After lunch we were craving a refreshing drink. We saw Tea Era in the same shopping center. We decided to try it out. When we walked in there were a few tables with customers. They have digital menus above the kiosk where you order. Besides drinks, they also offer Taiwanese food and snacks. I decided to try the Tropical Trio ($5.75) which had kumquat, pineapple and strawberry in it. My hubby ordered the coconut smoothie ($6.00). There was one employee working and I asked her if she could make the drinks a little less sweet. She said she would. We looked for a place to sit and wait for our drinks. There is a large seating area inside. Our drinks were ready in 5 minutes. Both were good. They were very refreshing and hit the spot. I'm happy to know that there is a good tea shop in this area. I'll be back again. read more

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This review is only based on the drink I got. Was in the area getting lunch in the same plaza and decided to get some tea after. Recognized Tea Era and didn't realize they had another shop. Ordered the Lychee Misty (50% sweet). The tea was very bitter. Didn't really taste the lychee, it was a small hint and a very strong Chrysanthemum tea taste. I know I got 50% sweet, but the tea was so bitter and left like a weird after coating and I couldn't get myself to continue drinking the tea. Possibly other drinks taste better and maybe the foods as well, that I didn't try. read more

Tea Era - Lychee misty - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

Very generous portions. You get rice, protein, pickle, and cabbage. Chicken was great no complaint. Store is clean. read more

Tea Era - Popcorn chicken bento - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

Stumbled upon this place after grabbing food nearby. I haven't been to a Tea Era for quite some time. This location has a parking lot. You can order at the counter or by the computers. Thai tea with boba: 3/5, my boyfriend got 50% sweet and I think he should've gotten regular sweet. When he goes to other places to ask for less sweetness, the drink will still be sweet. The drink he had here was not sweet at all. The boba texture was chewy though and had a touch of sweetness. Floral peach: 2/5, I also got less sweetness but then I couldn't taste the peach flavor at all. It just tasted like an iced jasmine tea. I would still go back but maybe we just won't change the sweetness. read more

Tea Era - Left: Floral Peach Right: Thai Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

It's so nice that there's a boba shop in south side that's not too far from home. I have gone to their other locations, and have never been disappointed. This location's pretty spacious with plenty of seating available. There are two kiosks available for order, but you are also able to order with a cashier. The staff here are very kind and attentive, and quick at making drinks! OKAY THE DRINKS & FOODS: * Popcorn chicken - super tasty & is incredibly close to old school popcorn chicken. You can get just popcorn chicken, but they also have this popcorn chicken bento that's pretty tasty & filling for the price. * Lychee Misty - so refreshing!! I genuinely love this drink and it's easily one of my top drinks. * Brown Sugar Series - you can't go wrong with this series if you're a brown sugar lover. I LOVE the Oolong milk tea! * Wintermelon Chrysanthemum Tea- my go to for a refreshing drink. It's amazing and my top 3 drinks. read more

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Honestly great taste, portion, speed and price. I wanted milk tea but was also hungry. They have two self serve i pad. I was able to feed myself for $20 which is getting harder to find in the bay area. You can tell they aren't lazy with how they cook either. The only thing missing would be to add more pictures on the I Pad for every item you can order. The inside is warm and clean. read more

Tea Era - Really big portion for such a cheap item, practically a meal for $5 - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

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New location, maybe a new era? Tea Era is a bubble tea shop that has long graced such locales as Mountain View (where I tried them once long ago) and Cupertino. This location emerged a year ago on the southeast corner of Cottle and Santa Teresa, a plaza which has seen other restaurants emerge. They actually offer a wide variety of foods, from Taiwanese snacks to bento boxes and soups, which I don't think they did in their original business model. I had just finished a meal and was focused on the tea offerings though. I asked the employee at the front of house about the 20% off banner I saw outside (for the holidays, but no definite end date listed), which she stated was for everything except certain special pricing combos. Obviously a big plus for me, and maybe a bit desperate as I realized after seeing very few other customers show up during my lengthy stay. I eventually settled on the Jasmine Green Tea Crema ($4.60 with the discount, 700 ml), which is the type of thing I've ordered for years now when trying new boba spots. Aside from the crema not blending easily into the tea at first, it's a very solid rendition of the drink. The jasmine was strong and the crema was very creamy, and the 50% sugar level I selected was a bit sweet but not overly so. The less ice option resulted in no underfill. I could see myself returning to Tea Era to try more of their drinks in the future. If you're a local, hopefully you'll do so too so that they actually have enough business to last until my last visit, because there was definitely not a steady flow of customers as I'd expect from a successful business of this type in San Jose. read more

