Love their coffees (cappuccino, latte, con panna, ...), bubble teas (mango, taro, ...) and desserts (warmed banana bread with nutella and such). Very nice ambiance and great service. It is quite unfortunate that they are open for limited summer hours (close by 7p on weekdays and closed all weekend!). Love the place otherwise. read more

Coming from California, I'm having serious boba withdrawls in Newark. When my roommate told me about this cute little cafe that serves everything from coffee to smoothies to bubble tea AND asian homecooked food, I was hooked! Try the passion fruit green tea with mango pop boba. The tea is very flavorful and the boba actually pops in your mouth - like those you can get as a topping at Yogurtland (I hope people know what I'm talking about) The lunch specials are also quite a bargain. $5.50 for one dish and veggies. The menu changes everyday (i.e. soy chicken + broccoli or mapo tofu + broccoli, both over rice) This might be my new cafe spot! They have a great outdoor seating area and free wifi, great for the remainder of the summer. I might be the only party pooper here studying though. :( read more

I change my mind. It's definitely a 4. Its difficult getting good coffee in the area and depending who makes it, the lattes and cappuccinos come out very good at The Intrinsic. There aren't any more daily rice dishes as of now but there are chicken salad sandwiches, deli sandwiches plus the typical pastries, cookies and bagels. I personally really like the chicken salad. It's a good go-to place to casually chit-chat with friends since it's so laid back and everyone who works here is very helpful and friendly. Tip: I hear the Mexican hot chocolate is good and you can mix a variety of bubble tea flavors. read more

As far as places in Newark goes, this place is my favorite. So cozy, homey, artsy but down to earth; a real delight when the staff is incredibly personable, there's free wifi, and a good selection of drinks and homemade meals. This places screams DIY all over, and sometimes the people they train up may have a bit of inexperience, although they have their share of more savvy and skillful baristas, but the place makes up for it by providing a great space to hang out, have a conversation, play a few games, and relax to a good book. read more

I think it's an adorable spot that's long overdue in the college area of Newark. They have board games, and great smoothies (I liked the green tea smoothie) and my friend ordered a strawberry one that was too sweet for me but they loved it. I will definitely be back! For some outdoor seating and studying.... read more

I have to say that the young lady that works here was very accommodating and friendly I ordered a taro bubble tea and was going to Ramien Gami next door and the young lady brought my drink over to next door for me which was very kind of her and my bubble tea is delicious .. will definitely be returning for more read more

Great cafe with a large selection of boba, tea, juices. Their custom options will fit a variety of dietary restrictions. I just moved here and was looking for a decent priced authentic boba shop and this is 10 min walking from me. They also offered sandwich and baked good options if you're feeling hungry. Their daily deals option Helps fit the budget and they have a nice place to study outside which i like a lot! read more

Ohhhmyyygawwwwwwsh After coming from Rutgers new Brunswick I crave bubble tea so much. Since there is a bubble tea joint there. This place is seriously awesome I don't know what I would do living in Newark without this place. I go at least 2 times a week and the owner knows my name haha. The bubble tea is crack!! Plus it is crazy cheap. Up in Bergen county bubble tea is around 5$ Cozy environment, good drinks, food, hookah, and sweet treats. I recommend: -For those ice cream and milkshake lovers- almond taro milkshake -for those tangy sweet lemon lovers- kumquat honey lemon slush (or tea, I prefer slush) with lychee -for those green tea lovers- the green tea milkshake with green tea jelly They also have delicious entrees for lunch and dinner. The pork with fried egg is sooo good it comes with rice and broccoli. -7$ read more

Intrinsic Cafe - Kumquat honey lemon slush w/ lychee jelly and pomegranate slush with aloe. I recommend getting it as a tea though. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

Super cute, small cafe on a college campus. Its a perfect spot to get some work done and drink some bubble tea. I recommend the jasmine milk tea with passion fruit pop! read more

I love Intrinsic - I can't believe I haven't written a review yet! With all the bubble tea, smoothie, and drink options, hot or cold, and cool lunches with croissant (homemade!) sandwiches or onigiri, you'll never be bored here. It's the quintessential cafe that University Heights needs next door to the Chinese place that many just deal with. The folks at Intrinsic are amazing - they're one of the main reasons I keep coming back. It's a great place to hang out, meet up with others, or to just get some studying done. read more

