I used to be a big Verde fan but sadly, not anymore. Why is their tea so darn sickeningly sweet now?! I always get the dark brick milk tea + pearls, half sugar. And that used to be great but now even that is creeping up in sweetness! The boba is also not as chewy anymore. It's hit or miss...sometimes good chewiness, most of the time, watery and slimy. The toast is good though, and the salty fried chicken is pretty salty delicious too. I also like the decor + more sitting room better than some other tea bars in the area. I give it two stars because sometimes I crave something real sweet, but I'd honestly rather go to Tea Era across the street, even if I have to take the tea to go. read more

You know those take-away containers for soup & noodles at Chinese restaurants? Replace your soup with bubble tea and that's how large your drink will be when you order their largest size. You will also instantly regret feeling obligated to finish 24 oz of sugar water, I guarantee it. So, I recommend skipping the "Super-size me" order, just fight it..fight the urge. Otherwise, tea here doesn't taste as high quality as places like Ten Ren (duh) or even Tea Era. Never tried the food but the dining area itself seems like a cool place to chitchat with a friend on a chill afternoon. read more

I must have caught them on a bad day. No almond milk, no taro, no ketchup, and no chicken cutlet. Of course those were specifically the things we wanted. I could understand one or two items but dayum. They probably underestimated the impact of the downtown festival going on. If the other boba places didn't have such a long line... Probably should have realized why their lines were so long. read more

For the tea itself 4 stars. For the location 3 stars, conveniently in downtown Mountain View though. Walking in you are immediately greeted by a wooden like fence dividing the order counter and the rest of the small cafe. So everyone is crowded into a small space, the order counter is like that of a diner and you a definitely packed in. Awkward!! The staff is usually ok though, nothing memorable towards good or bad. The milk tea does come quick, so at least there isn't a wait. I always get the same thing, milk tea with pearls. The milk tea is more milky that most, so it's very light colored and smooth. I like it and it isn't too sugary. The pearls are soft though not amazing. I like this style, while not perfect it's good. The standard size is pretty large and I'm thinking it was about $3. The cafe is small and decorated in bright colors and dark woods. The cafe is simple, clean and has about 10 spots for seating. While not terribly inviting it is fairly cute. Standard, tasty, reasonable milk tea in a cute, great location. read more

Unbelievable....I ordered couple drinks and a salty fried chicken, and after 15 mins, I figured that the cashier didn't put my order in. As a matter of fact, I came here for the salty fried chicken. They finally made another order for me, however, it was sweet. Not sure if they did it on purpose, or it was a mistake. But it was totally out of my expectation, and my prior experience. Not only they didn't apologize for that, but they made it sound like my problem. I am very disappointed of their way of treating the customers. read more

Came here tonight because it was a Tuesday so Tea Era was closed. Tuesdays suck. Verde is not a bad second choice, though. I usually get the green milk tea or almond milk tea with pearls. The good: 1. They have decaf drinks. Good for when you need a boba fix but don't want the caffeine. 2. The pudding is good. Nice change from boba sometimes. 3. Drinks are big. The bad: 1. The drinks can be inconsistent -- sometimes they make them way too sweet, even when you ask for "less sweet". We ordered the hazelnut once but it was undrinkable due to the amount of sugar in it (we specified less sweet). 2. Tea itself and the boba are okay, but not as good as Tea Era. The boba is not as chewy and does not have the nice sweet touch to it. 3. Not a relaxing place to sit. It is crowded and noisy. There is often a noisy blender going off as they make the drinks. Overall, probably 3.5 stars. read more

