Introduction to another part of my in-town runner-ups from my alphabet series:…read more Finished my prior to 2018 to 2024 alphabet series, but before continuing onto my 2025 picks, I realized when choosing 2025 picks, I had more that were out of town on vacation than in town, and I wanted to support local places (even if they are chains in some cases) in central MD & DMV. For example, my original K pick representing 2018 was in Wilmington, DE. I didn't have a runner-up replacement for 2018 representing O, which was a restaurant in Lancaster, PA or V, one in Tempe, AZ. So, K is for Kung Fu Tea is the only business representing 2018 for the runner-up business. Kung Fu Tea experience: I first discovered Kung Fu, I think in the early part of 2018. From 2017 to 2020, I lived in Wheaton, so downtown Silver Spring wasn't far. I went to this location a few times in this time period. In summer 2018, I took 2 or 3 dates to this location after dinner or what have you. We drank our boba tea outside. This is a very small location with perhaps a couple of inside benches but mainly for to go. I guess if the weather was bad, you could hang in Ellsworth Place, the mall connected to the Kung Fu Tea. Boba tea is solid here, but there are some better places. In 2024, I was down here for an advanced movie screening at Regal Majestic, and I had a 20% off at Kung Fu Tea. The cashier couldn't figure out how to redeem the deal, so I walked out because the 20% off was the catalyst for going there in the first place. So, I wasn't impressed with the staff that day. I like some other locations better.

Great bubble tea shop here in Downtown Silver Spring and in fact the only one here. It is part of…read morea large chain but staff and tea is great. There is no seating inside but that is okay.

Had time to kill and was in the mood for boba tea. Place was cute, with a several people inside…read more Service was quick and helpful. I went with taro, which is what I get at other boba tea shops. It was really really good. I'd go back!

TBaar has such fresh and delicious drinks. I'll make the drive 30 mins from northern va to get…read moretheir drinks just cause I like this spot and think it's worth it. When i'm in the area, even if i've already had a drink for the day, i'll get another one at TBaar before I leave for home. If we had this closer in nova i'd be a regular!

New Yorker is rating this spot…read more there were some touch panel - for making orders or talk to cashier. it took a bit time to make my order. I guess they had other app orders and quite busy. On the weekend, it wasn't very crowded. I drunk tea outside - my tea was delicious!!!!! The store told me there have brunches in NYC too! Im excited to visit there. I've attached some pictures I hope it will help.

Teazzi is a small tea shop in "Bethesda Row". They have a a lot of variety, but I opted for my…read morego-to Matcha Latte. This was my first time visiting and it was a pleasant experience. I walked in, was greeted and directed to a kiosk where I could order. I like that there were multiple options for sweetness including 10 and 30%. My order came up fairly quickly and I enjoyed my matcha on my walk home.

LOVE. I got the…read moresuper fruit green tea with 70% sugar and leechee jelly. It was light and tasty. Had enough green tea to pick me up for the afternoon. Shoutout to the staff! One of the staff members answered all my questions and offered me a sample. One thing for FYI, if you are lactose intolerant, all of the milk teas are made with regular milk (unfortunately). I was a bit disappointed but I was pleased with my fruit tea.

There's quite a few boba options in College Park! I stopped in this one while waiting for food at…read morenearby Eastern Gournet. My go to boba is usually one of the milk tea series. I switched it up and went with a fruit tea. The "super fruit four season tea" was very refreshing! I did 70% sugar, 50% ice and a mango jelly topping. I placed the order on the kiosk and it was ready quickly! There's alot of seating available. Next time I'll try a milk tea which I'm sure I'll love.

Excellent food and authentic feeling.Friendly service and fast service. We have never been…read moredisappointed.

The food was decent. I got the beef dish, the sauce was good but the beef had a lil gamey taste to…read moreit. When I mixed the rice with the sauce that tasted good. We shared fried chicken. That also had good sauce and it was crispy. Overall it had decent food. The staff were friendly but took a while to take our orders. That could be cuz they were busy and not enough staff. Also we did order in 3 different phases so I could understand if it was confusing. But they were nice.

Cuppa Tea has become one of my favorite spots in College Park! Every time I'm in the area, I have…read moreto stop by for their Mango Sago. It's the perfect balance of sweet and refreshing, packed with real mango flavor, creamy coconut milk, juicy mango chunks, and chewy sago pearls. It's my go-to treat, especially on a warm day. I also tried their Hong Kong-style egg waffle on my last visit, and it was amazing. Freshly made, crispy on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside, with that nostalgic buttery aroma that keeps you reaching for another bite. It paired perfectly with my Mango Sago.

