I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS PLACE. It's my favorite tea place of all time. Their drinks are gorgeous and delicious! I come here all the time and my favorite drink there is the French Daisy! It's so beautiful and refreshing. 5/5 Drinks 5/5 Service BONUS: The inside is absolutely gorgeous too! I love the plants and the modern design/decor. read more

Tip to management: If you're working in the hospitality and service industry, it's important to keep customers satisfied in order to get good retention (maybe this is why it's not as popular as other boba shops). I came here for the first time tonight and I was excited to see how good the menu looked and the space itself. Prices were expensive ($4.75-$5.50), but I wasn't surprised as it's organic and competing with other nearby places such as Omomo. My friends and I all ordered three different drinks and we were underwhelmed by the flavors. The oolong tasted a bit odd (watery) and we asked the worker if we could get another drink instead because we were unsatisfied. She claimed, with attitude, that the policy is that there's no exchanges or refunds on drinks. Out of all the boba places I've gone to (I'm a boba fiend), I've never heard of this type of policy before. Most places try to offer remakes or other drinks if the person isn't happy. The asian girl looked really uncomfortable by how rude the other worker was being and it seemed really cliquey. If you're trying to have a good reputation and stand out amongst the plethora of boba shops in Irvine, don't create a policy that gives off a negative impression. Potential new customers may be turned off by your service and will probably not give it another chance. I came in excited to try it, but left with a taste of disappointment. read more

The guy with blonde hair messed up my topping today. He switched it to another cup and added more ice to fill up the gap. The coffee sea salt cream didn't taste as strong as it should. read more

Super bummed. I've ordered their Thai tea before and it was great, but this time it literally tasted like a toxic cleaner. I had everyone in my family try and they all said the same thing. Totally disappointed! read more

Redstraw - Thai tea yuck - Bubble Tea Near Me - Irvine, California

I was introduced to red straw by a friend and I'm so glad I came here. They have so many creative options including Boba Mojitos. The quality of boba and taste of the tea is definitely worth the drive. I love the decor and the interior is modern and airy. read more

Redstraw is an interesting name for tea shop. Maybe it's trying to brand itself similar to how Starbucks has the green straws or they are just stealing ALL the red straws from Chick-Fil-A. Just saying. Also, a risky move considering the #Strawpocalypse is coming. As annoying as no more plastic bags are straws becoming band in CA makes a lot more sense. This place will be called NO Redstraws later. Anyways why did I try this place? I was picking up some pho close by not because it good but because its convenient. There is a Starbucks in this plaza and a new ice cream shop that has a huge line and funny quote on the wall that will definitely end up on everyone's Instagram and by everyone I mean the young kidos. Redstraw replaced a Juice It Up that no one was visiting. Is this place any better? Well kinda. The Boba craze is getting out of hand. I admit I been living the Bobalife. I don't remember the last time I went into Starbucks. I always get my tea or coffee at a tea shop without boba added. The problem is that the average places is very bad. And only caters to people that like sweet drinks and the Pearls. Most people don't care about the tea flavor. Yes, let me repeat. When some says they want BOBA they don't care about how the drink actually taste. If it has sweetness and chewiness that's all they care about (Taiwanese way). Personally, I prefer canto style so it's all about the milk tea, but the sweetness and Pearls are not needed. I was hoping for the best but expecting the worst. The price was higher than most other places. Don't give the It's Irvine BS. The quality did not live up the pricing. I order a Jasmine milk tea light sweetener and light ice, because I want to maximize the tea flavor. ICE Test- okay. Sweet Test- it was okay but super watery and lacking flavor. Tea test- more likes just milk with a hint of some other flavor, possible some kinda of tea extract. I would give it an below average taste. Assuming that the average tea place sucks that is saying something. Go to 7 Leaves down the street instead even if there is a line. Just wait. Or find a Ding Tea it will be worth the drive out of Irvine. Dare I say it... I would rather have Tapioca Express (like the MCDs of teas). It could be even be better to go to It's Boba Time. JUST KIDDING! That's going too far. Redstraw is better than ITS NOT TIME and say we did. read more

Loved the Strawberry Jasmine Refreshing Tea! It was so tasty with the fresh fruit. Such a unique drink to try if you want something on the fruity side! They make everything fresh from their brewed teas and fresh cut fruits! I like their Redstraw Milk Tea and Thai Tea also. They weren't too sweet and just right like how they should be. The workers here are friendly and took their time to inform me about all their drinks while helping me choose the right one. LOVE how this place is dog friendly also!!! You can bring your furry pals inside to cool down with you. read more

