This is going to be a long experience but it's worth the read to know what you're getting into. This was truly the worst customer service experience of my life. I will not be returning. 0/10, do not recommend. If I could rate this place 0 stars, I would. I never leave reviews but I have never been treated this way at an establishment. This happened on 9/9/2024. My friend and I found this place on Apple Maps & didn't know you had to buy something to be there. Not even 5 minutes after sitting in outside seating, the manager Calvin came out with a horrible attitude / tone asking us, "can I help you?". We proceeded to ask him why he was so angry and he said we were breaking his rules by sitting there with outside drinks (IT WAS ICE WATER) . We kept a respectful tone and he just continued to berate us and told us to leave as he walked back into the cafe. A customer sitting outside told us that this is Calvin's usual behavior and that he had been kicked out himself before as well. We packed up our things to leave but I wasn't going to leave without speaking to him. We entered the actual cafe and walked towards the counter and I took a kind approach & warmly said "Hi, I feel like we started off on the wrong foot, my name is Ashley, what's yours?". He rudely told me his name. I told him I felt he disrespected us outside and that is not how to speak to customers. He spoke very condescendingly and said we weren't his customers and basically told us to f-ck off. During the back and forth, he yelled and said "how would you feel if I came into your house and did whatever the f-ck I wanted?". That statement was questionable considering we had done absolutely nothing but walk into his establishment and sit down. I stated that one day someone might not be as chill as we are trying to be about the situation and he proceeded to say "so what you guys are threatening me? you want to kill me?". That statement shocked us further because we never said or insinuated such a thing. Anyways, we eventually just walked out because he's a very irrational, unreasonable man who can't be spoken to. This same night, we walked to an ice cream shop nearby and mentioned the situation to an employee and he stated that he and many locals are aware of Calvin's disrespectful and condescending behavior towards customers. He also agreed with how unfortunate it is that Calvin can't really be reported to anyone since he is the manager. Calvin, if you're reading this, I hope you find peace & therapy for whatever you have gone through or are currently going through. read more

Honestly the guy who runs the place had me at hello, we joked about my girlfriend urinating on me to mark her territory, literally the most welcome I've felt , like my weirdness found a home ... I love this place to study, good WiFi , highly recommend. read more

Y'all need to relax, CK's a small business run by immigrant Asians so of course they're not gonna be the most socially accommodating people--check your Eurocentric standards. I love this place, it's been my spot to catch up with friends or read and write for years. Their selection of tea is amazing, they are always efficient and timely, and the atmosphere is very peaceful and relaxing. I will say I doooo miss the ceramic mugs they'd bring hot drinks out before COVID. :,) read more

CK Cafe - Outside seating area - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Claremont, California

Do not go to this place , the owner is incredibly rude! I've never been treated the way they treated me, our group was just asking simple questions about the tea and the lady kicked us out and chased us to the door. We were an incredibly respectful group and do not appreciate being treated this way. read more

Delicious tea, so many flavors to choose from. Pleasant patio to hang out in groups or solo.

I wish I could rate this place higher because the tea variety and selections are incredible. I think that if you're looking for a small spot to grab a good tea, this is the place for you. The teas are a bit pricy, and the service is a big standoffish at first. As a result, I don't think this would be best for everyone. read more

They dont use real honey, mainly syrup mixed in honey. The barista is extremely rude and awkward. I didnt wanna say anything to him or confront him because I suspect he is on the spectrum. But if he isn't autistic then theres no excuse for his rude behavior and comments to guests visiting. read more

CK Cafe - Disappointed that this place has gone downhill even more. Avoid at all cost - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Claremont, California

Whatever happened to this place? It's gone sour quick. We walked in and it was empty, we actually thought it was closed. When one of our company asked for suggestions? The man on the counter said; "whatever you see is what we have". When we ordered our drinks, we found a spot to chill and as we were trying to settle in? There was a humming nonstop beep coming from his direction! I'm not sure if it's intentional to keep customer visits short but it was very distracting. No background music, just the ugly hum that drills into your ears. The attendant kept pacing himself back and forth as if he was trying to catch someone outside the patio without permission or someone breaking the rules. After we were already settled in? My girl took a short nap. She was leaning up against my shoulder, nothing else, and he comes to us; oh I'm very sorry there's no sleeping here. It's against the law. Really? I highly doubt that, but even then, how would that get you in any trouble? The sleep police is going to show up? Finally, I remember specifically asking for easy on the honey not extra honey, and to top it off? I can almost certainly guarantee you they use unfiltered faucet water for their teas. read more

