Mango, almond, coconut, YUM. There are so many great choices here, I hope to get through the menu one day. I love bubble tea. My boyfriend got a pomegranate flavored tea with mango jellies and it was so refreshing. Definitely a nice treat we'd especially enjoy on a summer day. It's a great, low-key little date spot. There are tables, window seats, and a big couch. I can see why it's such a hit with UB students. My boyfriend and I stopped in on a Friday night after we enjoyed the lovely couches at the AMC and the line at Tea Leaf was almost out the door the whole time we were there. They stay open pretty late, too, which is nice for students (or anyone) to study or hang out. Truthfully, I think it's a little expensive. (Although I'll admit I'm the kind of girl who goes to coffee shops for boring black coffee, so I don't feel comfortable dropping $5 on a ventimochafrappewhatever.) For me, Tea Leaf is a rare treat. Oh, and is it just me or did everyone else's group of friend's used to shoot the tapioca balls at each other as teens? Hopefully the employees haven't put us on a Wanted poster in the back. read more

THE best Bubble Tea spot in Buffalo! This place is solid, there is plenty of space to sit, hang out, study, and their drinks/desserts/food are amazing! Their Bubble Tea menu is massive and no matter which flavor you are craving, they have it! Their prices are great, the tea and boba are perfectly made, and their staff is friendly, helpful, and knowledge with all things bubble tea! I used to live in Buffalo and every single time I come back and visit (which is frequently) I always make a pit stop here for some! If you're craving some bubble tea or haven't tried it before, this is the place to go in Buffalo! Stop on it! :) PS: If you like milk based tea, try the Taro..and for non-milk, their peach is excellent! Mix a variety of flavors as well! read more

I decided to take my two teenagers here today as a bit of a fun treat since none of us had ever tried boba before. We all had green tea as a base and they got the chocolate/banana and chocolate/coconut blends and I got myself almond/honeydew. Of course we all passed them around to try the different combinations. Having never had boba before I cannot attest to what the 'perfect' texture of them should be, but to each of us they seemed to be of a pleasing texture, still having some chew to them so they were not all mushy, but not so much that they didn't feel cooked. We also shared two small plates. The chicken mushroom dumplings and the steamed pork buns. Both came with the same wonderful dipping sauce. Everything was absolutely delicious, and it is definitely a place we will return. The food was well made, flavorful, and the service was very pleasant. I can see this as a place we will return many times. As refreshing as the boba was in January, I can only imagine how much more so it will be come summer. So glad I read all the reviews here first, or we might not have ever found it. It is tucked way around the back of the shopping center. The prices were reasonable (no more expensive than starbucks, and the food was sure a whole lot higher quality!) With out bill coming to $21 for the three bubble tea's and two side plates (with a coupon from the Entertainment book that gave us one item free.) There is already talk of the next time we go, with requests for friends to come along with us. read more

