Good news: the drinks are good, and the snacks are even pretty tasty. Not haute cuisine but solid for a boba place. Huge selection, probably the best in the area for options. If you are tech savvy the do have an app or online order option. Bad news. Sterile, with no tables to sit out. It's a gran and go place, so don't expect to sit and enjoy any atmosphere. Not a knock, a valid choice, but know before you go. It's busy, and the staff always seem stressed by that. So, it's popular but don't expect staff to provide much help with that huge selection. They get the job done and all, nice people I'm sure, but yeah, atmosphere is not the priority. read more

I ordered a Prime Black Tea Kreama but got an ordinary black tea. I believe it's an honest mistake and it should've been easy to resolve. However I already left the store and there's no way for me to contact the store and send the proof online. No customer service link or email, and the website is down. I'm disappointed. read more

i-Tea - Wrong drink - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Service was quick and easy. I do wish there was still seating inside, but it looks like they got rid of it after COVID, so it feels more like a grab-and-go spot now. Their popcorn chicken is usually a must-order for me. It's a generous portion, and the batter and seasoning are always good. Usually it comes with more basil and garlic, but this time I barely got any. I also found a small piece of plastic while eating, which was pretty disappointing. I got the guava green tea, which was really refreshing and good. Overall, it was a bit disappointing this time, but I'd probably still come back. read more

i-Tea - popcorn chicken, guava green tea - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Castro Valley, California

My husband and I like to go to itea for their basil popcorn chicken whenever we want a yummy snack. It's always fried well with a good amount of batter (not too much and not too little), and the chicken itself is juicy and tender. You get quite a bit so it's a hefty snack ;) I do wish that they ask us what spice level we want (or just default to allow the spice to be added on our own), so that we can customize it to our liking or dietary restrictions. We'll just need to remember to request spice level ourselves. Although itea offers lots of food options, it seems like they no longer put out tables but still have benches on the side to sit on. Just something to keep in mind before visiting! read more

i-Tea - Basil Popcorn Chicken is my go to! - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Castro Valley, California

This location is very hidden! Thanks for DoorDash, so I get to know it exists! Wow the drinks are huge for $6.75! The mango drink tasted good and with real mango chunks. The milk tea is on par! Will come again. Ambiance was nice, Christmas tree was nice. read more

i-Tea - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Castro Valley, California

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Was craving boba after grocery shopping and I-tea is one of my faves. I usually visit the San Leandro location, but was in CV. I'm unsure if this location has online ordering but it didn't look busy on a Monday evening. When you walk in, there is seating to your left along the wall and the register is to your right. Plenty of parking in the lot, but businesses were closed at this time (7p). The menu is standard like at most I-tea locations. The cashier was really nice and all smiles. She gave us one of those restaurant pagers to hold on to once our order was ready. This is actually convenient because I assume you can go outside to your car if needed, and be notified once the order was ready. It was a chilly January evening but this is what we got: Black sesame latte - 10/10 my absolute fave drink Mango strawberry fruit tea - 10/10 had the perfect amount of chopped fruit and sweetness. Black sesame Oreo frosty - 9/10 only because this mom forgot "no boba." Cheese fries, no cheese - 10/10 yep picky eater ordered this. Love that they have shoe string fries. Basil popcorn chicken - 10/10 do I really have to say much about it? It was good. Red bean sesame balls - 10/10 my favorite dessert. Perfectly sweet and nutty. read more

I work near here so I get my lunch here pretty often. I love the musubis! they are soooo good. Pricey, but large and tastes delish! My coworker put me on the Honey Brown Rice Milk Tea with Chia Seeds and I have never looked back! No tables inside, only chairs to sit for waiting and it tends to get pretty busy during peak hours, so make sure to order ahead on their website. read more

This review is for the service. Service would be more efficient if there were clear signs on where to line up. The left register is to pick up orders. The right is to place orders. Also our order did not correspond to the beeper number. We waited ~25 minutes for our order. Next time, easier to order on the website. read more

i-Tea - Service counter. Left queue to pick up online orders. - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Castro Valley, California

iTea has been a boba shop I've frequented for years and it's because of their popcorn chicken! The inside is big, but no seating. This location used to have tables and chairs, but removed them due to COVID and have kept the format since. Definitely just a takeout place. It gets very busy with in store orders and online orders. I recommend ordering online in advance to avoid waiting in person. My go-to order is the popcorn chicken and oolong milk tea with boba. The milk tea is good, with nice oolong flavor. Definitely on the sweeter side, so I would definitely recommend going down on sweetness. The popcorn chicken is the standout for me though. They give you a generous portion. The chicken is so flavorful, crispy, and juicy. You can also customize spice level. Hands down my favorite popcorn chicken! read more