Read the reviews they don't lie. The owner is very nice to pretty blondes. That's about it. Been here a couple of times. Impatient, rude and all around unhappy. Unnecessarily short even when the place is not crowded. It's like the guy wants the place to be shut down. Or perhaps he just wants a certain segment of customer... read more

The tea is good, but if you expect on feeling welcomed here don't get your hopes up lol. Within the hour of purchasing a hot tea I decided to come back and study as the library would be closing soon. The cashier noticed me come back and was automatically giving me sass about how I needed to purchase something else. I apologized and tried to explain how I was just here and he then tried to play it off saying never mind it's fine. I already felt unwelcomed as it was after his comments so I just left. If I didn't feel so unwelcomed I would've gladly purchased another tea. This is a way to lose customers as previously mentioned in other reviews. In hindsight, not a welcoming place to study but rather a tea to go! read more

Calvin the owner may be a bit hostile but you just have to know what you are in for. The tea and drinks are great(I recommend getting ramen with egg and cheese and crab, super good) read more

CK Cafe is a no-nonsense tea shop in Claremont that has a great tea selection. It looks almost like an herbal shop. You walk in and there are dozens of empty, labeled, numbered jars. The labels are sometimes the names of the teas, but sometimes they are vague descriptions like "weight loss" or "calming" and you are left wondering what is exactly inside the tea. Behind each jar is a colored box and that gives another clue as to what kind of tea it is: herbal, white, green, etc. But you can definitely spend a good while looking at each jar trying to decipher what it is you are going to get. The way it works is you go up to the counter and you tell them what # jar you want. As the other reviews say, you also let them know if you want it hot or cold, for here or to go, and with or without honey. It's a pretty expensive cup of tea, running $4-5. I decided to go for #15 which has something to do with calming and soothing a sore throat, but I have no idea what's in it. The teas are all organized in zip lock bags corresponding to the tea #, and then they give you the tea in a tall disposable cup if you want it to-go. I asked what was in #15 since it was pretty sweet, but she just told me it was herbal and good for the throat. So #15 is still a mystery - but it was good! read more

Have been here on multiple occasions and so far haven't had any problems nor complaints! Until today ... I love CK cafe so much! Their service is excellent and their selection of herbal teas are amazing! With that being said, today I came with under a lot of stress, out of breath and needed someplace to relax to! The cashier lady seems to although have some sort of attitude of some sort towards me, which I obviously had no other care for! I come in to use the restroom just to wash my hands and as soon as I leave the cashier lady immediately just yells, "Get out" I literally reply with, "What did I do?" Next thing you know I just storm out because of the upmost "respect" I was treated with and yell out, "You just lost a customer!" I apologize for this huge story paragraph but I felt this was needed to be said! Totally ridiculous this place is sometimes I swear! ‍ read more

"The most rude person I have ever encountered. No sense of customer service, no welcoming attitude, and responded to every question rudely. I would never recommend this place to anyone." read more

Never want to come back to this place again. Only came because my friend wanted me to give TEA a try so I was in. The minute we get there, the lady seemed to be hurrying us up even tho they were closing in 30 min. It doesn't take long to make tea I had questions since I'm not a tea drinker but my questions could not be answered since the lady spoke ZERO ENGLISH. Since she couldn't communicate with us I had to pop out the Google translate LOL. Even tho she didn't speak English, she was rude. My friend had her tiny little dog with her and the dog looked thirsty so I went to ask the lady for water. Why did she tell me that she doesn't have water really!? How you make the Rea then lady!?????... I'll wait... Anyway, she pointed at the bottled water and told only that water SMH I was over the place after that. I didn't like the tea. I tried to tho ‍ Tea just ain't my cup of tea. LITERALLY. That's it. That was my not-so-nice-experience read more

