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

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

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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

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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

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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

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

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

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

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

This place would actually get 4 or 5 stars out of me, if it was not for one thing which I will go into more detail below. I was craving some milk tea and I-Tea is always my favorite place for Earl Grey. I ordered online, which seems simple enough and it allowed me to do customization for my order. By the time I arrived, my order was ready for pick up. The staff wore gloves and had masks on. They had a plexiglass at the front when you order/pick-up and they encouraged social distancing. 5/5: Milk Tea was very good and consistent with other I-Teas I have been to. 80% sugar with 50% ice is my go to combo for when I want to drink now, and 0% ice when I want to save it for later. The taste of the Earl Grey was amazing and going less boba means I dont end up with only boba when I finish my drink. 4/5: Basil Popcorn Chicken. It was delicious. Plentiful in the cute pink box it came in. The sauce was either sweet & sour or sweet thai chili. Everything paired well. My only concern was that I wish it could be a bit more crispier/crunchier, but that is a personal thing for how crunchy I would like things to be. 1/5: Curly Fries. My biggest complaint was the curly fries. Online, they described they serve their curly fries with Japanese Mayo, House Seasoning Sauce, and Seaweed Sprinkles. I also placed a side for some Ketchup on the Side. And what did I get.... just regular seasoned curly fries, not even my side of ketchup. I got no Mayo, no House Sauce, and not even a little sprinkle of seaweed. I had to ask for my ketchup again, since it was not placed in my bag. I only noticed I had plain fries when I got home. If I am going to spend $7 for your special curly fries, I expect it to be as advertised, otherwise I could get that same amount for a lot less at other restaurants. Overall - 3/5 stars (but would be 5/5 for just Milk Tea alone). The Milk Tea is amazing and they have a plethora of choices for you. Always go plus sizes since that extra bit is so worth it. The food is also good, but maybe skip the curly fries for those who are interested. read more

i-Tea - Panda got really thirsty for his Earl Grey MT - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Castro Valley, California

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

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

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

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

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 feel like when it comes to i-Tea, people either really love it or believe it's mediocre. Pros: - decent boba. Their happy hour deals used to be really great (but recently they raised the price) - Easy parking, decently large parking lot and after hours, people always use the Wells Fargo lot adjacent to it - Decent food actually - it's crazy that i-Tea isn't really just a boba shop anymore, it's like a literal dinner place with real full on meals or shareable snacks (LOVE their curly fries drizzled with japanese mayo) - My go to is either the roasted oolong kreama or just regular roasted oolong tea Cons: - ALWAYS PACKED. ESPECIALLY HAPPY HOUR - even if you come at like 10pm, there's going to be random CVHS high schoolers hanging around, a pseudo car meet up in the lot next to it (I'M NOT KIDDING - kids will rev their parent-bought luxury cars and you know that the louder the sound of the car the smaller the d....) - long af line bc everyone and their moms is here - not enough sitting space Overall actually because of the crowd (and bc i hate running into people I know) - I avoid this place unless it's to meet up with friends in Castro Valley. The food / tea is consistent with all other i-Teas. read more

i-Tea - roasted oolong milk tea with boba - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Castro Valley, California

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This is probably the worst iTea I've been to. Not only was the sitting area disgusting, it also smelled like rotten eggs. I understand that I came close to closing, but this is still ridiculous. Also, whoever the cashier girl was too busy trying to close her register that she couldn't even look you in the eye when taking your order as well as doing other things so it took much longer to get orders done. Eh, wouldn't go here again. I'll stick to the one in San Leandro. read more

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

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We really like their Basil Popcorn Chicken. The chicken bites are juicy and deliciously fried to perfection. There is an option to add extra whole garlic pods as well as basil to the dish. After much trying we have finally found our best Bobba tea here - Brown Sugar Bobba Latte!! Delicious and made to perfection. The other's we have tried and found alright were the signature Bobba milk tea, crème brûlée Bobba milk tea, and the double choco tea bobaccino. read more

i-Tea - Entrance now expanded - 2/19/2022. - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Always consistent boba. The cashiers are friendly. There hasn't been seating here for a while. I would prefer more boba in my drinks but that's why they have an extra boba item on their menu. My go to is K1 and I'm never disappointed. Egg pudding and boba! Yum read more

Sometimes it is all about how serious you are taking your job. Yelling with a high voice during a rainy quiet day isn't very appropriate. I would suggest the company would provide a voice training to their cashier. Getting minimum wage doesn't means that you can be impolite to your customers! Base of the food quality and the attitude of its' cashier, I don't even wanna give one star. I gave one star because I can move on to complete this post! read more

