Still a solid spot for bbt downtown. I tried the strawberry yogurt mochi and it was nice and fruity at 50% sugar. Mochi was nice and soft. Paper straw disintegrates quick though. read more

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I visited The Alley to try Demon Slayer special drink. There are 3 kinds of drinks - Tanjiro Avocado Mochi milk with purple rice, Nezuko Strawberry yogurt with mochi, and zenichi and Inosuke Mango Coconut Mochi milk. We got Strawberry yogurt and Mango coconuts. Strawberry yogurt was delicious. I was actually surprised a lot of mochi inside. Strawberry yogurt was decent and really loved to have it with mochi. Mango coconuts also had a lot of mochi inside. This one is more sweeter than strawberry one. I should adjust less sweetness next time. Still It was good. They also gave out sticker with every drink order. I got Nezuko and Tanjiro. To collect all stickers, I will revisit for sure. And they will offer Demon slayer original goods, I can't wait to get them! read more

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Came here with my daughter cuz of a Demon Slayer promo that they're having right now. Limited time Demon Slayer flavors that come with Demon Slayer cups and each drink is also supposed to come with a Demon Slayer sticker. There are 3 different flavors. Tanjiro (Avocado Mochi Milk with Purple Rice), Nezuko (Strawberry Yogurt with Mochi), and Zenitsu & Inosuke (Mango Coconut Mochi Milk). My daughter chose the Nezuko flavor and I chose the Zenitsu & Inosuke flavor. Shall I start with the good and end with the bad? Or start with the bad and end with the good? I think the latter as I tend to be a save the best for last kinda person. Sooo...they ran out of a lot of cups when we went there. They only had Nezuko cups left. Great for my daughter who had ordered the Nezuko drink. For me...well, I ordered Zenitsu & Inosuke so it would have been nice to see those two characters on my cup but instead I got handed the exact same cup as my daughter. A Nezuko cup. Oh well...I like Nezuko too. Guess it's not a huge deal. In addition to that though...they had also run out of stickers! So...no stickers for either of us! That was more of a bummer. It's not like we come downtown very often so we weren't exactly in a position to just give up and take our chances on coming out again another day to see if they would have stickers. We'd come all that way already so...we took what we could get which was the drinks and the two Nezuko cups. As for the drinks themselves...Both yummy; however, putting mochi in the drink is really not very practical. The mochi kept getting stuck in our straws which blocked the passage of the straw and made it difficult and eventually, impossible to suck up any liquid. We drank what we could, then brought the rest home and used a combination of spoon and reusable metal straw to finish the rest. Mochi doesn't belong in a drink! It may be tasty but it's very impractical. The good part...ummmm...the drinks were yummy?! Which I did already say. Service was good. The lady working was very apologetic about not having any stickers or cups other than Nezuko, and quite apologetic as well when we told her about the mochi getting stuck in our straws. Totally not her fault of course. She's just doing her job. There's a contest on Instagram for this Demon Slayer promo. If we enter it and win...we might win some Demon Slayer merchandise. That would totally make up for not getting stickers or Zenitsu & Inosuke cup! Gonna have to come back sometime and try something from their regular menu. read more

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Food - The alley is a chain so it wasn't too surprising to see that this location was similar to their other locations. Their tapioca is properly cooked and not too hard or soft. Milk tea was rich and had a strong tea flavor that was pleasantly masked by the milk. Service - Only one or two workers but service is still fast and simple. Ambiance - Small cozy cafe, dark interior and nice to sit and chat with friends if there's space. read more

The Alley - Milk tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

strolled along hornby and passed by a sign that caught my eye and took it as my sign to pop in and try the strawberry matcha at the alley. there were five people ahead of me on a wednesday around 3:45 pm, and just one cashier/barista running the show. i didn't mind the lineup, it gave me time to review their menu offerings, which was helpful since i'm often struck with decision paralysis. the interior leans rustic and eclectic with a brick wall and a mix of random decor, deer heads, oversized clock, and cozy chaos. it gives off a quirky 'cabin in the city' vibe. along with the milk tea latte series, they have the alley specialty (not sure what a snow velvet is), crunchy milk tea series, brown sugar deerioca series, additional toppings are extra. some drinks are fixed with sugar sweetness, while others, you have the option to choose your ice and sweetness levels. the matcha looked more like avocado and tasted bitter, grainy, and watered down. the strawberry purée was good, but the ratio felt off, overall, kinda mid. that said, service was solid, really impressed with the one man operation juggling orders, register, and drinks all at once. read more

