I've been obsessed with Oreo blended drink for the past couple of days and go there every other day. And the best pop corn chicken I ever had. I wish it opened earlier so I could go there before work. read more

Mango Sago is our favorite drinks when we come to this Itea. They are consistent good with making our drinks. I'm so glad this particular store survived the pandemic. Not a whole lot of Boba teas places have Mango Sago in their menus. The Cheezma dragon fruit drink is also good here. read more

See all

Theyre service is very slow, I waited 10 minutes for 1 drink and still not ready for me.I just walk out of there because I'm already late for work. read more

This i-Tea location is a bit hidden in a small plaza, but they are always busy. Their location / parking is a bit awkward to get to and maneuver in, but there is usually parking off to the side. This is the spot I usually come when I am with my cousins and family because of the convenience and the fact that they prefer this spot over the other spots in Castro Valley. I usually get either their jasmine milk tea with boba & grass jelly or their mango sago with boba. Also, they have onigiris (I have not seen it at their other locations), so I would usually get their #8 Crab Meat Avocado one sometimes. My family would get a variety of their fruit teas or milk teas (usually strawberry fruit tea and taro milk tea) and their snacks as well. Their milk tea is hit or miss, depending who made it because sometimes it tastes a bit too creamy and other times it tastes pretty watered down, but the last few times, it was decent. The mango sago tastes good usually, but the issue is that the drink is never cold enough, so it taste a bit lukewarm, even at regular ice. My family usually likes their drinks, as long as they get the topping correctly. The last few times, they either add the wrong toppings or forget 1 of the toppings in each of our drinks, so my cousins and I have to double check our drinks before bringing it back home for everyone. read more

This drink was a little too milky and there was not enough tea taste. But their boba was great. Just the right chewiness and texture. Usually their milk tea is the right ratio. Their service was okay, we ordered on phone and paid inside. The ambiance was chill and they have no tables to eat at. read more

i-Tea - 3G Milk Tea - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Always been a fan of i-Tea ever since my wife introduced me to it. The drinks are good, they aren't spectacular. But for the price you pay, and the quality you get, THIS IS THE SPOT! Other than the lower price, I like that you're able to make substitutions here without paying extra. There are plenty of other boba places where you can remove a topping no problem, but if you want to switch a topping that'll cost extra. Interesting enough, I really really like their food as well. The i-Tea kitchen is surprisingly good. The menu is expansive, but I've really enjoyed every food item that I've ate from here. Only wish the prices of the food was cheap as their drinks. Oh wellz I only wish this location was open for dine-in. It's been to-go ever since the pandemic started. Other than that, definitely try them out, you won't regret it! read more

Drinks taste great. But expect to wait over 40 min for 1 drink. Doesn't matter which way you order beforehand. Don't think it's that great to warrant all that. read more

We are waiting for hours to get the order omgthey keep saying two minutes when i ask them read more

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

We came here once a few months ago and I was a bit underwhelmed with the tea drinks. The milk tea I had tasted a bit watered down and the boba had a harder texture. My husband enjoyed his drink though, so it might have been the milk tea I ordered. This is located in a busy plaza with limited parking on the weekends, so plan accordingly before coming here! I always smell the delicious popcorn chicken when coming here so I will definitely need to try that soon! There's always a crowd here on the weekends and during peak times. I do appreciate how the drinks come in a large cup! Next time I'll try to order something that's not milk tea and see if they taste any better, while pairing with the popcorn chicken. read more

I- tea you are so refreshing! I was craving for a sago drink. My bf and I wanted to get some kind of sago dessert, but all places for that closes early. So we decided to go to I- tea. I'm so glad we did. My bf ordered the mango sago and I got watermelon aloe sago. Both drinks were perfect to our liking. You get to choose the percentage of sugar level and ice for the watermelon aloe sago and the mango sago is standard with no changes. It was so refreshing and tasty that the next following weekend I had to go back and grab another drink. Maybe this weekend I will need to grab another. read more

i-Tea - Mango sago and watermelon aloe sago drinks - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Castro Valley, California

