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    Intrinsic Cafe

    4.0 (138 reviews)
    Closed 12:00 pm - 10:00 PM

    Order Intrinsic Cafe Takeout or Delivery

    Services - Intrinsic Cafe

    Catering

    Vegan catering

    Intrinsic Cafe Photos

    INTRINSIC CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Dogs allowed
    Good for kids
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Intrinsic Cafe

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    Constance A.

    What a great cafe! I can see why it was pack on a Friday afternoon. Located right near Essex County College and Rutgers-Newark, this place had many young kids hanging out with friend. My friend and I were able to grab two seats. We both ordered Chai Spice brewed tea. My large was $2.40 after tax and his small was less than $2. Even though there were many people there, it wasn't noisy. My friend and I were able to hold a conversation. If you're looking for a spot to hang out with a friend, this is the place.

    No complaints, lovely bubble tea! Quick and good customer service. Used to go here during my college days, I'm glad they're still open and rocking.

    Jenny R.

    Decent Mexican hot chocolate. The chocolate croissant was rubbery after it was heated up. The look inside is very hip and modern.

    Pretty decor inside
    Krina S.

    Oh boy, does this place have good coffee and bubble tea options. Tons of flavors. I can't attest to the food, as I haven't tried anything, but they do have several sandwiches and cupcakes. This place is ALWAYS crowded with the nearby college students, but the staff is friendly and even though it might take a bit to get your order, it's worth it. There's not much seating but most people take their drinks to go, so you can usually find a place to sit if you're staying. I find this a good place to meet people for casual conversation. Would recommend!

    Alina M.

    Stopped in for a quick coffee but I could not resist the baked goods that were right in front of me as I was waiting for my coffee. I had to get the Pumpkin Nutella Cookie Bar! It seems like this place is more famous for their boba and smoothies because that's mostly what I saw people ordering. They have a lot of unique smoothie flavors if that's what you're interested in. The girl who served me was super friendly and it's always nice to have a conversation with a random stranger. They also have cafe foods such as sandwiches. Super cute cafe, I will be back to try more things!

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    16 years ago

    This is a really nice place to relax, catch up on homework and have a good snack.

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    15 years ago

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    10 years ago

    Awesome place, friendly service, great vibe and a good place to work. I'm here on Tuesday at 4pm and they are unexpectedly closed :-/

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    13 years ago

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    13 years ago

    Great place! nice bubble tea and smoothies. However, they play music so loud - house music in cafe?

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    10 years ago

    The bubble tea is wonderful. However I found a hair in it. The employees need to wear hair nets!

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    11 years ago

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    Page 4 of 4

    Ask the Community - Intrinsic Cafe

    Review Highlights - Intrinsic Cafe

    It's also super convenient for students that go to either Rutgers or NJIT since it's right there off MLK.

    Mentioned in 10 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    Akihi - Brown Sugar Brulee

    Akihi

    5.0(6 reviews)
    0.2 mi

    Came here on a Thursday night around 9pm after our show at the NJPAC and was surprised it was busy…read more They have 2 kiosk up front and they offer a variety of drinks, snacks and desserts. My friends and I ordered their toter tots, crispy chicken and chocolate bubble waffles with milk tea ice cream to share and I ordered their jasmine tea with cheese foam. Our order was ready a lot quicker than I had expected. The taiwanese crispy chicken was crispy, juicy and tender as they used chicken thighs for it. It was also well seasoned and tasted authentic. The tater tots were also perfectly fried as it was super crispy and they were sprinkled with the same seasoning as the chicken. The bubble waffle was the biggest surprise for me as I have never found a place that does it right (texture wise). This is the place! The waffle was crispy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside and the batter wasn't too floury as I have often found in other places. But that could also be because we ordered chocolate flavor so I should try their original next time. My only complaint is it didn't have enough chocolate taste for me. The milk tea ice cream, although wasn't the best I've had but it's decent and you can still taste the tea. My jasmine tea with cheese foam was fragrant and the cheese foam complimented the tea well and didn't make it overly filling. Overall, I really enjoyed everything I've ordered here and it's perfect for a mid day or late night snack and drink. I have been to other locations in the area and thought they're not as good as this one so I will have to come back to this location especially for their bubble waffles.

    Delicious spot in Newark for Taiwanese snacks. We got the Szechuan popcorn chicken-- delicious ,…read moregreat flour to chicken ratio! ($9) it wasn't spicy enough (for spice lovers) but they were kind enough to add more we also tried the pineapple mango tea drink -- 30% sugar was more than enough because of the natural sugar !

    Photos
    Akihi - Tater tots, crispy chicken, chocolate bubble waffles with milk tea ice cream, jasmine tea with cheese foam

    Tater tots, crispy chicken, chocolate bubble waffles with milk tea ice cream, jasmine tea with cheese foam

    Akihi - Games

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    Akihi - Brown Sugar Brulee

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    Brown Sugar Brulee

    Yaya Tea Newark

    Yaya Tea Newark

    4.1(79 reviews)
    0.2 mi
    $

    I went to Yaya Tea on Sunday during NJIT's mini anime convention event. The atmosphere is clean,…read morebright, and cute. I've been here in the past for their onigiri, but I was surprised to see that they now have udon, snacks, and decorative pins for sale! I really like their onigiri, which you can get in either small or large sizes. My personal favorite is the ume onigiri, which is a tangy plum flavor. But if you want something with more protein, the salmon onigiris and the chicken onigiris are really good as well! The staff are welcoming and kind, and they were open to answer any questions we had. My husband and I shared 3 onigiris and an udon, and that was enough to fill us up! The shrimp tempura that came with the udon was delightfully crunchy and savory. All in all, I love how convenient this spot is for students, and I'll definitely be back to try more onigiri flavors!