This place is quali-tea. They brew your tea and coffee on the spot so it's fresh!!! I got 50% sweetness with my jasmine sea cream but it was not bitter like many strong tea flavors, but very smooth and easy to drink. The coffee mojito was also pretty smooth and sweet (though we asked for extra sweetener). It's a bit on the pricey end, but the drinks are a Starbucks venti size! The drinks look and taste clean and refreshing. I would def come again read more

Redstraw - Bubble Tea Near Me - Irvine, California

See all

If I could put no stars at all, I would. I came into redstraw tonight and ordered two drinks. With no problem, we ordered through the register with the employee. I usually have no issue with employees not using gloves, (it happens everywhere), but when I was waiting for my drinks, the main employee at the front kept coughing into her hands and arms... proceeding to make my drinks without even trying to make way to wash her hands for cleanliness. I made no comment about it, but what happened after that really struck me. As she continued to cough on my drinks and her hands/arms she brought my drinks over to the counter and called our drinks out. Slammed the drinks onto the counter and straws... literally dropped the straws where they couldve easily fallen on the floor. If she was so sick and didnt want to be at work, it shouldve been her and this company's responsibility to ensure hygiene and cleanliness in a business. It's super disappointing for people to not have any care or decency for customers, especially when you're happily trying to give them business. read more

Amazing tea quality with great boba. I am so excited to have a good boba place on the east side of the 5! The oolong milk tea with half sugar is great and they have some fun combos too! The one with watermelon juice mixed with green tea is good too. Can't wait to try more! read more

This review was based upon ONLY on my Redstraw milk tea I received today and not the customer service I received. It's not that great. I'm a milk tea girl and the milk tea I tasted very watery and thin, rather than rich. It's a small space that has a modern atmosphere with lots of light wooden walls and flooring. I usually review the customer service tied in with my drink but COVID is happening, y'all. read more

Great atmosphere, drinks are made fresh and good customer service. Highly recommended

The boba drinks are not bad! Had it a few times and the tea and boba are not bad. The service has always been good. I have had better but if I am in this area, would get my boba here. read more

Known for their refreshing fruity drinks! Wouldn't recommend getting milk tea here. I went for the rose tea and most reviews recommend half sugar, I personally would order medium sweet next time with lychee jelly. read more

All I have to say is their plant game is strong here. Drinks are not bad, I'd say bo-so vs. bo-good. I went with the Redstraw milk tea and it was aight. read more

Finally! A boba spot right by my sister's house! I always felt there should be a boba place in this shopping center and low and behold it happened! It seemed Redstraw popped up overnight! One minute it was Juice it up and the next it was Redstraw!! I really like the brightness and open concept of Redstraw, you would have never known it was a a Juice it up! Last weekend I got the chance to try it out 2 times and I definitely think there is room for improvement and some adjustments can be made. The first night I was in town I tried their signature milk tea. This milk tea is very brewed and lacking the creamy milky component. Just based off the color of the drink I could tell it wasn't going to be my normal milk tea that I'm used to drinking. I think if they fix this a bit this drink can be solid. The tea itself is good! The next night I tried their Thai iced tea and again the creaminess was lacking. Most of us know how Thai iced tea should taste. Equal parts of tea and cream. I think Redstraw has a great base they can build off of but they are still new and I know they can really perfect their drinks. The next drink I'm looking forward to try is their honey oolong milk tea, hopefully it tastes more creamy! Jury is still out on Redstraw! read more

This place in my opinion has the best boba & drinks! I come here way too often and my favourite drink has to be the Matcha Latte. It tastes fantastic! Highly recommend. 10/10. read more

Not one of my FAVORITE boba places, but it's definitely a nice healthy alternative boba place I'll visit once in a while. I was pleasantly surprised by how inexpensive the boba was for the fact that it was organic. I was also surprised that there wasn't a huge line out the door like OMOMO is ALWAYS like. The service was really quick and the employees made sure I liked my drink which I appreciate. The honey milk tea with less sugar and boba was really good, but I wish it was a little less sweet. I'll still give this place 4 stars because I haven't seen too many organic boba places so this place is pretty special. Overall, a good boba place! read more

O M G! This drink hits the spot. I walk in today and immediately I was greeted by staff, which is always a plus, right? I ordered the Redstraw Milk Tea and it was very delicious. On top of this it has a sweet aftertaste that lingers in my mouth #YUMMY Anyway! I can't wait to try other flavors! read more

