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Bubble Crush is a new addition to Garden Grove, located right next door to Grandpa’s Kitchen Dry Noodles 168 with its own parking lot. My husband and I decided to check out this place on June 29, for their grand opening. We were lucky to have gotten a free drink, since all visitors were given any drink free, as long as you post a photo of their grand opening promotion on any social media outlet and show the employee at the register (did not know this at the time when my husband picked this place, it was just coincidental). We are no stranger to this Bubble Crush, as we have been to the one in Monterey Park in the past. After looking over the menu, we ended up getting: Strawberry Tea With Cheese, $5.50 prior to tax- I had initially ordered this drink to have less ice and to be made with 50% sweetener. The girl at the register told me that it would be sour and would be better at 75% sweetener. She told me that she could also have it remade if I think it is too sweet. So I decided to go with her recommendation and am glad I did because it was just perfect. Being that real strawberries are made with this drink, they are naturally acidic (also a good source of vitamin C by the way) and only really sweet when ripe. This was a great drink on a refreshing day, especially since the day we came, the a/c was either on low or not on at all (since the doors were open because of the line). Loved the cheese foam with this drink and think it compliments it very well. Avocado Smoothie, $5.50 prior to tax- My husband opted for this drink, in which he got it with no ice and 50% sweetener. I didn’t have any but he thought it was perfect with the modifications he asked for. ————————- (Total= would have been $11.96 after tax, but free with special Grand Opening) We came in right around 3:45 pm. Although there was a line, it wasn’t nearly as long as it was 20 minutes later and the time thereafter (we ate dinner next door afterwards and saw how the line wrapped around). While I was in line, I tried a sample of their strawberry matcha latte, which taste just like the one I had at their Monterey Park location. Love that they are able to keep the same consistency with their drinks, especially since they are so new. I really like this drink and would recommend this one to others, as the matcha and strawberry really pair well together. There are only some tables and chairs inside and think this place can add more tables since there is still enough space to do so. Please note that there are some outlets but very few. There are free games to play while you enjoy your beverage. And of course there is an instagram worthy swing with a flower wall to take photos with (please note that the swing has a weight limit of 125 or 150 lbs, which is noted on the swing). This wall was definitely pretty popular with people during our visit. The unisex restroom, down the hall that is in the back past the register, was clean upon this visit and adequately stocked with the essentials. The free WiFi was fast on this visit. Overall, we had a good experience. The drinks are good but are a bit pricey (is it just too much to ask for a tea house to have drinks $4 and less?).

It’s Boba Time – Menu with Prices – 136 S Brand Blvd, Glendale

We were craving boba and happened to be in the area we decided to stop by Boba Time for a couple drinks. The line was extremely long but we decided to wait it out. We ordered the Strawberry Matcha & Mango Peach Smoothie. My Strawberry Matcha drink wasn’t good, it tasted very watered down, not sweet enough, and barely had any strawberry flavor once it was all mixed together. Definitely not comparable to Boba Guys’ Strawberry Matcha Latte if you’ve ever had it. I would say the boba helped add sweetness to the drink, otherwise it would’ve been very bland and not much of a pleasure to drink. I would probably try a different drink next time if I was in the area and wanted boba again. The Mango Peach Smoothie tasted like your average Mango Peach Smoothie at other boba spots. Nothing too special about it but it tasted way better than the Strawberry Matcha.

Midori Matcha Cafe, Old Town Pasadena – Menu with Prices – 165 S De Lacey Ave #1049, Pasadena

