My companions said this was the BEST boba tea they'd had in their lives. They make the boba in…read morehouse in a large vat that customers can see, and you watch as the baristas mix the warm boba with milk, including dairy free milk depending on which drink you order. The result is a drink with warm boba at the bottom and cool milk and ice at the top in addition to your flavors of choice. I had the brown sugar boba with oat milk, and I liked it. To make it non-dairy, I skipped the cream on top, so my drink looked a little different than the pictures, yet it was still yummy. The indoor tables are standing only which works well given the busy area. The staff is cordial and somewhat aloof but it works because the customers are literally watching them make the drinks which is a very fascinating process. The aesthetics of the store are minimal but still stylish. Most decor is white and black with pops of red here and there as the accent color, and everything is clean. No restroom unfortunately but that's common in this busy area. I would highly recommend visiting this store for the delicious drinks and the ambiance.

This place always smells amazingg, as they're constantly making brown sugar boba from scratch! XFT…read moreis perfectly situated on the corner of St. Marks with steady traffic throughout the day. I'm not a Brown Sugar Bubble Tea person, but their boba is honestly really yummy + has the perfect texture! I prefer fruit teas + so my go-tos are the Jasmine Green Tea or their Chrysanthemum Tea with Honey Jelly. The jelly adds a fun texture, while also adding sweetness, so keep that in mind. We also tried their new Dalgona Coffee Boba Milk Tea, which brought me back to COVID days where whipped coffee was trending - sweet bev! Love that XFT has been holding it down since COVID, as plenty of other boba shops have had to close in the area. Overall, a decent spot to grab a refreshing milk or fruit tea!

Out of all the cheese foams I've tried at HEYTEA, pistachio cloud might be my favorite. It's sweet…read moreand savory, smooth and nutty, and it enhances the floral note of their high quality king jasmine milk tea. And I just unlocked a secret hack: You can order the pistachio cloud (or any clouds!) separately, freeze it, and turn it into homemade pistachio ice cream. It tastes way better than store-bought pistachio ice cream (and cheaper!) This is my go-to HEYTEA location since it's close to my workplace. The staff are helpful and the drinks are usually ready within ten minutes even during lunch hours.

We stopped in last weekend for a "quick" drink order - which wasn't very quick. However, the people…read moreworking there need to be awarded because they were working on 45 drink orders at that time! And in our 20 minutes of waiting, the number did not drop. We got a Coconut Mango bloom and a Matcha Cloud - I do like the option of customizing ice and sugar levels - but I think there's no option to use a milk alternative for the milk based drinks. Both drinks were good - I personally preferred the coconut mango one. There's barely any space inside to wait - maybe that's why, online order and picking up is popular.

I'm a fruit tea lover over milk tea, so I've been wanting to stop by! Finally visited after the…read morehype died down, aka no long line outside, but the cafe was still BUSYYY! They're usually passing out free samples, which was what caught our eye! On this day, they were handing out their Osmanthus Oolong Tea with Mango. It was so refreshing that my friend had to order this one! He added Coconut Jelly to his bev (+$1.50!). I opted for something less syrup-forward + got the Honey Osmanthus Oolong Tea. In hindsight, I should've added a topping to give the drink a little something extra, but I still enjoyed my bev a lot, nonetheless. Everything is one size. While their bevs are on the pricier side (+$1.50 for toppings!!), their quality makes up for it. We waited ~15 min for our drink, as they freshly brew the tea as well, providing the authentic flavor. You can tell that they craft their drinks with care, which is what makes this place deserving of their Michelin Guide status! Would have come back to try something else!

Pretty good tea but feels overhyped. I wouldn't go out of my way to get this tea.... My heart…read morestill belongs to HeyTea. We ordered a grapefruit tea (3/5 didn't love it... ), classic fruit tea (3/5 slightly too sweet), and then tried some weird one - Lemon creamy tart (1/5) - it was not good. Price tag is pretty high. Order tea. Wait for tea. The whole process was about 15 mins... waiting for the tea took the longest. And with people standing all over makes it feel chaotic.

Dragon Tea Fantastic Taiwan Bubble Tea…read more My niece and I have been loyal fans of Dragon Tea for the past two years, and we're still completely obsessed! Lately, we've been going three days in a row, and every visit reminds us why we love this place so much. They offer a huge variety of flavors, and everything we've tried has been amazing. Our favorites so far: Strawberry Matcha Latte Passion Fruit Jasmine Green Tea Classic Jasmine Green Tea Bubble Milk Tea We always load up on toppings, and the tapioca balls are perfect--chewy, fresh, and totally addictive. The staff is super friendly and helpful. On one visit, the gentleman who helped us accidentally forgot the tapioca balls, but he apologized sincerely, and the next staff member went above and beyond to make it right with extra toppings and great service. That kind of care really makes a difference. We're planning to keep coming back all summer to try even more flavors. After two years, it still feels like a treat every time. If you're a bubble tea lover, Dragon Tea is a must-visit. Hands down one of the best in the city!

