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    Rare Tea Chicago

    4.5 (28 reviews)
    Closed 11:30 am - 9:00 pm

    Rare Tea Chicago Photos

    RARE TEA CHICAGO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Rare Tea Chicago

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    Interior
    LJ J.

    Delicious boba tea selection. Cute interior very instagrammable . Tried the Rose Matcha Latte was really delicious. Perfect for anytime of the day!

    Manisha P.

    This spot recently opened 2 days back at my neighbourhood i.e. Lakeview and i'm addicted with it already. They have a vast menu to choose from for non dairy people like me and smoothie options as well. Their milk teas are awesome! I got the jasmine milk tea and the taro milk tea! Both were great! Service is pretty fast & the people are awesome as well! Ambience is cute and simple. Highly highly recommend anyone in the lakeview area to drop by!! I will visit again!!

    a hand holding a cup of coffee
    Victoria F.

    I'm always down to try a new boba place, and I was happily surprised by how much I enjoyed my drink at RareTea. I ordered their Duo Grape drink, which was the perfect drink for the hot summer day! I did ask for less sweet, and it was the perfect sweetness. The jasmine tea flavor was strong but not overpowering, and it paired well with the tartness of the grapes. The snow cream provided a hint of saltiness, which sounds gross but was actually delicious. I didn't get to try their milk tea or tapioca, so I will have to make a return visit for that.

    Some limited seating in this quaint little tea shop
    Genna G.

    Stumbled upon this cute little boba tea shop while looking for an after school treat for my daughter. We split a mango smoothie with boba and it was amazing. So many delicious menu items -Lots of boba tea options and flavors to chose from . I'll be back to try more!

    Wendy H.

    It's a cute bubble tea shop. There's enough seating for maybe 6 people. The people were nice. I ordered the Okinawa Milk Tea and it tasted pretty good. It was empty here but it's nice to stop by after a long walk.

    Vibe
    Nikita B.

    Walked into this boba place on a casual sunday afternoon. We were greeted promptly and we were able to order our drinks promptly. I ordered the rose matcha tea which was refreshing and the perfect beverage for a warm summer day. The drink tasted amazing and I love that they have the option to tone down the sweetness or the ice in the drink. Overall, this is a solid boba place and I would definitely come back here again.

    Lychee smootea and Okinawa milk tea
    Clarissa H.

    Oooh a new boba tea place opened up on Broadway! It's a cute small place, perfect to grab a drink before grocery shopping or browsing books at Unabridged. I ordered the lychee smootea and it was great! It had a good consistency (not too thick), a strong lychee flavor, and would be perfect on a hot summer day. They even have some vegan options on their menu. It's cute, clean, and definitely a spot I will be coming back to!

    Taro Milk Tea w/ boba
    Chad S.

    THE WHOLE PLACE IS DAIRY FREE! The taro milk tea was creamy and mildly thick. It made for an extremely tasteful flavor. The peach green tea was great as well. If you're someone looking for a cozy play to grab a drink- this is the spot to scratch that boba tea itch! However, don't expect to be greeted or the tea explained by the staff. If you ask for something special you likely won't get it (for example, little ice means they put no ice in it). Small thing, but you want to feel your money is going to a product and business that cares about you. I guess they just know their product slaps so the customer service is lacking.

    Okinawa Milk Tea
    Stacey H.

    Nice, friendly service but the taste is okay, not amazing. Some items on the menu are not actually sold (yet?) like the ice cream milk tea. I tried the Okinawa Milk Tea and it was a bit too powdery of a taste for me. The prices should be a little lower for the more "basic" milk teas in my opinion. A small space but there are tables to hang out!

    Outside View from seating area

    I've always wanted to try Rare Tea but finally got the chance to stop in today! The inside is super cute and I was greeted the second I walked through the door. They had a pretty large selection of drinks but I went with their signature Okinawa Milk tea since standard milk teas are usually my favorite. They really lived up to their reviews! The milk tea was amazing and had the perfect amount of sweetness. I found out the unique flavor comes from a bit of roasted brown sugar. The milk tea was decently priced and the size was pretty large as well. They also play great music inside so it's definitely worth stopping by! :)

    Thai Milk Tea
    Ria O.

    Fantastic milk teas, absolutely love having a dependable boba shop near me in Lakeview :) (pleasantly surprised by the Okinawa Milk Tea!)

    Leon L.

    Brand new Boba shop open in chicago downtown. For all tea lovers, give them a try! They have Tea-presso similar to coffee espresso, but for tea! Staff are very nice and helpful. Even for those who love sweet, they have option for sweet tooth to help your craving as well. I noticed they used fresh fruit for their drink. I cant wait to explore their menu and see what more they can offer. They don't have food yet. But this is a great place to visit after a meal to get some refresher or boba tea for dessert! Highly Recommend!!

    Taro Milk Tea with maybe 10% Taro 90% non-dairy creamer

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    3 years ago

    Delicious! And friendly service, and plenty of options for anyone's liking. So glad we have a Boba place in Lakeview East now!

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    3 years ago

    Tasty! Great, balanced drinks. Got the coffee milk tea, 50% sugar with grass jelly and it was delicious.