    I learned about Yaya Tea from a friend who lives around the area and had their rice balls for lunch…read moreone day. While Yaya Tea is most known for their teas and rice balls, I was feeling adventurous and decided to pick something up from their take out menu for lunch. I called in an order for vegetable yaki soba (extra charge for proteins) and was initially shocked and disappointed at the size of the container as it was much smaller than I had expected. However, my thoughts changed when I dug into the dish -- the noodles were packed to the brim of the container so I found the portion to be quite filling. I wasn't so terribly full, but at the same time, I also didn't need to procure additional snacks to get me through the rest of the workday. The flavor was good, albeit a little salty for my taste, and what really made the dish were the mushrooms that had a nice spongy texture that was reminiscent of animal protein, particularly Chinese food beef. Will be returning to try their other entrees and rice balls!

    Photos
    Yaya Tea Newark
    Yaya Tea Newark
    Yaya Tea Newark - Inside

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    Inside

    Kung Fu Tea

    Kung Fu Tea

    3.8(9 reviews)
    0.4 mi
    Halal
    Kid friendly

    I love kung fu tea! This place is a hit or miss. I come here ever so often as it's closest to home…read more The staff rotates frequently. On this specific visit, the guy at the counter was friendly. He mentioned he had just been there for about 2 weeks. I was ordering 3 drinks at the kiosk and a small group of girls kindly told me that the machine wasn't working. Seeing as he was the only person there, I took a chance even though he said he'd take my order. I have had other instances where the machine doesn't work and then magically starts working again so this seemed to be one of those times because it worked for me. Another girl came in after I placed my order, and before he started on my drinks, took her order on his side and prepared her order immediately. I did not appreciate that he did not make the drinks in the order in which it was received. The drinks were made correctly as requested and tasted delicious as usual. I ordered the passion fruit coconut milk tea with crystal bubbles and strawberry topping. As I saw him make mine, I thought it he wasn't putting enough of the topping as it was barely noticable visually, but upon tasting it, the flavor was there. The other two drinks were made correctly. There are some board games and 2 claw machines all of which are always a hit with my kid. Overall this visit was good, as long as the drinks come out correct, I will continue coming here when I'm in the mood for bubble tea.

    I visited Kung Fu Tea on a weekday afternoon and ordered a cold green tea with the Wow bubbles for…read morea friend and a hot oolong milk tea with regular bubbles for me. As an infrequent visitor of Kung Fu Tea, I had no clue of the difference between regular bubbles and Wow bubbles, aside from the difference in price. I asked if I could sample the two different styles: The Wow bubbles are cooked in brown sugar for like 20 minutes so they are sweeter and have a caramelized taste to them, while the regular bubbles are cooked in sugar and honey and not as sweet. Service is friendly and speedy, so it took longer time for me to figure which bubbles to select than the preparation of the drinks. Through the app, you can rack up reward points for free upgrades to your drink, but as this location does not have a QR reader, make sure to offer them your phone number before you pay if you are ordering from the counter. My reward points from this purchase were not reflected in the app, but after a quick message to Kung Fu Tea via the "contact us" page with the receipt, the points were added just a few hours later. Kung Fu Tea is a solid choice if you're looking for bubble tea in the Rutgers-Newark area, especially as a student because this location takes Raider Dollars.

    Photos
    Kung Fu Tea
    Kung Fu Tea
    Kung Fu Tea

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    Coperaco

    Coperaco

    4.1(183 reviews)
    1.0 mi
    $

    L O V E It's like…read morewalking into an adult sized tree house. There are a bunch of different areas for working, chatting, lounging. Two floors with the main floor having tons of bar stools, Tabes and a lower nook area with a larger table and some couches. Upstairs offers a long community table with window lounge seating bright and even whimsical with a lovely floor to ceiling book case. Menu offers snacks, small bites and more substantial meal options. They also do a happy hour special beginning at 4! I opted for a dirty chai (5/5) and scrambled egg and cheddar sandwich (5/5) both were delish! Appreciated the side salad as well! If you're looking for a spot to work, meet a friend or enjoy some time to your self reading a book definitely check it out. Staff is friendly, noise is reasonable and not disruptive, space is bright and open. Free WiFi. Plenty of places nearby if you wanted to try another spot for food. The only bummer is the Parking. There is street or nearby parking lot but street parking was full even at 9:30 AM the lot is covered but $5 for 2 hours and up from there.

    I had such a lovely time here--it honestly felt like a little escape from my usual routine. The…read morefood was beautifully presented and full of flavor, every bite felt thoughtfully made. I especially appreciated how everything tasted fresh yet comforting at the same time. The service was warm and attentive without being overwhelming, which made me feel really relaxed and taken care of. And the ambiance? Just the right balance of cozy and charming--I could've easily stayed much longer. This is definitely the kind of place I'd come back to, whether for a quiet solo moment or to share with friends. It just has that effortless, welcoming vibe that makes you want to linger a little longer

    Photos
    Coperaco - Community table upstairs

    Community table upstairs

    Coperaco
    Coperaco - Tiramisu latte

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    Tiramisu latte

    Intrinsic Cafe - coffee - Updated June 2026

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