I'm realizing I go to a lot of tea and coffee spots when I go on vacation haha! This was a decent little tea spot inside the mall . The tea was pretty good quality, but it's similar to most of the Boba places I've been to . It was nice to grab a cup of tea and walk around the mall though . read more

Located near the food court at MOA, small but efficient! When I went there was only one employee and there was a sign that shes in training and to be patient. I was in no rush so didn't worry about how long it would take. She was super friendly and actually worked quite quickly. I ordered a mango and peach shake with lychee jelly. Definitely on the sweet side but I've been a fan since trying it. I don't like the tapioca pearls so I always go with lychee jelly as my topping and love it! This store also sells t shirts, tote bags, stickers, buttons and some local artwork too. Overall good experience and convenient location! read more

Sencha Tea Bar - Mango and peach shake with lychee jelly - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Bloomington, Minnesota

I'm a little confused what happened here. I went to the Sencha Tea Bar by the University (a diff location) a few years ago. It was so good at first sip (I remember my friends and I taking our first sip and looking up at each other in awe of how good it was), that I declared Sencha as my favorite bubble tea place ever. (I'm from Chicago). I was excited to come back here a few years later (now), and tried the Mall of American location. It tasted completely different! I got the regular milk tea with boba, and I was very sad as it was nothing like I expected. Not sure if something changed (I know it wasn't just my high expectations), or if the different locations are different. But whatever might have been different a few years ago at the University location, please bring that back again. read more

Staff was friendly and everything looked clean. There are a lot of cute knickknacks, pins, and gift items to look at while waiting in line or waiting for your order. After placing my order, my drink came out quickly. I ordered my usual: iced green tea with strawberry and honey; and it tasted just how I expected! hooray for consistency across locations! I can't recall there being a place to sit within the sencha, since it is at the mall and is a bit smaller. However, there's a food court close by if you're looking to get a drink and chat or take a rest. read more

Sencha Tea Bar - a person holding a cup of tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Bloomington, Minnesota

See all

My reviews are so naughty I often need a CENSOR With lots of sexy references - Barbie is my MENTOR I just spew crap onto the laptop, then hit ENTER But if you want Boba in the Mall, go to SENCHA WHAT! This is a pretty average location of Sencha and it's bizarrely located inside the Mall of America. Yes this Mall is so enormous that it even has its own bubble tea shop with its own seating and everything. They have a whole staff in here. And I'm not talking about the Staff of Ra which Indy used to find the location of the Well Of Souls where the Ark of the Covenant was buried. I'm not sure how any staff can actually work in this Mall considering how hard it is to get in and out of. Must be a nightmare. They seemed pretty friendly, and one of the guys here definitely had a crush on me big time. Gave me the eyes and all of that. One of the employees I mean. Some of the girls were friendly and some of them, not. The drink was decidedly average. I much preferred the drink made by the Sencha at the University of Minnesota, but this one is a much better location than the one in Uptown (even though they have the cool mural and the best seating and everything going for them), where they cost me $100 - not even exaggerating. You can read that story on their own Yelp page. And without further ado, it's time I Sencha over to my next review. read more

See all

This place was fantastic! I had my friend's kids with me and we needed something for a little snack and I wanted them to try something new and different. I wasn't sure of the ordering process but the girls behind the counter were SUPER amazing at explaining and offering amazing suggestions. I got some sort of tropical tea with the tapioca pearls and it was so good! The 15 year old got a white tea flavored with pineapple and strawberry jellies and she LOVED it! The 12 year old boy has food dye allergies, so I knew that tea was ok, but he couldnt have any flavorings added so the girl behind the counter went above and beyond to help find a flavorful tea that he could have and would like. She suggested some sort of wild berry something they had "on tap". I asked to add the tapioca pearls (knowing they didnt have any food dyes in them) but she wouldn't add them to the order until she had checked the ingredients to be SURE they had no dyes... in a world where few people actually care about others, I was overjoyed that she made the effort to do that even though I already knew they were safe... in the end he loved the tea but hated the texture of the pearls so in the trash they went lol... but you never know unless you try, right? I have previously walked past this store many times, but now I will make it a frequent stop. Thanks for amazing service! read more

Sencha Tea Bar - three girls sitting at a table - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Bloomington, Minnesota

Out of all the thirst options inside the Mall of America, hands down Sencha was the most reasonable both in pricing and satisfying my boba obsession. As a chain boba shop, I wasn't expecting a whole lot. It's placement inside a giant mall doesn't make it seem any better, but I was surprised to find some good quality thirst quenchers from my visit. I ordered a Guava/Pomegranate flavor mixed ice slushie with boba. Definitely aim for a fruity flavored drink since they do not use any fresh fruits in their blends. If you go for items like taro, expect to taste some of the powder remnants in the drink if they don't blend it correctly. Overall, a good pitstop during your mall shopping spree. Enjoy! read more