My review is specifically for the guy with the black framed glasses working 1/26/2024 working around 4:45pm. This is a health code violation as he was sneezing multiple times without gloves or a mask on and didn't bother washing his hands. I made eye contact with him to see if he would go wash his hands and he didn't. He was handling drinks and passing people their snack orders. I am very disappointed that he didnt do it. I hope you guys make sure all your employees are following health safety protocols. read more

Idk if a boba chain needs a 5 star review but here it is I initially wanted just boba but I was curious how they'll serve a food bowl without any tables or chairs. Hokkaido milk tea: as the picture on the menu suggested, it has boba and pudding. Pretty standard hokkaido milk tea you know. But if you havent tried it before, pudding is a jello like substance that come sin strips and a little difficult to suck and tastes like milk, boba has nice consistency, I've tried many bobas before and they all vary in texture slightly but I love them all. I like them chewy. The drink, a teensy bit sweet, and milky. The pudding was inoffensive, I barely noticed it when drinking, it made sucking the straw harder some times. Not a fan of pudding but I got it anyways since still tastes good. pork bowl: my fav in it was the tofu, it had a lot of flavor was perfectly marinated. Everything else is pretty good too but doesnt stand out. My dad tried it and said the rice was really good so uh yeah he said that. Also it came in a takeout container, the container felt pretty cheap, a part of it was breaking a little. But the lid held in nice, I had it on the side in my backpack and nothing spilled. The fork was taped on the lid. Oh yeah, idk what the garlic is doing there lol Layout: the interior is a big empty room, kinda like a ballet practice room or dance practice room. With a cash register and the kitchen and pickup and badically everything on the right. The back is closed off. Extra note: Yes I ate it on the floor cause I biked there, and I wanted to try it fresh. There were no TABLES in the shop. Also they had those beep devices where you can order and just go back in your car and wait till the device beeps and you know your order is ready. I think my bowl made it take longer but my order took a little over 10 min. read more

See all

I usually had luck on picking good food and good drinks to try. Yesterday was one of those days that it was hot and I did pick hood drink to satisfy my thirst. Stopping by at i-Tea in Castro valley for the first time. Decided to pick P2. Lol. Can't pronounce the last word so ordered by the number instead. A few mins wait for the perfect drink to come. Worth it every single sip. It was one of the manager's recommendations. Don't miss out and try them. Parking can be busy. read more

See all

Itea has been my #1 boba spot ever since they first opened. They are always so generous with their toppings and the quality has always been consistent. I've tried green milk teas from other boba places but theirs is superior. Their jasmine milk tea is fragrant and is a perfect balance of tea to creamer. I can't go a week without visiting this place! read more

Every time I come back to the Bay, gotta stop by to get I-Tea. That Mango sago, and popcorn chicken hit like crack! Need more garlic in there! It get's pretty busy inside, but orders be quick! read more

I thought getting extra toppings would improve the split cup... but NOPE, barely an improvement. So $7.75 for a drink (not including sales tax)...$5.75 (drink) + $1.50 (size upgrade) + toppings ($0.50)... I-Tea Pros: -Quick food/drinks -Delicious food/drinks -Reasonable Prices I-Tea Cons: -Cost for Split cup ($1.50) -The amount you get from the split cup is pretty much the same as a tall cup. Lesson (finally) learned... do NOT get the split cup. It's essentially wasting $1.50 for a cup of extra space. read more

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

See all

Consistently good quality but even more consistently slow. placed an order ahead, said would be ready at a certain time and always 20-30 minutes slower then the pick up time. read more

Here's what we got. Classic Boba Milk Tea and Green Boba Milk Tea. At first we got 30% sweetness but then it was too sweet so I asked the lady to remake it. She did so right away and I didn't have to wait very long. We got Zero percent sugar and it tasted amazing They only had the option to order to go so that's what we did. The ambiance was just okay, more of a "fast food" boba place. My sister and I shared the drinks and below is my review of each drink Classic Milk Tea was very good at this sugar level! 9/10 Green Boba Milk Tea was a bit too floral for me but the sugar level was also perfect: 6/10 Boba: 9/10 chewy and great consistency read more