Ive had more than my share of milk teas here in the US, overseas in the land of boba, Taiwan, and…read morein HK and this place sadly fell short of what it could be. First, their location is very inconvenient unless you are on foot, which may be great for U of MD students, but if you are in a car, its a disaster when it comes to parking. This business even has a sign saying ask about a parking pass and they are not responsible if your car is towed. This alone makes this place already super unattractive. I fought my instincts and gave this place a try, but honestly, felt like I wasted $12. They have a digital kiosk where you can order your drinks and I chose a HK style milk tea (hot) with less sugar and also a jasmine milk tea with boba. The ordering for the jasmine tea was weird because it has an option to choose $1 extra for boba but if you scroll a little further down, you can get boba, no extra charge. I thought that was a bit sneaky, which I didn't appreciate. I waited about 15 min and then my order was ready. The HK style milk tea was supposed to be in a glass container but I only saw the sign after I ordered that they didnt have glass containers. That really sucked. The other issue is that when my HK style milk tea (hot) was ready, it was barely warm, which also was disappointing as it was a bit cool outside and I wanted something hot to warm me up. The HK milk tea also wasn't that great either, nothing special. I've had HK milk teas for about $2 elsewhere and they were great, but this was overpriced and lukewarm. I wont be ordering this again. The other drink seemed OK as I ordered it for someone else. I also thought this place was kind of dirty and could have been more clean. Not sure why the windows looked so dirty. I found the place kind of gross and it just didnt feel as clean as I like businesses to be. Overall, a pretty underwhelming experience. You get one chance to make a good impression especially when there are so many boba options available. I definitely wont be coming back here again.

This is your place for a great tasting, no frills Vietnamese meal!…read more My family and I have been going to this restaurant for many years now and it never disappoints. They had speedy service despite being pretty packed on a Saturday night and servers were attentive to all our needs. We got the beef banh mi, vermicelli noodles with beef, and pho with steak, brisket, and tripe - all very tasty, with generous portions, and reasonably priced!

A neighborhood staple that never disappoints, this local gem has earned its loyal following for…read moregood reason. From the welcoming atmosphere to the consistently delicious food, it's easy to see why people keep coming back. Whether you're craving a comforting bowl of pho or one of their other flavorful dishes, there's really no wrong choice. On this visit, I ordered the lemongrass beef, and it absolutely hit the spot. The meat was flavorful and satisfying, and I was especially grateful that it arrived so quickly because I came in starving. If you're under the weather be sure to order their pho. It's equally impressive, with a rich, aromatic broth that will warm your belly (and keeps this diner coming back time and time again). The restaurant itself is cozy and inviting, yet surprisingly spacious with plenty of seating. It's the perfect spot to get together with friends or family for a quick lunch, or comforting dinner.

Ooooof. Sickly sweet and mid. The only redeeming bit of the drink was that the boba was freshly…read moremade but that must have been luck. The service was perfunctory. Although the menu picture on the stand looks ok, after having the drink it feels like false advertising. Sad to report it's not worth the trouble trying.

Representing 2020 in alphabet series, K is for Kokee Tea. I first had Kokee Tea at Fair Oaks Mall…read moreof all places a few years earlier and remembered it was way better than Kung Fu Tea. I had it a couple of times in Wheaton Mall when I lived in Wheaton. One of the times that was noteworthy was in January 2020. I was in the office that morning in Columbia, and my girlfriend of that time had called or texted saying that she was really sick, she was struggling breathing, and to take her to the doctor. I'm like I'm at work, but I have Montgomery County (Rockville) work travel I happened to be able to do this afternoon. So, I can swing by Wheaton to pick her up to go to an urgent care by the mall. I waited with her at urgent care. The doctor gave her pills or something and commented that it's been a particularly bad winter with bad colds that have come in. Afterward, we went to the mall to get a bubble tea at Kokee Tea & maybe eat lunch too in the mall. We enjoyed the Kokee Tea. Staff is nice & efficient, prices are comparable to Kung Fu Tea, but better quality in my opinion. We didn't realize it at the time, my girlfriend likely had Covid, which wasn't diagnosed in the US until late February 2020. Her work was interesting. In early January, they had people who had work travel in the office from China. Her work was furloughed not long after that. Then, she had symptoms of Covid not long after that. Anyway, it was an interesting time. If in Wheaton Mall, I'd be back at Kokee.