Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Hoja

    3.9 (73 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 10:00 pm

    Order Hoja Takeout or Delivery

    Hoja Photos

    Business Info

    HOJA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Happy hour specials
    Dogs allowed

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - Hoja

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Janice H.

    Everything is super authentic and flavourful! Prices are very affordable and portions are decently sized. Service is quick and accommodating. Great experience overall!

    Mi-sua.
    Deb P.

    There are items on the menu which we enjoy and which remind us of Taiwan! 1. Braised, five-spice tofu 5/5; 2. Taiwanese "kimchi" (more of a sweet and sour marinated cabbage which we love) 5/5; 3. Steamed green vegetables; 4/5; 4. Squid balls 4/5; 5. Popcorn chicken 5/5. For some reason our popcorn chicken arrived on a bed of mi-sua. We ate the chicken and left most of the mi-sua which is very heavy. The seating here is TIGHT because it's very popular. They have a take-a-number system. This is not fancy cuisine, but it's solid Taiwanese food which tastes good and is reminiscent of the food at small Taiwanese restaurants on the Island. Service here is stellar.

    Judy H.

    Yeah!! I finally got to try an authentic Taiwanese restaurant at First Markham Place. "Hoja" means delicious in Taiwanese and that caught my attention since last year. The decor is full of colourful lanterns and simple furniture. However, the metal chairs are not comfy at all. That could be changed. The service was quick for lunch. I got the business lunch set which the vermicelli noodle soup came quickly. I wish it was hotter in temperature and that it had more coriander. I also had to ask for the black vinegar to go with it which it should have been given. The spicy sauce was already at the table. The pickled cabbage was a nice crunchy side. The winter melon tea was nice, but not enough tapioca since I paid extra for that. The popcorn chicken was amazing. They nailed that one and also, the deep fried tofu. It reminded me of my trips to Taiwan. The boiled veggies were a nice touch to the meal. To end it off, we shared a hot tofu dessert dish. Overall, it was a great experience. There could be some changes to the restaurant, but I know their focus is on two main traditional Taiwanese dishes.

    Mixed Mi sua
    Amelia K.

    I heard so much good about this restaurant and taiwanese intestine noodles so I stopped by. The food was amazing! Very thin noodles with slimy broth and very tender meat and intestines. I was surprised how tender they were! Everything was good except 2 things: the portion was too small - u need to size up ur order and the online webpage ordering and payment system wasnt working... at that time, i didnt get the server who speaks English well so there was some communication issues. The store was clean and cozy and food was amazing- just get a larger bowl!

    Mi Sua
    Shigei H.

    3.5/5 We visited again and ordered the braised pork and egg rice and the misua with fried chickens. There was too much rice compared with toppings, honestly the toppings are inexpensive ingredients such as pickled vegetables and minced pork, they could be a little bit more generous and provide more toppings, I felt like eating a big bowl of carb with sauce; the misua is a bit salty. Service was good and efficient as usual. This restaurant is still a great choice when we fancy Taiwanese foods.

    Gordon C.

    Fast and cheap Taiwanese eats in Markham. They offer two portion sizes (regular pictured below) for about $9-10, with a "business set" available at lunchtime Monday through Thursday for extra savings. We've been here multiple times and enjoy both the Lo-bah-png and the Mi-sua with intestines. Very home-cooking style, nothing extraordinary, but a tasty light meal with traditional Taiwanese flavouring. It's a small and casual restaurant with only seating for about 20-25 but it moves quite quickly. You order using a QR code and your phone, and can even pay for your bill directly from your phone. As you don't need to involve waitstaff, this makes it easy to get in and out if you're on a tight schedule. Very convenient, more restaurants should do this!

    Gabriel S.

    Portions are quite small though prices aren't high per se. They get 2.5 stars. Tempura was fried fishcake with carrot & five spice powder. It was bouncy & tasty, but the accompanying cracker was tasteless. Mi sua was good with a tasty seafood soup. The intestines & pork were flavourful too. Lo bak png was pretty good & so was the intestine & sausage added to the minced pork. Tofu pudding with toppings was decent.

