The Baseline: For bubble tea cafes the drinks must have the proper temperature for the drink,…read moresuitably firm tapioca pearls, and the drink must be quality. Food: The Milk Tea with Pudding and Boba and Thai Iced Tea with Boba. Large and in charge sized and both are delicious. Also reduced the sugars down to minimum. Service: The staff at Ding Tea are awesome and friendly. Andrew took great care of me today! Ambience: Quick in and out today. Great temperature in the store.

We were craving something sweet to quench our thirst after dinner, and Ding Tea totally hit the…read morespot! I'm so glad there's a location here in Hawthorne. There's a bar seating inside, but most people seem to just wait for their drinks and take them to go. I ordered the taro slush with golden boba, and my husband got the mango orange fruit tea with added aloe jelly. Our drinks came out quickly and definitely satisfied our thirst. I also like that you can customize the ice and sweetness levels, which makes it easy to get your drink just the way you like it.

BD says it's the best Vietnamese coffee in South Bay Area. He drinks Vietnamese coffee (black and…read morecafe sua da) everyday and he thinks MAI coffee does it the most authentic and delicious. Gotta try their other drinks here too! But a lil pricey maybe?

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!

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.

This review is regarding a visit on June 1 between approximately 12:10 PM and 12:30 PM…read more I am leaving this feedback as a regular customer who has purchased different matcha drinks from this business on multiple occasions. I have consistently enjoyed visiting this location, which is why I am sharing this experience in detail rather than simply not returning. On this visit, I ordered the House Matcha with almond milk and paid $7.75. The drink was significantly underfilled, which resulted from my request for no ice. While I understand that removing ice can affect volume, the amount of empty space at the top of the cup made it feel like I received less than a full drink despite paying the full price. In addition, I was charged for an almond milk substitution, which further contributed to the expectation of a properly filled drink. The cup size also raised concerns. I recently ordered a Banana Cream Matcha at the same price point and received a noticeably larger cup. On this visit, the House Matcha was served in a smaller cup, and even the sleeve did not fit correctly. The combination of a smaller cup and reduced fill level created an inconsistency in value that was immediately noticeable. The most significant issue was that the drink contained no sweetness at all. The House Matcha is described as "perfectly sweet matcha" and includes agave syrup, so it is reasonable to expect sweetness as part of the standard preparation. Instead, the drink was completely unsweetened. There was no communication during ordering that sweetness needed to be selected separately, and in prior visits I have never been asked about sweetness level. This is also not the first time I have received a matcha drink without sweetness despite it being described otherwise. By the time I realized, I had already left the store and was unable to return due to time commitments, and it does not feel reasonable that multiple preparation issues should require a return visit. It is also concerning that there is no clear pricing listed next to the different matcha options in the matcha section of the menu. The lack of visible prices makes it difficult to understand the cost of each drink at the point of ordering and reduces transparency for customers. From a broader perspective, consistency issues across cup size, fill level, and recipe execution affect the overall experience. I regularly purchase specialty drinks and would be comfortable paying $7.75 if the product consistently matched the menu description, portioning was accurate, and expectations were clearly communicated at the point of sale. As someone who visits this plaza several times per month, I would genuinely like to continue supporting this business and have consistently positive experiences. That depends on clearer communication, more consistent preparation standards, and attention to detail during both ordering and fulfillment. At home, I am able to prepare matcha easily using a variety of milks, including almond, oat, coconut, cashew, pistachio, banana, and pea protein, along with simple sweeteners such as agave, maple syrup, honey, and organic brown sugar. I also keep ingredients such as whipped cream, sea salt, strawberries on hand, blueberries, and mango, allowing me to make specialty drinks like strawberry matcha, blended matcha with frozen strawberries, or other customized variations. Because of that, the value of a café drink comes down to consistency, accuracy, and convenience rather than ingredients alone. If issues such as inconsistent cup sizes, underfilling, missing ingredients, or unclear customization options are occurring across orders, it may point to a need for improved staff training and clearer standardization. Addressing these areas would likely improve the experience for both regular and first-time customers. I hope this feedback is received as constructive input from a returning customer meant to improve overall customer satisfaction and repeat business.

Pins Colada Boba was delicious! Chicken wontons were very…read moretasty! I'll be back to try more flavors.

I liked the self ordering & points system, very clean and quiet, lots of menu options…read more The strawberry in the strawberry matcha was more than anticipated but I did like what I could taste of the matcha. I think if there was maybe half as much strawberry it would taste better, but i would try the basic matcha in the future.

The food was really nice, every dish was delightful. Even though i wasn't seated at the window,…read morestill J got a nice view!! Though took off two stars because the server wasn't so polite. He was clattering plates down and rushing us the entire time. Even got the wrong receipt..not so satisfying

The Strand House is one of my favorites in Manhattan Beach!…read more Really enjoy the ambiance and view of the ocean. Our favorites are the crab cake benedict and acai bowl. Staff here is great, food excellent, and it doesn't get any better looking out at the ocean. Highly recommend next time you're in Manhattan Beach!

I'd rate matcha is 9/10 and service was top of the notch, it tastes so umami and kinda similar to…read moreAiroma imp. Coffee was good as always, my husband really liked it- he's big fan of strong coffee Highly recommended

The ambiance is great for studying and the coffee is what you'd expect of Vietnamese coffee …read more Customer service good. They bring the drink to you, so leave a tip. That's what made me like them. It really makes them unique. One time an elder came in who was a bit confused about the menu and they were so sweet to him, they even covered his drink. It melted my heart. It has been getting pretty busy here, though. Lots of students from El Camino use it as a study space so make sure to bring headphones.

Cute spot! It's located on the 3rd floor of the Galleria, so there's a lot of parking. Lots of…read morechoices which I appreciate haha. Joy was a big help and super nice. I got the passionfruit sparkling ade with strawberry popping boba and it's so refreshing. I'm literally about to gulp the rest of it down as I type this haha definitely worth trying

Stopped by for some boba because we were in the area. Got two Taro smoothie with boba. Forgot to…read moretell them 50% sweet but it wasn't too sweet when we got them. I really can't stand boba, when it is too sweet. The worker was really friendly so shout out to the worker! I would definitely recommend this place for your boba needs.

They have so many options to choose from. AND THEY HAVE EGG PUDDING AND GRASS JELLY! I LOVE THOSE…read moreTOPPINGS! The drinks are so refreshing as well. The staff was so kind and accommodating. Please come

Amazing boba! Quick and friendly service, would recommend to any boba lovers nearby! Tastes smooth…read moretoo