I'm a west coaster. And a true boba addict! Buffalonians love their wings. I love my boba. So I've had bubble tea (or I like to call it boba) from L.A. to San Fran. Been living here for about 5 years now. It fits the stereotypical commercial boba restaurant. But that makes sense because boba is a trendy pop type of thing. I was very happy to find this place recently. Yes, it's only one of a few places here in Buffalo but I can honestly say it's as good as you can get. I know this is new to Buffalonians but there are chains of boba places from the U.S. to Australia that have the more Chinese feel to it. You'll see that all over San Fran and even the suburbs of greater Los Angeles. I don't like those places because they don't prep their boba correctly. Just like sushi, when you've had plenty you will significantly taste the difference. I was actually impressed with their dumplings that my friend recently ordered. I tend not to order food at a boba place because it's pretty generic and standard. I usually don't recommend food at a boba place, but I recommend their dumplings. Very good!!! Restaurant quality. The decor is nice. Like I said before trendy so I can imagine the owners might not be from around here. I'm guessing NYC. They set the place up with the right demographic in mind. College students and true city dwellers like myself. I don't believe they have wi-fi yet. I think they should. This is a place I know I would chill out and do work. When I really like a place I introduce it to my friends. So far I've taken 3 friends there. And of course I have to do a review on yelp. Buffalonians come try this place. **Be warned. You're either going to love the texture of boba or not.** And it's quite filling in the belly. But they do prepare it the right way. So 5 stars for that alone. But there are so many flavors that I know you'll find something you will like. Smoothies to teas. Great city chillaxing vibe. And it hits the spot during summer. If you do fall in love with the place, be sure you get a frequent flyer miles boba card (that's not what's it called. just my terms. :-) ) Update 2/5/13 Still an awesome place. And they do have wifi. It's just not posted anywhere. It's pretty much open your laptop and it picks it up. Much better than places like Spot where you have to ask for a password and there's a time limit of 2 hours. That's annoying. Also, try out the most popular flavors from Almond Milk to Taro. And if you can't handle too much boba then you can always ask them to do half the amount. So you don't have to call it a guilty pleasure. Ha! Quality of Boba - 5 stars Ambiance (with wifi for studying and good music for chillaxin') - 4.5 stars Speed of service - 4 stars Customer service - 4.5 stars Noise level - 4 stars Beverage menu (which is gi-normous) - 5 stars Good for your health - 2.7 stars Good for your soul - 5 stars (added bonus) good snack food - 4.8 stars Overall - 5 stars read more

gonna be honest it smells a little strange when you first walk in but the bubble teas/some food options are delicious. definitely recommend if you are in the area and looking for bubble tea ! read more

I have been coming here since I was 16 and in high school. Now, 8 years later I make the occasional stop. Unfortunately this time will be my last. I came in on a Sunday night with my girlfriend. Not busy at all. As soon as we walked in, there was a foul smell of vomit. Horrible. Made me gag. I asked the cashier if someone had had an accident, and she gave me the dirtiest look ever. She blamed it on "old sugar" whatever that means. I ordered 2 bubble teas. When I got my beverages, They forgot to put the tapioca balls in my drink. I approached the counter to let them know and she insisted they were in there. They were not. This might sound dramatic but it's just really annoying. The staff is rude and way too hipster for me. The music they were playing also made me want to crawl in a hole. read more

Tea Leaf Cafe is great for when you are craving boba tea. I tasted cold versions of the taro, original, and papaya- and they were very sweet and flavorful. The boba was soft and chewy, not over or under cooked. The drinks range from $3.50- 4.25; a bit more expensive than your typical boba places in nyc or boston, but I actually like how much more flavorful these are compared to St. Alps, Fay Da, Boston Tea Stop. They have a lot of teas (rooibos, blacks, greens, and a few different twists on chai) and coffee drinks available. They have a few desserts (slices of cake, tiramisu, cupcakes) at the counter and some chinese snacks- I got soup dumplings, but they were on the smaller side and didn't have that much soup. One issue is finding the location, as it's sort of in the back/side of its rundown shopping plaza. The inside contrasts a lot to its eyesore surroundings. Buffalo restaurants/cafes as a whole don't seem to care about ambiance and decorating- but this place is very bright and cute (think of your typical asian cafe). It's very quiet inside and a great place to do work or study. Overall, the cafe is great for studying, meeting up with friends, and drinks- I'm hoping it stays afloat. read more

Must have: lychee-pear with green tea and mango jelly. The mango jelly costs a few cents extra but it's so good and you can still have the tapioca balls with it. *****make sure you get half the sugar otherwise it's overly sweet and pretty gross. but if you forget to order less sugar like I always do, you can add half a bottle of spring water to it and it really doesn't dilute the flavor surprisingly! If you're looking for something more creamy, get the taro-coconut milk tea. But I prefer the milk teas at Kung-Fu Tea (at UB commons) which is only a short drive away. A lot of the flavors here are made with powder and I don't like the texture it creates. But I definitely recommend the fruit teas here. read more