I still call Verde my favorite boba place in Mountain View but I'm so disappointed with their remodel that I have a hard time getting excited to go anymore. Yes, the previous decor was sort of airy and light and teeny-bopper-esque but this new darker, sleeker design while nice, holds a HORRENDOUS flaw. The register is now 2 steps inside the front door and there is basically a wall blocking most of the entrance/exit? This forces any line to form out the front of the shop (was this a marketing ploy - to make the place look PACKED?) where it's not so fun to stand and wait. And also makes it impossible to leave the place if there is a line waiting. *squeeze* "excuse me" *bump* "oh sorry" *elbow* "did I do that??" Is the Fire Marshall really cool with this?? Perhaps some bad feng-shui drove the new design but how's the feng-shui now that people are disgruntled about the layout? (I'm certainly not the first I've heard complaining). Anyway... I still like my snacks when I have a chance to visit. Yummy ground pork with rice and a tea egg always hits the spot. Hot almond milk tea with boba in the winter and mango slushy with boba in the summer. I love that this place is open late and I love that it's right off the beaten Mountain View path. Perfect for a little "sweet" after dinner. Reviewing 2 years ago I'd have given a 5. Sad about the remodel - now a 4... read more

There are about 101 places that serve boba/milk tea near Castro St. This one is my favorite. I'd say that if you haven't yet been here, go! Generous portions, good prices, great selection, and never too sweet in my opinion. My favorites are almond or melon milk tea. I also always have fun picking which color straw I want, because I'm a nerd like that. I'd say this is more of a get a tea and then go wander around Castro St. while window shopping sort of place than a sit down and hang out joint. Curse you, lactose intolerance! read more

Best boba ever. Definitely our go-to place. I usually get the green milk tea with boba. The boba balls are just right, nice and chewy which means it's fresh (old boba balls get hard). The milk tea is made with non dairy milk/cream, so it's perfect for lactose intolerant pple like me. =] The reason I get the regular tea is because the flavored teas are usually too sweet for me, but if you ask for half sugar, it's quite good too. Try the QQ (tiny little boba balls) or the dark brick (mocha flavored jelly) some time, they are great too. oh and for snacks, the peanut butter toast, tea egg, and spicy fried chicken are all really really good. hmm, I think I'm going to get some tonight! read more

Verde is known for their "frothy milk teas." They make it by using milk powder. And they give it a enticing name to get away with it. Since when did synthetic milk win over real milk? I don't get it; I really don't. Walk yourself to Tea Era for some legit milk and legit tea. read more

The best boba place on Castro! Delicious food options and the drinks are always good. The service is fast and even though this place is always packed (which tells you something about how good it is) you never have to wait long for your drink. Stanford peeps will make the drive out here (takes about 30 mins each way) just to get Verde. 10/10 come here every time that I get boba. read more

I judge a good Pearl Milk Tea place by their standard milk tea. This is as good as it gets! I will refuse to have any other milk tea other than Verde! Quick Tip: This place has undergone a lot of changes over the last 10 years. More recently, it has undergone different employees and many renovations. Nowadays, I prefer to order my tea and get the heck out of the joint. :) read more

Verde Tea Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Mountain View, California

I had pearl milk tea here yesterday, along with their "salty fried chicken" snack. The tea is overly sweet, with soggy pearls. I threw away most of it. Far more pernicious was the fried chicken snack. It actually tasted pretty good, so my friend and I ate the whole thing. Afterwards, I felt incredibly disgusted, as though I had just drank a cup of melted fat. Whatever lard or oil they use to fry the chicken made me sick to my stomach for the next four hours. After a long hike and eating plain yogurt, I finally got over the nauseous feeling. But I will never eat at Verde again. read more

This is my favorite regular milk tea boba place. The fruit drinks can be a little sweet but overall they use fresh ingredients and is quite tasty. This is a very popular spot especially during the weekends so expect there to be a wait to order but they make the drinks pretty fast. Love coming here when I'm eating nearby to grab a drink. read more

Food is great, boba is awesome as well. Everything comes out really quick and is priced fairly. I come multiple times a week. Service... can't really decide. It's awkward and the loud noise doesn't help. But hey, that's not why we come here. They often run out of pearls late at night, which seems odd for a boba place... imagine a gas station without gas. Overall, mad dece. read more

