Order QualiTea Takeout or Delivery
QualiTea Photos
Business Info
QualiTea Popular Drinks
You might also consider
Recommended Reviews - QualiTea
Start your review...
Reviews With Photos
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.
6 years ago
First entering, the inside was a small cute place. The cashier was very friendly and helped us pick our drinks. We got the Roasted Oolong Tea and the Rose Petal Milk tea (with whole milk). They have a variety selection of milks to substitute if you aren't a fan of whole milk by the way. I'm not a huge sweets person so I got 50% for my rose petal as the cashier warned me that it's really sweet. The boba was super chewy and there's real dried rose petals in the rose petal drink. Roasted oolong was also tasty. *Side note*: When we checked in through Yelp we got a free topping which was a plus :) read more
8 years ago
This place stole me away from the boba guys and I'm fine with it because I get my drinks wayyyy quicker and I don't need to wait in a long ass line. I always get their matcha blossom which is basically the same thing as boba guy's strawberry matcha latte. The cost is around the same for both places. I still have to try their other drinks but every time I'm in SF, I jus crave the matcha blossom drink. The one thing about this place is that there is usually only one person working. I think it would be nice if they had a little ringing bell at the cash register, cuz a lot of times, customers walk away after waiting in line for a few minutes. That happened once when we already ordered our drinks and the worker was working on 6+ drinks.. Overall, I would definitely recommend this place, but I would not stay to hang out (even though it's a pretty cute shop to sit and chill) cuz there are no restrooms for customers either. Parking can be difficult, but there is street parking in the residency area so do be patient! read more
2 years ago
2 years ago
I have a phenomenal experience, as soon as I walked in I was greeted by beautiful faces and warm energy. I really appreciate the cleanliness of the place and the fact that it's compact makes me feel at home. read more
6 years ago
It's been nice and Hella hot in SF since the weekend. I wanted to get something sweet and refreshing from @qualitealife is in the Castro which is adjacent to Dolores park. Order online so you don't have wait. I ordered the Taro, Mango, Thai Tea If you want something refreshing get the mango and Thai tea, they are just sweetened right and not hella sweet. And super refreshing, you can taste the actual fruit and Thai tea. Not hella milky either. Just right. You won't regret it. The taro was initially okay, because they used the sweet candy taro. And not just the fruit taro which is usually not sweet. But the more you drink it the worse it gets and is powdery. I'd avoid it. I wish I got this exchanged. I rate this spot 4 Earls out of 5. $ around 20 bucks for three, nice locale, and 2/3 drinks were good. Stick to the mango and Thai tea. read more
6 years ago
This was my first time at Qualitea and overall it was a positive one. First of all, the aesthetics were definitely on point, especially with the Matcha Blossom. To be honest, I partially ordered it just for that. Because of that though, it wasn't the best drink for me since matcha isn't my favorite. I definitely need to go back and try another drink. I didn't get to try the House Milk Tea, so I can't comment on how it tasted. I really like that the Matcha Blossom also included strawberry puree. It gave it an extra sweet and fruity flavor that went well with the less sweet matcha. As far as the boba, it was good but not as soft as I like it. However, it wasn't clumped together which was good. Clumpy boba is a pet peeve of mine. As far as the shop itself, it's about average size for a San Francisco shop, which is to say it's a little small, but there is still enough room for a few tables. It has wood seating and walls which I really liked. It's also nice that it's only a couple blocks from Mission Dolores Park so that you can walk there and enjoy a warm day with a cold milk tea. read more
Wow this place is amazing! The service is top notch. Qualitea is a tea shop specializing in boba tea. They have some amazing speciality drinks like the Deluxe Punch and Matcha Blossom. My favorite is the grapefruit drink that features fresh grapefruit and flavoring. They recently launched new cups that look smaller. read more
6 years ago
