I loved the milk tea here! The teas are very flavorful, with a perfect balance of boba toppings…read more Easily accessible, and the staff are very friendly and welcoming.

Came here to study for a few hours. I got the jasmine green milk tea with crystal jelly. Drink was…read moregood, not super strong in tea flavour but I could taste the jasmine. I think it's a great place to have a bubble tea shop here because I saw crowds of business people coming here during lunch time and high school students afterschool getting drinks. Overall, comfortable seating.

Visited this bubble tea on Friday Feb 14 on Valentine's Day just after dinner…read more The server was so unhappy and unwilling. I asked for grass jelly and server say "we ran out" ok fine Then after the drink was ready I asked for a tray to carry the 2 drinks and she was like "we ran out" but I saw a folded tray inside one of the glass display and I asked can I get that tray...she was so unwilling and hand it over didn't even help assemble so we can place the drink Terrible service and attitude. If this place keeps this server no one will return !!!!

I was in the mood for bubble tea and happened to be in this plaza. Since Starbucks is now out of…read morechestnut praline lattes, I was craving something chestnut. I'm also a complete chestnut fanatic so when I saw that they had a chestnut bliss drink - I immediately jumped on it. I ordered it through Uber Eats because it was freezing outside and I didn't want to wait in the store. By the time I went inside to pick up, it was ready. I wouldn't say the service was the most friendly, but it was efficient. The drink itself is as pictured on the poster however, it really didn't meet expectations. I had ordered a large with Taro balls. They make it with Oreo crumble on the top and honestly that's all you taste. It taste more like a cookie and cream drink with no sign of chestnut whatsoever. There are some broken pieces of chestnut at the bottom, but they taste it almost waxy. Similar to what others have said this place is a little bit more expensive and using Uber eats make it even more expensive. It was almost $11 for one drink probably won't be coming back.

Best spot for healthy vinegar drinks! My review still stands from before. Highly recommend :)read more

Another Yelp listing blunder. Someone at Yelp decided to merge the Yelp Elite event listing with…read morethe regular True Boss listing. Yelp then kept the other one and deleted the original True Boss listing. I now have two reviews, one for the Yelp event and another for being a regular True Boss customer, under the elite event. Ugh! I created a new True Boss listing. Let's see what happens next. Tips: - Street parking is limited. There is parking behind the building, by the condos. Guest parking gives you thirty minutes. You can also park across the street in the plaza with Whole Foods. - Sparking infusion drinks don't have tea. A recent Yelp experience introduced me to True Boss. I've been back a couple of times since then. This drink place is where Kung Fu Tea used to be. It's across from the plaza that I frequent often with Whole Foods anchoring it. Parking on the street is limited. It's the one thing that I don't like about downtown Markham, especially this area closer to Highway 7. You do have the option of parking at the plaza with lots of parking. I parked in a visitor parking spot behind this building. It's where condos are and is probably closer. I then walked over with my umbrella. I was the only person at this store when I first visited it. Eric was manning it. He was friendly and awesome to talk to. Eric took the time to explain the drinks that I could get. He was also great letting me know what the top drinks were. What's cool about True Boss is that it specializes in vinegar in its drinks. He asked me whether I have had apple cider vinegar. I have. I never really like it. I realized why. I had it with no sugar. He recommended 20% sugar to make it easier to down. I was game. I went with the safe starter for those who haven't had vinegar in their drinks. I got the peach vinegar infusion with oolong tea with 20% sugar and less ice. I noticed that there was a sparkling drink on the menu. I couldn't have this peach drink with sparkling water because it's tea-based. If it's a water-based drink, I could. In an unexpected move, he said that he'd give me a smaller sparkling drink on the house. He made me a sparkling plum vinegar infusion. It was so generous. If you know me somewhat well, I am a sparkling drink person. This place uses Canada Dry soda for the carbonation. He let me know that using SodaStream makes the drink go flat faster. I went with plum. He nodded. He said that most people wouldn't choose plum. It's his favourite. We are both Cantonese. It's probably why we both liked it because dried plums are a thing. I drank the sparkling plum vinegar infusion first. It was excellent. The vinegar was subtle. The plum flavour was delicious. I loved the carbonation. It was perfect. He said that I could enjoy the other drink later. It would be fine the following day. I had it after a rather hardy lunch today. Vinegar is good for digestion and is energizing. Cool! I loved the peach vinegar infusion with oolong tea. I didn't find it overly sweet. Again, the vinegar was subtle, but it brought a slight tanginess to the drink. The peach flavour was good. I barely tasted the oolong tea, though. I like tea strong, but I was fine having it take a backseat. It was refreshing and enjoyable. There were plenty of places to sit down and enjoy your drinks. I did it briefly. I got a glass tumbler with a straw for free. It was unexpected and generous. All my grab-and-go tumbers are glass. I like that True Boss provides an alternative to my usual bubble tea places in this area. I frequent Comebuy and Chatime often. It's nice to have this place join in the mix. I've been back for sparkling infused drinks. The cranberry is excellent. I feel that it helps with my stomach ulcer that I've had for the past few days. I loved my experience here. Staff are super nice and I like having healthy drinks. (158)