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Pros: nothing wrong with my peach tea oolong. Flavorful. Service ok. Cons: sweetness level couldn't be customized. But that was clearly marked on the menu. I'm old and could quite see it well. It may be time for bifocals. read more

I've always wanted to try The Alley and was so excited to finally get the opportunity to! We stopped by on a weekday evening. Even though the cafe was in a great location downtown, it was not very big and can be easily missed as you are walking down the street. There were a couple of small tables and a few stools inside. Most people took orders to go. I love to interior design with the deer and the plant/woody theme. We were the only customers and there was only one worker. Service was very quick and friendly. The Bobo was QQ and sweet, and the milk tea was on par. The prices were also pretty good. It was less than $5 for a regular-size boba which is hard to find in the US. I love this place and would definitely return to try the other flavors! read more

The Alley - Bubble Tea Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Came in for a hot boba fix! Unfortunately, this didn't quite hit the spot. Ordered the matcha boba, forgot to take a pic at the start but this matcha tasted so watery, chalky and bitter. Tasted more milk than matcha. Taking a peek in near the end revealed why- this was either old matcha or very low quality, it was brown! Plus a few stars because service and the boba was pretty soft and chewy. Otherwise, wouldn't recommend ordering the matcha here at all. Service: Wasn't bad, fairly polite. Ambiance: Came late in the evening, no one else was here. Small space, bright and pretty chill. read more

The Alley - Matcha boba- brown matcha - Bubble Tea Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

I've never been a big fan of brown sugar boba, since I always feel like it's too much milk and not enough tea. That said, the flavors at the Alley were good. The stars are removed for the boba themselves, which were below average on this day. Some were clumped, and they weren't chewy enough in general. read more

The Alley - Bubble Tea Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

For boba, it was alright. The portions were relatively small and there wasn't anything special about it. The service and ambience weren't anything special either. The demonslayer collab was cool but overall there are better drink places. read more

The Alley - Matcha and deerioca fever - Bubble Tea Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

We've had their teas many times. I really love the menu. And these teas were amazing. However I would give a 5/5 if they would allow for bubbles / jelly's to be removed. It's a bit frustrating when you want the passion fruit seeds but not the jelly... Also, that's really not a big ask. Removing pearls is like Boba 101. read more

The Alley - Passion fruit green tea & crunchy cocoa milk tea. - Bubble Tea Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Wouldn't go again, personally. - service was adequate, not particularly friendly. Customer service skills need a bit of work. - the beverage i got wasn't my favorite, it was very sweet, and i wasn't allowed to request less ice/sugar because it was " fixed ", which is fine, but an offer for another alternative would be nice. The front is decorated nicely, but you have a clear view of the back which looks disorganized, but i guess it gets the job done. read more

Literally the best boba I have ever had, it was gone in seconds. Order the large! The shop itself is small but has lots of seating available! 10/10 read more

The Alley - The regular size, 16 oz - Bubble Tea Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

This was the first time I came to the Alley, and I was pleasantly surprised. Generally, it's hard for me to find a place that offers decaffeinated tea options. But they had it here! I ordered the brown sugar ginger milk tea, which was delicious! Also Im generally lactose intolerant, but the milk they use didnt have the usual effect on me. The pearls or bubbles were also absolutely delicious! My friend, who was from out of town, always stops here when she's here, which is a great sign. Highly recommend giving it a try! read more

The Alley - two cups of bubble tea and a sticker - Bubble Tea Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

This place is easy to miss because the store front is small just like the others on the long row of restaurants on the block. Inside, they have catchy pop music playing. Pop band Chvrches' music album was playing at the time. They got this deer theme with a sculpture of a deer on the wall, pictures of deer, and a cute cartoon deer statue at the front. They have a small dining area but they put away all the tables and chairs due to the pandemic, so it's basically strictly takeout only. Service could be better. The staff person at the front must be new because they had a half off promo and they didn't know about it until they asked the other staff person at the back. It got sorted quickly. Service was slow. It took at least 10 minutes to order and get my drink even though there were only 2 customers ahead of me. It looks like they were short staffed because they were taking care of an online take-out order, taking orders in store, AND making drinks with only 2 staff on shift. Chatime, another bubble tea store, often would have 4 staff in the store and lines moved fast. Prices are okay, they are in line with other bubble tea shops downtown at $5+ and up. For the price, portion size is a little smaller than I'm used to though which makes it a little more pricey. I ordered their non-alcoholic mango tea beer. The drink was nice and refreshing. It's like a simple and light, non alcoholic version of Cactus Club cafe's peach bellini. They taste a little similar. I'm not sure if they used fresh mango but it was a little slushy and super cool. I can definitely taste the non alcoholic drink mixed in. They have jelly pudding added at the top as a topping for added texture. No ice was added. According to the official description, it's Jasmine Mango Green Tea with Green Tea Jelly, softly carbonated with a hint of malt for a subtle beer taste. Whatever it is, I kinda like it! Their mango tea beer gets a thumbs up from me. For me, it's 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars because Yelp doesn't allow half stars. read more

