This boba spot is tried and true! Bring cash and make sure you check in on Yelp for a free upsize. I usually get the Iron Buddha or Roasted Barley milk tea with boba(which is nicely sweetened) so I adjust to half sugar. It's a quick grab and go place, although there are outdoor tables which is lovely on a nice day. Tea Era definitely has some of the best pricing around , especially these days. read more

So good! I love going to tea era. The workers are super nice. Also, they have really good fruit smoothies!

They open at noon!!! Also cash only. I've been to tea era for a couple of times. Their snowfall is pretty good. Even though I missed the season for drinks made from fresh taro, I got to try their taro flavored milk tea, which was pretty good too. Also they are cash only. Please have your bills ready. Otherwise, you'll have to order online and wait. read more

Tea Era - Taro Milk Tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Mountain View, California

The OG boba tea shop of Mountain View! Best boba (perfect, not chewy, not hard), and best flavor choices!

I was excited to try Tea Era after seeing it was voted numerous years in a row as a Best of Mountain View spot. I ordered their black milk tea with boba and their tangerine passion fruit tea with boba, both large orders with 50% sugar and regular ice. I will say that they are more reasonable with their pricing (came out to be a little less than $9 total-keep in mind they are cash only) compared to the newer boba shops that are popping up in the Bay Area. Both drinks tasted pretty average, but the boba was nice and chewy. Customer service was really great and helpful when I was placing my order for the first time. Overall, I'd go back if I was in the area and craving authentic Taiwanese boba. I think a different flavor would be more impressive than what I had ordered, so that is worth a shot in the future. read more

Tea Era - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Mountain View, California

Adorable little boba place! I got the jasmine tea with boba & snowball tea. Boba was nice and chewy . There are two kiosks, you can order from there. Fast and easy. Lots of choices for drinks and boba! Fast service and the staff are nice! Affordable boba places, I got two drinks for less than $10, that is a steal for the economy these days. read more

I love this place out of sheer nostalgia. Remember when most boba places weren't centered around stark white walls with some sort of ~aesthetic~ minimalist-/houseplant-/kawaii-themed decor? Me neither. If you ever wanted to blast right into the past (say, around the era TapEx and Quickly's were the only boba around), you can check out Tea Era-- except, their drinks aren't terrible and the employees are super nice. Tiny shop, but enough space to socially distance from the next customer. My housemate and I waited outside for our drinks to stay safely out of the way. KIWI ALOE GREEN TEA (no ice, w/mango boba): Alright, you and I both know this ninja-turtle-green isn't naturally from the kiwis. The drinks aren't PERFECT (and probably not touted for all-natural ingredients), but still pretty refreshing for what you get. A little too sugary for my preference-- I'd recommend getting this 50% sweet. Usually, the milk tea here is amazing-- their fruit teas are average. A weird and lovable pocket of traditional boba in the heart of trendy, upscale dt Mountain View. I love the contrast. Tea Era calls back to the OG milk tea days where the menu was absolutely overflowing with options, the walls are plastered with Chinese fortune-bringing decorations, and the shop is fragrant with the aroma of chocolatey-rich, old-fashioned milk tea. read more

Tea Era - Kiwi Aloe Green Tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Mountain View, California

I was told by numerous pictures posted by the shop that this was the "Best of Mountain View" LOL. Well it worked, I got curious and now here we are. It's a small shop and can be easily overlooked. The cashier area only takes cash, but you can order from a kiosk on the side which takes card. Also, for the time being, if you check in on Yelp, you'll get a free upgrade to a large size. The price point is definitely there. One of the best bargain boba shops that I've been to. As for the taste, I would say start at 50%. I order my drink at 100% sweetness and oh my... it really overpowered the drink. Almost to the point that I needed water to dilute it. But it was a hot day when I ordered and was super parched. But all in all. It's a good valued trip to get boba from Tea Era. The price coupled with the Yelp check in large upgrade. Is almost a no brainer. Remember, order less sweet! read more