Strictly speaking on bubble tea, definitely one of the must-go-places when I visit Buffalo. They have an extremely wide variety of teas ranging from milk and fruit related. My favorite is the red bean smoothie and with pretty decent prices for what you get I high suggest checking it out if you are nearby! Great place for students and the general public alike, it's hard to tell when the rushes are, but grab a seat on the couch and enjoy a moment with your bubble tea. Wish there was one nearby in Rochester! We need one desperately with as much variety and quality! read more

When I am having a cup of tea with a friend I look for good tea and good atmosphere. This place does NOT provide the atmosphere - its not very warm and welcoming with only to-go service. I am never asked if I would like to it in a mug, everyone gets the service of "take this and leave my place". The other problem is the service - when I asked the lady behind the counter if she would recommend a particular tea she said she never had it. OK, but someone must have tried it before you started selling it. She never offerred to get someone who knew more of the teas to explain the flavors of this particular tea I have never had. It was certainly not my favorite place event after a second chance. I will not go back there for tea - ever again!! read more

Tea leaf was my first experience of bubble tea, and it left me with a very pleasant experience. Tea Leaf has the perfect location, right next to AMC theaters, and literally a minute off of UB campus, I"m sure that this place is constantly busy. It has a wide flexibility in hours with being open until 11pm during the week and 1am on weekends! It's a great place to escape the Starbucks, Timmy Hoes, and/or Dunkin' that are littered throughout the Buffalo-side. The deco is pretty modern looking but it also has given some little nooks to have semi-private conversations with. They had an expansive menu other than just Bubble tea. Expresso, Iced caps, teas(hot/cold), hot chocolates, small plates, spring rolls, and desserts. If you got a late night urge and don't want to make the pilgrimage to Weggies, Tea Leaf won't leave you hanging! Being the semi-health nut that I think I am, I went with the fruit bubble teas, and didn't like their selections, so I did a mix-my-own (with some of their input.) I went with kiwi, strawberry and yogurt and it was quite good tasting. I was again pleasantly surprised, and my sisters' enjoyed their milk based bubble teas. Definitely a place worth checking out. read more

Tea Leaf Cafe - fruit and milk based bubble teas - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Amherst, New York

See all

First time I was here I got the thai iced tea with boba and most recently the Vietnamese iced coffee. If you have the time get the Vietnamese Iced Coffee as it takes 10-15 min to prepare. read more

The cafe is clean, and staff is super friendly. However. The bubble is too soft as it should be chewy. No flavor for the black tea either.

This is one of my favorite places to go in Buffalo. Period. The staff is friendly and accommodating, the atmosphere is fun and inviting, and the drinks are heavenly. I've been coming here for years and I only just started to be adventurous and order drinks that are not my "usual." I'm glad I did because I found out they're all fantastic. I highly, highly recommend this place. Bubble tea FTW! read more

If you like bubble tea this is the place for you. They have over 2 dozen different types and you can combine them as well. I had a basic coconut milk bubble tea and it was very good. I wish it was a bit thicker in texture but it wasn't to sweet and the flavor wasn't lacking in the least. Prices aren't bad but I'm new to bubble tea so I haven't yet established much of a baseline for pricing. The location itself is warm and inviting. There are several cozy looking couches as well as tables. I couldn't say for sure if they were cozy because I got my tea and left but it did look promising. If I lived in the area this would be a great hangout spot. With so many drinkable options and lots of places to sit this is a great little place. Also they have lychee and rainbow bubbles if your looking for something a bit different. read more

Tea Leaf Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Amherst, New York

See all

I went here with my friend and all it was very mediocre. The milk tea is way to sweet for my taste, and the atmosphere is ruined the overly loud music. I probably wouldn't come here again as this was my second choice when my usual shop was closed. read more

Yes I've had better bubble tea in my life. However, this place tops any other bubble tea I've had in the Buffalo-Rochester area. But what I was most impressed about was their efficiency. I walked in with a group of 17 other people thirsty for bubble tea 20 minutes prior to closing. Within 15 minutes, everyone was sipping their drinks happily. I was rather impressed we had 5 minutes to spare. read more

