This used to be one of my favorite tea spots. The tea quality is always consistently good. They offer many different types of fruity tea drink too. The reason I don't come as much now is because too many smokers sitting outside! If u getting ur tea to go. Then no problem! read more

I genuinely love this spot so much!!! Amazing boba and popcorn chicken !!!!! I will be coming back soon

I come here often because it stays open until 12 AM/1230 AM daily and has tasty drinks (my go-to orders include the lavender milk tea with honey, rose milk tea, honey goji berries, ginger milk tea, oolong milk tea, and taiwanese spaghetti). Most other tea houses in the area will close between 9 PM - 10 PM. However, the WiFi connection is very spotty here on several occasions and the employees will refuse to reset the internet, citing that the register will not work if the internet is reset. Great place to socialize late night, not so great as a study spot. read more

Au79 Teahouse - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Arcadia, California

This was a bookmarked place for my Cali trip and it was not so bad. I had a Honey Milk Green Tea, and the green tea was very strong, but it was very refreshing. It looks like a great place to hang out and chill with friends if you're in the Arcadia area. read more

Au79 Teahouse - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Arcadia, California

Had high expectations after hearing rave reviews from friends. However, Au79 was a disappointment. :( Rude service, watered down drinks, okay boba. Probably won't come back again. read more

Late night. Great servers and fun atmosphere. Food is... different. Taiwanese, so not sure what it's suppose to taste like but I can attest to its use of SALT! OH, AND PEPPERRRRRS! Cashier is really nice. read more

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Love the tea from here. Especially the ginger milk tea. It's so delicious. You can let them know about whether you want sugar or not. They have an outside patio good for sitting by yourself or as a small group. read more

I used to like this place a lot until one time me and my friend got a really upset stomach and had major stomach pains after eating the fried tempura so we stopped coming. TODAY 10/16/18, I came with a different friend because he wanted to grab a quick drink and snack before our 6:15 class. We got there around 5:40 and placed his orders. His drink came out within the first couple minutes. By 6:18, his freaking tofu didn't come out yet and one of the workers who FINALLY noticed us said, "you guys are still here?" well obviously! So she quickly go checks on the kitchen, comes back, tells us we "just got unlucky" because there was a huge order before ours, and that they'll start making it now. It is now 8:15 and we just checked the tofu and they did not give us the sauce. Not coming back. :) read more

The tea that I've gotten in the past has too much sugar and caffeine but I like the HONEY LONGAN JUJUBE it comes in a tall hot cup and has the very sweet taste of longan which I think is rarely mastered if not made at a Vietnamese restaurant. This caffeine-free drink is great for the health. Longan is less sweet than lychee and the jujube makes me feel healthy. I enjoyed the fruits that I could eat while also enjoying my drink - it's a two-fer The only issue I have is that I got it a half sweet and it was still way too sweet. read more

Can't believe I haven't tried this place sooner! I was always intimidated for some reason.. the name was just so fancy I didn't want to walk in there like a scrub. But I'm glad I finally worked up the courage to try it out lol. The cashier was super friendly! And they have 2 different tea samples as well as a sample of their almond jelly. My family used to make that stuff for dessert and it's the hardest thing to make! The consistency/texture is always off! But their jelly was perfect here. I decided to order the passionfruit peach green tea bc the sample was so good. I ordered it only slightly less sweet. I forget how tangy passionfruit gets, so the large size was a bit much.. so I'm excited to try other teas there! Both my friends enjoyed their drinks as well. I love how they upgrade your size if you're a student. So yummy, a must try if you love tea. read more

My friends and I came here to chill (literally, it was 103 degrees outside) before heading out to the 626 Night Market. The shop is pretty spacious, with plenty of tables and seats. There were 7 of us, but the staff was nice enough to let us conjoin two tables so that we could chat and play card/board games! So major +1 to their customer service! I got their "Iced Mango Green Tea," which was deliciously refreshing! Even with half sugar, the drink was still pleasantly sweet. They had a deal when I was there, where they upgraded your drink to a large for free, so that was a pleasant surprise! I did see a table order their chicken "bucket" (?), a giant cup of fried boba shop chicken, which smelled and looked amazing! I agonizingly regret not ordering one of those myself, since I figured I'd get plenty of fried stuff at the Night Market. Dang it. read more

