I had high expectations but found the boba to be overrated. My passionfruit tea was super sweet despite ordering lower sugar. The packaging is super cute though and reminiscent of how they serve boba in Taiwan with the handles included. The plainer oolong milk tea with boba was much better and not as sickeningly sweet. read more

Chicha San Chen - Bubble Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

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The store was packed during the soft opening. College students everywhere inside doing work. I don't this there was a place to stand. While we waited less than a minute to order at the iPads, the drink took almost 15 minutes to arrive. We were told it's because the drink making is automated by a machine to ensure the same quality drink each time but that's still quite long to wait for boba. Luckily, while waiting in line we were offered the chance to do the tea tasting. The tea tasting took about 25 minutes and we got to taste one tea at one roast level. The tea had five roast levels ranging from light (most caffeine) to dark (least caffeine). The barista was knowledge and a good guide. The tea was good but not out of this world. The boba was good but I would say on par with some of the other boba shops in the area. read more

Chicha San Chen - Tea tasting - Bubble Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

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After church, we made a trip to this 3 star Michelin Boba shop! The initial challenge was parking!!! It was on the corner of Dana and Channing! That was our former stomping grounds when we use to attend First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley. Getting to Dana and Bancroft, we circled around for about about 20 minutes until we found parking and then walked down to the shop. Chicha San Chen was pretty spacious and busy!! The shop clerks were friendly and we ordered our drinks on one of three computerized ordering stations! As we waited in line, a woman gave us samples of a drink called Black Milk Tea with Cream and the options was limited to one addition. I chose coconut jelly with no sugar or ice and my partner had his Black Milk Tea with Cream with boba. His option was called The Perfect ( supposedly just the right amount of sugar and ice). As we waited we noticed the shop had a tea tasting area which required reservations if you wanted to try some of their tea blends made with their speciality tea leaves . It appeared to be pretty popular. The tea leaves were hand picked and people trying the teas looked pretty happy. So once you order the shop had a sign with the order numbers. and a text was sent to your phone to let you know when your drink was ready. Each drink took about 15 minutes. So would we go back? Probably not, but if we happened to be in the area and found a parking space close by, we would. It was worth the trip from Contra Costa County to Alameda County at least once . I hope the owners of Chicha San Chen would consider opening a shop in Central Contra Costa County. Their drinks are different enough to make people switch their allegiance to Chicha. If I was a Cal student , not dependent on cars and having to find parking , I'd be there every week. As long as Chicha San Chen keeps up the quality of their drinks, they will hold a place in the hearts of boba connoisseurs! read more

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I came on grand opening day! The line was long! I waited 1 hour in line to order and 1 hour for the drinks! Sadly, they ran out of the pin I wanted but both pins are super cute! I got the Mango Osmanthus Oolong Tea with coconut jelly and mango, and also the Dong Ding Oolong Milk Tea with boba. Both were delicious but I love the Mango Osmanthus Oolong Tea more because it tasted refreshing! I love the little cup holder they give with the drink! It makes it easy to carry! The drinks are a little pricey but they're definitely worth a try! read more

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4.5 stars Honestly, at first, I was taken aback that 2 drinks came out to ~$18, but I still decided to give it a try since my friends have spoken highly about it, and they're clearly popular for a reason. So my boyfriend and I went two times in five days, and ordered a total of four different drinks. The first day we made the mistake of getting drinks that had no tea in them...yeah it's a little embarrassing. After we got our drinks, we did the tea tasting with Jessica, which is what made the whole experience worth it. Jessica clearly has a passion for tea, and we ourselves got pretty involved in it. The shop can get very busy and loud, but the tea tasting was a nice calming touch that got us grounded. And it was complimentary! We decided to go again after the first time to try out their tea drinks, which are their specialty. Day 1: Volcano bubble - 8/10: solid brown sugar boba in taste, rivals other places such as HeyTea. Fresh milk with taro paste and taro balls - 7.5/10: this was good, but as I've lived in Asia and have gotten to try other taro drinks, this one is just alright in comparison as I would have preferred more taro paste. The milk was kind of overpowering (I did like the taro balls though). Day 2: Green milk tea with taro paste and boba - 9/10: the green milk tea was simply excellent (but again, would prefer more taro paste). Passion fruit green tea - 8/10: refreshing and simple. CONCLUSION: Quality-wise, Chicha is the place to go. My only reason for docking points off is the size of the drink, which is small given the price you are paying, and the lack of taro paste (but this is more of a personal preference). Either way, I think everyone should check this place out at least once! read more