    Braised pork rice and winter melon drink
    Janice Y.

    Cheap eats at First Markham Place. You can get a main here for literally $10 flat, albeit the portion sizes are more like home portions, not the generous ones you typically see when eating out. Dinner for two that included 2 mains, 2 small veg sides, drink and dessert for under $45 including tax? What a deal.... or maybe I just need to eat in Markham more... The menu is quite simple and streamlined, focused on Taiwanese specialties. I don't eat Taiwanese food that often, but some of the ingredients and flavours are familiar. Ordered: - Mi-sua - vermicelli noodle soup with a thick broth similar to shark fin soup. I had mine with intestine and meat strips. It was quite good. - Lo-bah-png - braised pork rice. We had it with Taiwanese fried chicken. - *Recommend enjoying the dishes with some pickled veg. - Shaved ice egg tofu pudding with 3 toppings - Yum! We got to choose ginger flavour for our shaved ice (it was integrated into the ice not drizzled flavourings on top), which was great. One of the toppings was mixed taro and yam balls. I think I'll choose something different next time, it tasted glutinous, like rice cake. I'd rather choose real taro next time. - Winter melon tea was very sweet, but after we drank some and diluted it along the way with water, it was great. Service was pretty efficient and the decor is colourful and lively. Though it's quite interesting... they taped a snack package (?) on the wall and surrounded it with red lucky ribbons... maybe some kind of good luck charm or Feng Shui? Overall, I enjoyed the food and would like to try the century egg and tofu next.

    Interior
    Helen T.

    Located in the busy FMP plaza is this Taiwanese restaurant. They specialized in two dishes and offers a small selection of appetizers and desserts to chose from. I love the interior of this place, as it's bright, colourful and vibrant! I also appreciate that this establishment accepts credit card payment - super rare for reasonably priced establishments to offer. Food wise, I loved it! It tastes better than the version I had in Taipei!

    Signature hot tofu pudding: ginger, red bean, pearls, & taro.
    Philip L.

    Hoja is my go-to place when I am craving for a Taiwanese fix. Great appetizers and very authentic. Good selections on their menu even with desserts. Like their Signature Hot Tofu Pudding. It comes with ginger, red bean, pearls, & taro. Total satisfaction! Expect line-ups at dinner time. So, go early if you want to beat the line.

    Sally L.

    Came here for dinner with my boyfriend. The food was decent however the braised meat was 90% fat bits and no meat. We ordered the Taiwanese sausage on rice and the other their famous minced meat rice with added toppings. The Taiwanese sausage was really dry.. it looks like maybe they airfry it? But it was extremely dry. It's a good quick eat spot however just mediocre for me.

    Fried chicken
    Biyu X.

    It's incredible that most of the dishes are still under $10. We were here on Saturday evening. It's busy. We got the number to line up. There were 8 groups of people ahead us. We still decided to wait. It took about half an hour to get a table. The restaurant was not big and not fancy. The staff were really nice. Every one was showing their smiling face entirely. Saying sorry to us about the wait. And they tried to give me a chair to have a seat with a baby. We got a small kid's bowl, kid's fork, and high chair. The menu was really old school with the reusable plastic paper, so customers can write on it and erase it for next table. Save paper, save high-tech fee. They have the small size bowl with original price and midsize bowl for +$1. Small bowl was too little, most of adults would take middle size. And the fried chicken we ordered 2 dishes, because it was snack size ($8.99). We got a bowl of pork rice, and a bowl of double meat (pork meat and pork intestine) noodles. The soup of my noodles was not too salty, I personally preferred it. The pork rice bowl was too much fat inside, but tasty. The highlight was the Winter melon with all 3 toppings. We all like that. 3 different types of bubbles. We have to come back to try other dishes.

    Connie C.

    I always see a long line up, so I never had a chance to try it. The menu was underwhelming - not a lot of selections although the prices were attractive. The portions were super small though. We ordered one rice, one noodle and one dessert for two people. I would suggest ordering 3-4 dishes. The pork rice was basically all fat and not really a lot of meat. The noodles were different and the soup was super thick. Popcorn chicken was average and intestines had a strong smell. I don't think I'll come back unless they expand their menu.

