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    Rare Tea - Davis

    3.5 (206 reviews)
    InexpensiveBubble Tea
    Open • 11:00 am - 8:00 pm
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    Menu
    Kiara S.

    Raretea Davis is a cozy spot with plenty of seating and something about this place feels very nostalgic. The seating area being away from the main counter makes it a quiet place to study and enjoy tea. It's a very laid back spot! You can order through scanning a QR code, inputting your selections into a kiosk, or with the one employee behind the bar. The wait can vary with one person making all the drinks, so if there's a big order before you, be prepared to hang out a bit. I had the opportunity to enjoy the Guava Spring Tea, half sweet, with lychee jelly. It was very refreshing and perfectly sweet. I would stop by again if I'm in the area.

    This is a picture of a menu.
    Ashly N.

    Came in right before closing time which was at 6pm and ordered a pineapple smootea. The drink tasted really good after my long walk with my bf we had about 5,000 steps and I almost passed out from dehydration. This drink helped replenish my thirst. The lady that made our drinks was really nice. I asked where was everyone at because it was dead inside. She told me they were on Spring break and will come tomorrow since it's the weekend. She made the drinks fast and it made me feel like I was on the beach drinking a Pina colada. I would definitely come back again.

    Strawberry Milk Tea
    Yessi O.

    The ambiance of the store was nice, it felt small, cozy, and a little dingy (but not in a bad way). The service was good, the lady working seemed nice. I personally ordered the strawberry milk tea, and recieved my food in a timely manner. First of all, the milk tea had a consistency of a slurpie, but honestly I'm not complaining! The strawberry was sweet and fruity while the milk was sweet as well. Overall, pretty refreshing and delicious!

    This was my second time getting rare tea but I ordered 2 drinks: - Jasmine Milk Tea w/ boba - Mango Passionfruit Tea w/ lychee jelly My major complaint is that I found some hair-like fiberous threads/plasticky strings in my mango passionfruit tea. Not sure if it came from the lychee jelly but it might've been a bad batch. I have ordered this exact drink last time and I didn't encounter any issues then. When I tasted the first one in my mouth, I just ignored it but after getting multiple strands (see attached), it became an unpleasant experience. Just wanted to warn others to be cautious!

    Stanley L.

    Issa yup for me broski. The kiwi drank kinna litty. And my reviews kinna witty. I need to get me a kitty (cat). Rapper by the way. @flywitstan

    Black Milk Tea - nondairy milk
    Angel T.

    I love Rare Tea and think it needs more love. It's open, despite the constant construction happening in the building it's located in. My favorites are their Watermelon Green Tea and Black Milk Tea. I've also had their Peach Black Tea, Strawberry Berry, and Mango Passionfruit. They use fresh fruit purées for their drinks, rather than artificial fruit syrups. If you're a fan of fruit "pulp" (tiny fruity bits) in your drinks -- I'm a fan -- this is the place for you! I also recommend getting less sweet for everything if you like a stronger tea flavor. They also use non-dairy milk for their milk teas by default (similar to Teaspoon) with the exception of their "Fresh Milk" drinks. A bit pricier ($5-$6 for most drinks) but worth it. Conveniently located next to the Social Sciences building on campus.

    Strawberry Milk Tea and Popcorn Chicken
    Maikhanh H.

    Rare Tea was very much meant for getting food and drinks. The ambience is a bit lacking but still has a good seating area for waiting. The service was fast and simple. For the food and drink aspect, we got the strawberry milk tea and popcorn chicken. The popcorn chicken is not traditional to the Taiwanese popcorn chicken with flavors of basil and 5 spice. This was their own rendition so if you were looking for the traditional kind this not the place to get it. However we really enjoyed the flavor as it was more on the spicy and salty taste coupled with a lemon on the side. It was unique and quite enjoyable for us so if you were looking for a change of pace I would recommend. I highly recommend the strawberry milk tea. It is has a nice slushy texture that makes it so refreshing and has the perfect amount of sweetness. I added boba as well and it was the perfect texture as well. This makes a perfect drink for the hot summers in Davis!

    Kiwi Fruit Tea w/ Jelly

    second time getting this drink and tastes even better than the first time (maybe i was just thirsty). came earlier than pick up time and they had no issue with it, already having the drink in preparation very good! kind workers

    Mango milk tea
    Kasey H.

    Lots of options, I'd definitely go back to try more. Mango Milk Tea was good, but nothing mind blowing - hence the 4 stars. Smooth and creamy, but not strong mango flavor. Some chunks of mango, if I'm guessing?

    Classic coffee
    Valerie K.

    I never knew about this RareTea in Davis which seems it used to be a ShareTea, because it still has a ShareTea sign outside and this location hasn't been here long according to Yelp. Their Classic Coffee was pretty on point (a lot of their other locations don't seem to carry it for some reason). I don't normally order a lot of coffee drinks as they tend to be too sweet, but this tasted just like a frozen coffee cappuccino. They also have a variety of food items to pick from on the menu along with packaged snacks like ramen.

    Outside seating! Remember, clean up after yourself.
    Ron R.

