Busy day running errands. Feeling hungry. No time to get home for lunch. I'm passing Taichi Bubble Tea & Ramen. It's a Taiwan-Asian fusion-inspired fast food chain but I was down for this. It's been more than a year since my last meal here. I don't know if they changed their menu but I experienced a bit of a relearning curve in ordering ramen at the front counter. First, I needed to pick a broth. I chose Tonkotsu ramen, which is ramen in Japanese pork bone broth. Then, I needed to pick a protein which was shrimp and I asked for the meal to be extra spicy. It only took a few minutes. I could hear it being prepared in the kitchen. The young woman at the register was helpful and patient as I made my selection. Definitely convenient. The ramen was good. I got a lot of shrimp and I liked the little slices of fish cake with pink flower designs. The decor has undergone slight changes since I last visited. It seems there are better displays and more varieties of merch. It's still very clean, bright and cheerful. There are still plenty of young customers. Given its close proximity to SUNY Albany that should be no surprise. I liked the playlist, too. R & B and Hip Hop played in the background. Loud enough so that you could definitely hear it but low enough so that students who were dining--some in groups-- could comfortably hold conversations. I didn't plan to come here but my stomach growled. It was a nice, relaxing lunch that hit the spot. read more

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Wow- this might be the worst poke we have ever gotten. The interior is beautiful, clean and bright, too bad the food wasn't. We ordered our dishes with two proteins- there was more cucumber than fish! I bring it up because I could actually count the 3 pieces of tuna and salmon in my bowl. The "wasabi" sauce is not only radioactive green but is 100% mayo- no wasabi flavor at all and SLATHERED all over the bowl. Service was great, but the presentation and the quality of food (especially for the money) is not worth it. Very disappointed. read more

DO NOT RISK FOOD POISONING FROM HERE!!! We went here 3/21 after an art exhibition and all three of us got food poisoning here. The food was delicious (bubble tea, ramen, takoyaki, etc) but when I got home a couple hours later I threw it all up. The rest of my party agreed they had felt sick too. Service was good. They only have like 5 seats. Not ideal spot for a Pokémon card vending machine either. We had to move because of the three fools banging on vending machine two feet away from us after they purchased a pack of Pokémon since it got stuck. Absolutely no ambience. Unless youre a tiktoker and consider blinding LED lights in your face to be good for the camera, don't come here (unless for a boba, but still be careful) read more

Taichi Bubble Tea - Example of lighting - Bubble Tea Near Me - Albany, New York

This is one of my go to spots for a quick and tasty takeout meal. Their boba milk teas are lovely and their food is all delicious. Their quick and friendly service is a definite plus as well. The space is also bright and quite pleasant. read more

Build-your-own bowl is a reasonable price with fresh ingredients. Options are standard- brown rice, greens, cucumber, pickled radish, tamago, seaweed, wasabi, avocado, edamame, etc. Ponzu and spicy mayo dressings were good. The tuna was a little chewy, but otherwise a tasty, healthy dinner with fast delivery. Appreciate that everything was packaged nice and securely. read more

Taichi Bubble Tea - delivery bag - Bubble Tea Near Me - Albany, New York

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My first taste of a smoothie was last summer in Toronto. I was happy to see this smoothie-bubble tea-ramon noodle shop almost next door to the pet supply store that I frequent. While shopping, SO and I decided to give it a try. This venue is bright and cheerie with stuffed pandas and stuffed smoothie containers lining shelves. You order and pay via cc via tablet. Prices are reasonable for this day and age. Parking is reasonable in private lot that services this strip mall. There are a number of choices for the smoothies with options of regular sugar, low or no sugar. I chose low sugar and found it was more than enough. Keep in mind that all smoothies are laden with sugar! SO got a Ramen dish with shrimp. It was (per SO) pretty good. Said he'd order it again. This was a fun place to visit. I wish I could justify buying the pandas or the cups. If you dine alone, there was a counter where you can write your thoughts and post on a small wall. Go, enjoy. You'll be glad you did. read more

Taichi Bubble Tea - Strawberry smoothie - no topping, less sugar. - Bubble Tea Near Me - Albany, New York

I have been to Taichi twice and while the food is yummy, I like the vibe even more. I don't know whether it is the squishmellows or the teddy pandas, or the post-it bar area, but Taichi has a chill vibe. I ordered a spicy miso veggie ramen which I enjoyed. The service was great, just like my first time. Next time , I will try a non-ramen dish. read more

Taichi Bubble Tea - Spicy Miso Ramen Noodle Soup - Bubble Tea Near Me - Albany, New York

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Such a cute place and large portions! The food is really good, and the variety is outstanding. I love all the neat touches (like the outlets) and will return. read more

Taichi Bubble Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Albany, New York

For the price, nothing about the food "wowed" us. The bubble tea was ok. The lighting is harsh (probably normal for the bubble tea scene). Do not sit at the table by the door as it is right next to a busy Pokemon vending machines (again- probably normal). The food was. Just meh- and the ramen? Spend the same amount of money somewhere that enhances the noodles with more ingredients than just broth and minimal extras. You can get those meals at Walmart for .50 a package. I spent $15 here. Meh. A "one time experience"- but nothing that would bring me back. read more

Stopped by to grab bubble tea on the go, however, they had A very nice set up inside. Had a lot of board game options, nice place to hang out and spend time. Bubble tea was really good. Staff were really kind and helpful. They also have a lot of options as well for the bubble tea. Very reasonably priced for the quality and ambience they have to offer. read more

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I'm a huge fan of eel, and was excited to see eel as an option for the rice bowl. It came with some scallions, pickled ginger, and pickled radish. The inside of the restaurant was adorable, with tons of stuffed toys, and random decorations throughout. Service was top notch, with a choice of a computer ordering station to the left, as soon as you enter, and the typical counter experience all the way in the back. The selection of ramen and bubble teas was amazing, and I can't wait to come back. read more

Taichi Bubble Tea - Eel rice bowl - Bubble Tea Near Me - Albany, New York

This has some of the best food in Albany.!!! It's a must visit. Great noodles and tea drinks.