I love everything Matcha! I passed this place before and since it was advertising matcha I bookmarked it on yelp. After finishing up at the gym I was craving a cold drink and thought a matcha drink would be perfect. There’s street parking available, but all are metered. I saw a sign inside that says free parking on Dayton street. Once I entered I was already impressed with the store. The interior was done in a clean and classy manner. There weren’t too many decorations, just enough to make it inviting. Their menu revolves around Matcha and I decided to go with their Iced Matcha Latte with low-fat milk (fat free is not available, only 2% and low- fat). The total came out to be $6.57, which is a hefty price for a drink. Since the drink was quite expensive I was hoping the quality was amazing and it did not disappoint. I saw the staff make the drink. They used actual Matcha powder, which based on the taste was high quality. A Matcha drink is not complete unless a Bamboo whisk is used and they did just that. Before milk was added the matcha drink was 85%/90% full! At other locations it’s all about the milk and less Matcha. Once I got the drink I was excited to give it a try. After the first sip I was instantly in love. It was the perfect Matcha drink. Matcha itself isn’t sweet, so don’t expect the drink to be sweet. There is liquid sweetener if needed, but I like my matcha natural. Overall I was impressed with my drink and will be coming back to try their soft serve or even another drink! The drinks may be a bit expensive, but the quality is definitely there. Also it’s a perfect place to catch up with friends over a hot/cold coverage or if you need a study place this is it! Update: I tried the Matcha coconut and it is the best. They use Harmless Harvest coconut water which is my favorite!

Kung Fu Tea – Menu with Prices – 306 Hiawatha Blvd W J209, Syracuse

Their bubble tea was okay and nothing special. The reason I gave 2 stars because of their service. I asked the staff before ordering about the difference between matcha milk and matcha milk cap, and he said “it’s the same”. I asked “so the milk are the same and no additional ingredients in it?” and he said yes. So I ordered matcha milk cap and bubble honey milk tea. The drinks came and I tried them. The bubble honey milk tea was okay. I’ve had it better somewhere else. The worst one is matcha milk cap. It tasted nasty and salty. I asked why it tasted salty and the staff said “its milk cap what you ordered” and I said “is there additional ingredients in it?” and she said “yes cream, cheese, salt”. Then I said “but the staff who took my order said no additional ingredients between matcha milk and matcha milk cap before I order”. The staff said that I should already know before ordering. I was like shocked and in my head was like did you listen what I said? I didn’t want to argue because its useless. They just don’t care because they already got my money. The line wasn’t long on that day. Only two people were line behind me. I ended up threw my matcha milk cap because it taste not good at all. The staff should give better service. If customer asked about your menu then you should be able to explain it well. What if I allergic to cheese and because you don’t explain it well I ended up getting it and something worst could happen.

Nekter Juice Bar – Menu with Prices – 5005 W 119th St #28, Overland Park

I came for the grand opening on Saturday June 1st. As you could expect, the line was extremely long because they were giving out $1 drinks! I decided I would wait in the line, and within about 30 minutes I was at the register. The cashier was extremely fun and even with how slammed they were she was super helpful on what to get, and made sure you ordered what you wanted. I tried a fusion drink which is a combo of juice and ice, the one I got was called Lean Green. After ordering I waited another 15-20 minutes and finally got my drink. I was actually not too fond of what I chose, but I am probably going to come in another time to try something else as they had alot of yummy looking choices!

Matcha Kone – Menu with Prices – 10 S De Lacey Ave, Pasadena

Matcha Kone is located in old town Pasadena, took over the old Bird Pick location and is conveniently across from the parking structure that gives you the first 90 minutes for free. My husband, our little girl dog and I came by here on a Friday night, around 9:45 pm (they close at 11 pm on Fridays). This place has 3 tables outside so the 3 of us could enjoy our ice cream order. After looking over the menu board, we ended up getting: (Current Yelp Check In Deal= 10% off your purchase) Uzo Style Cone, $6.90 prior to tax- When I first came in to look over the menu board, I had asked the employee at the register if I could try a sample of their matcha ice cream. She was more than happy to and told me that because this is made with matcha, it does have a different flavor from your basic green tea. She also offered to give me an extra sample so that my husband (who was sitting outside with our little girl) could have some. I thought it was a little bitter (but that is how matcha taste) and told her I would like to order the matcha with vanilla ice cream. Anyways, we ended up with this delicious concoction that came in a waffle cone and had a chocolate teddy gram cookie, mini oreo and one of those flaky rolled cookies (check out my photo). The soft serve ice cream was creamy and thought I made a good choice to go with the swirl of matcha and vanilla. In the end, I had one happy little girl and one happy husband. Mission accomplished. ———————– (Total= $6.46 after tax and 10% discount) Wait time for our order was pretty quick since the employee made our cone right after I ordered it. The unisex restroom inside was clean upon this visit. Just have to ask for the key at the register to use it. Definitely a great place to check out if you are a fan of matcha. Please note that they also have drinks on their menu and also non- matcha beverages for those that are still expanding their culinary palate.