Sencha Tea Bar - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Bloomington, Minnesota

I'm from San Francisco and there are so many boba places around here. I saw this place at the mall and saw they served boba so I had to try it. I ordered the Island ice tea with the tapioca pearls. It came out green and I took one sip and it was delicious. The boba was soft and not too chewy, just how I like it. I would definitely get this drink again. read more

Sencha Tea Bar - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Bloomington, Minnesota

The good: the owner was really nice and friendly. Even offered to remake my order if I didn't like it. The bad: our party ordered 2 blended Taro with boba and 1 almond boba. It was very watered down and or had too much ice. The ratio was off on all 3 drinks. We didn't finish all 3 of our drinks. We could have returned and got new drinks but this is Mall of America. We were too lazy to go back. I really wanted to like this place because the owner was really nice amd hopefully it will get better. read more

Sencha tea bar is located on the third floor of MoA. They sell loose tea and other tea related items. I needed a boba tea fix so decided to try this place. The menu is very hard to figure out. They handed me the list of flavor shots and also long list of types of tea. I couldn't possibly go thru all the pages for the tea, it would have taken me at least 10min. So I decided to try their seasonal flavor tea, which was on the board with a picture but again it doesn't say what's in it at all. My tea with boba was tasty and the employees were helpful. I would love to try their tea again. But I just wish I could figure out what I want a lot easier. read more

I love Sencha. Always have and always will. There's a huge lack of bubble tea in the twin cities but Sencha helps to fill that void. When you visit, you can choose from about two dozen favors. It's glorious. My favorites are Thai tea and lychee black tea. Also note you can change sweetness levels to suit your taste, as bubble teas tend to come pretty sweet. I recently went for their Thai tea and left it as is and it was super super sweet. Next time I'm going to have to go for 50% sugar. Sencha used to be Tea Garden and they have at least four locations in the Twin Cities that I know of (MOA, Grand Ave, Uptown, and Woodbury). read more

Sencha Tea Bar - Thai milk tea and peach black tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Bloomington, Minnesota

Not a good experience for us at all. Went and they asked us to come back and were extremely rude. We came back and the tapioca pearls were hard and no flavor. We spent $16 to throw away trash. read more

Very Rude service, Yelled at me cause i didnt say tapioca pearls and i said regilar pearls instead. Gave me a atitude while making my drink and put it on the counter and walked away.. Really? you mad over something so small no wonder why youre the only person working because everyone quit, no one wants to work with you. She also hid my google review read more

At first I was incredibly sad not to see the tea garden listed in the mall directory. Then I realized that they had changed over to sencha tea bar and was relieved! Obviously am an out-of-towner. My usual used to be the Royal tea as a shake. Decided to try the Amazon chai tea latte with a shot of vanilla iced. So good! The chai has a spiced flavor to it. I will definitely be getting it again the next time I stop into the twin cities area. My only complaint is that it can take awhile to be served when it's either busy or the orders in front of you are a bit more intensive. read more

Sencha Tea Bar - Cheers to the delicious sencha tea bar! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Bloomington, Minnesota

The employees are so unhelpful and rude, they make it like They hate their job and don't care about the customer. When asked what their favorite was was completely rude and just said well it's kind of up to you not a fan but the drink was good but wouldn't go back because it was expensive also read more

What a gem inside moa. It's so exhausting deciding where to go in the mall so once I settled on sencha I haven't looked back. I can get my looseleaf tea and bubble tea. Plus it's a mall store showcasing local art!! Amazing! read more

Service was awful. The worker was extremely unknowledgeable and got mad when I asked what a drink was. Also, I paid with tap on my card and unknowingly tipped 20% for the bad service. Tapioca boba was not even cooked through. I have had boba from many places and this was the worst one yet. At almost $8 a drink you would think it would be at least decent... read more

Really great stop for bubble tea and looseleaf tea! Their menu is the most customizable I've seen and very accessible for people with dietary restrictions. The store is welcoming and cozy. Nice place to grab a drink to keep you going while you shop. read more

I went to Thailand a few months ago and have become obsessed with Thai tea! How fun it was to stop at Sencha and see that they had it! It was delicious! My friend got the Royal tea. We both walked away happy. Thanks Sencha! read more

Sencha Tea Bar - two drinks on a table - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Bloomington, Minnesota

My favorite tea shop! I will make a trip all the way to Mall of America just to get their chai tea and I live 45 mins away. The owner is very kind as well. read more

I believe they were here before Chatime so there was no choice before. However, now I would choose Chatime since it is more authentic. The bubbles are done better and there are more unique flavors at Chatime. Tea Garden isn't a bad chain. I just get tired of their powdered drinks pretty easy. Since it is in a mall location though I feel like the majority of coffee and tea places are more for convenience than ambiance so it does the job. read more