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We initially enjoyed the atmosphere and tea at this shop the first time we came. Today, I wanted to sit down with some friends, and because of the limited inside seating, we moved a chair so we could all sit at a table. There is NO sign or any indication whatsoever that says that we can't move chairs around and no reason for us to think that that wasn't allowed. The owner comes in hot and bothered and says "Y'all don't listen" while aggressively tapping his temple, and muttered something under his breath. Then grabbed the chair and moved it back to where it was originally while sarcastically chuckling. His comment didn't even make sense as he did not verbally notify us that moving the chairs is not okay. And like I said, there is nothing written anywhere that says it is not allowed. Additionally, he claimed that we'd be blocking the customers from seeing the teas, but we would not have even been in the way as we are expected to verbalize the tea number we want, and not allowed to bring the jars up to the cash register anyway. This man is trying to run a totalitarian regime in a little cafe with way too much competition in Claremont to justify his overtly rude attitude. There are way too many cafes and libraries around for me to want to come back here for rude, bizarre behavior. We would not have minded being kindly told to not move the chairs. Otherwise, he needs to write more extensive "house rules". This is the second and last time we will be visiting this establishment. He also tried to accuse me of trying to steal from him at the register. I will be praying for him because what the heck. read more

This tea house has been an essential place Ive been coming to for years, always had great experiences, owners have been super sweet. Peaceful atmosphere, adorable sitting area with lots of room. I take my friends and family here all the time :) read more

Really chill atmosphere . Great studying place. Snacks and tea are delicious. Service is great .

Bad service. Male owner is always in a bad mood. He is a very irritable person. Not a very clean establishment.

The vibe and everything is cool. Tea is great, they have so many options, everyone is really chill. Would highly recommend coming here.

IMPORTANT!!! If you are a regular here skip this review. So first off the owners don't speak english very well, but they do the best they can. I didn't realize they had a system when I first went. 1. Find the little sign located on the center pilar in the room and familiarize yourself to the colors on the sign as they correlate to the colors on the jars 2. Pick your tea and bring it to the counter. 3. State if you want it hot or cold, and either to-go or dine-in. 4. Then after they get what they need out of the jar, put it back where you got it. 5. sit back and wait for your beverage. read more

CK Cafe - Spaceball w/ honey - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Claremont, California

Tea taste good and looks pretty when it blooms. It is in a great location. But the place should be updated looks old and outdated. The lady had the worst customer service ever!!! Not ever going back. She had the most rude reply and her whole demeanor was poor. I would nicely ask her to repeat herself because I could not understand some of her questions. And she would give a rude gesture and she raised her voice in a rude way. My sister even heard her getting loud while in the restroom. She asked me why is she yelling. I'm a patient person and was able to take my time to try to communicate with her but DAMN there's no need for the attitude. Honestly costumer service is important for me in order to enjoy the whole experience. read more

I came here to get some work done, but the experience was really unsettling. The owner was outside with a group of regulars, openly making racist and offensive remarks. My friend and I were seated near the group of men alongside the manager/owner who were loudly telling explicit and vulgar jokes, making comments that were both disgusting and inappropriate including making jokes of the Diddy allegations, r*pe, mexicans being "everywhere" and some remarks about black people, etc.. It was not only uncomfortable to hear but incredibly unprofessional, especially for a place like this. We felt really disrespected, and it made for an awful environment to be in. Definitely need to be reported or trained in some way. read more

The service was so terrible. The owner asked my boyfriend who was sitting right next to me if he wanted to order something and said no but he was with me and I ordered then proceeded to ask him to leave. I told the guy he was with me and still asked him to leave if he wasn't going to order. Now I understand if it was busy why he would ask him to leave but it was not busy at all. Never coming back here again. And before all this they were super rude to a customer asking a simple question. If I could give them a zero I would.. read more

Be careful if your kids want to have a boba drink from this place and you decide to buy a coffee from someone else on the way there: the outside drink police will extrictly enforce the rules and will kick you out regardless. I can understand the rule if you just wanted to use their location to sit down and have your Starbucks, but why be so unreasonable if you already made a purchase in their place. I hope this guy can afford to lose customers because yours truly will never set foot in this place again. read more

The guy with glasses was rude and has an attitude. Speaks very condescendingly and will not come back again

