I am in love with this place. They are always so nice. I can tell that the owner, Mark, emphasizes…read moreto their team to make their customers feel welcomed and valued because literally everyone has always been so kind and accommodating- whether offering suggestions, small talk or answering questions. I've encountered at least 5 different people and they've all been amazing! I am really big on customer service so they are already winning before the food and drinks are ordered. I can tell it is a family business. It has that feel and I love it. I tend to find something I like and veer. My go-to selects are the mudslide (a protein smoothie), the breakfast croissant (what makes this bomb us how much you get on it - 4 proteins!) And the vanilla cold brew with oat milk topped sea salt foam. The pesto chicken sandwich is being eyed however. I really need to try more of the menu. Today, T.K. made my sandwich. He told me he made it with love and asked me if I wanted to see it. I was so hungry and so happy that he made it with love and was excited to see his creation. It was magnificent! And Michael (I think, sorry if I got that wrong) made a wonderful cold brew for me today, too! They were both new employees but so attentive to me and it really made my day even better. They have a points program, too. Every 50 points earns you $5 off. The store is always clean. They have a small seating area but they somehow manage to make it feel roomy by maximizing the space. There is plenty of seating with a mounted television, too. I love the little details and the effort they make. For example, they offer flavored coffee creamer. I am very particular when it comes to my coffee which is why I tend to never order coffee when I'm out. Instead, I usually do like a latte or cappuccino but having these options is clutch. I make mine at home with french vanilla creamer so this makes me smile. Also, I believe their coffee is dark roast which is right up my alley. It is all I drink. Don't swing no medium roast my way. I am pretty much a guaranteed customer. I'll be back! Highly recommended!!!

This is a small and unassuming shop next to Cal State Dominguez Hills. The sign was partially…read morecovered with a tacos sign. I can't speak to the tacos sold at a place that does drinks as I haven't tried them, but I can say the following: Ambiance (3/5): Small but cute, they don't skimp on AC even as it's a sunny little shop. Great for studying if you're able to nab a seat; they have three tables that seat 4 (maybe 5 if you bunch up on the bench). The natural lighting makes it pretty nice to so some work in there. They have an extension cord with multiple outlets tucked in the corner under the corner table. Service (4/5): Server was friendly and quick. I'm glad he asked if regular milk was okay because it reminded me that it's not for my husband. It's a small thing but it's appreciated! I also loved the little surprise of getting some extra smoothie in a small cup, perfect for my daughter. Why can't other shops be like this? Appreciate it! Drink (4/5): The strawberry banana smoothies tasted fresh. Real fruit bits and not overly sweet or artificial tasting. My husband and I both noted that it had great flavor. My only gripe was that it was still a bit icy; it was hard at times sucking the smoothie out of the boba straw we used. If it were blended fully and smoothly, I would say it would be near perfect. Would we come back? Based on this experience, if we need a quick stop for a drink before the freeway, this makes for a good stop. I wouldn't mind trying out one of their match drinks next time (those look pretty good)!

What a cute tea shop with a modern, slightly Japandi-inspired decor that makes the space feel calm…read moreand inviting. Their drinks were a pleasant surprise. The Thai tea was nicely balanced and not overly sweet, and the Jasmine tea was fragrant, thick, and perfect at 50% sweetness. The matcha latte was the best drink here for me: earthy, not sweet at all, and with a subtle nuttiness that made it so satisfying. The only miss was the strawberry taro, which leaned too sweet for my taste. Overall, a beautifully designed shop with some truly great drinks.

I finally got around to this tiktok famous spot…read more I wanted a matcha horchata but did not want to make the drive to a farther destination so I settled for trying this place out. It was not that busy at all. It's a small place but there's a good amount of seating for the size of the place. There's parking in the plaza & they have restrooms. I ordered their own matcha horchata and .... ...:. .... I only was able to taste milk. I have no clue how it is made, but I genuinely was like..... I feel like I'm drinking cows milk. I was not impressed at all. I tasted 0 horchata and 0 matcha it was the weirdest experience. The cashier was somewhat nice? It was a minimal interaction. There's screens to order as well so maybe he was not expecting the human interaction. Either way it threw me off unfortunately. I'd have to wait a while to see if I wanna come back and try something different. There's too many coffee and milk tea shops that come to my mind first to visit instead.