The staff is super friendly and always attentive. I feel like they have tried a combination of every flavor since they always have some new crazy recommendations haha. Try the Taro and Japanese Green, you will not regret it. The tea is a lot better than the Kung Fu Tea on campus and it is a lot less sugary. Always makes me feel less guilty about drinking it. read more

Terribly disappointed, after reading the other reviews I was having high hopes of good quality bubble tea. I went with the classic milk tea thinking it was the safest one to go with. How could you go wrong? Well it turned out to be way to sweet, not enough tea and too powdery. But at least the boba was cooked just right. I'm so disappointed I can't even finish my bubble tea! read more

I enjoy this place, they have soooo many tea options to choose from weather you enjoy the milk tea or the fruit tea there is something for you. They also have a decent desert selection and nice amount of seating. Try out the honeydew flavor it's very good. If you've never had bubble tea, check this place out! It's a cool novelty item and even for the sheer oddness of drinking a tea with balls in it it's worth it. read more

This review is way overdue. I haven't really been to Tea Leaf lately, but the last time I went - it was pretty good. I finally got to try the avocado bubble tea that has been evading me for the longest time and it was good. The bubbles were nice and soft - almost too soft actually, but when the cold drink makes them a little harder - they were perfect. I think the thing that really turns me on about this place is that the owners really care about this place and take all the reviews into consideration as one of the owners contacted me to try Tea Leaf again with a bubble tea on the house. Things like that really make my heart smile because it means that they genuinely care. :) And just to make sure that things were not skewed because they knew who I was - I did go there the week after to order the same thing and it was just as good! I do think that they need to work a bit on their flavors because some of them are still ehh. read more

Came here with some friends from out of town because we were craving bubble milk tea (or boba, as we call it at home) and unfortunately kung fu tea was closed. How hard could it be to make milk tea? Apparently very easy. We ordered 6 drinks in total, all of which only 1 was done correctly, despite repeating it numerous times to the cashier and the person at the bar. Almond milk tea with 1/2 sugar? Nope, got full sugar and what can only be described as almondy flavored powdery tea. Taro milk tea with 1/2 sugar? Same as the almond milk tea but taro flavored. You get the picture. If you want legit bubble milk tea, I'd go to Kung Fu tea, and if Kung Fu tea is closed, just go home and drink water and wait for them to open tomorrow. Definitely not coming back. read more

I would have given 3 stars but the extra star is due to their flavor variety and options. I've been to several other bubble tea places and none of them had this much variety. And I'm not much of a "I only order my unique Starbucks drink" kind of person, but the mixed-flavored bubble teas come out tasting oddly good and smooth, in addition to their fairly tasty classic drinks on the menu, which I think they deserve credit for. Plus, you can pretty much mix anything together - fruits w coffee flavor, chocolate w fruit flavors, etc. My go-to drink is Taro Coconut Avocado Bubble Tea w/ black tea. I'm a huge Taro fan but sometimes I get sick of its milky aftertaste, so the Coconut & Avocado give it a nice perk. Also, it's a great hang-out spot. Chill yet fun atmosphere, with good music (sometimes a bit obnoxious and too loud). They have the most comfortable sofa, which I'm skeptical to sit on, now that I've went often enough to be able to count on an avg how many people would sit on it per day. And, the bubbles are good. I'm super picky with the texture of tapioca in my bubble teas, but theirs is chewy enough - until you leave it in your iced drink for a few more hours. They become rock hard, pretty quick. Overall, I would go here every so often after eating a meal! read more