The food is great! Garlic basil popcorn is a family favorite! The wait was about 20 minutes. I asked the cashier to suggest a drink with caffeine because I needed some caffeine. She recommended K6, a brown sugar boba latte, but it was not to my liking. read more

i-Tea - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Castro Valley, California

i-Tea is more than just a boba spot - the food here is actually good enough to be a meal. Their Taiwanese bento boxes are generous and flavorful, with my favorite being the classic Taiwanese pork spare rib. They also have decent fried rice which I order from time to time. Of course, they also do great boba - from refreshing fruit teas to milky classics - and the staff is friendly and efficient even when they get busy. read more

Another I-Tea and this one in Castro Valley, Enough parking but so many idiot drivers that can't park here for some reason. The store is pretty wide for a wait area. This location is always busy. The staff are all just for work. No enjoyment to show their customers. This I-Tea is a hit or miss. I love their smoothies and mango drinks. Their drinks never seem to be consistent. Not even sweet, too sweet or not enough ingredients. I like their popcorn chicken as it has dried basil and whole garlic cloves in it but there are times it doesn't have enough spice. They don't even ask the level of spice you want. I still come when I crave and it's close to home. Good luck to all! Haha [118R,2025] read more

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Drink: Fresh Mango Pomelo Sago (10/10) - I adjusted this to 50% sugar since they can only do 100% or 50% for this drink and it seemed like so many sweet things going on so I reduced it since I don't have a huge sweet tooth. It was the right choice because it was still fairly sweet but it was yummy! It felt like a dessert in drink form. I can really taste the coconut milk which I loved for both the flavor and creamy texture. The sago was also really good! It was just a drink filled with lots of toppings, layers, and flavors that combined really well. Service: They work pretty efficiently while it's always so busy. The wait for the drink may take a bit of time to come out but that's because they get so many orders and some people bulk order for their families or friends. Ambiance: It's more of a pick-up and go type of place. There's no tables and there's only seats for you to wait for your order. It's a small store but pretty busy! read more

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What took me so long from reviewing this place out. I could've sworn I already did, but I guess I haven't. I have been a patron of this place since it first opened. From them having half off snacks and drinks, to having dine in seatings, to now pick up only due to covid happening and extensive snack menus. This place is always packed with people getting their boba drinks and snacks fix. My usual orders were Mango sago, popcorn chicken and Seasoned calamari. Though I would stray away from my usual orders from time to time, I kept coming back to these 3 faves of mine. Mango Sago- a dessert type drink. I grew up having these type of dessert in some variations so this is a familiar drink for me. The mangoes, depending on the season can be sweet and soft. Their sago is always cooked well so with the mango bits, makes it a delectable pair. Popcorn Chicken- they are fried with or without garlic pieces. They are not your typical basil fried popcorn chicken so it's a different take on this. The crunchy breading can sometimes scrape the roof of your mouth as you chew on them so make sure you take a bite sized piece everytime you pop them in your mouth. You can have this sprinkled with the spice level you can tolerate. You used to be able to pick whether you want breast or thigh meat with this. Not anymore though. Seasoned Calamari- bite sized pieces of squid, deep fried with a flaky, light breading. It's well seasoned with salt and pepper. If you want to have a dipping sauce to pair this with, you have to purchase it separately as they don't give out any for free. Though at times I do enjoy this, there were also times when my order were more fried breading bits than the actual squid pieces. I have a love and hate relationship with this one. I like ordering it online and just picking it up in store. The process is quick though so you're in and out of there in no time. There are seatings inside for when you are waiting game for your orders. They also give you pagers for when you're waiting so they don't have to yell out your orders for you. Always busy and packed and you can't really complain about their prices (eventhough they raised it a bit), they're still affordable. read more

Loved the drinks and their frequent customer app was good... food was good also, decent beef dishes. Very disappointing that when I had 10 drinks and enough for the freebie, their app went down for several months and the new app doesn't record prior purchases so no freebie. Haven't gone back since then. read more

i-Tea - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Castro Valley, California

My GO TO BOBA STOP!! Big cups and enough boba and toppings to satisfy!! Service helpful when questioned about food! She mentioned garlic noodles popular! Next time.... The only prob I had was that I ordered popcorn chicken and it was Spicy! Called them and they said it is automatic!, something new to do?? So maybe MY BAD that I didn't say MILD, but they did remake!! Thank you!! read more

This place took the soft shell crab musubi off the menu. I am beyond devastated!!! Soft shell crab musubi is my favorite!!! Please put it BACK!!! Charge a bit more but please put it back!! I would appreciate it very much!! read more

Very long wait for no apparent reason. Only ordered two drinks and had to wait a minimum of 25 mins with nobody else ahead of me

Many different drink options and many can be made into a hot drink which I think is great during winter. Many food options from snacks to full meals and they seem to be continuously innovating. Their website doesn't allow hot drink customization and has to be called in. This should be an option on their website and will make ordering easier. read more

Great service, great drinks, and great prices! We came here after a long day at the Oakland zoo and were dying of thirst. The staff were extremely friendly answering any questions I had. I asked them what was their recommendations, most popular, etc. From the extensive listing that they had, I purchased the passion fruit tea with lychee! I enjoyed the drink thoroughly, it wasn't too sweet nor too watery. It was just right. It comes with two free toppings, and they also confirmed with me if the toppings it came with were okay for me! I was able to switch out one of the toppings for more jelly. As for the dining situation, there's no tables beside a bench, so you would have to, to-go it. Which was fine with us. Overall, great experience and 10/10 boba! read more

i-Tea - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Placed an order over the phone, man who took my order was rude. When I arrived they made my order wrong so I had to wait 10 minutes for them to remake it. I finally got my drinks and the drinks came with very little boba compared to how they usually make them. Extremely disappointed do not recommend. read more

i-Tea - C1. Signature Milk Tea - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Castro Valley, California

This is one of my friend's favorite boba places and if I'm going to be in NorCal, I need to get it while I can. This i-Tea location in Castro Valley is very much an "order and leave" kind of spot because there's no tables. So no lounging around and sitting here for hours! ROASTED OOLONG MILK TEA - 5.75 I got this with 30% sugar and light ice. My friend recommended this to me because it's one of her favorites. I love that each one comes with tapioca already and I don't have to pay extra for the topping. I loved the roasted tea flavor which enhanced the drink. It has a good milk and tea ratio. My only issue is that the 30% sugar is sweeter than other boba shops' 30% sugar (in my opinion). If I ever come back, I'm only getting 0% sugar here. Otherwise, solid milk tea option! read more

i-Tea - C3. Roasted Oolong Milk Tea - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Popcorn chicken is good and the drinks are consistent! The service is efficient here and workers are friendly.

This review is focused on the bentos. I've had their drinks and other food before, but it was years ago. My friend and I wanted to grab something simple and quick from i-Tea. Did not realize that they no longer had tables to dine in. We had to order to go. These bentos got our attention and we ordered two. I had the Braised Pork Belly bento and I was pleasantly surprised at the size of the bento box. It was huge and enough for two. The pork belly was tender and flavorful. The fried tofu was on point. This was $15. It was great value and the taste was satisfying. My friend got the $15 Taiwanese pork spare rib bento and it looked equally as good. I had a piece of the pork spare rib. Pretty good, but I still prefer the pork belly. The server said that they currently do not have the permit for dining in. I really don't want to order and bring ramen elsewhere since I don't live nearby so I hope they get it soon. It's been a while since the pandemic so maybe this take out option is just more profitable. Now that I know their bentos are delicious and affordable, I will certainly visit often. read more

i-Tea - Y122. Classic Braised Pork Belly Bento - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Castro Valley, California

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Drink/food is good. But customer service is wack, I was reviewing the menu when one of the male worker told me to move to the other line and not stand in front of the pick up side (it was two line one for mobile pick up and order in) but not sign was to show. Female cashier (purple hair) showed no interest In taking the order, she was getting irritated cause we didn't want 100% sugar and regular ice. We changed all drinks to 50% sweet and light ice. But drink still came out to be supper sweet and a bunch of ice.. read more

Walked in and ordered 1 drink at 2:41pm. Drink was ready at 3:15pm. Completely unacceptable. Never coming back.