See all

This place gets pretty packed in a busy plaza. Parking can be a little crazy sometimes. Can't go wrong with itea! So many options for drinks and snacks! We usually get their Lychee green tea which comes w boba and lychee bits. Thai tea is always a good one here and popcorn chicken is a must! This location doesn't have dine in so when you order everyone's just standing around waiting for their order. No tables and chairs to sit while waiting. Always an option to order online too! read more

Great boba tea. My bad experience was regarding the cashier's demand to call me out in front of the crowd. The cashier stated my total, and I quickly scanned my phone on the credit card machine and stood to the side. Then the cashier called me out and said, "Sir, please sign and leave a TIP for us." I was a little taken aback since I always tip, but this time after scanning my phone, I didn't realize there was a giant screen under the cashier's screen that I had to follow instructions on. I agree if this were a sit-down place where customer service is provided with a personal waiter, but tipping to pick up a plastic cup to-go is nuts. Maybe the staff is not working in the right industry if they depend on tips. read more

Tea is consistently good. I come here every week :) One advise for the owner and staff - please change your oil more frequently. The last two times I ordered the fried chicken wings they are super dark brown. Old oil is not healthy. I didn't upload picture but if my next order is the same like that, I will provide picture, drop your rating, and not order your fried food anymore. Please improve your fried food. Thanks. read more

I think Castro Valley i-Tea one of the best i-Tea's in the Bay- tied with the "OG" Oakland Chinatown one! The quality of their drinks is always top notch so they're one of our favorite go-to boba spots. For those of you that love toppings, 3G Milk Tea is the way to go. It comes with boba, pudding, AND grass jelly. Warning- treat this drink like a meal because it's super filling! As for fruit teas, our favorites are the Passion Fruit Green Tea and Strawberry Fruit Tea. The fruit teas run a little sweet, so I recommend adjusting the sweetness. This i-Tea location also has tons of food options! The Popcorn Chicken is always a solid choice. Big portions and the chicken quality is pretty good (aka it's not fried to a crisp like some other places!) Some minor cons- the online ordering system is not the most user-friendly. I've definitely had to restart my order a couple times. Lastly, the wait can be pretty long. I usually try to pre-order at least 20 minutes in advance! read more

i-Tea - Passion Fruit Green Tea & 3G Milk Tea - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Castro Valley, California

See all

Here's where iTea's marketing worked so well on me: pre-pandemic, they used to have happy hour in the evenings. As a post-grad, it was THE spot for me and my friends to meet and catch up over happy hour popcorn chicken + boba. I kid you not, we would be at iTea every Sunday for the late night happy hour without fail. So I was HOOKED. Post-pandemic, when they removed the happy hour (but someone please let me know if I'm wrong and it's actually still a thing!!!), I was bummed. But I was so sold still, I will keep coming back here for popcorn chicken every time. The popcorn chicken at itea is my favorite out of all of the boba shops in the area because I prefer a more meaty popcorn chicken vs the crispier fried ones at other places. I also appreciate that they put whole garlic in there, and I'm sorry to my friends who talk to me after, but I'm a garlic girl so it's goin' down. This location specifically has a house spicy aioli that is also really good. As for boba, it's pretty solid. I typically go with the okinawa milk tea at 50% sweet. Truthfully, I could go for a less sweet version still, but usually I'll treat boba as a real treat/dessert. There's lots of parking here and I definitely recommend ordering online before heading over. It's the most convenient way and it eliminates the wait time for you as they're often busy. The prices have gone up as the years have gone on so this is no longer a weekly thing for me, but whenever I'm in the area and craving a good popcorn chicken + boba, you'll find me at iTea. read more

Roasted oolong mt, comes with boba which are decent could be softer, large size, 80% sugar too sweet. Not much or any roasted flavor. Snacks are good. read more

I like the San Leandro location so I decided to grab a drink from the Castro valley location since we were in the area. I got a watermelon sago and it was delicious on a cold day. There's something about drinking cold drinks on a cold day that is really refreshing to me. The service was decent as they had a bunch of workers and lots of orders so the front desk was busy. The ambiance is outdated and no seating area. This location is a grab and go. They also have the front door wide open so the store is extremely cold. They also have random furniture that they could potentially move to have a seating area. Also they have plenty of parking as there is located in a tiny strip mall. read more

Consistently fresh & fragrant Hokkaido milk tea. I like how the roasted tea has a coffee like after taste & for no extra charge you get the egg pudding & boba included. Now if they would start the rewards program again, I would be even happier. What makes ITea stand out is how th always provide service with a smile. read more

See all

The popcorn chicken was friggen amazing ! Best I've ever had! And the Thai Tea was spot on as well.