Being quite parched from walking around under the hot summer sun, I was quite desperate for some…read moreboba to cool me down. A quick Yelp search revealed Dragon Tea a few blocks away from me, so off I went. The store itself is pretty small, but there are a few seats available if you prefer to dine in. Additionally, the interior is clean, well-lit and inviting. Arrived during an off time, so my order was prepared pretty quickly. Ordered my usual go-to drink, Passion Fruit Jasmine Green Tea w/ boba. The juice and tea was very refreshing and definitely cooled me down (albeit briefly) from the relentless heat. And I enjoyed the boba and fresh passion fruit seeds as well. Given the boba was an added topping, I would have liked to have seen more boba added. However, they did add in some pieces of lychee which was a nice touch.

Amazing Creme (Croux) Puffs!!!…read more I got the green tea, black sesame, & earl grey. The cream filling is very generous and the pastry isn't too thick. Loved the outside flavoring. Each one was perfectly made and absolutely delicious. Would come back if ever in New York to try everything else! I still think of these cream puffs often!

Went to get their black sesame and match cream puffs, but looking at their pastry case, it was so…read moredifficult not to buy everything because they have so many cute options!! Especially the macaron with the llama face is the cutest pastry I have seen in a while. Both cream puffs were huge and filled generously with delicious creamy filling which wasn't sweet but had a very distinct black sesame and matcha flavor. The black sesame filling was runnier compared to the matcha one, but we liked them both. I would definitely come back to try their other cream puff flavors - especially the seasonal ones.

Solid teashop for boba in the NYU area, definitely doing the area a service and a reliable spot…read more Stopped by a few times in the summer for their citrus/summery drinks and found them to be exactly what I needed, refreshing, not too sweet, quick, and authentic. It's got some space to it with several chairs if you need to catch your breath for a second or just hang out with a friend. The staff were friendly and helpful in guiding us through the menu. There are rotating menu items, too. Would love to come back and try their regular boba milk tea to see where they stack, even though nowadays it's all about the teashops like HeyTea and Molly; this place is holding its own and hope it continues to stick around. It's also cutely decorated; lots of wood inside.

We ordered: 1. Wanpo Milk Tea…read more2. Guava Jinxuan Oolong Tea 3. Soybean Milk Tea Wanpo Milk tea was a solid black milk tea and the best. But guava oolong and soybean milk tea, even with less sugar, tasted like guava juice and soybean milk; not awful but disappointing. No issues with service. Order to-go only.

Need a spot that's buzzing with energy and gewd desserts? Grab a table and some deliciousness here!…read moreThe shave ice portions are ginormous and very flavorful. 3 orders were a great medley of flavors, but my party of 5 was too stuffed from Kbbq to finish it all. :( the staff go the extra mile with making sure the area isn't sticky and making sure everyone has what they need. Will be back to try the other desserts!!

Grace Street is one of the best places to get shaved ice cream in NYC. I cannot explain it, but the…read moretexture and flakiness of shaved ice cream (called shaved snow at Grace Street) is absolutely delightful in your mouth. Every time I visit NYC, I have to come here and get it. While the price is about 20$, it's absolutely worth it and they pile it high. It's meant to be shared, so make sure you come with your friends! Service is fast- they use a pager system to tell you when your order is ready to pick it up. While it's a little cold inside, it is extremely clean despite them serving lots of desserts everyday - there is someone who cleans all of the tables thoroughly. Cannot recommend more!

Peach season is back and so is my favorite peach drink…read more The Peach Cheese was full of big, juicy peach pieces. You can really taste the difference when drinks are made with fresh fruit. The Pineapple Bobo with coconut milk was another good one. Pineapple and boba worked surprisingly well together. Black Grape Cheese is still my go-to. I always get it with no sugar and it's honestly not sweet at all. Mango Sago is my husband's favorite. Even with no added sugar, it's still naturally sweet because the mango is so ripe. For fresh fruit tea in JC, this is still my favorite spot. Get the seasonal fruit drinks while they're available. And you might get lucky and see the cute guy working behind the counter.

more like a 3.5 out of 5 stars. i was in town for a business trip, and this place wasn't too far…read morefrom my hotel. I walked here about 30 mins before closing, and it was empty. Heads up, this place is extremely small, i don't even recall any area inside to sit. Think all orders here are for to go. When i arrived, i order via a kiosk and the person making the drink was able to make it fairly quickly. ended up getting a mango sago drink. most boba places i go to now, i typically order a version of a mango sago drink. guess i'm in my mango era. overall, decent place to get your milk tea / boba drink.