So glad to hear that one recently opened up in Houston. Would LOVE to take my cousins here one day…read more Environment/Atmosphere - Super crowded when we got here, but the lines moved fast, and there was a kiosk to self-order if you didn't want to wait in line for the cashier. One of my favorite things was how fragrant the space smelled while I waited for my boba. You could tell there was an exceptional tea aroma lingering despite all the cream and sweetness. The place was exceptionally clean for being so busy, and the workers consistently cleaned as they made the drinks, so you knew you could trust the sanitation here. Drink Design - I have to make a separate comment on how CUTE these drinks were. I loved the intentional sticker placement over the lips and the little carrying handle. You could tell they went the extra mile to make these drinks not just flavorful, but an experience in and of themselves. Even their receipt paper felt luxurious. That sounds ridiculous to point out, but the thought behind every aspect of this place is impeccable. High Mountain Pouchong Tea w. Lemon Juice & Mousse (Creamy Lemon Tart) - After all the sugar I had today, this lemony drink hit the spot with its perfect tartness. The cream had bits of lemon zest in it, adding to the aroma. I tried to adjust the sweetness when I ordered and was told it had a built-in sweetness, but if I found it too sweet, they would happily switch it out for another drink. I felt like I was dealing with Amazon's generous return policy--and luckily, the drink was perfect, so no return was needed! Creamy Mango Tart - Literally like the Lemon Tart, but mango. I loved this just as much and really enjoyed the refreshing flavors of BOTH tarts. Instantly a fan favorite. Dong Ding Oolong Tea w. Fresh Milk - Very mild and creamy, almost like a mellow latte. Not my favorite because it was a bit too creamy after everything else I had today. Still, I loved the tea profile and can absolutely see why others would love it. Overall, I love, love, LOVE this place. 1000/10. From the experience to the quality and intentionality behind every little detail, I couldn't be happier with my visit. I never thought I'd ever say that a drink was so Instagram-worthy, but these drinks were beautiful--like models of the boba world. Would go back in a heartbeat. This has officially won the spot for my favorite boba place.

I have heard the hype for Chicha San Chen and I wanted to try it. This place is definitely a more…read moreelevated than your normal boba tea place and you can tell by the crowds. We had to wait a little in line but the service was fast! The tea tastes great and I like the cup they serve it. I appreciate that they offer your sweet level and ice level you prefer. And the prices are reasonable compared to other places I've visited. You see families of all ages come into this place, as it's shown in social media it definitely brings a crowd. One nice addition that I saw was a Photo Booth and tea tasting station! You don't have to worry about parking as it's located in a strip mall so there's quite a bit of spaces. Overall I enjoyed my time and would like to try other tea options here.

A drink shop with a really wide variety of drinks. They have matcha, boba, and vietnamese coffee…read moreand a wide range of unique flavors. I tried the pandan bic siu after reading other yelpers liked it and it was delicious! The drink is vietnamese coffee with a pandan foam on top. I mixed the foam in thoroughly with a utensil and it made a unique, creamy flavor. The coffee taste is not overly strong which can sometimes be the case with viet coffee drinks. I would definitely come again!

Finally got around to trying this cozy little coffee shop. Perhaps it wasn't for me, but I found…read morethe drinks at Le'Drip to be just okay. The famous Egg Coffee didn't stand out at all from all the praise it receives. I expected a rich, creamy coffee experience, but I couldn't find any coffee essence at all. Instead, the drink was overwhelmingly sweet from start to finish. I was also excited to try the new Lychee Jasmine Matcha since it sounded phenomenal, but it ended up being my least favorite. The lychee flavor completely overpowered matcha, making it hard to enjoy the drink. Overall, it was a good try but it wasn't cup of coffee.

We stopped by and tried a milk tea and a fruit tea. The tiequanyin oolong milk tea was so fragrant…read morewith very qq boba! I had it at 50% sweet and thought it was still too sweet for me, will try lower next time! The mango orange tea has fresh fruit which very refreshing, though we couldn't taste the tea very much. The interior is modern and clean. The staff was patient and helpful to explain the different drinks!

Macu Tea is located on Bellaire in Chinatown, on the south side, in the same shopping center as…read morePappaRich. I decided to check it out after a good friend raved about it--and I'm happy to report it absolutely lived up to the hype. I'll keep this short and sweet: I ordered the Ruby Grapefruit Li-Li Tea with green tea jelly, and it was legit. Incredibly flavorful, super fresh, and loaded with real grapefruit pulp. I went with 100% sugar (no regrets--just work out an extra hour afterward ). The balance of tart and sweet was spot on, and the quality really stands out compared to your average boba shop. Yes, the drinks aren't cheap, but they're worth every penny. You're paying for freshness and flavor, and it shows. The ambiance is clean, bright, and modern, and the service was solid. Drinks came out relatively quickly, even though it was busy. If you're tired of the same old average boba places, definitely give Macu Tea a try. Enjoy!

This spot remains one of my absolute favorite boba places in Houston, thanks to their top-notch tea…read moreand milk tea quality. I love their app, highly recommend it to pre-order through the app, it's extremely accurate in term of wait time and easy to use. However, there are a couple of downsides: their matcha is just average, their menu is a bit limited, and my favorite drinks are frustratingly often out of stock or out of season. My top recommendations are the Coconut Mango Boom, Cloud Jasmine Tea (basic but so good), Yuzu Oolong Tea, Brown Sugar Milk Tea, Mochi Yingde Black Milk Tea, Grapefruit Boom and the toasty/wheat-y Longji Cloud Milk Tea.

