Not my favorite bubble tea in the city. First, it was crazy busy when we arrived, but we ordered on the machine (there wasn't a person taking orders). We figured it had to be good given the crowd. The workers were definitely working hard and appeared to be very efficient, but it took probably 15 minutes to get our drinks. The taro tea was gritty and very mild flavor. The boba was okay, but there are better options in the area. I'd recommend finding another option. read more

The food itself was great. Loved the gel and foam. The red beans are not perfect but they're solid. I did pick up so I didn't interact with the staff, but they seemed hard at work and efficient. The ambience was OK. Floor was kinda dirty but everything else was clean. They also gave me a bucket of milk tea with a handle and everything. I'm talking like 1.2 liters of this stuff. For like 6 bucks it's a great deal. read more

Best boba tea in Pittsburgh IMO. I've tried soooo many different flavor combinations. I'm a fan of the fruit teas with lychee jelly and popping boba. I love their passionfruit and mango. I always order ahead of time on the website, as it can get pretty busy here. I can't say enough great things about this place, they just have the best boba. read more

Tried the grapefruit and peach green tea with grapefruit jelly at 30% sweet. Drink was very refreshing and had good balance of tart and sweet. I would be tempted to try it at 0% sweet as I feel the jelly adds extra sweetness. I also tried the colorful fruits green tea which was also very refreshing at 50% sweet. This drink had mixed fruit in the drink in it. I almost would prefer more of the drink and no fruit even though it would look less pretty. Definitely makes me want to come back and try the other drinks. read more

Tsaocaa is some of the best bubble tea I've had! I absolutely love their osmanthus milk tea, to the point where I asked whether or not I could buy the tea from them. This is such a delicious and unique flavor that's really hard to come across in the states, so I highly recommend it. My friend got the rose milk tea, which is also very delicious. We came a little bit (like 30 minutes) after opening on a Sunday and there already was a long line, so be prepared to wait. but the wait is definitely worth it! read more

Tsaocaa - Osmanthus Milk Oolong Tea Bubble - Bubble Tea Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Tsaocaa (pronounced "tao-tah") means tea in Chinese. Rejoice! Finally, a boba place that sells more weird gushy filler for my drink than just tapioca pearls! They've got the fruit yogurt bubbles, and custards as well! This place has nata jelly (coconut gel), which has a soft tropical flavor to it. I wish they had the "cheese" topping that their website talks about. Hopefully they'll get that soon. I love that you can customize the sweetness of your tea here. They use better ingredients than most other boba sellers in the area, and this place offers more diversity in specializing your drink than the boba places in the Squirrel Hill area (Everyday Noodles, Cafe 33, Rose Tea Cafe) COVID warning: The restaurant is small and it's easy for it to get crowded inside. The place is new right now, so most of its orders are going to be a bit delayed. read more

Tsaocaa - LARGE Jasmine Milk Tea (+Bubble, Herb Jelly,Nata Jelly). LARGE Brown Sugar Milk Black Tea w/Oreo &Milk Foam (+bubble&brown sugar jelly) - Bubble Tea Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

I've come here a few times and they never disappoint! My friend got the brown sugar milk tea and I got the ruby milk tea with 30% sugar and it was delicious! Would highly recommend and can't wait to come back! read more

Tsaocaa - Brown Sugar Milk Black Tea, Ruby Milk Black Tea Bubble - Bubble Tea Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

We loved our boba from here. They have lots of different flavors with different options and ability to customize your order from the sweetness and ice level. It can get very busy but they manage well and still get your drinks in a reasonable time. They have a self-order tablet to hasten the line, which was nice. But I found that the options on the tablet didn't exactly match all the options on their paper menu. We will definitely be coming back here! read more

Tsaocaa - Brown Sugar Milk Black Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

My go-to bubble tea spot! The atmosphere is welcoming and modern. There are ordering kiosks and extensive menu options. I love love love the purple potato bubble milk tea, but they have so many options to choose from there is something for everyone! They are quick to get drinks out and very friendly to everyone. The shop is very small, just a heads up! But there is outdoor seating along the street : ) read more

For so long the bubble tea in Pittsburgh has been average, but no longer. While the normal black or green bubble tea were good, the newer trends for boba and East Asian tea are now available at Tsaocaa! From brown sugar boba to crystal boba, from lychee green tea to the purple rice taro teas, you can definitely find your heart's desire here! I was a little skeptical about the purple rice boba special because who knew that rice was a thing in bubble tea? But it's sooooo good! And the lychee special with crystal boba is excellent for those hot summer days when you just need something sweet and cold to cool you down. Definitely try this place at least once, if not multiple times! Tsaocaa is now my go to spot for boba in the Burgh! read more