Stumbled upon this boba spot and was happy to find another great tea cafe in the very competitive Irvine area. I tried to jasmine milk tea and their Red Straw house milk tea. I preferred the jasmine milk tea but their house milk tea was not far behind. Its just like most tea shops where you can customize the sweetness level and amount of ice with no cost. It still looks like their training everyone since this place just opened so it seemed like order were coming in and out slightly slower than expected. This place has a lot of other options and judging from the two flavors I did try, I trust that they too are rather refreshing and taste high in quality. The only reason why this place gets 4 stars instead of 5 is because the spot itself doesn't seem like a good spot to hang out and chill. The seats are limited and there isn't really much at the place that encourage you to sit and stick around such as games, benches with outlets suitable for laptops, etc. read more

I tried the "French Daisy" which is the jasmine green tea with lemon and butterfly pea which gives it the purple hue layered in the tea. Added lychee jelly for some texture and it wasn't bad at all. Super refreshing and not too sweet at 50% sugar level. read more

Redstraw - French daisy with lychee jelly - Bubble Tea Near Me - Irvine, California

Feel thirsty or just feel like to cool off, visit this place. My recommendation is matcha mojito (they brew it fresh) and coffee sea salt cream. You can ask for different level of sweetness. read more

See all

They have very interesting and unusual teas. I think their boba is pretty much like any other, but I like the fact that their prices are quite reasonable. Omomo and Orobae are so much more expensive! read more

Love this place ! Every time I go visit my family in Irvine, I stop here I usually get the Thai tea with Boba. Pricing is reasonable.

wow, I ordered their watermelon mojito. it was not what I expected, but it was surprisingly refreshing. you taste mainly the watermelon with a hint of jasmine which is a really nice balance of the two. I wish they have a store closed to me read more

I love this place so much for their freshly hand brewed teas. I can't think of a place that puts so much effort into their teas the way this place does! The staff are very friendly every time I come to order. The drinks do come out a little slow, but that's expected from a place that hand-brews their tea and does it so well. My go-to drink is the Rose Garden with boba and lychee jelly. I don't know if the toppings are supposed to be free for everyone, but I haven't been charged so far which is a great bonus to get your boba drinks here! Make sure not to come on weekdays around 3pm because it gets crowded with kids from the nearby schools. Usually the line is a lot shorter every other time though. I plan on regularly coming back very VERY soon! read more

Was also disappointed by how watered down the drinks were just like some of the other reviews I've seen. It tasted like sugar water with boba. The boba itself had a pretty good texture (not too hard or too soft) but I always prefer my boba drinks with a strong tea flavor which wasn't my experience here! The drinks are pricier but standard for these kind of aesthetic boba shops with the tall cups. read more

Stopped by this place after eating lunch at the other end of the plaza. Super cute decor inside and a pretty expansive menu of drinks. I always order the og black milk tea with boba at any boba shop I go to for the first time, just to get a taste of the standard. I would recommend getting 75% sweet because I think 100% would've been too much, unless you really really like sweet drinks. There was more of a tea ratio than milk so it wasn't as creamy. The boba was cooked perfectly chewy and sweet. I would prefer honey boba over non-sweetened boba any day. read more

I had been planning to visit Redstraw after learning it opened a few doors down from Mokkoji. When my friend informed me he would be visiting, I knew it would be a great place to take him since we always eat and get boba every time he comes. I'm sure a lot of people who eat at Mokkoji come here since it's so close! I had the honey oolong milk tea half sweet with a little mini boba. I enjoyed my drink and thought that the tea flavor was pretty strong. I enjoyed it. My boyfriend had the thai tea, which he liked. My friend ordered the thai tea with sea salt cream. He did indicate that he wish he gotten the regular thai tea, since his drink only comes with a dollop of sea salt cream for the same price. Everyone liked their drinks, but I don't think any of us will rush back just to come here. I can see us coming back after eating at Mokkoji because of convenience. They do have some very pretty instaworthy drinks. None of them stood out to me, but I'm sure other people would like it. They have photos of them on the wall to help people see what they look like, which I thought was nice. The service was good and the girl who helped us was very friendly and helpful. I was debating between the honey oolong milk tea and the honey oolong with sea salt cream and she told me she personally liked the milk tea version and remembered that they had samples and gave me one. read more

Redstraw became my favorite refreshing drink since last summer. I love their refreshing tea menu. I discovered green mojito from my coworker, it was refreshing and perfect for summer time. Key lime and mint were well mixed together with jasmine tea, and the sweetness was fabulous. I recently tried their Honest Guy too and it was amazing. It has a strong pineapple taste along with the other mysterious flavors. Overall, I would rank Redstraw over 7 leaves and happy lemon when it comes to refreshing tea drinks in Irvine read more

