I visited this boba spot with my husband. There was only one employee working both the cashier and making the drinks. When I asked what the most popular drink was, the employee struggled with English and ended up responding with something unrelated. Despite the language barrier, he was friendly, tried his best, and was quick in preparing the drinks. We ordered a small KF Milk Tea with boba, 30% sugar, and less ice. Unfortunately, the flavor just wasn't what I expected--it lacked the creamy milk tea taste I was hoping for. This wasn't our first time here, and I remember the drink tasting better on our previous visit, which makes me unsure if I'll return again. It seems like most customers order their drinks to-go, though they do have seating available if you prefer to stay. read more

Kung Fu Tea - KF Milk Tea 30% Sugar, less ice - Bubble Tea Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

Tiny street-style place with varied menu. Gift cards only available through the app which makes it challenging to surprise people with gift cards. read more

Went in as the sign caught my eye... was going to try all of them. Only to discover that they don't honor the promo price. 1/29 and 2pm... so well within the promo hours. It's a shame. read more

Kung Fu Tea - Didn't honor promo price for product - Bubble Tea Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

This place had some of the best bubble tea!!! The staff is also always super friendly and helpful. Definitely check them out!!!!

This is the place for boba. The texture of the tapioca balls are on point. Simply the Best! Service is quick when not busy. They do offer small little plates almost tapa style. They have a variety of bobas. Nestled near Northwestern University, its the place to hangout bringing a nostalgic ambiance with its games like SORRY, Connect4, etc. You can play boardgames and simply catch up on convos with friends. I particularly love the Taro Milk Tea, 50% sugar, with extra tapioca, extra ice. Staff is super friendly and chippy. Its in downtown Evanston. Come check it out. Cheers & Enjoy! read more

See all

We we're driving around to find a great Bubble Tea place. We we're in Evanston, Illinois by the lake and craved bubble tea. This place has is small but has a cute and decorative interior. We thought the boba tasted good, and something we can walk around with near the lake. The cashier didn't speak English but was friendly and did his best to help us. We ordered and went on our way. I would recommend if you are looking for a little bubble tea on the go! read more

Kung Fu Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

Crit: I don't usually like writing lower starred reviews, but my drink was bad enough that I wanted to warn future me not to order it again. I got a Taro + boba slush from DoorDash. To be fair, I've never gotten a drink there in person. But this is the most mediocre bubble tea smoothie I've gotten. Sad to say. The flavor is very artificially sweet and the boba pearls taste burnt, so I decided not to eat them when they come up through the straw. And actually now that I've paused drinking to write this review, I won't be finishing the rest. It's just leaving an unpleasant taste in my mouth. Positives: - They followed my instructions to make it dairy free (yay!) - My drink was packaged carefully and showed up completely spill free - The cup is cute and the drink is a cheerful purple color It was fun to try a new place, but I'm gonna have to stick to Joy Yee for the good stuff. read more

Kung Fu Tea - Taro Slush with boba - Bubble Tea Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

If you are going to pay by a debit or credit card then they have a sign for you to use the Kiosk. The restaurant next door is owned by the same peeps that own "Kung Fu Tea" The restaurant directly east of "KUNG FU TEA" There is metered street parking in front and a ADA parking stall rather close to "Kung Fu Tea" front door. They have many games to play that customers may use. One of the games is 'connect four' read more

I continue to go back, so I owe you more stars than 3! I'd be happy to give 5 stars except we always end up with 1 cup that's not completely closed so we always experience a leak. I always end up ordering 4-5 drinks because it's my family fave. My go to drink is the Kung Fu milk tea with less ice, half sugar, and boba. Half sugar is still sweet enough! Covid quarantine times made me realize what my favorite food items are and Kung Fu Tea, oh how I have missed you. So glad to see you reopen again. read more

See all

OMG I don't think I have ever had boba this fresh. Just picked up milk tea tonight at 7:28pm on a Sunday! And the boba were warm and so soft in my red bean milk tea. So delicious. Had Strawberry Milk with Matcha milk foam. Can't wait to go back. read more

