Cha for Tea is a nostalgic place for me and every other Anteater out there. We flew into SNA recently so we had to stop by! My go-tos back in the day were the Almond Black Milk Tea (hot) and the Crispy Chicken either as a snack or an entree. We had it again this time and it was as good as I remember, the hot milk tea is perfect for a cold evening and the crispy chicken is the perfect snack for any time of day. Happy to see this place is alive and thriving! read more

I've frequent this establishment for many, many years (over 15). I generally like the drinks here, except the taro milk tea. There were no taro taste in drink. It's unfortunate that I walked out without trying it first. Not sure if they would have done anything about it? hhmmmm.... I'll update my post once I return to try something else. read more

Being the one of few boba shops near UCI means there's a lot of college kids around, especially Asian ones. I was thirsty and really needed a drink, so stopped by here. I ordered the Lychee Black Tea ($4.50) with half the sweetness. It was honestly still pretty damn sweet though. I hung out at the tables outside on my laptop while sipping on my tea. Nothing too special, but definitely quenched my thirst. read more

Cha For Tea - Lychee Black Tea. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Irvine, California

First time at this location! Lots of people but they made the drinks fast! I got a green tea slush with boba. It was good!!! Not too many places have green tea slush for some reason so I was excited to try it. The boba was soft and chewy which is exactly how they are supposed to taste. I really enjoyed it. My friend got the traditional boba milk tea and it tasted pretty good. I can see why there was a line at this location. They were handing out popcorn chicken and we got a sample of it, it was ok. Parking in this complex can be a problem since it's such a big complex with a lot of different stores/restaurants. I can usually find parking. The area is generally field with students since it's next to UCI. During lunch hour they place can get really packed. read more

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I mean this is the worst you could ever bought 10 dollars? You guys could have rob me but u give me 2 sausage and rice and little corn instead. read more

Cha For Tea - Pork Sausage (2pc) Entre - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Irvine, California

Stopped by here after a doctor's appointment at UCI and this place hit the spot. The flavor of the crispy chicken was so good, kinda like a spicy but sweet taste. The noodles could have been a bit better, they seemed a bit dry but adding the sweet and sour sauce to them helped. The cashier was friendly and the food came out pretty quickly too. Inside was a bit busy so I ate outside, around the corner was a nice little sitting area in the center of the plaza. Definitely looking forward to coming back! read more

Cha For Tea - Crispy chicken and noodles with mango milk tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Irvine, California

I was a UC Irvine student and I would always go buy boba from Cha. My favorite is their Mango Green Tea. It is a delicious drink and very refreshing especially on hot summer days. They always have samples so if you want to sample the mango green tea you can. Their crispy chicken with the sweet and sour sauce is also a delicious option if you are hungry as well. Typically there is a long like especially if you go during times when they have club fundraisers. It's definitely worth the wait though. You won't regret it. It's located across the UC Irvine campus so you will definitely see a lot of college students around. There's plenty of parking because it is located in a big plaza with other businesses. read more

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Mango Green Tea: A very refreshing drink if you are looking for something to wash down the greasiness from other restaurants in the plaza or anytime during the summer. The boba was very chewy as well. My only complaint is that it was way too sweet. I believe the standard size usually has 4 pumps of sweetener so I asked for 2 pumps instead since I don't like my drink too sweet. It was still way too sweet for me so I can't imagine what 4 pumps would taste like. Popcorn chicken: I loved them! I got the medium level spiciness. Although it looked very red but it's definitely not as spicy as it looks. It gets you that tick of spiciness without burning your tongue. There are plenty of parking spots in the plaza. read more

Cha For Tea - Mango Green Tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Irvine, California

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Best boba near UCI. Expect long lines efficiently served and enjoy! Their mango tea, brown sugar latte, and classic milk tea are our household go-to's but everything on the menu is delish. Also, get the crispy tofu. read more

It's been a while since I have visited. I'm just a little disappointed that I didn't get all my items from my order. I ordered DoorDash and there was no way to contact the restaurant for the order. I tried calling but there was no one who picked up, so me paying for extra items and not getting them, I'm a little upset. I asked the DoorDash driver but I was told that they were only given one drink, my receipt says two read more