(+) Aesthetic spot (+) Good menu selection…read more(+) Convenient ordering through the app or at the counter (+) Excellent tea flavor (-) Long wait time (-) Steep price for small drink First time here with my college friends and their families. We tried the highly recommended mango boom and the yuzu green tea, which were both solid choices. I downloaded the app and was able to place my order from there by-passing the long line at the counter. However, it still took a significant amount of wait time for my order number to be called to pick up my drinks. The app had some deals that discounted my order, which was a plus. Not sure if I'd go out of my way to return, but if it comes up as a suggested place, I wouldn't pass it up.

A spot dedicated to tiramisu treats (as well as mousse cakes, panna cotta, cookies, and croffles)…read moreand pretty drinks that is open all day? Count me in! The inside is mostly white and going for that IG "it spot" vibe. Most people were ordering their drinks that come with a little slice of tiramisu, but we were there to try just the latter! The tiramisu varieties aren't all truly tiramisu (which traditionally has espresso and alcohol), but they're called tiramisu because there are cookies or ladyfingers layered with their mascarpone cream. I tried the Biscoff Tiramisu-- while they could work on their presentation (the filling looked messy and slapped on), the taste was quite nice! Sweet, creamy, and the mascarpone filling was light and not too heavy despite being sweet and indulgent. I'm excited to try the other tiramisu varieties :D I like how the tiramisu comes in its own container instead of scooped into a takeout box because it's a lot less messy + prettier when eating it. Service was really friendly and there is self-serve water available too. Lots of tables for two but they were all taken during my visit. There's a little table outside in the shade if you're willing to sit in the heat. Overall, 4.5 stars for the tiramisu-- will be back to try some more! Check them out next time your sweet tooth calls :)

Inside is super cute. It is a nice place to take photos and they have so many desserts here. The…read moredrinks are dessert based. I tried the matcha float which is basically a matcha affogato. It was a matcha drink with a scoop of matcha ice cream on top. The matcha flavor is well blended tastes like milky and sweet, almost like a milk shake. The service was also nice nothing to complain about.

There are so many boba places along Bellaire and I personally recognize how expensive of a habit…read morethese sugary drinks can be, so I generally avoid going. But when I'm in town I go out of my way to "eat all the things" to take advantage of being near the Vietnamese community. I decided on trying Tea Top over other -- seemingly indistinguishable boba shops -- simply because this shop participates in the Dining Rewards Program, which allows me to earn airline miles per dollar in addition to my standard credit card points per dollar. I will say, the tea here is very good. They actually sell tea, rather than just sugar water. You can taste it. And for that, I appreciate this place. I tried their Alpine Green Tea with boba. It was good. I came back a second time to try their Wintermelon Alpine Green Milk Tea and thought it was even better! Quality drinks and I can earn additional airline miles per order? I'll be coming back. I also like that their in-store rewards program keys to your credit card so it recognizes your account and you can instantly apply small discounts to future orders every time, or save up your points to get a buck or two off an order when you feel like it.

My friend said this was his favorite boba place in Chinatown and it did not disappoint…read more Taro milk tea usually sucks with these giant taro chunks, but Tea Top's taro drink was well integrated into the milk tea and went down smooth! Good attention to detail and good drinks.

Strawberry Breeze - 50% sugar: Perfect level of sweetness,…read moreespecially if you don't like overly sweet drinks. Very refreshing. Don't forget to mix it first! You can taste a nice balance between the lychee jelly and strawberry purée. 9/10 Mango Breeze - 25% sugar: Still on the sweeter side, but really enjoyable if you're craving something sweet. Great choice if you love mango drinks. 9/10 Service: Always excellent. Staff has consistently been friendly and efficient. 10/10

One of my go to milk tea spots! Their Thai tea never misses and even on busy days you're never…read morewaiting longer than 5-10 minutes for your drink. Workers are always super friendly and willing to help out with any questions and the atmosphere is super chill.

Stopped by The Alley for drinks and really enjoyed the experience! The boba tea was fresh,…read moreflavorful, and perfectly sweet. The pearls had a great chewy texture, and the drinks looked just as good as they tasted. The atmosphere was clean, modern, and relaxing -- a great place to sit and chat with friends or family. Service was friendly and quick as well. Definitely a spot I'd come back to when craving boba!

Bold of The Alley to open up in this plaza given there's so much competition: Molly Tea, Heytea,…read moreTea Top, Sharetea, Kung Fu Tea, AtCha, Ninja Matcha, Nu Cafe, Xing Fu Tang. Good variety of drinks, with a few limited series including the Demon Slayer series. The strawberry mochi and Royal No. 9 milk tea were excellent. Prices are roughly on par. They originally forgot to make it light ice, but they quickly corrected it. Note, 'normal' ice takes up WAY too much of the drink. They have a Pokemon pack vending machine, but the prices are CRAZY, also it has some janky AI slop art as a background. If you have trouble saying no to your kids, I would recommend steering away... What brought this review from a 3 to a 4 was their ambiance. The space is fairly spacious, good amount of tables, plugs, and chairs, really great for studying. The Alley might be the best study spot in this plaza!