4.5 Despite the limited reviews, I decided to give this boba shop a try, and I'm glad I did. The drinks took a little bit longer to make, but you could tell the baristas wanted to ensure the drinks were great. I really enjoyed the Brown Sugar Boba Milk Tea and Crème Brûlée Boba Milk Tea. Both were very delicious and one of the better boba places in the Bay Area that I have tried. If you don't like super sweet drinks, I recommend adjusting the sweetness level. Even with the adjustment, it was still sweet enough for me. read more

ONCE Tea - A1. Brown Sugar Boba Milk Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Hayward, California

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I've been sleeping on the blizzards from here, omg. So freakin' good! My cousin got the strawberry blizzard with sago, I got the mango blizzard with sago, and my mom got the strawberry matcha with boba. They were all sooo good! I normally get the matcha strawberry with boba from here, which is always really good too. However, I think I have a new favorite. Highly recommend the blizzards! Overall, this place has great service. I think the cups are kind of small, but that's fine. It's one of those places I frequent and even DoorDash sometimes! ONCE never disappoints :) read more

I had Strawberry Blizzard it's was delicious !! but special mango green tea smoothie was ok. I would definitely come back. Staff was very nice read more

ONCE Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Hayward, California

There are many choices for clean and fresh flavors, and children love it. Fruit tea is the first choice, and they often buy a lot to share.

The first few times I came in I loved my drinks. It became my primary boba location. The past 4 visits I have come in have gotten worse and worse. This last time has been the last straw and very disappointing. Both my husband and I got the Brown Sugar Boba Milk Tea 100% Sweet. The drink was very watered down. Looked milky like there was none of the syrup added, and the boba was hard. When we walked in for our order, it took a while for someone to come out and greet us and before he said anything to us, he sat his phone on the counter and said something to whoever he was on the phone with and then asked us how he could help us. He then proceeded to get us our drinks all while his phone was on the counter with a call on hold. Will unfortunately be taking my business elsewhere. It's clear after the multiple times we have come back and had it continuously decline that this is a standard here now. read more

New boba spot in the downtown Hayward area. It had good reviews so I decided to give it try and have enjoyed their Oreo brûlée milk tea, brûlée milk tea, mango blizzard and pomelo mango sago. Also really enjoyed their salt and pepper tofu. Have not tried their chicken cause the pics don't look like they are the typical popcorn chicken. I like that this place opens late-ish. Workers have always been friendly and place looks clean. read more

Very much recommended. Service was efficient; the employee was also courteous. I ordered 1 of the top drinks which was peach green tea lemonade with jelly. It was so refreshing. You could really taste the green tea in it which is a really plus plus for me. It came with slices of lime fruit. Will definitely be coming back and will be looking for branches of once tea wherever. read more

ONCE Tea - F1. Peach Green Tea Lemonade with Crystal Boba (Large) - Bubble Tea Near Me - Hayward, California

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Once Tea is located in downtown Hayward where Tiktok Desserts was. Parking is either in the parking garage, in one of the parking lots, or street parking. I feel like their drinks are not that consistent here and they do not have some of the items that they advertised on the menu. I had tried their avocado & mango smoothie and jasmine green tea with cheese top. The avocado & mango smoothie was creamy, smooth, and tasty the first time I tried it - it had a good avocado taste to it and the mango puree was not too sour or tart, which was good, but when I went back, it did not taste the same - it was more icy and sour/tart, and it had a lack of flavor. The jasmine green tea with cheese tasted like half & half/whipping cream and tea, the drink was not that great. read more

I say this was an ok place. Went after dinner since most spot were closing soon or already closed. the drinks are average, nothing really to call home about. read more

Stopped here just before the movie started. Ordered fried chicken and strawberry/peach green tea slush . It was so delicious that my son asked for another one. Service is fast and friendly. Definitely recommend. We will be back . Thank you for your delicious food. read more

The drinks are delicious, it's open space indoors. Not a lot do people dining in. Mainly to go orders. The owner is friendly and always has a smile on her face. I'd recommend this place to boba fanatics and anyone who'd never had boba drinks before. read more

I ordered a mango slush Boba tea. It was delicious! They even hooked it up with extra jelly! Five stars! Would recommend!!!! read more

ONCE Tea - Mango slush - Bubble Tea Near Me - Hayward, California

Very delicious drink. A lot of choice pf toping. Will come back to buy again. 100/100 read more

ONCE Tea - Very delicious drink. Will buy again. - Bubble Tea Near Me - Hayward, California

Love! Love! Love! Very friendly staff. And best boba in town. Loved the interior. Bowie was super sweet! And Joshua was attentative. read more

ONCE Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Hayward, California

Ordered through Snackpass and the pick-up was super easy. Got the Peach Green Tea Lemonade with Crystal Boba (Large) for around $6. The drink was really refreshing with a good mixture of sweet and sour. The crystal boba was also fun to chew on. Recommend ordering through the app to cut down on waiting in line! read more

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We order two drinks. Taro mochi milk tea it was so so the boba was so hard bc it was under cooked and can barely taste the taro. Peach green tea lemonade with crystal Boba supposedly one of their top five. The drink was disgusting. Didn't taste anything close to peach. it had a deep red color and it was thick bc how much artificial syrup they put in there. You can't even taste the lemonade or the peach. their top 5 is sad read more

ONCE Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Hayward, California

I'm going to make this review very short and concise. Like taking notes for a meeting. Because end of the day...it's boba. - Great drinks, cups were super nice and high quality. - You can really taste the tea, not too sweet - Friendly staff - Dogs are welcome...I think? - Corgi pillows, automatic +1 I mean that's it, what else do you need from a boba shop? Now why I knocked 1 star off: - No bathrooms. When you gotta go, you gotta go. Especially when you're drinking...you really gotta go. - Only big straws. I rarely get any droppings (why call it toppings? they all drop...) and maybe it's just me, but a big straw for just liquids is just not as enjoyable. read more

So glad I decided to try this place. I bought one of the top drinks, the peach green tea lemonade with crystal boba. My boyfriend got the milk tea with mochi and boba. The peach green tea was soooo good it has pieces of lime in it that really enhance all the flavors and the crystal boba is not as chewy as other places. The milk tea had a nice tea flavor and it wasn't too sweet. They had a kiosk which made ordering simple. read more

ONCE Tea - F1. Peach Green Tea Lemonade with Crystal Boba (Large) - Bubble Tea Near Me - Hayward, California

I'll definitely come here more than ONCE! Pros -Fried chicken is great, kinda like those discontinued original chicken crispers from Chili's. Comes with ketchup but good without it too. -Pineapple Passionfruit green tea is solid. The gummy texture of the crystal boba along with the passionfruit seeds and pineapple chunks really compliment the drink. There's a really good tea / fruit juice mixture with an authentic fruit juice taste. Not many boba places can pull this off. Usually for most places the juices would taste fake or the tea taste overpowers the fruit. -Cute dog themed decor, dogs are allowed in, I was given a Puppuccino my first time here! -Staff is usually fast and efficient with orders Neutral Can order from a screen if you wish. No, there isn't a required minimum tip to order from the screen like I saw on another review. Haven't tried their milk teas yet Can be tough parking in this location sometimes, but you can try the garages or the outside parking across from the garage near the crosswalk by the burger place. Cons Purple Yam fries looked cool, but to me they tasted more like tempura and nothing else. Floor, tables, chair don't seem like the cleanest or are old looking / worn. TLDR In terms of fruity boba drink cravings, this is my top 3! Nostalgic feels with the fried chicken reminding me of the original chicken crispers from chilis. Floors and interior looks a bit worn but I'm an in and out customer anyways. read more

Got the strawberry blizzard and Thai tea boba with added crème brûlée. The strawberry blizzard was very tasty- had a cute strawberry flavor with nice creaminess and pleasantly sweet. However I don't recommend the second drink at all as the Thai tea wasn't sweet enough and the crème brûlée was just a clump that wouldn't mix into the drink. Not really going to write this place off because that's not on the menu and hopefully their other drinks are better. read more

Great Service and best cream brûlée I've ever had. The ambiance is very nice too!!!!! read more

ONCE Tea - Cream A10. Creme Brulee Boba Milk Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Hayward, California

I think in such a saturated market for boba especially in the east bay it's just another alright boba spot. I've been on the hunt for good mango sago here in the east bay and the drink was good-- but the price and the portion size doesn't really fit my fix. I think definitely will get if I'm ever in the area but I will not make a trek there just for boba read more

I would give this place zero stars if i could. My gf and J came in on a not busy day there as no one in, the shop. We only ordered 2 drinks simple milk tea and fruit tea. It took them 20 minutes to make two drinks. Horrible read more

Easily one of the best strawberry blizzard I have ever had! They use real strawberries and so it doesn't taste artificial at all. There's also sago which gives it great texture and overall the drink doesn't taste too sweet or watered down! I would highly recommend this drink to anyone that comes visit! It is ours third time visiting these past three weeks! :-) read more

Once of the top 5- strawberry Blizzard !That is one of my favorite drink! Strong strawberry flavor and refreshing drink! Specially the cream top with the light lychee aroma, only $5.75 with topping already! Great deal ! I will try their avocado and mango smoothie next time, looks very cute too! read more

ONCE Tea - strawberry Blizzard - Bubble Tea Near Me - Hayward, California

Ordered the thai milk tea with boba. The tea didn't taste right. Like it was missing an ingredient. The boba was fresh though. My husband had a fruit tea and said it was good. May try that next time. read more

I asked the guy behind the counter what he recommends he suggested the green tea lemonade. Ended up getting two drinks the Peach Green Tea Lemonade (Large) and A11. Oreo Brulee Boba Milk Tea (Large). The lemonade was a little too sour for my taste but the oreo brulle is a drink i'd go back for. The cream and milk is tasty. read more

ONCE Tea - E6. Peach Green Tea Lemonade with Crystal Boba (Large) - Bubble Tea Near Me - Hayward, California

Employees should not be trusted to make drinks or even run This place... i got a huge sore on the inside of my Mouth. The employees clearly are not being clean with the way they handle drinks even possibly adding Their bodily fluids to the drinks. I will never order here again you guys drink at your own risk read more

You have to tip the store. There is no option for no tip. They also charge $.73 for service fee. I haven't try the drink but I already don't like the setup for payment here read more

ONCE Tea - No tip option - Bubble Tea Near Me - Hayward, California

Came in late after eating dinner. The service was what you'd expect from a boba shop and the atmosphere was quiet and calm. The drink I got was a fruit tea, which was decent for what it was, but definitely wasn't amazing. I'd recommend the place if you're in the area. read more

I love the mochi boba milk tea here!! I live in SF and I purposely come out just to get it. Not many stores have mochi topping in milk tea or none that I know of in SF. The tea isn't anything super special, but it's a good solid milk tea. I always check Snackpass out before ordering because there's discounts often times! The staff are super nice. Definitely check it out if you're in the area or in the mood for some good mochi and boba in your milk tea! read more

Rude staff I went in to pick up an order walked up said hi and was met with a blank stare and no response back. Take your business elsewhere Teamo in Castro valley here I come! read more

I like to visit different boba shops to get a feel for the ambiance, see what their drink menu is like, how many flavors there are, and whether they have a good food menu. This one wins all the points in each category. There's another boba shop just down the block that has a huge menu of its own, but ONCE Tea offers flavors that are unique, come with uncommon toppings like mochi and sago, and even offer milk alternatives, which I think is a plus! Whenever I come here there are only one or two people behind the counter, and they're super friendly and chill. It doesn't seem to get busy here, though I only stop by on Fridays and weekends in the afternoon and later evening. There's ample seating against either wall, so there's always room to sit. One last plus: there's a mini crane game for playing with while you wait that I find adorable. I would give this place a try as I find all the drinks here special, and I'm sure there's at least one you'll like. Especially if you are lactose intolerant and are craving a boba without worrying about regretting it later, this is the shop for you! read more

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There is barely any parking next to ONCE Tea, and the regular cups are reaaallllllyyyy small, it is not worth $7.

Ordered a large honey white peach oolong tea with grass jelly and 100% sugar. It tasted like watered down black tea with no honey or peach flavor. The drink had 0% sugar and very little grass jelly. What a waste of money. read more

They took over the old Tik Tok that serves soft serve ice cream in tayakis & kept the decor modern. Like T4 down the block, they serve traditional boba milk teas & some Asian tapas, but my favorite is the mango tapioca pomelo which is to die for. It's a very popular dessert/drink you can find in Hong Kong and I love it that it's being offered here at Once Tea. You get a whole slice of pomelo - so delicious and well made! Parking can be busy on this street so either park inside the movie structure parking building or the open lot behind Casa De Toro. read more

The floors are so sticky and dirty it makes me want to not even go inside . smells really warm and feels suffocated, it's nasty. drinks are alright, much better places nearby. read more

ONCE Tea - dirty floors - Bubble Tea Near Me - Hayward, California

Customer service could be helped....Staff is interested in helping and rude when we try to ask questions.

This place looks so adorable and so many options to choose. Oreo boba milk tea tasted good and highly recommended! read more

ONCE Tea - A11. Oreo Brulee Boba Milk Tea (Large) tasted so good! Highly recommend! - Bubble Tea Near Me - Hayward, California

If I can give this no stars, I def will. Ok so I came to Hayward and came across this boba place on a very hot day and We bought 4 drinks from them. I asked one of the workers if I can use their restroom. She let me use it. However, when my mother had to use it, she was stopped by one of the worker (man in the black shirt) saying she is not allowed to use the bathroom because it's for employees only. His demeanor was unacceptable. He was rude AF. Mom told me she was stopped and turned away. I was confused because I just used it. So I asked them why couldn't she use the bathroom, especially when we're paying customers. That man was hiding in the back, I asked another worker and he literally just stared at me and didn't say anything. Legally by State law; All businesses that serve food for consumption on site should provide some sort of public restroom for their customers and guests. Definitely will not be coming back here again. read more

ONCE Tea - The man that refused a paying customer access to their bathroom - Bubble Tea Near Me - Hayward, California