If the MANAGER is reading this review, please find this helpful. Your employee "Tracy" really needs to go. My boyfriend and I order drinks here on a regular basis. Normally I prefer to order through phone and pick up. Which was a much better choice. So, this review is based on our dine in experience. Man oh man...did I regret sitting in there. The service here... oh wait, what service..?! Our party sat right NEXT to the REGISTER. We sat there waiting to see how long it would take til our server would notice us. She was clearly too busy chatting with her friends at a table. She managed to walk back and forth several times before she realize we were staring directly at her. (That took approx. 15 min) She quickly took our order and left to chat some more. For some reason... I wonder why...she took down the wrong order. There was no apology. Instead she gave us the look like it was our fault. She then told us it would take 15 more minutes for the cook to remake the order. In addition, she has to input it in their system again and the order wouldn't be made until it was our turn. HOW RIDICULOUS IS IT THAT WE HAVE TO WAIT EVEN LONGER? WHERE IS THE SERVICE?! HOW DO YOU EXPECT ANY TIP?! We decided to cancel all our orders. 5 minutes later she brings us our second order. (which we cancelled...) but we kept it anyways to avoid more trouble. When we asked for pepper and spice, we watched as she got it and took it to another table. And so we waited and waited..... She was seriously testing our patience. I watched as several customers walked in and complained about her ignorance and the wait to be served. Another customer complained about getting the wrong order. Lastly, She didn't even bother to clean up our empty plates and trash. This girl is ruining the business. I won't be coming back here anytime soon. - BEYOND DISAPPOINTED read more

10% off for students! To be honest, I'm not exactly a student. I'm a working woman. However, I like discounts and I'm not going to complain if they just gave it to me. It must have been those USC booty shorts I was wearing that day. No comment on the food, but I liked my drink. I had a large iced sweetened oolong tea with boba. I really liked their boba. After having disgusting boba at Tapioca Express down the street, I was happy to taste sweet, chewy boba at AU 79. Customer service was good. The servers were nice and they dressed in fun cowboy outfits. I like it! It's almost like one of those cosplay cafes in Japan. Best of all, they never kicked me out! I was working on a laptop for over 3 hours. Yay free Wi-Fi! I do have to note that it was very noisy inside the cafe. Between the loud, pumping music and teenage laughter, it was hard to keep focus on my reading. This place was like an after-school hang out spot with lots of students playing cards or chatting over boba drinks and snacks. This was not a good place to study. However, I thought it was a great place to lounge with friends. Cost: $4.50 plus tax (not including discount). read more

Did I really give this place 4 stars last time? I could've sworn I gave it 3.... oh well.... I heard from Anita I last week that this place remodeled. I was curious enough to actually check it out but it just so happened my friends wanted come here for boba, so I thought "hey, I'll be able to check out the remodel sooner than expected" They tried going for a little bit of a refined look. They took out the small sofa seating area that was in the corner and replaced them with tables they have going throughout the rest of the place. And along the "back wall", they installed booth style seating. The color scheme also changed a bit too. It's a little bit darker, but not morbid, and the tables are now a dark wooden color instead of the medium toned tables before. Also, in the corner where they used to have the sofa seating, they put up a backdrop of a forest. WTF? Is this supposed to make us feel.... like we're camping??? And now their menus double as place mats, yet they still take them away after you order. I also noticed a major typo on the menu. Instead of "appetizer", it says "appertizer". HAHAHAHA total Engrish right there.... Oh, so I got the apple green tea, which is what I always get, and a peanut butter brick toast. Nothing too special, but it didn't suck either. I was still hungry and I got an order of the fried chicken wings. Those were just ok. But at least they were moist and they came with a small pile of some spice mix to dip in. I think my bill after tax and tip came to like... $11? Typical Asian boba cafe.... nothing special but it didn't suck either. read more

