being ordered. I wanted the same drink, and I got the regular strawberry slush, which just tasted like watered down strawberry milk. So I gave them another chance, came back another day. Wanted the same Strawberry Yogurt Drink that I had the first time around. They asked if I wanted any toppings, I said no, only for them to add strawberry pearls anyway, which kinda ruined the taste. I decided to give one final chance today, and I even pointed at the picture of the drink. They still got it wrong. They always managed to mess up the order somehow. read more

I was relatively high while standing in the cold across the street from the Gong Cha. The munchies kicked in way sooner than expected. Desperately, I convinced my two dear and lovely friends to come with me to recently opened Gong Cha. I walked in and it made sense why there were only 2 customers inside. It was empty, boring, and once inside, nothing was appetizing. And so, I ordered one of their featured drinks at the time, but the person behind the register kept changing the name of my order, so I kept repeating. I wanted the Mint Cookie Smoothie, but they insisted it was the Mint Chocolate Smoothie with Cookie Crumble. Might be a menu issue. However, those might have been my schizophrenic tendencies acting up. It took around 10 minutes for a single, medium drink to come my way, no other customers waiting. It tasted like ice and then some more ice. I was crunching on ice the whole time and the straw literally started struggling to pick up anything because ice was blocking it. Nonetheless, I threw it out after drinking about a third of it, as my munchies wanted something to chew on and not ice to crunch. read more

Service is barely mid. I was so excited to have a boba place open close by until I had my watered down drink.

Poor service and bad drinks. I gave this place many chances, I went there many times because I live in the area and really want a go-to bubble tea place. The workers cannot read orders. Even when I ask them to only use 50% sugar (and it's clearly on the receipt) they still make my drinks with 100% sugar. Even if a drink has 100% it should still be drinkable but their drinks are so sweet that it hurts to swallow. Please hire workers that can read and follow orders. Sadly disappointed. read more

I have been a Gong Cha fan since I have been living in Southeast Asia. However, the service here is not at par at what you get back at home. The first time I had bubble tea delivered at my place, they messed up the order by giving a different size and order than what I have originally ordered. I had to call Grubhub to dispute the transaction to have the issue resolved The second time I ordered by delivery, they forgot to give out straws. How are they expecting us do drink bubble tea with out one? These people need to be aware of the orders and what they put in there delivery. They need to eat more carrots or be conscientious of fulfilling orders to be successful here in Chicago or else they'll end up like Chatime being closed cause they do not know how to do their jobs. read more