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We went to three different boba shops in Vancouver and my 10yo boba connoisseur said this was her favorite (and we went there 3 times!). Drinks were made quickly, there is a TON of choice, and the shop is cute and centrally located downtown. I had the peach oolong iced tea and it was FANTASTIC (I don't like boba, sorry). There was never much of a line and the people working behind the counter were helpful and knowledgeable about the drinks. My only small complaint is that there are "rules" so that some of the drinks are fixed on sweetness and add-ins - you can't customize. We walked, and there is street parking right out front but it seems like it might be hard to snag a spot due to limited availability. read more

The Alley - Bubble Tea Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

It's a cute store but they have the best milk tea in town. I was able to replace the milk with soy milk. I will definitely recommend it to my friends who also like boba tea. read more

The Alley - Boba tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Ube brown sugar puff What an amazing monthly special! I wish it could stick around. The ube flavour is strong and it's lightly sweetened with the brown sugar pearls and custard on the bottom. I wasn't sure how I felt about having custard in a drink but it added such amazing vanilla notes! Yum! I wish it would stay all year round! Crunchy cocoa milk tea Grayson said that this one was not as good as the crunchy tiramisu milk tea. It reminded him of an elevated chocolate milk because of all the toppings and layers. The cocoa milk tea part is misleading though because it's a slush and not a milk. It also came with the same creamy layer and crunchy topping as their crunchy strawberry milk. read more

The Alley - Bubble Tea Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

I have tried multiple The Alley boba tea, and this place is the best. Great drinks, cozy, and great staff. Would highly recommend. Got the Royal No. 9 and it was delicious read more

The Alley - Bubble Tea Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Not as good as the locations I've been to in Denver and other states in the U.S. Boba wasn't chewy enough and they were out of half the menu. It doesn't seem to be well-maintained. The tea itself was alright. On the bright side the drink came out quick. There is some seating. I wasn't too impressed and probably won't return or recommend. read more

"Can I have my drink without boba" Employee "NO. It's fixed" Me "can I add lychee" Employee "NO. It's extra to remove it" Me " how about deericoca, add lychee" Employee"NO. We can't" Me - walks out without a boba and a The Alley loses ANOTHER customer for their stupid business rules. read more

The alley boasts an incredible collection of traditional and fruit bubble teas. I really like their collaborations that they do with animes and other cartoons (sanrio) as well as some of the prizes they give out. My favourite drink there is the cocoa deerioca drink that comes with a crunchy top. read more

When I was in Seoul, The Alley was a destination every cafe lover had to visit but the lines were ridiculously long. Thankfully Vancouver has a location and when I went back in February, we didn't have to wait in line- in fact I think we were the only ones sitting in there. The drink is quite good- not my favorite brown sugar boba but still delicious. The really pretty drink that is all over Instagram- the Aurora Series- was too sweet for my liking. The staff was friendly and the place was clean. The location is wonderful and walkable. read more

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Fun divy decor, friendly staff, good diner food Piano bar singing casual , little booths allow for privacy intimacy, sometimes a little loud with the singing and music read more

I like this little place. I was craving hojicha and needed to stretch my legs, so for national bbt day, I went. The service is good. They were patient when I asked some questions. The order came out in a timely manner. The drink I had was so good and refreshing. I would recommend it. They have a point system app here so be sure to download it on your phone. read more

The Alley - Hojicha for national bbt day! - Bubble Tea Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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It's throwback last summer when I tried the bubble tea drinks from The Alley for the first time. It was so fresh and delicious. The Alley is an international Taiwanese bubble tea chain that makes its own tapioca pearls. It is super popular in Asia. Its menu has a variety of drinks. Ordered: Snow Velvet Watermelon Lulu - a watermelon slush in a green tea base and topped with creamy snow velvet. Deerioca Fever - slow-cooked brown sugar tapioca milk tea with soy milk. I missed the seasonal drink so much. When are you returning back? The Alley Vancouver is located at 985 Hornby Street in downtown Vancouver. I definitely grab it and go enjoy it while shopping. Drink: 4/5 Should Try! Service: takeout Kids: 3/5 A-OK for kids. Price: 1/2less than $20 for two drinks Presentation: 2/5 Parking: metered parking on the street Tips: *offers soy milk alternative. *can download apps to collect bubble tea rewards. *accepts takeout or delivery. continues health and safety protocols. Would I Return: Yes ‍ read more

