Love this place! Probably my favourite place for bubble tea in the city…read more The location is really nice inside and the drinks are . Last time I went I got a tarp coconut slush with tapioca pearls. Their pearls are my favourite! They have a nice roasted flavour. My husband asked for a recommendation and got a brown sugar bubble tea with the cheese foam on top and it tastes like a cheesecake foam. It's decadent! The staff was friendly and helpful, we will definitely be back soon.

Y'all know how I love bubble tea, so I was really excited to see a new bubble tea shop pop up in…read morethe Alta Vista and Bank area, as this area does not have a lot of bubble tea options. It's not an area that I frequent, but I always rejoice when I see bubble tea entering new neighbourhoods. I got a mango milk tea with tapioca pearls. I was really stoked to find that all teas were 50% this month (December 2020). I was told there is a special every month (apparently November 2020 was 50% off all drinks). So my medium mango milk tea would have been $7, but was only $3.50, and get this: all fruit milk teas come with free fresh fruit chunks that correspond to the drink (so fresh mango chunks with the mango milk tea, fresh strawberry pieces with the strawberry milk tea, etc. How cool is that?). I added tapioca pearls to my drink for an additional $0.75. So my drink cost me $4.25 and it was big for a medium. The large looks gigantic! You have been warned, lol. The drink was good. I got it a quarter sweet and half ice, which was perfect. I really liked the mango pieces, which were cut really small so they didn't get caught in the straw. The tapioca were ok, but not as soft nor chewy as I like. However, they were generous with the amount of tapioca, which I appreciated. I didn't taste too much tea in my drink and I suspect that they add artificial colouring to it. It's not the best bubble tea in town, but for the price and the amount you get, I think it's a great deal. The guy serving me was super nice. He was really patient, explained the special to me and repeated my order to me to confirm. The place is bright and clean. I'd say 3 stars for the taste of the actual drink, but bonus star for the excellent price, the quantity, the extras (free fresh fruit), and the service. Also, it's a small independently owned business, which I always like to support over big chains. They are located in the Alta Bank Shopping Plaza at the corner of Alta Vista Drive and Bank Street. Same plaza as Scotia Bank, Sala Thai, Subway, KFC, Mango Shawarma, Gabriel Pizza, and Mediterranean Bakery. Lots of free parking.

First impression: amazing! Definitely a place I will be returning to…read more They have a really nice menu with lots of different options: cheese foam, lattes, milk teas, fruit teas, and some of their specialty tea combos. I got the 38 Milk King, which comes with pearls, grass jelly and some other kind of jelly. I don't actually know what it is but it's pretty amazing. The prices are pretty standard. I like how they have a bunch of specialty drinks that includes the toppings in their prices. You're able to customize the honey level and the ice levels like most places. They have a points system where you get a free drink after 10. It's pretty convenient to input your phone number yourself to collect the points. The interior is pretty spacious and modern. The staff is super friendly and it feels like a family owned franchise. It would be a great place to hang out after COVID ends. Edit: After getting the 38 Milk King again, I am pretty sure the jelly in my milk tea is agar jelly.

My daughter is always treating me to bubble tea so I treated her to bubble tea this time. We went…read moreto Kung Fu Tea. I love taro so I got a taro pearl latte. My daughter convinced me to get less sugar so I went with 50% and it wasn't sweet enough, haha. I should have gone with full sugar or 70%. Actually, they use honey instead of sugar. The pearls were still hot and so soft and chewy. I loved the pearls. The drink had real taro puree. It was so good. My daughter got a yakult green tea with Aloe Vera. She went with 30% sugar and said it was too sweet, haha. She liked it though. The drinks are pretty expensive. Mine was $7 and hers was $6.80. Oh, I wanted to add red beans to my drink, but it's not available as a topping :( The guy working there was nice and he made our drinks quickly.

Update: FYI: In mid-April 2023, the Chatime in Chinatown reopened a few spaces west of where they…read morewere previously. As some may remember, they were at 675 Somerset St West, but that location closed down rather suddenly sometime in the latter half of 2022 and shortly after, a competitor of theirs, Tealive, opened in that location. About 6 months after, Chatime popped back up, but at a smaller space at 695 Somerset St West (where Tea Owners, which was also a bubble tea shop, used to be). Don't know the backstory, but happy that there isn't a reduction in numbers of bubble tea shops in Chinatown, lol. Just note that any pictures and reviews before mid-April 2023 are from the old location. I've been to the new location. Drinks are still good. The space is just smaller.

Chatime will forever have my favorite taro boba drink. The handcrafted taro drink tastes the same…read morewherever I've gotten it (the US, Asia, and in Canada)! It's amazing and doesn't taste like the super sweet & fake taro powder most taro drinks have inside. This is a real taro smoothie and showcases why taro is so good! Come here and try a real taro boba drink!

