I want to start by saying I was surprised by how the business owner has been responding to reviews. I understand negative feedback can be frustrating, but it's still feedback and shouldn't be taken so personally. Some of the responses came off more defensive than professional, which honestly impacted my overall impression. I was originally going to give 4 stars, but ended up taking two away because of this. It just made me question supporting a business that handles feedback that way.
I remember coming to this location when I first started at SDSU. It used to be a ShareTea and they seem to still carry a very similar menu. We got lucky with street parking closest to the storefront. Inside felt clean and comfortable, and I even mentioned to my husband that I could see myself coming here more often to study. The worker was super sweet and welcoming. She was working alone but still managed to be attentive to us and also to third party delivery drivers coming in.
Sayaka Tea offers a range of drinks like milk teas, fruit teas, ice blends, and specialty drinks. I also noticed some seasonal drinks like Valentine's Day specials still being advertised, so I'm not sure if they're still offered. They also have a 10% discount if you check in on Yelp, which is a nice touch. After ordering, we sat down and waited no more than 5 minutes for both drinks. We got an Oreo Ice Blend with pearl and a mango green milk tea with pearl, both at 80% sweetness.
The Oreo Ice Blend was still pretty sweet, so I would ask for less sugar next time. It also had a slight coconut-like aftertaste which threw me off. It leaned more cookies and cream than Oreo, which if you know you know. The boba was alright, a little mushy and lacking that bouncy, chewy texture, probably not the freshest batch.
My mango green milk tea was really good. There were chunks of mango mixed in with the drink alongside the boba, which made it feel like they use a real fruit puree or jam. The green milk tea had light floral notes with a creamy base that balanced everything well. I would definitely come back for this drink, just with a different topping.
Overall, my experience inside was great, which makes this more disappointing. I do want to come back, but the way the owner responds to customers does make me hesitant to support this location. read more