Jailine D.

For my bike ride yesterday, I decided to set this shop at the destination. If you e been in New York, you know the weather has been horrifically muggy and hot! Once I arrived I was in dire need for something replenishing. The shop itself is small but cutely decorated. There was a giant boba in there. The place was clean and had around 3-4 chairs for indoor dining. There were no outdoor dining seating available. I got the strawberry fruit tea with rainbow jelly. It was refreshing and exactly what I needed. I got the spicy salmon rice ball as well. It was the perfect amount of spicy. Overall, good experience and will be back in the future.

This place was really nice and cool! I basically ordered a brown sugar pearl latte,(remember to mix with the brown sugar before drinks) and the takoyaki , it was awesome and so good. And I love this service It was really nice.

WARNING BEFORE YOU GO!! (Re: Photos #140-144?) So the wife and I brought our son for a quick stop here before heading home since we were hungry after a show for my son's birthday. We found this spot on google/yelp on a whim and saw that it closed at 8, so we figured there's plenty of time to sit and eat just for a bit. Arrived at around 5:40pm (Sunday night), the lady was getting something done so she apologized for the wait and that was the only good part of the experience and customer service that ever existed during our exchange that night. Once she took our order which cost us $40, we sat down and there was another lady there already eating before we came. As we waited for our food after maybe 5-10min another couple came in and before they even looked at the menu the lady NOW came and said something along the lines of "just to let you know we close at 6 today so...(silence)," after which the couple left without ordering. IMMEDIATELY after they left one of the ladies followed and CLOSED the shop gate halfway so no one else would come bother them and delay the time they got off work. CLOSING AT SIX PM??? YET YOU CHARGED US FIRST WITHOUT SAYING ANYTHING?? We were dumfounded and eventually asked if that meant we couldn't eat there. She simply nodded. We said but we saw they closed at 8. Her explanation was that it was the weekend and they changed their hours. No apology. Nothing. All that with a blank stare, and knowing that she had charged us $40 before letting us know that they were CLOSING IN 15 MINUTES and seeing that we already sat down and got settled waiting for our food (which was not ready until after 5:55), that was absolutely unbelievable. Not to mention the credit card machine automatically showed tip options without the option to decline so unless you were tech savvy and knew the system one wouldn't even know how to decline. Now, hour changes happen, fine. Don't expect everyone to know your store or your hours and that is NOT how you do business. Ever. I figured maybe the hours didn't change on google, but boy was I wrong. Today MARCH 5th I checked their WEBSITE and it STILL states they close at 8pm. This review is for FEB 26th. PHOTOS ATTACHED FOR PROOF. And if you thought it couldn't get any worse, KNOWING they wouldn't allow us to eat there they STILL packed the ramen WITH THE SOUP in the same container, which turned into DRY SOGGY MUSH with spam on top by the time we got home (see the photo). We had to add a bit of hot water and the taste was nauseating--SO soggy and salty all at once. Also the cake was so poorly packed it was basically the fallen tower of paper layers by the time we opened it. Also nauseating taste. The ONLY food that tasted and looked ok was the Takoyaki. Period. OH and once we got our food and got out of the store the lady followed us and locked the door right behind us without even a greeting or thank you. WHAT???????????? That was the last straw. Their menu also recommends the scallion pancake? It's more like a wrap but definitely tastes like krap. Giving them a dollar tip would be worth all the food we got. Absolute worst food experience anywhere, ever. Period. Do better, or please close this place as soon as you can. I want my money back. My advice? Even though I haven't had their tea, maybe resort to only selling tea. And be more considerate to the customer, not just make money however you can with this type of absolute horrendous service and, just the audacity. Whatever dialect you speak, you made the worst impression possible and never tried to correct your grave error or even consider that spending $40 was maybe enough to allow the customer to eat for 15min? There's three of you at least and all of you had to leave but still wanted the money. Filthy thieves.

Tommi A.

Adorable tea spot! Very cute and clean with so many options for your tea desires! The owner was very patient as I looked over the menu and made my order perfectly to my specifications. The tea was delicious and the pearls and jelly were all very fresh! Definitely will be back!

Jo C.

Growing up in Hong Kong, this cafe hits close to home. The food and tea were nostalgic and just delicious by itself. We ordered the Rose Milk Tea with bubbles and no sugar and it was the perfect sweetness with a good chewy to the bubbles as well. The Egg Bubble Waffles came in several flavors but we got the Pork Floss and Original flavor and they were amazing. It was crunchy on the outside yet soft and chewy on the inside, and the pork floss flavor was surprisingly very enjoyable. The Matcha Green Tea Crepe Cake was also great! The layers held together well and the flavor of the buttercream seems to stand out. The space and atmosphere is also simplistic and cozy. There are various different snack and small treats to try! Can't wait to come back.