The Alley - Bubble Tea Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Saw this place on Instagram so many times. Wanted to go so bad but I live in the states and it's in Canada! Finally made it to Vancouver for a long weekend vacation and made it a point to visit The Alley. I forget the name of the drink I had but it had fresh orange fruit on the bottom and I think a passion fruit tea. It was very tropical and fresh, I was very happy with my choice. Very different from boba drinks I can find in the states. Wish we had it here because I would go back all the time! read more

The Alley - Decor - Bubble Tea Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

I don't get the hype with this place. I was super excited to try this place since it's all over "the gram". I came on a weekday around 2 pm and there was already a crowd. I'm not sure where all these people came from, since I was only visiting and i'm not familiar with the area. I got the regular brown sugar drink with soy milk, they call it the Deerioca fever here. You have the option of making it hot or cold, I chose cold. The place is actually kind of small and I didn't see a restroom here. When I got my drink I was super excited, however, after I took the first sip I was disappointed. I'm not sure was it because of the soy or I overhyped myself, but the drink was ok. The boba itself, taste like metal, yes, it had a metallic taste to it. I think the soy milk made the drink taste weird, I regret not getting the regular one with milk. If I get the chance to come back, i'll just get the regular one. read more

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I saw a lot of IG posts about this place so wanted to try out their popular drinks to see what it's about. But do your research on which drink to get before you go because most of their drink names are pretty confusing with no description of what it is. You have to search through other's reviews and IG posts to get an idea what to order. Their menu board also gives suggestions of their top drinks. The first time I came, I tried their most popular drink, Deerioca Brown Sugar Milk Tea, to see what the hype is about. It's OK but I've had better; the brown sugar pearls weren't soft enough, and pearl flavor didn't stand out compared to other places. Gave them another chance with hubby in tow this time. I got their 2nd most popular drink, Royal No. 9 Latte... and regretted it. It was bland even though I got less ice and regular sugar (I like my drinks sweet, and there was still a lot of ice in it for "less ice" that diluted the taste). There was a fruity undertone but it was really subtle. My hubby doesn't care about what's popular or not and prefers fruity non-milk-based drinks so he got the Guava Lime Juice. This was sweet and tasted like a mojito; I actually like this one but not something I would normally get when craving BBT. If you like their drinks, they have an app where you can collect loyalty points towards a free drink. read more

The Alley - Guava Lime Juice (tastes like a mojito) - Royal No. 9 Latte with less ice (kind of bland). - Bubble Tea Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

I have virtually no social media presence and even I heard about the Alley coming to Vancouver. Didn't have really any expectation but finally found some time to drop by and check it out. Boy I left confused about the whole situation afterwards. Located on the 'backside' of Scotiabank Theatre, it's a pretty small location with limited seating. Seems like a pretty nice place to chill. My problem right off the top is that I have no idea what over half the items on the menu mean. Like what on Earth is the "Dark Knight" drink? What's a "Royal No. 9 Milk Tea" and what makes it more royal than a standard milk tea? Also, why are some items fresh milk? Are the rest spoiled milk? I will never deny I'm indecisive about things but holy Toledo I spent a long time looking at this menu and didn't know what to order. Eventually I decided on the Alley Trio Fresh Milk Tea. It had pearls and two kinds of jelly or something. I'm not really sure what I had. The milk tea felt pretty diluted in comparison to other milk teas I've had. Toppings were decent but it seemed really sweet despite ordering the drink at 50% sugar. It was just okay overall. The other major downside was that it was probably the most expensive bubble tea I've ever had. Not sure it was quite worth. Overall, I had an iffy-okay experience with the Alley. I think there's a lot of interesting things here but a better experience with an easier to understand menu would be appreciated. Will probably come back and try another drink and maybe then I'll understand the hype. read more

The Alley - Alley Trio Fresh Milk Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

I usually get Royal No 9, but I decided to venture out today and try The Alley Trio Milk Tea. I regret it. Nothing special about it, and Royal No 9 is definitely the best drink they have. read more

The Alley - Passionfruit Green Tea, The Alley Trio Milk Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

The Alley is one of my top choices of bbt to go the North America. This particular location is usually good but can be a hit and miss sometimes. Staff are generally friendly. Crowd there is alright, no one too crazy or rude. Just a chill area and good if you are around the area but not the most convenient if you don't live close by and it's hard to park around there. A decent selections of flavour and style to choose from. read more