Ugh, we had a bit of a goofy experience at this store and with KFT's mobile app.  Wife and I were in the area, and it was a Tuesday afternoon, so we thought we would do the Tuesday BOGO promo shown on their mobile app (see photo) and which offered numerous winter melon flavored drinks for the Tuesday BOGO. Using the app though, the only products you could order were winter melon teas, but not the milk strike or milk cap, and we really didn't want caffeinated tea at 3pm. That was goofy item 1.  So I called the store and asked if they would honor the BOGO if I placed a walk-in order.  The helpful and empathetic attendant Julianne answered and told me sure.  So I went in to order and was told they could not do a milk strike as they didn't have the ingredients.  That was goofy item 2 I thought.  So I ordered 2 winter melon milk caps, but they made the drinks without boba and I only later realized they should have come with boba.  That was goofy item 3.  Overall, Julianne was friendly and helpful, but we might have had a confusing dialog on what drinks come with or without boba in the stated price.  Anyway, she asked me if I wanted boba in the milk caps, and I just said include whatever the BOGO deal includes, so I'm not sure why they left out the boba. The winter melon wouldn't normally be a flavor we would pick, and despite wishful thinking, it did taste like the name describes - like a cold winter melon soup taste, ugh, but we were hoping for something better and you never know til you try.  Wife and I both agreed boba would have helped the drink flavor.  Julianne was also nice in that she let me use a credit card for the $6.41 transaction despite their sign stating cash for transactions under $8.  Overall, despite the BOGO, this visit was a bust because KFT's own mobile app doesn't even let you use it for what's advertised (therefore no reward points also), and this store wasn't even prepared to make a milk strike.  I sent the mobile app feedback to KFT's feedback page and hopefully they will fix this annoying snafu for others.  This store btw occupies a small space and there's limited seating fyi. read more

See all

i go to the kung fu tea in the bay area and atlanta pretty frequently. decided to stop by this location while touring northwestern. pretty sure the prices are a bit higher here. i got the oolong milk tea, green milk tea, and kung fu milk tea all with less ice and 30% sweet. the boba was good consistency and chewy. 30% sweet is more than enough (KFT drinks run pretty sweet and you can tell they use fructose in my opinion). also tasted less creamy than usual (more watery) only frustrating thing is that they have a $8 credit card minimum and when i came at 12pm and wanted to use the kung fu tea rewards app, they said the system is closed until 1pm? found that kind of annoying since i was planning to use a gift card and a discount, but if it's the system i guess it's not their fault. read more

See all

I had a really funny experience as a longtime customer of Kung Fu Tea. I walk in, order an oolong milk tea with boba, lite ice, 50% sugar, and an avocado rice ball. The order is made quickly, and they charge me for boba, the usual. The place nowadays is messy, but the cashier used a mask. This time, however, I realize something's off. My total came to be $8.55 and on top of that, because I use my card, I get charged an additional 50 cents. Kung Fu Tea Evanston, I talked to the person working there and she told me this: Actually, we charge 50 cents if you use your card no matter what, even if you go above the $8 minimum. So, I tell this person working here that the multiple signs you have inside and outside the shop should really say: "We charge 50 cents for using a card, always" Not "$8.00 minimum OR 50 cents will be charged while using a card." That's false. I've been a longtime customer, purchasing from their many locations for 5 years, but I cannot respect this company any more after this incident. 50 cents may be small, but no customer should tolerate lying and false statements from ANY company, much less stealing money and overcharging. And later, not willing to fix it when they've been caught. I give it three stars because the drink itself was tasty, and the boba was soft and chewy. But the service was terrible and the signs completely misleading. Moreover, no stickers were used to reference "lite ice" and "50% sugar" and my drink was filled halfway with ice. I left feeling cheated and completely lied to. This is not okay, Kung Fu Tea. read more