I love me some AU79! DRINKS/FOOD - 4.5 Stars: I love their drinks here. They have so many options for milk tea, non-milk tea, different kinda of boba and jelly, and everything. They also can provide you a soy milk substitute... I really didn't appreciate this until I went to other boba places that didn't offer this. Also, you can limit how sweet your drink is or use sugar substitute as well. There are options with boba like regular, mini, or pink boba. I do like that their boba isn't that tough because it's made fresh. It's chewy, but not tough like it's been sitting there for a long time. They have a lot of options for jelly: mango, lychee, mixed, cognac, etc. It's the little things like this that make it worth the visit. Drinks here will run you roughly ~$5-7 or so for a large, but it depends on how unique you make it with soy, jelly, etc. The food here is good though I've only had appetizer type of foods like fish balls, squid balls, calamari, etc. ATMOSPHERE - 3.5 Stars: This place is like an Asian Starbucks. You can sit inside or outside. They have a lot of activity going on and it can get pretty loud. So, if you're able to study with noise and can deal with that, then you'll be fine here. If you're looking for a quiet coffee/tea spot, then this place is probably not for you... so get your drink to go. This place is open late so you can get your fix until midnight or so on a given night. SERVICE - 4 Stars: The service is pretty good. They're quick to get you seated and take your order. If it's a to go order, then just stand near the counter and they'll be quick to help. One time, they messed up the order and they were quick to correct it. RECOMMENDATION: Come here and you'll definitely find something that you'll like. And you will come back for more! read more

Let me start off by saying there are countless boba shops and tea houses in Arcadia. There is literally a boba shop within view, no matter where you are standing. With that said, AU is undoubtedly the BEST boba shop/tea house in the Arcadia area. I mean, just look at the name of the place. AU79. AU-79 is the symbol for gold for god's sake. And that is exactly what this place is - GOLD. I love AU like a white girl loves Starbucks. That's just how good it is. AU is located in a huge plaza with an abundance of parking. You need not worry about parking at any time of day. Unlike other boba shops around the area, AU isn't riddled with wanna-be gangsters and their piece of shit poverty stanced cars. Instead, the cars that are parked here are usually exotic or luxury and modded with good taste. Everyone knows that successful people drive nice cars. And since there are nice cars at AU, you know what that means. AU is the preference of successful and wealthy individuals that value quality. That's a sure sign that AU is the best boba shop in the area. Don't you want to be a part of this prestigious group? Well, that's extremely tough considering the current economy, which is still in the midst of recovery from one if the worst economic recessions in history. But at least you can drink what the rich drink, so who cares!!! Now on to actual drinks. I've tasted pretty much everything on the menu and I must say, their drinks taste like AMBROSIA. Do you know what that is? It's the drink of the motherf*cking gods. The only thing that AU tea won't give you is immortality, but otherwise, it can pretty much cure your cancer and diabetes and allow you to reach your maximum human potential. My personal favorite beverage here is Mango Green Tea with Aloe or Lychee Jelly. You can request the amount of sugar and ice to whatever your palate desires. Although I find the cold drinks the most refreshing, the hot milk tea is also satisfying on a colder day. Their mini boba is heavenly. I will admit, I usually won't be seen with balls in my mouth, but I will always make an exception for the boba at AU. read more

This is the perfect place to study/do homework. I love the casual and welcoming environment. They have plenty of tables available and their workers are always considerate. Their drinks don't necessarily stand out to me, but their snack portions are definitely worth what you're paying for (specifically the popcorn chicken). read more

I loved au the one in San Gabriel and went to the one in Arcadia a few times but everytime we've gotten the boba milk tea it always taste with a hint of lychee read more

I have been coming here for years now and I just want to say that the service is terrible. I wouldn't come here as often if I wasn't in love with their drinks. PARKING: Plenty of parking spaces to go around. I always find a parking spot immediately. ENVIRONMENT: This place gets extremely crowded and loud. You have the option of outdoor seating (where everyone is smoking) or sitting inside (where people are on their laptops). FOOD/DRINKS: This is the first and only place I know that has pink boba! I can never go back to plain boba again. It's just so much sweeter and chewier. They also have a wide variety of toppings here for your drinks. I have tried a lot of their drinks here and a few of my favorites aside from the classic Jasmine Green Milk Tea would have to be the Strawberry Green Tea and Watermelon Juice with Ice Cream. As for the entrees, I love the beef noodle soup, Taiwanese spaghetti, and pork cutlet. SERVICE: Slow and inattentive. Several times the shakers would finish making my drink and it would just be sitting their on the counter. Other times my food would even come out way before my drink does and I am the last one out of my friends to get my drink. Another time I was the first customer of the day and the place was empty. I was in a hurry to go to school but needed my tea fix. Not only did they mess up on my drink (even when I repeated it several times) but she was too busy on her cell phone to see that my drink was ready ages ago. I am not impressed. Now I know better than to come here when I am in a rush. read more

