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Very cute boba spot in Castro. You order at a screen as soon as you walk in. I got the dirty panda, which was sweet, delicious, and creamy. Boba texture was good. They have plenty of seating and a variety of board games. It's a nice place to hang out for a bit with friends. We played connect 4 and table-top pool. Service was solid and would return.
Quality is accurate! As soon as we walked in, we were very kindly greeted and guided through multiple options of the type of fruit we wanted: lychee. SOOO tasty! If you want something refreshing and not milky, try the mint lychee Mojito! Basically 10 out of 10!
Quick service, friendly staff. Cute inviting interior with some place to sit. I've tried the regular black milk tea and taro. Decent bubble tea - the pearls are chewy but on the harder side. The tea tastes a bit powdery and watered down.
The drinks here are pretty good. I got the house milk tea- 50% sweetness & my friend ordered the make your own drink with passion fruit, lychee, peach with a green tea base. The boba was warm, chewy and the right amount of sweetness. The place is clean and they also have some board games such as guess in 10, connect four, etc. You can place your order by using the tablet or at the front. Service is fast and efficient. If I am around the area, I would stop by for a drink.
One of the few boba shops in the Castro area and it's a sweet spot to cool down on those warmer days. Ordering is easy at the kiosk but I do wished they had a second one to make the line move a bit more especially on crowded days. When Dolores Park is super busy, I find QualiTea to have a long line and sometimes, it moves painfully slow. To make things faster, you can view their menu online and order through the Yelp app for pickup haha. But anyways, I enjoy the Thai iced tea and it is creamy, refreshing and oh so good. My other favorite is the strawberry matcha latte which is perfectly sweet and tart. There is seating inside and outside and but no bathroom. But yeah, it's a good pitstop if you are heading to Dolores Park one direction or to the Castro in the other direction.
Came here on a Sunday around 1:30pm. There was no line and we got the drinks within 3 minutes of ordering! I ordered a Rose Milk Tea with 50% sugar and less ice. It is REALLY good. The tea flavor is strong and so is the rose flavor. Overall a great drink! Highly recommend it. I think next time I'd get 30% sugar.
Cute, casual boba spot. There's a kiosk that you can use to place your order. There's a decent amount of tables and chairs inside. They also have outdoor seating. I ordered the Rose Petal w/ boba and at 30% sweetness. The sweetness level was perfect for me. Now thinking back, it was pretty sweet for 30%. I can't imagine what 100% sweetness would taste like. The rose flavor wasn't overpowering. The mixture of rose and jasmine was fragrant and nice. The drink overall was light. The boba itself had a good texture - soft and chewy. However, the boba did harden slightly and lost some of the soft chewiness as time went on.
One of my favorite spots to get boba in the city! Their milk tea, boba, and other drinks are very tasty. The shop has seating inside and outside. The staff are very friendly as well. You can order either via kiosk or through a cashier.
This is one of my favorite boba places in SF! You can order at the front or at the kiosk. It took about 5 min to get our orders. My boyfriend and I got the make your own sparkling drink and it was perfectly sweet. I wish they gave a bit more boba though :(
What fun flavors to choose from! I went for a walk through Corona Heights and ended up at Qualitea, excited for a lil sweet treat. I was impressed by the ease of ordering (on an iPad), friendliness of staff, and size of the drink for the cost. And it impressed! I loved my lil strawberry matcha drink and will definitely be back.