MAI Coffee & Tea House is an absolute gem in Gardena! I am so glad I found this spot. You can…read moreimmediately taste the high quality in their drinks--they actually use organic Straus milk and fresh, locally sourced fruits, which makes a world of difference. The flavors are rich, authentic, and never taste artificial. But what really sets them apart are the toppings. You can tell they don't cut corners because everything is prepared fresh in their kitchen every morning. Their silky mousse and chewy mochi are next-level--easily some of the best I've ever had! The atmosphere is welcoming, the staff is super friendly, and the quality is incredibly consistent. Whether you're craving a perfectly brewed coffee, a refreshing fruit tea, or a decadent boba drink, this is the spot. I'll definitely be coming back on the regular. Highly recommend!

I've been going to MAI coffee for the past couple of months, and I've been able to try out their…read morevariety of options. I'm not a fan of coffee so I'm always deciding between their mochi, fresh fruit, or iced teas etc. My go-to drinks are the Yuzu Citrus No. 8 and Jasmine Frost Iced Tea (less sweet for both options). The Yuzu Citrus has the perfect amount of tang with a slight sweetness that cuts through the acidity. The tea flavor manages to shine through the fruitiness, and overall the flavors pair well with one another. The Jasmine Frost Iced Tea is very aromatic and brewed to really highlight the Jasmine. My boyfriend normally gets the mochi mango which has soft chunks of mochi mixed, and tart/sweet mango puree. I appreciate how the smoothie is never icy, and has a creamy texture. There are plenty of seating options for people, whether it's socializing or studying. It gets pretty busy and wait-times can vary greatly; I would recommend ordering ahead of time. The staff members are friendly and helpful. The only issue I have with the spot is that the drinks do tend to be on the more expensive side, with drinks ranging from $7-9. The matcha drinks are also not the highest quality, and often the matcha tastes quite diluted. Overall a solid spot!

I almost missed the place and went right by it because from the street view the trees are blocking…read morethe sign and building. I ordered garlic noodles to go. I have been wanting to try these for a while so, I'm glad I finally got the chance. My order did not take long but there was only person inside besides myself. The employee that greeted had a smile. I think the place inside is cute and nice and clean but it's just really easy to miss. Plus the noodles were $16 with no protein but it had such good flavor and I would definitely be back just for this.

Not usually a review writing type of person, but my friends and I came to the Hiccups on Carson…read moreStreet last night, and were met with pretty rude service right off the bat. We understood that we came in pretty late and close to closing, but we weren't planning on dining in, we just wanted to get 3 drinks and 1 food item to go. As soon as we walk in, we received with "we're closed for dining" which all three of us said okay, got it. As we took a look at the menu to figure out what we had wanted, we were met with annoyed stares and sighs as they watched us. This interaction in its full entirety lasted about 10 minutes from walk-in, to waiting, and leaving. It was a pretty uncomfortable situation, and kind of disappointing, as the girls making the drinks not only rolled their eyes and let out sighs while simply making our drinks, messing up one of them up and saying "oh well" and continued to make faces. Which is fine, I didn't ask for it be remade since I didn't want to further interact with the women during this closing shift in this establishment as to not want to feel anymore uncomfortable as we had been with the treatment from the staff. Along with the service not being the greatest, the food item we had ordered Pad See Ew, ended up containing quite a few pieces of meat that we weren't anticipating, considering one of us doesn't eat meat, it unfortunately caused pretty bad stomach issues. We hope that maybe we had just caught an off day with the staff and this isn't the usual service, but as it was our first time at this establishment, it will more than likely be our last.

