Quick and great customer service & the ambiance is cute. Plenty of parking spaces in the plaza itself

Good little pop in boba shop! Staff is friendly and quick. I often enjoy stopping by just often to always try something from the most recent seasonal release menu. read more

Hey Bear Cafe - Gingerbread house boba - Bubble Tea Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Today is my first time here. I came with my partner who's been here before and liked it. I really liked the space, and chose a drink I thought I would enjoy but ended up really hating it. I went back and kindly asked if I can get something else instead and they immediately were like "no, we can't redo the drink". Which was really shitty tbh since it was my first time at the spot, but I didn't want to make a big deal about it so I just walked away. My partner was pretty shocked though at their response. Luckily my partner liked the drink and ended up drinking it, so it didn't go to waste. But I probably will never be back tbh, even though I really liked the space. read more

Hey Bear Cafe - Brown Sugar Black Milk Tea + Boba + MF + coffee (left) Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk + salt caramel cold foam (right) - Bubble Tea Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Visited on a recent trip to Knoxville and became instant fans! The vast menu can be intimidating, but it's all very delicious. If you're looking for an intro, and you like life on the sweeter side, get the brown sugar milk tea with milk foam and boba. Lots of fun varieties of drinks here. They do fruit teas extremely well, too (the passion fruit green tea with lychee jelly is another I'd highly recommend). They have indoor seating and plenty of outdoor seating space (with a nearby playground and walking loop). The ordering line can get long, and service can be a bit slow (they take the time to craft their drinks), but the staff are super friendly. Also, on different nights, they host various food trucks in their outdoor space (check their website for their calendar). Overall, Hey Bear Cafe is one of our favorite places for boba tea and casual hang out/food in all of East Tennessee. read more

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What's the Tea?!? PHENOMENAL!! (This is the KERNS FOOD HALL LOCATION.) Zach was beyond generous to me and my Husband! The tea was absolutely incredible and flavorful. My Husband Didn't really favor the Matcha Latte, but I Liked it!! I got the Taro Tea, (exquisite!) and we both got The brown sugar Boba to go with it! Even our little guy was sneaking sips when we had our heads turned! Haha! The service was Fast, our drink were done 7 minutes from ordering. It was just enough time to walk around and order some Sushi! We liked the price, and they have SO MANY DIFFERENT OPTIONS and flavors on how to customize your Tea. The first time I came here, I got a Banana Milk Tea with Blueberry popping pearls!! My Little Guy LOVED IT!(They were out of the Brown Sugar) So I was very fortunate this time to try the "Famous Brown Sugar Popping Pearls" Thanks Zach for following Directions and Doing light Ice too! Oh Also, that Foam that they put on Top... it's unlike anything I've ever Tasted!!! So thick, creamy and Delicious! It's like a dessert on top of the Drink itself!! This store is so adorable with other little Japanese and Asian sides. (Picky, boxed Ramen, little Candies) Honestly, We will be excited to be back and to spend our money here!! My Recommendations: -The Taro Milk Tea is PHENOMENAL!! Especially with the brown sugar Boba . It's a Classic!! -The Matcha is Kind of Weak compared to How me and my Husband drink it. It could have been a little sweeter. -The Banana Milk tea is wonderful!! Pros: -In the Kerns Food Hall... So Variety!! -Flavorful Tea!! -Not Too Expensive -Kind, Fast Serving Staff -Staff that listens to your Requests. Cons: -Due to Demand, they Run out of the Brown Sugar Boba I guess a lot! Thanks Hey Bear! See you Soon! -The Kanevski's read more

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The service is always great and the staff is so friendly. I love trying a new drink each time I go. They even have a little kids area. Love this place read more

Hey Bear Cafe - Bubble Tea Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Super friendly and quick service. We loved our drinks. The place was clean and had ample parking. Well come back for sure! read more

Hey Bear Cafe - Bubble Tea Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Very underwhelming. I've never encountered a ramen place that lets you pick out a ramen bag from the shelf. The misspelling on "stir fride" and "veriety" is concerning. It specifically states on the ramen paper bowl to not put on a stover burner and that's exactly what they provide you to do. If you choose to get meatballs as protein, be aware only three meatballs comes in a plastic bag to place in the broth. Service was not great and no help was provided. read more

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First time trying hey bear and it was great, the workers were very kind and made my drink so good. I forget the exact name but it was the Cinnamon Honey and Vanilla latte which was so good, i definitely will be coming back here. They also had gluten free menu items which is a major perk. read more

Hey Bear Cafe - Cinnamon Honey and Vanilla Latte - Bubble Tea Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Every time I visit my folks I stop in. First of all, the place is cute as all can be. They have food trucks too which is awesome if you're wanting a bite to eat. The boba is absolutely delicious and they have a bunch of variety of flavors and teas. One of my absolute favorites! read more

The boba is super tasty, tons of options, welcoming environment, friendly and helpful employees....what more could you want?!