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

One of my favorite spots for boba, although ironically I don't always get boba in my drink. My favorites are the Jasmine Green Milk Tea and Earl Grey Milk Tea. They've also added many options for food with snacks as well as entries. Sometimes the wait time might be long but you can phone in or order online. I would suggest to ask what is the approximate wait time because it can vary. You know it's a popular place when there's often a line. Currently it's only takeout, they haven't reopened for dine in. read more

i-Tea - Milk tea in the "Tall Cup" basically the large size - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Castro Valley, California

I love iTea!! Whenever I want a cool drink on a hot day, I go to iTea! If I am craving mozzarella sticks, I also go to iTea! Since COVID (I am not sure if they did this before COVID), you have to order your food/drink online. I actually like this so it saves me time. Typically I order H8 Strawberry Crystal without the crystals but add boba. If I am also hungry, I ordered the mozzarella sticks as well. The Strawberry Crystal drink is like a strawberry slushie but melts a lot better than typical slushies!! I love their boba as well. Also their mozzarella sticks are amazing! They are my favorite mozzarella sticks. The batter stays together really nicely when you eat them and I appreciate that! Overall, I enjoy going to iTea for a snack! If you are looking for some good boba and something to eat, iTea is the place to go! Enjoy! Simona read more

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

Their basil chicken was really good, better than I expected and my favorite drink lately has been the white peach blossom oolong latte, so refreshing and not overly sweet. Service is friendly and quick. Love how expanded their menu is, a ton of good options to choose from. read more

The food was terrible, chicken wasn't even cooked properly. Waste of money and time. Very poor quality. read more

Forgot my phone at home and although I was standing right in front and speaking with the register worker, they were unable to take my order. Workers did nothing to accommodate.. just said that they were unable to take my order without phoning in. Though the girl at the register went on and on about how the business has the right to take orders however they want, the were unwilling to simply take my order. read more

4yrs later and when sticking with the order ahead option I've changed my tune. If you're craving noodles I highly suggest the seafood Yaki Udon. The basil popcorn chicken with house sauce is perfectly crispy, fragrant, and flavorful. Also can't go wrong with the curly fries with house sauce! read more

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

Came on a Saturday around 5pm. Crowd was in clusters, but since it wasn't too busy when we went, our food/drinks came out reasonable time. The shoyu tonkotsu and miso ramen had good tasting broths (not super flavorful, but still good). It's not the best ramen, but it had plenty of toppings. The pork was just ok. Curly fries were good especially since I got them extra crispy , but I could have done without some of the Asian seasoning on there. Friend thought udon was okay. We liked our passionfruit green tea w passion jelly (30% sugar) and super fruit tea (50% sugar, would try with 30% sugar next time). read more

i-Tea - Curly fries, miso ramen - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Drinks are good, just make sure to tip. Otherwise your order will be sitting there. I noticed that service isn't good when tip is not given ! 5 orders after mine were placed and given while I saw my drinks sitting behind the counter while the employees avoided bringing it up front and ringing my buzzer. read more

This place is happenin'. Came in on a weekend evening and line was out the door. Plenty of parking around the area. This i-Tea has a nice ambiance, is good for groups, and has lots of drinks and food items to choose from. My only recommendation would be to make the food menu bigger because the font is so tiny unless you're standing at the cash register ready to order. I ordered the black garlic oil ramen ($11.99) and a milk tea with no ice and 30% sweetness. The black garlic oil ramen consists of pork slices, corn kernels, garlic cloves, fish cakes, bamboo, chili threads, green onions, nori, and a perfectly cooked soft-boiled egg, Honestly, I didn't expect much, but I was impressed. They nailed the soft-boiled egg; the squiggly ramen noodles had a good consistency (not mushy and no uncooked); and the broth was flavorful and garlicky. I'm sure the garlic warded off whatever cold germs I had left. The milk tea had a strong tea taste and the sweetness level was just right: I wouldn't go any sweeter. For this i-Tea location, happy hour is Monday through Thursday 8-10 PM and Friday-Sunday 9-11PM. Those are looking like pretty happy hours to me, indeed. Now if only they had listed what the happy hour deal was exactly. Guess I'll have to come back and see. Until then. read more

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This isn't my go to location but kids have an activity nearby. Since it is a franchise, more likely the food and drinks are of the same quality. Parking is challenging as it is located in a small shopping area. It was packed when we arrived. Service was slow. For one drink we basically waited for more or less 15 minutes. We never waited this long at our usual spot whether it is packed or not. The staff behind the counter was a bit disorganized. The two staff members we talked to were just okay and not friendly. In our usual spot, they are always pleasant and cheerful greeting people who are walking in. It is a cute place. read more

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

Good and filling snacks and drinks! Price is high just for boba though. All the young workers do the bare minimum customer service wise but always ask for tips on the screen. No indoor seating. This use to be a great place to hang out and after Covid, it's just kind of a take out situation. Sad read more

