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    RareTea

    4.5 (43 reviews)
    Open 11:30 am - 9:00 pm

    Order RareTea Takeout or Delivery

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    Trinh V.

    We stopped by here on our way back home from Luray Caverns! This boba shop was in a really nice outdoor mall with lots of shops from LOFT to Smash Burger! There were a ton of cool shops and places to eat that I'd love to try the next time we're in the area. This boba shop was clean and decorated with modern, refreshing plants, marble and wood furniture, and cute aesthetic stuffed animals on their shelves and counters. They even have a very pristine looking bathroom that's available for customers! I wanted to give a shout-out to Dannie who helped us on 6/26/2024 in the afternoon/evening. Dannie was so sweet and helpful, and gave us bags to carry our drinks easier on our road trip. Her coworkers were kind and friendly, too, but we had most of our interactions with her at the cash register :) Would give her individually 5 stars if I could! The drinks themselves were also really good, ranging from $5.50-6.50 per drink before toppings, which is pretty standard. I ordered the Strawberry Berry Snow Cream drink with lychee jelly and it really hit the spot! We also ordered Thai Tea, Mango Smoothie, and Mango Green Tea. The boba was chewy and freshly made, and the crystal boba was good as well. We even bought a couple cute pins they had in a display case next to the cashier. For $0.50 topping add-on, they give sooo much, which felt really worth it. They also have such a wide variety of drinks (milk teas, fruit teas, smoothies, etc -- there's something for everyone!), snacks, desserts, and even merchandise! All in all, I really loved that we were able to give RareTea a try and hopefully we can come by again the next time we're in town! I'm picky with my boba shops and I thought this one was very well worth it with the bonus of being served by super friendly staff and being in a clean, aesthetically pleasing boba shop near other fun shops to explore :)

    JC R.

    Refreshing! It was a haute day when I stopped in. Staff were nice, nice outdoor shops in Gainesville Gateway. Tea I had was not too sweet and had too many(much) boba inapposite to my liking but taste wise-simple and clean. I like it! Perfect for hot weather!

    Inside cute decor/quote
    Ashley K.

    Soo happy that there is a boba tea place out in Gainesville! The inside of RareTea is really cute and the staff there is helpful as well if you have any questions. You can either order at a kiosk or order at the counter if you want a more personable experience! We really enjoyed the boba as it was chewy and not hard as a rock like it has been at other boba places. The kiwi fruit tea is a little sour and not too sweet.. would definitely want to go back and try more drinks on the menu!

    Menu as of October 2022
    Katherine S.

    TL;DR: Great new boba place in Gainesville! FINALLY, a good/dedicated boba shop in Gainesville. So glad this spot opened up! This is located in the shopping center near the movie theater. Nice spot to stop by after grabbing lunch or dinner. The inside is nice, spacious, and very clean. Lots of seating options indoor and outdoor (as weather permits). You can order at the counter after looking at the menu above, but they also have a tablet you can order and pay from. DRINKS: ~Mango Green Tea (5/5): Good mango and tea flavor, and boba was perfectly chewy ~Grapefruit Green Tea (5/5): I got zero sugar, and it was perfect with the boba. Nice and tart. Definitely a great addition! Hopefully one day, they will add some snacks to their menu :)

    strawberry fruit tea
    Khoa P.

    RareTea is now open in Gainesville! I stopped by today to check out the opening of RareTea - a new boba tea shop in Gainesville. There was a line of ~25 people around the grand opening (12PM), but it moved really quickly. The staff did a great job taking orders and clarifying when needed (for example - the strawberry tea comes in milk tea or fruit tea). They were super careful to make sure your order was correct; great attention to detail! I ordered the brown sugar milk tea and the kiwi fruit tea with aiyu jelly. Both were delicious and the boba was so fresh. My friend got the strawberry fruit tea and a mango green tea; his were really good as well. The inside of the store is super modern, clean, and would be a great place to hang out for a little while enjoying your drink. There are tables and chairs outside as well. Overall, this is an awesome addition to the boba scene in Gainesville. When I'm in the area and feeling like having boba, I'll be sure to stop by.

    Christine H.

