Not sure about their teas, but I've been here twice and ordered bubble waffles that were crispy on the outside but raw on the inside. The first time was the Oreo one, and the second was original. Maybe I'll try tea next time, but won't be doing bubble waffles at this place anymore--can't imagine it's healthy to eat raw mix. As for the service, both times the folks behind the counter seemed a little overwhelmed. The place is relatively small, so be prepared to order and take it to go. read more

Stopped in on a Sunday afternoon and it was pretty crowded, but the place is small. We tried a honey lemon jasmine green tea with brown sugar boba. The drink was very lemony, but refre.It does take slightly longer thsn most places to get your drink, but it is made fresh. You can customize ice and sweetness by percentage. The boba was fresh and sweet. Overall, it was very good. read more

Happy Lemon - Bubble Tea Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

See all

Really good flavored tea - I like my milk tea to have a strong tea taste and this fits the bill. The boba was also incredibly soft. I only tried the basic tea but honestly if they can do the basic tea justice, then I have faith their other items will follow suit. The size of the tea is incredibly large so the price is a little higher as well. But worth it vs spending less money on crappy tea and bad boba. read more

Happy Lemon - Original milk tea with brown sugar boba - Bubble Tea Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

Fairly standard appearing boba shop with an unassumingly cute mascot, which is par for the course these days. It is a franchise seen in Asia and across North America with this location in Evanston being the first in the midwest and Chicago. ATMOSPHERE/ARCHITECTURE: 9/10 It's a relatively small location that decorated in bright yellow with accents of the lemon mascot around the shop. The cups are also decorated with the cap being a small little lemon mascot as well. It is a cohesive aesthetic that is cute and reflective of the brand. SERVICE: 9/10 Service was fast and efficient despite it being quite busy. FOOD: 9/10 Strawberry Green Tea with Cheese Top - 10/10 - Fantastic. The secret to great boba tea is of course, the basics, the tea. This jasmine green tea base is steep perfectly and then infused with real strawberries to have that fruity flavor. And all of that is topped of with an amazing cheese top or milk cap, whatever term you prefer. They also have the best type of cup to drink this type of drink. Milk cap drinks NEED the sippy top cup. This is the only way to infuse each sip with a little bit of the cheesy top AND your boba tea drink. Utterly fantastic. Jasmine Green Tea with Cheese Top - 8/10 - I would repeat everything I said about the previous drink. The lower rating is simply because I think the strawberry added so much to the drink. Both are great, I think it's a matter of personal preference. VALUE: 8/10 Pricing is average for a boba tea shop, around $6-7 depending upon your customization, but the quality is simply impeccable. PROBABILITY OF RETURN: 10/10 I will be coming back here, no doubt. Simply put, the BEST boba tea I have had so far anywhere in the Chicago land area. TO EAT OR NOT TO EAT: Eat, one simply must! OVERALL: 9/10 read more

Love this place! It's a chain that I know well from California. It's clearly made a splash in Evanston-- when I visited, the joint was packed. This is a bubble tea cafe that features lots of fruit drinks (including lemon, hence the name), and they were one of the first chains to start selling "cheese cream," a whipped salty-sweet drink topping with a flavor reminiscent of cheesecake that is equally addictive. I had the strawberry smoothie with Oreo on the bottom, topped with cheese cream. It was transcendent. Like a Neapolitan cheesecake. read more

Best bubble waffles ever!! In all seriousness though, they are delicious- it's a step up from a lot of places they try to do bubble waffles by putting waffle mix in a bubble shape. These bubble waffles are made fresh and have a crisp outer shell, and a chewy mochi like inside (similar to mochi muffins/ baked items that use glutinous rice flour.) We got the Oreo one which was light on the Oreo and still maintained a non dried out texture, with taro puff cream for dipping. Total came out to be $7 and it took 10-15 minutes for it to be ready despite us being the only ones there (I think they were having a problem with the machine)? It still delivered though, and I would definitely go back. This waffle is perfect to snack on while walking around the college town! read more

Happy Lemon - Oreo bubble waffle with taro puff cream (not pictured) - Bubble Tea Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

Hubby and I have been waiting for Happy Lemon to open and we were excited that they had a BOGO deal during their opening weekend so we obviously had to take advantage of it. So far we have tried the following drinks: jasmine green milk tea, jasmine green tea with cheese foam, black tea with cheese foam, milk tea with cheese foam, and boba milk tea. The milk tea is my favorite of the ones I have tried. I usually don't get boba with my drinks since it typically makes it too sweet but it was enjoyable even with the boba. The cheese foam is also lighter than other other places and is a nice addition. I do wish that the jasmine green tea and jasmine green milk tea were more flavorful since it is usually my go to drink. Both the regular and chocolate bubble waffles were amazing. They were crunchy around the edges and soft (must eat fresh)! The owner is also really friendly and incredibly nice. Overall, we are so glad Happy Lemon made its way to the Chicagoland area and it looks like we found our new go to milk tea spot in Evanston! read more