QualiTea is one of my favorite, underrated boba places in the city! They have a plethora of flavors to select from which is hard to find in SF I think and also have quality drinks. I have tried quite a few drinks from here before: house milk tea, jasmine green milk tea, oolong milk tea, peach oolong tea, strawberry matcha tea, and the honeydew milk tea. They were all-stars! The boba is good and chewy and their tea has a lot of flavor. I also really like the cups they use with the rounded bottom. One of my favorite things to do is order and then peruse through the flowers next door while I wait for my order to be finished. I live near Castro so this is a regular boba stop for me. It's well priced and hits the spot every time. The staff is also very friendly and helpful! My friend really has been wanting a good honeydew/wintermelon tea for the longest time and finding one in SF is hard. Always thankful for QualiTea for their wide range of flavors. read more
6 years ago
Tried this place for the first time a couple of weeks ago in October and I have to say it's pretty good. I ordered the strawberry matcha latte 80% sweet and it hit the spot for that unusually hot day in October. I'm a big fan of fruity and creamy drinks and this was exactly that, both refreshing, but creamy and slightly sweet. The boba was a good consistency with a favorable firm to chewy ratio, the tea was high quality matcha, the strawberry purée was fresh, and the milk was a good thickness that didn't overpower the matcha. This drink alone was $6 after tax, which is definitely on the pricey side. Given that it's made with matcha and fresh fruit, and is in the city, it's sort of expected though. Matcha is a very expensive tea, so places like these that don't use very cheap matcha charge a higher price. I make matcha at home and it's not that much cheaper because of how expensive matcha is itself. Also sf milk tea places tend to be more expensive. My real complaint about this place was the line I waited in that day. It was a weirdly hot day so i don't know how often this place has a line well out the door, but the wait-time was awful. I noticed once I got inside and was waiting that there were only 2 people working, 1 taking orders and the other making drinks. For that line, they were definitely understaffed, so hopefully that traffic was just an anomaly, because other wise you're going standing in line for awhile. Overall, I did enjoy this place and if I ever am around the neighborhood and there's no line/I have time to wait, I'd definitely be back. read more
Super friendly and knowledgeable staff. I was asking about their taro and they were happy to show me what they use (taro chunks). I was so excited to have real taro in my drink! They also have milk alternatives, and was able to sub oat milk. I'll definitely come back read more
9 years ago
There's no shortage of schlongs and schweaty balls in The Castro but ones you can slurp and swallow....through a straw? Until Qualitea opened earlier this week, there were none. Let that sink in for a bit... There's probably 50+ boba shops in The Sunset and The Richmond alone with 3-4 boba shops in a one block radius so I'm so happy that The Castro finally gets their first boba shop! I heard that for their soft opening, Qualitea was offering "Buy 1, Get 1 Free" drinks so my co-worker hopped into a Lyft and made our way there. As soon as we got out of the car, I saw the cutest bulldog sitting out front and excitedly went to go pet it. I'll save y'all the embarrassment because it's a statue, not a real dog unless it's like Emmy in the 80s classic: Mannequin. There may not be a real dog outside but there's dog-friendly seating so you can bring your furkid with you. On the menu are teas, fruit teas, milk teas, lattes, coffee, and specialty drinks like the Matcha Blossom (latte) and Cheese Mousse Creama drinks. One size only. Toppings are 50 cents each (boba, crystal boba, grass jelly, taro, egg pudding, etc) and if you want milk or soy milk (not non-dairy creamer), it's an extra 50 cents. There's 4 sweetness levels: 0%, 30%, 70%, and 100% (default). Drinks are a tad pricier than other boba shops (e.g. $4.75 milk tea w/ no toppings) but if you live in the area, it's a small convenience fee of not having to trek across the city for your boba fix. We tried 4 drinks (listed from favorite to least favorite) *Matcha Blossom: Japanese pure matcha latte w/ housemade strawberry puree ($5.50): http://bit.ly/2Fv7XXo Almost as good as Boba Guy's Strawberry Matcha Latte, there was good balance of earthy matcha and creamy milk flavor. However, it was near impossible to get to the strawberries on the bottom that was weighted down by the large amount of ice. The cup had over 50% of ice for "regular ice". There was a plug on the cup so we thought we were supposed to sip it but you're not. Make sure to grab a straw to mix things up before enjoying. *Housemilk Tea: Premium house blend Assam black tea w/ non-dairy creamer ($4.75): Sorry no pic. Most boba shop's milk teas tend to be hella watered down but not here. The tea flavor was strong and it was perfectly creamy and nicely sweet (70% sweet). *Pink Sparkle (non-caffeinated): Sparkling water w/ yogurt, housemade strawberry puree, fresh strawberries ($5): http://bit.ly/2Fw9LzL Like an Italian soda but a lot more refreshing since they use fresh ripen fruit, not artificial syrups. I couldn't taste the yogurt though. *Passion Cooler: Passionfruit green tea w/ kumquat juice, lime, mint ($5.00): Sorry, no pic. Even at 30% sweet, this drink was really sweet so I think more lime for balance would help. I'm not a passionfruit person so I didn't like this drink but my co-worker who is liked it. Service was really friendly and prompt by the staff. The shop is clean and bright with several two-tops, a picnic table, and a small outdoor seating area. Solid soft opening but I do have a few suggestions for the owner(s): (1) The drinks were supposed to be "Buy 1, Get 1 Free" but the Square system was set up as "Buy 1, Get 1 Half Off" so I was overcharged about $5. I didn't realize it until I received my receipt via email later on. (2) I told one of the staff that the Pink Sparkle didn't taste like it had yogurt in it and was told they would add more yogurt next time. If time allows, I think they should offer on-the-spot drink adjustments like other boba shops do. (3) Adjust the ice levels for "regular ice" - there was over 50% ice for three out of the four drinks we had. (4) Consider getting more supportive cup holders. Since the cups are tall and top heavy, they kept toppling over in-transit. (5) There are typos in the menu: "'none-daily' creamer" and "'chessy' tropical bliss". Once they work out their kinks, Qualitea has potential to be a solid 5 star boba shop. Yay for more balls in your mouff for The Castro! read more
Business owner information
May Y.
Hi Cherylynn, our buy one get one was only available for the first…
9 years ago
Unique and colorful selections to choose from on qualitea boba drinks! Specialty drinks are up on the menu to the right where you order! I got my eyes on the Dirty Panda name, but the fresh green and pinkish red color blend of the Matcha Blossom, drew my attention! The Dirty Panda, reminds me of a salted caramel kind of drink, but with creama cheese used, and mixed in with sweet Oreo bits to compliment each other! It's a drink that I would want when I crave for an ordeal on not caring about counting my calories! The Matcha Blossom is matcha green tea latte with puréed strawberry on the bottom! The flavor is definitely captivating and tasty. I would order this on a regular basis! The Grapefruit Blush iced tea is refreshing for the warm summer days! If one doesn't feel like trying something new, one can customize the drink according to another menu. You can pick the sugar intake and the ice level. Adorned! Each drink is shaken up on the spot and made with precise care! There's WiFi and nice contemporary, wooden decor setting to enjoy with the drink! I admire the creative name to this tea shop! QualiDog is right outside, adorably, awaiting for your visit! Petting QualiDog and taking a picture with a QualiTea drink in your hand, is a must! read more
2 years ago
8 years ago
Location: In the Castro neighborhood Parking: Free residential parking available Service: friendly WiFi: no WiFi Bathroom: available; they share with the Laundromat Deals: 20% off for students (with ID) Monday through Friday Décor: homey Drinks: Passion cooler with clear boba & Taro kisses I like how you can customize your own drink in the event you do not like any of their static menu items. I had the passion cooler with clear boba (0% sugar and no ice) and it was a nice refreshing drink that wasn't overly sweet. I could also really taste the green tea come through in the Passion cooler . The Taro kisses was made with (30% sugar and 40% ice) and the taro chunks were a nice touch, and this beverage was so good read more
Definitely the first time we've had quali-tea (see what I did there?) bubble tea in the Castro. There are a few places who carry it now since the Quickly went out of business, but it's not their main focus so things like non-dairy or less sweet are not options. This place gives you allll the customization you need. With non-dairy options, ability to control sweetness and ice amount I was very pleased with my house milk tea with soy and boba! The staff was super friendly, even bringing our drinks out to us when they noticed we were standing out front with our mutt. They take Square and drinks were pretty affordable (just under $5). They also had some fun concoctions like the "dirty panda" that I cannot wait to try in addition to coffee and espresso, and sparkling water based drinks if milk tea isn't your thing. Welcome to the neighborhood, Qualit-tea. Pretty sure this will be my go to spot while I do my laundry at sit n spin. Only advice I have is to embrace the hood and work in some fun rainbows and naughty puns into a drink or two. After all, you're bringing balls to the Castro. It pretty much writes itself. read more