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Omg is this the Michelin Boba place? Well, no, kind'a, sorta yes? There is no Michelin boba (despite what some influencers may be telling you) but Chicha did win many awards, including the Highest International Authority iTQi certification for quality which I guess is where this catchy phrase came from since people falsely equate it to Michelin stars. So now that we got that out of the way, let's actually talk about the tea. Chicha San Chen finally opened a second location in the Bay Area but they've had others in North America and are originally from Taiwan with decades of experience. The other location in the Bay is in Cupertino and is extremely popular. Their focus on freshly brewed tea for each order, using their super fancy machines (and what l've noticed as a bottleneck of their production capacity and speed, leading to the long lines). They try to redefine the experience by focusing on elevating every step of the tea making progress, both from an execution standpoint and their brewing, as well as, the quality of the ingredients. It's all very artisanal and aesthetically pleasing. Because they focus so much on sourcing and quality of the tea leaves, they do have somewhat limited options. It's quality over quantity here. But trust me, the options they do have are worth it. Everything down to the cute handles for the cups is focused on providing with a curated experience that differentiates itself from most tea spore, including many of the premium boba places around. Depending on when you go, there may be long lines or no lines at all. Bottom line, even if you remove the ridiculous Michelin claim, Chicha delivers on highly elevated yet easily approachable high quality and hand crafted tea experience. It's pricey. It takes a long time. But for many, it's totally worth it. PS - they do have a tea tasting experience as well if you want to check it out read more

My favorite tea place. The staff are always very nice, there are often samples. It's usually pretty crowded but the tea is so high quality!

We were excited to try another boba shop. After our lunch, we walked 5 minutes towards this shop which is so conveniently located across from CAL campus! What I noticed right away, is the bright interior and many golden tea dispensers! Minus star because they don't offer matcha Sweetness level and alternative dairy is available depending on type of drink. Expect a longer wait due to many CAL students hanging around this local spot. Feedback from others was not enough to warrant perfect ratings. We do give for innovative carry out packaging! read more

Chicha San Chen - Signage upon entering establishment - Bubble Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

10/10. Pricy but for a special occasion it's worth it. I always recommend less ice and less sugar. The staff and environment are both amazing. Try out their free tea tasting too. read more

Chicha San Chen - Bubble Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

Such a nice atmosphere inside, music isn't too loud and there's a lot of seats and pretty decor. Drinks were pretty expensive but I can taste the difference in comparison to cheaper tea, and the cups were really cute. read more

Chicha definitely tastes good but paying nearly $9 for a cup of boba is craaaazy to me. I love the vibe and aesthetic of all the bay area chichas and service is friendly. Good place to study or chat with friends, and I like that they have games to play. read more

I got the Dong Ding Oolong Milk Tea which is listed in their Most Popular Drinks list - can definitely understand why it's on there. It was really good. My partner got the Lemon and Passion Fruit Condensed Milk and liked it as well! We got "Perfect" level of sweetness and less ice for both and we were both satisfied, which is good to note if you have a sweet tooth. I was nervous that their drinks wouldn't be sweet enough for me, but it truly was perfect! We have to try the complimentary tea tasting station next time we come. read more

Chicha San Chen - dong ding oolong milk tea, lemon and passion fruit condensed milk - Bubble Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

