The lady is a SO rude, she literally just threw my card and rolled her eyes continuously

This place needs to cleaned up....sorry it is dirty! Nicks was very special, this place does not compare.

Looking back, I had so many chances and reasons to leave. The lady who was supposed to be behind the counter was walking outside talking on the phone in Cantonese, she didn't understand what "vanilla" or "latte" meant, and basically thew together ice, vanilla syrup, and what tasted like milky water (with no apparent flavor of espresso or coffee) to serve my drink. I ultimately had the worst coffee (or form of coffee) and worst service of my life. I mean really? You can't even get off the phone while you take my order? Never going back to this place again, and I hope you never have to endure that experience either. read more

So I gave this place another shot , not because I wanted to but because I was with my sister at the time and she wanted a tea. We took my little nephew this time and I told her "ohhh the old man is gonna be pissed ,I'm surprised it doesn't say no kids allowed" either way we were just going to pick them up and leave ! To my surprise the old man was super nice this time! Like even being very funny! We figured he was having a good day! This time we got a slush with boba it was actually pretty good and the tea was much better this time because he added more honey I believe ! Things do taste better with friendlier service ! I'll be back! Sorry old man for being so mean the first time around lol read more

It's understandable that you may feel a bit rude feeling from the owner of the place but after knowing him a bit longer you learn that he is a really chill person. The reason why I continued to go to that place was not to learn about him, but because their delicious tea. I highly recommend their tea, it is very different from what I usually buy in the markets. read more

Not much for snackery but lots of choices for tea. Indoor and outdoor seating. Games and such to play with and talk about.

CK Abo is the boss!! All you people don't even know him and what gives you the right to judge him? If you actually talk to the old muscular owner, you will think he's the most interesting person ever. read more

This review has 5 stars based on what I was personally looking for and the type of experience I was looking to have. I came in the evening after I got off work, SOLELY to study and get a yummy drink. I get distracted easily, but sometimes have a hard time not getting distracted at home too. CK Cafe? No art, no music, no chatty employees. This place was PERFECT for a quiet distraction-less study session! I didn't have a run in with the grumpy owner, and the woman who served me was pleasant and helpful . I recommend this place for any student who needs a quiet escape from home, school, or the other noisy coffee places. read more

Excellent place to relax and drink some delicious tea! First time going on Wednesday, it was amazing! The variety of options are endless and the customer service was great, good place to study or to just hang out. Definitely recommend this place to anyone. read more

Great place to come study, read or hang out. Plus they have amazing tea's, coffee, and smoothies.

They have EVERYTHING! This is THE hangout spot, i don't even like tea and the owner is cool with me hanging out there smoking cigarettes without even buying anything. He is a very friendly old man and loves to chat on a wide variety of topics, he is very knowledgeable. I suppose if there ever was a complaint is that the tea is just plain hot water but the cigarettes are CHEAP, Camel 99s for $2.36 with tax?? Incredible! Burger Records also does surprise sets there for time to time, Mac Demarco and cheap cigarettes?? Doesn't get better than that!! Also the owner lets ANYBODY paint on the walls which contributes to a very COZY and HOMELY environment. Also if you are hungry and don't have money the owner not only provides free hospitality but hooks it up with Mexican food from next door, the same place that they share a restroom with! YIKES!! read more

This is very sad to say but the owners of this establishment are very rude and unprofessional. I walked in today and sat down for a study session bit before I could even get set up and think of my order I was approached with "if you don't buy something leave and don't come back" I was surprised at this approach because i had been there before with no such issue. It was also clear to see that the woman was in a rush to get me oit because she stood over me staring until I collected my things and left. She was very rude, cursing and rushing in an abrupt manner. I would defiantly not recommend this establishment to anyone. There is nothing special but the rude owners of the establishment. read more

Good tea, good place to sit and relax. thanks for free internet it's very helpful when I needed it. I will be back soon!!