Cha For Tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Irvine, California

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Cha for Tea is one of those staple Irvine places that every single person who is familiar with the area has gone here. Growing up in Irvine, I can say I've been here at least 50 times so I don't know why I haven't written a review. I've been here since its original days (never forget how ORANGE this place was) to its new and revamped days (gray and yellow). LOCATION & PARKING // Located in UTC, there is always parking here. Cha is conveniently located near the "entrance" towards Eureka and Mendocino Farms so if you park on that side, you'll easily just walk through and see Cha. In pre-COVID times, it's spacious enough that there are a decent amount of tables and seats for you to either hang out with your friends or study here. This place is crawling with students from UCI or the local high school. DRINKS // I highly encourage you to adjust the sweetness level because their drinks are super sweet. I normally adjust all boba drinks to 75% sweet or less sweet but even changing it to 1 pump here (25%), it was still incredibly sweet. This is true both all their drinks, but especially but fruit teas. I've gotten a ton of different drinks here but my go-to's are MANGO BLACK TEA, LYCHEE BLACK TEA, and MILK TEA. I have noticed that their drink quality has gone down since I first started coming here (early 2010's). I would say it's good but the sweetness level turns me off a bit. The best thing about their drinks is their boba. Seriously, it's some of the softest boba I have ever had in my life. It just melts in your mouth! FOOD // If you're unaware, Cha's CRISPY CHICKEN is the bomb. It's a big part of what they're known for! You can order it as a snack or an entree, but I love grabbing it as a snack. It comes in a small bag with some skewers and you can customize your spicy level. I always get it very spicy. You could pay for some sweet and sour sauce and while it's good, I don't think it's necessary. GET THIS. IT'S A MUST. It's so much better than any popcorn chicken you've ever had, I promise. SERVICE // It has been over a year since I've been back here with non-COVID service. I can say during COVID, everyone was kind and helpful. They followed COVID guidelines and the food and drinks came out in a timely manner. They did mess up my order but quickly fixed it upon realizing it. OVERALL // 4 stars Cha isn't really a place I "crave" anymore for boba. However, if I want some of that crispy chicken, I'm definitely coming back and grabbing a drink with it. I just feel it's hard when there are so many boba spots in Irvine who have elevated their menu to be more creative and Cha's boba menu is quite standard. read more

The boba here is perfect: warm, chewy and sweet (but not overly so). The cool part is that they make it fresh every 30 minutes! Drinks are customizable for sweetness. This is an "old school" place so doesn't have the "cheese foam" that a lot of the newer boba places have. Love that this is a "mom and pop" institution that has been here for more than 20 years. They also serve some Taiwanese style food and snacks (think fried chicken, dumplings) Covid times: plexiglass up, social distancing enforced, limit for number of people in the shop at once read more

Excellent to drink while stoned (I am 21 and it is legal here), but also amazing when sober! The workers were friendly, and the vibe in the store was great. Definitely coming back! read more

Cha For Tea - Roasted Brown Sugar Milk Latte (Medium) with caramel boba - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Irvine, California

Cha for Tea is a lighter boba option. The boba itself is soft and less chewy, making it feel less heavy which I personally liked. I got the taro milk tea with less sugar and it was still plenty sweet. The flavor was strong and I really enjoyed the drink. I also tried the popcorn chicken with medium spicy and loved it. Crispy and flavorful. They have a deal right now where you can buy one bag and get one free! Inside dining is still shut down and they make you wear a mask as of November. The staff was super friendly and the wait was short. read more

Cha For Tea - Taro Milk Tea (Medium) - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Irvine, California

Great location close to UC Irvine and in close proximity to other businesses and restaurants. This location is popular and for good reason, their teas are delicious and their boba is some of the best I've had. The line was out the door when I arrived. There are individual menus by the door so you can review while you are waiting in line. I liked that they offer free samples of teas to try so you can try before you buy. Ordering was about a 10 minute wait, but once my order was placed my drinks came out really fast. I ordered the honey milk tea with roasted brown sugar boba, mango green tea with lychee jelly and taro milk tea with regular boba. All three drinks were refreshing! My husband doesn't typically like boba but said this boba was the best he had. read more

