I am a boba fan for life…read more Emily and I booked a trip to Bloomington to try some breweries and she mentioned she never had Boba before so.... luckily there was a Boba place around where we were going. The outside of Boba for Life looks unassuming but once you step inside, you are treated to a visual smorgasbord of art on the wall, BOBA written in tile on the floor, random odds and ends for sale against the wall, and a friendly bobarista. Emily got a strawberry/mango tea and I got the dirty brown sugar boba. The lady was working alone so our drinks took a hot minute to make due to prior people waiting and a lady coming in to place an order. Emily and I browsed the eclectic interior while waiting. Along one wall was a lot of their options painted on the wall. Some of them looked interesting but one of my complaints is that I couldn't quite discern what each drink consisted of. The wall nor menu kind of hinted at what each one contained. There was a few things I wanted to order but just didn't know what they contained. So, I settled on the dirty brown sugar as it sounded like a safe option. We got our drinks and booked it to our next stop. We tried both each other's drinks and I dug the mix she came up with and she dug my brown sugar boba. She did point out that the entire bottom of my drink was brown sugar so I took that as a cue to mix it up a bit before continuing my drink. Aside from the interesting interior, I wouldn't hesitate to come back and try any of the other drinks now that I know what we are working with. Plus boba is fun. It's like a drink and a snack all at once.

Waste of money. Waste of time. I normally don't post reviews. But this place is just so bad…read more Despite all the reviews that are giving them recommendations over the years to improve, they don't care. Overpriced. Bland. Unorganized and ratchet. My drink was more water and milk than any flavor.

Me and wife were in the Peoria area and decided to visit the Northwoods Mall!…read more Upon entry we saw the Poppers tea and we decided to try it! My wife got the Matcha Smoothie with Tapioca and I got the Vietnamese Iced Coffee with Tapioca. The customer service was fast and very friendly! The presentation and ambiance of the Poppers Tea stands out. The drinks were decent but could be better sort of lacked flavor.

Boba tea be poppin'!…read more A coworker told me about this new boba tea place in Northwoods Mall and I knew I needed to try it out. Truth be told, I don't know much about boba tea and all the varieties but I had a good time at Kungfu Tea so I figured I'd give Popper's Tea a shot. So, on a rare day that Tim and I both were off work and were free to hangout, we hit up Peoria for nerdy shenanigans and to try out some boba tea. Popper's Tea is located in the food court of Northwoods Mall. While we didn't make a beeline to get our drink on, we did hit it up after a stroll through a very depressing mall. We reminisced on stores that were there and stores that we missed and stores that are still there. I was in the mood for something with caffeine so Tim and I ended up ordering the same thing: Vietnamese Iced Coffee with tapioca boba. We didn't start drinking them until after we left the mall as we needed to book it over to Panera for a nerd meet up with another friend. But what awaited us was every bit worth the money. I don't know all the ingredients that go into a boba tea, let alone a Vietnamese Ice Coffee one but man... was it sweet and delicious. It was actually almost too sweet but never crossed that line. This definitely was a drink to sip versus my usual chugging. I'm still not 100% sure what makes up the boba balls but they were fun to sip up and then chew. Their mouth feel and consistency were similar to a grape but more chewy. Tim even said he preferred it a bit more than Kungfu Tea and he really likes that place. It's an old saying that malls are mostly dying out in America and I believe Northwoods is heading that direction. Walking around the mall was depressing and even though it was a Thursday afternoon, it felt devoid of life. With that in mind, if you want to try this place out, get there sooner rather than later just in case they or the mall shutters it's doors.

It's a solid spot! Very easy to order digitally and you just need to wait to pick up your food…read more Very little human interaction, but that's the nature of this shop. Drinks and food themselves are very interesting and well made. Not in a "this is amazing", but it was good. My group and I enjoyed everything that we ordered, so the drinks and food were probably designed to please as many people as possible. The variety in their menu is interesting and I'm surprised they were willing maintain their diverse selections. The location is more in a hole-in-a-wall spot. Parking is a pain, but it's in a walking neighborhood amidst a bunch of stores and restaurants. It's a nice place to pop by for a quick drink or dessert after a huge dinner or for a walking break. The biggest concern I had with the place is that it's really not designed for people to stick around. Very few seats or uncomfortable standing areas. It's got this industrial layout where you go in, order digitally, get your food and get out.

There were so many Asian tea spots here in Campus town to choose from, but happen to stop in to…read moretry. For a weekend, there was no extremally long lines today due to many digital kiosk available to order. I just had a taste for a mango tea ($8) and splurge for toppings. The order and dink in hand took not more than 10 minutes. The taste was spot on but I wish there was on option to choose the percentages of sugar to add/remove from the drinks.

