This is a place you would go if you lived around the area and didn't want to travel to k-town or china-town for better boba. The drinks are average- they are standard drinks for pearl milk tea cafes. I like to come here when I am craving boba drinks I spoke to the owner (or maybe manager?) once and he is very helpful and nice. However, the other times I've been here, service hasn't been great from the other workers. One time, I bought a $5 drink and gave the cashier a $20. She handed me $5 as change and I had to explain to her that 20 minus 5 is 15, in which she looked at me like I was a crazy and I had to repeat myself two more time before she handed me the right amount of change. I still go to this place for drinks maybe once a month but I have to remind myself to not expect too much from the people working there. read more

Five stars for the hot bubble tea with chocolate flavor... Basically a hot chocolate with tapioca bubbles. Perfect for walking around in the chilly weather. read more

I ordered two teas for the first time to have them delivered. Delivery guy calls me to come downstairs but he is not there and my both of my teas are spilled out onto the floor as if he dropped them and ran off. I called the restaurant and they didnt accommodate me by sending two more. I will never order from this place again, the service sucks and I would advise people to never order from there as well. read more

Giving Tea Magic 4 stars because it basically doesn't really have any competition in this area of the UWS....or maybe at all? Relative to NY and the area, I'll say it's pretty good! Granted, I've had the best down in LA and in the heart of SF where you can get it for $1 or less and have it still be damn good. $3 is reasonable for NY though..can't really crap a brick over that, ya know? My go-to drink is always a green milk tea with little ice and they make it the same every time so I know when I go I won't be disappointed or have to figure out which guy has the right magic wand to make it correctly. but wouldn't really call it magic either. After all, it is just tea plus milk and ice. They're pretty quick about making your order AND they've got a stamp card. I LOVE getting my last stamp before i get my free drink! it's like winning the lottery...granted i have the worst luck ever.. I usually stop by on my way to or from class since the green tea kinda wakes me up. Cant help but feel my eyelids slowly closing during lecture while the professor notices... It's the worst when your head starts bobbing up and down.. Definitely prefer over Starbucks or any over tea/drink joint unless you bring jamba juice into the picture but that's a whole different convo... read more

Must try their Coconut Milk Tea with boba ($3 without tax)! It is so yummy and addicting. My bf & I order one for ourselves at least twice a week, if not more! =) We live down the block so it's easy access to delicious boba. read more

Bubble slushies are delicious! I only give it a 4 star because the only flavor that I like is strawberry and last time I got it someone put milk in it , wtf? I like quickly's alot better , but there isn't one in the area :\ read more

It's got a wide selection and a nice ambiance, but the tea is metallic and far too sweet, and the boba is flavorless. Still, it's the only place in the neighborhood, and it's fine if you're really craving bubble tea. If you're just working by, don't bother. read more

Bless you, Tea Magic, for your friendly service, delicious Taro boba and your warm red bean buns. I love Taro milk tea but it's hard to find it done well, and Tea Magic nails it. The boba is soft and yummy, the tea is well flavored but not over-brewed, and the red bean bun is amazing, all for a great price. Just wish it was a little bit bigger, and when I went last they were sold out of most of their dumplings and noodles. Overall a very pleasant experience. read more

Two trends I've noticed in Tea Magic's milk teas: too milky and undercooked tapioca. Every single time, even when I ask for less milk. To be fair, I've only had 4 different flavors (coconut, almond, thai tea, hazelnut). I recommend none of them. If you go to Columbia, go to cafe east instead - at least the tapioca isn't weird and hard. read more

Been coming here for bubble tea for around 2 years. I'll keep it simple: you will not find any better bubble tea place in the area. This place is simply the best. read more

Asked for a plain tea with no sugar. It turned out all of their fruit teas are made from a simple syrup. The bubbles were not fresh either. There are better places in the area to go to (with nicer customer service) read more

Terrible service. I asked for bubble tea cold. Got it warm as if it was kept room temperature. I asked for ice then they opened the lid didn't reseal it or give me a new cup and I left with a bucket of tea with no lid or seal spilling everywhere. They wouldn't reseal or give me a lid or pour into a new cup despite requesting it. She said t was impossible read more

It is very clean and the people who work there are usually nice. It's usually quiet enough to have conversations with friends over your tea, and occasionally quiet enough to read. So on the whole, it has a nice atmosphere. However, the tea itself is very sweet, and I've tried many of the different varieties, always with the same complaint. And although I understand that the prices are higher than usual because it's the only bubble tea place in the Columbia area, I'm not entirely okay with paying them. read more

The Bobbas are okay, they are soft and a bit chewy which is how I like them. I usually opt for Lychee in the spring/summer and their green tea options in the winter. They have some really great soy options and I like their Steamed Pork buns, although they are over priced and don't have the same richness as ones I've had in the past. I'm giving this three stars because you really have to go in and try a bunch of different flavors before you hit upon the really good ones. There are so many options that you really have to go in and play it right. Also because it is expensive considering the fact that you might not get a drink that's worth the amount you pay for it. read more

I got a Thai Milk tea and it was fine - not amazing and not something I would go out of my way for, but if I was passing by and really craving bubble tea it'd be fine. read more

If this is the only place near me to buy bubble tea then I am screwed. The "milk" tea was lighter than I'm used to, so the flavor was just odd. The tapioca tasted so atrocious I couldn't finish eating them and that's the whole point of the bubble tea. I like their concept, they just have to perfect their craft (seriously, I don't want to have to travel to Chinatown for bubble tea). read more

This place is disgusting. I got a large frozen yogurt tart with two toppings and tasted like puke. I took one bite and felt nauseous and handed it back saying it didnt taste right. The guy didn't care. I left having wasted $6 on puke. The service was pretty bad and the signage is small. I'm also pretty sure the buns that they had in the heater are pretty old. The person who made my yogurt didn't give me any napkins. I also saw that they gave me way more mango than strawberry on my yogurt, but overall it was less than satisfying (even though I did not end up eating it, since i gave it back to the cashier guy). Hopefully they can step up there yogurt game! read more

Very rude staff. I was there on 2 sep and the guy at the cashier was purely rude. He walked away while I was still ordering, snatched my card from me, showing very obvious signs of impatience (towards a customer). When told him off of his bad attitude, he challenged us and said, do you have any problem with that. Totally pissed off and annoyed. Go to this place if you want to experience what rudeness is. read more

Love their mango green tea with bubbles. I would recommend this place to anyone. They have great prices and a variety of drink choices. I believe they have some type of food. And they take cash and credit or debit cards; great read more

Worst bubble tea I've ever had in my life. LOL. I am a big fan of bubble tea so I went there. I was so disappointed. The bubbles are hard as stone. The tea has no flavor and it tastes just like water. I paid more than 5 dollars for just a cup of water. No. Even worse. It tastes so weird. Besides, employees are so rude and slow. I've been waiting for a long time to get my bubble tea. The table is dirty and disgusting with some unknown dark spot on it. The experience is a total nightmare. I swear to God I will never go there again. read more

Not a fan of their tiny tapioca balls, but I love their black milk tea and rose milk tea. SO GOOT.

I usually go here for bubble tea. It isn't the best tasting bubble tea I've had, but it's decent. I feel it's over priced (especially the $6.00 minimum to use credit card). However, this is one of the few good places in the area to get bubble tea. I would recommend you check it out once at least. read more

They charge extra if you want hot tea without sugar...$4.50 total for one small cup of green tea. I will never come back

Bubble tea is okay. It wasn't nirvana but it's not bad bubble tea. I find that Cafe East at Columbia University is better and cheaper if you're not looking for exotic flavors. I would have given this establishment a higher rating except the service is so bad! The cashiers are so impatient and rush you to place your order--also they are very disrespectful. I feel as though I'm a nuisance when I go there. I do still stop by every now and then just when I'm a little tired of Cafe East and want a different flavor of bubble tea Cafe East doesn't have but otherwise I stray far from this place. read more

Finally stopped in this fairly new spot (at least as far as I know and from the lack of a Yelp presence). The help was very friendly and the quasi-Asian grocery on the side when you walk in was..cool, I guess. The pineapple custard puff was good but got the generic taste you get from many packaged pastries; on a separate and perhaps more important note, it was a chocolate chip danish and involved no pineapple or custard. East Dumpling House products ready to grab and go too, but I fail to see how they could afford the 3 large HDTVs on which they displayed their selections and a flower(?). Had the daily special blueberry black tea, which I imagine I could've made a replica of at home, but the bubbles added a nice kick, though I'm still not sure I like hot bubble tea, especially one that tastes like hookah. The cold strawberry milk tea was solid as well, and I was offered a buy-10-get-1-free card upon departing (along with a convenient vertical bag to transport 2 bags back with one hand/arm). Would recommend, wouldn't return. read more

Good stuff reminds me of the bubble tea I had in college. kind of annoying that they don't have 2 cold sizes. I second the opinion of another poster saying that it is too sweet. I just ask for half the amount of sugar. Otherwise a decent Bubble tea place in M-Heights read more

I adore this place, but only when it's not crowded with teenagers. Their teas are pretty good, I especially appreciate the selection of Asian snack-foods that are not available anywhere else, such as the "tea eggs." read more

Bad experience. Ordered black milk tea, it tastes like they forgot to add the sugar. There is also no taste of milk. The cashier is talking with each other and I have to wait three minutes until they finish their talk. read more

i come here for bubble tea when i'm in the area. this is probably the only spot i know of that serves bubble tea in those giant take away quarts containers if you order the large. friendly and quick service, definitely a go to spot if you're looking for some bubble tea read more

Has a cool menu with various buns and Chinese/Korean small dishes + lots of teas. Decorated in a sort of modern Asian way, I don't know how to define that. Would be okay to meet a friend. My Honeydew Milk tea tasted strongly artificially sweetened and the music was a little loud for a tea place in my mind. Wanna go back and try a coffee based drink and a bun. The taste of the bubble tea in Lerner Hall is a bit better. read more

It's probably the best bubble tea you'll find in Morningside Heights, though that's really not saying much. Ollie's and Vine (who I believe share a bubble tea machine) make comparable bubble tea, but the wait's normally longer and you'll have to tip at these places if you want to sit and sip. The bubble tea at each are sub-par when compared to better-known establishments like Quickly or Ten Ren, but Tea Magic is a good place to go if you're looking to have a Chinese snack-time in these parts. Decent tea eggs and steamed buns here, and they're open late too. read more

This place is overrated because we've got nothing else here. Thai tea and milk teas could be more flavorful.

Bubble tea is delicious! Many flavors to choose from, quick service, and cute ambiance. I will definitely go back!

Very good. The best outside of Chinatown. I ordered an Almond Milk Tapioca cold tea in medium size and it was a good size for the price and a good taste as well. read more

It's alright, although compared to competitors it kind of falls in the middle of the pack.

best bubble tea / fyo i had for long time~!! a must go place :P barbii

Their milk tea is good. A bit pricey. It seems like their boba has gotten smaller recently for some reason. It's still not bad but I feel like I get less bang for my buck. read more

Good bubble tea for the area. They sell a lot of other Asian snacks/food/desserts but I've only tried their bubble tea which is not the best in NYC but good enough, glad this place exists! read more

I love this place! I love the black bubble milk tea with extra bubbles! They have fast friendly service. The place is quaint. Only thing is they hv cards where u buy ten bubble teas u get one free. I have been here at least five times and never received a card... Anyway they have inspired me to make my own tea hope it goes well if not I'll be right back here getting my bubble tea fix. read more

I have been here for 3 times, it's just disappointed. For the first time I got a Oolong Milk Tea, it's okay not bad. But DONT order ROSE MILK TEA, it tasted like regular milk tea but it's more expensive. DONT order LESS ICE, there's no ice in it at all. DONT order LESS SUGAR, it tasted like nothing. When you order NO BUBBLE, it may still have one or two in your cup which was disgusting! BAD SERVICE as they don't even wanna do your business. ONLY GO THIS PLACE IF YOU HAVE NO CHOICE!Can't compare with those milk tea places in Chinatown or Flushing at all. read more