Urban Teahouse – Menu with Prices – 519 NW 23rd St #107, Oklahoma City

Ok so here’s the tea – this place is awesome. Their selection is HUGE. Even if you’re not a big tea drinker, I think this place has good options for everybody. On hot days, I like to order an iced Moroccan mint tea or a matcha lemonade with no sweetener. They are great about clarifying what kind of flavors you like before ordering so you aren’t stuck with something overly sweet if that’s not what you like. They will go through the menu and help you decide what to get based on your likes as well. Don’t be overwhelmed by their extensive menu. They have a great selection of matcha drinks. I always go for a hot muddied mint matcha latte with sweetener on cold days. This is a drink that I’ve only ever seen here, so it’s definitely worth a try if you like peppermint mochas! The drinks are slightly pricey, but they do have a keep it local discount. The quality of the teas are great and they put time into crafting your drinks, so it’s worth every penny to me. I also really like the interior of the store. They carry products from local artisans, which makes waiting for your order a nice experience. They have a few study tables and it’s usually pretty empty, so this would be a good place to sit down for a few hours. Their playlist is on point too. My only complaint is that I wish they had a drive through. There are a ton of tea shops around this location but I would say this one is a little more chic and eclectic. This ain’t ya average boba shop.

Jiang Nan Asian Cuisine – Menu with Prices – 167-11 Union Tpke, Jamaica

To my friend Michelle, If you are reading this, know that I totally regret taking you here for your first bubble tea experience. I should have taken you to the bustling streets of Flushing, where bubble tea options are endless. Next time, I will personally drive you there. That being said, I don’t recommend the bubble tea here–it is Chinese bakery quality, at best. If the name of the shop has “tea” in it, shouldn’t they have “higher-quality” means. When it comes to bubble tea, I don’t expect organic and made from scratch because the majority of them use syrups anyway but I sure as hell was disappointed when I saw all the colorful powders in the back, waiting to get in my stomach. I got a Strawberry Milk Tea and it was so pink, might as well drink Strawberry Milk. Throughout the whole time, I swallowed little chunks of powder and it felt like I was eating some Pixi Stix, only Pixi Stix tastes much better. I felt bad for my friend Michelle, too, because she tossed her drink out half way. Imagine your first bubble tea experience was a bad one, it’ll stay with you forever. $2.75 was definitely expensive, given that I pretty much paid for strawberry powder and powdered milk tea. FYI, they aren’t ferociously shaking your drink up so it gets cooler faster–they shake it so the powder/syrup dissolves.

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.

Mocktails & Dreams – Menu with Prices – 30236 Mall Dr W, Jersey City

I was really excited when I saw this place pop up on Yelp, I’ve been talking about wanting a good bubble tea place in JC. There are a few, but none are spectacular. We’ve been here twice since it opened, and have tried a few things, with mixed results. First of all, we tried three “mocktails” thus far, overall, they were great, but I am not sure if they are worth the $7.50 price. Out of the three that we tried, i.e. Darling Clementine, Pineapple Express and Strawberry Affairs, I liked the strawberry one the best. I didn’t want the whip cream that came with the drink, so they gave me an extra scoop of ice cream instead. The drink itself was delicious, it tasted like a delicious strawberry milkshake. However, the straw they gave us was not adequate to use for the jelly and strawberry pulp. As such, we had to use a spoon at the end to scoop up the remnants. We’ve also tried the Obanyaki with Salted Caramel Ice Cream before they changed the menu to only include the standard ice cream flavors. It was pretty good, I really liked the ice cream filling. Lastly, we tried three standard obanyakis, including custard cream, matcha and lemon custard. The matcha one was not very good, as the match filling was too strong and bitter. The two custard versions were much better. Service was great, the staff were all knowledgeable and accommodating. The space is cute and a nice reprieve from the hustle and bustle of the food court upstairs. However, I do feel the prices here are a tad too high for the food they offer.