Drinks were okay. Got the black milk tea with boba and brown sugar. And a Thai milk tea. I appreciate the clearly fresh boba but not a fan of hot boba in my drink, it melts the ice and affects the temperature of the drink and sometimes hardens the boba. The drink itself was a little watery for my liking too but the sugar made up for that in taste. I give it an overall 4 star not necessarily because of the drink quality but because of how unique the store is. There's lot of snacks to purchase, rotating local businesses wether it be a shop or food truck. Then they also sold their own merch which was super cute. Shirts, hoodies, and even their own tea leaves!! I also greatly appreciated their variety in sizing, they had large to kid drinks. Very family friendly read more

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We love Hey Bear and are so excited it's so close to ours house. The kids tropical slushies with mango poppers is all of our favorites. The ambience is fun and the playground outside is awesome and gives everyone a fun place to play outside. Service is always good when we order and we love it all! We will definitely be back and hope they will be here for a long time. read more

Hey Bear Cafe - Kids tropical slushies with mango poppers - Bubble Tea Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

I go to Hey Bear cafe relatively often. The staff during most of my visits is very kind, the atmosphere is pleasant and the drinks are tasty. Two out of the times I have been there, one very recent, have been negative, both in the evening. The workers were loudly gossiping and complaining about their appliances, and I was served a drink with so many seeds (and an entire stem) I couldn't take more than two sips without feeling as though I was choking on them. I suppose I can't recommend going in the evening. Take a sip of your drink before you leave and you should have a good experience. read more

Chose this spot for a meetup with friends -the location provided enough space for adults to chat and kids to play (outdoors). Everyone enjoyed their drinks. I was especially happy with my almond milk boba tea! Service was quick and staff were warm and helpful for those who were trying boba for the first time. read more

Hey Bear Cafe - Almond milk boba tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

I love this place! Definitely a great spot for a treat or a nice cold drink! Great service, among all the staff. Everyone there is nice! Today they had a Halloween event and it was so cute! They even have little arcades for $1 to win little stuffed animals and trinkets, I give props to them for how busy they get. Recommended highly for boba lovers and tea/lemonade lovers!! read more

Nice space with outdoor area, lot of place to seats and get close to the park.. Great boba tea and authentic flavors read more

Hey Bear Café is located right off Middlebrook Pike with plenty of parking available. My husband and I decided to come here this last Tuesday evening to grab some hot tea for the cold evening as we entered this part of Tennessee (we drove from Nashville earlier that day). After browsing the menu board, we ended up purchasing: Deer Valley Jasmine Milk Tea, $3.50 + $0.75 (hot tea) prior to tax- My husband requested for this drink to be made with 50% sweetener. This drink was horrible, it tasted very off and was watered down. (Create your own drink) Black Almond Milk Tea, $3.50 + $0.75 (hot tea) prior to tax- I also requested for my drink to made with 50% sweetener. This drink was just awful and tasted watered down. Although you could smell the almond, you couldn't really taste it. ------------------------------- (Total= $ 9.83 after tax) I really had high hopes for this place. Especially with it being so highly rated on Yelp. If I lived in this area, I would not come back. read more

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I love them, they always have food trucks to grab a quick bite , and so many options for boba tea. I have not participated but I know they sometimes host events such as trivia. Love how they allow small local businesses to sell their items sometimes inside the cafe. Cute & delicious spot! read more

Hands down the best boba, atmosphere and place to enjoy boba and let your little one's play, experience community and enjoy delicious food trucks all at the same time!! read more

Our family really enjoys Hey Bear. We've been at different times throughout the year and visited the Sunday markets. Today, as an after school treat on a rainy day we stopped in for Valentine's specialty Boba Teas. It's always so clean and currently decorated for Valentine's Day. The staff is helpful and service was fast. Staff is also masked. read more

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I was on a cross country road trip and stopped at Ijams Park in Knoxville. Wanting a little pick me up before getting back on the road I searched Yelp and decided to head to Hey Bear. It doesn't seem like there are many boba options in Knoxville which makes me extra excited that they have this great locally owned shop! The wait was long even though it was a weekday mid-afternoon. I was wishing I had ordered on their website, but I guess getting a little extra time to stretch my legs wasn't a bad thing. It was worth waiting for though- my drink was great. I got the basic brown sugar and it was exactly what I was craving. Not too sweet, boba had the right texture. Behind their building there are a ton of picnic tables and a few food trucks. They also serve snacks at Hey Bear. Worth the wait, but order online if you think ahead! read more

