Honestly pleasantly surprised. There's a lot of competition here in Philly Chinatown with plenty of big names, but this place did not disappoint. The tea flavor was strong, just the way I like it. You can tell it's actual tea, not just some powdered mix, which I really appreciate. It's a small, quaint spot with a couple of seats, making it feel like an unexpected quiet place for a first date. They also have rice balls if you want a small snack, which are pretty good. I'd say their main competition is probably Kung Fu Tea down the street, which also has rice balls. I can confidently say this place is better. Unlike Kung Fu Tea, they didn't tell me multiple times that things were out. Service is a little slow, probably because there aren't many staff, but it's understandable given the care they put into making real tea. It's unassuming but worth popping by. read more

Shing Tea 79 - Bubble Tea Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The boba was pretty perfect! The milk tea was good. This spot is similar to most others in the area where you order on the screen and the staff makes and puts out the order. The shop is super tiny with more of a to go vibe but it was fun and bright. The staff were bubbly and offered to answer any questions. Was a little on the sweeter side but I would come back for the boba. read more

Shing Tea 79 - Oolong milk tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Came to try their fruit tea as I have been on the hunt for a replacement for one of my favorite Taiwanese tea spots in NJ...not quite as good as that spot in New Brunswick for fruit teas but this place is pretty good. I tried the tropical punch, which comes with tea jelly. It was light and refreshing. It did seem rather overpriced but it seems like most boba spots around here are now similar - definitely higher in price than outside the city, which is not surprising. Service was fine. The interior of the shop is small but cute. Will be back to try some of their other options like the rose tea read more

Shing Tea 79 - Bubble Tea Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

When I entered, there was nobody inside, but it was very clean and cozy. I loved the Sanrio pink Christmas tree that they had. It had pink my melody, Kurumi, and hello Kitty plushies on them. Very cute. The staff was very kind and fast to greet us. They were very welcoming and made our drink and took our order very quickly. The drink was pretty standard, Grapefruit lemon - okay, no grapefruit flavor , which came with some jelly. But was no grapefruit flavors. I usually get grapefruit so I can get a hint of tanginess after eating. But there was no tanginess in the drink. read more

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I love Shing Tea and the staff at this location in Chinatown! Shoutout to Hillary and staff for being so welcoming, hospitable to guests and preparing beverages and onigiri with care and quality! Great energy, vibe, and I love coming here. My faves now are the honey oolong milk tea and crab stick onigiri. Thank you for being here and for your service to the community. read more

Shing Tea 79 - Honey oolong milk tea, 50% sweet - Bubble Tea Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Shing Tea 79 is a simple but delicious boba shop! I went to their Chinatown location and the interior was very minimalistic and clean with some strong neon signage displayed on the walls. While there are some seats and table available, it is very limited and small. The cashier was pretty helpful and friendly as well, with service being quick or as standard as it can be in a boba shop. I got the Lychee Green Tea with Lychee Popping Boba. I ordered it with less sugar and regular ice. The drink was really light and refreshing! I know that they are known for their Mung Bean Milk Tea, but I opted to go for my typical fruit tea flavor. Next time, I will get their Mung Bean Milk Tea to see what the hype is all about! read more

Shing Tea 79 - Lychee Green Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I enjoyed my Vietnamese coffee. Tasted like a traditional Viet coffee. It does not have a thick consistency like some places make it. There are a couple of seats and small tables inside to sit. The store is clean and staff are friendly. read more

Shing Tea 79 - Peach oolong tea & Vietnamese coffee - Bubble Tea Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Shing Tea 79 is a small bubble tea shop in Philadelphia, PA. They have two locations: one on North 10th Street, in the heart of Chinatown, and the other on Cecil B. Moore Ave, near Temple University. My partner and I went to the one in Chinatown. The shop was cute and vibey, with vibrant floral garlands and bright neon signs. The staff were warm and friendly and so knowledgeable about their menu! * Mung Bean Drink 綠豆飲 $5.75 I came here just for this and it was positively delectable, made with green mung bean, milk, coconut cream, pandan, and green tea. The drink's pre-made so sugar's non-adjustable. It's slightly grainy and on the sweeter side, but so so delicious. * 3Q Milk Tea 奶茶三兄弟 $5.75 I love 3Q Milk Tea, but my partner's not a fan of toppings, so I was honestly surprised when he ordered this. I took a sip and the bubbles had to be the highlight-- so fresh and chewy! read more

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Liked the boba here. It was a good Wintermelon milk tea! Everyone is sweet and the shop is the perfect size. Very clean! read more