The only good thing going for this place is the tea!. The owner is nuts!!. As soon as me and my friends walk in the place we basically get this incredibly rude vibe from her, like she doesn't even want us there!. Then there are the absolute RIDICULOUS rules!!. Like as soon and I mean as SOON as you get there you must buy something! Or she will kick you out. The whole time we were there she was on the phone barely helping customers, and staring at us like she wanted us to leave. This is not the way to treat customers. It is supposed to be a cool hip cafe where people like to come and relax and instead I feel like im being ruled over with an iron fist. Very strange. Probably wont come back. read more

Best tea place in town. Sure the owner is a grouch but that just adds to the appeal. It's a cool hang out spot for college kids in the middle of the night and the teas really are amazing. They have games to play hookah for those who like and free wifi. The murals on the wall are sick and is a very chill and laid back atmosphere. read more

It has great tea and boba. maybe even the best, but the owners are kinda dicks with signs and rules posted all over the place. I think people are afraid to talk here. Customer service leaves a lot to be desired but can't beat the quality of the drinks. You can bet if the service was nicer and the interior a bit more pleasant this would be a five star place. read more

One Of my Favorite places to get tea. Although I wish it had some music or something it's kinda boring. but i have to say the teas are amazing read more

CK Cafe - Peach Lily - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Claremont, California

Very cute! The murals on the wall are fun, and there are plenty of books in the store if you need something to do. The tea selection is so varied and it always takes me ages to choose one. Great place for a date. read more

I always see young people come here on tinder dates and grunge kids smoke cigarettes outside on the patio. the door is usually open and smoke drifts in to the cafe, and could really bother anyone sensitive to smoke. This is a really solid place to people watch. The flowering tea with honey is so delicious here and they serve it in ginormous, thick glass beer mugs. There is a huge selection of different loose leaf and flowering teas, and those should be your main reason for coming. The owner is kind of intimidating if you don't know how the complicated ordering system works (read all the signs) but the woman (who I'm p sure is his wife) is super nice. She and the owner happily greet and high five the regulars I see who come in here, even if they're filthy grungy millennials like you and me. read more

This place is a hole in the wall in downtown claremont. I love going here with my friends for tea, but the thing that bothers me the most is the fact that their hours claim to close at midnight, BUT, it has been MANY OCCASIONS where I go in at 11 or even earlier, and they would be like we're closing o_O' wtf is that?!?! rawr read more

Great place for tea and smokes, but after me and my girl already purchased and finished tea, he brought us two more and declared "boy... girl" while pointing at us. confused, we thanked him and drank the tea. I was actually really glad we got free tea; it was bomb. but later, a customer asked where her tea was so he started yelling at us for drinking her tea and not paying, now yelling "seven dollars!" so i tossed my credit card at the little shit and let him charge me, knowing this would sadly be my last visit to (Ni)ck's Cafe. t-.-t read more

I do like the selection of teas this cafe has as well of the calm environment around this building. It suit me well when I need to get work done. The only thing I do have a challenge is choosing a tea. The owner is friendly you just need to know how to communicate with him. read more

This place was a bit hard to find. My first impression of it was that it looked a bit shady and creepy--but it does seem to have it's charm. The coffee is pretty good and they had a lot of cool teas. It is a bit expensive, but what independent coffee shop isn't? I like that they have free wifi and you can stay however long you want. There aren't as many seats inside though, and it's a little dirty. There is outside seating, but it's not recommended if you don't like loud noise/people talking and smoking, playing chess, etc--as that's all there really is. As for the food selection, I wish they offered more, or at least had some fresh pastries. Customer service is great. This place opens late too, which is a plus. read more

I recently discovered CK and there are definitely some hurdles to liking this place. The owners are, like nearly every review has mentioned, nitpicky. A cup of tap water is 15 cents. So is a cup of ice. To an American, this kind of nickle and diming can make you go berserk! But here is why its great: The required purchase keeps out a decent amount of high school and middle school kids. They simply don't have the cash flow to buy a $3 drink every day. It is also a great place to smoke and you will never find kids there. If you hate smokers, this place isn't for you. sorry. Every other facet of society has been overtaken by children (Starbucks has a kids menu) so its nice to go to a real adult space. If you are a student, like me, the lack of obnoxious music makes it ideal for studying. Silence. The other mild irritation is the price change whether you are paying by cash or credit. You get a fifty-cent discount for paying cash-- frustrating when you only have the card, but I get my vengeance by simply not going when I don't have cash. If they want to charge me extra to pay then, they don't get my business at all. Yes, the owners are wacky. But once they start to recognize you, and you play by the rules, they lighten up. And as long as the emo-play-music-out-of-my-laptop, smoking-hookah-for-the-first-time kids aren't there, its a pretty chill scene. read more