Hey Bear Cafe - Bubble Tea Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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First time at Hey Bear and I no one in my crew wanted to say "Bye Bear." Okay, cheesy joke aside, this place is incredible! We've lived in Knox almost a year and this is one of my favorite spots thus far. Two parking lots, huge plot of land with a playground, tons of picnic tables and other gathering spots, a covered pavilion, a tree swing, a pergola, and of course the actual shop with boba tea and other drinks. The cafe itself is so dang cute with fun designs on the wall, lots of unique Japanese snack and drinks, updated, clean restrooms (with changing stations and stools for kiddos to wash up). Staff was incredibly friendly and helpful. They heard me request an extra cup for a kid drink and asked if I just wanted them to pour it in two cups instead of needing to do it myself later. They made sure we had six different colored straws for our six drinks for no mix-ups. So proactive and thoughtful! There is also a kid play area and indoor seating which are currently closed due to COVID. However, those closures for safety aren't even a loss because there is SO much outdoor seating and many activities outside. As for COVID, even after the mask mandate was lifted, they are still asking people to wear masks indoors. There are distancing stickers on the floor, masked employees, and hand sanitizer everywhere. Hey Bear hosts local food trucks daily (a schedule that they post on their social media), pop-up kiosks from local artisans/entrepreneurs, and live music. Such an amazing spot to support many local businesses in one trip. Love this. We will be back here again and again. Suggest you give it a try, too. Not only family-friendly, but would be great for a fun double date or a solo relaxation trip with a good book. read more

For our boba tea fix, we always go to Kung Fu tea, but wanted to try Hey Bear Cafe for a change. It's a truly a hidden gem and deserves more hype. As my husband and I walked it, there's an aroma of chill vibes--board & playing games, an area for kids to engage and play, snack, treats & beer table, specials board, current events and helpful, friendly staff. Something cool this cafe does is blood drives. I don't know any profit organization that does blood drives, so that's amazing! The menu isn't large compared to other boba tea locations, but they definitely have some unique flavors like the "galaxy tea," which I'm assuming has a sparkling tea infused flavor, super refreshing and so so good. I decided to get the "galaxy litchi" with half of mango popping boba (ofc) and tapico boba--I would rate this drink as a 9/10 because it has that sparkling component, but you have to drink it before the carbonation component fused out then it just tasted like water down tea--it's still good bc the flavor is slightly there along with the mango popping boba. My husband decided to get "galaxy red guava" with litchi popping boba--also similar carbonation--but his gave a super sweet pungent rose flavor and tasted nothing like guava and the litchi popping boba was a bonus. After sometime, his water down and the strong rose flavor dropped to slight roses flavor. Our experience was wonderful, we will definitely be coming back to try other boba flavors & even snacks! Thank you the friendly guy cashier/boba maker for the great suggestion--i don't know your name but I'll come back to know you! If you're thinking about coming it, please don't, you won't be dissatisfied! read more

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Delicious boba that did not disappoint! This spot was very very popular on a Sunday afternoon, but worth the wait. read more

Hey Bear Cafe - Brown Sugar Black Tea + Boba + Milk Foam and Matcha Latte + Boba + Milk Foam - Bubble Tea Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Tried out their taro milk tea and i liked it! I asked for no added sugar. The tarp itself has just a hint of sweetness plus the boba made it just sweet enough for me. Size large was plenty and the green tea definitely kept me energized for a few hours! I like my coffee but bubble tea here and there is nice too. The cafe itself was spacious and pretty. Give this place a try, they have a lot of options to choose from. I also like that they offer milk alternatives. Also you can order online and pick it up curbside! During the colder months I like to come here and hang outside where they have bonfires!! Give this place a try :) read more

Hey Bear Cafe - Taro green milk tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Their district manager named Jasmine is awful. She has the worst customer service I have ever come across. If you order one of their recommended specials and don't like it, they will not remake it for you. They get super offended. I tried to nicely talk to them about the issue but they turned it around and made me look like the problem. I have been a customer there for a long time and I will be telling people not to go there because of the rude workers. They, meaning all of the 3 girls working, were attacking me and telling me I was causing problems when I was simply asking if they could remake the drink. Absolutely ridiculous. Don't support these mean girls. There are other locally owned businesses that will be happy to make your drink right to keep your future business. If they continue to have this policy, they will lose returning customers. read more