Redstraw - Honest Guy - Bubble Tea Near Me - Irvine, California

I'm kinda milk tea fan and obsessed with matcha recently and that why we decided to give a shot to this new tea bar which is literally located across the street from my work. I ordered matcha latte with no sweetener and less ice, my friend opted for honey oolong tea with sea salt cream and 25% sugar.Both of us were disappointed to our drinks. The Matcha latte is watery down and pretty bland. My friend's drink is even worse: the sea salt cream is coming apart and the oolong tea was tasted artificial. We won't come back with no doubt. It's not worth $5+ for each drink at all. With that price we would rather go to OMOMO or 7leaves or 85 degrees bakery instead. For the price and the value, you can tell why this place is not as busy as other tea bars in Irvine. 3 stars are the maximum rated. One star for the cashier who is cute and friendly, second star for the environment that is bright and clean and the last star for the newness. Hope they are still working on improving the quality, especially the cream and the tea itself. read more

Very clean. Very delicious. Lots of variety. Kind and quick service. They brewed the tea fresh to order. We got to the shop 10 minutes before closing, so this was extra impressive. The boba also has a perfect consistency, and its end of day. So that was impressive as well. read more

This place took over juice it up. Well, Juice It Up is garbage. I was happy to see this place because originally I bookmarked it without even knowing it's location. I live across the street... I also love boba... thought it'd be a match in heaven but unfortunately not. This place has an awful logo. I know, what a petty thing to hold against a company but that's actually just me warming up to what I'm about to say... which is that... they have now taken over the role of MOST EXPENSIVE TEA IN IRVINE. Holy cow, it's seriously expensive. REALLY EXPENSIVE. They are open late so that's cool but I'll never go back. You can get a whole meal at Mokkoji or you can get two drinks... hmnnn.... I think not. read more

Came out if Mokkoji and was craving some boba and noticed Redstraw next door. Unfortunately the milk tea here doesn't do it for me. Redstraw uses organic milk and organic everything which might be why the milk teas taste a little off. I went for the honey oolong milk tea with light boba at half sweet. The oolong flavor was lacking, probably because Redstraw is powder free. I was happy about the sweetness level of the half sweet and the honey (also organic) did not overpower the drink; I actually barely tasted it at all. The boba also lacked flavor and was a little too soft. I think with these light milk teas it's better without boba. My buddy got the jasmine milk tea which tasted a little too much like flowers. At regular sweetness level the drink was quite sweet but still enjoyable. Overall I would happily skip out on all the organic ingredients, flavorless and pricey drinks at Redstraw and drive to the nearest Sharetea/7 Leaves. read more

details.. .. Came here with my coworker after lunch to get our weekly milk tea fix. prOs.. .. The space is clean & well decorated. .. They were offering samples of 4 different drinks. .. The staff greeted us as soon as we walked in & were very friendly. cOns.. .. I got the Jasmine Green Sea Salt Cream & my coworker got the Jasmine Green Milk Tea & they both tasted mediocre at best. The drink had this watered down consistency & just didn't do it for either of us. read more

Came here during their soft opening over the holidays. Cute decorations and typical irvine ambiance. Just your average boba shop rewrapped in shinny new marketing. I don't even remember what I got - it was that mediocre. Not bad, just nothing special. read more

Love, love, love this new boba spot!!! They have really unique flavors imo. I usually opt for their rose garden or the strawberry jasmine, so you really can't go wrong with these two. Only thing I would change is if they can have preference for level of sweetness for the refreshing teas (custom teas you can adjust the sweetness) bc you are not able to change that. Also, they always have two different samples to try. I just tried their Honest Guy which was so refreshing and kind of surprised me, has a little bit of pineapple in there! I'm not a fan of milk teas, but their regular teas are all amazing!!! read more

The quality of tea is pretty good (not too sweet) and they use organic milk/have milk alternatives. The boba is soft and has a good flavor. I was a little disappointed that they did not offer almond milk tea as this is a classic flavor at many other boba spots. I was worried about the wait being long due to other Yelp reviews; however, my drinks came out pretty quickly. We ordered four drinks (two Redstraw classics, a jasmine green milk tea, and a jasmine green sea salt cream milk tea) and they gave us a nice insulated to-go bag which was very unique and quite useful! Overall, good atmosphere and decent drinks. Would recommend trying this place! read more

Ordered: Rose Garden and Japanese Cherry Sakura. Both were great. I was in the area so we stopped by this place. Service was awesome. Parking is plentiful. I'd probably go back when I'm in the area and craving some tea. read more

I found out about this place from Shelby that works there. She continued to tell me how great the quality of tea and ingredients they use so I decided to try it and so glad I did. Shelby is amazing at customer service and bringing in people. I'm so glad I came and will continue visiting. read more