Ran into this spot looking for boba after eating in Oakland. Definitely an elevated, tea and drink experience. Ordered the oosmanthus oolong milk tea, black milk tea, and brown sugar milk. The drinks come in one size, and it's comparable to the "small" you would order at other spots. I like my boba so I was missing the extra :/ the price was still about the same at $8-$9 per drink. Boba quite chewy and tasty. The milk teas were really good, I think the black milk tea had to be my favorite with a more robust flavor. Brown sugar was ok tho. Overall, love that it's tea focused and would definitely come back to try other teas. read more

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I enjoyed the classic bubble milk tea with full sugar. Not a fan of how customers are charged 25 cents for the Berkeley city cup fee. My personal opinion is if a business has extra fees due to the city demands, it's the business's financial responsibility and not the customer. Many boba shops also allow customers to bring their own cup. Unfortunately it's not an option here and we are forced to just pay another quarter. read more

Super tasty milk tea that reminds me of Taiwan! I grew up consuming beverages featured at Chicha San Chen, and it's just reminiscent of my childhood. The tea is incredibly fresh and I really appreciate the diversity in their menu. This storefront is also incredibly nice! Beautiful interior that makes getting work done a breeze and chatting with friends even better. This location also offers tea tasting reservations, which is something I may look into for the future. I love tea a lot! Some of the best drinks I have had here have been the Dong Ding Oolong Tea Latte (wonderful rich tea flavor), Fruit Tea with green tea base (seasonal and fresh!), and their Lemon and Passionfruit Condensed Milk (caffeine free, perfectly sweet and tart). Overall, delicious and if you haven't been yet you definitely gotta give it a try! read more

Chicha San Chen - Lemon and Passionfruit Condensed Milk - Bubble Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

Drinks were average and absolutely NOT worth anywhere close to $10. The brown sugar boba had quite a sickly taste after a while and I couldn't even finish it. The fruit teas are significantly better than the milk teas. Service is okay, and free samples are offered but this doesn't really make up for the taste or the price. Lots of seating and a good study spot, but I would recommend grabbing a drink from anywhere else around and then coming there to sit. Cute drink packaging. read more

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Went there to try their boba because I liked the one in SoCal. Oh boy, the first impression walking into store was amazing!! It was 2-3x bigger than the SoCal store, a lot nicer, and loved the open spaces for Berkeley students to stop by and drink a boba while reading a book or something. I was also impressed of their technology. Thanks to the technology or electronic board, I knew exactly when and where my boba was in making. If I'm nearby, I'll make sure to stop by again. Thanks for the good boba. read more

Did the tea tasting and had the green tea cream with boba. I also tried sample of oolong cream tea. The space is very welcoming and inviting. Very spacious with the different tables and seating arrangements. I love how it is an open kitchen where you can see everything too. The tea espresso machines are neat. The tasting was complimentary and booked in advance. Only five people can do the tasting at once and it took about thirty minutes. You can only sample one out of five teas. They really make their tea with attention to detail here. Can't wait to try more drinks when I'm back. read more

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Omg I can see the rave and hype about this place . The tea being freshly brewed and the boba the perfect amount of chew . I can't stop thinking about it and want to come back weekly ! Quick service . Place is very bright and opened space . Parking is def tough but we know this . And it's worth it read more

Chicha San Chen - Bubble Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

The drinks are actually so good, we loved it. The whole entire café has a really nice ambience and cozy feel to it. We went on a rainy day and it was really fun and we love the experience with the little handle for the drinks, it made it really cute and fun. Definitely a cute place to try and the drinks are really good as well. read more

Chicha San Chen - Bubble Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Solid spot for strong fragrant tea! Interior design is STUNNING. Berkeley gained another strong competitor in the boba tea scene. read more

Chicha San Chen - Bubble Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

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I took many bubble tea in different milk tea store, this on is definitely perfect for me. It's tea flavor mix with brown sugar bubble which tastes fantastic. This cup of bubble tea is over $8.5 which is quite expensive. read more