Obsessed with this little gem. We haven't had bubble tea this good since living in Hawaii! Filled with your typical bubble tea drinkers - college kids and teens. My go to is the blended honeydew with tapioca, you just can't go wrong with that one! My only grievance is that that don't offer the blended bubble tea in anything but a large. However, when I spoke to one of the girls she said the recipe just doesn't taste the same when they try to make smaller batches. I totally get it, and I'm happy to know I can at least have them split it into two cups for a very small charge (.50). It is VERY sweet, so I just ask for them a little more watered down. That's just personal preference though. Their Thai tea is also on point! So, so good. It's hard to find a perfect blend and they've got it all figured out! * Also, id just like to point out one more thing - the parking lot. It's disgusting and I realize this isn't a reflection of the cafe itself but every time I come in it's littered with cups from both Tea Leaf AND the theater. Piles and piles of miscellaneous trash. My daughter and I are always grabbing what we can to throw out but something needs to be done about that. If my 4 year old can find a way to throw out hers and others trash, so can everyone else. read more

For Buffalo, this place isn't too bad. I'm glad someone started a boba place because Buffalo was seriously lacking one that was worthwhile to visit. I like the wide selection and the customer service is top notch but their only problem is that they're a tad bit too expensive (especially their foods). Otherwise, I'd go here more often as their drinks and foods aren't half bad. Of course, it doesn't compare to those served in NYC or Los Angeles but it's the best we got and I hope they're in business for a long time! read more

My favorite bubble tea in Buffalo! Tons of flavors and combinations, friendly staff, quick service, great hours, and good prices. I definitely go way too often, but sorry not sorry! :) Hoping they bring back the Earl Grey flavor soon! read more

I guess customer service really makes a difference. Went to buy bubble tea, aside from getting our orders wrong, we were asked to give a tip well I won't mind but the cashier guy was being rude for asking it plus we come here occasionally before so we know they're supposed to offer the Rewards card but the cashier didn't that we had to ask for it. I can only imagine group of college kids could be getting free drinks from the reward but could no longer do so tsk tsk. read more

Tea Leaf Cafe - Ask for this! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Amherst, New York

Headed back to Tea Leaf today and ordered my peach green tea with no sugar, as suggested by the super friendly staff. It was delicious! Still sweet but pleasantly sweet. The manager said that the syrups used in the teas all have some sugar but ordering the drink to be made with no (additional?) sugar would probably best suit my taste. She was right. I wouldn't order the tea any sweeter than "no sugar" sweet. Yum! I will be back for more tea. Thanks so much Peter and staff! read more

Wow what a great cafe. From the bubble tea to smoothies to the loose leaf tea. A great find for my daughters obsession to try bubble tea. The staff was amazing in helping us figure out what to order. We were extremely thankful for the customer service and dedication to customer satisfaction. My daughter didn't like the tea she got so they replaced it for us. Nice atmosphere to just chill and have some tea. Job well done! read more

I had the Mango Rooibos with milk and honey. It was very delicious and perfectly sweetened. I also ordered pan-seared pork & chive dumplings. The mistake was probably that I ordered them to be pan-seared. Since they were busy, and their primary business is drink making and not food, they were burned. Kudos on turning them over where the burned sides were down because presentation counts. :-D The inside of the dumplings were good, but if I try the dumplings again, I will opt for the steamed instead of pan-seared. The desserts looked amazing. Chocolate cakes and Tiramisu and cheesecake!! I am in heaven. I am a huge fan of bubble tea, so I will try one on the next visit. read more

Ahhh... Boba, Tapioca, Bubble Tea, whatever you want to call it, I am a fan. After living so long in California, I was used to finding Boba easily (and cheaply). I was happy to learn of Tea Leaf Cafe. I wish they had more hot options, but hard to complain with the extensive list that they have. I also think the food is pretty yummy. Try the potstickers. Nice big place to hang out or to study. read more

Good food, good atmosphere. My first time here, I ordered a passion fruit green tea with rainbow jellies and an amaretto cake. It was very good! I was thoroughly surprised that it tasted like real tea that had been flavored with a just a hint of passion fruit syrup. The cake was very moist and the frosting tasted more milky/creamy than sugary, which I like. The atmosphere is very young/hipster/college-y. Lots of UB students hang out here. Sometimes people are here doing work but most of the time, it's a place to connect with friend and chat until they kick you out of the shop. I like it a lot. Will be coming back. read more