Daylight Donuts – Menu with Prices – 1530 Mercer University Dr suite 500, Macon

Daylight Donuts has only been open for a few days in Macon, but has been operating across the country since the 1950s – they even have a shop in Hawaii! I pass this location multiple times a day and have been wondering when they would finally let me have a taste of their sweet treats. This past weekend they lured in customers for the grand opening by giving away free donuts. I was happy to see students and locals flocking to the store. Interior has some seats for customers, but not many. As of now it’s a straight forward operation with no frills and thrills. There are other sweets you can purchase such as ice cream. I opted for a strawberry sprinkle donut and a Bavarian creme. Both were delicious and much better than most other franchise donuts in town. The prices were not listed since it was a promotional weekend, but the nice employees said they would be selling at $0.89 per donut. That’s a fantastic deal in my opinion and I’m really looking forward to visiting their operation once it is in full swing. Bonus: drive-thru for convenience!

Grandpa?s Kitchen 168 – Menu with Prices – 14208 Brookhurst St, Garden Grove

Grandpa’s Kitchen – Dry Noodles 168 is located right next door to newly opened Bubble Crush, with its own parking. My husband and I came here for an early dinner since we had a small lunch earlier. We were at Bubble Crush, luckily to get a free drink during their grand opening when we figured it would be easy to walk over here for dinner. We came in and were told by an employee to sit anywhere. Being that it was our first time here, I didn’t know what I wanted and took a while to look at the menu. There are just a lot of choices and I had no idea what I wanted. An employee had asked if I would like suggestions. And so after that, we ended up ordering: #19 Mi Bo Vien (Egg Noodle Soup w/ Beef Meatballs), $9 prior to tax- My husband ordered this. I did not try this but he said he thought it was okay. This definitely was a pretty large portion of meatballs inside the soup. #9 Hu Tien Kho Nam Vang (Noodles w/ Pork, Shrimp, Liver, Heart, Quail Egg with bowl of soup served on the side, not shown), $9 prior to tax- I ordered this, as one of the recommendations that one of the employees made. I don’t eat a whole lot of pork and thought the pork was just okay. It was pretty fatty and wished it was a little bit leaner. The liver was plain and didn’t care for it (I have had liver before and felt this liver needed a bit more seasoning) so I gave it to my husband. I liked the shrimp but there was not a whole of it in there. Also this dish only came with 1 quail egg and wished there was a few more, since they are so small. I liked the chew and texture of the noodles. Liked the seasoning of the noodles. A pretty filling dish, this could easily be shared with a second person. Mung Bean Milk Tea, $3.95 prior to tax- Free with Yelp check in. We both were able to get a free one. Just love mung bean and thought this was perfect. I did not request for a modification on the sweetness level since I believe the drink has been already premade. I just let the ice melt and thought it was at a good level of sweetness. I think this is a good Yelp check in perk. ———————— (Total= $19.58 after tax, prior to tip) Please note that there is a minimum of $10 for credit card transactions. Service was friendly and wait time for our food was only a few minutes. Please note that the menu only has pork and shrimp on the menu. I don’t recall seeing chicken and beef on the menu or vegetarian options. However, I am sure if you just ask to omit the meat, then that can suffice for those wanting the vegetarian route. The unisex restroom (in the back, behind the register) was clean upon this visit and adequately stocked with the essentials. Overall, we had a good dining experience and would consider coming back.

Vivi Bubble Tea – Menu with Prices – 325 Coneflower Dr, Garland

Boba/bubble tea fans will know that Vivi is competing in a saturated market. These days, there’s a bubble tea spot on practically every street corner, so to stand out, you have to offer something special or provide great customer service. Vivi Bubble Tea does both of those things. Their basic milk tea flavors are done very well, but they also have the most refreshing citrusy drink known as the Blue Galaxy, which looks and sounds as good as it tastes. This and their other unique drinks will make you drive right past more convenient bubble tea locations just to have it. Their tiny little shop is sometimes understaffed, but the staff who does work there are very polite. Plus, their drinks have more authentic flavor to them than Kung Fu tea (which despite its name does not even offer jasmine tea. What’s up with that?). Another comparison to Kung Fu tea, and the only reason they get 4 stars, is this place doesn’t offer the option to customize the sweetness of your drink (unlike Kung Fu tea). Their default sweetness level is ok-IMO, they do not over-sweeten their drinks- but if you’re one of those people who is sensitive to sugar, you may find this lack of control disappointing.