Chicha San Chen - Bubble milk tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

Great drinks!! They have a very cute aesthetic and a large menu options! We love the silly names of the drinks read more

Chicha San Chen - Bubble Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

Very good. Salty plum drink was a little too tart but that's probably just me. Fast service and cute location

Absolutely amazing place. Came here a few weeks ago and Chicha San Chen definitely did not disappoint. It was a weekend night and the line wasn't too bad, still pretty busy for 9pm. Great spot to hang out. Nice, bright, clean, welcoming. They also have a tea tasting area. Overall I believe most of the drinks are made with fresh tea. Only bad thing is they charge you an arm and leg. I believe I spent almost $12 for one drink. DIABOLIC read more

I came by close ten min after opening and ordered the Ding Dong Tea on the kiosk - perfect sweetness, less ice. The TV monitor said it was a 11 min wait, but it only took maybe 5 minutes. This location is brand new and I really like the premium spacious layout - feels like a Starbucks Reserve. Boba was hot and QQ. Oolong tea notes came through with creamy milk. Love the TV monitor with the status updates (nice to not have people yelling order numbers), although it'd be nice if they were more accurate? I'd like to try the tea tasting next time! P.S. Thank you for having boba ready at opening. So many boba stores open and don't have boba available for an hour. read more

Came here this weekend and thought it was just okay. I ordered the mango oolong tea with boba and it was eh. The boba alittle harder than I liked and tea a bit watered down. For the price, could have gone elsewhere for better boba. I will give it another try as they do have a good wide selection. read more

Ordered through snack pass. It was quick. I got mango osmanthus tea with bubble light ice and light sweetness. I liked it. Bubble was nice and chewy with a hint of density in the center. Might try it with regular sweetness next time. read more

Chicha San Chen - Mango osmanthus tea with bubble - Bubble Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

I love a chicha pitstop. If u love a good drink you'll enjoy it here. They have a bit of everything for everyone. Sweet drinks, unsweetened drinks, creamy or refreshing, boba/no boba, hot or cold. While the line can be intimidating and the menu large, the self ordered helps to alleviate the pressure. Place order at one of the two kiosks, grab a sample, head over to other side of the store to see the progress of ur order on the monitor. Pick up when ur number says it's ready. Easy peasy. Only tough part is the parking situation. I hate the nearby lot so only pop in when I can find paid street parking. Or come on a Sunday so u can park street for free. Lots of seating but it can get busy so don't count on it. read more

Awesome new boba/bubble tea spot in Berkeley near campus. Made to order, so it takes some time but is well worth it. They also offer tea tastings and free samples of tea. Bright and pleasant space to relax and enjoy some tea. The tea was really fresh and unique with the salty egg yolk and pineapple bits for the seasonal drink. The bubbles are perfectly chewy and not too sweet, just right. Lovely place to hang out! read more

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Tea tasting was so fun!! Jessicas presentation was lovely to listen to. The tea tasting experience and service was great! Also got the bubble tea - boba was super chewy and the milk tea paired very well with it. Less sweet, less ice was super good. Friday mid-day wasn't too busy, waited about 15 minutes for our drinks, which wasn't too bad. Ambiance is nice, the teapresso machines were pretty. Drinks are a bit pricey so it's def a treat! read more

Chicha San Chen - Bubble milk tea- less sweet, less ice - Bubble Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

So so so good! Such high quality tea & interior is so cute too - perfect for a casual hang out or a study session. read more

Chicha San Chen - Bubble Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

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With the popularity of Boba and tea shops it starts to become a competition of which boba shop has something different to offer ? This shop ( more than a shop just bear with me) nestled on the corner of Bancroft across from a busy UCB campus is in a prime spot ! The interior is clean with self check out and reg check out lines. Busy but quick moving. The shop is super busy. I ordered the creamy pineapple tart with oat milk ! Has bits of salted egg cookie crumbs and lots of pineapple bits. Super refreshing and almost like a light milkshake ! Tea tasting and ceremonies avail. Can't wait to try more ! read more