Where do I even begin with this goldmine (literally, har har)?! I've been a patron for over 10 years and I have to admit, I am addicted to Au79's green tea and green milk tea...and boba milk tea, oh yea, and peppermint green milk tea. Whew. Though I don't frequent the spot anymore (due to location), I used to grab a large drink almost everyday. Make sure you use their frequent buyer stamp cards (because after 10 beverage purchases, you get one free. There is a downside, however: For the newbies--this is not your average Starbucks-style-grab-and-go caffeine fix. Be wary of inhaling second hand smoke at the patio by plenty of parachute kids (not to mention the culture shock--even I get a culture shock ), loud music, and delayed service if there are plenty of people. In essence, this place has superior quality tea and boba (I'm very particular about my boba...) and I guarantee you will leave with a big smile (& maybe boba in between your teeth) after devouring these wonderful chewy balls of joy. P.S. I forgot to mention--you might also leave with a lighter wallet...so I take back my guarantee on that smile. read more

AU79 over Ten Ren all day everyday. This happens to be one of my most liked tea places. It is located in the same plaza as Pavilions and LA Fitness and many other shops/eateries. First off, my go to drink is the Earl Gray tea, regular size, regular sugar and extra ice. My absolute favorite. It's so good that my Person now orders it himself, just slightly tweaked. Usually the snacks/food are typical of tea places but I will say I don't usually come here for the food. Just the drinks. Atmosphere is chill. The many times my Person and I have gone we've seen that people can study or sit outside and talk. Staff is fine. I don't find them rude or inattentive. However, I don't expect above and beyond either but yet to experience bad service and I hope it stays that way. Overall, good place for good tea at a decent price. Tips- parking is plentiful and I don't believe they offer a loyalty/stamp card, at least I've never received one. read more

I effin hate this place. First of all lets start off with just the drinks. We're talking about milk tea and boba here. Anything thats flavored with a powder shouldn't cost you and arm and a leg. I can't tell if its the tea that tastes like ass or if I'm just bitter as hell that I just spent 5 dollars on a drink. Let me give you a rundown of what five dollars can get you elsewhere: Five McChicken Sandwiches, Five Milk Teas from Quickly's, 150 sticks of gum, 4 Gatorades of assorted flavors. The list goes on. The prices aren't even the worse part of this place. For everyone that's actually looking forward to their 10 yr high school reunion, your dream has come true. But for everyone else who doesn't, Au79 is like the most unbearable place ever. Which leads me to my theory about this place. It really isn't about the tea, or the food, or the boba. Its really just a place to show off your wealth. Flaunt your ride, your girl, your new haircut, your jeans, whatever. I can't count how many times I've seen a dude walk out of his ferrari with socks and sandals on just to get some popcorn chicken. Srs bro? So, if you ain't got a new girlfriend or a fast and furious ride, this place is just a slap to your wallet read more

I guess I'm used to being a minority in Arcadia. Yes, this place is very Asian and very young, but they are still nice to the big old white guy :) My favorite (on the sweet side): Taro milk tea with boba Oh, it took me a few times to understand the origin of the name, but I think it may be: "AU" is the atomic symbol for the element gold, and 79 is its atomic number. Reference a periodic table of the elements. read more

The short version: This used to be my go-to for grabbing a drink and hanging out with friends, but after a series of visits with terrible service, I don't think I will be back. The long version: I used to come here ALL THE TIME. From my last two years in high school to my first two years in college, pink boba was all the rage. Service was never really that great, but back in the day, we would actually GET served. Seriously, the last two times I went, my friends and I waited 20+ minutes after being seated for a server to finally notice us. The prices have always been kinda steep, but I didn't mind it as much before. Now, the combination of bad service and pricey drinks is enough to keep me away. read more