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    2 years ago

    I have been going to this place since it opened. The tea is good and you can adjust the sweetness. They also serve bubble waffles now.

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    3 years ago

    The staff is always super friendly and the store is very clean. The drinks are consistent and delicious.

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    Ask the Community - Rare Tea Chicago

    Review Highlights - Rare Tea Chicago

    I'm always down to try a new boba place, and I was happily surprised by how much I enjoyed my drink at RareTea.

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

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    Cafe Deko

    Cafe Deko

    4.4
    (176 reviews)
    0.7 mi
    $$

    Fun spot to grab coffee with a friend or date!! The decor is so cute, love the gold and green and…read moretile theme they got going on. They really went all out!! There's a fair amount of seating considering the size of the place. Wasn't able to get a spot today unfortunately, but we did go at a busy time on a Sunday morning. I got the honey and lavender specialty latte with soy milk. I get mixed feelings about lavender - sometimes it tastes pretty soapy to me. I thought this was delicious! I'd definitely order again and recommend it. Overall, definitely recommend this spot especially if you're able to get a couch or table to enjoy the space!

    I went here with a friend the other day and we ended up spending a good deal of the afternoon just…read morerelaxing and catching up. Even though we were seated at a regular table, the place had a comfortable vibe and it was easy to settle into. The counter women were efficient, nice, and filled our orders promptly. They did give my friend the wrong size coffee at first, but corrected it quickly and without any problem. One thing I didn't love: my cappuccino was served in a Styrofoam cup while we were staying there. If you're drinking in, it really should come on a ceramic cup and saucer. Save the Styrofoam for takeout! The best part was that we stayed for a couple of hours and no one hovered over us, or made us feel like we had to leave. As for the coffee itself, it was just okay. Not bad, but not memorable either. That's a shame too, because the space is so comfy. Still, there are plenty of other coffee spots on the North Side - and this just gives me a reason to explore others in the neighborhood.

    Photos
    Front
    Front
    Mortadella Sandwich
    Mortadella Sandwich
    Cafe Deko

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    Jennivee’s Bakery

    Jennivee’s Bakery

    4.4
    (718 reviews)
    0.5 mi
    $$

    This is my absolute most favorite bakery. So this is my ode to the bakery and Dom, who is a gem of…read morean employee there. I've been a customer of almost 10 years and have been obsessed since they first opened their doors at a different location. I literally live an hour away without traffic and even longer with traffic, but I make sure to stop by or send someone else to get it for me at least once a month or more. I love the amazing cakes that are so delicious and unique but on top of that, it is Asian owned, LGBTQ supporting, etc. A lot has changed since their little storefront with no seating. The bakery is now a full on cafe and I'm so happy to see how much they've grown and how successful they are. And while it is glorious, I will say I miss the sweet neighborhood charm and great customer service it used to have. Getting in touch with the bakery through phone or text can be tough and to be honest, sometimes one of the people working there is kind of...very mean. It had me questioning if I should keep coming back. I just love this bakery so much though and being raised by parents that had a small food business, I can't help but want to support. I had a particularly difficult last minute request for the bakery a few weeks ago and I was reminded why this place is so great. It had been YEARS since I made this specific request, which was an order for a slice of cake for every flavor and a cupcake for every flavor. This is a BIG and time consuming request, especially if it's last minute. Unfortunately I come to the city whenever the traffic isn't atrocious, so it's always last minute. Dom absolutely pulled through though. Even though there were other employees there (I saw two others but one disappeared and then another male was kind of walking around the cafe and such), Dom took this giant request and fulfilled it himself. The other gentleman (not the mean person previously mentioned) was actually who I made the request to, but he told Dom to do it. I was kind of confused why they didn't do it together but idk, maybe the other guy isn't allowed to handle food? Who knows. Regardless, this request obviously took a long time and the line was getting longer; people were getting a little restless but Dom stayed calm but was swift. I swear he was moving faster than most people in the industry could with a cake knife like that. He was not impatient or rude to me at all. He was just there to do his job as fast and well as possible. It's so rare to see that type of work ethic. He is also so obviously proud of the bakery and the food they serve which makes you feel good about being a patron there. So although I continue to have an unpleasant experience with one particular employee there, Dom keeps my love for this bakery alive. He reminds me of what this bakery was like when they first opened their doors. I hope Dom is cherished there and I bet he is considering his work ethic. I will continue to support this bakery and I recommend everyone else to support as well. It may not be that small little shop anymore but Dom is a reminder of the heart of the place.

    I've been to Jennivee's twice now and I also got my college graduation cake from here last year for…read morepick-up! They did a beautiful job. For my graduation cake, I chose the tres leches and it was so creamy, moist, and delicious. I basically ate half of the cake by myself lol. This most recent time, I needed a snack and wanted something sweet. Everything here looks amazing and I'm sure tastes amazing too, so it's hard to choose. I chose to get the berry chantilly cake slice since it was a hot day, and it was the perfect refreshing treat! It was soooo good.

    Photos
    Inside
    Inside
    Jennivee’s Bakery
    Main Squeeze Cupcake and Hazelnut Bomb Cupcake

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    Main Squeeze Cupcake and Hazelnut Bomb Cupcake

    Rare Tea Chicago - bubbletea - Updated June 2026

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