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Hello, I am updating my review to share my experience after trying more drinks! Green Tea with Mango: very aromatic but a bit tart, even with the mango. I thought it was a little too sweet for my taste, but I enjoyed how clear and refreshing the beverage was! (The Green Tea with Passion Fruit is similar, but a little bit more sour because well, passion fruit.) Ding Dong Oolong: If you've read my earlier review, I've never been the biggest fan of oolong tea, so this was just *okay* for me. Compared to their other milk teas, this was a bit watered down, but the roasted flavor of the oolong was still very present. Honey Osmanthus oolong - another one of their signature tea drinks! Although I felt the blend was more honey than osmanthus and tea, but you can definitely taste notes of the other ingredients. The honey definitely lingers in your mouth for a very distinct aftertaste. Similar in effect is the Cassia Black Tea with Honey, which also had a very strong honey flavor but blended with black tea! This one kind of just tasted like sweet to me, with the front load of honey masking the complexities of the tea -- at least in the small cup that I tried. Overall, I still stand by my earlier choices for the mango osmanthus oolong and the black tea with cream (although slightly now favoring the former). I also recommend lowering the sweetness level if possible - sometimes the honey or sugar is a bit too much and takes away from the original taste of the tea. Definitely experiment to find your liking, though; they'll have samples out for different drinks, which helps if you're indecisive about your order. read more

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Chicha San Chen is located on the corner of a busy one way street right by UC Berkeley. Parking is a bit difficult here, but not impossible - there is street parking (mainly metered) and also parking in the garage nearby. The exterior and interior is modern, while the interior is more spacious than it looks from the outside. Ordering is through one of their kiosks by the entrance. Drinks do take awhile because I believe it is freshly brewed by cup. While waiting, there was an employee who walked around asking customers if they want to join their next tea tasting that was happening soon - it sounded interesting, but my friend and I had to meet up with another friend soon, so we politely declined. I ordered their version of a green milk tea with boba. Even with perfect sweetness, the sweetness was decent, but it could had been just a tad sweeter and with less ice, it was not as cold. The milk tea was smooth and had a good ratio of milk and tea, which I liked, but boba on the softer side. Overall, the drink was good, but I would not say it was worth the price (it was over $9) for a small cup (they only have one size). Bumped it up to 4 stars overall, as the service was pleasant - friendly employees from the two I encountered. Maybe I will be back to experience the tea tasting next time. read more

well... chicha san chen is a great name for bubble tea. love the tea so much and always come up with perfect taste!!! great place and ambiance but not like the way they put the chairs cause almost no privacy ~ lol!!! you sit beside others. order through kiosk and wish the snackpass can work soon. better order through the app instead of lining up... read more

Chicha San Chen - fresh organic milk with taro ball and taro paste... - Bubble Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Came for the tea tasting and thoroughly enjoyed the light, medium, and the heavy. Delicious drinking read more

Chicha San Chen - Scales to weigh and time steeping of tea. - Bubble Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

It's lovely!! Great tea, nice flavors, great packaging and good service. It was very busy and crowded there because it's so popular

Came here to try the "Michelin-starred" boba tea and wow am I impressed! While the price is a bit higher than other tea shops, the experience and atmosphere definitely makes it worth it. Our cashier was so accommodating, helping us choose our drink and suggesting the perfect toppings. While we were there, we also did the complimentary tea tasting. Our host did an amazing job going over the variety of teas and their origins and taste notes. The experience felt so special. read more

Had a great time at the tea tasting! Alicia was knowledgeable and very helpful, and answered all our questions regarding the teas we tried. The tea tasting counter was very well set up and clean, and it appears to be very popular with the collage students nearby. I will be back to try more teas :) read more

Chicha San Chen - Oolong Tea tasting schedule - Bubble Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

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