Mar 2025 Popcorn chicken - still taste and smell great. There were a lot of new staff. Probably wait a few months before going again for their drinks. The drinks are really sweet even if you order 30% sugar only and they are putting too much milk. I had the same issues back in Feb 2025 with all 4 drinks. read more

This is my family's go-to for boba drinks! Our faves are the brown sugar latte boba and the strawberry fruit tea. The food is also good but definitely expect a wait if you order food - I always order in advance. They got rid of tables during Covid so it's to go only - we miss being able to sit there but there's such high volume it makes sense to have it just to-go. read more

(8/11/21 12:30pm) I was just visiting a friend for the weekend (I'm originally from socal) and he highly recommended this place for boba in the Castro valley area. We ended up getting the boba milk tea, popcorn chicken, curly fries, popcorn chicken, Creme brûlée boba milk tea. My personal favorite was the curly fries. The sauces similar to takoyaki on top of the fries were a nice touch. I also liked the Creme brûlée. It came with a spoon and you can use it to break the top layer of the drink. I mixed it and the blend turned out really nice (and very sweet). First time trying it and was happily surprised. I appreciate how Covid-19 conscious they are by only doing takeout. However, if you're looking to dine in, again, they only do take out at the moment so you'll need to eat your food elsewhere. The workers were really friendly and were fast with the order. Would highly recommend if you're in the area! read more

i-Tea - Creme brûlée boba milk tea - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Castro Valley, California

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OMG Im from LA and have had boba from both LA and SF and I have to say, i-Tea has the best tasting boba I've ever had. The pearls were very soft and sweet. There is a HUGE wait because of how popular it is, but I would say the wait is worth it. They don't have tables or any sitting areas, which was very upsetting. So be prepared to go back to your car and drink your boba there. read more

When I was a teenager, I use to hang out at ice cream shops and burger joints. But now adays, kids are so lucky, they get to add boba tea cafes as a hang out. I know I would had been spent all my allowance here and hung out. i-Tea opened it's doors to thirsty customers craving milk tea with boba. It was a big hit! Then they started expanding their menu by adding ramen, udon, rice bowls and even deep fried bread desserts. Guess what? It's working, almost everyone in the lunch line came in to order food and drinks! This little cafe is making good profit. Kudo's to them! The food... it's not bad! Not bad at all. Basil popcorn chicken comes out freshly deep fried. Although it's all white meat and dry, the basil gives it an exotic fresh taste. The ramen and udon was very nicely cooked and flavored. And of course, the milk tea with boba was perfect. What's cool is, you can choose your level of sweetness, which I will do next time. My taste buds for sweetness level has changed over my lifetime. Good fast food. Fairly fast service. Seats are taken up rapidly during peak hours. Plenty of parking in this small mall. Lots of boba and ramen fans in this cafe. The patrons appear very happy with what they are served with :) read more

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I really enjoy coming to this place. Wait times can be a little long. So I highly recommend that you order ahead. Your drinks are fairly decent read more

i-Tea - I got the fresh taro blended, added boba - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Castro Valley, California

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drinks are very good. But one hour wait for one drink is insane . Workers look like they don't have sense of urgency.

My husband and I don't drink a lot of bubble tea since we try to avoid sugar and man are these drinks so yummy and sweet. We do, however, stop by here 2-3 times a month to get lunch, because the chicken bites and onigiri are just that good. We don't bother getting fast-food chicken nuggets any more because the chicken bites here are so much better, besides being cheaper for the amount you get than a place like Chick Fil A. They're hot and crispy and fresh, you can order online and pick them up when they're ready, which only takes a few minutes if you're only ordering chicken and croquettes. The onigiri take a bit longer, expect more like 10-15 minutes for those. The croquettes are slightly sweet and super crispy from panko bread crumbs on the outside, very soft mashed potatoes inside with corn, peas, and carrots mixed in. It's the closest thing this place has to a vegetable to go along with my chicken. For a well-rounded lunch, I recommend driving around the corner to the Habit burger and pairing your chicken bites with their tempura green beans & ranch dressing, because that way you get a tasty green vegetable as well as some cooling ranch to help balance the spicy powder on the chicken bites. I do wish they had more vegetable options like tempura veggies or salads here so I didn't have to drive to 2 restaurants to get a balanced meal, but this *is* after all a tea place, I can't fault them for a lack of food variety. The one drink I have tried here is their creme brulee milk tea, and man is that fluffy custard on the top of the drink mind-blowing, but after eating all of that the rest of the milk tea is pretty plain in comparison. read more

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Easily the best iTea in the entire bay area. Nothing comes close to how vast their selection of boba, snacks, and even ramen is. The overall quality is much higher than expected from a boba shop, and honestly you can't go wrong with anything on the menu. I frequently order H6 - Oreo black milk tea smoothie and miso ramen, and have never been disappointed with the quality. There's also a massive parking lot that has tons of space for several dozens of cars adjacent to the store. read more

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