Their menu is extensive! Over 80+ different options which makes each visit fun, getting to try lots of new things! They also have popping boba which you can't find a lot of places, with different flavors. Favorite drinks: Passion fruit green tea with boba and passion fruit jelly Khoyo grape with grape jelly White peach oolong Okinawa milk tea Thai tea -- it's hard to do well but they consistently make it right! On top of the drink menu they have a huge food menu as well -- while most boba shop food menus are small with lackluster at best options, i-Tea really knows what they're doing! My favorites: Basil popcorn chicken -- always piping hot and loaded with flavor Potato croquettes -- fried perfectly crispy and whipped so good Onigiri options are all tasty, especially the pork belly! They also have ramen and noodle dishes and shrimp lollipops and more! Maybe it's only this location that dishes it out right but I'm sure their others do well too. If they keep it up I'm be a customer for life! read more

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

See all

After paying $10.97 for popcorn chicken really you're going to charge me .50 for the sauce! I hate places like this..... go to another boba shop sauce should come with it not extra... I will post this on all social media! read more

The boba is good and food and employees are very nice and friendly and i love the boba and food

Came here to get myself some boba, it was super packed, the line was out the door. You cannot sit inside the restaurant. It's more of a take out. I got the strawberry fruit tea and Japanese sensei ? Overall it was good, I would come back again.. not during rush hours haha read more

See all

Mango sago never misses. I wish you could substitute milk. However, the takoyaki texture threw me off as it was way more mushy than I like. :( read more

Online or phone orders only! If you try to order at the window they'll tell you to go online or call. After that they'll text when your food is ready for pick up. Busy place and so a little slow to get food. Average taste. read more

See all

Service great no doubt about it...fast, friendly and it seems they all enjoy taking orders from customers No tables nor chairs to seat if people decided to eat inside or waiting for their to go orders Some employees need to wear their gloves properly as I saw one wearing gloves taking the garbage out then still wearing the gloves going inside kinda grossed! read more

Convenient online ordering. Very popular so walk-ups often have a moderate wait. Mostly get the boba but my 8 year old daughter loves their chicken wings. read more

I love iTea! Everything on their menu is really good. My usual orders are mango sago and the strawberry fruit tea. Any of their food items are really good as well, I always get their takoyaki or popcorn chicken. I finally tried their tonkatsu ramen yesterday and the broth was flavorful and they were generous with the meat portion. I do miss being able to sit down at this location. As far as I know, this is the only location that is to go only. If you want to have a sit down boba date go to San Leandro. read more

I could have swore I left a review for this I-Tea many years back, but then again, I didn't really start reviewing all that much back then so probably just overlooked. Anyways, i-Tea in Castro Valley has been here some time. It opened up as an I-Tea owned location way back, so this is not a franchise location for those wondering. Back before COVID, this particular I-Tea location has always been bustling. It was always packed, the lines were out the door, people filled up the tables inside, and everybody knew the best times here was happy hour when the value truly could not be ignored with lines of people standing to the side in the minutes waiting for the happy hour to start, and then lines of people already in line anyways because they don't care to wait. I won't go over the menu too much, as it's I-Tea, so not much that will be unique if you've been to one before. Just know they have a large menu, lots of options, and food options as well which includes things like ramen. Pricing wise, it's on par with all the I-Tea locations, and about on par with the other boba places just a shopping center over, and one just down the street from it in both directions, even with the seemingly impending Happy Lemon soon. It's for sure in a crowded arena for boba, but they were one of the firsts before all these other spots opened/changed owners. Good times. Of course, ever since COVID happened, there had been various waves of I-tea changes, and many times it was not for the better. There was a phase where they only took orders through their ordering system, which was a nightmare to deal with at the start, and barely even functioned as an app. There was a phase where they weren't always open, but didn't necessarily let people know all that clearly. There were phases where you walk in and nobody is there, they still won't accept your order, and don't have a kiosk set or anything to order separately. So, what phase are we at now? Somewhat normalized. Went back to I-Tea finally this past weekend. First time in a long time. Things aren't quite what they used to be, since there is no in dining anymore. It's a takeout only spot now, which is pretty common for many places too, so not specific to I-Tea or anything. You can still do the other ordering methods during peak COVID times, but now you can just order in store again, which is good to see again. Doesn't seem like menu has changed much or many things are crossed off the menu so at least no major supply chain issues. We ordered our drinks, took a little while though we did have a sizeable order, and then got out. It's I-Tea, so there's not much more I need to mention about that. Still tastes the same from this location. Drink quality is still good. No issue with the boba. Menu roughly the same, price a little up, but where isn't? And even some of the staff is still the same. Will be back again now that they're open for in-person ordering once again. Review more like this 3.5 than 3, but for now, won't round up yet. read more