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I stopped by Cha for Tea since I was in the area returning something to Amazon. I decided on the large matcha tea latte with 3 pumps instead of 5 pumps of golden syrup. It was a good choice because any more syrup would have been way too sweet for me. I may ask for 2 next time and some boba. The staff was nice and masked. There are social distancing measures in place. The drinks are made to order and relatively cheap compared to other shops in the area. My drink wasn't complicated and it came out fine. It wasn't super busy and I was able to distance from other patrons while waiting for my drink to be ready. read more

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food + drink : i'm OBSESSED w the popcorn chicken here for some reason i say get the combo bc it's worth it ALSO almond milk tea !! no other place makes it this good ALSO still somewhat cheap what ??? service : if you're lucky and don't have to wait.. the service is not bad at all ! honestly u don't wait too long ambiance : they have a few tables inside which is nice ^_^ i don't particularly like the structure of the line because it always wraps around outside, so it makes it feel tight :/ i say sit outside, fresh air read more

Sunday 4/4/21 6:00PM This location is a joke! The cashier and manager won't honor the coupon that they advertised. Coupon clear show BOGO chicken combo with drink but they won't honor the coupon. Beware customer! read more

Cha For Tea - BOGO Crispy Chicken Combo digital coupon from Retail Therapy. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Irvine, California

The mango green tea and the mango cooler (both with boba) are my go to orders. Also, the crispy chicken with the sweet and sour sauce is always a good snack. The drinks are usually REALLY sweet, so I'd recommend getting 3/4 or 1/2 sweetness. read more

This is my go-to boba place! I always order the classic black milk tea with boba, and it never disappoints. The drink is always delicious, and the staff is really friendly. Highly recommend it! read more

Cha's drinks are pretty sweet so I would highly suggest adjusting the sweetness. I personally like their mango green and their jasmine milk tea. I like how it was conveniently located across from UCI. Being a former student, it was a great spot to get an easy boba fix. Aside from their drinks, I love their popcorn chicken. Of all the boba places that have popcorn chicken that I've tried, I always go back to Cha. Makes me sad whenever I get to the last chicken T_T Their sweet and sour sauce is a good add on but not really necessary. Not sure if this is still happening due to COVID, but they would always have samples for you to try by the cashier area! Usually it'll be the more popular drinks, like their mango green tea. read more

Cha For Tea - Popcorn chicken with sweet and sour sauce (medium spice) - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Irvine, California

Popcorn chicken and drinks were delish! Highly recommend if you are in the Irvine area near the university!

Every UCI student or Irvine employee has probably tried this place. It's a solid choice that I've frequented over the years. -Recommendations/what I got: I usually get the royal milk tea (earl gray), honey green milk tea, almond milk tea, or the chai milk tea with caramel boba (super yummy but sweet, basically boba with caramel sauce) Idk what addictive substances they be cooking with but I constantly give them my money for popcorn chicken. The sauce is kind of a unique sweet and sour. I am ashamed but never surprised... -Menu: they have a bunch of iced teas, iced milk teas, hot teas and even blended drinks as well as snacks or entrees of those foods I.e. dumplings, fries, chicken. They have entree versions of the snack foods that come w rice or noodles, salad and corn. The drinks edge on being almost too sweet with standard sweetness. -Price: It's a small portion for the popcorn chicken for $4.50 plus 30 cents for the sauce? Drinks are standard pricing. Maybe slighter cheaper than other places such as Sharetea in the same place, by 50 cents. The drinks are about $4 for a regular size or $4.50 for large and 55 cents for boba. -Atmosphere/Location: the best part of this place is how it's conveniently located about half a mile from UCI, if that. Students constantly go to this plaza and they used to be open late too. -Service: Usually casual since students mainly work here. The one older employee I always see is polite and helpful. read more