Came here after badminton cuz I really wanted a cold drink. I wasn't really expecting it to be this…read moregood! We ordered the duo peach slush, longan pineapple drink, and the longan camellia milk tea. Every single one is solid. I wanted the honeydew cheese but they couldn't make that this time, but I'm sure it would've been good too. They only had one person making drinks when I went, but the seating and games made the wait easier. Would love for this to come to California if the quality is as good as this :)

It was a hot summer day in the first week of September…read more Drink: I got the Raw Coconut Mulberry drink and it surprised me how tasty it was! It contains coconut milk, jasmine tea, fresh mulberry and strawberry. Although it was milky instead of fruity, this drink kept me refreshed and quenched my thirst. Service/atmosphere: I felt the lady working solo here took good care to make my drink. The shop and seating area were overall kept neat and clean. There are some table games such as Jenga and Uno to play too.

I loved their grape green tea with my choice of popping pearls(mango). It's a must must must for…read morethis hot sun. I always order less ice with 30%sugar or no sugar. The grape flavour was very refreshing and not too sweet, will definitely go back for more. Service was quick, and ambiance was nice as the shop was in the Rideau centre.

Rideau Center has Boba tea! RFBT is another chain that appears to be expanding and one of the many…read morebubble tea options in the downtown area now. As expected you pay a bit more here so expect to pay in the $6-7-$8 range depending on S-M-L. My daughter had a S strawberry slush and I had a M- Mango diamond slush. My mango Diamond was on point with some fresh mango bits. My co-boba partner loved her strawberry slush. $14 for both taxes in. No sugar options given here. Typically I like to cut down a bit on the sugar. There are Chatime and Presso tea a 5-7 min walk outside the Rideau Center but on a cold Ottawa winter day we decided to stay inside. A good option. Not life changing but adequate.

The Short Version: Bubble tea shop with more of a focus on…read moredifferent tea varieties. Their zero sugar is truly no sugar, unlike some other bubble tea joints where there's always some sugar in their drink base. The Long Version: This Hero Tea opened in December 2025 in the space that used to be Yi Fang bubble tea and ShareTea before that. Hero Tea is a bubble tea chain from China focusing on high quality tea leaves and they use real fresh milk, none of that powdered non-dairy creamer that I don't like. Their teas are reminiscent of Chicha San Chen to me in flavours. Zero sugar here is actually no sugar, unlike when I order no sugar at places like Chatime, Coco, or Tealive and the drink is still so sweet. I like 30% sugar here. One of my coworkers and I have been eyeing Hero Tea for a while and we finally went to check them out when they had a BOGO (buy one get one free) deal on UberEats. We decided to place our orders after work and walk over together to pick it up. We agreed to get different drinks and then trade our second drink so we would both be able to have different flavours (since with UberEats BOGO specials you get two of the exact same drink). I got the Osmanthus Blossom ($6.85 in-store, $8.25 BOGO on UberEats) zero sugar, less ice, and I added konjac jelly (additional $0.70 in-store, $0.85 per drink on UberEats). My coworker got the White Orchid Jade ($6.85 in-store, $8.25 BOGO on UberEats) 30% sugar, less ice, and added lychee jelly (additional $0.70 in-store, $0.85 per drink on UberEats). Both drinks were milk teas. I really enjoyed the potent tea flavour of the Osmanthus Blossom. It had a floral note to it and was milky but not too creamy. I learned that zero sugar was not a good choice on my part. I would go 30% sugar next time. I loved the konjac jelly. They were little clear balls and oh so chewy. They taste similar to agar pearls. The White Orchid Jade had a very strong floral taste, borderline too floral for me and it was really rich and creamy, much more so than the Osmanthus Blossom. 30% sugar was perfect and the lychee jelly were good. I enjoyed both drinks but preferred the flavour profile of the Osmanthus Blossom. Service was pleasant and efficient. Oddly, my coworker received her drinks in a nice reusable branded bag and I got mine in just a regular plastic bag. She placed her order first so maybe they ran out of bags when they made my order (?) Anyway, she saw how I was admiring the bag her drinks came in and when we swapped out our second drink, she gave me the reusable bag and took the regular plastic bag. How sweet is that? I have the best coworkers! We actually ended up returning a few weeks later and got the Ruby Orchard Refresher ($9.49 BOGO on UberEats) and the Moonlit Coconut Tea ($8.25 BOGO on UberEats). My coworker treated me completely this time. Lucky me! The Ruby Orchard Refresher had hawthorne pulp, strawberry jam, and coral pinnacle jelly. It was my first time having coral pinnacle jelly and I loved the texture. It's a springy chewy texture. The drink itself was a bit bitter and had a mild medicinal taste (at 30% sugar). I would recommend getting this drink at 50% or more sugar. The Moonlit Coconut Tea was good at 30% sugar. It tasted mostly like coconut water. The water chestnut popping boba were interesting. They're pieces of real water chestnut inside the popping boba, so the outside is soft and squishy and explodes in your mouth and inside is a crunchy piece of water chestnut. The shop is mostly for takeout. They have a few seats and tables but the space is small and not a place I'd really want to hang out in. Glad we finally checked this place out. Review # 88 (2026)