Tip: The sparkling fruit drinks are amazing…read more Last month, after work, I drove directly from my workplace to CF Markville for dinner. I was craving my usual from Bourbon St. Grill and hit the food court. While heading downstairs after walking through mall entrance 3, I saw this Chicha San Chen store. I flagged it for a visit. After having a satisfying, casual meal at the food court, I returned to the second floor and walked over here to check out the drinks. It was almost as if this store knew that I like fruit and sparkling drinks. I saw a sign that said I could get two sparkling fruit drinks for $10. Three words: Sign me up! I got Kinson at the ordering area. He was great stepping me through everything. I let him know that this promotion interested me. He asked if I wanted one of each fruit flavour. Yes! My order consisted of the following: - Sparkling orange - Sparkling peach Each drink contains fruit, sparkling water, and konjac. I paid with a credit card. I tapped and I was done. He let me know that it wouldn't take long for my drinks to be made. The wait time wasn't much. The seating area had just cleared, so I could take photos of the branded throw pillows, various decorated bear figures holding tea cups in slings, and a wall celebrating a hundred years of tea love. It's my kind of tea joint. I stood next to looseleaf teas in mini containers. I smelled a number of them as I waited. They were so fragrant that I didn't want to leave! I love smelling these teas: - Cassia black - Dong ding oolong - Green - Black - Osmanthus oolong - High mountain pouchong My drinks came in one size. It seemed to be the case for all drinks on the menu. I like that you can customize your drink. There's a menu that steps you through it, from the type of tea that you want brewed, to the flavours and toppings that you want in it. If you find this method to be too complicated, it does have popular teas that are already configured, so you don't have to. I liked that I didn't have to fuss with my order. It was exactly what I wanted. My receipt had a number on it. Their system has an automated voice that calls out your order number. it was a nice change of pace. I could clearly hear my order number called out. I'm sure staff were happy to save their vocal cords, too. My drinks were on the counter. You can help yourself to a tray, which I did. My drinks looked good. What I should have done was sipped both before walking to my car. This place was so generous with the pour that my drinks were topped to the brim. One of my drinks did spill out a bit as I was about to go through the doors. Oops. I stopped to sip both of them. I was good! I got to my car and safely put my drinks down in my caddy. Just from sipping them, I loved the flavours so much. The orange one had slices of orange and chewy konjac. It was slightly sweet and fizzy. It was cheerful to drink. I had the orange slices, minus the peel, of course. Yum! The peach drink was equally as awesome. It was bubbly, with generous chunks of peach and konjac. It was fruity and chewy. So good! Both were so refreshing on a hot July evening. I'm glad that I got two drinks. I enjoyed my first two drinks from this tea place. I'll be back for more! (301)

First time coming to Chicha San Chen inside Markville Mall 2/F. The store was bright and clean, and…read morethe service was courteous and speedy. We saw that they just launched the NEW Pineapple menu and decided to try the caffeine-free, Creamy Pineapple Tart drink (sugar and ice level is fixed) - it was surprisingly tasty the mousse, fresh milk, pineapple bits, and topped with a pie crust crumble(?) on top.

Pretty solid bubble tea spot! I come here about once a week since it's so close. It's definitely…read morethe best in Langham Square imo. I love their whipped cream, my go-to is the snow-topped jade, which comes with pistachio toppings. They also have a green grape slush that reminds me of the one from Hey tea grape slush and it comes with jelly too. Super refreshing. I'd recommend getting it at 30% sugar. I also really like their cups, they have such nice designs on it. The staff is usually pretty quick. They don't really have tables so it's more of a take out spot. They also have an app now so you can order ahead and collect points.

Their teas are fragrant and carefully crafted. The store is clean and nicely decorated, it seemed…read morebusy but not chaotic.

So cool this place I feel like in Asia with absolutely gorgeous flavors ! I highly recommend thisread more

Tips: - There aren't any humans taking orders when you walk…read morein. You must use the kiosk. - This place is on Fantuan, but doesn't offer the full drink menu that you see in the store. - Most drinks are regular in size. Only a handful are large. Last Monday, after work, I was in downtown Markham. I was driving up Birchmount Avenue, just before Highway 7. I pulled into a parking spot on the street. It was my first time parking here. I thought that I'd check out the businesses and remembered Machi Machi. You can also park in the plaza. Machi Machi is across from Panera Bread. There's lot of parking. It was the last bubble tea store in downtown Markham that I had yet to visit. It was time. The store has a couple of steps to get to the door that faces Birchmount Avenue. It also has a ramp. I took the steps going in. There is no hand rail. I left using the ramp, which seemed spacious enough for a wheelchair. I entered the store. There were two folks ahead of me at the kiosk to place orders. No one was behind the counter taking orders, so your kiosk is your best bet. There was a group of four folks waiting for their orders next to us. I also saw seating off to the right and left. They are limited. You get three seats on either side of the order area. I was order number 29 with these items: - Fizzy plum green tea (fixed sugar and ice) - Coconut lime strawberry smoothie (light sugar and fixed ice) Both were regular in size. There are few drinks that are large. Customizations aren't as flexible as other bubble tea places. They are my reasons why this place doesn't get a five-star review. It was such a nice day outside that due to demand for cold drinks here, it took long to get my drinks. The woman in front of me decided to go outside. It was weird to me. If I had a drink waiting for me and I'm a party of one, I'd be inside the store, waiting for my number to be called. Sure enough, order number 28 was called. I said that I was number 29 when the woman looked at me. I was standing by the glass window. It's all glass, which was nice seeing the sunshine come in, but it also heated up the place. I lightly tapped on the glass. Number 28 heard me. I pointed to her to come inside. She did. This woman was extremely introverted. She got to the counter and didn't say a thing. I went around and got the attention of a nice female staffer. I said that 28 was here. She nodded and got 28's drink. 28 was happy. Both thanked me. It was my good deed of the day. My order was ready. My good deed helped. The female staffer asked if I wanted a bag. I said yes. I got it for free. I thanked her and left with my bag of drinks and straws. I immediately had the fizzy plum green tea. I love fizzy drinks. This one was awesome. The plum flavour was excellent with the green tea. It was refreshing, fizzy, and perfect. I drank it as I drove to fetch some takeout before heading home. I had the coconut lime strawberry smoothie after dinner. It tasted tropical and delicious. The flavours were so good. Excellent! I'd get both drinks again. I'd also love to try more items on the menu. I had a wonderful first experience here. (166)

Came here hoping they would have a special for National Bubble Tea day, but even though they did…read morenot I was really impressed by the drink flavours and will be back! This spot has quiet cafe vibes and incredible attention to tea flavours in their drinks. Sister and I ordered the Edward Hopper taro ball jasmine milk tea (favourite!) with 30% sweet and it was perfection - I'm a fan of the chewy taro and Jasmine tea flavour. We also got the Venus Peach Oolong tea at 30% sweet which was refreshing. The Chinese pop music playlist was relaxing and could definitely make this a good 'work from cafe' spot. They have a points system you can join with just your cell phone number. Shoutout to the employee who helped us decide between drinks. we will be back soon!

I never even knew there was a bubble tea shop in this plaza next to Domino's. There are plenty of…read moreparking spots available. A friend recommended me to try the drinks here so I stopped by on a weekday. I got a brown sugar milk tea, tea was on point, very rich in flavor. Would definitely come by again to try out their other drinks.

I rarely use "hidden gem" to describe a restaurant or store, but I think Now Tea is a true hidden…read moregem for bubble tea and coffee. Commerce Gate is famous for being packed with countless bubble tea shops. Most are famous franchises, such as Chatime, CoCo, Tiger Sugar, Yoyo , etc. Now Tea seems so different among them. I had never seen this store before visiting Commerce Gate. After Googling it, I found that it is also a franchise, but it operates only in Ontario, with three stores in total. Being low-profile alone does not qualify it as a hidden gem. That just means it does not spend much on marketing. What really impressed me was the flavour of its bubble tea. We tried the Milk Green Tea and Milk TieGuanYin, both with bubbles. The tea flavour was strong and full of the unique aromas of green and oolong tea, but it was also smooth going down. The bubbles had been boiled for the perfect amount of time: not so briefly that they had hard centres and not so long that they became too soft. They were very chewy, among the best bubbles I have ever had. The inside of the tea shop is spacious and has plenty of tables and seats. The lighting is bright, and I always see customers working or studying there. Other tea shops usually have very few seats and dim lighting; basically, they do not want to give you a Starbucks vibe and let you sit for too long. Another interesting fact: if you come to Commerce Gate early in the morning, before 11:00, Now Tea is the only tea shop that is open because it also serves coffee. The drinks are also less expensive than those at more famous brands. I guess they save a lot of money on marketing: lower prices and higher quality. I tried this store for the first time this week, and we have already been here three times. As a tea lover, I ask everyone reading this review: you must come here and try their drinks!

Reviewing 2oz of Coffee (located inside Now Tea)…read more This coffee counter is known for doubling up their espresso shots in their lattes, so get ready to be well caffeinated. I arrived right when they opened, and there were already a few people waiting in line. The menu is small & curated, focusing more on the coffee than specialty flavours. However, they do have a good selection of flavoured lattes. I wasn't able to see which beans they used for the espresso, but overall, their roast seems to be a bit darker/stronger, which balances out a sweeter latte well. I tried the iced biscoff and pistachio lattes. The biscoff is slightly sweeter and nuttier - definitely my fave of the two. The pistachio latte, in contrast, was disappointing. It was $1 more than the biscoff latte, looked nothing like the photo on the counter, and didn't taste much of pistachio at all. Although it looks like a separate counter, I realized that you can order drinks from either "shop" from their one main counter. I also found it a bit confusing to figure out the hours of operation, as Google said 2oz of Coffee opens at 11am, but the Now Tea shop isn't open until 12pm.

A few weeks ago, I dropped by Mindzai to pick up an order. Every time I'm in this plaza, I choose a…read morebubble tea place that I've never been to. It's easy because, sadly, there is such a high turnover here. Several months back, I ordered food from Monkey Sushi. As crazy as that evening was at this eatery, I learned that Shuyi Tealicious was next door, with no wall separating the two businesses. I decided to get a drink here. I was the only person in the store. I went with a large fresh lime iced tea. I was craving something with lime in it, so this drink was perfect. You can earn points here. I signed up. I paid with a debit card. I tapped and was good. It didn't take long for my drink to be ready. The nice woman who helped me with my order also prepared it. She placed my drink in a plastic bag and included a straw. I thanked her and headed to my car. I immediately needed to take a sip. My drink was double-protected. It had a lid. Underneath, the drink was sealed. Cool! This drink was awesome! The lime flavour was so good. It was refreshing and completely satisfied my lime cravings. I'm so glad that I got a large. I'd be sad getting a regular. This drink totally hit the spot as I continued to run one more errand before heading home. I am fondly looking at my photos of this drink and want one badly. As much as I have enjoyed my two bubble teas in Eagan and Rochester, respectively, both places do not offer lime. I can't wait to return and get another one! (143)

I went here with my mom to try out their Signature Grass Jelly Milk Tea and it was really good…read more The large was $5.95, which I think is a great deal since the drink is full of toppings. The Signature Grass Jelly Milk Tea is milk tea with grass/mesona/herbal jelly, coconut jelly, tapioca, red beans, and raisins. I think it's supposed to have oats too, but they ran out. I really enjoyed this drink because I love different textures in my food, but I think some people may find this drink weird and that there's too much going on. I love desserts like Halo-Halo, Ais Kacang, and Che Ba Mau, and I think if you like these types of desserts then you would like the Signature Grass Jelly Milk Tea at Shuyi. The milk tea was rich and creamy. The toppings were delicious. They give you a lot of grass jelly, which has a soft gelatinous texture. The coconut jelly was firm and chewy. The tapioca (I didn't get very much unfortunately) were softer than a most places, but still chewy and tasty. They were a light yellow colour instead of the usual dark brown. The red beans were soft but not too mushy. The raisins were sweet and chewy. They were golden raisins. The drink did not look as pretty as in their advertisements, lol, but I guess it's the taste that counts. Service was nice and also quick. They share their space with a restaurant called Szechuan Beef Pot. It's in a strip mall with free parking. I would definitely come back to have this drink again. They have a promotion where if it's raining outside, you get buy one get one half price on drinks.