I actually went to Happy Lemon opening weekend back in July and had their Classic Milk Tea with boba & their classic bubble waffle w/ taro puff cream. Their boba was so tasty! I don't usually like to order boba because I'm picky about the texture (it can be get too chewy or hard). But the boba here must've been freshly made because it was soft and chewy! I was pleasantly surprised by the taste of their waffle. It was pretty good and the price point was good. It tasted even better with the taro puff cream! Then in Sept I was in the neighborhood and decided to stop by again and noticed they had an oreo waffle now! I got both (also taro puff cream again) and it was delicious. The staff were nice and polite. I am so happy that they're in Evanston! I would definitely go back again and again. read more

See all

Happy Lemon Illinois has finally been blessed with HAPPY LEMON ! Checked it out for their BOGO free deal for their grand opening (Ongoing until the end of 7/11!) and the employees were so friendly even amidst the chaos and the drinks were great- if you're in Evanston please give them a try out! Boba Milk Tea : A classic, I really enjoyed the mildly sweet milk tea from Happy Lemon! While it was something I was used to, it was something I didn't mind getting. Also got 50% sugar and ice like I usually do : 9/10 : $5.25 (+tax) Milk Tea with Salted Cheese : Happy Lemon is known for being the originator of salted cheese foam and it shows. The milk tea was very well complimented by the rich, savory but sweet cheese foam on top. I would highly recommend getting this- it's a must-try from happy lemon! : 10/10 : $5.50 (+tax) read more

Happy Lemon - Boba Milk Tea, Milk Tea with Salted Cheese - Bubble Tea Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

My friend and I got invited for a sneak peek before their opening this weekend. As Northwestern students, we were SO excited upon hearing that a new boba place was opening in downtown Evanston, and Happy Lemon did not disappoint! I got the Passion Fruit Jasmine Green Tea with Lychee Jelly which was so good! It was the right amount of sweetness and perfect for a hot summer day. It is refreshing and satisfies your boba craving too. Instead of traditional boba, the lychee jelly was also a good topping since it added to the sweetness without overpowering anything. My friend got the Mango Matcha Smoothie which was delicious as well. Although the flavors were mango and matcha, the drink reminded me of the Korean Melona Ice Cream. That being said, the drink was so good! It was creamy and sweet and a nice matcha green color as well. Thank you to Trin for the invitation. We're looking forward to the full opening of Happy Lemon! read more

Happy Lemon - Coming soon! Passion Fruit Jasmine Green Tea with Lychee Jelly on the left and Mango Matcha Smoothie on the right. - Bubble Tea Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

I was soooo excited to learn there was a Happy Lemon that opened recently near Chicago since it was always one of my favorite milk tea joints in California. I would definitely recommend trying one of their salted cheese drinks as it's their unique specialty. The salted cheese adds a creamy and savory taste to the drink that actually goes very well with the sweetness of the milk tea. It definitely doesn't taste like traditional boba but I think Happy Lemon really makes this combo work. My girlfriend got their fresh lemon tea and she thought it was great! Their more traditional drinks definitely tend to be pretty solid as well. Would also recommend getting their bubble waffles which was crispy and soft. It came out pipping hot and it pairs really nicely with the tea. read more

Happy Lemon - Milk tea with salted cheese - Bubble Tea Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

A boba tea classic!! Love the decor. The inside is small with only a few seats. Drinks are always on the sweeter end but the salted cheese top is always a mood. The bubble waffle was not phenomenal but definitely hits the spot. read more

See all

Taro smoothie with boba is my favorite. My kiddos love the waffles. You can order ahead which I'd recommend since the line can sometimes get long with only two people working/small space. read more

I've been stalking Happy Lemon throughout the continents of Asia (Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing and Chengdu) and North America and was absolutely delighted when one opened in my hometown. The Evanston franchise is the first in Chicagoland and is locally owned and operated. The employees are courteous and attentive, but still learning the ropes so be patient. I've been here more times since they opened than I care to admit and have had a great experience every time. We are fortunate to have some fantastic boba tea places in town, but Happy Lemon is its own jam - making unique Taiwanese style teas with their signature 'Rock Salted Cheese' drinks in addition to a full array milk teas, lemon drinks and smoothies. For the uninitiated, the 'Salted Cheese' is a creamy light cheese mixed with fine ground rock salt that adds the perfect amount of foamy umami to your drink. The balance is perfection. My personal favorite is the Strawberry Green Tea with Salted Cheese, but you can't go wrong with anything on the menu - the drinks are fresh, delicious and super amazing. read more