I believe this was a bubble tea place before Hero Tea opened here. I've never been to a Hero Tea,…read moreI didn't look up what their specialty was but I decided to pop in to see if they offered any hot drinks. They let me know they didn't offer any hot drinks but had a full selection of other items. I asked for a recommendation and they seemed to be unsure. I decided to randomly order a drink. I tried to look it up on their website but I don't see it there so I'm unsure if it's a specialty that is only offered at some locations and not all. The place is pretty small and has a few tables that you can set on window benches. I was the only person in here and placed an order. Unfortunately they were massively understaffed and only had 1 person there when I ordered. A couple of minutes later a few people came in and the person working started taking orders for the next 10 minutes. Out of nowhere, a few people came in the front door that looked like they worked there and started helping out. It was so strange! Anyways when the extra help showed up, one of them started making my drink. It was done in no time and it was not what I expected. You can see it in picture but it was a cold brew tea and on their menu, nothing really looks like this. I left the store and took a sip. I don't think I've ever had tea so bitter. I could taste a little sugar in it and I'm pretty sure at that time I got a cold brew tea with a touch of sugar and nothing else. So there is a portion of the menu that I have no idea what it is and that's definitely what I ordered from, unless they totally messed up my order. A few more sips and I decided I couldn't finish it and tossed it out. Not a great drink and if I do come back I'll need to figure out WTF that was and never order it again. I'll also have to figure out what they're known for but my drink was a bit difficult to drink. Service seemed unpolished as well.

A hidden gem in downtown Ottawa for excellent sandwiches. I had never heard of wanpaku sandwiches…read morebefore, and it only took one visit to make me a fan. You don't come here for the ambiance -- it's a lunch counter with a few benches and tables in the office building halls -- but the food is worth the trip. Friendly, smiling faces make the service great.

Came here to try their Wanpaku sandwiches. We had the tartar chicken bacon $9.75 and tamago $8.95…read more Both were made with care and tasted fresh from the mixed of vegetables. The tamago was sweet and well made. Be sure to eat quickly as the fresh cabbage makes the bread a bit soggy. They also have coffee and tea based drinks. We had the brown sugar Boba milk tea. The flavour of the tea was good but the boba was a bit overcooked in texture and more soft than chewy. Service is very friendly. They have two counter seats there, but there is also common seating in the general building. Next time I would try the tempura shrimp and turkey club.

A local cook/chef (Kellie's Pantry/Kellie Vu) did a pop-up for homemade macarons and the pickup was…read moreat Morning Owl. I'd never been to any Morning Owl location before so this was my first. It was super cute! Not a very accessible place, but love the aesthetic. There's a green leaf wallpaper when you walk in, which brightens up the shop against the darker grey concrete floor, there's some greenery and lightbulbs hanging from the ceiling, a fluorescent "Coffee" sign in the back by the stairs with some more greenery, old comics on the table, some local goodies for sale, a rack of vintage clothes from Late Night Vintage Co. for sale with a full length mirror, and a bright orange fridge. It was brunch time on a Monday and we planned to eat somewhere in the area, but since we were already here and they had all-day breakfast sandwiches, regular sandwiches, and vegan quinoa bowls, we decided to get something here instead. My husband got an English muffin with egg, cheddar, and bacon. It looked great and he scarfed it down. At the recommendation of the server, I got the pesto chicken sandwich with chicken breast, basil pesto mayo, Swiss cheese, tomato, greens, and chips on house focaccia, and a cardamom tea latte. The sandwich was pretty tasty, even though I'm not normally a chicken breast person. I knew it said chips in the description, but for some reason I didn't expect them to be in the sandwich itself. It was a nice crunch, just a bit messy. It was definitely filling, it was just much greasier than I expected. Get a bunch of napkins! The cardamom tea latte was great and the vanilla syrup was a nice addition. We also got a chocolate chip cookie to split between us and our toddler (we did already have macarons, after all, but couldn't resist). It was the thin and crispy kind, but still a little chewy. It also had sea salt flakes on top so it was a good combination of sweet and salty. We left satisfied and the service was very friendly and helpful. It's right behind the Parkdale Market, too, so pretty convenient if you're in the area.

I brought a colleague from Germany here before going to a meeting and I had coffee with a PB oat no…read morebake cookie (if I remember correctly). Haven't been able to stop thinking about it since! I'm going back to Ottawa for another meeting next week and am trying to see if I can order a box of sweets for my customers and I ahead of time (and include a few of those PB oat cookies for me to take home!!!). Ambiance was very nice when we ate in last time and my colleague was very impressed. The service was so friendly!! Great vibes all around! 5 stars all the way.