I've had their black sesame hojicha (regular menu) and pumpkin cream hojicha (fall seasonal) at 50%…read moresweetness and both are FIRE. Gathers does not miss when it comes to hojicha - the flavor is always strong, earthy, and never overpowered! They also have the cutest cups! They have some outlets but no wifi, and it can get crowded, so not super ideal for studying. But it's a nice spot to sit for a bit and take a break!

I've always stood firm in disliking matcha, but the Gathers Strawberry Matcha changed my mind. It…read morehad the right amount of sweetness while still keeping its matcha essence. After school/work hours, it does get very crowded inside, but service is quick. It would be nice if the space was larger to permit more seating. Overall, it's a cute place to visit to grab a beverage and I look forward to trying more flavors.

Yes sometimes there's a crowd but it ebbs and flows. I'm glad that they staff accordingly compared…read moreto some other of my fav tea places "hey" I'm thinking about you. Nothing in particular except the jasmine tea tastes the same in this location as the one near me in a totally different city and state. That's all we want, right?

I've been to this place multiple times, and it's always busy! You can order directly with someone…read moreat the counter, but they also have two self-order kiosks. Luckily, there's usually a kiosk available when we come in. Just a heads up: expect to wait at least 15 minutes for your drinks because this place gets PACKED. But honestly, it's worth the wait. My go-to is their Snowy Jasmine. The jasmine tea itself is so good--you can actually taste the tea instead of it being overpowered by sweetness. But the real star? That snowy whipped cream. It's incredibly light and fresh, not overly sweet, and adds just the right amount of creaminess to the tea. And then you'll randomly get little pieces of pecans in almost every sip... SO GOOD. ‍

We stopped in here after visiting the gachapon arcade upstairs and immediately noticed how clean…read moreeverything was. The whole shop is really cute, too. They have plushies sitting on the couch in the waiting area and a little floral Instagram wall that's clearly meant for photos. We also very much appreciated that they have a bathroom, which isn't always guaranteed in Chinatown spots. I got the large Fruity Party drink and loved it. It had slices of citrus floating in it plus a rainbow of fruit jellies at the bottom. It was both super refreshing and really pretty. I'd absolutely order it again. My sister got the medium kumquat lemon seasons tea. It was super strong and concentrated, which is just the way I like my tea. I learned that I liked kumquat kumquat so that's a fun bonus. We'll definitely be back next time we are in Chinatown.

This was a cute little boda shop to stop by! They have ordering kiosks that you can use to place…read moreyour order or you can order at the counter. They have a good amount of options but not too many that it's overwhelming. I got the mango green tea with fruit jelly at 25% sweetness and regular ice. As someone who doesn't love overly sweet drinks this was pretty solid, any sweeter and it would have been too much. The drink came out super quickly and there is a ton of space to sit inside if you choose!

Pink paradise! Cute boba shop in the heart of Chinatown. I liked that they use REAL FRUIT in their…read moredrinks and not syrups. Since I was visiting I also got the cute bunny ears topper that had a little extra Jebbit that said Chicago on there. Perfect fun little souvenir for my trip. My drink was over $12 but that's because I got the surprise plushie in my cup as well as the bunny ears. #yolo It was still worth it! :)

Been to Ume tea many times now, and I love the classic oat burst yogurt, but trying a few more…read morethings as well and nothing has disappointed so far. Got the popcorn chicken for the first time and it's pretty good. I quote enjoyed the Taro as well. Though everything is still pretty sweet at 30 or 15% sugar so I can't imagine what full sweetness is. My friend says she thought another location's yogurt was better but I couldn't tell the difference tbh. Service is pretty fast, and the decor is similar to other locations, lots of cute pink displays and whatnot. The entrance is one of those heavy Chicago air locks which might be hard to open if you're carrying a lot of stuff, but I'm sure it's useful in the winter.

Stopped in for a sweet treat with a friend a couple weeks ago! We were craving boba and this was…read morethe perfect spot for a quick drink. The cafe is really cute and pretty clean. There's a fair amount of seating if you want to come here with friends or to study. We ordered on the touch screens but the drinks came out quickly. I got a taro milk tea with boba which was so good. I ended up doing 70% sweetness which I thought was perfect. Overall I'd come back and would definitely recommend if you're in the area!