One of my new fav boba shops. SO good. And the tea flavor is perfect. The passion fruit jasmine green tea is super refreshing and tasty. Perfect when you don't want one of the heavier milk teas. Anything with their jasmine green tea is amazing. My friend got the taro smoothie, and it tastes like taro ice cream in a cup, which is AMAZING. All the employees are super nice as well. Highly recommend this place!! Update: I went with another friend and recommended the Purple Taro Smoothie; he absolutely loved it. It's a must! I tried the strawberry jasmine green tea with salted cheese & boba, and the salted cheese was PHENOMENAL. I'd definitely recommend adding it onto your drink. The strawberry jasmine green was also really refreshing, but I prefer the passion fruit jasmine green tea I got last time even more. read more

See all

Always happy to come here and grab a snack. I love this quaint little spot for their bubble waffle and cheese foam lattes.

I enjoyed this bubble tea alot simply because they have names to their flavors. My partner and I got the purple taro which was so. When we went the first time they were out of the tapioca Pearls and had to do regular tapioca which was different. I did go back a second time I felt like my smoothie was a little more choppy with ice but the flavor was still good. I think this place is one of the best flavor wise in Evanston. read more

So happy to see there's a Happy Lemon in Evanston! For a long time, there were only 3 players in the Evanston boba game - Tealicious, Joy Yee, and Kung Fu. Now, Happy Lemon not only gives Evanston a 4th option to consider, but also its first Asia-based boba chain! It should be noted though that Happy Lemon is more than just a boba chain - they have a very particular menu with a few categories of drinks that are particular to Happy Lemon. As the name suggests, there are lots of lemon tea options. However, what I particularly like are the series of drinks that feature Happy Lemon's "rock salt cheese topping". It sounds totally bizarre at first and like a strange choice for something to top your drink with. However, it is delicious and the perfect mix of sweet and savory. I personally like to get the Mlik Tea with the salted cream with boba to get a "best of both worlds" thing going. The bubble waffles are the only food option for now but they are delicious. They are made to order and a nice light snack to have with your drink. I appreciate that it's not too sweet - it pairs really well with Happy Lemon's drinks without feeling overwhelming. Happy Lemon has only been open for a few weeks so their operations are a little slow for now. If you look inside and there's a line, it could take a while to get to you. I have faith that, with experience, they will figure things out though! read more

As expected, this location was extremely busy and filled with Northwestern students. I stopped in on a Saturday around 3pm and I was hoping I could quickly pop in for a bubble waffle and milk tea, but sadly I was wrong. There is only room for 2 tables for dine-in and the line was 6 people long. In total I was there for probably 20 minutes? That being said, the employees were absolutely HUSTLING. I don't think I would have been able to be as efficient as them, especially in the small space they have to work with. I was pretty impressed. The Oreo bubble waffle was delicious as per usual, and days later I am already craving one again. The Dark Brown Sugar Boba with Milk hit the spot, but I would definitely recommend lowering the sweetness level on this one if you are pairing it with a waffle. read more

Happy Lemon - Oreo Bubble Waffle and Oreo - Bubble Tea Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

I ordered a Milk Tea w/ Oreo Cookies & Puff Cream + tapioca and a chocolate bubble waffle. I enjoyed both very much. The waffle is very filling. It's crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. So yummy! My husband ordered a strawberry Jasmine green tea with salted cheese topping + boba and it was amazing! Unlike anything I've ever had before and I loved the flavor of the tea. read more

See all

So excited to have this business so close! The drinks are dangerously delicious, so much so that I can already see myself coming here once a week. The black tea with salted cheese is such a unique concept. Luckily the owner instructed how to drink it before taking a gulp...drink at 45 degrees so you have the tea and the salted cheese rather than a mouth full of just cheese!! Highly recommend trying this. I also tried the matcha latte drink which was incredible, slightly thick and full of flavor. I'll get this one again but I'll add boba! The bubble waffles are super interesting as well. I got the chocolate bubble which has a great crispness on the outside and chewy on the inside. Is so fun to eat, I picked off each individual bubble one by one! I had the opportunity to meet the owner and it was such a pleasure to do so. She is clearly passionate about her business and one of the friendliest people. For that reason alone, I would go back. Support local Evanston business owners! This is one to try! read more