Food: Solid teas Service: Quick, but it ain't no Cupertino Fantasia Price: Good We stop by here every once in awhile if we're eating on Castro St. The honeydew milk tea I got last night ($2.75 + 25cents for boba) was actually really good. The drinks are fresh tasting and frothy. What I like about this place is that even if you order the flavored teas you can still taste the tea in the background - subtle, but satisfying. The pearls are smaller than most places, but cooked well. Honeydew and taro are solid flavors. Friends ordered the fresh juice with aloe - decidedly unique in south bay! I'm getting my tea with aloe next time. This is less of a grab n' go place then my staple (Cupertino Fantasia), so build in some wait time for the teas. Regardless, I like it! read more

I've been here a million times, they make the tea soo quick! After you pay, your drink is ready!! Their milk tea is more milky and less tea flavor. I prefer ordering only their cold drinks here. A small milk tea after tax cost $3.21, there is a minimum of $5 for credit cards. Recommendations: - Perl Milk Tea - Earl Grey Milk Tea read more

ATTENTION ALL HOT GIRLS THAT READ THIS REVIEW, LETS GO OUT SOMETIME AND REVIEW TOGETHER! I just wanted to see if that worked or not. Verde Tea Cafe is probably one if not the best place I have had my milk tea. I had ordered the Jasmin milk tea with lychee, it tasted AWESOME! What also caught my eye was the 2 dollar cheese cake, but I made a bad mistake of ordering it. The cake was really really dry no wonder it was 2 dollars and I got a stomach ache after not sure if it was the combination of the cheese cake and tea or just cheese cake. I would come here again, population of hot girls around 12pm pretty much 10% for all the guys that was thinking of what I was thinking. read more

One of my favorite milk tea cafes, besides Ten Ren milk tea. There's so different. My favorite is definitely the Rose milk tea. Why I say it's different is because it isn't super sweet like Quickly's or Fantasia. It's also a frothy and tastes rosey. I don't know how to describe it well... just go get it. Get what I recommended. You won't be disappointed! read more

I've heard so much about this place from Jon K.! His review definitely got my hopes up, I was expecting much more than I would from all the fobby Quickly's/Tapex places in SJ. I was sort of nearby so I made my way over yesterday for some late night snacks! Even though I carefully looked over my directions, I drove by twice before finding it :( The street is super dark and there are no bright lights/signs to point it out! So anyways I make my way inside and the place is PACKED for a Monday night! The place looks cozy and warm, but possibly a bit TOO cozy-- there's hardly any walking space! I nearly tripped over a woman's luggage (uh.. why was it there??) and the barstools were in a total mess-- good thing there was no one sitting there! There's no way I would have made it to a seat in the back! After finding a table where Mr. Jon K. and his fam were sitting, we squeezed our way back to the entrance to order. One green milk tea w/ small boba & one pearl milk tea w/ grass jelly. Our super giant (but still regular size, not large.. who finishes a large??) drinks came out SUPER FAST and then.... we decided we were hungry. haha. The menu looked pretty simple, I decided to play it safe w/ a salty crispy chicken which also came out super fast. So either I was daydreaming and didn't pick up my receipt or I just didn't get it, either way I went to go pick up my chicken without my receipt and I was totally confused because there were fries in the bag.... o_o. I guess people here aren't huge fans of spicy seasoning either bc the container was TINY and it was impossible to shake the stuff out! I should have just taken the top off! I did manage to accidentally drench the top layer in pepper though. The chicken was alright, nothing amazing. The pieces were ENORMOUS and few, with random sweet potato as well as normal fries scattered in the bag. I ended up getting full off the drink and discarded the chicken that I didn't finish. It's a nice place! Come here for drinks, not so much for food. They had cheesecake and panna cotta on display which I might try if I stop by here again and choose to 'dine'-in. I really liked that this particular Verde lets you come in and sit like any regular place, I've been to their Stevens Creek location where you order near the door and unless you spend over $5/person, you're not allowed to enter their enormous seating area. So ridiculous! read more

The best boba/pearl tea I've had in the Bay Area, if not on the West Coast. also the most imaginative--e.g., Verde Journey, green tea and avocado blended into a creamy delight. I also appreciate the variety of drinks, the snacks available, and the only boba place I've been to that takes credit cards. read more