4 years ago
Pleasantly surprised by this boba shop! We weren't expecting much because it was tucked away in an unassuming shop, but the boba turned out quite good. I got an Oreo milk tea (my guilty pleasure). I generally want my Oreo milk teas to not be overwhelming sweetness or richness, but with a good balance. Qualitea certainly achieved that. Not too thick, and didn't feel like they added any additional sugar on top of the Oreos. The tea was also strong; it cut through the sweetness of the Oreos, and helped balance the drink quite well. The pearls were great too! A good amount of bounce, maybe the tad bit overly soft, but overall great. I would definitely stop by if in the area! read more
QualiTea Ratings: 4.1/5 Food: 4/5 - Boyfriend and I was craving for boba after our Twin Peaks hike, so here we are again at another boba place. Our goal is to try as many boba shops in SF as we can, LOL. QualiTea is yummy, toppings are fresh, and lovely ambiance. A great addition for neighborhoods in Castro. See the description of the boba we got below. - Taro Kisses [GET]: We got the taro milk tea at 30% sugar level and half ice, because it never disappoints. It was good, and the taro chucks were fresh and had the perfect amount of sweetness and a great texture. The drink itself tasted a little bit artificial, but it gets the job done and is what I expected. Toppings are chewy and al dente; the tapioca boba was literally warm when I got my drink. The texture of the bubbles are definitely on the chewier side than other place, but I liked it, not too hard and not too soft. Ambiance: 4.25/5 - QualiTea is located in the heart of Castro. It is a cute local boba shop with both indoor and outdoor seating. Interior is clean, vibrant, and cute. There's a table with benches in the center of the store along with some individual tables for smaller parties. There's board games available too. I would say it's a good place to chill and do some work on a Saturday afternoon. Price: 4/5 - Taro Kisses was $5.75 on UberEats. We got tapioca boba for $0.60 and an additional topping for free, because we checked in on Yelp. The total came up to be $6.35. It is only one size, and we thought price was fair compared to other boba places here. Service: 4/5 - They are super fast with the service. We ordered on UberEats when we arrived to the store, and it was ready within 5 minutes after I placed the order. Staffs are nice and friendly and was able to give me the free topping still from Yelp although I ordered through UberEats. You can also order with the cashier or the kiosk stand that they have right near the door. BLUF: Tons of cool and specialty drinks available, but still have those traditional flavors you can find at a traditional boba shop. The Taro Kisses did not disappoint, and I highly recommend it if you are craving for a milk based drink. Make sure to check in on Yelp to get a free topping too! I will return again to try out their other tea / non-milk based drinks next time. read more
6 years ago
Came on a Friday night around 6:30pm. I ordered the matcha blossom at 70% sweet, 50% ice, and with boba. The strawberry puree was amazing. Probably the best I have had so far. There were bits of strawberry. The tartness of them complimented the sweet liquid of the puree. Boba had a good amount of chew. Wish there was more sweetness though. Probably not their fault, as I was waiting for the next batch, and it just didn't have enough time to soak. Matcha could have been just a bit stronger, but other than that the drink was great. I'll definitely be back to try the other drinks. read more
They're sustainable and have great drinks. I've been wanting to try this spot after seeing how it's a boba spot next to/inside a laundromat? Fortunately I came across this spot through the too good to go app, and that means $3.99 for them to surprise me with a drink? That's perfect for my indecisive a**! We got exactly what we would've ordered, and wow we were impressed! QualiTea really does have quality tea, that's for sure! Tea is strong and drinks are not overly sweet, just like how I like it. The boba is nice and chewy with good consistency and that's all you can ask for from a boba spot...for some good boba. This spot definitely does, and I'll be back to try more drinks. read more
4 years ago
Looking for a quick boba drink, I swung by this shop and ordered the taro drink with 50% sweetness. It was just the right level of sweetness for me and a good size. For a store named QualiTea, I wasn't astounded by the quality of my drink, but it was decently good. The store itself is pretty small but does have a fair amount of seating inside and outside, making it a nice place to sit down and enjoy some boba. read more
7 years ago
This is some of the best tea I've ever had in San Francisco! I happened to be in the Castro District and suddenly had a craving for boba. I happened upon Qualitea and I couldn't have been happier with my drink and my experience. They have a great variety of drinks so there's really something there for everyone! I so happy to have found this tea shop and I can't wait to go back and try another drink. read more