It's probably been almost 10 years since I've been back to Cha for Tea..during my undergrad days. (Man, I'm really aging myself here) But the boba is as delicious as I remember it. The boba is perfectly sweet and chewy. The drinks are good (my favorite is the mango green tea) and I like it half sweetened. Can't wait to come back and reminisce the good ol days with Cha again in the near future! read more

Cha For Tea - Menu 2/2019 - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Irvine, California

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I'm a popcorn chicken lover so I had to try this place. We tried popcorn chicken, fried tofu, Cajun sweet potato fries, royal milk tea and honey green milk tea. We got medium spice for the chicken and fries and they both were delicious! The fried tofu did not taste like anything but the texture was good. We chose the sweet and sour sauce which was interesting. I can't really describe it except for the fact that it was liquidly. Lol. I wish they can make the tofu with the Cajun seasoning. We won't get this again cause it doesn't have any taste. The drinks taste light. Not creamy or heavy which I actually like better. Boba was great. I'm not a fan of sweet potato fries but the Cajun was really yummy on the fries. I was surprised I liked it. My only question is why don't they sell regular fries?!!!!! Why????!!!!!! I would die to get Cajun fries here. I will definitely come again if I have my chicken cravings :) read more

Waited over 25 minutes for 1 milk tea, and the order was wrong afterwards. Won't be coming back.

Cha or Cha for Tea has several locations throughout the Orange County and South LA area. No matter which location the tea aficionado goes they will be pleasantly surprised on the consistent quality and flavor. This was helped when all locations started to use blenders to mix the drinks instead of by hand. It also helped speed up the process. What really helps separate Cha from the masses is their tea quality. It is never bitter and comes in a variety of styles such as milk teas, fruit based teas, and many can be served hot or cold. For the non tea drinkers they also serve coolers. Depending on your craving I recommend Black Milk Tea, Lychee Green Tea (Mango Green tea is a fan favorite but unfortunately has changed over the years and it's not the same as the older flavor), Strawberry Colada, or Black Tea Natural Crema. In addition to the tea quality, their boba quality is top notch. It never sits more than a couple of hours and even in this COVID era it is still very soft and not a hard ball like many other boba places. If you are on the fence on boba you may want to give Cha's a try. For people who are sensitive to sweet flavors they allow that to be adjusted and are more than willing to remake it to your desired taste. A tip: have them make the drink over ice and not blended with it, the flavors tend to be less watered down. The tea alone is enough reason to keep coming back but they do offer food. The quality is not the highest level of ingredients but they are definitely guilty pleasures. A solid 5 out of 5 that's stands out from others not only in California but throughout the world. PS they offer catering where you can buy gallon jugs of tea and are perfect for parties or the at home tea drinkers who cannot get enough. read more

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As far as ordering online, the menu was pretty straight forward and easy. I like that you were able to choose how much sweetener you wanted and even tells you what is recommended. I love the fact that you can change any milk tea to a non-dairy option. Although soy is the only choice it's the only boba place so far that makes it an option to add when ordering online. Also not over priced like so many boba places on yelp. They were also very quick to complete my order which was an order of 6. They were well staffed and attentive to customers even thought they were slow. Not many places are attentive even when they are well staffed. They would have received 5 stars if they had more non-dairy milk options but overall this place is worth your money. read more

We have been here many times since 2015! We recommend the steamed chicken dumplings or crispy chicken as either a starter or an entree. The crispy chicken comes with a good pink dipping sauce. For drinks, the mango green tea, honey green milk tea, or taro milk tea - sometimes with boba. Their refreshers are also very good for anyone craving tea, but without the caffeine. It can be a bit noisy when it is busy read more

Haven't been here since they renovated (yeah its been a while). I had a craving for some popcorn chicken (my 2nd recent obsession next to acai bowls) so I decided to stop by a familiar place that I haven't been to in a while. Value: 3/5 - Actually not a bad deal. Was about $5ish dollars? (Don't quote me, I'd refer to the updated menu for actual price. The amount was solid as well. But I'd say they're in the mid-range of other popcorn chicken places I've been to. Taste: 3/5 - Again, probably at about the median of other popcorn chicken in terms of taste and flavor. Nothing that really makes them stand out, both good or bad. Overall, I'd probably come here again whenever I'm having a craving, but only if its on the way and convenient. read more