Tsaocaa - Selection of macarons - Bubble Tea Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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My second time ever trying boba, first time from a real boba shop (I first sampled the drink from Churn and wasn't a huge fan). This is absolutely delicious boba. I ordered the pineapple yogurt with crystal pearl boba (100% sugar). They give you a pretty good portion for the price. Medium is $6 for yogurt drinks, and it's enough to enjoy with dinner, while walking, etc just to fill you up and keep you going. They also give you quite a bit of boba. The pearls are soft and chewy, the best texture for boba! At the top of the drink (right below the cap) you may find a little bit of frothiness, almost whipped cream. It's a bit sour but still a nice touch. The yogurt itself tastes fresh and delicious. It's not too sweet nor too salty. I like that you can control the sugar content, but I enjoyed the fully sweet version. You can also control the ice level (some places charge you extra for no ice, but Tsacoaa doesn't) and I opted for no ice. There are real chunks of pineapple inside of the drink at the bottom! It reminds me a bit of a Chobani fruit yogurt drinks, but much tastier and with the addition of real fruit chunks and boba! That's what justifies the price in my opinion. The packaging too! It's really cool and well made for the drinking process to be seamless. The options seem to be endless at this place. There are many other different types of fruit yogurts, including mango, blueberry, strawberry, and lychee. You can also get brown sugar boba, fresh tea, taro drinks, egg waffles, macarons, and so much more for a relatively reasonable price (not cheap, but not too expensive). Highly recommend it! read more

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Boba was good. It's definitely on the higher end of the price scale. Ingredients were fresh not your packet flavor or syrup added to make taro flavor. We tried the Taro with green tea and boba as well as the purple potato milk green tea with boba & purple rice. We also tried a variety of the macarons. I would have to say although the Boba was good the Macarons were definitely the star of the show!! Super soft and delish with bursts of flavor. Service was MEH...... bunch of younger kids working. There are three ordering kiosks as well as an area to order with a staff member. Watch when checking out the system automatically applies a 18% gratuity unless you fix it. Overall, I would say it's decent!! We will be back to try something different. read more

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Best quality and widest variety of options out of the bubble tea shops in the East End. It is expensive, but honestly all the bubble tea places are overpriced so it's not like there are really cheaper alternatives. Definitely order ahead because it gets extremely busy and the wait times can be insane. read more

Loved it! I had the medium (which is a small) Uji Matcha with 30% sugar and it's enough to share. read more

This seems to be the only decent boba place in town! Unfortunately, the ordering situation is a bit confusing, as there is a self service kiosk along with a cashier, and there is a constant line, so it's hard to tell if people are waiting for a drink, or waiting to order. Because this place is so popular, our drinks took awhile to come out, but they were delicious. I went with the lychee milk tea at 30% sweetness and the partner ordered the iced peach green tea also at 30% sweetness. Really delicious and subtle flavor, which I liked. The boba and lychee consistency were both chewy, just the way I like it. And the peach green tea was sort of like an icy/icee, refreshing especially for this hot weather. Maybe next time, I'll order delivery so I don't have to deal with the crowds! read more

I love this place! Can't. Get. Enough! My favorite is the yogurt with boba! I've ordered 4 times, and I haven't been disappointed once! It does take awhile so place your order early. Average time of my orders has been about 30 minutes. Also the packaging is perfection read more

Tsaocaa - To-go order! - Bubble Tea Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Hands down the best boba places in Pittsburgh and thats like super rare here. My go to's are passion fruit with green tea. All of their drinks are really good. Yeah they take a little long but definitely worth the wait !! MmmM THE FLAVORS read more

Tsaocaa - Bubble Tea Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Best brown sugar bubble tea in Pittsburgh!!!! It's heavenly Super cute atmosphere, quick service, nice employees!!! read more

This place is always packed! I went about 30 minutes before they closed and the inside was filled with people. The ordering process is easy since it's a kiosk area on the side. They make the drinks very quick and they're delicious! I would recommend adding red beans. read more

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Our favorite bubble tea in Pittsburgh! Every drink is customizable and the range of variety is huge. We always order ahead as the store is always extremely crowded and the line takes long read more

Tsaocaa - brown sugar milk swirl with amber bubbles and brown sugar jellies - Bubble Tea Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

This establishment is consistently great! We look forward to visiting Pittsburgh because we know this will be one of our favorite stops! Real fruit. Great service. Kudos folks! read more

I am obsessed with their green tea options. It's so dangerous for me lol. I've bought 10+ cups within a week. Hard to find parking nearby. Few tables to sit outside. It's always crowded inside but the staff manage well. Popular place to get your boba tea. You can order online or inside using their self check out tablet or speak to a staff. read more

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If you're looking for variety and unique boba tea, this is the place to go. They're always busy and be prepared to wait an extra few minutes to get your drinks. read more