1 year ago
5 years ago
My order: House milk tea 30% sweet no ice The house milk tea is made from Assam tea and has a nice strong robust tea flavor! Great for those who want strong tea flavor in their milk tea drinks! Did not taste too creamy or watered down to me! I normally order 25% sweet at milk tea locations but if I am able to come back here I would actually do 50% sweet. The place is also nice with some seating area in this location. If I am in this area in the future would be down to come back again! read more
This was a solid boba spot in the Castro. The quality of the drinks are good, and the prices were standard for SF. Unfortunately they did run out of boba on a weekday afternoon when I stopped by, so I tried the agar boba. If you're ever in the area, this is a great place to check out! read more
As my last boba stop in SF before going back to school, I decided to hit up QualiTea yet again. This time, I ordered through Yelp (through GrubHub) and got a Create Your Own and create I did. I got: green tea base, flavors: strawberry, peach, and lemon (kinda weird I know), non-dairy creamer, 100% sweetness, 50% ice, with boba (of course). The person I went with got: green tea base, flavors: strawberry, yogurt, non-dairy creamer, 100% sweetness, 50% ice, and again, with boba (ofc). My quick advice: don't create your own if you do not know what flavors would go good together. Thank being said, I'm an excellent flavor mixer (but not in the top 1%). The color of my drink was 100% from the strawberry, being a pretty pink. The peach was overpowered by the slight lemon and heavy strawberry taste. I do not blame QualiTea for that but my own greed as I saw you could add up to 3 flavors and I thought: Let's choose the maximum flavors!! The boba was solid (solid not as in hard but solid as in it was delicious!). The other drink (strawberry yogurt) tasted as one would expect, another nice drink - perfect for a nice day. read more
5 years ago
1 year ago
my favorite boba tea shop. i've been going for a few years now, and they've memorized my order and my name. the service and drinks are always great. definitely recommend!! read more
Their Matcha Blossom tea is delicious! It's my favorite drink here. I prefer it to Boba Guys' version. The Red Bean Lover is one of their latest specialty drinks. It hits the spot if you're craving an azuki bean slushie. The Strawberry Hearts add-on topping tastes good, but you can't suck them up through the straw. I appreciate how the straw hole in the lid has a cover. Never seen that before! The drink is huge, so it's perfect for when you want to save some for later. The staff is very friendly. Will definitely come again! read more
Instead of going to a coffeeshop like we intended, we saw this place and decided to get something more bubbly. Although there was only one couple ahead of us, we had to wait a long time to get to the counter. There were only two people behind the counter, and it does not seem like that is sufficient on a Sunday afternoon. The cafe held several already served and otherwise occupied customers on computers and playing games (there is a fun collection of games, including Magic cards to borrow). Regardless, it took a very long time to get our three drinks, and a long line formed while we waited for them. The ordering process was very nice and the cashier offered me all the mill options and made sure she placed my order exactly how I wanted it. Unfortunately, my lavender soymilk latte, did not take of lavender...until I drank about half of it and bit into actual lavender pieces! My friends had milk teas and were similarly disappointed. The Taro kisses didn't have taro bites in it and I agreed with my friend that it tasted soapy. The Royal Tea had a similar problem, and the friend who ordered that ended up not being able to drink it. The staff are friendly, but overwhelmed. The cafe is cozy and a great place to hang out, but the drinks are terrible. I hope they improve the drinks because this could be a really great place if so. read more
2 years ago
This place is great! First of all the staff are very nice and it's a cute location with a friendly atmosphere. Whenever I get boba I always order the house milk tea on the menu so that I can have a baseline comparison. Their milk tea is delicious! It's good quality and I got the hot milk tea on a cold day. 加油！ read more
2 years ago
6 years ago