Okay, so here's the deal: Their coffee is awful (seriously, and they don't have cream or half 'n' half, just milk to put in it), their hookas aren't worth it, and the owners are pretty crabby. That being said the tea selection is wonderful and their espresso drinks are totally drinkable. But the reason that I keep coming back to CK's time and time again is simple: they are open late, serve caffeinated drinks, and have a very comfortable smoking patio. It's getting harder and harder to find a nicotine friendly coffee shop in Southern California, especially one which has dedicated plugs for laptops, free wireless and is open later than 10. CK's defies the norm - they are very smoking friendly, consistently open later than any coffee shop within a 25 mile drive, and they are very VERY serious about making sure that people can use their laptops. I've seen the other comments here, complaining about having to discard outside food or drink, or worrying over charging cellphones, but I'm with the owners on this one - people come to use the patio for laptopping, and I don't wanna armwrestle someone with a iPhone plugged into the wall for plugspace when I'm finishing a project. And it only makes sense to charge for whatever you can get away with if you're a small business owner, so toss out your arrowhead bottle and buy a can of soda or something, because your water bottle is a physical manifestation of money that these people could be making. The shop is grungy, the owners grumpy, and the regulars can be intimidating, but all in all this is a coffee shop that perfectly caters to the students surrounding it. read more

My favorite place to hangout with friends and just shoot the shit. Great tea for a great price!

The owners literally spell out their rules with two giant posters that actually catch your attention more than the smaller sized menu. If you want customers, you have to like customers. This place clearly cares more about what type of device you're plugging into their electrical sockets rather than how a customer "plugs in" to their business. read more

The tea is really good! And it's very different. I would come back for the tea but not for the service, the older gentleman is very rude.

CK Cafe used to be Nick's Cafe, where there was merriment, live music, poetry readings, etc. CK Cafe is your strict aunt's house (with hookahs and crummy murals). The first thing I noticed when I entered the patio was the posted list of rules, which included that anyone who comes in must order something immediately, aka no waiting for your friend to arrive to make sure your drink doesn't get cold; that if you hang around for a while, you'll have to order something else; and that if you're using electrical outlets for anything except your computer, you'll be charged. This is what brings in customers? There was also no music playing over the speakers, which made CK even more sterile. Jessica H. and I got soy hot chocolates, which were ok, I guess, and chocolate chip cookies out of a container that looks like it was purchased at the local grocery store. The biggest draw for CK appears to be its tea selection, which is probably 40-50 kinds (thus meriting my second star), including a bunch where the dried tea flower opens up in your mug of hot water, like some alien beast. Maybe I'd want to go back if I liked tea, but in the meantime, I hate to say that in the Village, I'm going to choose a corporate chain over an indie store in the future; at least at Starbucks, I don't feel like I'm going to be scolded/booted any second. read more

Giving it four stars because the owner is a bit rude but don't feel like he means to be that way? The wife is kind of nice but unless you don't buy something she'll come out and harass you to leave. I came with my boyfriend and 2 other friends who didn't buy anything since they're not big tea drinkers, I got my tea and came outside to sit and talk and she immediately followed to see who bought things and who didn't and told the people who didn't buy anything that they had to leave. So sadly I had to take my tea to go! But I have came back alone lol and it's my favorite spot to come to for studying and just alone time. They have a variety of selections to choose from so that's a big plus! read more

Love their teas! They also have boba, coffee, hookah, and overpriced cigarettes. The owner has the angry Asian man charm and in an odd way, it just makes CK's that much better. So I'm sorry to those who expect royal treatment and flawless customer service wherever you go; if there's nothing wrong with your drink, then get over it. Also, free Wi-Fi, easy parking, and outdoor seating. Support your local coffee shops! read more