Tea Era - Jasmine Green Tea Crema - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

Great quality boba and snacks, our go to place for boba whenever we're in the area! Love their popcorn chicken and spicy dumplings are excellent! read more

I'm glad there is a boba spot so close to me after moving to south east San Jose from Sunnyvale - though it certainly hasn't helped with my boba cravings! Tea Era reminds me of the old school boba spots before they all became pricey, hype spots from China. As an added bonus, they also have some yummy Taiwanese snacks such as their crispy popcorn chicken, sausage, and calamari rings. Prices are reasonable and their boba is always chewy! Tea Era has been added to my boba rotation! read more

Tea Era - Popcorn Chicken and Taiwanese Sausage! - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

My favorite boba place in South SJ! It is spacious and has lots of great fruit tea and milk tea options. The Taiwanese food is good too and right now, they're running a holiday promotion on their bentos where you can add a orange fruit tea for just $1. read more

Love that there is a Tea Era so close-by to Kaiser which helps make the experience a little bit easier to enjoy. Whenever I visit boba shops, I always ask if they offer non-dairy milk options and not just a creamer. Fortunately, they have soy milk so I was able to make my usual Oolong Milk Tea with Soy Milk and Boba. Drink was made well, ice/sweetness ratios were correct, and everything was to my liking. My friend was also happy with her Honeydew Milk Tea with Jelly and Boba. We both left feeling good about our drink decisions. Lots of space inside if you wanted to come and do some work. The staff here were very friendly and answered all of my questions. Plenty of parking outside. read more

I came when they barely opened and they already had several customers. The service is quick because you order through the kiosk. The first time I came I wasn't sure how to order so they took my order for me. That was very friendly of them. The food portions are not snack size. I thought it looked small but I could not finish everything I ordered. The calamari. The bento box. And I forget the last item I ordered because I went by the picture on the menu. (Which pictures do help!!) The place is cutesy small and a quick in and out place.. read more

Depends on who worked on the drinks, the young is better. Food and snacks good Parking enough Inside is clean Restroom available read more

Cute cafe with plenty of seating. Really enjoyed my avocado smoothie. The popcorn chicken was a bit salty. Good variety of food offerings. Will definitely be back. read more

Delicious tea options but a little pricier than I'd like. The menu is awesome and anything you get on it is good. A tea with boba is 7-8$. They also ask and then watch you for a tip which made it very uncomfortable and forced to give a tip. No games to play inside but lots of tables to hangout. Staff was fine, but not friendly. Would go back only bc the tea was delicious, but not notable. read more

Yay for Tea Era! This place is a few feet down from EggHead! Plenty of indoor seating and lots of space. Service was good - you can order with a person or use the self-serve kiosks. We ordered and our drinks less than five minutes. We had the tropical trio and added green apple jelly.... Yum and the mango slush. We chose to do both at 50% sweet and they were great. read more

Tea Era - Self-order iPads - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

I remember during college I would always go to Tea Era in cupertino like on a weekly basis. But recently I found out they have a place in south side San Jose, I had to go check it out! As I walked in, you can just see how organized and clean the place is. We were greeted by the barista right away in which was super nice to us! Unlike the cupertino location, they have limited drink items because I remember their signature drink was the Iron Buddha, which I'd always order all the time! It saddens me that this location doesn't have that flavor. The food choice is also smaller too since the other location sold more snacks than here. I ordered the Green Honey Tea (half sugar&ice with boba) and of course the flavor and taste was there! It was super yummy and felt like the boba and tea was super fresh. My friends that I came here ordered an earl grey, grape green tea, jasmine milk tea, and their floral lychee. They were not disappointed at all by these choices! Overall, I want to try their snacks and bento here next time just to see if they bring back those reminiscing memories of coming here during my college times. read more

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Finally!! After waiting for three long years and seeing the Tea Era signage posted outside the building for what felt like forever, they're actually open for business! I used to drive all the way to Cupertino or Mountain View to get my Roasted Barley Milk tea fix but looks like I won't have to do that anymore now that the South San Jose location is finally open! The interior of this Tea Era is sleek and modern AF. They have self-ordering kiosks and a pretty quick turnaround on your order. I ordered a Roasted Barley Milk Tea with boba and I have to say the non-dairy creamer may've been overpowering the tea since there's usually a good balance of the two. Since they're still fairly new and likely working out the kinks/figuring things out still, I'll wait to give my final verdict. I'm looking forward to coming back and trying out all the snacks they have to offer along with my beloved Roasted Barley Milk tea! read more