Came here today because my friend Jomoyce insisted I try this place the next time I happen to want boba. I think she meant for me to go to the San Gabriel location but I happened to be in Arcadia so this one will have to do. I ordered the exact drink she told me to get. The rose green milk tea with pink boba and light sugar. I wasn't sure whether to get it hot or cold so I got cold since it was pretty warm out today before it started getting super windy. I think getting hot would have been the better call because it would have softened the bobas. Anyways, I have to say this is your typical Taiwanese boba place. I like how the drink had a nice fragrance to it, but the flavor of the green tea could have been stronger. I try not to drink too much tea because it tends to give me palpitations, and this drink gave me a 3+ radial slightly bounding one. So I probably won't be coming back for more tea here but I'm down to try their food or other drinks if my friends happen to want to come here to hang out. The staff here is very friendly and you get a 10% discount if you present a student id to them. read more

I Love AU79! Someone compared it to Starbucks... but Asian tea house version? Not really. The drinks are still more $$. However I think this is a viable alternative to Half & Half if you want something a bit lighter, cheaper, and less fattening. All to-go orders automatically get upgraded to a size Large for free, so that's a plus! I tried ordering Taro Milk Tea but to my surprise they don't have it-- they only have Taro Milk. Oh well, stuck with almond milk tea. I would recommend their Dark Molasses Milk-- it tastes like a Caramel Macchiato minus the espresso. Unique and tasty. The drinks here are less complex tasting than Half & Half, but this is definitely a step above the likes of Lollicup and Quickly's... naturally... read more

Overall their boba balls are better than 90% of other locations in SGV region. Almost always enough softness and never hard in the middle. Their milky products are not so harsh on my stomach. They open late, sometimes have decent deals. They should really ban smoking in the patio area but i suppose somepeople enjoy boba/drinks with tar in their lungs. read more

My reviews for this place keeps dropping and dropping and dropping. I came back here after my previous fiasco when the Wi-Fi wasn't working and I ran to Le Arbre, just to get my work done. I walked in on a Friday afternoon around 2, and quickly got seated by Amy, who planted me near the register. I decided to sit with my back facing the door, which gave me clear sighting of the register. I decided that I wanted to try out the sweet and sour mushroom and country milk tea, in hopes that it doesn't bother my wisdom teeth. (Side story, both of my bottom wisdom teeth are coming out, so I can BARELY eat anything). I waited for a few minutes, and the to-go line started to get long. Since Amy was the only one ringing, I figured, "okay, I'll give her until the end of the line." Yeah, after that, she runs off outside to deliver food, clean up tables but NEVER comes to my table and ask me if I was ready to order. In fact, another person jumped in and helped around, don't know if she was a co-owner, manager or what not, but I found it kind of disgusting how she dragged the trash can to a table to clean it. After waiting 20 minutes, I decided, "okay, if I want food, I guess I have to WAVE them down." Three attempts, and I got Amy's attention. She brought my drink promptly, but said that they were out of sweet and sour mushroom. (I'm assuming if she had came to my table 20 minutes ago, there would have been some left). Still iffy about what to get, ramen did sounded good, and decided on the Soy Pork Ramen, only took 2 minutes for Amy's attention. For some odd reason, the ramen was taking a bit TOO long to come out, and I thought it was going to be a quick dish to shoot out from the kitchen. The actual rant about the ramen: I really don't know how this is one of the popular dishes. The soy ramen isn't what you think it is, if you're used to eating at ramen places; the broth is made out of soy milk, and there's a pork cutlet, but it's basically soggy to eat, and on top of that, you get a regular plastic spoon, nothing that can help while you're trying to fish for the remains of the opaque broth. Again, just to get my change from the check, it took longer than it should. And I was debating about leaving a tip, just because service was SO bad. In fact, two guys walked into the place and immediately got their orders in. WHAT THE HECK?!~ I noticed a comment box on the receipt and decided to take matters in my own hands, circled a "1" for the worst service and wrote that it took them 20 minutes JUST to get my order in. This is probably the first time I left NO tip, and I will probably never come back to eat here EVER AGAIN. Thanks so much Amy for ruining this. I guess Factory Tea Bar will be my permanent study place. read more

Took 13 mins to get my almond milk tea with boba. Y'all also ran outta boba (rolls eyes). Customer service was good. Can get pretty crowded and slow. Also not cheap. Almost $6 for a drink. I remember when boba used to be half that price. read more

This used to be my favorite boba (and snack place) whenever I'm in the area and came here often. The tea here is good, but the terrible customer service made it so I never want to go there again. Essentially, they got my order wrong (got a hot tea) and gave me a cold one instead. When I informed them of the mistake, I had to pay the extra $1 for them to fix the problem. I've been a pretty frequent customer and didn't even get apology, let alone forced to pay the difference to get my order right. I'm aware that $1 isn't all that much in grand scheme of things, but this is not how you treat repeat customers. They didn't even bar an eye when I said this to them. Never coming back. read more

I almost always get shit service here. Why? I'm Chinese..but must not be FOB enough. What happened to good old-fashioned polite Taiwanese service?!? Can I get a Huan Ying Guang Ling?!? i would not come here at all if their drinks weren't so good =( read more

If I could only give this place a 0 star rating. All of my friends in this area, including the bf, loves this place and always have such a good time here so I've tried and tried to come back but it's always so upsetting. The drinks here are okay. There's nothing special about the boba here. Cha For Tea boba is so much better. Actually Cha For Tea is so much better. The service here sucked major butt. We ordered the brick toast with ice cream. The brick toast came out with no ice cream. The ice cream came out 30 minutes later in a half scoop bowl, nearly all melted. We tried to send it back but the workers didn't understand English. I hate this place. read more

I don't understand how boba places can even open up shop when they don't have boba ready to be served. We come in and order and the cashier informs us that they don't have any boba ready and it won't be ready for at least a half hour. My friends decide they don't want the boba and we'll just eat there then go to another boba place. My friend orders the chinese spaghetti and I get the salted pork. Her meal comes out within 10 minutes and she starts to eat. I tried a bit and it was ok, kind of a weird combo that I've never had before. My food doesn't come out until she's pretty much done with her plate, about 20ish, almost 30 minutes after I placed the order. I was just about ready to get up and cancel the order since I wanted to hit the road for our drive up to NorCal when the incompetent waitress comes out with my food. The salted pork was kind of tough, and not overreaching in flavor in any way. The whole dish was very lackluster for me and I would've rather eaten chicken nuggets to go at that point. The food wasn't cheap and the wait just added to my frustration. Oh, and the workers let their friends come in and loiter and take up space in the restaurant so it looked like there was no place to sit at all when we came in. When we said we were dining in, the cashier gave us a peculiar look before exasperatingly telling her friends in chinese to get out of the booth to make room for us customers. So professional. read more

Came here for boba and a quick meal a while ago. Was faced with a rude worker, don't know if she still works there but appalled by her attitude. 3 stars for the food, 1 star for service. Why be so rude to tipping customers? read more

I like that this place doesn't pressure you to order a certain amount of drinks like other small boba places . The staff is pretty friendly except when they're about to close because then they rush you and will ask you to get your drinks Togo. A plus is that you can get a free upgrade to your drink if you get it Togo. I got the rose green tea which I always get at tea houses. I didn't like it at this place though because it was pretty diluted and not sweet enough. I prefer other tea houses over this place but my friends just like going here when other places are closed since the hours of au is pretty good. read more

The drinks are good, but the service is horrible. Just piss poor, but if service and rude cold shoulders don't affect your dining experience, then I recommend this place. The drinks aren't anything special or even significantly better than any other teahouse in the area. I say that mainly because Arcadia has a wealth of great tea houses in the city. I don't mind the $3 minimum for dine-in customers, but again, the service is just terrible. The management needs to step in and give the servers a pep talk. I came here the other night and saw the sign "Please Wait to Be Seated." Ok, that's fine- a little strange- for a tea house, but that's good, I like signs. Then right above that is another sign that says to wait to be seated if dining in and next to that it says go to the computers for to-go orders. While I have faith in a sign, apparently the servers do not. The servers are not very observant or even helpful. My friend had to stop a server for us to get seated. The server passed us at least twice without even asking or seeing if we needed anything. Instead the server went to the back of the bar and talked to his ladies. Great, I'm all for that, but come on buddy! You're suppose to be working. While I would love to keep ranting about how horrible the service is here, I do not want to waste my time explaining how my friend and I got seated then eventually decided to get a to-go order because the server never took our order because he was occupied with talking to those girls in the back. The girls weren't even customers, they were his friends, who I guess had nothing else better than to distract their friend from doing his job. I'd come here again, but get a to-go order. Lastly, the drink prices are a little high. The average drink price is around $3.50 anyway, so it's pretty easy to meet that price minimum for dine-in. read more