Boba for less than $5 total! That's probably the biggest draw of this place. It's a small little hole in the wall, but gives cozy, old-school boba cafe vibes. I ordered the barley milk tea with boba, 50% sweetness and less ice. Even at 50%, it was quite sweet. The barley flavor was light and on the border of tasting watered down. Boba was a decent texture. Service was quick and efficient. There are a lot more boba options in the nearby area that I would definitely go to first but this place satsifies the craving in a pinch. And you seriously can't beat less than $5 for a complete drink! Those prices are unheard of these days. read more

Pretty small shop but TONS of flavor options. I wouldn't come here for premium tea or if I was in the mood for any kind of fancy toppings, but the price is WILD. Anywhere I can get a boba for under $4 is a fever dream. read more

Remember Quickly's? Tea Era definitely reminds me of Quickly's from back then. Sometimes I don't want a boba with heavy, dark tea flavor and I just want to drink something fruity and sweet ya know? There's so many flavors to choose from and the price for boba here is under 5$. Like hello? Where do you find that these days?!? I love coming here! read more

Popcorn chicken was delicious. Green apple jelly was a bit odd but interesting to try. Taste was a bit bitter, but possible because of the low sugar level. read more

Tea Era - Popcorn chicken and tea. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Mountain View, California

Quick take: budget friendly prices This is one of the more affordable spots in the bay. However, you are paying less but the quality of the drink is also less. I ordered a Red Guava green tea drink w/boba. I ordered it standard (reg sugar/reg ice). Flavor is from bottles of syrup. Not sure if the water used for the tea is filter or not. I did not taste any tea flavor. It was all syrup. I would recommend ordering drinks not at 100% sugar even if you are use to drinking 100% sugar. It was an overkill. I had to wait for the ice to melt and gave the drink another try. This place has over 1k reviews. So there are definitely fans out there. It's just not my cup of tea. read more

I had my doubts the first time my husband suggested we try Tea Era's barley tea. It just did not. Sound. Good. But to my surprise it was pretty great. It had a slight coffee taste without being too bitter. It's caffeine free or nearly so. I started drinking this when I was still partaking in caffeine, but now that I can't do caffeine I love it so. It's very unique and I don't know another place that makes it, so it automatically gives Tea Era 5 stars. As for their other teas... The Thai tea is good but I much prefer the flavors in the Thai teas I get at Thai restaurants. The Taro tea was way too sweet for me but that's also how I feel about Taro milk tea these days. Unfortunately I don't think you can change the sweetness level, at least when we had this delivered by Door Dash. Unfortunately Tea Era doesn't offer curbside pick-up. I feel like there are too many people milling around right next to the door when you try to enter or exit. read more

Castro St. is inundated with milk tea/boba and bakeries. Tea Era is definitely a staple here though. The tea quality is up to par. They take care in making their drinks, so there is usually a slight wait for the order. I'm not sure how to gauge the sweetness adjustment here for fruit teas because I recently ordered a drink with less sweetness adjustment, but it was very sweet. You can order by phone or any app and your drink is ready on time. There is usually a long line here despite many other tea shops on this street, and this shows how popular they are with loyal customers. read more

On a tea quest this Summer and wanted to check out this place on Castro Street. My Passion Green Tea was yummy but it was syrupy and a bit sweeter than I like- as I usually request 1/4 sweet and the only options here were 50% and 100%. The price for a large was only $4.04 with a free upgrade, which made this afternoon pick me up quite a bargain. Overall, not bad, menu is extensive and the price is right. read more

Tea Era - Pleasant outdoor area to enjoy my Passionfruit Green Tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Mountain View, California

Tea Era has been a staple boba place in Mountain View downtown for years. Their menu is extensive and their prices are pretty much as low as you can go. My go-to drink is the Iron Buddha milk tea with boba ("black pearl tapioca") as the topping. While their tea quality is only okay, their boba is one of the tastiest. Both the texture and flavor are on point. Their hours are a bit weird since they don't open until 1p on the weekdays, which is a little bit later than the other boba stores in MV downtown. Also note that you get can a free size upgrade if you check in on Yelp to save 80 cents and get more delicious boba. read more

Tea Era - Iron Buddha milk tea w/ boba - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Mountain View, California