Hidden gem! So this place has the most amazing loose leaf tea options. They are very fresh and the flavors are so expansive that they literally fit your every need. Smaller location so there isn't a lot of inside seating but there is a cute little patio to enjoy your orders on. They also sell their tea in bags to go and you'll get 3-4 cups per bag depending on how strong you like your tea. They have iced or hot tea and coffee as well. It's such a good student study spot or just a nice place to stop at while exploring Claremont. read more

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

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We stopped in for some tea, and when we asked if they had boba, and what kind, and said that we'd like some, the man at the front (seemingly the same one reviled in many of these reviews) said, "okay, what do you want me to put it in? That tells me nothing. Do you want it in tea, do you want it in ice water, what do you want it in"? We were in pretty good moods walking in, not so walking out. A casual interaction--in which I am choosing to give you my money--should not be abrasive or combative. He continued to be rude until I said "the reviews all mentioned he was like this", after which he stopped talking and made the drink. My biggest takeaway is that despite giving this place the benefit of the doubt (I had been here 10 years prior) the man was just as rude and dealing with him was just as asinine an experience as the other reviews have warned. On top of everything, the taro boba was watery. read more

Someone in the reviews made a really good point that if you are not a regular here you would NOT know that the owners don't speak good English. But at least for me, that doesn't stop me from coming here to enjoy some unique tea. Some people were complaining in other reviews that they got yelled at for not buying anything and hanging out but honestly that's their fault. There are literally signs everywhere saying that you must first purchase an item in order to hangout in the patio. So READ THE SIGNS. It's really awesome that they keep their patio open super late for students to have a place to study. I was so grateful when I stopped by the other day to study. There are not many places providing outside seating for students to study, so I am beyond grateful that these owners care for students and giving them a place to study and hangout during these crazy times. The tea is also so tasteful and unique. read more

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

Unfriendly staff, in a suboptimal location, and a weird overall place. I found the tea to be disappointing. The aroma was ok, but the taste fell short. I believe it's nice having a 150s tea variety, but is easy to get overwhelmed with the choices. Perhaps helping with brewing recommendations could lead to a better experience. This is just my personal opinion, and I hope my feedback helps both the place and clients in their tea experience. read more

I came across this on yelp on day and the blooming tea caught my eye! But first things first, this place is super hidden. It look me forever to find it. The entrance is through the back and there wasnt any signs indicating CK cafe from the main street. As I walked in, they so many teas! I was so happy. They have them in little jars, you pick up the jar, tell the cashier, and then they will make you the tea. The cool thing about this place is they have a billion tea selections and some teas there shows their benefits. Some were marked for headaches, others for eye sight. Another cool fact, you can actually just purchase the tea leaves as well. I believe the blooming teas are about 3 for $10, but im not quite sure with the loose leaves. I always get the dragon blooming tea iced and sweetened with honey. They don't use sugar as sweetener and I appreciate that a lot. I use to come here alll the time when I was going to school, theyre open pretty late and if you do come during night hours you do see multiple students studying as well. Overall this place is perfect when you need some simple, light, and healthier tea! Staff: The older asian lady that works there is so humble and sweet. I always see her working late hours everyday. She is super friendly as well. Good service. read more

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

To whoever plans to come here. I would say do not even waste your time. Personally, I have never encountered such horrible customer service. I was sitting and studying until this lady came up to me angry and yelling at me telling me that I needed to leave because I didn't purchase anything. I was eventually going to purchase a drink and support this local business since I've been coming here for years now. The lady told me I needed to leave immediately and felt threaten by me. My friend also told me she was discriminated by the same owners. For anyone who's still coming here, invest your money on business that care about their customers. Go support coffee/tea businesses in low-income areas that are currently in need of support at this moment. read more

Literally sat down waiting for my business partners to arrive for a meeting and the lady was rude did not even offer me the menu to order she just started kicking me out customer services is 0 stars read more

the teas are so good but idk if the owner or cashier isn't too welcoming and nice lol

