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    The Alley

    4.1 (47 reviews)

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    THE ALLEY ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - The Alley

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    Reviews With Photos

    Taro
    Liz C.

    Clean and very organized space as well as a lot of servers that greet you and offer speedy drink making and good customer service. The drinks were not extraordinary but they were good. This place was super hyped up so I was expecting a lot but it was just a little disappointing.

    Maggi W.

    I was pleasantly surprise by the drinks at The Alley. I came with family for dessert after dinner in the WoW plaza on Westheimer since it's pretty new and wanted to check everything out. The interior is clean and and spacious where it can accommodate large group and a long line. The drinks came up fairly quickly when we went as it wasn't crowded. The cashier was helpful when asked about the drinks as we were deciding what we wanted. We ordered 3 drinks: 1. Ube Taro Brown Sugar Deerioca Milk - 4/5 Nothing special but good as expected from a Taro boba drink 2. Mango Frappe - 3/5 This drink had greentea jelly in and it was slightly bitter from the tea taste and might not be appreciated by everyone. 3. Yogurt Grape Lulu - 5/5 This was our favorite, the yogurt really stands out with the right amount of tartness and sweetness. The grape taste is similar to the Japanese muscat grapes. They have another location in Bellaire and I will be trying out that location also!

    Junel I.

    I had an opportunity to visit a boba shop I have grown to appreciate due to the quality of the drinks. Also a logo that is synonymous with an animal with antlers: The Alley. Surprisingly this month, I had visited all the locations in the city and to me, this is location number 3 out of 4. To my surprise, I had an appointment around the area and needed a place to stop in close by and found the shop was 2 minutes away. One thing I notice is this location is really spacious. The layout is unique with various types of seating. Drink wise I was looking for something refreshing and decided on the passion fruit green tea with boba and coconut jelly. That was what I expected and a nice light drink versus the brown sugar milk tea offerings. Overall, I known The Alley to be a favorite of mine recently. From all the locations in the city, this one was one that stood out. I did notice there were food offerings and not just the typical quick bites like Taiwanese popcorn chicken or chicken wings & fries. Maybe one day I will give it a try. The person the front that took my order was friendly. Also I appreciated the small heads up on what the drink typically comes with and if I wanted to make any adjustments? I am not picky and keep it as is. Always a solid visit no matter what location and letting other boba shops know to respect and "Fear the Deer." Haha

    Linda H.

    Great location! Clean space. Great service and love all the options! The cashier was so patient with my husband and I. She took the time to explain all the options and customizations. It was extremely nice of her! Will go back! Plus we got a free item to try because we ordered two drinks!

    Mango LuLu
    Angela A.

    At this point I've visited two of their locations, the one in Katy and the one off Westheimer. My go to is now the Mango LuLu! Very good combination of a mango slushy with coconut milk and crème. I switch the crystal boba out for brown sugar boba. Love the modern look and cleanliness of both cafes. The location on Westheimer had a bit of wait after I ordered my drink. That's the only reason I gave 4 stars instead. Go check them out.

    Menu
    Caroline N.

    THIS IS MY FAVORITE ALLEY LOCATION (and I've tried many)! Opened 9/28/24, this was the first location in the country to offer a full food menu. I've tried the truffle fries, crispy popcorn chicken, and Yakiniku donburi rice entrée - these were all reasonably priced and fairly good. (I say "fairly" good as in better than I'd expect for a boba shop but obviously not comparable to an actual restaurant specializing in these foods). I'd happily purchase the fries and chicken again. While I'm impressed by their extensive food menu, I'm a boring "normal" milk tea person. My favorite drink by far is the vintage cassia milk tea (with snow foam and boba), which I have YET to find at any other Alley location! The cassia tea base gives the drink a chocolatey flavor that's not too overpowering. The snow foam (really just the Alley's special name for cheese foam) adds decadence. This is my favorite milk tea of all time. It has a beautiful interior with ample seating and charging and wifi - perfect for socializing or studying. There is bright white lighting but also plenty of natural sunlight, especially during sunset. So long as this place continues to serve the vintage cassia milk tea, I will definitely keep coming back.

    The establishment.
    Sarah E.

    This was my first time visiting this establishment for lunch with a friend on a Friday at half past noon. It was not busy, well staffed, organized, bright and clean. Table tops were spotless and cushions on the booth seats were displayed uniformly. WiFi connected easily and quickly. A family with three young children were ordering when we got in line but the wait wasn't long. There was plenty of room at check out and throughout the restaurant for their baby troller. The cashier was friendly, had a positive attitude, was patient as I changed my drink order twice and repeated our order for confirmation. The food was good, prepared swiftly and served in a to-go plastic box for pick up at the counter. There was another group of 3 friends meeting for lunch and a group of 6 who had laptops, books and notebooks spread out their table, so accommodating to any need. Ample seating and parking. I did not notice plugs around my table but I had no need for one so was not looking specially for one. Clean bathroom.

