This is my first time at a Gong Cha store. This location is located near ODU, on Monarch Way. I was…read morein the area and had heard about the combo set up with Food Paradise (I will write a separate review), an Asian fusion fast casual spot, so I decided to check it out for the drinks and eats. Gong Cha is to the left of the set up when you walk in. There are two self-order kiosks. There are menus on TV screen overhead, but the way the drinks are set up on the ordering system was a bit confusing, as I had a hard time finding the one I wanted on the system. I ended up having to ask for assistance anyway (this is why I don't think robots can take over the world entirely LOL). I opted for the mango green tea marble tea. I honestly ordered it for the looks, but the taste turned out to match the looks! It had a hint of the green tea minus the bitterness and the mango flavoring was a nnit creamy but not super thick! I added some rainbow jelly and it was so good! I would definitely get this again! Also, on the Gong Cha side, they made a whole pink flower wall section/corner thing. Fun photo opp! Go out and support and enjoy!

Such a cute and cozy little spot. It shares a location with…read more"Food Paradise". The ordering stations are right next to each other. I ordered a Thai iced tea with boba and it was very good. Not too sweet, and a good amount of yummy delicious boba. The young lady at the desk was very nice and service was very fast. I got my drink in less than 3 minutes. It's a cute space to come hang out with your friends and eat, study, or even play some board games. They had shelves full of games to use. I will definitely come back here.

The drink was okay; the jasmine flavour was lacking and there wasn't much sweetness in the drink,…read moreso it tasted more like just milk. The boba though, was quite tasty with the brown sugar. Drink came out fast. The place is cute. I liked the bathroom window.

After eating lunch on Saturday, Sophia and I came here for some treats. Tealux Cafe is one place…read morewe've always liked for boba tea, but it has been years since our last visit. It's not easy when you live on the other side of Hampton Roads, but I'm glad to see them do really well over the years. Let's see how they've been. We were greeted by the staff after walking in and foot traffic was minimal. Music was playing througout the building and they were pretty busy with orders. A few people did come in but for the most part, they did takeout. We decided to sit and sip our chosen desserts. I chose their Strawberry Smoothie with strawberry popping boba at 70% sugar and Sophia chose her usual, coconut smoothie at 70% sugar with tapioca. Both of us enjoyed them very much. Not too sweet and full of flavor. We really couldn't have asked for anything more. Once again, a grand 'ol time on familiar grounds. You know for sure we'll be back the next time we come around :)

Not what I expected. When I visit a new location I usually…read morego with their regular KF milk tea because thats pretty standard. Well I've been to this particular location a couple of times and we just cant get it right. For starters they don't have their signature cups. It's just regular cups with lids and they always say that they ran out of the cups. At one time it wasn't the right level of sugar and the bubbas tasted bland; then another time the drink was watery even after asking for less ice. Staff is nice, location is clean, parking spaces are available but the things that matter (the product) is not it. Their menu doesn't include food either.

How does this place stay in business? They have an Amazon locker located inside business, but they…read morewere closed 2 days in a row. They have hours posted but are never open and nothing saying if they're out of business...

The food was amazing! It was that random cold night we had with rain. It was day three and I wanted…read moremy pho and my pho I received. Fast and friendly service from the staff as well.

This was my first time at this location. The weather was gloomy so there wasn't many people inside…read morebut it was such a perfect day to have some pho. The food came out fast which was nice. We ordered chicken wings for an appetizer and the wings were juicy. I would definitely order that again. The pho came out next. There's a dollar difference from the small to the big size so I went with the bigger size. They provided jalapeños, onions, and mint. On the table, they have Sriracha and oyster sauce on the table already so you don't need to ask for that. The pho was good so I will definitely come back. The Thai tea was good but on the sweeter side which I love. The coconut Boba was good, but the coconut flavor is not that strong so next time I will be tasting a different flavor. The coconut Boba came out as a slushy, which was amazing. I had a great meal. One thing I noticed is, once you get your meal, the servers do not pay that much attention to you so you have to get their attention or go to the bar area. You also have to pay at the bar area.

Always a fun experience going to Kotobuki! The sushi is great, the tables are unique and the…read moreservers and staff are always very friendly and helpful. Ambiance is always nice and calm when we come for dinner. I'm sure we'll be back again next time we're in town!

SKIP Kotobuki in Norfolk - Worst Sushi Experience EVER…read more Kotobuki in Ghent is a disaster. I gave this long-running spot a second chance, after a poor first experience, and it was a mistake. A friend insisted we return, and the service was shockingly bad, the sushi was subpar and the overall experience was the worst. From the moment you walk in, Kotobuki screams neglect: dead plants, servers dressed like they're doing yard work and a pervasive smell of old fry oil. We had reservations for the "traditional Japanese" sunken-table room, where we removed our shoes and climbed into our seats. One dirty pair of slippers sat at our table, while a random pair of construction boots lay abandoned nearby. The "ambiance" was completed by 70s soft rock -- Lionel Richie instead of "traditional Japanese" music. Our server took my order for a dirty Stoli martini, then disappeared for an absurd amount of time only to return and say they couldn't make it -- with no explanation. We hunted through the limited menu while our server vanished completely. The owner eventually stopped by, and I had to specifically request a sushi list. Tired of sitting cross-legged, I briefly put my feet into the pit under the table. Rather than place my bare feet on the filthy floor, I slipped my shoes back on for a moment. That's when the owner's daughter stormed over and aggressively accused me of saying, "Screw you and screw Kotobuki -- I'm not following the rules!" She launched into a rude, insulting lecture about "Japanese custom" while I sat there stunned. I immediately took my shoes off again, just to de-escalate, but the evening was ruined. No customer should be verbally assaulted over something as basic as not wanting bare feet on an obviously dirty floor. In an awkward position, not wanting to ruin the evening, I ordered my food. The sake was watery and flavorless, the house salad was sad, wilted iceberg lettuce drowning in bottled ginger dressing, and the sushi arrived lukewarm with questionable rice that called for a palate blinding amount of wasabi. It was boring, poorly prepared, and far below average. This was one of the worst dining experiences I've ever had. Hand to God! Had this not been a special evening with a dear friend, I would have walked out the second the owner's daughter chastised me at the table. Management at Kotobuki clearly doesn't care about customer service or basic standards -- especially when family members are allowed to treat patrons this way. "Japanese tradition" doesn't excuse poor hygiene, rude staff or substandard food. In America, we have health codes for a reason. If you want decent sushi in Norfolk, go literally anywhere else. Kotobuki is just a lazy dive. There's nothing special on the menu, very little sushi selection and nobody seems to care. If you choose to ignore this warning, lower your expectations folks, you are about to be disappointed. The only thing good about this restaurant, is the opportunity to tell you how much it sucked.