Zumiko L.

Friendly shop, friendly service, I would definitely recommend the egg waffles and takoyaki, the egg waffles was really crunchy and not too sweet, just same as the one I tried in HK last time. I love the takoyaki too , there was full amount of octopus inside the ball, super tender and fresh. Fruit tea was rich, rice ball made by fresh, and the new product fried onion honey chicken wings, really yummy and crispy If you are looking for some Japanese/Hong Kong snacks or drink in that Barclays Center area, that's a good choice!!

Catharine C.

After receiving our grades from a monster of an exam, my friends and I NEEDED and place to rewind. We decided to give Initial Tea a try and it did not disappoint. This place is ADORABLE, with hand written chalkboards and really really nice staff. My friends and I ordered a variety of items including their waffle with ice cream, milk teas and fruit teas. I had the Grapefruit Tea and I enjoyed it. My one suggestion would be to have it be a little less sweet. I asked for 0% sugar and for rainbow jelly and I think that the drink definitely was like a 50% sugar drink. I wanted the drink to be a bit bolder in flavor, but the sugar took away from that. My friend, who ordered the Rose Milk Tea, also said that her drink was a little too sweet for her liking. The waffle was gorgeously presented and my friend thoroughly enjoyed her sesame ice cream. The staff here are also exceptional. As other yelpers have mentioned, the manager came out to make sure we were happy with our orders. You can tell he really cares about his business. The employee making our drinks was also really patient and nice as well! One thing worth noting- if you are wearing shorts or a skirt and sitting on their chairs, you will walk out with an abstract design on your behind. The imprint lasted through the hour train ride home. That aside, this place really is adorable and I definitely would come back (and to also try out their rice balls!)

Jay L.

Honeydew milk shake is very flavorful, tastes so good with lychee bubble and coconut jelly. Bubble waffle is the best waffle I've tried in US, the dough is crispy outside and chewy inside; unlike the ones that are sold in street cart, the inside is only airy and had no contents. Takoyaki tastes sooo good too, crispy outside and gooey and chewy inside. very satisfied with the food.

Bonnie L.

We got the Premium Milk Tea, Rose Milk Tea and a Plain Waffle. Everything we had was superb, especially the waffle. It was made to order and the sweetness level was just perfect. The Milk teas were rich and well balance between the flavor of tea and milk. Will definitely visit again soon!

Jenny L.

Great customer service and good boba for a reasonable price. In college all the students wanted a boba place near by Pratt and it's finally happening! This place has a clean sleek interior design with a very easy to read menu. Basic boba teas with 3 bases, black tea, jasmine tea, and oolong tea. Then you can pick your flavors from there. And they have Fruit teas,milk teas, slush, and latte. Haven't tried their desserts or food but will be back to try them out. I got the grapefruit jasmine tea (large)with boba & a strawberry matcha latte (regular). I love how big the portions are and the prices are definitely cheaper than any manhattan boba shop. ALSO, they give you free toppings if you bring your cup back! Using less plastic to reduce waste! Definitely washing my cup to bring it back ^^

First of all, I just want to mention how grateful I am that they are open during this time! I am truly impressed with the changes they made to the store to make sure that their staff and customers are safe. There are many stores that I am hesitant to go into but this definitely is NOT one of them. This place never disappoints. I've been coming here for over a year now and whether I'm getting a snack or a drink, there is always something new and exciting to try. I love how they are constantly updating their food and drink menus unlike other shops that just stick to the same few items year after year. When I stopped by today, I noticed that they added new types of rice balls. I normally get the spam rice ball but decided to try the karaage (Japanese fried chicken) rice ball with spicy mayo and I'm so glad I did! The flavors work really well together and the spice is not overwhelming. I liked that the chicken was crispy and that there were large pieces (I was actually able to see the chicken inside my rice ball!!). This karaage rice ball along with an iced lychee oolong tea with tapioca is so worth it and makes a perfect weekend treat. I'm looking forward to coming back soon to try their shrimp tempura rice ball along with another refreshing drink.

Ben L.

Amazing food. Nice environment. The owner is very friendly and will work fast to get your order finished. Drinks are super tasty too! It must be hard to operate during covid-19 but they do it right.

Chelsea W.

So we were craving bubble tea and found this hidden gem. It's a small place but so cute. They have bubble waffles with ice cream, crepe cake, and bubble tea. They were so friendly. We ordered Mango Tea with rainbow jelly and Black Milk Tea. The bubble waffle was nice, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The tea tastes really good. Definitely coming back here!