    Anna S.

    My friend & I stopped by The Alley since we were in the area, and I noticed they had some unique options! We came on a Friday afternoon, so the area was quiet, and compared to the original Katy location, the Westchase one had ample seating. Another interesting thing about this location is that they serve food, unlike the Katy location, so next time I return, I'll be sure to try some of them. I ordered the Rosey Peach milk tea with 50% sweetness and brown sugar boba. Although 50% is a good amount of sugar for me, the brown sugar boba was a good additional sweetness, and I loved how warm & chewy the boba was when I received my drink! The rose-peach flavor was very prominent. However, I didn't really taste the tea and was hoping there'd be a good sweetness-to-bitterness (from the tea) ratio. Similarly, I tried my friend's Cassia milk tea (a caramel flavor), which tasted more caramel than tea. This could depend on your taste buds, but as expressed earlier, I do like a balance between milk and tea flavor. I would return because they have several unique options, but my drink tasted more like a rose peach milk drink rather than rose peach milk TEA. Perhaps this could be fixed by lowering the sugar levels next time. Also, the price isn't bad for how much I get, which is a plus!

    Thai Curry Chicken
    Judy C.

    Beautiful Interior! The alley westhimer location was beautifully constructed. Plenty of seating inside and so much open space. Came during the workweek during lunch and got a drink+food combo. Loved the Passionfriut Fruit Green Tea, it was very refreshing. The boba was pretty good and chewy as well. Got the thai chicken curry and it had a bit of a kick to it. The chicken itself was moist and juicy. Also included a small side of mashed potatoes and corn/cheese. Parking - plenty and free within the plaza

    Signature brown sugar latte on left, lychee green tea on right
    Alice H.

    Very pleased by the quality of drinks at this location. I was pretty upset at another location but this one is on point. I love a good lychee drink so had to try the green tea lychee. Based on other reviews, I got 75% sweet, which was just right. I could probably even do full and be ok. In any case the tea was nice and strong and love the chunks of lychee in it. Boyfriend got the signature brown sugar latte (aka brown sugar cold brew) and even though I'm not a coffee drinker, I could tell it was legit and good. I give both drinks 4.5/5 and will return to try other drinks. We walked in around 30 min before close and it was still packed, so glad it's getting good traffic. It was a good space with quite a few tables seems like they serve food so maybe will sit down next time for a meal.

    Mango coconut smoothie
    Kelly D.

    Really clean and quick service. Much bigger space than the Katy location and alot more options (food and drinks)! I got the mango coconut smoothie and it's so good and refreshing

    Queenieko M.

    Came here while on vacation and wish this was at my home. This was the best boba tea I have ever had! Everything tasted so fresh. I ordered the brown sugar deerioca and it was so yummy. Wish I had one now! The service was nice and the staff were helpful in helping with my selection. They also have food you can order and eat in there. The food looked so good. The place was very hip and quant. I would definitely relax here.

    Peach Oolong Tea with Snow Velvet
    Jacquelyn C.

    Got to try this place during their soft opening, and the drinks were good as per usual. We got to try some of the food which was good, but not great. The spicy pepper dry noodles with grill shrimp was spicy and was yummy. It mainly tasted of soy sauce and spice. The espresso pork ribs with rice was flavored deliciously though the ribs were a little dry. The kimchi spam bao was alright and is exactly what it sounds like: kimchi and spam. Nothing amazing about this. We also got the popcorn chicken which was my favorite. They weren't too salty and paired very well with the sriracha mayo. Although I do wish they came with some basil. The service was pretty quick and we were seated promptly. Although they are advertising themselves as a sit-down and eat establishment there aren't very many tables and most of the tables are meant for 1 to 2 people to sit at. Would be a great place to study, but make sure to mention you'll be "dining" in even if you are not.

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    3 months ago

    It's always so dark and not open. Sound like they are about to close the business. Quality and service dropped quite a bit

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    My is fast service and very friendly . The milk tea is super good! The store is super clean!

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    Ask the Community - The Alley

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    CHICHA San Chen - Green tea + milk + boba

    CHICHA San Chen

    4.3(149 reviews)
    3.4 miChinatown, Sharpstown
    $$

    I have tried just about everything on the menu across the Houston, Dallas, and Austin locations,…read moreand can confidently say that they knock it out of the park every time. While the osmanthus with cream remains my personal favorite, this visit I ordered the high mountain pouchong with orange and was not disappointed. It's refreshing in the Texas heat, a little tangy from the citrus and perfectly sweet (the lemon variety of it is also exceptional). Seating inside is rather limited, but the atmosphere is warm and welcoming, good for sitting awhile and having a chat while you drink. One of my favorite tea stops of all!