Very nice place nearby the Rutgers Newark and NJIT campus. It's mostly frequented by university students. They have such a wide variety on the bubble tea menu, I felt a bit overwhelmed the first time I went and just ended up ordering a plain old iced coffee lol. But the employees here are very helpful and offered me as a first timer, a breakdown of the whole thing. It's very cute inside, lots of little details and decoration. Makes for great Instagram content. read more

Absolutely amazing customer service. Bobby was a very welcoming host, and he treated us with nothing but respect. Definitely recommend coming here! read more

Super unprofessional staff. Incredibly slow service(we waited 30 min for our order of 4). The teas are mediocre at best. read more

3.5 stars. I decided to try this place when I was craving bubble tea. I tried the Lychee slush and the Taro bubble tea. The Lychee slush gets a 1 star. It was really bad I think their water to flavor ratio is off because it tasted like water. The redemption for this place came from the Taro milk tea which I thought was pretty good. It wasn't very authentic but passable. read more

An interesting, albeit unassuming, place to eat. Very friendly staff, but it can get very busy and VERY loud at times. A wide menu of choices can seem daunting, but the workers help you pick the best drink combo for you. Sandwiches and lunch specials are delicious and made to order. New things pop up all the time and it's a very interesting atmosphere. Hooka in the back for those who are interested. Outside seating as well with lighting makes late spring evenings Magical. A great place to go with friends or grab something yourself to go. Very much aimed at college-students but it's family friendly for all ages. read more

Very cute coffee shop that I stumbled upon. Laid back feel and has games while you're there. Got the strawberry bubble tea which was good. Didn't know whether to get the juice or milk one and tried juice. Wasn't bad but personally would like the milk. Also got the green tea brownie which was delicious. read more

Delicious. Took advantage of their 2 for $5 Friday special. The staff was nice enough to let me get 3 for $7.50. The location is in an area where not much else is going on, which I found a bit disconcerting, but the store itself is great with a cute outdoor seating area in the back. Jasmine green tea with lychee jelly: Jasmine was strong in this one, not in a bad way. Passionfruit smoothie: tasted like passionfruit All in all, I am happy to have found this place and look forward to coming back. Staff is friendly and helpful. read more

Free wifi, friendly staff, and a cute place to get some work done. But, weak espresso and powdered bubble tea milk. read more

This review is for the milk tea. The milk tea with boba was scary, a chocolate-brownish color with too hard bubbles (that had been sitting far too long.) There wasn't any tea taste, just a very sugary, water taste. The inside of the cafe looked a bit worn but cozy, reminiscent of a messy living room (but no couches.) There was a heap of board games in the corner with games like RISK, Scrabble, Outburst, Sorry! Etc. I didn't try the coffee but tea is a skip. read more

After having Ramen next door we decided to have some desert. Intrinsic cafe is directly next door. Intrinsic cafe is a cute cafe that doesn't look like its exterior. The interior is very eclectic. You are greeted with a welcoming smile and hello. lighted tree branches above your head as you enter and the expansive chalkboard menu bring about a cozy feel. The bubble tea is very good. You get to pick many flavors, there is also many cookies and desserts to pick from as well as tables to enjoy these deserts. Great place for bubble tea. read more

The staff is extremely friendly (& helpful), but it isn't the best bubble tea that I've had. They definitely satisfy bubble tea cravings because they're the closest option I have to me, but I wouldn't choose them over my city favorites. I ordered the Jasmine Green tea with lychee boba - wanted to be adventurous and see what the lychee boba was about. I found it to be very weird - there's a plastic casing holding in lychee syrup basically, but it doesn't resemble the taste & texture of regular boba pearls. VERY cheap, $6 took care of 2 small bubble teas. A future return is likely, but not preferred. read more

Great place to just chill andnhave coffee or bubble tea. Grat place to study and close to the university's around newark. Via njit or rutgers. read more

Definitely my favorite bubble tea spot! I've has various drinks from them and I've loved all of them. The pastries are always fresh and tasty! Plus the atmosphere is really nice to relax by yourself or hangout with friends. read more