Verde Tea Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Mountain View, California

I came here to try out their Thai Iced Tea. Ugh. It wasn't good at all. It was overly sweet and tasted nothing like thai iced tea or any sort of tea for that matter. They put too much sugar and cream/milk in it that resulted in it tasting more like a melted shake/ice cream. Not impressed. My husband got another drink which he liked but it didn't have milk in it and he requested half the sugar. Maybe that's the key - start off with their drinks and ask them to change it. Anyway, in the mean time I'll try the other bubble tea places in the area before I come back here. read more

This Verde is pretty much the same as the one in Cupertino except it doesn't double as a restaurant. The non-dairy powder they use for milk teas is really strange. I don't like the taste of it, but a lot of people seem to really like it. If I have to come here, I always skip out on the milk teas and just go for that one blended mocha drink or the Thai Tea. The service here ranges from just bearable to pretty crappy. There have been several times where my order was messed up in one way or another, and the workers who make the mistake are typically unwilling to fix or even acknowledge it. Even if the customer is the one who made a mistake (which I know is not the case in my situation because I always have a witness), the proper thing to do is to honor the customer's wish and remake the drink or something. It's common sense. Instead, they just stare at you like you're an idiot and insist that they don't make mistakes because they're perfect human beings. RIGHHHHHT... Not my favorite place, but I guess it's not the worst either. read more

It's been a little over 4 years since I was last here, but I've just moved within a half mile of here so how could I not stop by?! Plus, I'm sick (and ashamed) of going to Tapioca Express only because it's a few steps closer to my place, and not really in the mood to wait in line at Tea Era. $4.50 for a LARGE Rose Milk Green Tea + $0.35 of tapioca: Just as deliciously rosy as I remembered from last time but a bit more watered down. If you've never tried rose tea before, it has a more flower-y and perfume-y flavor than both jasmine (lightest) and lavender (medium flower-y). Though some people dislike these flower flavors with a passion because they think it feels like drinking perfume or hand soap, this fragrance is their appeal and this is what they taste like when you get them in Japan or Taiwan so it really is a matter of personal preference and not an error on the tea-maker's side. On the other hand, the tapioca was a disappointment today -- rather than a bouncy chewy texture, it had a mushy outer layer, was hard towards the center, and was also missing the hint of honey that it should always have. $3.75 for the Salty Fried Chicken: Upon first glance, this looks like you got a great deal because the bag looks huge. But, in reality, you're getting only a little more than average because there are lots of fried sweet potato in there as filler. Also, they do not make this with a spicy option, so you have to use the spice shakers and add it yourself...which annoys me because there's no way I can get the spice powder on there as evenly as they can when it is already in this bag with a tiny opening -_- Lastly, do not think that they're kidding when they call something salty. It is SUPER salty! So salty that I still couldn't eat it all with my giant cup of milk tea to wash it down. Sadly, I'm downgrading Verde from 4 to 3 stars on the terribleness of both their tapioca and popcorn chicken...I'll be back eventually to give them another chance though, because everyone can have an off day, right? read more

Honestly, I like the other Verde (the now closed location in Cupertino) a lot more than Mountain View's location. But this is a good substitute. The drinks here aren't as great as they are in the other location, and by god it is cramped as heck in this restaurant. They can never get your drinks consistently right. When it IS right, it's once every blue moon. I've since fallen in love with Gong Cha, but will go to Verde every now and then just to get some more of that frothy milk tea. But trust me when I say that Verde has definitely seen better days. read more

One of the first premium boba tea places in the South Bay. Can't believe I hadn't left a review for them till know. Usually get the mango green milk tea with boba. Always good. They have a lot of new competition now but can still hold heir own. The place is pretty tiny and cramped though. They tried opening up a bigger place down the street, but that didn't work out for some reason. Good snacks too even if they've stopped serving the good value rice plates. Go for the tea. Best one in downtown Mtn View. read more