    Aside from their name that is really hard to remember, I've heard about how good the tea was but…read morenever stopped by because of the hype and lines when they initially opened. Luckily there wasn't a line. I picked up a green tea passion fruit tea and was surprised how tasty it was! The drink was a pretty yellow hue with passion fruit seeds at the top. The green tea flavor wasn't overly strong or dry wnd was very fragrant-- super tasty~ It came in a recyclable little sling carrier too, super cute :) I love how the brand focuses on real fruit, milk/cream so there aren't any artificial ingredients lurking around. You can order at the kiosk or at the cashier. For sweetness customization, they only have full level, less sweet, and no sugar options. The less sweet is already plenty sweet for me, so wish there was a slightly less sweet option than that. The service was polite and friendly, and the inside was clean with several tables. Besides the great taste, I really appreciate the "no artificial stuff" way of doing things. After one drink I'm Chicha San Chen fan! Be sure to stop by sometime and try their tea :D

    Photos
    CHICHA San Chen - Green tea with milk and grass jelly.

    Green tea with milk and grass jelly.

    CHICHA San Chen - Mango high mountain pouchong tea with boba

    Mango high mountain pouchong tea with boba

    CHICHA San Chen - Cassie black tea + mousse

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    Cassie black tea + mousse

    The Bep Teahouse - R4 and it's super refreshing!

    The Bep Teahouse

    4.1(392 reviews)
    2.9 miChinatown, Alief
    $$

    This is my favorite go to spot to get my R1 - Royal Artichoke drink $5.25 5/5 stars. It has clear…read moreboba, grass jelly, & chia seed. It's so refreshing and light. No sugar. Highly recommend.

    This bubble tea shop has so many options--it's honestly a little overwhelming at first! Thankfully,…read morethe staff were incredibly friendly and patient. One team member kindly explained the drinks I was curious about and even gave me a recommendation, which I really appreciated--and it was spot on! I went with the Hawaii Sunset fruit tea at 50% sugar. Just a heads-up: their fruit teas lean more on the fruit-forward side than actual tea, and mine was definitely on the sweeter end of the spectrum--likely from the syrup in the mango popping boba. Even at half sugar, it was pretty sweet. I also noticed a couple of things that could've made the drink better: some lemon seeds were left in, and the smaller bits of mango weren't fully ripe, which made the texture a bit off. That said, the staff's kindness and the wide variety of drinks make me want to come back and try other options! I'm especially interested in their Saigon street food menu and those adorable kitty paw-shaped mochi waffles. The shop itself is small with limited seating, so I'd recommend grabbing your drinks to-go unless you're staying for a bite. Bonus points for being located in a shopping plaza with plenty of parking--no stress finding a spot!

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    The Bep Teahouse - Dragonfruit Tea (made with real dragonfruit, no syrup!)

    Dragonfruit Tea (made with real dragonfruit, no syrup!)

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    Korean Strawberry Fresh Milk

    The Bep Teahouse - Ig: @whatsviveating  |  summer rose with lychee jelly

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    Ig: @whatsviveating | summer rose with lychee jelly

    Tastea  - avocado avalanche

    Tastea

    4.7(128 reviews)
    2.4 miAlief
    $$

    Absolutely yummy!!…read more I stumbled across this place on TikTok after I saw someone posted about their new pandan milk tea and I just had to go since my absolute favorite flavor is pandan. This was my first time trying this shop and I didn't know how busy it would be especially on a Sunday night, so I decided to order online. Ordering online was easy, but I wish I didn't have to create an account in order to checkout and wish I could've checked out as a guest but no biggie. The order was ready in about 5-10 min which was super quick! The shop itself is in a corner of a plaza but very easy to find due to their bright lights! Plenty of parking outside and inside is very cute and quaint! I think it's a good spot to just grab your drink and go, but there are a few seats so you can rest or study. This pandan milk tea is probably one of my favorite drinks ever, especially if I'm craving something sweet + non-fruity + no caffeine! The pandan flavor was perfect and had a nice coconut flavor as well that made the pandan stand out. The grass jelly was perfect too. The whole drink itself tasted very nostalgic and perfect. I also ordered 50% sugar which was the perfect amount of sweetness and I think next time I'm gonna also add boba for more chew and textures! Overall, I'm for sure going to come back to try more of their drinks and of course, order the pandan milk tea.

    One of the few boba shops on the west side of Bellaire. It is slightly on the pricier side; though…read morethe upgrade from 20oz to 32oz is pretty solid! They have snacks/appetizers for sale. The space is a little small. If you're in the area, for example, for Pandan Leaf, give them a try, but I wouldn't go out of my way though.

    Photos
    Tastea  - Inside

    Inside

    Tastea  - Menu

    Menu

    Tastea

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    The Alley - bubbletea - Updated May 2026

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