All time favorite boba spot! I always come here when in the area. i-Tea is located in a small shopping center, so there is usually a fair amount of available parking. I like to order ahead on the website, so I don't have to wait in line. When I received the text telling me my order is ready, I walk up to the pick up counter and tell them the last four digits of my phone number. You can also order at the counter and they'll give you a pager. There isn't a lot of room to wait inside, so you might need to wait outside. There currently isn't any seating inside, so you'll have to take your items to go. There is a huge food menu. The popcorn chicken is probably the most popular snack. The smell of i-Tea popcorn chicken reminds me of the hallways of CVHS after lunch. The chicken is usually juicy and the outside is crisp and well seasoned. The portion sizes are big enough to share with friends. I like to order their curly fries without sauce. The snacks usually come with some skewers for easy eating. i-Tea has some of my favorite fruit teas. I like that the fruit flavor is strong but not too sweet and syrupy. I also like that many of the drinks already come with some toppings, so I don't have to spend more money adding jelly and boba. My favorites include passion fruit, mango, pineapple, and guava. read more

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

Crowded with school kids on a Friday late afternoon, but ordering was easy and they gave me a pager so I could wait outside for my order to be ready. Inside was a bit confusing at first with the three different waiting lines. Hint: closest to the door is the walk-in order, to the left is pick-up, more to the left is mobile order pickup. At least, that's how I understood it to be. Or maybe I did it wrong and they were just nice to me lol. This place runs like a well oiled machine! I've never seen a boba place with so many employees, all working their arses off. The snacks menu was tempting but I already had dinner plans so had to pass. Parking was less than thrilling. There's a lot of businesses in the area for such a small lot. Quality of drink was fantastic. I would come here again if I was in the area. read more

SIP has been so hard to do for months without boba! I finally caved in September to satisfy those boba cravings. iTea has always been my favorite place to get my fix because: + The drinks I order already have the toppings included so I don't need to pay extra for them + I can adjust the sugar and ice levels + The base pricing for most of the drinks are very reasonable and don't exceed $5 like most other boba places + There are a variety of drinks and food items to choose from + The appetizers are good and come in a generous amount (i.e. the potato croquettes came in 4 for $6.95, but other restaurants give 2 or 3 for $8.00+) + They have Fivestar rewards that you can earn points for your purchases + Pre COVID there was happy hour prices on some drinks and snacks, but you cannot earn Fivestar rewards for those purchases + This location tends to stay open later than other iTea locations like San Leandro When you visit, there's a queue to pick up your orders. You can only order by phone or online; they do not take walk-in orders. This was a bit odd seeing as they have a shield guard up between customers and the person handing the to-go items to. Why can't they take orders in person? I've heard other boba spots take walk-in orders at a distance so it's definitely doable. I placed an order online, but that took an additional 5-8 minutes extra to go through the different menu categories, fill in the credit card information, and then entering billing info. You receive an email confirmation. Since there weren't any other customers at the time, they shouted to me the order was ready instead of notifying me through text/email. It seems inconvenient as there's additional steps, but I understand each business has their own process. You've been warned! read more

See all