Tsaocaa is a fairly new bubble tea place in Pittsburgh and is now my favorite one to go to when I have boba cravings. The store was so clean and well decorated and the workers were friendly and helpful. I tried the brown sugar milk tea and it was delicious. It tasted authentic and wasn't overly sweet. The pearls were well cooked and delicious. You can choose the ice and sweetness level too so the drinks are really customizable to your preferences. For my order, there was only one size (medium) but it was huge. The cup also seemed sturdy and potentially reusable. Overall, I'd recommend this place to anyone looking to try boba in the Pittsburgh area. read more

Tsaocaa - Bubble Tea Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Best bubble tea in pittsburgh! They have one in flushing in NY and I can't believe there's one here! They're consistently Good and you can't go wrong with a classic black milk tea boba. Bless the ppl working here because it gets crazy with all the students read more

I stopped by this boba spot during my trip to Pittsburgh. I'm from California and have had a lot of good boba, and I was pretty impressed by the drinks here. I got a jasmine milk tea w/ no toppings and 50% sugar. It was less sweet than I expected for 50% sugar, but still pretty good and I could taste the tea. I got also a mango slush with mango and grapefruit. Super sweet but very tasty. The egg waffles were also really good but the portion is a little small. read more

Little pricey but has good drink options! My go to is Strawberry Green tea with milk foam, but they also have seasonal drink which I highly recommend ;) read more

Amazing. I now live in California. With that being said, it is still difficult to come across such well made bubble teas. My sister lives in Squirrel Hill. Thus, I always love going to Murray / Forbes to try new foods and drinks. She had mentioned trying the bubble tea here. She got the brown sugar oreo and I tried the strawberry with milk topoff. My only wish was I should have gone back 2-3 more times for even more. It was so delicious and the sweetness was just right - not too sweet nor lacking sugar. I love it and look forward to coming for more in the future ! read more

Probably my favorite bubble tea in Pittsburgh!! I've had a lot of their menu items throughout the years (sometimes from other locations) and they've honestly all have been great! Tried the purple potato milk tea w the amber boba and it was very good! Some of my fave orders: jasmine milk tea w amber boba, strawberry lemonade w milk foam, and taro milk tea! Cant go wrong with any options here :) read more

Tsaocaa - Purple Potato Milk Tea with Bubble - Bubble Tea Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

* HIGHLY RECOMMEND * Taste: I've lost count of how many times I have visited this fine establishment. All of the different drinks I have tried were delicious. One exception though is the purple potato bubble tea, avoid this one. The bubbles/boba are well cooked and I like that I can adjust the sweetness and ice level of my tea. Good customer service. One time I even asked to replace my boba with red bean and they actually replaced it without any extra charge! Value for money: Price is a little higher than the average bubble tea price in Pittsburgh but the quality is there. Would I return? Yes. I would go everyday if only the calories in it would magically disappear as fast as the drink does whenever I get it. read more

Tsaocaa - Bubble Tea Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Another addition to the boba scene here and it's a great one! I've been 3 times in the past week and each drink has been amazing and I've introduced it to all my friends and they love it, too! Definitely check out this shop, and remember you can alter the sugar and ice levels for most drinks. The brown sugar milk black tea is a great classic and the pineapple and passion fruit green tea with jelly is super refreshing, especially on a hot summer day! I do have to say if you don't have patience, don't come here (or most places for that matter). Unfortunately today I watched a middle-aged man yell at the teenage girl at the register because he had to wait for his 3 drinks to be made and he DEMANDED that his drink be made next because "my kids have to start school in September." The girl, although flustered, handled the situation beautifully and was respectful to him despite being treated very poorly by the customer. I hate that I have to say this, but be respectful to others and understand that you're not the only person who is placing an order and some drinks take longer to prepare than others. read more

Tsaocaa - Pineapple and Passion Fruit Green Tea with Jelly - Bubble Tea Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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We got drinks here after dinner and I would say the Iced Mango Green Tea with Cheese Milk Form was just alright. I don't think I would get this drink again but maybe I'll come back to try some of their other drinks. My friend really enjoyed the Coconut Blue drink with snow top, bubbles and macarons though. read more

Tsaocaa - Coconut Blue w. Snow top/Bubble/Mini Macaron and Iced Mango Green Tea with Milk Foam - Bubble Tea Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

I go here all the time and their drinks are always great, the staff is always working super hard even though it's always crowded. I like the clean feel of the place and the self ordering screens are great and fast. There's not a lot of room on the inside to wait especially when it's crowded but there's tables outside. read more