I NEVER POST NEGATIVE REVIEWS but this was THE WORST experiences I've ever had. I whole heartily care so much about treating employees well but the man working was incredibly RUDE!!!! My friends and I came in to study for finals carrying books and a laptop and wanted to put our stuff down first before ordering. Just after we put our bags down the owner instantly came up to our table saying we needed to not bring outside stuff inside( I had a Starbucks water cup... ). My friends and I abided and moved to go outside to sit put our stuff down and then immediately went to order. In between waiting for my paid drink I went to the restroom no toilet paper..no toilet seat covers... I politely informed the man working and again he responded rudely saying there was nothing he could do about that. I received my drink and went back to my table. BEFORE I even had the chance to sit down he followed me and my friend outside and instantly grew aggravated that we had not yet thrown our water cup away and if we didn't we could leave for all he cared. I LEFT MY FULLY PAID GLASS DRINK ON THE TABLE AND basically waisted my money just to leave. WHEN I SAY DO NOT SUPPORT THIS BUSINESS . He needs an attitude change support IRON AND KIN THERE ARE SO MANY BETTER PLACES TO STUDY SO MANY BETTER SMALL BUSINESS TO SUPPORT. Let it burn TO THE GROUND. read more

What a unique shabby-chic shack nestled behind and in-between other places, so you have to know where you are going if you want to go there. This place has legit loose leaf teas and makes boba teas, boba lattes, smoothies, whatever you want. I love it because most boba places only have smoothies and I don't like them thick. The wooden-boards place has a door like a fence gate and there is almost as much outdoor-but-enclosed space with lots of cool bench seating as there is inside. People just hang - it can be a good place to study, but I never really found my jive there maybe because it just wasn't as warm/cozy as I wanted. BUT addicted to their teas? YES. Honestly, this is a place unlike what you can find anywhere. It has a very bohemian, all-inclusive sort of vibe. For people who have problems with the owners, I would just say it's best to stop being demanding and just think of them like family. At least they aren't fake nice. I think they are real people, actually sweet, and they give good service. Like an older curmudgeon auntie and uncle. I really really love them. This is such a cool place, and it's the darker/edgier but still sweet hipster side of Claremont. P.S. Reading the reviews for this place is one of my favorite things to do. read more

I was really looking forward to going here because it's open late, had a cute vibe, and seemed like it might be nice to study in but myself and two other black women who Dont know each other well and hadn't discussed the place prior to going all had negative experiences separately. he was intensely rude and abrasive, as well as having burnt the croissant I ordered and then told me it wasn't burnt I just let it sit out too long, despite it being black. there is a different between burnt and stale. read more

This place is super hidden in Claremont but once you find it, it is so cute and cozy to hang out in. It's a good spot to do some work or to play some board games with some friends. It's a real quiet intimate spot. The Thai tea is good! I got the peach blossom today and as always it was delicious. No different than any other tea spot. For this tea it was $4.75. But it is in Claremont so it will be a bit pricey. I like that the tea blooms up in front of your eyes, it comes in a giant glass so you can watch the tea ball open up. Worth it if you want to spend a lot of money on tea. And staff is rude. Updating my review because I couldn't get a cup to take my tea to go. Staff needs to learn how to keep customers happy and coming back. I was a loyal customer until today. read more

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

Horrible service and bad business practice. The guy behind the counter misheard the number that we repeated twice, and gave us the wrong drink. When we told him, he basically said he's not able to remake the drink. When I went back and forth with him like 30 seconds he finally unwillingly budged and made a nasty passive aggressive comment saying "I guess Ill just eat up the cost" while rolling his eyes and making it seem like we are inconveniencing him. He made my husband and I so uncomfortable that my husband just said, "I'll just take the drink" even when he hated lavender just so we can be done with this. Imagine an employee/owner not eating up the cost of honey syrup (~0.50), tea leaves (~0.50) and hot water. And it was his fault. What a joke. If you love the tea flavors and varieties but hate the service of this place, look up Wing Hop Fung for loose tea leaves. They even have more combos. They sell in bulk and it's the same tea varieties and you can order online. I was here like 10 yrs ago and really liked this place cause the owner spoke canto and thought I'd support since I am too but I would never come back ever again and will also spread awareness of this to everyone who frequent this place. read more

Great tea selections! I love their fruit punch and birthday cake tea, but everything I've tried is really good. My one complaint is their hours are really unpredictable, so I've had a few times where I'll go and they're closed, but it's so good that I don't mind, and it makes up for it when it is open. read more