Sencha Tea Bar - Poppin lychee boba iced tea latte - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Bloomington, Minnesota

See all

excellent little shop, amazing drinks and even more amazing staff! they helped me pick out the PERFECT drink (: read more

Staff were super helpful and helped me pick out a yummy drink! love this location and think the ambiance is great :) perfect for a family

My absolute favorite bubble tea spot. The service is great and the staff is very friendly and welcoming. The pearls taste great. I come to the mall often and my favorite part is stopping at Sencha. Also, the Mystery Drink has never failed me. Is it possible to leave extra stars? read more

Wow. i wish we had this in DC. The selection of tea here is amazing. There is everything from greens to blacks, whites, oolong, and fruit teas. Over 200 of them to choose from all able to be made for you hot, iced, blended, with bubbles, without bubbles.... and customized to your liking. I'm a fairly simple person... I don't add much to my tea. I went here twice. The first time I got an iced Moroccan Mint which was fantastic. The second time I got their minty green chai. Which I had to stop myself from getting a bunch of loose leaf to take home. They did tell me that they have a website and I can order online. I hope they expand further! read more

Worst iced jasmine green tea latte with boba (bubbles) I've had. It tasted like milk with a hint of jasmine. The boba (or bubbles as they call them) are okay, slightly tough for my liking. My husband's iced Island tea tasted like straight sugar (ie. Koolaid). Not worth the $9 for a regular and a large boba drink. Yuck. The staff was friendly but seemed just as confused about their menu layout and options as we were. Indigo Tea off of the 13 is still the best tea place around. Don't come here for any quality tea. They do sell BARE honey which is the best, local honey around- that's the only plus. read more

Sencha Tea Bar - Iced house jasmine green tea latte with boba. Yuck! Tastes like lukewarm milk with a hint of jasmine. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Bloomington, Minnesota

I understand it was a busy saturday and mistakes are to be made. A friend and I waited patiently for our drinks and 6 orders proceeded us. We asked them where our drinks were and they did not have a clue. Another lady in front of us had the same problem and was a little more outward in her negativity of the service. We tried to be nice but I suppose that led to us getting our drink a little longer than hers and no free drink coupon (the lady in front of us got one). Did not help that the woman taking our complaint gave us attitude as well. We have no plans to come back to such bad service. Nice guys finish last. read more

Bubble tea; a very strange sounding but absolutely delicious tasting drink! Especially 'tapioca pearl', they are drool worthy, but strange when you think about it. I was very hesitant of trying it, but once I had pearl, i was OBSESSED! I LOVED Tea Garden but have recently have had just as good experience with Sencha (if only i had at much time to go to Sencha as I did to go to Tea Garden back in the day). As always, the staff is very helpful and great at aiding me make the ever difficult decision of what kid of tea I want to drink. If you like bubble tea, GO! They have high quality flavors and high quality drinks. I had a mango green tea with pearl, it was just as good as I remember them being. I usually go from Chai tea, but went with something different and based of the barista/cashier's advice (i enjoy asking and getting what they recommend if I can't decide.) Overall, GREAT tea, GREAT experience. If life allows me, I'd be back very often and probably be broke... read more

Decent selection of drinks. Quite fast and attentive servers which isn't surprising seeing as the shop is quite quiet. There is a small number of artworks for sale hanging behind the counters which are really nice and make this location feel more like a neighborhood tea shop rather than one at a major mall. Drinks themselves are quite sweet although full of flavor and reasonably priced. read more

Very friendly employees - had great suggestions ! Nice choice of fun tea drinks , hot or cold , that was a nice change from my regular afternoon coffee . read more

Tried Sencha at the Mall and was extremely disappointed. The tapioca pearls were hard and chewy. I would not recommend it.

I did not have high hopes or expectations for the bubble tea at a place in the Mall of America that had zero Asians working at it, so this review has nothing to do with the tea itself. This review is for the customer service, or complete lack thereof. I get that this is the Mall of America (having recently moved to the Twin Cities I felt it necessary to see what this place was all about) and they are not aiming for repeat business, but that is NEVER an excuse to be disrespectful, argumentative, and unpleasant. I ordered one of my favorite drinks (that I would often get throughout the Bay Area of CA, and am very familiar with how it should/typically tastes)- Wintermelon Milk Tea with Tapioca Pearls. What I got tasted like plain black tea with milk (and the pearls). When I went back to tell them that the drink was missing the wintermelon flavor, the girl (manager I found out through the "discussion") began arguing with me. She said that she made it correctly (2.5 pumps of flavoring) and that they only remake drinks if they had mixed it incorrectly. When I told her that, regardless of their recipe, the drink did not taste like it should she responded that "they expect their customers to know what they are getting when they order and that she will not remake the drink and had nothing else she could tell me. She made it according to the recipe." The problem with their "strategy" of treating customers like throw-away business is that I now have ZERO plans to go to any of the other Steepery or Tea Garden locations (one of which is close to my house and, had I had a better experience I would have likely frequented). In the end, not only did I get a mediocre, at best, drink, but I also had an experience that made me so mad I was seething for days! I cannot say enough negative things about this location and that manager. read more