TLDR: Solid boba in the Castro. It's a cute little shop in a great location. Be sure to use your 5 stars app for a discount! Drinks: 7/10 Overall, it's not my favorite boba spot in the area, but it's definitely qualitea (haha I love the name)! I generally go for the basic jasmine milk tea with boba, no ice, and 30% sweetness. Price & Portion: 6/10 It's the standard $5 for a drink and an additional $0.25 for boba. The regular price for any boba milk tea in the city! Service: 7/10 Overall, great service! No complaints here. Everyone is masked in stores and you can even get it delivered to your door through ubereats or door dash. Ambience: 7/10 I've been here pre-covid times and honestly it's a great little spot to hangout at with friends! They usually have limited indoor seating and some outdoor seating for days with nice weather. They also normally have a bunch of board games to choose from, which aren't currently accessible due to covid. read more
5 years ago
Ok, this can't possibly be a coincidence....There is just something in the drinks here that does not agree with my stomach!! For that, this is my personal rating. I have never had this issue at any other tea place. As I drank, my stomach started feeling queasy and I had to go to the bathroom several times with semi-diarrhea. I didn't fully believe that it was the drink and I didn't want to waste it, so I drank the whole thing anyways. By the time I finished, I got full blown liquid diarrhea. I am soo glad I was at home and not outside. smh Backtrack to December 2018 when I first excitedly tried this place seeing all the good reviews. I ordered the Matcha Blossom and I got diarrhea that afternoon through the next day. Granted, I couldn't blame Qualitea at that time because right before I had the drink, I also tried Tartine for the first time. I steered clear of Qualitea and Tartine since then. I decided to give Qualitea another chance today via UberEats because hey, their reviews were still glowing. I ordered the Dirty Panda for myself. The drink, itself, was not sweet at all. In fact, it tasted bitter from the tea, possibly because I only did 30% sweet. The boba was a nice texture though. I also ordered a rose petal for later. It did not look like Julia F's drink from 9 months ago. I wished I saw Angelala L's review from a year ago. Because THAT is what I got. A little inconsistent, if you ask me. What is the drink supposed to look like?! I almost suspect they gave me a rose milk tea since the drink was so uniformly artificial pink. Not sure if I should just toss it or risk ongoing diarrhea. Drinks came in a cardboard caddy only. There was no taped (tamper proof) bag. read more
3 years ago
5 years ago
this place is solid af for fruit based boba. and i think milk tea based too. customer service was great, got the drinks real fast (no rush during the time so) i'm a fruit lover and i know that grapefruit is really hard to get right since it's a bitter fruit but for the grapefruit blush it was a perfect combo of subtle sweetness from the fruit and a nice tea flavor. my friend got the rose petal and to her as a rose lover, it hit the spot for her. like she lovesssss it. i think it's because it has the perfect amount of rose and is mixed very well. for the grapefruit, i got less ice, max sweetness, and aloe vera. for rose, i think she got 50% sweetness and boba. i'd totally come back here. but man while i was walking here, there were nudists on the main street and that traumatized me. so. i'd totally come back here if there aren't any nudists in castro or if i get a ride to the front door then DIP LOL read more
2 years ago
update: 50% sweetness is perfect still 5 stars one year later. got grapefruit with jasmine tea, very good read more
3 years ago
2 years ago
2 years ago
What a coincidence. Matcha Blossom is my porn name. I was going to say tapioca balls were part of my act, but that would be just tasteless. But not these balls. These balls are tasty. I meant the ones in my boba, and I'm not really into boba either. Hard to believe, I know, since I'm Asian and all. I wasn't aware there was yet another new business in this familiar space in front of the Sit & Spin. Philz was in here for quite a while until they got all corporate and relocated around the corner in 2015. Then a couple of coffee joints came and went. I liked the way the boba drinks are prepared here. This is the first shop for owner Susan Liu who follows the Taiwan and Hong Kong style of mixing-and-matching blends that make the drinks more interesting than the heavily sweetened concoctions at the Boba Guys. Indeed I ordered my namesake, the $5.50 Matcha Blossom where she hand-mixed a matcha latte with strawberry purée and pitched it at 30% sweetness which was sweet enough for me. I had the chewy-tasty tapioca balls added for fifty cents (photo: http://bit.ly/2oE6PtW), which is coincidentally how much I charge, too. Small world. BOBA - 4 stars...bold, flavorful blends elevate these boba creations AMBIANCE - 3.5 stars...still reminds me of old Philz SERVICE - 4.5 stars...Susan takes a very conscientious approach to her product TOTAL - 4 stars...step aside, Boba Guys as Boba Girl's in town RELATED - Looking for bubble tea? Here are the places around the Bay Area that I've tried and reviewed: http://bit.ly/2v4D7Sf read more
5 years ago