Tucked away in a little strip mall on the other side of 99 Ranch Market, this is a little tea house is a happening little spot in Arcadia. I usually go there to meet up with friends I knew in high school but don't want to hang out in Monrovia because a) the place we wanted to go to is either already closed (SO a la Monrovia) or b) we wouldn't want to be caught dead in the places still open. It's also closer than Monterey Park. Wow, this place has really upped their ante recently. New, fancy menus have improved from that laminated placemat card thing with all the items on a fine print list...and I have a feeling the prices on this menu has jumped to accommodate this upgrade. You can get most of the drinks there hot or cold, with or without boba, and in two sizes. I usually get the large hot almond milk tea and it's not too sweet, which I don't mind, but I do appreciate its subtleness. I also like the milk toast brick(?) they have there too. It's a nice little spot to hang out, either inside or outside, and outside they have heat lamps too. It does have its waves of crowdedness, so timing is crucial, otherwise your seat will be taken by a large group of kids having a Mario Kart DS lan party (and I wasn't cool enough to be invited...despite the fact I don't even have Mario Kart DS)... read more

The first time I came to AU was about a year ago. The first time I had a drink here, I thought it was the best green milk tea I had ever drank. However, the next time I came, the same green milk tea I ordered tasted really bad and way too sweet/syrup-y. After my second experience at AU, I stopped coming for almost a year because the drinks were too inconsistent. I recently started coming back to AU because I was tired of all the other boba shops and AU always has really good deals [For ex: BOGO free, free upgrade to large]. Fortunately, the baristas have changed and the drinks here are so good now! I really like milk teas, but I prefer my drinks to have a stronger tea flavor rather than a milk flavor. I highly recommend the Oolong Milk Tea: this drink is perfect if you like tea, but want to drink a milk tea. The Green Milk Tea is still a bit on the sweeter side for me, but it's not as sweet as before, and all in all it is still a pretty good drink. I've heard that the fruit teas are good as well. Do not get the Royal Milk Tea! I heard it's really bad...**I have yet to find a boba shop that sells good Royal/Earl Grey Milk tea/please message me if you know of one! The only food I've ever ordered at AU was the Crispy Chicken Ricebowl and I give it a 2/5. I didn't like it because I thought it was so bland. It comes with only rice, corn, and chicken, with no sauce! I honestly felt like I could've made it myself. At least it was cheap ($5.50). Also, if you order a meal, you can get a drink for only $2 more! The main reason why I like AU is it's ambiance. It's a pretty big tea house that has seating indoors and outdoors, so it has a lot of space for groups of people to hangout at. They play good music...none of that fob music, and they also have a TV! The servers are pretty nice and quick at seating and taking/delivering your order. My favorite server is Aaron. He's really funny/friendly and looks like he really enjoys his job. Not to mention he's also pretty cute! :p One time I ordered an Oolong Milk Tea with no boba and another waitress gave me one of those fat straws instead of a skinny straw. It was obvious I looked confused/irritated, so Aaron quickly brought me a skinny straw without asking. The reason why I didn't give AU 5 stars is because I feel like they don't have a signature drink. For such a competitive market, I think AU needs at least one drink to make themselves standout from all of the other numerous boba shops within a 5 mile radius. Other than that, AU is really good and definitely worth going to or even making it your go-to boba shop. read more

Occasion: Dessert boba with Rich What I Had: Almond Milk Tea w/Boba Food Review: The almond milk tea was good, and so was the boba, but I definitely asked for no ice and they forgot! They do seem to have a lot of meal, snack, and drink selections on their menu, but nothing particularly cool like Half & Half's special additions (e.g., honey boba). Service Review: I think they kind of just...forgot about Rich's hot tea order. No bueno. Venue Review: They have both indoor and outdoor seating available, and there is parking available in the lot outside the cafe. There are plenty of seats at the front of the venue and against the right hand wall. I do give them credit for having a much larger venue than most boba/tea houses and it was very clean and pretty. Overall Impression: I'm actually a little surprised that AU 79 was so highly recommended! To be honest I couldn't tell the difference between their pearl milk tea and that of any other boba place, and unfortunately they missed the mark on service. read more

Mmm, I don't mind coming here. It's pretty mediocre, though. I do like the outside seating but always hella smokers out there. Come during the happy hours for cheaper drinks! Surprisingly, I haven't tried their boba yet. We'll see next time. read more