Like its neighbor 98k Hamburger, this is one of a few chains that set up shop in Squirrel Hill modeled after urban businesses in Asian countries to cater to a mainly East Asian and/or East Asian diaspora clientele, but soon found a much broader customer base among anyone passing by. In theory, I should like what this business is trying to do, and there are some good points. However, that is not the entire story. The distinct advantage to this place is exactly what you'd think it is: their tasty drinks. I especially recommend Tsaocaa's twist on a Virgin Mojito. Tsaocaa's twist on the Virgin Mojito comes in a variety of flavors including mango, lychee, melon, and lime. You also get to pick the level of added sugar you want in your beverage, which is great. The customer-facing staff are also incredibly pleasant - but seem overworked. Which leads me to why this review is only three stars. The first thing is that the staff, in spite of their cheery energy, are expected to make and serve drinks at an assembly-line pace. The entire thing gives off the impression of something dehumanizing, a robotic Late-Capitalist Dystopia where the employees are expected to feign phony smiles while the head honchos of the business ignore the inevitable stress that comes from their workplace model in which human labor is expected to act as a unit of automatons. Honestly, everyone who works here deserves a raise and a promotion for what it seems like they put up with. The format isn't all that comfortable for customers either. Right now if you want to order on-site, the business is standing-room only aside from very limited outdoor seating. This could be chalked up to leftover COVID precautions, but - and this is where things are also less than pleasant - the standing-room format means staying on your heels in a massive crowd, and this place is always, always crowded. There are signs saying to socially distance but it's virtually impossible to do that. If you're claustrophobic, if you're medically immunocompromised, or if you've had bad and traumatic experiences involving other people violating your personal space, you are absolutely not going to have a great time here. Good drinks, clean environment, but the claustrophobic layout and overworked staff do not leave the impression of somewhere particularly happy. There are a lot of changes to be made if Tsaocaa wishes to create a positive experience for both their customers and their staff. read more

I used to say "I don't like boba," but now that I've been to Tsaocaa, I'm askin how I can boba fit more into my eager mouth! Great place. Clean! Bright! Multiple self order iPads! The cups have a wonderful texture if you're into that sort of thing. This place is run by good people. With all the options for customization, you can really "Have it your way," and that's living like a king/queen/duke/duchess. read more

My absolutely favorite drink to get is the Lychee Purée green tea with jelly! It is so refreshing and delicious! I love ordering to-go with no ice so I can leave it in the fridge and sip it throughout the week! read more

Tsaocaa is a wonderful addition to the bubble tea scene in Pittsburgh and certainly stands out as the most flavorfully creative and offers the broadest options. This isn't your classic pearl milk tea, they're up to speed on the latest trends. Prices are higher than most of the competition, but likely because it's more artisanal with fresh ingredients and not just powder. My drink was a bit heavy on the crushed ice and light on the milk foam, but overall, it was certainly tasty. It's refreshing on a hot weekend afternoon and it's only a short walk from Frick Park, making it a great spot for a socially distanced hang out. It's hard to be a restaurant right now, and especially to be the new kid on the block. However, with takeout and coronavirus precautions becoming critical in our new normal, there are many issues that need to be resolved to promote safety. - Too many people were crowded inside waiting for their drinks, congregating with well over 25 people in their space and certainly less than 6ft apart, worsened by slow service and lack of a system for letting people know their drinks were ready. Perhaps inviting only one person from each party to enter and asking others to stand on the surrounding sidewalk would work better. -Disposable menus are available, but were being used and replaced on the pile by patrons -Two outdoor tables are located outside, but are less than 1ft apart read more

Tsaocaa - Iced Mango Green Tea with Milk Foam - Bubble Tea Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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My cousin treated us all with black tea with taro. So basically, this is milk with ice and clear-not-so sweet but soft pearls at the bottom (I'd rather go black and sweet like in KFT). Gave it 5-stars because there's real taro pudding swirled on the "side" and the packaging doesn't look cheap. Location is nice but parking is hard during peak hours like lunch and dinner. read more

Tsaocaa - Bubble Tea Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Looking for a bubble tea spot in Pittsburg,PA? This is the perfect place! My friends who live in this area was first regulars go this place and they got me hooked as well. The main reason why this place would be recommended is that they use fresh fruits for their teas as well as good tea. Anything that is from this location is such a great buy and an amazing experience for new flavors of bubble tea. Social distancing stickers are on the floor and there are people who are following the rules. The staff is very friendly as well and this is a place that I would highly recommend if your in this area! read more

I absolutely adore this new boba spot! Every drink I've had has been absolutely delightful and full of flavor and tea goodness! My go-to is their brown sugar milk tea and I've even gotten my younger sis absolutely addicted to it (and she HATES milk teas). Great staff, great flavor and it may be pricier than the average boba but well worth the price I assure you. Do be careful though! This spot gets crowded FAST which is dangerous during the age of Covid-19. I always go during the first few hours of it opening when it's emptier. The wait for these drinks is a tad long since they make the drinks with a lot of care! You'll usually catch me here atleast once a week! read more

Tsaocaa - Bubble Tea Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania