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I visited ViVi Bubble Tea, excited to check out the different flavors. There’s a lot to choose from within the menu, from classic milk teas to more fruit teas with neon colors. The staff are happy to make recommendations and make adjustments on sugar and ice levels. Plus, there’s popcorn chicken! The space is located by Chipotle at the Crossroads Shopping Center, which is really nice since we desperately need a bubble tea spot at Crossroads. Since this is walking distance from the mall and other major businesses, I can see myself coming here again. I ordered a large Taro Creme Brulee and the employee mentioned that for this month they have a promotion where if you get a large of any drink you can get 50% any of the fruit teas. With that said, I ordered the Signature Fruit Tea. Of the two, I enjoyed the Taro Creme Brulee! I love taro, so it was really nice that there were actual taro pieces throughout the drink…none of that artificial taro flavor. It was also really creamy, so it’s great for a dessert. I couldn’t finish one in one sitting, so ended up saving some for the next day, which still tasted great. The Signature Fruit Tea was unfortunately, not as enjoyable. Although I ordered it with no sugar, it was sweet enough from the fruit, and you did get an abundance of different fruits. But the flavor just seemed A-OK, slightly bland on the tea side. It wasn’t something I’d crave again, so glad I got it at a discounted price. Not the best for fruit teas here – stick with the others. Glad to have ViVi in Crossroads, accessible to those shopping at the mall or surrounding businesses with a parking lot outside the front. If you visit, get a stamp card, and for you taro fans, check out the taro creme brulee!

Tiny Bubbles Tea Bar at the Marietta Square Market – Menu with Prices – 68 N North Marietta Pkwy NW, Marietta

Being a Bubble Tea Addict, I had to end a full day of non-stop eating and snacking throughout Atlanta with some Bubbles LOL. Within their closing hour, I headed to this tea bar, given that it was the nearest Bubble Tea joint to our hotel. Well, the tea bar was literally tiny…possibly the smallest tea bar I’ve seen…and accordingly, not as many options. But then again, this tea bar was located within Marietta Square Mall (also tiny). I was immediately attracted to their soft-serve Taro Ice Cream with Bubbles…then as a take-home, I ordered a Matcha Green Milk Tea w/ Bubbles and Aloe Jelly. To make the long story short, the purple Taro Ice Cream (with Bubbles!) was amazing…but the supposed Milk Tea (with Bubbles and Aloe Jelly) was just awful. Also, the plastic cup presentation for the Tea was nothing like what’s pictured on their advertisement. Not even a logo on the cup? I almost thought about pitching a fit about the tea…but decided to chalk it up to bad luck and just drove home. Why? Again, their Ice Cream was amazing…like seriously delicious. So I just decided to call it even. Still, can’t believe how one of their products could be so good, and the other so bad?? Honestly, I think the girls that were working the counter just didn’t know how to make the proper milk tea. First of all, the Milk Tea barely had any milk in it. I’m thinking that the girl probably didn’t hear me say “Milk”, and just made Iced Green Tea…which is only half as good as what I asked for! The addition of Bubbles and Aloe Jelly were minimal as well…as in super-skimpy! I also asked for “70% Sweet”, and they made the tea more or less 25% Sweet..if at all? I went back up to the counter to ask them to add more sweetness. They basically told me to add the amount of syrup to my cup…to my liking. BTW, these were nice girls…don’t get me wrong. I just don’t think they were experts at making Bubble Teas. Possibly new staff members? Anyway, sad to say that I had possibly the worst Bubble Tea I’ve ever had…and paid way too much for it. Nope…never again will I return for their Bubble Teas, but possibly for their soft service Taro Ice Cream with Bubbles?

Rolls N Bowls – Menu with Prices – 605 Metairie Rd, Metairie

Excellent food and teas..but I love getting my Vietnamese food from here, is fresh, super fresh, good, healthy, clean and tasty. I love their bubble teas, fresh fruit, no added sugar BUT I am having trouble going back. Because of the waste. They make a super huge batch of bubble tea each time and throw at least half away. Their prices are fine, I am not complaining about those but it does not feel right that they are discarding as much as I am getting…it turns me off such a waste….I would love them to learn to use the right proportions into the blender or serve a super huge bubble tea for the same price since they are throwing it away anyway… Just saying!

Boba Smoothies – Menu with Prices – 4916 Center St, Tacoma

I got there shortly after they opened on a Sunday so needless to say the place was not busy. It’s in a quaint little shopping center near a gas station. Oddly enough there is a Pho Tai in the same shopping center & a Fresh Rolls across the street that also offer bubble teas. The lady at the counter genuinely greeted me when I entered, which doesn’t seem to be a thing anymore with most businesses. So it was nice to see that she genuinely appreciated the business. She asked if I had any questions about the menu which was pretty big on the two TV screens mounted on the wall. After I had my questions answered and ordered she got straight to work on my barbecue flavored waffle fries. I wish more people offered waffle fries because the only other place I’ve seen them is at Chick-Fil-A. The dining area is small and scarcely decorated and just enough room for about 5-7 groups of people. They also have a foosball table if you want to keep busy while you wait or if you’re just hanging out at the bubble tea joint on a Friday night. The counter space is vibrant in color and has all the items you’d need like ketchup, sriracha, mustard, forks, napkins, bubble tea straws, etc. The mountains of multi flavored gelatos peer out at you through the glass of the ice cream freezer by the counter as you wait for your order to be completed. My green apple smoothie with boba and coconut jellies came up first and it was perfect. Blended just right. You know how sometimes other businesses don’t blend it all the way and the ice isn’t fine enough or worse yet, you have chunks of ice in the cup. Let’s just say this was not like that. The flavor was pretty awesome too. I kind of wish the large size was larger because half of the cup was the boba and coconut jellies so I didn’t feel like I got enough actual bubble tea. The waffle fries were decent. Nothing overly remarkable but great to fill up my stomach. I did think it was kind of cool that you could add flavors to your fried items so they didn’t end up being plain Jane. The prices were…ok….about $11 for a large bubble tea with two additions and waffle fries with one flavor additions. The additions are what get you! I’ll definitely come back to try the gelatos because good gelato is hard to find. This place is worth checking out though.

Happy Lemon Menu with Prices 1645 140th Ave NE # B8, Bellevue

I’ve been to this happy lemon around 3 times since it’s a convenient location for me and have had really high hopes, but I’ve been pretty let down. One thing I liked was the decor and aesthetic of the place since they had air plants as decoration! The service is consistently polite and friendly as well! What’s not so great is the actual bubble tea. I ordered a taro milk tea and when I first tasted it I wasn’t sure if I actually ordered a taro milk tea since it tasted like a plain milk tea. If it had been a plain milk tea it would have been alright (3/5) but since it was supposed to be taro flavor it was really disappointing (1/5). The more I drank it I tasted small amounts of the taro flavor, but it wasn’t very convincing. My friend got the matcha avocado drink and it too was disappointing since neither of us could taste any matcha. As a plain avocado drink it was ok (3/5) but since it was supposed to also taste like matcha it was very subpar (1/5). Another time I got a plain milk tea with the taro pearls (4/5) and I would recommend the taro pearls since they are a fun alternative to boba! The biggest redeeming quality about the place is their bubble waffles(5/5)! If they aren’t too busy you can get a half and half bubble waffle (half chocolate half original). I’m not sure which I prefer since the chocolate flavor is subtle and the original is a little sweeter. Neither are very sweet which I liked. These waffles are chewier than normal waffles so it’s up to your personal preference if you like them. They also offer crema to dip the waffles in (2/5)but it was too sweet and buttery for my liking so I wouldn’t recommend. Overall, the drinks have been underwhelming, but I’ll definitely be back for their bubble waffles! Maybeee I’ll try one of their drinks again later to see if they actually have the flavors listed in the name of the drink. *the numbers in parentheses are my rating of each item out of 5 stars so (4/5) means 4 out of 5 stars.

Pie Peddlers Bakery – Menu with Prices – 300 S 6th St #104, Waco

I hit up Pie Peddlers in Waco for a bit of mid-afternoon sugar & caffeine. A slice of quite sweet buttermilk pie & a cup of richly flavored, robust coffee hit the $6 mark. Counter staff were smiling, friendly, and efficient. Crust in the pie was quite thin & baked very crispy. It was not a flake crust that I discerned, but rather a very thin (1/16″ ish), very dense, pretty brittle, not crumbly, dough crust. Eaten by itself, the crust offered up a neutral taste with overtones of sweetness. The buttermilk pie filling carried for me only a sweet flavor, no particularly distinguishing flavor notes besides that. Its texture was distinctly granular, bordering on being crystalline. The filling was also very moist with tiny pockets of sweet liquid (watery sugar syrup) settled along the bottom crust of the slice. So this was a *very* sweet slice of pie. The top of the filling was somewhat of a hybrid between the two finishes I’ve found on buttermilk pie: (1) a thin layer of cake crumb like baked crust or (2) a torched creme brulee caramelized sugar plating. Pie Peddlers’ top was more at the creme brulee topping, but softer, more resilient, nearly sponge cake buoyancy at the point of the slice. That resilience became firmer & firmer toward the outer crust, until it was very much in line with being a creme brulee caramelized topping at the outer edge. So if pie is your game and you’re near Waco, hit up the friendly folks at Pie Peddlers for some really, really good pie.

Lucky Koi Bubble Tea – Menu with Prices – 3216 Main St, Buffalo

I love that there’s a bubble tea spot closer to where I live now! It’s a cute little spot located near UB South. The decor is modern, clean, and cute. Service is good and pricing is average. You can only order 1 size. You can pick from 4 different tea types: white, green, oolong, and black. Unfortunately there are no nondairy milk options ? hopefully in the future they can accommodate by adding coconut milk, almond milk, or soybean milk as an option. But for now, lactose intolerants have to get the fruit teas. I got a mangosteen fruit tea. Mangosteen is my favorite fruit so I had high expectations but unfortunately it did not meet it. The flavor was ok, didnt taste like it to me. Maybe because there wasn’t much flavor or syrup in it. It kinda tasted like it’s watered down. My husband got a taro coconut smoothie. He said flavor was good but the smoothie was not blended well. It was still icey/chunky. My friend got a mango dragon fruit smoothie and hers was probably the best tasting one! Perfect amount of sweetness. Also, the actual bobas were a bit chewy, they could have been cooked a little longer. But they had a great taste that most bobas normally don’t. It kinda tasted like sweet caramel! They definitely have potential so I’m looking forward to trying it again if they fix these little details. But they make all the difference between other cafes!

Kung Fu Tea – Menu with Prices – 21 Hidenwood Shopping Center, Newport News

Omg, where have you been all my teenage and young adult life? I always go back home to NN and get surprised every single time I discover a new joint. I wish they would have opened 10 years ago! ….Damn, I sound old. Anyway, this lovely little spot of slushy goodness shares a large parking lot with a whole bunch of other businesses. It is clean, employees are nice and quick with orders. This place is a franchise so make sure you download the app, charge up your card and start earning your bubble points. It is super easy and free. The menu is vast, there are dozens of combinations to choose from. They sometimes have seasonal specials which I am itching to try someday. My favorite is the green tea milk cap- if you like the strength of match green tea and a sour heavy cream note then I recommend this puppy for you. I dream of the combo. Also, always, always, ALWAYS add bubbles (tapioca pearls). I also like the taro milk tea-which is sweet potatoes light starchy taste. I was not a fan of the rose milk tea-it faintly tasted of rose and more sweet than anything and I was expecting a slap of flavor compared to the other items. Overall? There is no bubble tea places in NN ( expect the PH Mall-but it was a sushi place and it was garbage) so I do think it is an excellent stop for the lucky CNU kids or after a nice Hot Yoga sessh, both locations which are right next door.

Crooks Coffee – Menu with Prices – 404c Mendocino Ave, Santa Rosa

Crooks Coffee is a gem. I had a few hours of work to do and visiting an unfamiliar area, I Yelped and stumbled upon this coffee shop! As soon as I entered the coffee shop, I knew I would love the place. I ordered the Creme Brulee Hot Chocolate and Green China Gunpowder Tea. They were both very good. I also ordered a bag of beans. The Creme Brulee Hot Chocolate was the best thing I’ve ever tasted. It was SOOO good! I couldn’t believe my taste buds. I stopped myself from downing my drink. The Green China Gunpowder Tea was very different but it was a very good tea. I loved all the selections of coffees and teas and pastries. And they also have beer and wine! There were so many varieties of options that anyone walking into the shop will definitely find something to their likings. There are boardgames and books galore. It’s a place to come and work like I did or catch up with friends or hang out playing games or read a book.

Boba Blends – Menu with Prices – 9501 Arlington Expy # Fc11, Jacksonville

The bubble tea here is especially good. I always order from here (the usual mint chocolate blend, although I am planning to get a new flavor today) and finish the drink rather fast. The lady and gentleman who work the stand are really nice, and I never encountered someone who did not like their service. The only things I could possibly critique that would prevent me from giving this place five stars is the price, I do think it could be a little bit cheaper– but given that this is around the normal price for bubble tea, I would not think too much of it. The other is that most bubble teas are the same size. I would appreciate larger sizes!

Blackball Dessert Toronto – Menu with Prices – 472 Yonge St, Toronto

I’ve always loved desserts so trying out BlackBall was a must! Fun fact: this place is located just a few steps away from Four Four Village – a newly opened Taiwanese noodle restaurant, so you can enjoy a full Taiwanese dining experience from hot noodle soup to refreshing desserts within minutes! Anyway, the menu is pretty typical for an Asian-inspired dessert spot (shaved-ice, bubble tea, grass jelly, tofu pudding, etc.). However, I was so happy that they offer mini size shaved-ice, instead of huge portions that take 3-4 people to finish. My boyfriend & I decided to share Taro Mini Shaved-Ice and bubble tea. The shaved-ice was very enjoyable! The taro balls were super chewy and oats added a nice crispy texture to it. The mashed taro at the bottom didn’t taste artificial at all. I would’ve liked it better if the syrup drizzled on top was not too sweet. As for the bubble, it was meh. Nothing outstanding. Overall, great experience! P/S: They have a stuffed toys claw machine inside and the prizes are super cute!

85C Bakery Café | Arden Fair Mall – Menu with Prices – 1689 Arden Way #1186, Sacramento

Eighty Five Degree Celsius, Sacramento California- Okay, so visiting Sacramento and it’s after 9pm and looking for dessert to fill in the empty spots dinner didn’t cover. Narrowed the choices down to three, but ended up with 85 Bakery Cafe because of the variety of cake by the slice. So yeah, 85 is a chain. That could be bad, or it could be good. I generally prefer small local places that really put out the local flavor and extra effort and love. But having said that, there’s something to be said about a chain IF…IF they make across the board consistent products no matter which store you walk into. (For example, I feel that Starbucks pulls that off quite well, and will often add a unique regional special for the area) So the store appeared to be very clean and bright and was moderately busy at 9pm. So far good signs! The counter staff appeared to be in the process of taking down some of the displays for closing (not a problem) but when asked cheerfully said they were not closing and staying to dine was just perfect! There was a boatload of various desserts in the tall bakery cases. Of course everything looked good. It was offered by the slice or whole cakes and pies. Staff was super cheerful and welcoming and helpful. When asked, we got a basic rundown of fan favorites and personal favorites and notes about what was enjoyed about each. Soo cool!! So I wanted to try a slice of cake…..and ended up wit the following: Black Forrest cake Blueberry cheesecake Strawberry Creme cake Mango Brûlée cake Okay, so maybe the lines between ONE slice and FOUR slices got….um…..blurry? LOL. Here is a brief rundown of my tasting notes for each.. Black Forrest- a classic chocolate cake with signature shaved chocolate curls on top,chocolate cream layers and cherry filling. This slice was moist, bouncy (a good cake trait) and creamy. Now I would like to say it was “chocolaty”…but it was sadly overpowered by the cherry flavor. Big canned sugar syrup cherry bomb flavor. So it was GOOD, but for me it was not great. And for me it missed the mark compared to what I was hoping for in its namesake. Blueberry cheesecake- Rich, smooth creamy bold mouth feel. Good sweet cheesecake flavor and fresh blueberry flavor. Light crust that bound the flavors and textures well. This was well done! Strawberry Creme- This one was big on “artificial” strawberry flavor, and I don’t mean that in a bad way. At least not to me. Picture if that “Frankenberry” cereal favorite was a cake, and this would be it! Big and bold sweet “fakeberry ” flavor, which I actually really really enjoy! Plain whipped cream layered to separate flavor and color. I really enjoyed this. This and milk, a winning team! Mango Brûlée- Okay, so you had me at “MANGO!” And add brûlée? Yeah! This light and bouncy Creme cake was HUGE on mango flavor! Not sure about Brûlée… because there was no evidence of torching. But still, a five star cake for me! Lusciously bold fresh mango flavor and a texture I would describe as “ribbony” when it comes to the interplay of fruit, cream and cake! This one I rate a “BAZINGA!” Now if you’ve never been to one of these before, standby for what might seem like sticker shock. I soothe this by telling myself that a slice can go a long way, so share the dessert..and the bill! Thank you 85C! You’re just what we needed for that “after 9” sugar rush!

Boba Le Tea Cafe – Menu with Prices – 1396 B Forest Avenue Right behind Cricket Wireless, Staten Island

Finally a Boba Tea place closer to me!!! Boba Le Tea Cafe is up the one way on Burnside off of Forest Ave, right on the side. I’ve been there twice before, the first time having the Brown Sugar Black Tea with Boba, and this time I tried their signature Jumbo Fruit Le Tea. Usually I always get the milk teas (highly recommend the BSB Tea) but this time I was recommend their house drink and I’m not disappointed! Huge pieces of all different fruit (orange, grapefruit, kiwi, strawberries, apple, watermelon, passion fruit) and I added the mango popping pearls so good! I highly recommend and next time I’ll have to try their poke bowls!