Lots of finger foods for snacking :-) Fast service despite of long line. Temperate at hot days. read more

i-Tea - Menu - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Castro Valley, California

We had ordered the popcorn chicken here and as I was chewing it, I noticed something that was "stringy". I had spit it out and opened up a few more pieces to find the same things in various lengths. The fiber was tough, I couldn't rip it apart. Not sure what this could be. It appeared to be in the batter of the chicken, not the chicken itself. read more

i-Tea - Y1. Basil Popcorn Chicken - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Castro Valley, California

My favorite boba place with boba that is always soft and the best popcorn chicken! My favorite drinks: -B5 (3g milk tea with boba, egg pudding, and grass jelly) 30 sugar 30 ice -B5 (3g milk tea with boba, egg pudding, and grass jelly) ADD COFFEE JELLY 30 sugar 30 ice -Creme Brulee boba milk tea -Strawberry Mango Fruit tea with boba and heart jelly -Passion Fruit Green Tea with boba -Strawberry Crystal read more

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I went in on a holiday, Monday at 3pm. I waited 20 minutes and went to cancel my order. 1/2 drinks were ready. He gave me a full refund. The owner or boss said it usually takes 30 minutes. There is also no restroom or place to sit. read more

Very delicious boba! Menu has a large variety of options to serve your taste any day you want!

For such a hot day, I took my daughter here to grab a drink. We ordered winter melon milk tea (with grass jelly, 30% sugar) and the signature boba milk tea (50% sugar). It wasn't busy when we arrived so our drinks were ready in about 5 minutes. When I drove by this place, I was quite skeptical about the area. This plaza seems dated and unsafe. However, as soon as I walked in, the store was clean and modern. Besides drinks, they do serve food but there's no seating. read more

i-Tea - Signature Boba Milk Tea & Wintermelon Milk Tea (with grass jelly) - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Castro Valley, California

I love the white peach oolong latte from here! I like to go with 30-50% sweetness and it tastes amazing. I would highly recommend trying this drink! read more

People have recommended i-Tea but first thing things first. The service here is not good and their drinks aren't bad. They take forever to make drinks and have tons of machines. Then you have workers outside smoking on the side which makes this not kid friendly. The cashier made a mistake on my friend's order and rather than resolving the issue he was charged for both drinks. This type of service is unacceptable as the cashier wasn't has little attention to detail. The drinks again are ok but the service makes you say I am not coming back. One and done for me bye iTea. read more

Came here on a semi rainy day and there was a wait and people around. Seems like a popular place and it makes sense why. They have a decent menu for drinks and food! The cashier was very helpful. Told me how their sweetness level was and that their drinks can be quite sweet. 50% is usually my go to, but not all places make their drinks that sweet, so I always ask. 50% or even 30% might work for me. Their boba was one of the best I've had! Soft yet chewy and not hard! Will definitely come back here more often! read more

Horrible service. We asked no ice and they still added ice on two subsequent orders of bobba. They were out of bobba but still charging for full price. When we said additional bobba is extra so NO bobba should be discounted. The response we got is can we add another type of bobba. . Very expensive and nasty approach to customers. read more

I tea is one my top favorite boba places to go to. They have all different types of boba drinks ranging from fruity tea, milk teas and smoothies. I usually go for a fruit tea or their mango sago but I was craving a brown rice milk tea which tasted amazing. I didn't want the agar boba that it came with so I substituted for boba. This is one of the few boba shops I know that you are able to substitute. Highly recommend ordering online. You will receive a text when ready. They also have a decent size parking lot which is great. read more

i-Tea - M2. Honey Brown Rice Milk Tea Substitute agar for boba - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Always good! Love allll their snacks and meals and drinks! They changed from dine in to grab and go only. But quality is still the same. I always stopped by here after I get my massage from the place down the way in the same shopping strip mall. Or whenever I'm craving their delicious Fried Calamari!!! LOL read more

i-Tea - Y4. Fried & Seasoned Calamari - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Castro Valley, California

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The food and boba are soooo delicious I 100% recommend I-tea it is perfect for a snack or maybe even a meal after school or work!

I love coming here for boba very very often and I always have had great experience with the workers as well. This place had a good vibe my go to is mango strawberry fruit tea with mango popping boba ! read more