I felt like for the price, the drink was just mid. I ordered less ice and half sweet and it was…read morestill waayyyy too sweet for me. When we walked in, there were less than 10 patrons, but it still took a while to get our drinks. Best thing about Uni Uni is the ambiance/vibe. It is really bright and colorful, and there's a cute chalk wall folks can add too. Worst thing about Uni Uni is that it feels like a frat house basement. Everything is sticky from the floor to the tables.

The hype is real! Came here to treat myself to a tea tasting and highly recommend the experience if…read moreyou are curious to learn about tea facts/ history, like trying different high quality tea variations, or just want an excuse to feel cool while sitting in a cute tea shop:) Thoroughly enjoyed talking to the barista about the different tea variations I tried during the tasting; he was super knowledgeable and very friendly in answering all my questions. Loved getting to know more about tea accessories used during the tasting as well.

New tea house to the neighborhood of Little Italy! Fragrant, light, flavorful tea to start your…read moremorning or to enjoy during a work session. It was not busy when I visit so the service was fast. The teahouse also have a really cool decoration and makes you feel relax when you walk in.

While waiting in the stores to open yesterday I saw this and had to wait for them to open too!…read more Love these donuts and I've been missing them since we moved from Louisiana. Friendly staff, nice sitting area, and delicious mochi donuts! Next time I'll try a boba tea because they looked so yummy.

It tastes good but they forgot my brûlée on top and only gave us the pudding itself at first. And…read morethen when we asked them for the brûlée they just did it haphazardly and torched it for like 2 seconds.

Honestly wayy better than I expected. We need more of these places and learn from Asia!! It was…read morebetter than some of the boba stores I visited on my trip. No boba, but jellies and it's basically a giant refrigerator. Great service and chill price

Way too sweet and not customizable. Since there's plenty of empty slots, it'd be great if they can…read moreput in some options like "less sweet, half sweet, less sweet no boba, half sweet no boba, etc"

Really excellent dining in experience at Taipei. The bento boxes are LOADED with protein and sides…read more Easily enough for 2 meals for me! Their teas were delicious as well. We ordered via a tablet and received our order within 10 minutes. There were folks coming in and out during our dining. Very popular spot on Belmont! Limited seating, but turns over fast!

There are sparse Taiwanese options in Chicago, so when we came across Taipei Cafe when we were in…read morethe Lake View area, we were excited to drop by. The interior has 3 tables that can fit four, and there's also window seating that can fit three to four. While we were lucky enough that there was an empty seat, I can envision it filling up quickly. We got the popcorn chicken bento box and the beef noodle soup. You order at a QR code on the table, and the food comes out quite quickly afterward. The bento box options are great, as they come with veggies, rice, and an egg. The popcorn chicken was super crispy yet tender, and honestly really hit the spot. The beef noodle soup had super tender beef, however the broth tasted more like the pickled veggies rather than a beefy broth. I appreciated the additions of bokchoy and generous amounts of green onion nonetheless. As the weather starts to get colder, stopping by Taipei Cafe for an affordable, warm, and fresh meal sounds super appealing!

Came here on a Saturday by recommendation of a nearby store owner. I enjoy Taiwanese dishes and…read morethought to give it a chance. I ordered to go and it was just as simple as dining in - there was no wait and I was quickly greeted. The server did mention there are some items that were not included on dine out menu so that was good to note. I ordered the fried chicken bento box and a small Jasmine tea fruit juice. Both were prepared and provided in about 15 minutes. The waiting area was nice but can get crowded with incoming foot traffic. Be ware about parking in the parking lot as it's tight and I did witness like a couple of cars bump one another. The food was tasty, seasoned, and the portions were well worth it. I'd definitely return and dine in.

One of my favorite meals while visiting Chicago! It wasn't too busy and service checked up on us…read moreoften. We got the cucumber salad, popcorn chicken, and fried sweet potatoes to share for appetizers! I got the pork noodle soup for myself and ended the meal with a shared mango shaved ice dessert. I appreciated how the food was authentic with generous portions and overall, delicious. Everyone also liked their entree! Pork noodle soup was a lot more filling than I thought with flavorful broth.