I only order their green milk tea, cold or hot, and with or without pearls. As far as pearl milk tea goes -- this place is delicious, with the green milk tea tasting like real tea. Their pearls are also consistently good -- slightly sweet, soft but not goopy, and a tad chewy. Second only to Ten Ren. Their chocolate thick toast is to die and wind up in Asian processed pastry heaven for -- thick, white bread toast, slathered with a bit of butter and a lot of Nutella, and toasted until the chocolate and butter melt on top of toast that's slightly crispy on the outside, but fine and fluffy on the inside. For those who have not had Asian breads before, this bread has a beautiful consistency that's somewhere in the middle between cake bread and regular white sandwich bread. read more

Drink: Hot Almond Milk Tea with Boba Awesome: - cute atmosphere - close to other Castro eatteries - normal priced boba - 2.75 + .50 for boba - serving sizes are HUGE...like a large at other places. Sucks: - my boba was slightly hard...yuck - there wasn't a whole lot of almond flavor - super milky tasting - lady behind the counter was always talking on the phone in mandarin/yelling at others - friend ordered number 105 and they totally gave him 104...dubbya tee eff? - why is it called verde? it's not green!??! read more

Nice quiet place with music playing in the background. Ordered the salty fried chicken, salty fried squid and cheese cake. I was surprised to see sweet potato fried with the chicken and squid. I would have liked to just have more chicken and squid ha! The cheesecake wasn't as soft and tasty as I expected it to be. There's also a $10 minimum for credit cards. read more

Verde is always a happening place on the weekends, lots of Stanford and the start-up crowd hanging out late at night. Wonderful ambiance, clean and cozy. I come here every other weekend. The tea is delicious, tastes creamy but not powdery, light flavor but strong caffeine content. You get a huge glass for $2.75 and the boba is always well made, soft and chewy and always fresh. Service is fast. I highly recommend this restaurant. Cons: 1) Must have greater than $5 purchase if paying with credit card 2) Long lines that snake out of the door during peak hours read more

I started working in the building next to this joint last month. At first sight I was thinking, oh noes, there goes my monies. Luckily their tea turns out to be completely non-addictive. I've tried the Jasmine Milk Green Tea three times; just in case they had a bad day the first two times. First of all, too sweet. I can't finish the cup without already feeling sick. Secondly, too much milk. Lastly, I can't even taste the tea. What's the point of ordering green tea when tea isn't even part of the taste. Honey lemon green tea with aloe. Again too sweet. 2nd time without the honey - too sweet, but at least drinkable. It did have some sour-ish like substance in it that doesn't taste completely unlike lemon juice. Popcorn chicken. Pretty good if you add some white pepper on it. Completely saved Verde from a one star review. Popcorn chicken (not Verde's in particular) may be the death of me someday. Summary: Too sweet. Good source of fried chicken and diabetes. read more

*Drinks: 2/5 Every time I go to a new boba place, I always order the Strawberry Banana boba. It usually never fails me, but this time was a big disappointment. The drink was way to sweet. I don't know if it's because the waiter put too much syrup. I may have to try Verde Tea Cafe again, but this time order a tea boba. The pearls themselves were a good consistency, but there's no way that I would eat only the pearls considering how much calories is in each one. However, I might just stick to Tapioca Express to fill my boba cravings. *Price & Portions: 4/5 I ordered the large thinking that it would be the same size as that of Tapioca Express. Boy was, I wrong. It was almost the size of a tub of ice cream for around $6. For the difference in size, I would recommend upgrading to the large and put the drink in the fridge to save for later. (Although, just the thought of how many calories are in that entire drink in enough to not want to do so.) I think that the price of the regular is too expensive though. *Service & Atmosphere: 3/5 The location is a little difficult to find because of how small the cafe is. I had it on the GPS and walked right past it. The cafe itself is very narrow, not a place I would feel comfortable staying for a long period of time especially when it gets crowded. The service is nothing to rave about. They didn't seem too friendly, maybe its because it was 9 at night. *Overall Experience: 2/5 *Would I come here again: No read more