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Had an offer on my Fivestars for Tea Era so decided to stop by and try it out. Ordered a red bean milk tea and a pearl milk tea, both with no ice and 25% sweetness. Despite no ice, the drinks were just right (slightly cold but not too cold and not diluted!) Milk teas were both good, but the star was the red bean. Not sure what they did differently, but the red bean at this location was great. They gave a fair bit of red bean, and the beans weren't too mushy or chopped up like it tends to be at other places. Prices also seemed slightly lower than other milk tea places in the area? Anyhow, pleasantly surprised and will probably go back to Tea Era if I'm ever walking around Castro and craving boba. read more

So inconvenient Cash only No parking lot Drinks only No food Ran out of some flavors/toppings Next door has food, but credit card minimum $15 read more

Tea Era - Menu on the wall - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Mountain View, California

I don't get why this place is so popular. Have the people of mountain view tried anything else. I came here after hot pot and i got a ginger milk tea. It's like a regular ginger milk tea but it was too sweet even with 50% sweetness. The place is overly crowded and you can barely get in or even out! You order on the tablet so there's no real contact with anyone unless you want to pay in cash. I will not return here because i feel with such a large menu and with everyone trying to order on the tablet it delays the the timeliness of when you get the drink. I've was behind someone that took forever, going back and forth , back and forth. I do wonder if this place is up to the fire code because everyone is packed inside waiting. read more

Cash only! Tried their hot brown rice and roasted barley milk tea with boba & 75% sweet; they were both amazing! read more

Ordered a milk tea with red bean, and it was delicious. They made it really hot, and not just lukewarm like other places that I have visited. I have tried several drinks here, and I may have finally found a favorite with this one. read more

Really good authentic Taiwanese boba. I had no complaints, good drinks good service and pretty normal prices.

Absolutely adorable, warm, and inconspicuous tea shop. One of Mountain View downtown's historical gems at this point. After twenty years, it is still my favorite tea shop. Their owner is Taiwanese so is very authentic and are one of the last few- if not the only- place that actually shakes their milk tea before serving. This is the place to go if you want real Taiwanese milk tea- they were there before all the other boba places and continues to be the most or only authentic milk tea shops in the entire bay area. I only wish they had more indoor seating but their other location in Cupertino is larger. read more

I always get Iron Bhudda Milk Tea here! Haven't really been able to find it elsewhere. I usually order it with less ice as well. Remember this place is cash only! read more

Saw the reviews and some unique flavors so wanted to try it. As soon as I walked in, I saw 2 signs posted saying Cash Only. This was shocking but I hoped they just never removed it and were able to take credit card given the pandemic. NOPE. The lady confirmed it's cash only. WTH? I'm not sure if that's even legal given the current pandemic. Seeing my question was about payment, she could've offered the alternate way of ordering via their QR menu, but no, she didn't. I had to ask her if there was an another way to order online so I could pay with credit card and only then did she inform me of the QR option. I'm not sure if this option is also slightly more expensive than just paying in person. I ordered the Kiwi Aloe Green Tea as it was unique and I'd never seen this anywhere. The reviews for it seemed high as well. I did take the advice of others and cut the sugar by 50%. This drink was good and refreshing and I got a lot of questions about it, but not sure I'd get it again. Though the drink was decent, I had to review this place lower given the level of service and most importantly, the lack of regard for public (and their) safety by only accepting cash. We are still in a pandemic. There's just no excuse for any establishment to be cash only and I can't support any establishment that does. read more

Tea Era - Kiwi Aloe Green Tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Mountain View, California

I've been coming to Tea Era for a long time, maybe at least 20 years. I'm amazed they have not raised prices to what many boba shops are now charging (I would understand if they are raised too). It's still an old-school boba place that has survived from the first generation of stores such as Fantasia, Tapioca Express, and Q-Cup. My go-to is the Iron Buddha tea with boba, no milk. Simple but always good! read more

I love this place! If you're into any kind of bubble tea (or just iced tea, in general), this place can't be beat. It's also located conveniently in the downtown area and I love making a ritual out of getting a cup of something here (usually their delicious Earl Grey Milk Tea) and spending some time at the nearby Phoenix Park reading. If you check-in on Yelp, you could get a free upgrade to a larger sized tea for the price of a small one. read more