The Alley - Bubble Tea Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

My friend and I picked up a drink from here and then went to a nearby bench outside to enjoy the weather and catch up - great location. I got their #1 seller deerioca fever with fresh milk. The level of ice and sugar cannot be changed but I like that the sweetness is just right. Their boba is fat, chewy, and delicious! The other flavours also seem really interesting. I'd have to try them next time! read more

The Alley - I got their #1 seller deerioca fever with milk. - Bubble Tea Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Been seeing The Alley all over Insta. Another BBT chain that's finally made it's way to town. Didn't realize it was a few doors down from where we were eating dinner so I suggested we check it out afterwards. It's next door to Sushi Maki, Pokkerito and a few other restaurants. We dropped in on a Monday evening (around 6:30pm). There was a line but it moved steadily. The inside is tiny with maybe three tables; pretty much grab and go style. The menu has a variety of drinks; brown sugar Deerioca, milk tea series, fruit tea/juice/ the finest collection, winter series, original brewed tea, fresh milk series and specialty. Their regular sized cups are small; reminded me of the ones from Xing Fu Tang. As is the norm, you can customize sweetness and ice level. - Deerioca fever ($6.50 regular) - this is standardized so you can't customize anything. It looked like there was half ice in it. I had a sip and I could actually taste the brown sugar pearls (unlike at Xing Fu). J's mom literally drink it all in 5 minutes. - Deerioca matcha ($6.50 regular) - another brown sugar option but with matcha. Matcha flavour was solid. Again, small sized and pricey. - The Alley trio milk tea ($6.25 large) - this comes with tapioca, pineapple jelly and rainbow jelly. J got his half sweet and less ice, both good calls. I liked the combo of jellies and the milk tea was just the right amount of sweetness. - Kiwi slush ($6.25) - I went with the kiwi slush. Happy that they use fresh fruit. Somehow tapioca was added into my cup although I didn't ask for any. Tapioca had a chewy bite to them. Worth trying if you're a BBT lover. If I'm back in the area, I'd come back to try their other offerings. 3.5 stars. read more

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Went in at 8:50 pm for bubble tea. We were well aware that the store closes at 9:00pm, so out of respect for the employees, we asked when we went in to the lady running the till if they were still available to take orders. She told us yes, so we ordered. The young man making the bubble tea in the kitchen was visibly annoyed that there were apparently customers ordering during open hours after being told that they indeed could order. We could hear him loudly exclaiming things such as "Oh my god, I cannot believe this", well within earshot as he was making the drinks. Sounds of exasperation could be heard well within the seating area as we awkwardly waited, and we were appalled at the show were getting. Decent drinks, horrible attitude. We were out the door about a minute after the store was rightfully supposed to close. read more

The Alley is a small shop. The signature Deerioca Fever milk tea was good and the boba were sweet and had a nice chew. They did run out of a lot of drinks early on in their service which seemed odd but it appeared they only had two people running the shop. read more

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Was visiting Canada and stopped by on a whim and ordered the deerioca. Nice place but the drink was very plain and the boba wasn't really chewy. Not worth the money. read more

We got so excited when we heard that the Alley opened up in Seattle! For those who don't know, it is a very popular chain in China. Parking was easy for us when we arrived. The shop was very small, limited seating as available. There were a couple deer decorations on the walls which was pretty cute because the logo is a deer. We ordered the classic Brown Sugar Deerioca, which is their most well known and signature drink. It was SOOO good. I believe the sweetness was not adjustable, but it seemed the perfect levels of everything. The boba was the perfect texture too! The workers were nice and didn't seem to know English too well and everyone spoke mostly Chinese. I would love to try other flavors next time but this will definitely be my go to if I get more chances to come here again. Hopefully one will open in the bay area where I am from! read more

The Alley - Brown sugar Deerioca - Bubble Tea Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

I've wanted to come to a The Alley location since I first saw them in Seoul, but the lines were always out the door or there was no seating available. Just my luck until I found one in Vancouver! The shop itself is clean, tiny, but comfortable located in downtown Vancouver. I got the drink of my dreams, the aesthetically pleasing Aurora Lights called Northern Lights. It wasn't that bad. Not something I would get regularly, but not that bad. It was a fruity tea or juice that tasted like these little jellos I ate when I was a kid. read more

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1 star for the expensive watery bubble tea I ordered. 1 additional star given because the server could answer my questions about which drinks were safe for someone with lactose intolerance. Milk teas are apparently safe as they are made from non-dairy powder. Still, I ordered a regular sized soy jasmine tea latte with little ice and with pearls. It was VERY expensive and tasted like water despite using less ice. Personally, I would not go back or at least recommend avoiding the soy tea lattes. read more