I've been to two of the other tea gardens in MN and had great experiences at both, so I was really dissapointed with thus location. Long story short terrible flavoring. I'm not sure how they managed it but my avocado bubble tea had no real flavor and a weird after taste. I've had the same shake at the u of m location and loved it. Same thing with my moms watermelon shake. Additionally, I saw one of the staff members making and giving free bubble tea to his friends even though there's a huge line. Seems like there needs to be a new manager and some of the staff needs to be let go. Big fan of the tea garden but will go to chatime at the MOA in the future. read more

The place is generally run by kids so depending on their temperament that day your service may vary but the thing that gets me is that the vast majority of their ingredients are Lollicup brand and being a SoCal native (I know I bring it up a lot but that's my frame of reference so it's relevant) where there were tons of Lollicups and all quite good, but the drinks here suck outright. I got an almond milk tea the first time and it tasted really awful. I don't even know what to put my finger on that made is singularly terrible. I tried drinking it still, then I gave up the fight and went up to the counter and let them know that it tasted horrific. The second star is only because instead of questioning me or belittling me, she asked if I'd like something else at no charge. I opted for the green apple black tea which ended up being mostly green apple syrup. I figured I'd cut my losses there and just not ever come back. read more

Iced black tea with coffee jelly rocks my afternoon! And pineapple mango is a wonderfully refreshing cooler after a big meal at one of the restaurants on 3rd level of MOA :) The Tea Garden is one of the originals in the Twin Cities...wait, maybe THE original for bubble tea in the area? I'd had it on the West Coast, but hadn't seen it anywhere in Minneapolis until here. That is, until lately....now, it seems, everybody wants a piece of the bubble (boba) action. Hope The Tea Garden stays on their game! They even have competition going in close to the food court....not good, that's where the teeny-boppers like to spend their not-so-hard-earned allowance, right below the entrance to the movie theater they can somehow afford also! So, here's the deal-io.....the sweet lass at the register needs to be sure she listens carefully to the customer as they place their order. THEN, the kind and quirky "tea-ristas" need to carefully read the order before they mix and pour. We've had a few mix-ups as of late and it's not just slightly....even the size cup was wrong on two of them :{ The employees are all very ready to repair the damage, but it still means added cost to the business owner and extra wait time for the thirsty ME! All in all, great flavor combos and consistency in quality - but, I want to see continued success, so be sure to slow it down just enough for accurate order results, k?! read more

One star for service. Got 3 boba teas 1-banana strawberry, 1-mango and 1-banana strawberry. All 3 were sugar water with artificial flavor with ice chips. Drinks had no flavors. Wish I could take my tip back. I've had better one from Joy Lee's in Chicago for same price. Don't recommend it. And won't be going back. Kids ended up throwing away their boba teas. If I could give 0 stars I would. Those that give this place more than 1 star need to your taste buds checked or taste some real boba tea. I usually am pretty good with food and drinks and this place has by far the worst boba tea. Please note that I'm basing my review on 3 different boba tea. This review does not pertain to the other drinks they offer. read more

Mango, banana with lychee jellies and tapioca pearls! I always stop here when I am at the MOA. Great customer service, too! Enjoy! read more

I don't have the most experience trying tea places or searching for "authenticity" so I came to them with an open mind and knowing what I like my drinks to taste like (super sweet, tart, or flavorful). I love the variety and could get a new drink or flavor combination everyday of my life. I often take suggestions from friends, so when I'm not getting an iced green tea with raspberry and some random other flavor, I'm trying out their suggestions (Almond Vanilla Chai Shake). I do get some weird vibes from the employees on occasion (like disinterest or sarcasm), but I think it's coming from the repetitive tasks of their job more than anything. read more

Was feeling a little under the weather today with a cold. I asked the staff for their recommendation and they recommended an amazing hot tea. It was --Yerba Mate, Lhasa, with Vanilla and extra honey. -- it was pretty good. Glad I got it! Thanks again. I also liked the fact that they had iPad Mini with square and a iPad that can check your points for discounts. Pretty cool. Great service and great staff working today on Jan. 14 2013 5pm read more

I just checked this place out. I met Emily, the owner/ manager and Nik and both made us feel really welcome! Tea, employees, ambiance, etc. I'm so glad I stopped in! Keep up the great work!! read more