Shing Tea 79 - Medium wintermelon - Bubble Tea Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I was super excited to try this new boba spot in Chinatown. Found out they had buy one get one free on their grand opening day so decided to come in to give it a try. It's a small shop. They have 2 tables for you to sit down and counter seating for you to sit down and enjoy your drink. The workers were all really friendly. I got their Grape with Milk Cap with 70% sugar and less ice. It came out to $6.75. It comes with clear boba, aloe, and tea jelly. It's a decent fruity grape flavored drink. There's a lot of different textures going on in the drink and they use a green tea base. Their green tea has a strong tea flavor. The cheese foam on top adds a nice creamy touch on top. Personally, there is too much toppings for me to enjoy the drink and I've had better grape teas. Not my favorite grape tea but it's decent. 70% sweetness was the perfect sweetness for me. Not too sweet while I can still taste a bit of the bitterness from the tea. If you get this drink, make sure to ask for a straw or else you wouldn't be able to get the toppings out. Towards the end of the drink I had a bunch of toppings leftover. It was not a well balanced drink. My husband got their Large Fresh Milk Bubble Tea with Oolong tea, 70% sugar, and less ice. This was disappointing. The drink tasted very watered down. There was no oolong tea flavor that I could detect and the boba were too hard. I wouldn't get this drink again. read more

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A family owned tea shop with an excellent atmosphere and even better service. My friend and I were walking on a hot day and decided to have a quick ice tea and ended up having a wonderful time with the owner. read more

A very good bubble tea house. The original war authentic and not too sweet. The tapioca pearls were soft and chewy. Recommend this place. read more

Pretty decent menu with plenty of options. The vibe is fairly cool. Enjoyed my kumquat green tea and it wasn't overly sweet, which was appreciated. Competitive pricing for what it is. The biggest downside of the place is how long we waited for the drinks, which was strangely long. The shop is small and we were lucky enough to grab some seats, but they are pretty limited. read more

The mung bean milk tea will change your life !! The staff was very friendly and informative. read more

Shing Tea 79 - a picture of a drink - Bubble Tea Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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I came here looking for good quality tea and this spot made me happy. If you are from the West coast I would say the sweetness base level is comparable to Sharetea. It is very sweet but it is indeed tasty. I got the tropical punch and my friend got the brown sugar milk tea. We both got 100% sugar and I believe it would've been perfect at 50% sugar. The staff were friendly and patient. This is a pleasant spot and I recommend it! read more

Shing Tea 79 - Tropical punch and brown sugar milk tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I've tried three different fruit tea drinks here and none have disappointed. Service is great and staff is very friendly.

My favorite boba spot! It's small but gives a sweet homeyyyvibeee! I'm also dairyfreee and I love how they have dairy free options!! the main milk drinks are dairy free and drools... I dream of the Thai tea everyday with grass jelly... so creamyyyu ESP for dairy free read more

I came here with the context that this was one of my friend's favorite boba shop in the city, and I walked away with a similar, if not exact impression. Selection was excellent as there were enough options to desire multiple flavors, but not so many that you were left in limbo with what to order. I always feel like judging a shop's Thai tea with tapioca is my best way to assess whether I will like a place, and that's exactly what I did and I could not recommend this more! Drink was flavorful and did not taste watered down at all and the tapioca was cooked to perfection. I wouldn't say it's the best tapioca I've had, but it's better than most. One caveat is that even though I got 50% sugar, the drink was still quite sweet. I would definitely recommend 30% if do check this shop out! Will definitely be coming back to try out more! read more

Sooo good, just the right amount of sweet. I recommend the Mung Bean Tea!! Will be back for sure

Why did I get so much boba in my drink? I ordered oolong tea with boba TOPPINGS. I got a meal instead :( read more

Shing Tea 79 - half of the drink is boba - Bubble Tea Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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This place is soo good I usually get their mung bean drink. The staff there are nice and quick with the drinks.

New bubble tea spot in chinatown. It has a great selection of drinks. We got the orange green tea, jasmine green tea, and wintermelon. All three drinks were refreshing. Would 100% recommend. It's definitely going to be my go to spot every time I want a drink. read more

Shing Tea 79 - Bubble Tea Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

My go to spot was Mr. Wish for there orange green tea but now I found a new go to. Also their sticky brown sugar milk tea was really good also. read more

I might be a bit biased writing this review but I think Shing tea is a 10 and a 10 place to get boba. My old apartment neighbor runs this place with her boyfriend and I absolutely love going here (slight friendship bias). Unfortunately I graduated from a college nearby so I don't get to go as often as I used to however every chance I get to be in Philly I go here. My personal favorite thing to order is the brown sugar milk tea with tapioca pearls, the fried popcorn chicken (spicy), and the fried chicken onigiri. Literally everything I've had here is delicious. So if you ever on Cecil B Moore and you need a place to go I highly recommend this place. :) read more

Everyone was super nice and welcoming! Definitely recommend the milk teas to try. It is a place that is up and coming.