See all

For the longest time, I wanted to visit a location of Happy Lemon. I've seen this boba tea shop on social media, including YouTube, but there wasn't a location in Chicago. So, I was super excited to lean the one had opened in the Chicago area. So I had to go visit it right away. The question is whether or not it would live up to hype. I can say that this location does, in deed, live up to the hype. First, the bubble waffles were great. They are freshly made and so crispy. I like both the regular and chocolate flavor. They go so well the dipping sauces that I tried. Next, the tea drinks were awesome. I tried a number if their drinks, but my favorite was the mango jasmine green tea. It had a great mango flavor and wasn't too sweet. It was very refreshing. I also liked the lemon honey jasmine green tea. While it was very sweet, it's the perfect drink for a hot summer day. I also liked the brown sugar boba milk tea. It has great brown sugar flavor. Third, parking was easy and free. While there is paid parking right outside on Chicago Ave., I was able to sang a free parking spot around the corner to the north on Church street. All in all, this is a great addition to Chicago's boba scene and is a must visit. read more

See all

I'm ecstatic that there's a Happy Lemon in the Midwest, most especially in Illinois! Salted cheese foam on my drinks makes everything better. It was delicious! I haven't had Happy Lemon since November and this didn't disappoint! I met the owner (Trin) who is originally from the Bay and I expressed my excitement for them opening here! I can't want to go back again! read more

See all

I love Happy Lemon! It is my favorite bubble tea place in Chicagoland area. They are the originators of the cheese foam trend. They have instructions on their side wall to explain how to incorporate best tilting action for cheese foam and drink consumption. I have tried their strawberry black tea cheese foam, strawberry green tea cheese foam, mango madness, and oreo drinks. I love the salty and sweet combo of strawberry cheese foam drinks. I love that they have fresh pieces of strawberries muddled into their drinks. It's a nice touch. I have tried their original, oreo, and cheese bubble waffles. Perfect amount of chewiness and crispiness in each bite- freshly made! You seriously can't go wrong with any of their drinks. read more

I've heard so much hype from my friends surrounding Happy Lemon's recent opening in Evanston, so I had to go and try it myself, especially to compare it to some of the other drink shops in Evanston, such as Tealicious or Joy Yee's. At Happy Lemon, there is a wide selection of different teas, smoothies and boba drinks on the menu, and each drink is freshly prepared. Besides drinks, they offer made-to-order bubble waffles, including an original flavor, as well as chocolate and oreo. The dark brown sugar bubble tea latte that I ordered was nicely flavored in terms of the dark brown sugar, but it was just slightly too sweet for me (I'll be sure to tone down the sweetness level next time). I do wish they used homemade boba pearls, like Tealicious, in order to justify the prices, but at least, Northwestern students get a discount if they show their wildcard, which is nice and much appreciated! I also wish they had some more food options, like Tealicious does, besides just the bubble waffles. Regardless, the chocolate bubble waffle I ordered was tasty and featured a nice crispy, but also fluffy texture. I will be back next time to try some of the other more signature drinks, including ones with their rock salt cheese foam! read more

See all

I've always loved coming back here! The staff are nice and great. Great location for college students to come and chill. I'll sure be back soon for my milk tea fix read more

See all

So excited to start seeing some legit boba shops coming to chicago. However, waiting for drinks was agonizing. Hopefully the shop gets into a good groove and service gets more efficient. I'm hopeful for a better experience the next time I visit. Also, I recommend adjusting the sugar level for the fruit tea, it's good but a bit too sweet at 100%. Update - I gave the place another try and I have to say the girls working made my drinks quicker today and adjusting the sweetness for the passion fruit tea (minus lychee) with the cheese foam was great! Waffle was great too. My son dropped my drink by accident and the staff made me another one for free (though I offered to pay). Great second experience. read more

It is wheelchair accessible, there are two doors but they both open easy and the threshold is pretty low which was nice. Came in on a Saturday afternoon & it was packed. I ordered a dragon fruit lemon slushy and the person that took my order only asked "would you like the sugar adjusted" I said no, it's fine how it comes. My SO got the lemon green tea and he was asked if he would like sugar because it comes unsweetened. Well our order came and because it was so packed I took a quick pic and we left. Got outside took a big drink and it was so sour because it was made without sugar. So I could barely drink it. I couldn't go back. I had noticed other people getting asked if they would like sugar (just like my SO) but they were all getting different drinks, no slushies, so I didn't think anything of it. Kind of a bummer. The place was really dirty. When you're in a wheelchair you notice these things more. read more