Kung Fu Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

See all

More like Kung Flow Tea... Uh, uh, uh... It's been 10 minutes, and I'm DUE For another drink from Kung FU So now I'm going to rap for YOU And if it really sucks, just BOO So if you and your bf are THROUGH And you need something (someone) to DO Let me show you how my legend "GREW" And all my urban myths are TRUE Be glad your sister never KNEW What we did, or she'd want me TOO So do me like they do the DEW And I'll stick atop you like GLUE There is no taming of this SHREW I'll be the driver, you the SCREW You the river, me CANOE Me the foot and you my SHOE Me Roger Daltrey, you the WHO You Chinatown Houston, me LOU Me dictator, you my COUP You Nepal, me KATHMANDU You 80s radio, me CUTTING CREW You a doctor's office, me the FLU You the Synagogue, me the JEW You the toilet, me the POO Wait, what Anyway Those boys will have to join the QUEUE And wait until I'm done with YOU You'll bounce like a KANGAROO Cause we're lovers, not fighters like FOO And when we're done (in a day or TWO) After I've made your kitty MEW And after I've finally WITHDREW Then it's time to go to Kung FU! WHAT What to get: Lemon Black Tea With Tapioca! Or in winter: Any of the hot milk teas! Which milk teas are best: Honey Oolong! Oolong! Maybe Taro or Almond! The Kung Fu Fighters are one of my favourite bands. Their biggest hit was "Learn To Fu" but I also really love "Ever-oolong." I really like the Evanston location of KFT, and even though (gasp! shock!) there are only three Kung Fu Tea locations in the greater Chicago area (I mean San Antonio has four, so what's up CHI?), there is a very clear winner out of those three and it is right here. This is actually the only one that made me a good lemon black tea out of the three of them. In fact it was really good here, really mediocre in Chinatown, and really horrendous in Uptown. It's the only one which is a really great place to hang out as well. It's a lot more Suburban than the other two I guess. They have friendly service and it's comfortable, although (like both of the others, but maybe less so) parking can be a little tricky because it's right in the middle of Evanston, so you might have to use meters but it's not bad. If you do have to use meters and aren't sure how, let me know, I'll convert for you from feet and inches. Ohhhh. So definitely a good location of KFT and the best one in the Chicagoland area. Try the Lemon Black Tea with Tapioca as I said. And while it's somewhere between 4 and 5, it's closer to 5, and by the very low, disappointing Boba standards across Chicagoland, there's no doubt this is getting 5 stars. Also don't miss the nearby DB3 Donuts, some of the best Donuts in the entire country (check my review of that place), as well as the lovely views of the lake at the very-close-by Northwestern University campus. Now let's finish that Kung Fu rap, shall we: So like Britney and Tinache, I made you OOH And now I'll introduce you to something NEW I'll give you yummy Boba to CHEW That defines a five-star REVIEW Lemon Black Tea's what I'll give to YOU It has a lot to LIVE UP TO But I know you'll share my POINT OF VIEW Like the 90's web you'll scream YAHOO Palestine will hear you louder then NETENYAHU Who's big on Google but not on YAHOO Crap I just double-used YAHOO Oh well, Altavista's dead, Excite TOO And no, my income tax returns aren't TRUE But like Joey said, that point is MOO So before we get audited by internal REVENUE Let's go and get Boba from KUNG FU! (And let me know please when you're period's DUE) WHAT read more

See all

Love all the Kung Fu Teas! My order is always consistent and so yummy! This was the perfect end to our meal at Evanston! read more

Kung Fu Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

Came here to satisfy an afternoon bubble tea craving. They've got a good set up where you can order your drink from a tablet they have set up or you can order at the register - nice to have that option to decrease contact during covid. I'm a huge sesame fan so whenever I see it on the menu that's what I tend to try. I was impressed with their sesame matcha milk tea. Both flavors were distinct with every sip, it was lactose free (I believe) and the medium size was perfect to satiate my craving. My only disappointment was with the boba - it was super dense and gave my jaw a workout- I ended up scooping it out when I got home. I don't come a lot so unsure of it was an off day or that's how they make their boba but im willing to come back and try it again next time I'm in the area and craving some tea. read more

Kung Fu Tea - Sesame matcha - delicious tea. Bubbles not so great - too dense - Bubble Tea Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

I wish there was a Kung Fu Tea in the northern suburbs but until then I guess I'll be making the trip to Evanston. During covid they are staying opened safely. They are limiting the number of people inside the store as well as setting up kiosks so that you have less direct contact with employees. Service is always quick and I haven't had any problems with orders either. My go to drinks are Kung Fu milk tea (less ice and 50% level sugar), taro milk tea and passionfruit green tea with mango jelly. They have good snacks as well like the popcorn chicken and rice triangles with spam that come with a side of spicy mayo. read more