    Inside

    See all

    2 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Deb P.
    328
    1851
    9122

    9 months ago

    Helpful 9
    Thanks 5
    Love this 9
    Oh no 0

    7 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 1
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    11 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 10
    Thanks 4
    Love this 11
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0
    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Ihayun.m
    0
    50
    101

    2 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    1 year ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 1
    Love this 3
    Oh no 1

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 4
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 2
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 6
    Thanks 2
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 2

    Hoja Reviews in Other Languages

    You might also consider

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Desserts 2,919 times last month within 10 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    M Chá Bar

    M Chá Bar

    3.3
    (15 reviews)
    1.0 km

    Visited this bubble tea on Friday Feb 14 on Valentine's Day just after dinner…read more The server was so unhappy and unwilling. I asked for grass jelly and server say "we ran out" ok fine Then after the drink was ready I asked for a tray to carry the 2 drinks and she was like "we ran out" but I saw a folded tray inside one of the glass display and I asked can I get that tray...she was so unwilling and hand it over didn't even help assemble so we can place the drink Terrible service and attitude. If this place keeps this server no one will return !!!!

    I was in the mood for bubble tea and happened to be in this plaza. Since Starbucks is now out of…read morechestnut praline lattes, I was craving something chestnut. I'm also a complete chestnut fanatic so when I saw that they had a chestnut bliss drink - I immediately jumped on it. I ordered it through Uber Eats because it was freezing outside and I didn't want to wait in the store. By the time I went inside to pick up, it was ready. I wouldn't say the service was the most friendly, but it was efficient. The drink itself is as pictured on the poster however, it really didn't meet expectations. I had ordered a large with Taro balls. They make it with Oreo crumble on the top and honestly that's all you taste. It taste more like a cookie and cream drink with no sign of chestnut whatsoever. There are some broken pieces of chestnut at the bottom, but they taste it almost waxy. Similar to what others have said this place is a little bit more expensive and using Uber eats make it even more expensive. It was almost $11 for one drink probably won't be coming back.

    Photos
    M Chá Bar
    M Chá Bar
    M Chá Bar

    See all

    True Boss

    True Boss

    4.0
    (6 reviews)
    2.1 km

    Best spot for healthy vinegar drinks! My review still stands from before. Highly recommend :)read more

    Another Yelp listing blunder. Someone at Yelp decided to merge the Yelp Elite event listing with…read morethe regular True Boss listing. Yelp then kept the other one and deleted the original True Boss listing. I now have two reviews, one for the Yelp event and another for being a regular True Boss customer, under the elite event. Ugh! I created a new True Boss listing. Let's see what happens next. Tips: - Street parking is limited. There is parking behind the building, by the condos. Guest parking gives you thirty minutes. You can also park across the street in the plaza with Whole Foods. - Sparking infusion drinks don't have tea. A recent Yelp experience introduced me to True Boss. I've been back a couple of times since then. This drink place is where Kung Fu Tea used to be. It's across from the plaza that I frequent often with Whole Foods anchoring it. Parking on the street is limited. It's the one thing that I don't like about downtown Markham, especially this area closer to Highway 7. You do have the option of parking at the plaza with lots of parking. I parked in a visitor parking spot behind this building. It's where condos are and is probably closer. I then walked over with my umbrella. I was the only person at this store when I first visited it. Eric was manning it. He was friendly and awesome to talk to. Eric took the time to explain the drinks that I could get. He was also great letting me know what the top drinks were. What's cool about True Boss is that it specializes in vinegar in its drinks. He asked me whether I have had apple cider vinegar. I have. I never really like it. I realized why. I had it with no sugar. He recommended 20% sugar to make it easier to down. I was game. I went with the safe starter for those who haven't had vinegar in their drinks. I got the peach vinegar infusion with oolong tea with 20% sugar and less ice. I noticed that there was a sparkling drink on the menu. I couldn't have this peach drink with sparkling water because it's tea-based. If it's a water-based drink, I could. In an unexpected move, he said that he'd give me a smaller sparkling drink on the house. He made me a sparkling plum vinegar infusion. It was so generous. If you know me somewhat well, I am a sparkling drink person. This place uses Canada Dry soda for the carbonation. He let me know that using SodaStream makes the drink go flat faster. I went with plum. He nodded. He said that most people wouldn't choose plum. It's his favourite. We are both Cantonese. It's probably why we both liked it because dried plums are a thing. I drank the sparkling plum vinegar infusion first. It was excellent. The vinegar was subtle. The plum flavour was delicious. I loved the carbonation. It was perfect. He said that I could enjoy the other drink later. It would be fine the following day. I had it after a rather hardy lunch today. Vinegar is good for digestion and is energizing. Cool! I loved the peach vinegar infusion with oolong tea. I didn't find it overly sweet. Again, the vinegar was subtle, but it brought a slight tanginess to the drink. The peach flavour was good. I barely tasted the oolong tea, though. I like tea strong, but I was fine having it take a backseat. It was refreshing and enjoyable. There were plenty of places to sit down and enjoy your drinks. I did it briefly. I got a glass tumbler with a straw for free. It was unexpected and generous. All my grab-and-go tumbers are glass. I like that True Boss provides an alternative to my usual bubble tea places in this area. I frequent Comebuy and Chatime often. It's nice to have this place join in the mix. I've been back for sparkling infused drinks. The cranberry is excellent. I feel that it helps with my stomach ulcer that I've had for the past few days. I loved my experience here. Staff are super nice and I like having healthy drinks. (158)