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Newly opened in the plaza, surprised to see it finally happen after all the years it's been preluded! Things are looking pretty slick and clean inside this stop (with some hilarious signs to boot), so it'll be hard to resist the call for boba in the South SJ area... Parking in this part of town is pretty trivial (right in front of a Rite-Aid), so shouldn't have any problems coming in. Seems like their have an array of snacks and bento options for those craving food at the same time (though I'm usually in the area for a meal already). QR code ordering is available, but they do have two kiosks to directly order from. Went for a Roasted oolong milk tea + boba and pretty darn good in my book. Boba was perfect texture with just right balance of chewiness and stiffness. Tea flavor was spot on and their soy creamer blended well for a nice creamy drink. read more

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Uniqueness: So far for first drink, reminds me just like Homestead! But wow did the place smell like an outhouse that day Wait Time: [x][x][x][x][ ] Drink Quality: [x][x][x][x][x] Service: [x][x][x][x][x] Setting: [x][x][x][x][ ] Cost: [x][x][x][x][x] Recommendation? Thai Tea is a satisfactory yes to me! Worth getting if you're a fan of Thai milk tea in general, they made it right. Tea Era felt like they've been teasing us for +3 years with their vacant lot and sign hanging, seeming like it would never come to fruition. Then out of the blue, their doors were open and business was finally ready for the South Bay! I totally didn't even know about this until people started chatting about it and I had to see it for myself, and there it was. Tea Era quality milk tea in the South Bay. Was it worth the try? Let's take a look. I went there a couple weeks back and it was a peaceful empty Saturday but in the early afternoon so not anything wrong with no crowds this early. Drink menu has exactly what they offer at Homestead and decided to try their Thai milk tea which I love in general. Drink was perfectly sweet, quick to order, and I saw no issue from this drink so that was a definite plus for me. Price-wise was significantly cheaper than the Pure Tea Bar that's across the street. I would definitely for now go here than there for the same drinks. The place has plenty of tables for studying if you'd like and if you're hungry there's even Egghead next door for delicious breakfast sandwiches. However, the only negative I have to say from this experience today was wow it SMELLED inside. I'm not sure if there was a plumbing issue but it smelled like I was standing in an outhouse once I stepped inside. The smelly first impression was enough to not call this visit a 5 star yet but I will give them the benefit of the doubt to come back for more because I love milk tea in general. Would I give my recommendation to come here? If the smell is just a one off event, a definite yes from me. read more

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Tea Era has finally opened! I've been waiting for a quality neighborhood boba spot, and it didn't disappoint. The interior is very spacious and clean, and they also have self ordering kiosks. Can't wait to try some of the other drinks! ROASTED BARLEY MILK TEA: 4/5 ($6.75 - Large) This is my tried and true drink, and one of the most unique drinks as I haven't seen barley tea offered elsewhere. The barley taste was good and the non dairy creamer didn't completely wash down the drink. I don't know if I enjoy this as much as I used to, but still yummy! read more

Tea Era - Roasted Barley Milk Tea ($6.75) - 4/5 stars - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

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Place has finally opened after having been under construction for so long. Indoor was nice, clean, and spacious. They had kpop playing on one of their TV screens. Lots of snack and bento options. A few combo meals to select from. There was one kiosk to order from thr front. Ordering menu from the kiosk was pretty straightforward. You can also order from your phone using the QR code they have posted on the walls. I got the roasted oolong vanilla creme. I enjoyed the tea but not so much of the creme. The vanilla was too strong for my liking. When the creme started diffusing into my tea, it looked chunky instead of smooth like Swirls. I really enjoyed the fried Radish cake with a little bit of their dipping sauce. I'll come again to try more variety of their drinks and snacks. read more

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New gem added to neighborhood! The quality is as excellent as the other 2 shops in the bay. The staff was welcoming and caring. And there are also so many food and snack choices that it'll be my go to place when I crave something! read more

Tea Era - Grand opening - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

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didn't have much hope for this place but it surpassed by expectations. This place is kiosk order only and it was nice that they had such a variety for fried items and teas. They have HELLA food options. It was nice and clean and great place to meet with friends for a quick snack. Will be back! read more

Never had a bad experience here! I am a tea era fan, and glad that this location opened in San Jose, love the popcorn chicken bento.