Nice chill place. The drinks and boba are good. They also sell various asians snacks. read more

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Loved this place! My daughter lives in Chicago & has become a big fan of Boba Tea. When she was home visiting, she insisted we find a local place so that I could try it too. When we went, it was nice weather outside & there were several food truck options. We chose the pizza, along with our Boba Tea, and hung out at the picnic table area for a bit. It was a fun atmosphere, with families, teenagers, couples, etc all enjoying the outdoor area. read more

Ordered the Brown Sugar Milk + Boba (#3) and I was SO disappointed. Not only is the location not accommodating to the "hype" of this place, we drove around for 15 minutes waiting for a parking space to open. Then we waited in line for another 25 minutes to order. I should've known something was wrong when our order came out a literal minute after ordering. Had to go back to the car since the only real seating is outside in a park. The business itself was tight and cramped and with as many "6-feet" signs there are, it was so uncomfortable and claustrophobic. This was straight MILK. There was no flavor even after shaking it vigorously. The only flavor was the chunk of syrup that wouldn't mix into the milk. The boba was WAY too chewy and also had no flavor. -10/10 would never recommend to anyone. p/s sorry for no picture since i tasted it once and went back inside to throw it away. $10 wasted for 1 drink. lesson learned. read more

Drinks are good and the interior is ok, but everything else is not well maintained. So one star off for that and that it's nothing really special for the money. read more

Delicious boba. I got the Thai milk tea and it was so good. I love the ambiance of the place as well. There's a lot sitting space and they sometimes have food trucks in the back. I try to visit every-time I come to Knoxville! read more

It seems to be a sweet place. There is a fun seating/play area for children. It is seems clean. The staff was not overly sweet or helpful. There seems to be a lot of options on the menu as well. My friend and I were happy to have a tea place to meet after 6pm. So many places are closed in the evening! The major draw back is that they have no caffeine free tea available. I feel like if you are open during evening hours, a hot caffeine free tea should be a no-brainer. Fortunately, I had my own decaf tea and got a hot cup of water. My friend had the Thai chai that seemed fun but ended up being a little too sweet for her liking. read more

*Written during Covid* With everyone working from home these days, I can't think of anything better than a mid-day boba break! Knoxville is a little behind bigger cities with its boba options, but I crossed my fingers and hoped I wouldn't be disappointed. From the moment I walked in, it was apparent that they are taking the pandemic regulations seriously, which I really appreciated. Indoor seating is roped off, all boba is take-out only, masks are required to be worn properly, and they have multiple stations with hand sanitizer. The cashier was super patient with us as we took in the process and options. She walked us through how to make our selections and offered some of her favorite combinations. She never once seemed irritated or impatient as we asked question after question. Extra stars just for her patience alone! I was so impressed at how quickly they moved through their line of tickets and produced drinks for customers ahead of us. So many different options! I ordered their Brown Sugar Black Milk Tea + Boba + Milk Foam. It was just as pretty as it was delicious. I was glad that I ordered it with 50% sugar since with was really sweet. I'm looking forward to many more mid-day boba breaks just to be able to try all of their options! read more

Love the drinks, the Thai tea is my favorite. They always have something going on from food trucks to the great trivia every Thursday, it's a great place to hangout in the warmer months. read more

I have gone twice and gotten different things based on craving . The first time I had a sweet tooth so I got the galaxy red guava with passion fruit popped balls. The little balls explode in your mouth this passion fruit juice. The other visit I wanted something milk based so I got something from the kids menu since I didn't want a full cup. I got the choco bear which is chocolate milk with boba. I plan to go back and try their black milk tea or jasmine milk tea. This place is amazing and they never disappoint . read more

Hey Bear Cafe - Galaxy red guava - Bubble Tea Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Great place for families. Playground is great when you have young ones that want to run around while you eat.

Very cute environment. Drinks are very aesthetic. Has food trucks available on most days and a ton of outdoor seating some seating you can sit outside in the rain. The staff was super sweet. The place also has gluten-free drinks. read more

Hey Bear Cafe - a sign on a refrigerator - Bubble Tea Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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I really like the boba options, I usually get a large honey lavender black boba tea with extra balls (super good). The cashiers are nice and quick. It is a bit loud in there, so I usually sit outside. The outdoor seating area is usually packed with kids (which are still loud) but it is fun to people watch. I do not like how it pricey is for one drink though. read more

Crazy place. We were waiting for it to open and were told to leave the premises. We returned when they opened. The cafe sells only drinks and snacks. Food is available outside in food trucks. We ate at the Thai truck. It was not good. The other truck's food wasn't ready. I don't recommend this place. read more