Cute shop with lovely staff. I was given an excellent recommendation…read more The turon banana with banana foam is perfection if you like banana bread, caramel, and coffee flavors. It is a well crafted dessert coffee. Lots of places have flavored drinks that either feel like the coffee is incidental/nonexistent, or they feel like coffee with a La Croix hint of whatever flavor is advertised. The Amai banana turon, on the other hand, is beautifully balanced. It's like eating a slice of salted caramel banana bread while drinking a latte. Both flavors are fully present and complement each other. I usually avoid foam, since I can find the texture unappealing, especially when it feels close to bubble bath suds. The foam at Amai is thick and creamy and genuinely added to the drink.

just a side note the parking is very limited - I usually walk over after parking in the residential…read morearea closeby. Mango Sticky rice Matcha: this was so delicious, perfect amount of sweet to balance out the earthy matcha Blueberry matcha: in my opinion, very fruit-blueberry instead of artificial - so not as sweet as I was expecting. still good, but I preferred the mango one over this one. galaxy lemonade: my mom ordered this one, ahe just wanted something refreshing to drink since it was 3pm, but this was very.. tart. I think she'll look for the strawberry lemonade for next time - but it was a very pretty drink! I don't live in Torrance anymore but I'll return when I'm back in town :)

Such good boba! Easy parking out front…read more Right when you step inside, it smells delicious. They have pancakes along w lots of boba drink options. Fruit teas, milk teas, taro, etc. I got the traditional milk tea with non-dairy creamer and boba pearls. They ask your ice level and sweetness level preference - I got light ice and 30% sweet. It was the perfect level of sweetness and so good! The boba pearls were smaller than usual and really tasty. Great little treat! And kids love this place too - my niece and nephew loved the strawberry drink and the pancakes.

We were in the area and stopped by Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea for a quick drink after spotting it in…read morea busy shopping center. It definitely caught our attention, and the menu had a lot of refreshing options. The lobby looks empty but they have a large seating area that was full so don't be fooled by my photo. We ordered the peach fruit tea and a matcha with boba. The matcha with boba was a delicious pick. The boba had a great texture and was probably the highlight for me. The peach fruit tea wasn't quite my thing. It came with A LOT of fruit bits (I'm pretty sure they were pears), which might be great if you enjoy that texture, but for me it made it hard to actually enjoy the drink. It was really lacking on the peach flavor but having to work around all the fruit took away from it. Overall, a decent stop if you're in the area and like fruit-forward drinks with real fruit pieces...just something to keep in mind depending on your preference.

Ive joked, with a light heart, that QB is like the convenience store of boba since they carry…read moredrinks, snacks, food items and more. I especially like how the options seem to never end, the menu is literally bottomless. Upon my most recent visit, I tried their mocha milk tea with the least amount of sweet (I'm not a big fan of sweet drinks) and it was just as delicious as the normal sweetened version! Super creamy and had the perfect mocha taste without it being overbearing...it actually reminded me of a regular milk tea. If you like having a ton of choices instead of the same basic menu everywhere, this spot is definitely worth it!

would honestly give them 0 stars if I could. called in an order and it still took forever. ordered…read moresomething simple. popcorn chicken and fries. HIGHWAY ROBBERY! ALMOST 20$ FOR A SMALL paper container of 90% fries and 10% popcorn chicken. we didnt even order drinks. we also ordered an extra sauce and it was like 1 oz of sauce, IF THAT.. for 25c. I'm sorry, WHAT?! we were in shock how expensive it was. will not return.

Sadly the hype of this place was hugeeeee that I think that takes my expectations to another level…read more Unfortunately it did not live up to the hype. This place sits right next to the bowling alley and there is actually No big sign for it. Thankfully when we went there was no line either which was great since everyone talks about how busy it gets in there. There was a kiosk or you can order with the employee. She told us they were known for their jelly's so I made sure I tried it. I ordered a black milk tea with matcha jelly And hubs ordered his with almond pudding. Thankfully I could adjust sweetness and milk. I thought mine was good. It's not bad but I knew it wasn't something I would crave. Hubs did not like his as much as I did. Our kids loveee Their matcha but I was not able to try it. If I'm in the area again maybe illl have some but it's definitely not something I'll drive out of the way for.

Ehhh, very overrated boba shop, imo. Picked up on this place due to some social media posts I got…read moreshown by friends, but the jelly they show on top of the drinks is actually just a topping that ends up in the drink. It's...ok? I've tried a few of their drinks, but I don't find the tea tasting special at all. The jelly are fine, but also nothing particularly stand out. My first visit I waited like 20mins near closing, which is waaaay better than the hour it was beforehand. And on a recent visit there was essentially no wait. I'm not sure I'd come back as I have other boba shops I much prefer nearby me.