    Photos
    Apple cider vinegar bubble tea
    Apple cider vinegar bubble tea
    Interior
    Interior
    Front of store, share same space as Yee Sushi

    See all

    Front of store, share same space as Yee Sushi
    Chicha San Chen

    Chicha San Chen

    4.0
    (55 reviews)
    5.4 km

    Tip: The sparkling fruit drinks are amazing…read more Last month, after work, I drove directly from my workplace to CF Markville for dinner. I was craving my usual from Bourbon St. Grill and hit the food court. While heading downstairs after walking through mall entrance 3, I saw this Chicha San Chen store. I flagged it for a visit. After having a satisfying, casual meal at the food court, I returned to the second floor and walked over here to check out the drinks. It was almost as if this store knew that I like fruit and sparkling drinks. I saw a sign that said I could get two sparkling fruit drinks for $10. Three words: Sign me up! I got Kinson at the ordering area. He was great stepping me through everything. I let him know that this promotion interested me. He asked if I wanted one of each fruit flavour. Yes! My order consisted of the following: - Sparkling orange - Sparkling peach Each drink contains fruit, sparkling water, and konjac. I paid with a credit card. I tapped and I was done. He let me know that it wouldn't take long for my drinks to be made. The wait time wasn't much. The seating area had just cleared, so I could take photos of the branded throw pillows, various decorated bear figures holding tea cups in slings, and a wall celebrating a hundred years of tea love. It's my kind of tea joint. I stood next to looseleaf teas in mini containers. I smelled a number of them as I waited. They were so fragrant that I didn't want to leave! I love smelling these teas: - Cassia black - Dong ding oolong - Green - Black - Osmanthus oolong - High mountain pouchong My drinks came in one size. It seemed to be the case for all drinks on the menu. I like that you can customize your drink. There's a menu that steps you through it, from the type of tea that you want brewed, to the flavours and toppings that you want in it. If you find this method to be too complicated, it does have popular teas that are already configured, so you don't have to. I liked that I didn't have to fuss with my order. It was exactly what I wanted. My receipt had a number on it. Their system has an automated voice that calls out your order number. it was a nice change of pace. I could clearly hear my order number called out. I'm sure staff were happy to save their vocal cords, too. My drinks were on the counter. You can help yourself to a tray, which I did. My drinks looked good. What I should have done was sipped both before walking to my car. This place was so generous with the pour that my drinks were topped to the brim. One of my drinks did spill out a bit as I was about to go through the doors. Oops. I stopped to sip both of them. I was good! I got to my car and safely put my drinks down in my caddy. Just from sipping them, I loved the flavours so much. The orange one had slices of orange and chewy konjac. It was slightly sweet and fizzy. It was cheerful to drink. I had the orange slices, minus the peel, of course. Yum! The peach drink was equally as awesome. It was bubbly, with generous chunks of peach and konjac. It was fruity and chewy. So good! Both were so refreshing on a hot July evening. I'm glad that I got two drinks. I enjoyed my first two drinks from this tea place. I'll be back for more! (301)

    First time coming to Chicha San Chen inside Markville Mall 2/F. The store was bright and clean, and…read morethe service was courteous and speedy. We saw that they just launched the NEW Pineapple menu and decided to try the caffeine-free, Creamy Pineapple Tart drink (sugar and ice level is fixed) - it was surprisingly tasty the mousse, fresh milk, pineapple bits, and topped with a pie crust crumble(?) on top.

    Photos
    Black Tea + Cream (left), Dong Ding Oolong Tea + Honey (right) / IG: Ayeween
    Black Tea + Cream (left), Dong Ding Oolong Tea + Honey (right) / IG: Ayeween
    Sparkling orange (left) and peach (right). It's fruit, sparkling water, and konjac in each.
    Sparkling orange (left) and peach (right). It's fruit, sparkling water, and konjac in each.
    Creamy Pineapple Tart

    See all

    Creamy Pineapple Tart
    Machi Machi

    Machi Machi

    4.1
    (53 reviews)
    2.1 km
    $$

    Tips: - There aren't any humans taking orders when you walk…read morein. You must use the kiosk. - This place is on Fantuan, but doesn't offer the full drink menu that you see in the store. - Most drinks are regular in size. Only a handful are large. Last Monday, after work, I was in downtown Markham. I was driving up Birchmount Avenue, just before Highway 7. I pulled into a parking spot on the street. It was my first time parking here. I thought that I'd check out the businesses and remembered Machi Machi. You can also park in the plaza. Machi Machi is across from Panera Bread. There's lot of parking. It was the last bubble tea store in downtown Markham that I had yet to visit. It was time. The store has a couple of steps to get to the door that faces Birchmount Avenue. It also has a ramp. I took the steps going in. There is no hand rail. I left using the ramp, which seemed spacious enough for a wheelchair. I entered the store. There were two folks ahead of me at the kiosk to place orders. No one was behind the counter taking orders, so your kiosk is your best bet. There was a group of four folks waiting for their orders next to us. I also saw seating off to the right and left. They are limited. You get three seats on either side of the order area. I was order number 29 with these items: - Fizzy plum green tea (fixed sugar and ice) - Coconut lime strawberry smoothie (light sugar and fixed ice) Both were regular in size. There are few drinks that are large. Customizations aren't as flexible as other bubble tea places. They are my reasons why this place doesn't get a five-star review. It was such a nice day outside that due to demand for cold drinks here, it took long to get my drinks. The woman in front of me decided to go outside. It was weird to me. If I had a drink waiting for me and I'm a party of one, I'd be inside the store, waiting for my number to be called. Sure enough, order number 28 was called. I said that I was number 29 when the woman looked at me. I was standing by the glass window. It's all glass, which was nice seeing the sunshine come in, but it also heated up the place. I lightly tapped on the glass. Number 28 heard me. I pointed to her to come inside. She did. This woman was extremely introverted. She got to the counter and didn't say a thing. I went around and got the attention of a nice female staffer. I said that 28 was here. She nodded and got 28's drink. 28 was happy. Both thanked me. It was my good deed of the day. My order was ready. My good deed helped. The female staffer asked if I wanted a bag. I said yes. I got it for free. I thanked her and left with my bag of drinks and straws. I immediately had the fizzy plum green tea. I love fizzy drinks. This one was awesome. The plum flavour was excellent with the green tea. It was refreshing, fizzy, and perfect. I drank it as I drove to fetch some takeout before heading home. I had the coconut lime strawberry smoothie after dinner. It tasted tropical and delicious. The flavours were so good. Excellent! I'd get both drinks again. I'd also love to try more items on the menu. I had a wonderful first experience here. (166)

    So cool this place I feel like in Asia with absolutely gorgeous flavors ! I highly recommend thisread more

    Photos
    Matcha Latte with Panna Cotta
    Matcha Latte with Panna Cotta
    Mochi redbean brûlée matcha smoothie/latte
    Mochi redbean brûlée matcha smoothie/latte
    Mochi redbean brûlée matcha smoothie/latte and matcha latte with panna cotta

    See all

    Mochi redbean brûlée matcha smoothie/latte and matcha latte with panna cotta
    The Green Isle

    The Green Isle

    4.6
    (7 reviews)
    3.9 km

    Green Isle is currently having their anniversary, today is their last day for their 50% off…read morepromotion on select drink. So definitely go check them out if you have time. I got the klint orange, probiotic and Nanjing Osmanthis rice latte with 30% sugar. The orange is very refreshing and not sour at all. The osmanthis also has a good tea flavor. Both of the drinks were really good, I love bubble tea so i'm glad there is a boba spot in the plaza now. There was only one person working when I went but they were very nice and super fast when making our drinks. The shop is small with around 3 tables but it's a cute spot.

    One LITRE bubble teas!!! That's really all you need to know, but if you are curious, this is a cute…read morelittle place in an unassuming plaza. Their interior is super aesthetic and they name all their drinks after famous artists. Like the Monet Garden Fruit Tea and the Picasso Milk Tea. Their teas are very fresh, unique, and made with real ingredients. The fruit teas are filled to the brim with large pieces of fruit. The milk teas have aromatic tea flavours. I'm not sure if their toppings are made in-house but they're quite tasty, like the chewy taro balls in the Edward Hopper Taro Ball Jasmine Milk Tea. I also love their unique flavours, like the Green Grape Slush that's brimming with giant green grapes. And of course, the value for size! The bubble tea are about the same price as other places ($7-$9) but they come in ONE LITRE cups for their signature drinks and 750 ml for the others. It's really good stuff!

    Photos
    Marc Chagall Mango Summer
    Marc Chagall Mango Summer
    Klint orange, probiotic and Nanjing Osmanthis rice latte
    Klint orange, probiotic and Nanjing Osmanthis rice latte
    Menu

    See all

    Menu
    Now Tea

    Now Tea

    4.4
    (29 reviews)
    3.2 km
    $$

    I rarely use "hidden gem" to describe a restaurant or store, but I think Now Tea is a true hidden…read moregem for bubble tea and coffee. Commerce Gate is famous for being packed with countless bubble tea shops. Most are famous franchises, such as Chatime, CoCo, Tiger Sugar, Yoyo , etc. Now Tea seems so different among them. I had never seen this store before visiting Commerce Gate. After Googling it, I found that it is also a franchise, but it operates only in Ontario, with three stores in total. Being low-profile alone does not qualify it as a hidden gem. That just means it does not spend much on marketing. What really impressed me was the flavour of its bubble tea. We tried the Milk Green Tea and Milk TieGuanYin, both with bubbles. The tea flavour was strong and full of the unique aromas of green and oolong tea, but it was also smooth going down. The bubbles had been boiled for the perfect amount of time: not so briefly that they had hard centres and not so long that they became too soft. They were very chewy, among the best bubbles I have ever had. The inside of the tea shop is spacious and has plenty of tables and seats. The lighting is bright, and I always see customers working or studying there. Other tea shops usually have very few seats and dim lighting; basically, they do not want to give you a Starbucks vibe and let you sit for too long. Another interesting fact: if you come to Commerce Gate early in the morning, before 11:00, Now Tea is the only tea shop that is open because it also serves coffee. The drinks are also less expensive than those at more famous brands. I guess they save a lot of money on marketing: lower prices and higher quality. I tried this store for the first time this week, and we have already been here three times. As a tea lover, I ask everyone reading this review: you must come here and try their drinks!

    Reviewing 2oz of Coffee (located inside Now Tea)…read more This coffee counter is known for doubling up their espresso shots in their lattes, so get ready to be well caffeinated. I arrived right when they opened, and there were already a few people waiting in line. The menu is small & curated, focusing more on the coffee than specialty flavours. However, they do have a good selection of flavoured lattes. I wasn't able to see which beans they used for the espresso, but overall, their roast seems to be a bit darker/stronger, which balances out a sweeter latte well. I tried the iced biscoff and pistachio lattes. The biscoff is slightly sweeter and nuttier - definitely my fave of the two. The pistachio latte, in contrast, was disappointing. It was $1 more than the biscoff latte, looked nothing like the photo on the counter, and didn't taste much of pistachio at all. Although it looks like a separate counter, I realized that you can order drinks from either "shop" from their one main counter. I also found it a bit confusing to figure out the hours of operation, as Google said 2oz of Coffee opens at 11am, but the Now Tea shop isn't open until 12pm.

    Photos
    Interior
    Interior
    Oolong tea latte, hot, regular
    Oolong tea latte, hot, regular
    Interior

    See all

    Interior
    Shuyi Tealicious

    Shuyi Tealicious

    3.4
    (10 reviews)
    1.0 km

    A few weeks ago, I dropped by Mindzai to pick up an order. Every time I'm in this plaza, I choose a…read morebubble tea place that I've never been to. It's easy because, sadly, there is such a high turnover here. Several months back, I ordered food from Monkey Sushi. As crazy as that evening was at this eatery, I learned that Shuyi Tealicious was next door, with no wall separating the two businesses. I decided to get a drink here. I was the only person in the store. I went with a large fresh lime iced tea. I was craving something with lime in it, so this drink was perfect. You can earn points here. I signed up. I paid with a debit card. I tapped and was good. It didn't take long for my drink to be ready. The nice woman who helped me with my order also prepared it. She placed my drink in a plastic bag and included a straw. I thanked her and headed to my car. I immediately needed to take a sip. My drink was double-protected. It had a lid. Underneath, the drink was sealed. Cool! This drink was awesome! The lime flavour was so good. It was refreshing and completely satisfied my lime cravings. I'm so glad that I got a large. I'd be sad getting a regular. This drink totally hit the spot as I continued to run one more errand before heading home. I am fondly looking at my photos of this drink and want one badly. As much as I have enjoyed my two bubble teas in Eagan and Rochester, respectively, both places do not offer lime. I can't wait to return and get another one! (143)

    I went here with my mom to try out their Signature Grass Jelly Milk Tea and it was really good…read more The large was $5.95, which I think is a great deal since the drink is full of toppings. The Signature Grass Jelly Milk Tea is milk tea with grass/mesona/herbal jelly, coconut jelly, tapioca, red beans, and raisins. I think it's supposed to have oats too, but they ran out. I really enjoyed this drink because I love different textures in my food, but I think some people may find this drink weird and that there's too much going on. I love desserts like Halo-Halo, Ais Kacang, and Che Ba Mau, and I think if you like these types of desserts then you would like the Signature Grass Jelly Milk Tea at Shuyi. The milk tea was rich and creamy. The toppings were delicious. They give you a lot of grass jelly, which has a soft gelatinous texture. The coconut jelly was firm and chewy. The tapioca (I didn't get very much unfortunately) were softer than a most places, but still chewy and tasty. They were a light yellow colour instead of the usual dark brown. The red beans were soft but not too mushy. The raisins were sweet and chewy. They were golden raisins. The drink did not look as pretty as in their advertisements, lol, but I guess it's the taste that counts. Service was nice and also quick. They share their space with a restaurant called Szechuan Beef Pot. It's in a strip mall with free parking. I would definitely come back to have this drink again. They have a promotion where if it's raining outside, you get buy one get one half price on drinks.

    Photos
    Watermelon crush (no sugar and less ice) and fresh lime iced tea (less sugar and ice) teas with the sun setting. Both are large.
    Watermelon crush (no sugar and less ice) and fresh lime iced tea (less sugar and ice) teas with the sun setting. Both are large.
    Large watermelon crush tea (no sugar and less ice)
    Large watermelon crush tea (no sugar and less ice)
    Signature grass jelly milk tea

    See all

    Signature grass jelly milk tea

    Hoja - desserts - Updated August 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...