Seattle-Area Boba Shop Review #80 After a poor boba experience at the Capitol Hill location, I wasn't expecting much out of Meetea Cafe in Redmond. Still, since this is the only non-chain boba shop in Redmond, and I was in the area for an event, I decided to give it a chance. The menu at this location is a bit different, since it doesn't allow tea selection for the milk tea at the kiosk. There are two kiosks even though I doubt this place gets too busy, given that it was just after lunch at 1PM on a Sunday, and there was only one other party inside. Boba Milk Tea, 30% Sweet, 50% Ice w/ Boba ($6.75) - The milk tea is a very pleasing almost orangish color that's actually quite a fragrant, tasting more similar to a Ceylon than an Assam that most other boba shops use. There's a caramelized milky sweetness to the drink, like they use pure condensed milk as a sweetener. It all combines together to give vaguely Hong Kong-style milk tea notes. At 30% sweet, it's pleasingly only slightly sweet, much better than the harsh sweetness at 50% from the other location. Note this drink comes with boba by default, but I wasn't paying attention and ended up adding additional boba (adds 75 cents). At least, I think there was an additional order in the cup, given that it seemed to be a larger amount of boba than is usual. The boba is surprisingly pretty good. While the pearls are smooth, not that sweet, and are a bit inconsistent in size, they have a surprisingly good bounce and the chew is quite good, albeit a tiny bit on the firm side. Overall much better than what I received on Capitol Hill. Milk Tea Rating: 4/5 Boba Rating: 4.5/5 I was really surprised at the quality of the drink I received at this Meetea location. I would happily return for boba any time I'm in Redmond. Bathrooms - One unisex room read more

Meetea Cafe- Redmond - Drink - Desserts Near Me - Redmond, Washington

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I came here around 8:30 to get some boba with my friends but they were out of boba! That's fine, I like lychee as well. Look at the photo, I work at a boba place as well and the lady could not even give me a full scoop of lychee jelly... how stingy can you be.. you can barely see the amount she even gave me... On top of that, when I ordered my drink, iced green tea with creama and lychee jelly, she handed me the wrong drink, just a regular green milk tea with lychee jelly and when I asked her about to she replied in a bit of a snarky way saying that's the drink I ordered even when it literally says in my receipt what I had ordered. Perhaps this is why she was really stingy with my toppings, but I don't think I was in the wrong... Although this is only one bad experience out of multiple good experiences, I don't think I'd risk coming here again especially when boba prices have been increasing... read more

Meetea Cafe- Redmond - Green tea with creama and lychee jelly - Desserts Near Me - Redmond, Washington

This place was decent - a clean atmosphere and good location. We ordered via the kiosk as intended but also didn't receive much acknowledgement from the staff. Our tea was good, great texture boba and not too sweet, but it did take a surprisingly long time to get, given there were only a few drinks in front of ours. A solid drink, just longer wait times and neutral staff experience. read more

I got Boba Green Milk Tea with Creama, which was just right. It's $7, which is a bit cheaper than most boba places. The girl who was working on a Saturday by herself was very nice. read more

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All three fruit teas were quite watery and barely had tea flavor. Orange tea - tasted like watered down orange juice with pulp Grapefruit passion tea - was missing the passion fruit as far as we could tell. The worst of the three - mostly tasted like water with grapefruit pulp. Power lychee tea - tasted like watered down lychee juice, with some lychee pulp. Very faint tea flavor. Service - order from tablet or directly with cashier. But there were only 2 drinks ahead of us and one online order, but it took 25 minutes to get our drinks? read more

Meetea Cafe- Redmond - Power lychee tea - Desserts Near Me - Redmond, Washington

Service is very helpful. They help provide options to try and let you know even before you start ordering if they are out of certain ingredients. The tea actually tastes like tea rather than powder. The drinks aren't too sweet. 0% sugar is actually 0 and will be bitter. I get 30% sweet and it still doesn't taste like a sweet drink, which I like. read more

So I saw a lot of reviews about that place and I was very excited where I was going to this place. Unfortunately my experience was not good as I expected. My drink wasn't like on the picture on the menu and I was really confused about that. Cus on the picture you see the one drink but you got the opposite one so it was not good. Another thing is that the service was kind of slow? Like my drink was really only in another 15 minutes which is kind of slow. Also I think the lady didn't even know what was the ingredient for my drink and when I asked her like a simple question she was really struggling to answer. So yeah the tea was not that bad but my experience was really bad. read more