See all

The tapioca toppings were amazing here. It seemed like the two employees here were running the entire place during the evening rush. I would upgrade my review to 5 stars if they hire more employees. read more

We have gotten take out here 2x in the last month and we are fans for their blended smoothie boba drinks. So far we have tried mango, pina colada, and strawberry. If you like the "all natural" fruit flavor taste, this place is not really for you, but if you like the sah-weet artificial fruit flavors like we do, this is your place! They got a little slammed the first time we went 1pm on a Sunday and we waited a while for our called in order. Last Saturday we went around 1:30/2pm and it was super quick, no line, no need to call in an order. So not sure what the peak times are for the place but either way, worth the wait! read more

Claw machine only minimally rigged (non-heavy plush are achievable!), a very high standard when it comes to claw machines. Matcha Red Bean Slush is bomb. Student discounts are available and the staff are kind. read more

Kung Fu Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

Positives: * Workers greeted us very warmly when my friends and I walked in and were very attentive and friendly during our entire visit. * Menu was very well organized, easy to read, and full of flavor options as well as the option to customize the sugar and ice level in the drink. * The bubble tea itself was overall pretty tasty. Negatives: * Even though I ordered a "little" sugar (30%) in my drink, it still tasted almost as sweet as my friend's drink, which was 100% sugar. * Comparing it to other places that serve bubble tea (Joy Yee, Avalanche, Vivi's tea, etc.), the taste of the tea is average. read more

Kung Fu Tea - Taro Milk Bubble Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

When I crave milk tea, Kung Fu Tea is my go to spot. I love to just pop in, order, grab a drink and go. My experience here so far has been great and speedy. You have spend a minimum of $8 to use a credit card or else you get charge a 50 cent fee. They also have only one size for hot drinks. When I got my hot almond milk tea with tapioca, I saw the lid had a sip opening. For a quick second I wondered how you'd get to the tapioca but then I noticed there's a straw hole for the large straws! read more

Kung Fu Tea - hot almond milk tea with tapioca - Bubble Tea Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

Got a thai milk tea. Really good and refreshing. I'd definitely get it again. The guy who gave it to us was really kind too.

It is summer and you're outside. Whether you're out solo or with friends, it can get hot out there. If you're seeking to find a refreshing drink to cool you down, check in to Kung Fu Tea. Cold almond milk tea is my go to for a liquid treat. What's great about Kung Fu Tea is the variety of tea (there's almost 30 flavors) and the ability to customize your tea! You can add toppings like bubble, jelly, or beans in your tea. You can even control the level of sugar and ice as well. The drinks are about $4-5 depending on size. Kung Fu Tea is located in a high traffic area. It's seated directly across from Northwestern University and is a popular hangout spot for NU students and locals. You may have some difficulty finding a parking spot nearby but it's definitely worth a visit if you're in town. They are a year round establishment and hot tea is available if cold tea is not your thing. read more

See all

Beverages are always on point. Friendly environment been purchasing for 4 years now great customer service knows what I want as soon as I step in and never gets the order wrong always insisting on helping us great place would recommend 10/10 read more

I recommend the mango slush. I also appreciate how they have an ordering machine by the door. Nice taste though a bit pricey. read more

Very poor quality tea, ordered the milk green tea and tasted like milk with no green tea flavor at all. Went Val to the counter and asked if I could get a plain green tea instead but they wanted me to pay again (in cash) and won't even give refund for the crappy drink nor replacement! They charge 75 cents when using a card. I would never support such a cheap penny pinching business. read more

Kung Fu Tea - Green tea that looks and tasted like pure milk. - Bubble Tea Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

3.5 rounded up. Got my go-to Honey Oolong Milk Tea w boba. Boba was soft and chewy but the tea was sweeter than I expected for 50% sugar. Biggest complaint is the $8 credit card minimum and very limited seating. Otherwise, the staff was nice and service was fast. read more