Love their ramen, one of the best tasting in Albany. Service is quick and i love that they have a self order counter.

Food: 3.5/5 (bubble tea and ramen only, sushi and rice bowls TBD) Ambience: 5/5 Service: no opinion, used the self serve kiosk Taichi is absolutely an adorable place to hang out in. They have got the best ambiance and really put their heart into decorating & thinking about what a good hangout spot is for college kids. There are booths and tables with outlets and that have a semi private wall in between. Board games, a cute sticky note wall for people to draw on, etc. They've also got all my weaknesses covered - bubble tea, ramen, sushi burritos/bowls, and rice bowls - all for a good price (at least nowadays). I only tried their taro bubble tea and tonkatsu ramen, and it was just OK. The charsiu was chewy and the bubble tea was nothing too special, but plan to comeback with high hopes for their other items. I'd say for the convenience, price and easy going cute cafe ambiance, this place is worth a visit to create your own opinion. read more

All the Taichi places in Western NY that I have been to are great! I love that you can get the tea as sweetened or sugar-free as you want.

My go to spot every-time I crave boba. Has really good Lychee Fruit Tea with Lychee Jelly. Their other drinks are good too but I think their fruit teas are better. The portions for Poke is small but the variety of items it comes with makes up for it. It's really good!! read more

Food was great, service was quick, pleasant and efficient. My only gripe, but it's the way of times.,is that it was a tad expensive for what I got. But, I will return! read more

I will start by saying I used to love this place. I would drive more than an hour to visit it. However over the past probably 4 months it has been going down hill. I kept going back hoping it was just an "off day." Unfortunately at this point it is consistently declining. The portions have drastically decreased. The quality is lacking and inconsistent. The customer service has really gone down hill as well. Such a shame. read more

I have no favorite. But, whatever I get is good. Portion may seem light, but it's always enough. Sushi rolls are smallish too, but good. The bubble tea "next door" is also very good. The place is clean and service is fast. read more

First time at this cute restaurant. My partner and I ordered two poke bowls and milk tea. The poke bowls are tasty with fresh fish. Milk tea is good as well. The restaurant has a game place and cute gift stuff for purchasing. The staff is friendly. read more

I'd give it a 3.5. It was good, I wish the rice in the sushi bowl was warm and they had some premade bowls for people who don't know the best way to construct a bowl. The ramen was good. The Bona is the best I had in the area and the space was clean. read more

I really like this place. I love that you can order with a touch screen which is good for me because I can see all the options for what I can put in my bowl. The ramen is very good as well. read more

The restaurant is so cute! They have lots of stuffed pandas for sale. Only tried the boba tea. I had the sweet potato boba. The milk is the base and swirl of sweet potato on the side. You have to shake really well to incorporate the flavors otherwise it's just milk. Definitely will go again and try other flavors. read more

Such a pleasant and comfy place. The employees were cheerful and helpful at the same time. Had a chill ambient piano playing at background. Prices are very budget-friendly and delicious. Will be here again. read more

Taichi Bubble Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Albany, New York

It was delicious. My son recommended this place and I must say it was great!! Bubble tea is exactly how I ordered it no sugar and it was perfect. read more

Taichi Bubble Tea is one of the cleanest most well run happiest new restaurants around Albany! The staff is very accommodating and the food is delicious and reasonably priced. The atmosphere is bright, clean and happy! read more

Great food, even better vibes. Lots of greenery/plants, pandas everywhere, chill lofi beats playing. Order in person or from a kiosk. Food comes fast! Great if you're on the go, but the ambiance is so nice that you'll want to hang out for awhile. Leave a note on the post-it wall and check out what others have written/drawn. Lots of options for bubble tea, sushi, ramen, and rice bowls. The unagi (eel) rice bowl, spicy miso ramen, and thai tea are really good. The sweet potato zang zang tea is unique and interesting. Lots of other interesting teas on the menu as well - I look forward to trying more!! There aren't many good ramen places in the NY Capital Region, but this place is definitely one of the better ones. Highly recommend! read more

Taichi Bubble Tea - Sticky note wall and pandas on display! - Bubble Tea Near Me - Albany, New York

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There is no words to describe how good this place is . Awesome variety and quality ingredients . I got the salad bowl and you could tell the freshness of the Ingredients. Also it has a great price for what you get . Awesome bubble tea selection. This had become my #1 place to eat . Congrats to the staff and to the owners for such an amazing business . read more

Amazing bubble tea 10/10 recommend. Prices are much cheaper than other tea places I've tried. Quick service and a fun inviting atmosphere. I'm definitely going back for more! read more