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    Pure Tea

    4.3 (72 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 8:30 pm

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    PURE TEA ATMOSPHERE

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    Linda Y.

    I like to make a stop here occasionally when I grocery shop upstairs in the marketplace and so far, all of the drinks that I've gotten have been good! The service is fairly quick, although not the friendliest compared to other boba spots. My favorite is the lychee smoothie with lychee jelly - so refreshing!

    Hannah H.

    Pure Tea can be found inside the new 88 Marketplace that opened up in the Chinatown area - you make your way up the stairs to your left, and it's to your right. Their menu offers fresh milk and class milk teas, fresh brew teas, fruit teas, matcha, espresso coffee, and smoothies. You can also add various toppings, such as tapioca pearls, lychee jelly, grass jelly, tapioca sago, red beans, crystal boba, and/or cheese mousse. I loved their cute drawings on their menu! I had the Kumquat Lemon Green Tea, with light ice, 100% sweetness, with no toppings - there was confusion of the requested sweetness level, which they were able remediate quickly. The drink did have more ice than I expected, but the tea was prepared well - it was steeped well, and it had a nice citrus-y taste from the kumquat and the lemon. Very refreshing! Staff were efficient. The place could be cooled better, as it was a little musty and humid. There are only a handful of counter seating, but this place is more of a to-go set-up. Parking in the alley lot. +Kumquat Lemon Green Tea +check for customizations +handful of counter seating +located inside the 88 Marketplace, up the stairs +parking in the alley lot

    Jasmine green tea and bubble waffle

    Sweet tasty treats and nice staff. Cute and cozy spot. A pick me up after a not so great day .

    Menu
    Princes Faith B.

    I ordered brown sugar milk tea and it's oh so perfect for me! Service is fast and efficient. Staff needs to smile a lil bit to lighten the mood. I hope they can open or open for franchise in suburb area

    Patti L.

    Good service, plenty of variety of drinks. It's a small place so when it's busy there's a hard place to find to stand and wait for your drink.

    Menu, circa Aug 2023.
    Howard L.

    This is a convenient Asian teahouse and dessert place located in the lower level of the 88 Marketplace mall. It's a great location for this growingly busy place, and they have a pretty big beverage menu. We had a fresh egg puff waffle and a couple of refreshing Osmanthus milk teas on this stop. I ding'ed them a star only because their A/C wasn't working on a hot and humid morning, but the rest of the lower level of the mall was fine.

    Osmanthus fresh milk tea, Grape Fruit Green Tea, brown sugar milktea
    Mulan C.

    I've been here so many times since they opened, I can't keep count anymore (some pics are blurry cus they are screenshots from videos). Their drinks are LEGIT! I have tried their hot drinks, their cold drinks, teas, smoothies, etc., but my favorite of them all is the Osmanthus Fresh Milk Tea with Cheese Mousse. It is perfection. If you like your milk tea to be slightly floral, not too sweet/heavy, and/ or fragrant, please give this one a try. In my opinion, the cheese mousse adds so much more flavor to the drink too. If you're on the fence about "cheese mousse" it just tastes similar to salted caramel, but more creamy. All their other drinks are pretty solid too. They use real ingredients and not packets/ powder like some other places. I would say their smoothies are artificial flavoring though, so if you want fresh fruit smoothies, go somewhere else. However, if you're looking for something quick, yet deliciously refreshing, Pure Tea's the spot to hit up! P.S. They have a free parking lot, a Chinese marketplace, and a food court on the upper level of the same building.

    Dongding Oolong Tea
    Serlina K.

    I was surprised that this place had good boba pearls! Fresh milk tea was a little watery to my liking

    Black bean and brown rice matcha (hot)
    Stacey H.

    The teas I've had have always tasted authentic and "pure." I like to get the teas and add cheese foam. I can't help but order their drinks with brown rice or buckwheat bc it's not as common at other places. You can order drinks hot or cold! Prices are comparable to other boba shops though they have a 3% credit card fee if your order is under $10 (which would require ordering at least two items)! It's a small location so not really a hang out spot but convenient if you're just trying to grab and go since there's a parking lot or you can shop at 88 Marketplace while you're there or get a bite to eat at one of the local restaurants.

    a hand holding a cup of iced coffee
    Thuy Dan T.

    Pure tea is located right in the 88 Marketplace and you can't miss it with the lit up signed and cute mural right outside it's door! It's meant for a take out experience with minimal bar seating across the large window. It's the perfect pre or post meal to the hotpot across the way or a pick me up while grocery shopping in the market. I've been here a couple of times now and each time has been consistent. My favorite so far has been the taro drink which was delicious -- did not taste artificial as taro doesn't really have a sweet taste. I really liked it!

    Menu with Pictures Dec. 2022
    Maggie L.

    I was looking for boba and some snacks, and found this 88 Market on Yelp. Pure Tea is on the first floor of the market. There is a good variety of drinks, and also different flavors of egg waffles on the menu. I tried the Osmanthus Fresh Milk Tea with cheese foam. It has a very strong osmanthus flavor, and I don't think the drink needs the cheese foam (additional $1). My group like the Taro Fresh Milk with Sago, Oreo Crunch Smoothie and Americano they got also.

    Taiwan Black Tea w red beans and cheese top
    Lico J.

    We enjoyed the Taiwan Black Tea with red beans and cheese top here. We got 25% sugar and less ice and it was perfect. The drink was milky and we could still taste the nice tea flavor. Also, the two ladies who worked there were super nice. Overall, it's a good boba place to stop by when you are in the market.

    Jasmine milk tea
    Dan W.

    One of the best new boba shops to open up in the last year. It's located on the first floor of 88 Marketplace, a two-story Chinese supermarket. Drinks: so many great flavors ranging from milk teas to fruit teas as well as coffee drinks. The dongding oolong milk tea is wonderful and sometimes they run out later in the day. Try one of their specialty teas, like the grape green tea with cheese foam (it's a unique but delicious combination). The brown sugar boba tea is another classic. Parking: plentiful. There's a free parking lot for the grocery store. Atmosphere: dark wood, minimalist, and clean. Great atmosphere for a drink shop. There are also cute pins for sale (including a Boba-saur--adorable!). Service: when it's busy, it can take a while (~10 mins), but the baristas are happy to help you.

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Pure Tea

    When do they open ? I came 3 time at 9 am and they are closed. It says they are open at this time.

    They open at 11am!

    Does this place offer dairy free milk options?

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    Daboba

    Daboba

    4.4
    (110 reviews)
    0.4 mi
    $

    We stopped in here after visiting the gachapon arcade upstairs and immediately noticed how clean…read moreeverything was. The whole shop is really cute, too. They have plushies sitting on the couch in the waiting area and a little floral Instagram wall that's clearly meant for photos. We also very much appreciated that they have a bathroom, which isn't always guaranteed in Chinatown spots. I got the large Fruity Party drink and loved it. It had slices of citrus floating in it plus a rainbow of fruit jellies at the bottom. It was both super refreshing and really pretty. I'd absolutely order it again. My sister got the medium kumquat lemon seasons tea. It was super strong and concentrated, which is just the way I like my tea. I learned that I liked kumquat kumquat so that's a fun bonus. We'll definitely be back next time we are in Chinatown.

    DaBoba? More like DaCustard!…read more Wanting a little sweet treat, I stopped into Daboba for a Roasted Brown Sugar Pearl Milk Tea. I initially attempted to order at the kiosk, only to discover doing so comes with a 3% fee vs. ordering with a human. It's not about the nickels, it's the principle of the thing! I instead placed my order with the clerk - less ice, less sweet. Though it wasn't very busy at the time, the drink came out relatively fast. The service overall was friendly, too! Now, about this beverage... if I'd asked for a "surprise me," I'd be happier. This is because on its own, it was respectable and unique in its custard-like consistency. However, given that I'd ordered a milk tea, where neither the appropriate consistency nor tea notes made an appearance, my happiness and satisfaction levels go down. To give some credit, the beverage I received wasn't too sweet, and had a slight velvety mouthfeel. It was unique and interesting, unlike anything I had ever had before. Final verdict: there is no shortage of boba tea shops around, especially in Chinatown. If you're going to do something different, power to you. However, don't say you sell one thing, and sell another.

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    Interior
    Interior
    Daboba
    Gold Pearl Green Milk Tea 25% Sugar

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    Gold Pearl Green Milk Tea 25% Sugar
    Ume Tea

    Ume Tea

    4.5
    (187 reviews)
    0.5 mi
    $$

    We shared the watermelon tea and it was super refreshing and not too sweet…read more Also love that they have a mini bean!

    Came here on Chinese new year which was on a Tuesday. Showed up right after an early lunch right…read morearound noon. We were lucky that this was located in that Chinatown mall because we got parking and we're able to walk directly up here. When I got here, there was no line there was one other patron waiting for her order. There are a couple screens where you put your order in and then they text you because they ask you for your phone number once your order is ready then you pick it up right on the left-hand side of where they're actually is a register. The one girl who was working here that day was very nice and friendly, but I don't think she totally understood me as I was trying to explain the benefits of leaving tip in cash versus tip on the card at the kiosk where you put your order in. We did order two drinks and both drinks are absolutely delicious. However the Taro milk Boba tea was a little bit chewy. You could obviously customize your toppings, the sugar amount, the iced amount, etc. that sounds pretty standard. The flavors were delicious and super fresh so frankly, if this came out of a can or out of powder, it definitely didn't taste like it. Really top quality and great taste for the price. I believe each drink was $6.25 which puts it right at par with a lot of its competitors in Chinatown. Also, if you order some of the unique drinks that come in a unique square cup, believe it or not. The location is completely decked out in their pink. It's very cute and I assume was really put together for the purpose of social media pictures as you can see from the pictures I took. I would definitely come back here again as it is unique however, a lot of the menu is pretty similar across the Boba competitors located in this exact same mall as well.

    Photos
    Ume Tea
    Suprise cup with Mango Pomelo Sago
    Suprise cup with Mango Pomelo Sago
    [UMe]  Crème Brûlée Thai Tea

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    [UMe] Crème Brûlée Thai Tea
    Taipei Cafe

    Taipei Cafe

    4.3
    (93 reviews)
    6.0 mi

    At the Taiwanese, I was very excited to try this restaurant since there aren't many Taiwanese…read moreplaces in Chicago. Taipei Cafe is a small restaurant in Lakeview. There aren't many seats available so it feels like a semi boba shop as well. To sum it up, I would say it is ~70 to 80% authentic, which is not bad in my opinion. Braised Pork Over Rice 招牌滷肉飯: The presentation was beautiful and the flavor was actually pretty good. In Taiwan, this dish is usually more on the sweeter side, due to the sugar and shallots added. Here, it is more peppery and savory, and the flavor was actually really good. The beans and the mustard greens were very delicious as well. Even though the flavor profile is slightly different, this was well made and something I would come back for. Noodles with black pepper sauce 胡椒鐵板麵: traditionally this dish is called蘑菇鐵板麵, which uses mushrooms, black pepper and other sauces as a base. The flavor was good, but I wish that there were more mushroom and sauce to balance the black pepper. In my opinion, this dish tasted very different from what I used to eat, but it is not bad on its own. 2/4 Fried pork chops: the meat was fried very well, and it was pretty peppery and crispy. However, I think there are different spices and flavor missing, including white pepper, msg, garlic, Thai basil, cayenne pepper, and more. I wished that the savoriness and spiciness popped up more, and I thought the spice blend and the marinade could definitely use some improvement. 3/4 Beef noodle soup 牛肉麵: I thought the bone broth was pretty good, but I believe the flavor profile should be wider, like tomatoes, five spice, 豆瓣醬, soy sauce, and more. It was a stripped down version, and I wished that is reflected in the name of the item (renaming it "clear soup" etc). Also, the amount of meat they gave us was a little bit pitiful (there were like four pieces), and there were two pieces of bok choy. When Taiwanese people eat beef noodle soup, we definitely expect more. 2/4 Additionally, I wish the drinks were made with some fresh ingredients (not just syrup or creamer), as standard/good quality boba shops from Taiwan try to make drinks as fresh as possible. That is high ask, but I just wanted to note that as a suggestion for improvement. Overall, I thought the food was pretty decent. Would I say it is the most representative Taiwanese restaurant in Chicago? No. The staff was actually Chinese loll. But I do think it reminds me of some flavors and food I grew up eating in Taiwan. If you like popcorn chicken and pork, it is likely a good place for you.

    Solid, tasty taiwanese food!…read more We enjoyed a mix of dishes (chicken bento box for me, beef noodle soup for my boyfriend, as well as fries with Thai seasoning and a boba tea for me). The green beans came as a side with my bento box and were amazing. The ordering system is a little clunky and annoying but we got through it. Vibes in the space are fine, it's an efficient little cafe The biggest thing is that there's really an opportunity for more sauces! For the fries, for the popcorn chicken, for example, a sauce would make a big difference to dip it in. I like this place and expect to be back

    Photos
    Inside
    Inside
    Taipei Cafe
    Oolong Milk Tea with egg pudding and boba

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    Oolong Milk Tea with egg pudding and boba

    Pure Tea - bubbletea - Updated June 2026

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