This place kicks butt!…read more My friend Tim told me about this place awhile back and has been waiting patiently for it to open. Fast forward 2 months when we planned a day to hang out and play board games when I suggested we check it out. Matt, Tim, and I popped in on a Saturday afternoon and all was quiet. As we walked up, we almost turned around as it looked closed (there was a big lock on one of the doors) but I wanted to 100% be sure it was closed so I walked up to visually confirm there was no one inside. Come to our surprise that it was open. We quickly dipped inside to avoid the humidity and heat of the day and made our ways to the giant tvs that displayed the menus. Said menus quickly irritated us as they were on a continuous scroll every 5 seconds or so... of the same photo. There are 3 tvs and each one displayed one portion of the menu. Each one was set up to a slideshow effect and would transition to the next photo of the same photo it just showed you. So, we kept having to re-focus on where we were despite it being the same image. It took a bit longer to figure out what we wanted to order because of this. But once we knew what we wanted, we ordered with the cashier and waited for our drinks. Tim was distracted with his phone when Matt and I got distracted with something behind the counter. It was this machine that shook the drinks and let me tell you... we were mesmerized by it. We both commented on it at the same time and kept watching the workers load drinks in it. Then we were mesmerized by the machine that put a seal on the cups. Both Matt and I said we could watch this process all day. I've had sealed drinks like this before but never one that was done within viewing range. Any who, like us getting distracted by that machine, I am getting off topic here. We were served our drinks and we walked over to Costco to get some pizzas for our game night. My first sip of my drink (which was a caramel macchiato) and I knew I made the right choice. It was a delicious mix of what you would expect a caramel macchiato to taste like but in a slush-form. For it being a hot and humid day, it was the perfect thing to sip on during the walk over and through Costco. I can see myself coming back here for a special treat once in awhile. The Levee District in East Peoria has a lot of cool shops but severely lacks a place that I think Kung Fu Tea fills in nicely. Sure, there is a Starbucks and Dunkin' nearby, but this place adds something to the area that I feel that it's lacking. This was evident by the fact that when we walked in, there were only 2 people in there but when we left, there were about 12-15 people milling about, waiting to order or waiting for their drinks. I hope they continue to do well as the landscape of most areas needs some diversity over the usual big chains and corporations.

Great place! welcoming atmosphere, high-quality drinks, and efficient, friendly staffread more

I come here every time I am in Champaign, the bubble teas are top tier. I am usually here in summer…read moreso parking is a breeze.

Stopped by for a midweek treat for their amazing deal: Tuesdays 12-5pm = BOGO on any drinks if you…read morefollow them on Instagram and post to your story My order: * Crème Brûlée Thai Milk Tea - less sweet, less ice ofc * Crème Brûlée Matcha Latte - less sweet, less ice Got one for me and my roomie, which made it even better Both drinks were super delicious. The crème brûlée layer is really creamy and light. it complements the Thai tea perfectly without being too heavy. The matcha latte was smooth and well balanced too. They offer two boba options (brown sugar or honey), we went with brown sugar and it was cooked perfectly. Ideal QQ texture, not too soft, not too chewy. Also, this spot is just a quick walk from campus, which made it feel extra nostalgic. definitely brought me back to my U of I school days. Highly recommend if you're craving something sweet and want to raise that A1C by a few points!

We went here after a long day of work and the staff was very friendly. They were willing to give us…read moresuggestions on what to eat and drink and tell us their favorites. I got the frozen yogurt, and the strawberry with also chocolate was a delightful combo. It was a very nice balance and you can mix and match your own yogurt. The ambiance was very pleasing, the restaurant was clean and had nice seating. Overall would recommend for a sweet treat

Always pleasant and good service. My favorite Boba place in the surrounding counties. They add to…read moretheir menu all the time. Just recently added the Dubai chocolate strawberries! Yum!!!

Recently moved to Peoria, and was hoping for some good Vietnamese food. This place does not…read moredisappoint! Crazy good classic Banh Mi, the lemongrass chicken bowl is stellar, and the coconut smoothie is the best I've ever had. Great service, cozy feels, I can't recommend this place enough.