I love this place. They dont skimp on food and prices are great especially with the 20% off winter time promo they have. Ive got this same popcorn chicken Bento box with orange tea like 4 times now and its enough for me and my gf to split and both be full. Its around $13 with tax/tip great deal! Come check them out!!! Great flavor too I love the sauce they give with it the flavored mayonnaise read more

Tea Era - Popcorn chicken bento box - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

Great service! It's been awhile since I had boba and this definitely hit the spot. They have a wide variety of drink options and food options as well, although I came here just for the boba. I'll be sure to come back to try the food. read more

Tea Era - Strawberry milk tea with boba pearls - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

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Walked into the store and was greeted right away. I ordered a thai tea. Drink came out pretty quick but wasn't that tasty. There's not really a strong thai tea taste kind of watered down in a sense. The popcorn chicken was pretty good though. Food came out pretty quickly and was hot and ready to eat. Overall I say come here to try the food but the drinks could be a gamble. read more

Tea Era - Popcorn Chicken - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

The boba here is always so good. The tea has a deep, rich flavor, and the sweetness is just right. The pearls are soft, chewy, and fresh, making every sip so satisfying. It is the kind of drink that always puts me in a good mood. read more

They make good boba, but why is there no wifi? I've seen a few highschool kids come in and out with their backpacks planning on studying since it's the "in" thing now to study at these types of spots, esp boba places. This place is roomy and has big tables with nice lighting. A perfect spot for studying but people leave because of no wifi. You guys make good tea and good food! They also have free wifi now! read more

On my first visit to this place, I noticed they offered a strawberry matcha milk tea. Orders are placed via tablet, and there's indoor seating available. The matcha strawberry latte was excellent--I opted for 50% sugar, and it was quite sweet, so be mindful if you're sensitive to sugar levels. read more

Tea Era - Matcha strawberry latte - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

The Cupertino and Mountain View Tea Era locations are my preferred boba shops to go to. My favorite drink is the Roasted Barley Milk Tea. It's a little nutty and the sweetness from the syrup of the boba just work so well together. The only difference I notice here is that they don't use the shaker machine which the other two locations use. That shaker makes a huge difference in making the milk teas super frothy and creamy. I had the nice lady shake it herself but I don't think it did the trick. Aside from that, the location is the most spacious and more welcoming with its tables for seatings. It's one of the better boba shops in the area so I highly recommend it. Cheers! read more

I've been her multiple times and service is quite exceptional! Their responses to your input via text is very genuine and non-automated which is a very nice touch. Snacks and their growing food menu are delicious. Seating is spacious and stroller friendly! Their wall decor shows a great sense of humor for the adults! read more

Tea Era is finally open! I've stopped by a few times, and I love the drinks here. It's super easy to use the kiosk to place an order. It's awesome that different dairy options are displayed (half/half, creamer, whole milk, etc). There is so much food options that are more like main meals. I haven't gotten a chance to try the food, but it looks good! The drinks are made pretty fast, too. Overall, there is plenty of parking. I'd highly recommend. read more

Tea Era was absolutely delightful! I ordered three dishes, and each one had its own mouthwatering flavor. From the savory udon with black bean sauce to the flavorful adobo pork over rice, and not to forget the uniquely delicious popcorn chicken Bento box.and fried King or stew mushroom The location is charming, perfect for hanging out, and it's fantastic to support our local businesses so they can continue thriving in the area. read more

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Decided to try their Taiwanese beef noodle soup on a whim and it was the best decision ever. One of the best Taiwanese beef noodle soups I have had right here in this little plaza. Comes with a little side of cucumbers! If you're looking for a quick bowl of noodles, this is the place! You can also get boba too which is top notch read more

My wife really likes milk tea. This place definitely is one of the better ones in San Jose. Very easy to order on the automatic kiosk. Will continue to come here and recommend to other people. read more

I haven't left a review in awhile but this place deserves a 5 star review. My first time experience was great! The ambience is simple, clean, and very relaxed. I ordered the watermelon slush which is only available during the summer and the popcorn chicken. The watermelon slush is very refreshing and not too overwhelmingly sweet, perfect for a hot summer weather. The popcorn chicken was not only nice, hot, and crispy, it was surprisingly very flavorful. The popcorn chicken came with a side of mayo condiment which I appreciated. I would definitely return to this boba place. read more

Tea Era - Popcorn chicken $11.99 - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

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Who knew our neighborhood could stand another Milk Tea spot. This one, though, stands out. Their food offerings, in specific Taiwanese style popcorn chicken, is amazing. Very spot on and delicious. I recommend to all my neighbors to visit them and see if you don't agree with me. read more

I love the popcorn chicken bento here! I seriously think it is better than Shihlins chicken- it's that good! It is so delicious and filling. The chicken is fresh and crispy every time I get it and the house mayo sauce that comes with it is tasty and garlicky. I can easily make 2 meals out of the bento. If I could, I would come here at least once a week for their food. read more