Confession time: this review is based on the testimony of my daughter who insisted I give it five starts. I'm hedging a bit with four. They have a menu with a good amount of variety, and the sizes seem appropriate to their prices. Drinks are made fresh to order and are ready very quickly. I tried my daughter's drink and, even though I don't quite like boba, it tasted very good. read more

See all

Before walking into this Kung Fu Tea, check your wallet for cash if you're ordering less than $8 worth of stuff. Their debit/credit card minimum is set at $8, which is roughly equivalent to two (2) large drinks. Most "Kung Fu Tea" beverages are customizable for the amounts of sugar and ice. I totally forgot to ask for "half sugar" on my strawberry lemon green tea. It turned out to be alright because hubby and I were at the nearby Clark Street Beach and Dawes Park playing Pokemon Go. Seating is limited, but as I mentioned on the previous paragraph, beaches and parks are in proximity so you can definitely take your drinks to-go. This location is northeast from the CTA Davis Purple Line/Davis Metra stations. In other words, it's within a walking distance from public transportation. Metered parking near Marriott hotel/Burger King is free on Sundays. read more

Kung Fu Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

I love the boba here it's so good! I've only tried two of their teas but great things to say it's a must-try. It is a small place they do have like two tables outside. But the workers were friendly and have serious measures so everyone can feel comfortable while walking in to order during times like this. read more

See all

We were craving a bubble shake and wanted to try the new hot spot. Their teas are freshly brewed every 3 hours and the fruit juices are freshly squeezed. The menu was a bit overwhelming with many icons next to the items to represent caffeine free, contains gluten and best sellers. They have all sorts of teas, ice blended drinks and rolled Thai ice cream. Their large variety of interesting toppings of mainly jellies (herbal, aloe, fig, nata) are $0.50 each. You can choose from 6 sugar levels from none to extra sweet and 3 ice levels from regular to none. We ordered a large passion fruit slush with bubbles (tapioca) and herbal jelly. The bubbles and herbal jelly filled half of the cup. The passion fruit slush tasted good, but it was more liquid than ice. We were not a big fan of the taste of herbal jelly. We finished the passion fruit rather quickly, but we were not able to finish the rest because it turned into a overly sweet black jello. We'll return to try the Thai ice cream, but will definitely skip the toppings on the drinks. read more

See all

Came in for National Bubble Tea day as Kung Fu Tea was having a special. The place of course was busy. Consistent bubble tea here, you can order sweetness level as well. The boba is an extra charge in the drinks. The sizes are decent sized too for mediums. Lots of bubble tea flavors to choose from. read more

See all

Went here for the first time recently because my sister had said they had pretty good boba tea. I got the oreo slush and matcha milk cap while my sister got the matcha milk strike and taro milk tea, all with bubbles. They gave very generous amounts of bubbles and they had a very good texture to them. Overall the flavors were good but they all were a little too sweet for me. You can customize the drinks and decrease the sugar level so I will probably try this the next time I go but the defaults were definitely overpoweringly sweet. I like the wide variety of options and customizations you could do to all the drinks and I will definitely be coming back to try some other flavors. read more

Kung Fu Tea - Matcha milk strike, matcha milk cap, taro milk tea, Oreo slush - Bubble Tea Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

They take plastic!!!!!!! Yes!!!! As I usually walk around cash poor...I tend to have to scrape up change for the location in Chinatown.....but not here....I can get a drink, a snow cream, and even get a drink for a friend or 2. I know I'm excited, it's the little things in life that make me happy. I haven't had any issues with service and appreciate the customization aspect of being able to adjust sugar level and add in's. Parking is usually available on the street but depending on time of day might warrant driving around a couple of times. Not a whole lot of seating but most of the times I've been there I order my drink and go. There are times where I have seen small groups hangout....but then again for some reason I think I tend to go here when it's cold outside....below freezing. read more

This is a review of the Evanston location. I mobile ordered at noon and when I arrived there was a handwritten sign on the door that said it would open at 2 pm on Labor day. I called three times with no answer. So I went to the Glenview location to get my drink. Glenview is always great and keeps their hours updated on the app When I finally got through to the Evanston location to get a refund, they said they could not do so because they made the drink and I should come and get it. Umm, no. read more