I'm a big fan of bubble tea so I had to stop here whilst visiting some friends in town. We went on a Friday night and it was really packed in there. It got even more busy when we left about 45 minutes later. There are tables and chairs in there as well as comfortable sofas to relax in while enjoying your tea. We ordered something called the "TLC Crack" which comprised of Taro and Coconut. It was really delicious, which explains it's 'crack' nickname. The prices seemed pretty reasonable too. If you're looking for some good bubble tea in a nice setting, then this is the place to be. read more

This was my go to place when they first opened, but recently it isn't as good as it used to be. Last time I came here....I had ordered two taro smoothies and it was so watered down. It's not as flavorful as it used to be. Please fix this :( read more

I gave the Tea Leaf Café 2 stars merely for its ambiance. Its cute, relatively quiet and has comfy couches. The boba tea and boba smoothies are ok but definitely not the best I've ever had. The scallion pancake tasted of pure butter and was made of filo dough. Seriously, that is NOT a scallion pancake. My friend and I could not finish one because it was so saturated in butter. The mushroom spring roll was gross. It just had a really odd taste to it. If you want really really good boba tea and authentic Asian food then go to Gin Gin on Sheridan. They are awesome. read more

I'd like to think of myself as a bit of a bubble tea connoisseur. I travel far and wide in search of the best Bubble Teas (and by far and wide, I mean from Long Island to Main Street in Flushing, NYC Chinatown...and in this case, Amherst). The Bubble Tea at Teaf Leaf Cafe is second to none. I have sampled the following: Taro, Honeydew and Mango Milk Teas and the Passion Fruit and Lychee Fruit Teas with extra bubbles, please and thank you). I have also dined on the Edamame, Pork and Chive Dumplings and Shanghainese Soup Dumplings. The Soup Dumplings were a little disappointing. *Disclaimer: I did not consume all above-mentioned foods in one trip. I swear. :) The atmosphere invites you to sit around a table and chat with your friends. Free wi-fi is always awesome! And the staff members are friendly. I say, go to Tea Leaf and get some Bubble Tea and snacks. You won't be disappointed! read more

This place rates somewhere between a "Meh" and a "Yay!", so it gets three stars. The Meh: terrible college radio rock, weak lattes, and difficult-to-find location (it's tucked away near the AMC at the corner of Sweet Home and Maple, and easy to miss). The Yay: a menu with most prices under $5, including handmade dumplings, steamed edamame, and bubble tea (which is otherwise hard to find in B-lo!). And another big yay for the free wi-fi and quiet atmosphere, which makes this place a nice indie coffeeshop outpost in a desert of chain coffeeshops near UB North. Overall, the Yay outweighs the Meh here. This cafe's definitely worth a stop if you're in the Northtowns and looking for a quiet place to chat with a friend, eat a healthy, cheap, light meal, and/or get some work done. read more

Their teas are pretty good but their tapiocas are always not cooked properly. In every cup I get, there's always some that's too hard to chew. They're small and hard - probably not cooked or boiled enough. Cups are also always very sticky or drenched with tea on the outside when I receive them. Makes it gross to hold and I have to grab napkins to hold the cups. Would suggest for workers to wipe down any major spillage on the cups. read more

I am a huge fan of this place. I come out of this place double fisted because I cannot make up my mid which drinks to get. Bubble tea or bubble tea smoothie. All good. And mango jelly. I have got to have that too. It is wonderful to have bubble tea near campus too. I can't wait to get another flavour. read more

If bubbles can be added to any drink then its constituted as a bubble tea drink. I don't understand why the stamp card doesn't apply to other drinks just because they aren't under "bubble tea" section on the menu. I work at a bubble tea place so I know. Plus, I ordered a drink without bubbles and they charged me for bubbles. Several times, my drink hasn't been made right. It is only now that I have decided to say something. read more