I came back to have their plain pearl milk tea (which I almost never order) after reading some of the reviews saying that it was what they do best. I have to be frank here, it was flat out awful.... I didn't taste ANY tea flavor... it might have well been a cup of sweetened milk with boba.... read more

Verde Tea Cafe is one of my favorite places to get good Taiwanese milk tea. They have such a good variety of drinks and little appetizers, so if you're not starving to death, this place will hit the spot. Unfortunately during the multiple times I've been here the drinks were inconsistent. It's honestly a hit-or-miss with the drinks in this location. 50% of the time I get a good drink & the other 50% will leave me with a watered-down peach milk tea. You guys must be thinking... "Why the heck do you even go back?" Quite honestly? When they do make a good peach milk tea, it turns out pretty damn good. Pros: ++ Plenty of seating. ++ Friendly staff. ++ Variety of appetizers. Cons: ++ $10 minimum for card. ++ Inconsistency with drinks. read more

One of the very first pearl milk tea shops to open in the Palo Alto/Mountain View area, Verde was a high school hang-out staple. Since then, they have remodeled several times, and have tried to become more "upscale." What this means is they have a little (sketch looking) dessert case near the register, all the furnishing is in dark "wood," and their patrons are older and less Asian. Despite all these changes, we still stop by once in a while for nostalgia's sake. The milk tea isn't bad, but it isn't great. The salty fried chicken (which used to be a favorite of mine) is no longer irresistibly delicious... or maybe its just me... read more

I've been here a couple of time and have tried a couple of different teas and food on the menu. Usually on my first time to a boba/tea place, I would try their green milk tea and this place can not compare to other tea places I've been to. Their green tea is fine without milk just like any other tea but their milk tea is way too sweet. You definitely can taste what kind of sugar they add into their milk teas and it is also very watered down. Food was just ok nothing really special but they definitely have a lot of different food on their menu. Service is not so good. I'm not too happy with their cashier and she seem to always be angry or something. read more

All of those late night boba runs will always be fondly remembered. Verde was simply a big part of my social experience at Stanford. I've visited dozens of times and tried much of their very large menu. I generally stick with my favorites though, which are the peach milk tea and the crispy fried chicken. Good - It's a fun environment. It can get pretty crowded sometimes, but it's definitely a nice place to hang out. - The snacks are pretty good and affordable, as are the dinner plates. Bad - The milk tea is really way, way too sweet. You can't even taste tea! And often they make the milk tea way too quickly, so you can taste the undissolved powdered flavor. Disgusting. Usually, I ask for half sugar, which helps. - The service is AWFUL sometimes. It feels like they don't care, they just want to take your order and move on the next customer. I guess who would blame them, since there are legions and legions of loyal customers. They have also gotten my order wrong a couple times and refused to correct the situation, instead blaming me. There are really better options nearby, in my opinion. I prefer both Tapioca Express and Tea Era to Verde, and both of those restaurants are just a block or two away. read more

On my way up to SF I heard there was a boba place called Tea Era my friend had recommended I try. It was closed for the holidays... So I went to try Verde hoping to still satisfy my cravings. Apparently I've been there once before many years ago. Wow. I don't remember it being this bad the first time I had it. The boba? Hard as rocks. Either they left it out in the cold or didn't cook it long enough at all. The milk tea? Waaayyyy creamy. In both the regular milk tea and green milk teas I wondered if there was even tea in my drinks. It wasn't overly sweet though. I've had 99¢ boba from Quickly's better than this... Lesson learned. read more

This is my first time come to this restaurant! I order Salty Fried Chicken Plate and Bubble Tea. I really like their Salty Fried Chicken, it's real Taiwanese food which reminds me my lovely hometown Taiwan. However, I think their bubble tea is just so so. But I will still come here next time for their Taiwanese food. read more

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verde will always have a special place in my heart. Back in college, we frequented verde. Back then the color scheme was still the bright light green and primary color logo. The place is different but still the same in my mind. It is a bit cramped and claustrophobic but i can overlook that. The last time we were here I got a half peanut butter and half coconut thick toast. I forgot what tea I got. Both were good. read more