Meetea Cafe- Redmond - Mango Passionfruit Tea - Desserts Near Me - Redmond, Washington

Found this cute little Boba shop on a walk with my dog. Very cute sitting area with a lot of light. Very cute for a coffee date. Amazing customer service, fast and speedy. He was very sweet and even offered my dog a treat. They have a lot of different options, milk teas, regular fruit teas and slushy. They also have breakfast sandwiches and little pastries. I got a mango passion tea with 30% sugar. I really liked it a lot! They do use fruit cause it was a bit on the sweet side for me, plus I got chunks of passion fruit and mango. Not a lot but a good amount. Next time I will do 0% and let the fruit sweeten it. read more

Meetea Cafe- Redmond - Mango Passionfruit Tea - Desserts Near Me - Redmond, Washington

Meetea has a great choice for boboa. The taste is good. Nominal charge. Great service. Nice ambiance to hangout with friends.

Parking is not the easiest since it's street parking but if come during non-rush hour, it's not hard to find. The store is relatively small, but there's space for seating if you decide to sit inside. We ordered the black sesame slush and I got it at 30 percent sugar. It was sooooo good. I love black sesame and they definitely did such a good job with the drink. I haven't tried anything else, so I can't comment on their boba and milk tea. But if you like black sesame, definitely try out their slush read more

Cute little boba spot across from redmond park. All orders are placed on tablets which I don't always prefer as it results in little to no human interaction but, if that's your jam this is your spot I ordered the taro milk tea with boba, definitely hit the spot and I also enjoyed their packaging with rounded bottom cups. Price point is comparable to your chain boba places such as sharetea or happy lemon. If you're in the area or headed to the park, solid boba spot to get your fix read more

Meetea Cafe- Redmond - Taro Milk Tea with boba - Desserts Near Me - Redmond, Washington

If it wasn't for Yelp, I may never have discovered Meetea Cafe in Redmond. It is on the first floor of the Ravello apartment complex in a corner that is easy to miss if you're not actively looking for it. Despite its covert location, four other customers visited at the same time as us on a Friday at 2:30... an ideal time for afternoon tea! Upon entering, we stepped up to a self-ordering kiosk and selected a Boba Milk Tea, Green Tea Cheese Creama, Cheese Red Bean Toast and Taro Sauce + Pork Floss Toast. There are only two kiosks, so the entrance can get pretty congested as the café is already on the smaller end with just a few tables and counter seating. The ordering process also minimizes interaction with the staff which felt a bit odd. When your order is ready, an automated voice calls your number to pick it up at the counter. While fairly efficient, atmosphere of this tea shop didn't give me the warm fuzzies. With our drinks and toasts in tow, we headed back to our car and dug into our toasts first. Both consisted of toasted white bread pressed together like a panini with a scoop of filling in the middle. We weren't huge fans of either toast, but between the two, I preferred the one with pork floss. The fluffy pork floss was slightly sweet and salty which paired well with the sweet and nutty taro sauce on top. The cheese red bean toast was extremely messy and they used whole beans which were pretty bland. A red bean paste would have been way better. The cheese aspect of the filling tasted like a cheesecake, but it was super thin and kept spilling out of the bread. As for my Green Tea Cheese Creama ($4.50 + $0.50 boba), it was quite strong at first sip. The combination of 50% ice and 0% sugar was great as the boba was already sweetened as well. At most places, tea with a cheese cap is typically served with a lid that has a sip opening. However, Meetea uses the plastic film covering for all drinks, so I vigorously stirred in all the cream to ensure it wouldn't be the only thing left in my cup once I finished the tea. My companion found her Boba Milk Tea ($4.50) disappointing as it tasted mainly of milk and the tea was very weak. We both thought the boba had a nice chew, but noticed that it was slightly hard in the center, so it may have been a bit undercooked. We would return in the future to give their drinks another try, but do not consider the toasts worth ordering again. read more

Meetea Cafe- Redmond - Green Tea Creama w/ Boba & Boba Milk Tea - Desserts Near Me - Redmond, Washington

Meetea you've got my attention. I enjoyed trying some new bubble tea here, they have unique flavors, and it is a order yourself type of iPad situation. I would recommend trying the toast dessert they offer, while it is a little bit pricier for a simple piece of bread dessert, it did taste good and it was not too sweet and really enjoyable. You can customize what percentage of sweetness you want on their drinks, and the drinks are made quickly. Definitely a new spot to visit in the future. read more

Meetea Cafe- Redmond - Boba Taro Dirty Milk with Creama Lychee/strawberry slush - Desserts Near Me - Redmond, Washington

After a fun sushi night, my friends and I were craving something sweet to wrap it up. We rolled into Meet-Tea around 8 PM, hoping for some good vibes and great boba. Instead, we got attitude and awkward energy from the guy working the counter -- glasses, tattoos, and an overwhelming sense of "I don't want to be here." The moment we walked in, we were greeted with a passive-aggressive "Always at the last hour," like we were a burden just for existing. Not the warm welcome you'd expect from someone being paid to do, well, customer service. We tried to lighten the mood and asked him what his favorite drink was. His reply? "They're the ones with stars on the menu," in an annoyed tone. Cool, but we asked you, not the screen. It didn't stop there -- more dismissive comments like "typical," and even a sudden profanity-laced rant that came out of nowhere. My friends and I just stood there blinking, unsure if we were on a hidden camera show. To top it off, another customer came in who had ordered online, and the employee tried to speak Chinese to them -- even though they were clearly speaking English -- and seemed annoyed when they didn't respond in kind. Look, we're pretty chill people. But this guy managed to take a simple boba run and turn it into an uncomfortable, weird interaction none of us want to repeat. If you hate working the late shift, that's valid -- but please don't take it out on the people keeping the lights on. We won't be back, and we definitely won't be recommending this place to anyone. Here's hoping the guy finds a job (and some peace) that better suits him -- maybe with fewer customers. read more

Late night boba run, the only one opens till 9 in the Redmond area. Thank goodnes!!! The staff prepared my drink really fast. read more

Meetea Cafe- Redmond - Desserts Near Me - Redmond, Washington

Stopped by after dinner with a friend and we wanted something sweet. The location is pretty clean and when you walk in there are Ipads where you place your order when you are ready. They do have some seating inside but with COVID you should make sure if they are allowing seating when you go. Otherwise, you will have to do takeout. My friend ordered the Avocado smoothie and I ordered the Mango Slush. They were both really good and it wasn't too sweet like some places are. You can also choose the amount of sweetness you want. I have noticed that a lot of bubble tea places are starting to do that as well. We highly recommend Meetea Cafe. We'll definitely be back. read more

Wanted some boba after dinner so found this place on Yelp. I don't see a lot of places with purple rice so decided to try it out. Purple rice green milk tea - the green milk tea was so bitter. I think the batch of the green tea was old. I was extremely disappointed. I ordered a 16oz but the cashier charged me for a 20oz so I ended up getting 20oz of bitter tea. Purple rice was good but that was it. Taro milk tea - the taro milk tea was what you'd expect at a quickly's or tapioca express but still better than the purple rice green milk tea. The boba was overcooked and super gooey. read more

Meetea Cafe- Redmond - Purple Rice Green Milk Tea & Taro Milk Tea - Desserts Near Me - Redmond, Washington

I just discovered this bubble tea place yesterday and have been there twice already! As a self-proclaimed boba snob (lol), it's so good that this just might be my new all-time favorite! So far I've tried three drinks, the grapefruit slush, the strawberry lychee slush and the coconut milk with sago and purple rice. All three are winners! The grapefruit slush was very bright and refreshing, and it came loaded with pulp! I ordered half sweet, so it was tart but in a good way. I don't like too sweet, but this one seems safe to do at full sugar. The strawberry lychee was outstanding at half and full sweet. To be honest, I couldn't tell the difference between the levels, but I had them a day a part, so you can't go wrong! The coconut milk drink was perfect also. The add ins really gave it a nice texture and it wasn't too sweet of artificial like other coconut drinks from elsewhere can be. Really liked this a lot as well. For both slushes, I asked to substitute purple rice as the add in. While I love boba, I love purple rice even more. As their staff advised me, I selected a topping on their order system and then wrote in the notes that I wanted purple rice. I also told the staff their as well in case they didn't see. This really made the drinks perfect. Meetea, I hope you will add in purple rice as an option in your system for all your drinks, that's my only flag. Other than that, I'll be back, a lot. Probably a scary number of times, if I'm honest with myself! read more

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A cute place for boba tea & snax! Also, you can find Read Local Eat Local poetry cards here!

I visited in Oct 2019, so the menu and experience may differ now. When I tried it, the boba was average to below average. Which is fine but there are multiple Taiwanese boba franchises in Redmond now so it's difficult to justify choosing them when Happy Lemon, YiFang, and ShareTea are a few blocks away. The part that left me confused about their authenticity was their 1. boba toast food offerings and 2. milk based desserts. I'm a firm believer in attempting new desserts with boba but this boba toast wasn't it. It made no sense to add boba to warmed up bread and it obviously isn't worth the price. Not pictured but we also tried a milk based dessert that was served in a bowl with some classic taro balls or rice balls in it. Very confusing since the base was literally just unflavored lukewarm milk, usually such desserts are served in a mango purée, purple rice, or coconut milk. Seems like consumers in the greater Seattle area are aware of what good Asian desserts should be like and yet they presented the worst version of them. Service was a little slow but friendly, back in 2019 they had just opened. The decor resembled an upscale tea room, all white everything. If you ever see boba toast at a boba place-- run. read more

Meetea Cafe- Redmond - Boba Milk Tea, Cheese Boba Toast - Desserts Near Me - Redmond, Washington

Was looking to have a good cold boba around the place and this was the only cafe open at that time so we visited. Parking is on the street only. Nice sitting space inside good for small as well as big groups. Seeing the worn off face of the barista I ordered:- Taro Milk Tea:- With 50% sweetness, I knew I wont be getting a good boba topping so I did not even ask for it. The drink tasted of taro flavored water. Was milk even added? Wouldn't have come here seeing the reviews, wish businesses would close a little later so the options are not such. read more

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Been going to Meetea for the past 2 years. The food there is minimal, more like sweet treats. The drinks there are great, and so is the comfy modern ambiance. I will say however, that the prices and service could be better. The prices have gone up quite a bit over the past year, and the employees change quite a bit, meaning that they may not like their work and/or may not be paid enough to care as the service can be quite stale, but I understand since I am a minimum wage worker myself. Will I come here again? There's a chance since I live nearby and the drinks are good. Would I recommend it? Eh, maybe. read more

Came here on a Sunday afternoon when it was empty. Took a good 20 minutes to get our order of 2 drinks and 4 toasts. The kids found their ham and cheese toasts to be hard to eat and when I checked, the hard, waxy "casing" - like what you get on sausages was still on the ham I mean... come on... on both toasts! The cheese and red bean toast did not have cheese in it. The "cheese" was some soupy white sauce thing - maybe milk? It was so runny, it overflowed and dripped all over the floor after I took my first bite. Was expecting something more cheesy. Same thing for the taro sauce with pork floss. Drinks were not bad though, so I suggest sticking with the drinks if you're going to try this place. read more

Meetea Cafe- Redmond - "Cheese" and red bean toast - Desserts Near Me - Redmond, Washington

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This is probably my favorite dessert place in Redmond right now. It has a potential for 5 star in my opinion but there's definitely room for improvement. I came here 3 times in the past week and it has been inconsistent: 1st visit: the server was really nice and helpful. He spent about 5-10 minutes helping us familiarize the menu and making suggestions and stuff. However, when we made our order, he realized that they were out of everything we wanted...so I didn't get anything and left pretty disappointed. 2nd visit: came here late and was able to order the boba toast as well as the coconut latte with purple rice. Everything was delicious and service was fast. The boba toast was super yummy and flavorful. The drink was smooth, not too overpowered by the coconut and the purple rice was a nice touch. 3rd visit: we decided to try the pork floss toast with taro sauce and the ginger with brown sugar latte. The pork floss toast was ok, it would have been better if there was more filling inside. You barely get the pork floss, mostly the taro sauce. The drink was good, not too much ginger but enough. Service wasn't as good today, they were slow and they probably try to make our order fast because we were waiting so it wasn't up to par. Price and quality is standard. Overall though, definitely would come back again to try other things on the menu read more

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I was running errands in the area and discovered this place on Yelp. Very unassuming place since it's a small shop on the ground floor of an apartment building. Parking is basically street parking or the bank across the street on weekends. The slots are small so be aware. I liked the decor of the place. It's warm and simple. Ordering is done on a kiosk and the interface is pretty simple and easy to navigate. The prices are on par with other shops of this type for the bubble tea. The food items were a bit pricey for what you get. These types are shops are fairly common so it's important for them to stand out to be a place to go to unless you're a local and just loyal to the shop that's near by. That being said, I was underwhelmed. It's not a shop that I would drive out to go to. The smoothies that we had lacked flavor. Granted I lowered the sugar level as I typically do and maybe next time I'll try it at 100% sugar level to see if it's better. But it just lacked flavor in general. They didn't taste bad at all but they were just meh. The "toast" was really got my attention to try the place. Seeing other yelpers post pics got me interested. Let's start by saying, it's toast. They use franz bread so that part of it is just whatever but the filling is what makes them stand out. We had the cheese purple rice toast. Texture was great. I'm a sucker for the cheese pull factor. The outside layer had a nice crunch. The flavor of the filling was good but not amazing. Above average but again not anything I would go out of my way to have. Overall I may go back if I'm in the area and worth a try if you're craving something like this while visiting. There is a nice park across the street so that may be something to consider while hanging out with your family. read more

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Another cute and cozy find in Redmond. Service was quick and friendly. I ordered a simple Milk Tea which was decent. I will have to come back to sample some treats. read more

Meetea Cafe- Redmond - Desserts Near Me - Redmond, Washington

Tastes sweet and good I like the jelly Does not look that good but tastes good I guess there is condensed milk in it read more

Meetea Cafe- Redmond - Taro Ball Milk Bowl No.1 - Desserts Near Me - Redmond, Washington

Update on Meetea parking can be hard We were able grab a parking spot across from the store. We got four drinks. The Family 1 & 2, the Mango Lovers (small) and Mango slush. This store makes very tasty drinks. These drinks have some nice ingredients too. Some not found in other shops. read more

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Love the selection and quality! Hot ginger boba is my favorite and the bowl selection is great!

Great Boba! I highly recommend this place! Best Boba that I have had in a long time! read more

Meetea Cafe- Redmond - Boba Green Milk Tea with Creama! - Desserts Near Me - Redmond, Washington

One of the most comfortable Boba locations in Redmond. 3 mins from the town center sits this small shop next to 162ten apartments with outstanding staff enjoyable beverages and amazing macarons. A helpful staff member named Nikhil welcomed me in and gave an amazing experience. Will definitely return for future visits. read more

Meetea Cafe- Redmond - Desserts Near Me - Redmond, Washington

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Came in on a cold and rainy classic PNW day looking for something sweet. Went with the boba cheese toast and a grapefruit slush to wash it down. They do the self ordering system with two tablets up front but the lady behind the counter was friendly and explained their offerings. The boba cheese toast was carby, sugary, and gooey. Not something you should eat everyday but tasty. The drinks had some customization, but wished it was more options like 30% sugar/ice instead of 50% or 100% only. The decor is bright and inviting and service was great. I'd be back to try some of their other desserts. read more

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I heard they had taro lattes, so I was all up in that! I love all things taro, so was excited to check out Meetea Cafe to get my taro fix. Yet, I found my taro latte to be A-OK. Meetea Cafe is located in downtown Redmond, right across the downtown park. Street parking right out front of the cafe was easy to find. I walked in and the place wasn't too busy. The staff was working on takeout orders when I walked in, but it didn't take long for me to get my order after payment. Once you walk in, you can order on the tablet, which was easy to use, and helps with minimizing contact during the outbreak. They also have a screen where you can watch when your order is ready, and see the orders ahead of you. Very convenient. I ordered a taro latte with sweet potato. It was definitely something different, mostly because it had tiny cubes of sweet potato on the bottom. I do like sweet potatoes, but I wasn't a fan of it in this drink. Perhaps it was because I didn't taste as much of the housemade taro that I anticipated, and instead, tasted more sweet potato than anything. The sweet potato texture was also a little grainy, kind of like that taste when something is frozen then is microwaved to heat up. I most likely wouldn't order this drink again, since it wasn't as much of that taro flavor I had hoped for. The menu features a solid list of different drinks, including milk teas, crema and blended drinks. They also have a lot of different desserts, like taro bowls, toasts and normally have a display case of cakes. I'll have to try Meetea Cafe again for a dessert and a different drink. read more

Meetea Cafe- Redmond - Tablet for ordering - Desserts Near Me - Redmond, Washington

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2nd time ordering from here and still not impressed with what they offer here. The taro bowl is really a joke where the handmade taro ball doesn't taste like anything and there's just a weird coconut milk taste. Their tea smells great but the toppings are mediocre: bobas are hard, egg puddings don't have that egg flavor, and grass jelly doesn't have that herbal taste. The only thing good here is the price (5.50 for a drink with 5 toppings) but that's it! read more

Meetea Cafe- Redmond - Desserts Near Me - Redmond, Washington

First time tried this store and I guess I will still come back sometimes. This stores applies self order, but I did not see the machine and no one talked me until I was about to order. Yet, the lady was still pretty nice. I ordered the taro and sweet potato fresh milk tea 50% sugar. The sugar level was good to me but the taro flavor was not strong enough, which also means they use fresh taro. Parking was not too difficult to find. read more

Meetea Cafe- Redmond - Taro Handmade Taro & Sweet Potato Latte* **added creama - Desserts Near Me - Redmond, Washington

We stopped by when we saw the grand opening sign. They clearly still have some kinks to work out but service was great and super friendly. I ordered a taro tea with Boba but wanted it blended and even though it wasn't on the menu they made it for me. Menu had some interesting options that I have never heard of before so ordering was a bit confusing but we enjoyed what we got.will have to come back to test out the rest read more

Meetea has air conditioning! There is also a fast and easy self ordering system with three tablets available. I liked my passion fruit mango tea, and you could tell that the sweetness was actually adjusted down a notch (sometimes I feel that 50% still tastes pretty sweet). Would recommend coming here! read more

Meetea Cafe- Redmond - Mango Passionfruit Tea - Desserts Near Me - Redmond, Washington

Meetea Cafe was recommended to me by a few friends of mine who constantly insisted on me trying it. I tried their classic milk tea w/ popping boba, which was a HUGE mistake as you should not pair popping boba with a milk tea. The second time I got their Taro Milk Tea w/ Purple Rice but I was still slightly disappointed. The third time, I tried a different approach and got their Power Lychee Tea w/ Popping Boba and Cheese Creama. Honestly... that drink was AMAZING. It was the best boba I had tried from a spot that wasn't Bobae Coffee & Tea in a long time. My advice: Get their Fruit Teas rather than their Milk Teas and try their cheese toasts. Service was average, not bad, not outstanding. Ambience was good for a bubble tea spot though, comfortable seating with plush pillows, making it welcoming for customers. The only bubble tea spot I would say has a better ambience would be Don't Yell At Me, but ambience was quite satisfactory. Something I really like on their website is their menu design as it is really appealing and a decently large size. Overall, I am giving Meetea Cafe a 4-star instead of a 5-star because it can still do better. read more

Came here after a long walk, they are ok. Its good to try something new while I am in the new area. The toast with black rice and milk is so so, the black sesame is good , it's something new that I tried. Service is good and very friendly. The place looks brand new and inviting. I will be back though and try something different next time. read more

Meetea Cafe- Redmond - Cheese Purple Rice Toast - Desserts Near Me - Redmond, Washington

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The French bulldog pillows won me over at first. This shop is so cute! I love the interior design and that you can walk in and order you drinks on the iPad. The downside to this place is the location because it is so hard to find street parking! But once inside, there's plenty of room and also bar stools along the front. The grapefruit slush was amazing! The best slushie I've had. Even with 50% sweet it was still pretty sweet so next time I'll probably go down more. But they include real pulp at the bottom and the cups are round and so cute. The boba costs .50 cents more and I definitely won't recommend it. It had a very odd taste to it and so I won't be getting those next time. read more