Tea Era - Earl Grey Milk Tea w/ 50% sugar is my jam. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Mountain View, California

I've actually had drinks from Tea Era before, but from the Cupertino location and I love them, it's honestly one of my favorite boba shops. I saw that there was a location on Castro St. and I was thrilled so I decided to finally make my way there to get a drink. Well that was a MISTAKE. First of all, right when I entered the cashier was sitting on the floor on her phone and then got up to take my order. I didn't see her use any sort of hand sanitizer and she didn't even greet me when she saw me. I had said hi to her, but nothing. Not even a "what would you like?" She made me feel so uncomfortable ordering it was the worst. On top of that the rest of the workers crowded behind her when I was ordering and just watched me order. It was horrible. After I placed my order I was planning to use Apple Pay, but didn't realize it was cash only until I was reminded rudely by the cashier. Honestly I could've easily gone to grab cash from my car or even just go to an ATM to get cash, but her rude tone and attitude made me walk out the door and not want to come back. If you want to be given attitude then please come here, I have never experienced this horrible of customer service before. I will never return to this location and will gladly take my business to the other boba shops on Castro St. read more

As the posters mentioned when walking into the shop, "Best of Mountain View," I have to agree. The boba shop is found in this beautiful street filled with food and cute shops. It reminds me of San Mateo B Street. The street is blocked off, which makes the area quite walkable and there is parking a block to a few blocks away from this area. Something quite interesting about this boba shop is how as you walk in, on the right-hand side, it is connected to another restaurant which I find convenient. Such as after eating at the restaurant next door, you can just walk through the doorway and get boba before leaving. I got two Jasmine Green Milk Teas with boba, one with the default creamer and one with whole milk. In-depth review: For both drinks, I got 75% sweet and boba. I preferred the Jasmine Milk Tea w/ default creamer more just because I like the heavy feeling of the milk with my boba. I really enjoyed the tea from this place because it tastes like Jasmine tea and it has a strong flavor. I've noticed some boba shops will sell Jasmine Milk Tea but it won't taste anything like it at all. The Jasmine Milk Tea w/ whole milk was a bit lighter. They both pretty much taste exactly the same, it just has a different feel when drinking it as one has a heavier feel than the other. I do recommend getting it around 75% sweet or less depending on your liking, I feel like 100% may be too overpowering for the tea flavor. The 75% gives a good balance of getting the strong tea flavor and sweetness. Tea Era has a wide variety of drinks that I can't wait to try, this is a place I'd be willing to drive a long distance for. read more

Tea Era - Jasmine Milk Tea with boba - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Mountain View, California

Most delicious black milk tea ever. Also the cheapest boba but such good quality. Their honey boba pearls are so sweet and flavorful. Cute outside seating area. read more

Tea Era - Black Sugar Milk Tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Mountain View, California

Okay, you know when you order boba from a place and legit the boba tastes like nothing? Like, it's cooked and sh*t, but there's no taste and it's kind of just filler for me at that point lmao... Idk if you know what I'm talking about but lemme just say that Tea Era's boba isn't like that, and legit is some of the BEST I've had. The taste, that chewiness, the consistency, like GAH DAMN! And they're so generous with how much they give! I remember coming here one time about 5 years ago and didn't think it was that memorable, but coming back this time (and now that there's more competition in the area for boba to compare), I'm all like, wtf why did I wait so long to come back!? From reading other yelpers' recs, I got a large Roast Barley Milk Tea, 50% sweet, light ice. NOM, SO BOMB. Such a unique drink and loving the flavaaah fasho. Now, I can't say what their other milk teas/fruit teas are like, and not sure if they use fresh fruit or whatever, but I don't think I can come here for anything else but this drink, so I wouldn't be able to tell ya lol As mentioned from others, it's cash only, but for about $5 for a large size with boba?! That's a great price nowadays since a lot of premium boba places are $6-7 now... & their boba ain't even all that. read more