Another city, another Kung Fu tea. this chain of boba tea is all over the place and you can expect the same quality of boba as he would anywhere else. This is the level of consistency that you can come to expect, just like you would at any other Starbucks or McDonald's. this location is situated near northwestern University in Evanston and it is staffed adequately. it was not too busy when we got there but I had to self clean the table at which I ended up sitting at, which was a little bit of a turn off. I shouldn't have to clean a table if there are already workers present. I got the taro milk tea and I was able to customize to have less ice and less sugar, which made it better. I don't enjoy overly sweet things and as the weather was a little chilly I chose to have less ice in my drink. My friend's got the long milk tea, which she mentioned is not available anywhere else and added tapioca to her drink. She mentioned that beat tapioca was overly done and was she, and that is definitely not something that I appreciate. Pricing is okay, $4 for a small milk tea if you don't add anything else, a little bit more if you do. before Warren that they will be an extra charge of $0.50 if you choose to do a credit card under $10 so you might as well combine your orders with your friends and then venmo them later read more

Kung Fu Tea - Taro milk tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

I ordered the regular milk tea and it was good until I found a bug stuck to the inside of the cup... Also the boba isn't as soft and chewy as the kungfu tea on Broadway in Chicago. read more

Kung Fu Tea - Bug in my cup. - Bubble Tea Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

Kung Fu Tea is the most accessible and recognizable boba spot in the Chicagoland area. I have a long history with the Evanston location in particular and, like many other reviewers, I have noted the extreme decline in quality service since they got rid of all their student workers in 2015. Back then, the atmosphere and vibe of this location was unmatched, and was one of my favorite places to hang out at. Ultimately, with a franchise like KFT, the bottom line always wins out, and the college kids were pushed out and replaced with salaried workers from Chinatown. Like any other KFT, the drinks are passable and enjoyable if you're not expecting a huge level of quality. For certain boba addicts that spend hours posting boba memes on Subtle Asian Traits and spending 20 Gs a year on boba, KFT is never going to be a top tier boba spot. But it is okay. I'm not too fussy about my boba; I definitely drink a lot less boba than I did in my undergrad days, perhaps only indulging once a month, if even. KFT is the perfect match for that occasional craving. My favorites to this day remain the classic oolong milk tea, the passionfruit green tea, and the strawberry milk slush. Occasionally, if I want something sweeter, I will indulge in a taro slush or a brown sugar milk. For toppings, the classic honey boba or pudding are my favorites with milky drinks, and I never get anything aside from nata jelly for fruity drinks. The food as well is such a guilty pleasure. Mainly the popcorn chicken; I absolutely love KFT's popcorn chicken. However, this location is a bit inconsistent with the seasoning. I generally either get the garlic or the spicy seasoning, and each time I've gotten it, it's been varying levels of seasoning each time. Most of the time it's just right, but other times there's too much or too little seasoning. It would be nice to have a little more consistency. I've tried the snow ice maybe once, not enough to form a great opinion on it. But it was good from what I can remember. I suppose my main complaint here is the service, and mostly in comparison to what it used to be. If you knew how it was when the Evanston location first opened, you would understand how disappointed a lot of veteran KFT patrons are since they stopped employing college kids. If you're just in and out and get your boba in five minutes, then this probably won't be an issue for you. I guess it just makes me sad knowing that the atmosphere is so sterile and cold compared to what it was several years ago. There used to be such a genuine warmth and enthusiasm back then, and it was honestly such a happy place to be. I've long moved on from KFT as my staple boba spot, preferring instead locations such as T-Baar and Bingo Tea. I get boba at this location whenever I'm craving it and I'm in the area, but it's always a little bittersweet because it's a far cry from what it used to be. If you don't care about atmosphere and service, then KFT will do you just fine, because the drinks and food have not suffered in the almost 6 years since it opened. If you start coming here after the employment changes, then it will probably be fine for you too since that's what you've known. Bottom line is, it used to be a lot better in my opinion, and seeing the state of it today is disappointing for me. read more

SERVICE: 5/10 I've been back here and they messed up my order. I got the hot milk tea but was given cold tea. read more