Dang, that's some good boba…read more After devouring a large meal at Hong Kong Buffet and walking around a bookstore to let the food settle (and pick up a few books), I asked if Tim if he had room for some boba. He said 'sure' and here we are. I completely forgot this place existed until I was looking around on Yelp for new places to try. Thank gosh for a dull moment of internet browsing at work. We waddled in and immediately didn't know what to order. The menu was a lot bigger than I expected for a space so small. Tim tried to explain a Poke bowl to me but said it was something you just have to experience or google. Seeing as we were both still full from lunch, the time to learn from experience would have to come another day. I settled on a Coffee Milk Tea with cinnamon boba and Tim got this unique Matcha with cream cheese foam with strawberry jelly. We plopped down on some chairs and waited for our drinks to come out. It took a bit longer than I expected but the place was hopping and there were tons of orders being picked up and there was almost an endless line of people placing orders. The wait was probably 10 minutes but not too bad for how steady they were. Tim and I slowly put down our drinks as we chatted about the various aspects of life. My first sip was extremely delicious and sweet. After a few sips, the peak delicious faded and turned into a drink that was good but leaving you yearning for that sweet sweet sweetness. Could be that it needed blended a bit more. Either way, it was pleasant even with the drink settling as the cup became more and more empty. In hindsight, maybe it was best the drink evened out after demolishing plates at a buffet. During our time, we saw a lot of college kids come and go while a few couples hung around and enjoyed their food. Bradley University students probably love this place. The interior is very narrow and the sitting area, while plenty of seats, isn't conducive to a long term hangout. Grab your meal, enjoy, chat for a bit, then head out. But not every place has to be geared towards people like me who likes to sit and chat for awhile. It's cool to see Peoria have such a varied amount of cultural places to sample; from Chinese to Vietnamese to Italian to Mexican to Mediterranean. If time allows, I would love to come back and try one of these mystery Poke bowls. Until then, stay boba-licious!

Fun little road side stop! Not surprised that there were no Yelp reviews as the most popular spot…read morein town only had 15 reviews! We stopped in here on our way back to Chicago from Lincoln on a business trip. I got an Oreo cookie shake with 2 shots of espresso, it was pretty tasty. The menu showed fruit loops on top and that got me excited but it ended up having a half cracked Oreo, oh well. It was pretty tasty. I likely won't be back as I'm from far from here. If you live near by, definitely give'em a try!

The coffee is great and everyone is so friendly! They always give pup cups to my dog and are always…read morehappy to see him!

Got something from this place in Hickory Point Mall. It's kind of a surprise to find this kind of…read moreplace around here, with dumplings and other Asian stuff. Cocoday is among the more interesting restaurants in Forsyth. Even though it's not much of a restaurant, it has a pretty cool menu of cold and hot items. The place is order at the counter, but the mall has tables. After getting off the interstate, we came here. It's located in the Hickory Point Mall. This is near the large open area with the chairs and tables. It's not a food court. This is also located next to Auntie Anne's, which is about the only other place to eat here. I got us the Vegetable Dumplings. It's $10 for a container of a dozen or so. These were average looking but weren't bad though. Filled with vegetables such as carrots, mushrooms, and onions. The dipping sauce was salty. Also they have ice cream. Try here for something cold and hot. For the most part it's a place that's good for being in a mall, and the prices aren't that bad. It's a lot of dumplings. They have a few filling choices including beef, pork, and vegetarian.

The food and workers were amazing! Everyone was so sweet and very helpful. The store itself was so…read morecute and had very nice decor!

Came in to order to go and stef helped us out at the register! Super nice and welcoming 10/10…read morecustomer service skills. Thank you stef!!! :)

As I write this review - I'm already craving the butter chicken. It's 7:39 am. Relax girl…read more I stopped by Wok to Bowl yesterday and ordered the butter chicken with basmati rice, samosa and mango sticky rice. It was exactly what I wanted on a cloudy afternoon. The butter chicken had just the right amount of spice, and the chicken was sooo tender. The samosa was buttery and full of delicious veg filling, and the two sauces that came with it were spot on. The mango sticky rice wasn't the traditional Thai style I'm used to, but it paired surprisingly well with the spice of the butter chicken. The restaurant was clean and had a great vibe. Plenty of space to sit if needed. I also want to give a shout-out to Jose, who took my order. He was juggling phone orders and the counter, and one of his coworkers jumped in to help. You could tell everyone was busy, but the team worked together so smoothly and stayed in a great mood. My fresh food came out in less than 10 minutes, and the portions were beyond generous. As I waited for my food I could here the other patrons talk about all the different plates they've savored and how great they were! Wonderful experience all around. I'm so happy Wok to Bowl is an option here in Bloomington, and I'll definitely be back to try more of the menu. 10/10!