This review is mostly for the Pride drink. I tried my friends' Matcha Blossom and I actually thought that was pretty good, especially with the salty cream on top. Unfortunately I didn't get that drink. The Pride was the special drink, and it was a bit pricier around $7, but it came with a cool floatie. That's about all the positives for it. It tasted pretty much like a grapefruit lemonade mixed with soda and a bunch of syrup. The drink was mostly just sour and sweet, which got really tiring after the first few sips. It wasn't as complicated or good tasting as the Matcha Blossom and left a lot to be desired. The boba at the bottom though was actually pretty good, but given how unpleasant the rest of the drink was, I would pass on this in the future. I might give it another shot to try their Matcha Blossom, but I probably wouldn't veer too far away from it. read more
5 years ago
They're better than Boba Guys and Yes I MEAN IT!! Qualitea seriously always brings good quality. I've ordered from them both in person and through the Doordash app and it has always tasted the same (great taste)! They never get the order wrong esp bc I order my two fave go-to drinks: Rose Milk tea w/ Oatmilk and Boba and the Deluxe Punch tea. However with my experiences with Boba Guys have been hit or miss esp through delivery apps. read more
Whenever I'm in the area I always like to stop by qualitea for their drinks. The quality of the tea drinks are pretty decent. There's nothing wrong with any of the drinks that I have tried! I tried the golden oolong and the matcha blossom and I honestly have to say that both drinks are pretty decent. The golden oolong has a pretty strong tea flavor and it has just enough sweetness at 50 percent. It's not watered down nor is it disgustingly sweet. The matcha blossom is my other fav drink, it's similar to boba guys strawberry matcha latte. It has exact same layers except this one is slightly sweeter with the purée but the matcha flavor is still there and it's nice and not too strong. I've been here a few times and I do t mind making my way back here for other drinks in the future! Overall, it's been a good experience each time! Only gripe is the parking in the area, it's not usually the best but if you come in a weekday usually you can find some parking: Total : 5 read more
2 years ago
6 years ago
8 years ago
Attempted to go to another dessert place but they were closed so ended up at this boba place which was pretty satisfying and very cute inside! Ordered: matcha blossom ($5.50), golden oolong with mango star jelly ($5.25), black tea with cream read more
Needed a pick-me up that wasn't coffee and during this time in the morning, drink options were limited. Qualitea was within walking distance of my location and they were open plus they had good reviews. I ordered from the app for pick up and I received a notification of the time it would be ready. I wanted to check out the inside of their store and it's so cute. It's small, had cute signs of inclusivity and had great drink options between coffee, lattes, specialty drinks, tea and boba tea. The two people making the drinks were quick and very nice. I was in and out of their shop in 5 min. I got the passion cooler w/ lychee and it was so delicious! I would come here again. read more
6 years ago
3 years ago
4 years ago
6 years ago
The tea are for sure Quality. Very fragrant. Glad I came here before hitting up the Delores park. Was the topping to a fantastic day! Highly recommend the rose petal tea! read more
4 years ago
4 years ago
10/10 would recommend! My favorite boba spot in SF! Definitely must try the rose petal, it has a beautiful aroma as well as taste. The boba is also very soft which is an absolute plus. Good boba is everything. Located within the Castro near Dolores Park~ read more
7 years ago
6 years ago
2 years ago
3 years ago
7 years ago
Grateful for this local boba spot. The people are always friendly, there never is a line, and the boba is some of the best in SF. Thank you for doing pick up orders and delivery during these crazy times read more
3 years ago
Business owner information
May Y.
Hi Kevin, sorry to hear your bad experience with us.…
5 years ago
More info about QualiTea
4023 18th St
San Francisco, CA 94114
Castro
Directions
(415) 712-9364
Call Now
Order Takeout or Delivery
Start Order
Full menu
Hours
Payment methods
Food & Alcohol
Indoor Amenities
Outdoor Amenities
Other Amenities
From the Business
More Info
Health Score
Ask the Community - QualiTea
You might also consider
Why does Yelp recommend reviews?
28 reviews that are not currently recommended
The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.
7 years ago
3 years ago
9 years ago
6 years ago
4 years ago
6 years ago
7 years ago
6 years ago
6 years ago
6 years ago
2 years ago
3 years ago
3 years ago
7 years ago
3 years ago
2 years ago
7 years ago
3 years ago