Tea Era - Large Roast Barley Milk Tea, 50% Sweet, Light Ice. MUST GET - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Mountain View, California

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Came during noon on a weekend and there was a little bit of a wait. I got 3 drinks - Iron Buddha milk tea, Jasmine green milk tea, and oolong milk tea. All the drinks were disappointing and watered down. The boba was hard and it was so bad I just ended up throwing my drink away. I wonder what everyone else is getting because there seemed to be a lot of people at this shop. Either there are no other nearby boba places, or they're ordering other drinks that are amazing. Maybe a smoothie? If I were to come back, I'll probably try other drinks (not milk teas) + other toppings. If you're a fan of milk tea like I am, I would skip this place. read more

Tea Era - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Mountain View, California

This may actually be my new favorite boba spot in the South Bay. 1. Ever since trying Tea Era, every time I think about boba, I want Tea Era. 2. We got the roasted oolong milk tea with pearls and the genmaicha milk tea with pearls. 3. Roasted oolong is my go to and I got it with half sugar, which was perfect. This is also the first time I've seen genmaicha milk tea, which was a plus! The genmaicha had actual pieces of rice in it and the flavor was so toasty. Both drinks were perfectly made and they came out pretty quickly. 4. Prices here are very reasonable. They have the Five Star rewards too. The shop is on the small side so grab and go. 5. I can't wait to come back to try more milk tea flavors. read more

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Old school, no frills, boba milk tea. One of my favorite places for a long time, before all these new trendy places popped up. Their drinks don't look very elaborate compared to other places but if you're just looking for a simple milk tea with boba this is a very solid choice. Price is also very good, starting at only $3.50 for a small! One of the few places where you can still get traditional flavors like almond, taro, rose, barley, etc. I ALWAYS get the almond milk tea because I have yet to find a place with better almond flavor than here (many don't even have it!). I'm fairly certain theres even bits of real crushed almonds in the drink though I've never been able to verify for sure... The boba is the perfect texture and generally pretty sweet. I'd recommend 50% sugar or even less because their drinks tend to run on the sweeter side. read more

Tea Era - Almond milk tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Mountain View, California

I ordered the jasmine milk tea + boba w/ less ice and 50% sweetness. the jasmine milk tea was decent, but I think next time I'd want to get 75% sweet. The boba here is pretty good. In terms of boba chewiness, they are slightly softer than I prefer. I like that the boba here is just a little bit sweet though! Cash only!! Check in on yelp for free upgrade to the large size! read more

Tea Era - Jasmine Milk Tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Mountain View, California

The number one factor in Tea Era is how all the drinks are so cheap! Most are all less than $4 and so I got the Earl Grey Milk Tea. Usually I don't get that flavor but I really like how healthy and original this one taste. The guy was nice and I got the drink very fast. When I went there weren't any customers so I think you should go here everytime you are around this plaza! read more

Tea Era - Earl Grey Milk Tea 5/5 - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Mountain View, California

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Checked out this place after we went to eat at Mari Ichi Ramen nearby. There were a few choices for milk tea joints but we saw that this place has the most popular review so we went to see what the hypes about. This place is located on Castro Street in between everything. It's a small place that's only good for in and outs. Very reasonable prices compared to other tea places. Passion fruit ice tea- got an upgrade to large after I checked in. This drink is supposedly a popular drink here. I ordered 75% sweet, 100% ice. Tasted the passion fruit flavor but it didn't feel like a tea drink since there was no tea flavor. Oolong milk tea- 50% sweet, 100% I've. It's still overly sweet, has milk flavor, again did not taste any tea flavor. Tip : cash only. Check in to upgrade your drink to a large size. read more

Tea Era - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Mountain View, California

Smaller menu than Cupertino location (no food, no aiyu topping?) and no seating. It's in the middle of downtown Mountain View on Castro Street, which is either a pro or con depending on whether you want to visit downtown or not. Our teas came out pretty sweet even though we ordered 50% sweet, so I'm not sure if they were made correctly. I'll stick to the Cupertino location instead. read more

Love tea era. They have a lot of varieties and are super affordable. Their location is quite convenient. Service is good.