See all

Love the bubble waffle and their staffs are so kind! I would definitely come back again. Shout out to the kind staff that offered to remake my order again because of a small squished bubble on the waffle. And when I told her I don't need a remake, she gave me a free topping. That just tells me that their staff takes pride in their work and will always give their 100% for their customers. Definitely recommend!!! read more

Happy Lemon - Original Bubble Waffle and Freshly Squeezed Lemon Black Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

See all

I'm so glad we finally have a Happy Lemon here! This place holds a special place in my heart because the first time I tried this was with my cousins in the Philippines and especially now with the pandemic, it brings me a little closer to home. My favorites are the black tea with salted cheese and the milk tea with salted cheese. I have tasted many salted cheese or cheese top, but theirs is the best. Such a great balance of sweet and salty. The bubble waffles with the puff cream/taro puff are good too. read more

My true rating for Happy Lemon would be 3.75 but obviously I can't do that so I have to round up to 4. Why? It boils down to the turnaround time for the boba tea. So far, I've been here three times - once during their soft opening week and the next two times after work on a weekday around 4pm. You would think they wouldn't be busy around 4 but you're wrong, or at least I am. The last two times I've had to wait roughly 40-50 minutes for two drinks. Granted each time there was about 5 or 6 people who had already ordered before I placed mine. Hopefully this review isn't taken the wrong way. Your employees are kind and hard working but each time there was only one person at the register taking orders and one person making drinks. She was a trooper for sure, just wished she had more help. The drinks were good, that's the only reason I waited in line for 40 minutes. Highly recommend the strawberry green tea with the cheese foam. read more

Though the never ending line, the staff was very sweet and worked very fast pace! Cheese bubble waffle was very delicious read more

Happy Lemon - Oreo Cream Puff milk tea & Cheese bubble waffle - Bubble Tea Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

Stopped by with my daughter to grab some milk tea and we were both very happy with the offerings. Layout of the place is small but very nice and the drinks were extremely tasty. I had a traditional brown sugar milk boba and it tasted great with a nice sweetiness to it. My daughter had a milk tea with oreo and cream topping and she loved it. Altogether I would definitely recommend this if you're in the Evanston/Northshore area and are looking for a good milk tea/boba tea spot. I'll definitely be stopping by again to try some of the other drinks and the waffles they have available. read more

Happy Lemon - Brown Sugar Milk Boba Tea (Left), Milk Tea With Oreo and Cream Topping (Right). - Bubble Tea Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

My family and I have been coming to Happy Lemon since they opened their Evanston location and make it a weekly treat! I love the E3 passion fruit jasmine green tea with lychee jelly 50% sweet. And we always get the chocolate bubble waffles with puff cream. Highly recommend! read more

I got the boba milk tea with 30% sugar. It tasted a bit too milky for me, and while my tapioca was not bad, my girlfriend got a weird batch of tapioca that was way too difficult to chew. I would say it was okay, I actually do want to try the jasmine milk tea if I ever get the chance. read more

This is a great addition to the neighborhood! Late in the day, I needed something without caffeine. Trin helped me navigate the menu and it was fun to try something new. I'm excited to come back and try more of the menu. read more

great little spot! i went on a sunday and it was super packed, then on a tuesday which was much more calm. the texture of the boba is great and the drinks are so yummy :)) the strawberry black tea with cheese foam tastes like a strawberry cheesecake when u mix it all up! the drinks do run on the super sweet side so i would stray away from 100% sugar if u can. the waffles are a biiiiit eggy but still really good, especially when theyre still warm. read more

See all

The mango matcha smoothie was great! My toddler enjoyed his bubble waffle but I didn't notice anything special about the waffle; I would definitely go back when I'm in the area read more

Amazing boba!!! I had the purple taro smoothie and I can't think of a better boba that I have had.

This is the type of place that you run the other direction as fast as you can. Firstly, I have been to this location before and I wouldn't say their customer service is great but the drink was decent. I went recently and my drink tasted like something was spoiled and very bitter although it was supposed to be 100% sugar. I told them about it, they offered to put more sugar, but that spoiled and bitter taste remained. I was so disappointed as my previous orders have never looked and tasted like that. I brought it up to the cashier and explained the situation. She was just gawking and was not helpful. We paid for another drink and they messed up again but we just left at that point because nobody has time for that. Many reviews either speak on something similar or the horrible customer service so will not be returning. The store is called Happy Lemon but they should have just called it Grouchy Lemon. read more