    Super excited a new tea place opened at VA Gateway in Gainesville. The grand opening today is bogo tea until 6pm. I first tried Rare Tea through my friend who ordered their DIY products online. There was a line, but they had plenty of staff to help the line move. There are so many different tea options on their menu so I had a hard time deciding what to get. I ended up ordering a Mango Milk Tea, Thai Milk Tea and Passion Orange & Grapefruit Tea. Mango milk tea had fresh mango puree which was such a delight. Their boba is soft and chewy. The Thai Milk Tea was a perfect blend of sweet and creamy. I really enjoy how the tea flavor stands out even under all the flavors and sweetness. The Passion Orange & Grapefruit Tea was very refreshing. I will definitely be back to try the other flavors!

    Mango Milk Tea
    Mia S.

    It's rare that I say this about a boba spot but THIS PLACE IS DELICIOUS (see what I did there)! This has to be my #1 spot now for bubble tea in the area. It's located in Gainesville, VA which is 45 minutes away from me (this makes me very sad) but I'll definitely visit here whenever I'm in area. I ordered the Mango Milk Tea (they use non-dairy milk for milk teas) and it tasted like a mango creamsicle. They use mango purée and not the powdered packets which makes the drink fresh and no preservatives. The boba pearls were soft and chewy! I finished my drink in 5 minutes, it didn't even make it to the MD border. The staff were friendly and quick to make my drink. I will definitely be back very soon!

    Lychee tea, coffee milk tea, and black milk tea
    Cam H.

    This is probably on my top 3 of fav boba spots! The tea smells so good! Tastes natural and doesn't taste like it's made from powder. The milk actually tastes fresh and refreshing. If you like your milk tea with a strong tea flavor/scent then this is the place for you. I often reduce my sugar for other spots, but for this place, I order 100% sweet and it turns out perfect. My personal fav would be the jasmine milk tea (not pictured here). The place is smol, nothing special inside. Service is always good here.

    Front entrance
    Dennis R.

    Nice clean place to get any drink from smoothies to tea base. Service is good. My choice of drink is frozen mango. Simple good average price ranging from $5.75 to $6.00. No food all drinks. 0verall 4/5

    a coffee cup with a straw on a table
    Michael C.

    I love bubble tea and have tried a decent number of places, so very happy to see another shop open up in the area! and I love it! The bubble tea is delicious! Personally find the regular sugar to be just right here, not overly sweet. One thing I love is the ice, they use the small chip pieces so most of your drink is actually drink, not ice! The cups are also made of the nice hard plastic. And the straws are very durable too! Weird things but they stand out to me. I of course had to get my favorite, Thai milk tea, in order to compare to other shops and it is great! I also tried their signature Okinawa milk tea and it's also very good! Will be back very often!

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    Page 2 of 2

    Ask the Community - RareTea

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    This is hands down one of the best places to get açaí bowls. Even though we've been here multiple…read moretimes, we had questions, which the cashier was very patient in addressing. I'm glad she did because we ended up changing our order and were very happy with the results. At first we wanted the classic açaí bowls with waffles on the side, but changed the order to a mixture of waffle pages and bowls to fit our preferences. For the waffle package you can get it made with the waffle on top of the açaí or you can deconstruct the package and have the waffle on the side. There's an option to eat inside, which is always very tidy and nice or outside of the establishment, which is comfortable either way (or of course, take your order to go). They have a free rewards program that comes in handy for discounts. 10/10 recommend!

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    Smoothie King is a 5-star business. No issues with the business, love their mission. I don't want…read moreto drag down the rating with a 1-star review. But unfortunately, I just left our visit feeling disappointed and uncomfortable. SK has different signs up that basically say "If you're not happy with your smoothie, we'll make you another one". I gave several hints to the kids working there that I didn't care for my drink and they just gave me a deer in headlights "sorry" look. Also I ordered a 20oz and they charged me for and made me some monstrosity drink. I brought that up and instead I got the deer in headlights "sorry" look again. I wasn't about to demand they adjust my price. Finally...some training advice for the young staff...the first thing I said was "oh wow, I don't come here much, I have no idea what to get"...that's an invitation for the staff to say something like "let me help you pick something...what flavors do you normally like in a smoothie, etc..??" but instead i got the deer in headlights. Anyway, I just left my smoothie on the front counter for them and walked out. And I'm sure the two staff people working there have absolutely no idea how dumb and uncomfortable they made me feel. And customers generally don't return to a place where they'd been made to feel that way.

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    RareTea - bubbletea - Updated May 2026

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