This is a nice little cafe tucked away for the University students in downtown Newark. They are famous for their bubble tea drinks which are reasonably priced and are two for one on Fridays. I'm not a huge bubble tea fan and would come in for the bottomless coffee which is only $5! They also have an assortment of descent bakery items. I recommend the brownies. During the semesters and only when the weather is nice they have an outside area where one can smoke their assortment of hukah. Yet again the price is great for hukah but I have always split the price with a group. The employees tend to be students but are courteous. Intrinsic has a hippy vibe but nice place. read more

I love this place- the staff are super friendly and accommodating. The drinks are decently priced and everything I've had tastes great, and I'm kind of a bubble tea snob (having lived in Seattle for so long). One thing I noticed is that the milk teas are very sweet, so if you're not much of a sugary drink fan I suggest asking for 1/2 sugar (which they're always willing to do). read more

Intrinsic Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

Friendly. Average coffee. Below average decor.

This was a very cute little cafe! We got bubble tea and some cookies, which were both really good. Nice environment and good amount of seating and they had some board games too! read more

Bubble tea here is great. My personal faves are the green tea and Thai slushed bubble tea. I love that they're open super late for those late night cravings. read more

This is by far the greatest bubble tea in all of New Jersey. They have the most variety of flavors and different types of mixes. Their tapioca options are to die for and they also have such great staff and great seating area! Definitely a place I would go to weekly. read more

Walked in and my nose detected a very strong chemical odor like fingernail polish remover or brass cleaner. Unappetizing so I left. Too bad as the reviews enticed me to stop by. read more

This is some of the best bubble tea I've had! Love coming here to hang out and play board games with friends but also just for a quiet Sunday to study read more

This Cafe is the best at making someone feel at home thanks to the wonderful owner/barista Wanny. Intrinsic is ubiquitous to being a student in the University Heights area. Lunch and Dinner is available by request and a satisfying supply of boardgames and good spirits. read more

Good bubble tea, with a fun atmosphere to hang around after class and chat or play board games. Try the peach poppers!

I had a taro bub tea which was really good for my first time trying it. It was a 15 minute wait. (Busy for 7:30pm) tiny area, really loud.. idk how students can (try) to do homework in this place.. sometimes staff is friendly... I ordered 3 drinks once and the boy thought it was cool to complain about me ordering "too much." They need more than one person making drinks at least. Don't expect fast service. Cookies are good too btw read more

Great place to meet up in the university heights area, they generally have a 2 for 5 bubble tea and a generous selection of flavors. Espresso is always good and their desserts are delish! read more

My favorite thing about this place is the atmosphere. Lots of college students from Rutgers and NJIT frequently come here. I know most of the staff and they're all very friendly and nice people. The coffee here is definitely a MUCH better alternative to the fake Starbucks on NJIT's campus. Even if it were real I don't care much for Starbucks anyway, but that's besides the point. The bubble tea is pretty good too, although I am not much of an expert on what makes a good bubble tea. I usually just ask them to suggest a mix of flavors and that's turned out good so far. As far as the food, I've only really had the croissants and bagels. They're always pretty fresh and tasty. My only complaint about this place is that during the school semester it can get very crowded and loud. read more

I have my breakfast at this cozy little place on Sussex ave in Newark!My breakfast sndwitch was preapered by Claude and i tell you it was a so delicious and soft just the way i like it!Egg and Cheese on a Croissant and very good freshly brewd coffee!I will be returning to this place again soon! read more

Intrinsic Cafe - Egg and Cheese on Croissant sandwitch with coffee - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

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Hate the vibe here, bubble blows, food isn't great. I guess if you have to but I don't likeb this place.

subpar cafe with subpar bubble tea. the boba doesn't taste quite right, and there's always such a long wait-makes it difficult for those who have limited time. all the drinks are made from powder. okay for a nice little college spot read more

For a fun teen hangout - maybe. For beverage of any quality - absolutely not. I ordered a shot of espresso that was burnt to a crisp, and my friend's Thai bubble tea tasted like some sort of Thai tea flavored Kool Aid powder diluted in water. Fortunately it seems the croissants we are were store-bought so at least those were edible. Thanks ShopRite! read more