Grand Mart is hands down the best grocery in the area.. Their produce section is HUGE!!! They have…read moreproduce from all over Asia, Caribbean and Latin America. Their seafood section is amazing, they even have king prawns. My favorite is the many snacks they offer from all over the world plus they have a whole aisle dedicated to noodle soup. Did I mention that they have an area where you can select items for your home like blankets, dishes, pots etc

My family in Indy is always talking about their "international" market. I heard there's one here in…read morethe 757. Found it!!! GMi is a place that's best to experience for yourself, words can't adequately describe this place, not your typical grocery store. You want to cook international and need special ingredients, make GMI your first stop.

Got the sushi burrito. It was good. A lot of rice though, which I guess makes sense. I definitely…read morewant to try the poke bowl next time. Everything looked and smelled wonderful. Cute place overall. Will be back. It was pretty quick and easy to order.

I've been to Pokey plenty of times at this point, and I just went again this time with my man who…read moreis super picky and even he agreed the wings were really good. We got the sweet chili Thai wings and the soy garlic wings. Both were delicious. He said they tasted the same, but I don't fully agree they're both on the sweeter side, but you can still tell the difference in flavor. Either way, both are really good and I'd get them again. He also got the taro boba. He liked it, but I personally am not a fan of their taro boba. It has this powdery taste to me that I don't get from other places, so I usually skip the drinks there. There was a bit of a mix-up with ordering. They have a value deal where you get 6 wings + a boba for about $9.95. I accidentally ordered just the wings for $8.95 thinking I'd be getting more wings for the price. That wasn't the case it was still just 6 wings. My man got the value deal and basically got the better deal with the drink included. I tried to see if I could just pay the dollar difference to add the boba after, but they said no since the order was already placed, so lesson learned: just get the combo. Even with that, the wings are still worth it. Also, the dumplings are really good the pork ones especially. I think I liked the beef ones a little more last time, but these were still solid. Overall, I'd definitely recommend sticking with the value combo and just going for the wings and dumplings. That's the best part of the menu for me.

Loved my first lunch visit!! Tried the tonkatsu ramen with chicken katsu and a thai tea. All…read moredelicious! Next time I will try the poke bowl which was also beautifully presented.

A great place to make a keto catered salad! Love getting the salmon, shrimp, and stack up on the…read moredelicious veggies. My sauce of choice is always the sriracha mayo. Definitely a must to have.

The positive bullet points essentially are its location relative to the airport and it's quality…read more Im a frequent flyer, so when I want something warm on the way to a trip or coming from one, this place is so close by. The broth of their pho dishes are so tasty, full of bone flavor and hot to heat up the ingredients. The portions are great and it doesn't take long to receive. My only gripe would be the price. Im aware that pho prices over the years have really inflated, so it's really difficult for this to be a negative point and I dont want it to negate anyone from trying.

I had the vegetarian pho with extra tofu, and it was a solid choice! The broth was amazing--rich,…read moreflavorful, and comforting. I added some siracha and oyster sauce to give it a little kick, and it really brought the whole dish together. The tofu was nicely crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, just how I like it. The Vietnamese coffee? Oh wow. Soooo good. It had that perfect balance of strong and sweet that makes it dangerously drinkable. As for the mango boba... it wasn't quite my jam. The flavor was fine, but I was expecting more of a tea-based drink. It turned out to be more of an icy slush, which didn't really hit the spot for me. The tapioca balls were small, which went well with the consistency, but a little chewy for my taste.

I usually keep my reviews very detailed, but this will be short and sweet. The pho is magical…read more There was a day that I felt like I was dying. I had a full day of back-to-back events like a gallery opening, community center event, even a work shift, and I was ready to call it because I couldn't do the rest of the day. But my brother ordered a chicken pho and a beef pho and afterwards?? It's like I was brought back to life. My day could go on and the day went on into the night as if I didn't have a throbbing headache at all. So just wanted to say thank you lol. Usually service is quick. I can give a call and pull up with my order fresh and ready. The only thing I dread is getting into that parking area but that's just Newtown Rd. What can ya do

I am writing to update my review. Saigon 1 continues to be one of my favorite places to grab a bite…read morein the area. My book club decided to meet at Saigon 1. We ended up having more people show than expected. The staff were so gracious and accommodating of our extra guests. Food came out quickly and was delicious. I know large groups can be a hassle and they handled it so well. Thank you for being so kind!