    *** Vegetarian Review **** Location. Location. Location. If you're a student at UCD, this place is probably a second home. For some, it might even be accounted for in your tuition -- housing, books, reg fees, Starbucks, and boba. Over the last decade, this spot has been several businesses. I've always wondered how and why they couldn't make it because they are literally a stones throw from the campus plus you can usually find street parking right in front or at a minimum, not more than 1 1/2 blocks away. So why did all prior businesses fail? Best guess, they weren't Sharetea and they didn't feature the best boba in a town that has plenty of boba shops to stick a large mouthed straw into. My Usual (will post picture next time I visit): Taro Ice Blend with Pudding, add boba (Grade A): You'll find this under the "Ice Blended" menu. "Ice blended" basically means "Jamba Juice-style." But because it was nearly 100-degrees outside, the heat made me feel adventurous and I tried something off the "Milk Tea" menu. Okinawa Pearl Milk Tea with boba, add pudding, with 80% sweetness level (Grade A): No wonder this place always has a line 4-6 people deep. Takes forever to state your order. Now if you like milk tea, you'll love this. It has roasted brown sugar so I recommend 80% sweetness. And since they don't blend the ice Jamba Juice-style, I also recommend requesting they add more ice when the thermometer reaches triple-digits. First-timers ... Don't Forget: (1) Add pudding! If you're choice doesn't include pudding, just ask. It's the best 50-cents you'll ever spend. Boba shop pudding is more like dessert flan or custard. It's scooped into your drink and nestles down at the bottom so you'll get that savory custard in every sip. (2) Register your phone number. Yes you'll get an occasional bubble-text from your boba shop, but they just want to remind you of specials and freebies to bring you back to the shop. Yes, BOBA BOGO! It answers the age old question ... what's better than one Boba? Two Bobas. (3) Choices. You can choose how much ice (normal, less, or none) and sweetness level (100%, 80%, 50%, 30%, and 0%). Try it sans changes the first time and use that as your baseline. Overall restaurant observations: (1) The people that work here -- every single one of them -- are the friendliest staff in town. Like most boba shops, you'll find thousands of menu items to choose from and sometimes you might have a question or two. I've been to other shops and the staff will impatiently roll their eyes. I've been here dozens of times and I usually get 80% sweetness, but 100% smiles! (2) Outside seating and plenty of signage to remind you to clean up after yourself. (3) You need a bathroom key. Yikes! Just plan ahead if you avoid those bathroom keys like the plague like I do. (4) Straws are individually wrapped! Almost makes up for the bathroom key. Bottom line: Friendly, fast, and felicious (delicious). It's the perfect place to skip the restaurant dessert or to get an afternoon pick-me-up in lieu of a Starbucks run.

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    11 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    11 years ago

    I always ask for less ice in my drinks and the lady ALWAYS gives me at least half a cup of ice.

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    9 years ago

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    6 years ago

    The service is great and the drinks come out quickly. I order Super lychee. It was very good.I love this place.

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    7 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    9 years ago

    I've never been more upset in my life, it's poor quality boba, they messed up my order, and very overpriced

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    10 years ago

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    9 years ago

    Great place and taste. I'll be coming back to earn my free drinks. I also love how the lady always remembers my name.

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    11 years ago

    Decent milk tea. Hokkaido is pretty good and they have a really refreshing non alcoholic strawberry mojito!

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    I love coming to this place when I'm craving something cold and sweet. The snow in MandRo's bingsoo…read moreis soft, milky, and fluffy. If you've never had bingsoo/bingsu before, it's a Korean milk-based shaved ice dessert. MandRo offers fruit bingsoo flavors, such as strawberry and mango, as well as non-fruit options, including chocolate, injeolmi, and matcha. If you're not feeling bingsoo, they also have different drinks on the menu you can order. While they don't have as large of a bingsoo selection as some other places I've been to, I've enjoyed all of their flavors I've tried so far. My favorite is the strawberry bingsoo, since the fruit pieces are fresh and pair well with the snow. They offer two bingsoo sizes (regular and large), and the regular is great for sharing between two to three people. You place your order on a kiosk near the counter, and the workers will let you know when it's ready. There is plenty of seating inside as well. I saw they have a new Dubai chocolate bingsoo, which I hope to try soon!

    This is our neighbor's favorite shaved ice place. They invited us to go with them to Davis to try…read moreit out. It's a bit of a drive from Sacramento due to the traffic because of the construction. It was worth the drive to try something new. I've never had this type of Taiwanese shaved ice before. At least I think it's Taiwanese. It was described as frozen milk shaved like shaved ice. It's very fluffy and not chunky like regularly snow cones you get at fairs and festivals. This shaved ices don't compare. I loved the texture of the shaved ice in our Mango Bingsoo(Regular). The shaved ice was covered with mangos and dressed with sweetened condensed milk. I wish there was a larger portion of the condensed milk to pour on top of the plain ice when you run out of mangos. The proportions mango to shaved ice was pretty spot on, though you could always use another layer or two of mangos. I just can't get enough mangos. Price- This was pretty pricy and I would say it's a special occasion type of place. In addition i Size- The regular was the perfect size to share with a friend. For two of us the large would have been too much. Restrooms- They have one unisex bathroom in back. Thankfully you don't need a code to go in. It was clean and well supplied. Entertainment- They have a bookshelf of games to entertain you and your friends as you enjoy your sweet treat. Parking- There is plenty of parking as they share a private lot with the shopping center. It's nothing like downtown Davis where parking is scarce and there is a time limit. Menu- they have a large menu, mostly of drinks. They have a smaller menu of desserts. They had several flavors of Bingsoo(Regular) including a seasonal peach, mango, and our friends got the one with red beans and rice cakes. I had a taste and it was really good also. Would I go back? Yes, for a special occasion.

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    Rare Tea - Davis - bubbletea - Updated October 2026

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