Got the matcha blossom and the color was beautiful. Asked for 30% sweetness, but I might up it to 50% next time. Overall the drink was still very nice and refreshing. The staff was super friendly and helpful as well. Definitely recommend. read more
5 years ago
The drinks are all unique and have interesting flavors! Their menu is huge, they have a lot of specialty drinks with sparkling juices/waters - like the Pink Sparkle, the pink drink in the pic, and the Dirty Panda, the dark brown drink with white on top. The Dirty Panda is super rich, it had Oreo in it and is topped with cheese foam. The fruit drinks were also good, more classic-tasting but they had real fruit on top and tasted very natural! Their boba had good texture and was slightly sweet but not overly so. All the drinks here are kind of pricy, the simple drinks start at $5-ish. The location is quaint, it's in this super cute neighborhood near Mission Dolores. It's definitely walkable from Mission Dolores. They're also right next to a gorgeous flower shop (the background of the pics). Parking is residential street parking, so not metered. The street is quiet too, so it's not too difficult to find parking. read more
6 years ago
First time here and Qualitea did not disappoint!! Metered parking up front but free parking just around the corner! Their COVID precautions included a maximum occupancy of 4 people and offering hand sanitizer~ I got a matcha blossom and my girlfriend got the rose petal~ the matcha blossom was good! Once everything is mixed well, the drink is super smooth and the boba was firm and bouncy! The rose petal was incredibly fragrant and we loved both our drinks! Also worth mentioning that the owners were super nice and friendly! Their service was awesome and we will definitely be back again to try more items!! read more
3 years ago
6 years ago
3 years ago
This is such a cute and tasty boba place! Had their roasted oolong milk tea with boba (70% sugar) and my friend got the roasted oolong with cheese mousse creama (50% sugar), and they were both so good! The roasted oolong milk tea had a nice tea taste but was also very creamy at the same time; I feel like a lot of places don't get the balance very well or it ends up being too watery, but that wasn't the case with QualiTea! The boba was very chewy and sweet so that's a win in my book as well. Tbh I was originally going to get the Grapefruit Blush since I love grapefruit and they use real fruit in their drinks, but I had a sample of their golden oolong milk tea and it was so good that it made me want something milky. Docking off one star for the price since a normal drink will come out to almost $6 if you want a topping, and there's no option for a smaller size. read more
8 years ago
WHY I WENT HERE: - working in the Castro one day and had a bit of downtime - it was a hot day in The City and I wanted to see if or what boba was around for a refreshing pick me up - was directed here, within walking distance of my client and I decided to check it out THE LOOK (FROM THE OUTSIDE): - cafe vibes with the outdoor seating THE LOOK (FROM THE INSIDE): - I love all the wood interior - very clean - lots of natural light for brightness inside THE MENU: - limited menu; specialty drinks only, which is a nice change to the average boba shop WHAT I ORDERED: - deluxe punch: fruits - orange, lemon, lime, strawberries, watermelon; toppings - crystal boba, aloe vera THE TASTE: - VERY refreshing! PRESENTATION: - LOVE the thickness and sturdiness of the cups that can easily house a cold or hot drink - I love that it has a removable hard top (like when you get coffee, but an upgraded version) that has a little lever to open and close to the side to sip as well as a little circle portion that you can puncture to perfectly fit the boba straw through - I like how they give you a wooden spork as well so that way when you're done with the drink, the spork is used to eat the fruit that's included in your specialty drink CUSTOMER SERVICE: - outstanding read more
Cute tea joint in the Castro.The girl at the counter was super friendly and really helpful, especially with someone like me who teeters between the need to always first try classic milk tea w/ boba at a new place and trying something popular and unique on the menu. I won both this time. My teenage daughter wanted classic milk tea (which I got to try) and with the help of the nice employee, I decided on the Matcha Blossom (hand-whisked Japanese pure matcha latte w/ in-house strawberry puree). I don't like my drinks too sweet, so she helped me gauge the level of sweetness (the strawberry puree is sweet, and if I add boba, that also makes it sweet). That said, I ordered 50% sweetness. She said that they would adjust the taste if I didn't like it. It was perfect. read more
More info about QualiTea
4023 18th St
San Francisco, CA 94114
Castro
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(415) 712-9364
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