This was by far the worst dining or drinking experience of my entire life. The man who works there is the meanest man I have ever come across. Literally the worst. He yells at me about my drink order every time. He screamed and threatened my friend because she was drinking bottled water. He raised a fist and screamed at my group, all of us frequent costumers. He definitely frightened all other costumers who witnessed the encounter. Please never give them business again. While they are open late, which is a plus, this man is beyond rude. Hopefully this verbal harassment never takes place in this establishment again. read more

Went today with my friend to study, the man who works there did not greet us. Instead he yelled at my friend and I because we had Starbucks drinks inside. So we sat outside to study and he followed us only to continue yelling at us in-front of everyone out there. Would not recommend this place to anyone. That man was a complete ass!!!!! read more

Great place to hang out and study!! Wifi is good, tea is amazing and the atmosphere is nice. Definitely one of my fav hangout spots!

I don't even know where to begin. Picking your tea is overwhelming. It's the first thing you do and you bring the entire jar to the counter when you order. This makes picking your tea a process. There are people grabbing and putting jars back and fourth in front of you. You are constantly in the way of others. We finally just grabbed a couple that had nice names and sounded like they would be good. The lady at the counter spoke terrible English and yelled. "SUGAR, HONEY" "HERE, GO" I had no idea what she was trying to ask or tell me. I just nodded my head. My son ask for a Peanut Butter Smoothie with boba. When our order came he got a Pina Colada and some very crappy boba. The boba was mushy which means it was old. My daughter mango boba tasted good besides the boba at the bottom. My husband's tea was good but i didn't care for mine. Overall for the $19 I paid for 4 drinks, only 1 was good. I will not be coming back. read more

This place used to be really cool. It's now owned by Asians who do not understand American college town culture at all. The place is dead, boring, and a waste of a good space. The last time I was there, before this time, I came in, and there was a bad radio station playing static music with commercials. I was saddened, it used to be so cool. The iced mocha was eh. I hate the cup with plastic film instead of a lid. This time, I walked in, and it was silent. I said, you guys don't play music anymore? The owner(?) not sure, a woman who may have been the owner said, "no music. Sorry". Ok... Do you have decaf coffee? "no decaf coffee. Sorry". Do you have anything decaf? "Tea". Ugh, I hate tea. Isn't it a cafe? It's a real stretch to call it a cafe, they don't serve food. There is a nice sized patio, which again, used to have great music, and a lively atmosphere. Now it's just huge ashtrays on every table. No funky lights, no nothing. Dead. Smells like an ashtray. I wish I could buy it and turn it into something really cool again. Serve sandwiches again. Have friendly, college waitresses again, cool memorabilia on the walls. This place just sucks. read more

Terrible. If I could give this place no stars I would. Not only do their prices of beverages seem to fluctuate based on whether or not they like you but the people in charge of the establishment are coarse, angry and small minded. Rudeness, yelling and making wild threats are commonplace tools in the managements repertoire of dealing with customers. Avoid at all costs. read more

I visited this place with friends a few days ago. It's tucked away, and has a very quiet atmosphere. While I picked out my tea, a friend was up at the counter ready to pay and the old owner yelled "Do you want iced or hot?!" In our opinions, we all thought it was hilarious and as an East Asian I'd just like to say that this type of service in our countries are quite common, when it comes to a simple little family owned place. The tea was very good, and the cabinet with board games was nice. I read previous reviews about a strict set of rules but we didn't experience anything of the sort. The only downside to it was that people smoked freely outside, and though it was our fault for picking the outside seats I was still surprised at how the customers openly smoked in front of us. Overall, it was a nice experience, but I'm not too familiar with this place so I can't make any large calls. read more

Went there yesterday with some friends. It's pretty hard to find because it's in an Alley. I've visited the claremont village for as long as i can remember but I didn't know that it was a totally different place at night. They have boba. My friends told me a cool asian guy owns the place and he's really friendly. That place is a good place to hang out because it has books and board games you can use or you can just sit and talk with friends. read more

Great tea, big selection. It's about $4 (only one size) but it's a lot of tea so it feels worth it, especially since they have so many choices. But the people who work there are VERY rude to customers. The older man constantly yells at customers who aren't doing anything wrong. Advice: take your tea to-go or sit outside. read more