Cha For Tea - Popcorn chicken, about $5 - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Irvine, California

Miss Kayla B, fix your attitude. Thanks. Other than that, my drink was delicious like always. read more

This place is super popular among college students since it's in close proximity with UCI. I've been to this place several times during my college years, and it's usually always packed, especially at night. It's a convenient place to get a drink if you live on campus, but their teas are ok at best. They all taste of heavy syrup, and there's not much of an actual tea taste in their drinks. I've had many of their teas including the classic milk tea, almond black milk tea, Thai milk tea, taro milk tea, and mango green milk tea, and the quality just isn't there. They all taste way too sweet and artificial. I aways get boba pearls with my drinks, and the ones here are too chewy and undercooked for my taste. You're really coming for the convenience, not quality. There are so many other places in Irvine that can do boba a lot better. They also have food items such as the crispy chicken, chicken dumplings, and sweet potato fries, which are nice to munch on, but the portions are tiny! There is a ShareTea right across the building from Cha which tastes a lot better and has higher quality teas. Now that I've graduated, I have a hard time imagining going back to Cha as there are so many other great boba places in Irvine. read more

This place is my go to boba spot because of how good it is! In fact, I usually order two large drinks of the green honey with extra extra boba. The price isn't bad and service is average for a tea shop. I also go here twice a day, everyday I love love love boba!! read more

I come here every other day for the chicken it's so delicious and the servers are so kind. I just wish they had more places open closer to my house so I could eat the chicken every day. read more

I used to live at UCI, but have recently moved away. I think Cha has gotten better over the years, but they did remove some entrees off of their menu. Now, they just have snacks and drinks. Now that I live far from Cha, I will have to say I miss it. I miss Cha's crispy popcorn chicken...it was the best snack! I also miss their unsweetened mango green tea and RetailTherapy deals. The best drinks were probably the MGT and the almond milk tea...other than that the other drinks are whatever. One of these days, I have to come back to UCI to pick up their crispy chicken and the mango green tea! read more

Drink is fantastic, customer service is superb. The employee that served us was Brian. His name tag "Brain" fits him perfectly as he was super helpful in recommending drinks and resolving our order. read more

Cha For Tea - Brain - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Irvine, California

I've been coming to Cha for years because nothing beats their boba!! It's always perfectly chewy. And the almond milk tea is something I'm always willing to wait in line for. Their almond is amazing, it never has that chalky taste that other boba shops' have. Hot or cold, it's literally the best. I also love coming here because the service is exceptional! The team is always so friendly and quick despite their busy lines. Their one employee, I don't know his name but he's super tall with glasses, is always so courteous and polite! I rave about this place to my friends all the time. The drinks and the snacks (crispy chicken medium spicy and the crispy tofu are my favs) are definitely top tier considering all the boba spots in town. read more

The food was absolutely amazing. The chicken is sooo good, generous portions & fair prices. The boba teas we got were also fantastic! so happy we found this place! fast service , excellent quality. read more

Cha For Tea is one of my favorite boba joints. Unfortunately, the Alhambra location closed down, so I can only get Cha in Irvine or Pomona. I ordered the new Peach Mint Refresher with no sugar and boba. The drink was super refreshing and you can definitely taste the tea, peach, and mint. Boba was chewy and had a nice sweetness to it, unlike some places. This is definitely the epitome of a summer drink! I was also able to sample some popular drinks and even the sweet potato with powdered sugar while waiting in line. Even though the line is quite long, it went by fairly quickly in my opinion. Overall, Cha For Tea always delivers every time. I can't wait to get my next fix. read more

Cha For Tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Irvine, California

100/10 the best chicken I've ever had. The customer service is always top tier and they always go out of their way to make me feel more than satisfied. I brought my husband here last week for date night chicken and he's obsessed! read more