Ten Ren Tea is the OG anywhere you go. This location is not as extensive as most Ten Ren's I've been to, and I don't mind it at all. It is clearly more of a Tea shop rather than a boba shop. They have a limited menu with a few toppings. All drinks are one size and they are all $6 per drink. Drinks - 5/5 - my go-to here is the oolong milk tea, I sometimes order something else off the menu and they are all good, but my go-to is the oolong here. Sometimes I get boba, sometimes I do not, but every time it is a hit. I feel refreshed without it being heavy and I enjoy it down to the last sip. Price - $ - $6 per drink is average price for the size and it's good quality tea. It's great for a quick fix with nothing fancy. I honestly prefer getting an oolong milk tea from here over the other shops in SF Chinatown because it gets it done and is done right for what I am paying for. Service - 5/5 - It seems to be a family run location and I would advise to have some patience. They can be quick or a bit slow with the drink making, but that is because the tea is freshly brewed and there's only one person working the boba counter and another working the tea table area. I've had my drink come out immediately after ordering, or have had to wait about 15 mins to get it due to the volume of patrons. Ambiance - 4/5 - The shop is primarily focused on showcasing and selling it's tea. I appreciate that they are usually brewing something and giving out samples as you wait for your drink. the atmosphere is clean and cozy. Location - 3/5 - Parking is always hard in Chinatown so it would be best to Muni to the Rose Pak station and just walk. As for walkability, it is quite accessible. ____________________ **Note: Location rating does not affect yelp review, this is just for informative purposes of other patrons only. read more

Tried Ten Ren Tea for the first time and I'm honestly impressed. It's in Chinatown San Francisco -- super accessible if you're craving a quick boba run. Deeper inside, the shop feels calm and cozy, a nice spot to sit and catch up with friends or family. I ordered the green milk tea and loved it -- rich tea flavor, creamy milk, and it tasted genuinely high quality. The menu isn't huge, but that's what I appreciated most: classic milk teas without all the extra mumbo jumbo. Simple, solid, and very well done. Definitely a go-to for straightforward, good boba. read more

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I love me some Ten Ren Tea so while I was on a hunt for something quenching and refreshing, coming here was a no brainer. While I am used to the Milpitas Ten Ren with its extensive menu offering, this particular tea shop located in SF's Chinatown only has 9 items to choose from. All drinks are $6 and each additional EXTRA add on will cost you 50 cents per item. Drinks can al be made either hot or iced. Purchases: *Roasted Oolong Milk Tea + Boba [iced] *Honey Lemon Green Tea + Aiyu Jelly [iced] Teas were good- very strong in flavor and aren't masked by the milks or flavors. Every order is made fresh and service is pretty prompt even with only 2 staffers on hand and a good amount of visitors coming and going. 4 stars. Highly recommended if you are a legit tea lover who isn't in need of sweeteners to dilute the authentic tea profiles. read more

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Wanted something sweet after having the clay pot dishes for lunch and the boba tea was perfect with 25% sugar and half ice. Pictured is the one size cup that it comes in. Ten Ren Tea is well known in China and in Canada as I have enjoyed it in both countries. read more

Ten Ren Tea - The roasted milk tea with boba - Tea Rooms Near Me - San Francisco, California

What an amazing stop along my wandering through Chinatown! I had the absolute pleasure of meeting Mrs. "Lili" 茶艺师兼茶馆老板娘 (chá yì shī jiān chá guǎn lǎo bǎn niáng) Tea master and teahouse owner of the shop. I learned soooo much. I feel so blessed at her generosity and her family's story! Spend some time with her when you visit. Her story is so inspiring. A woman with a dream and a passion is unstoppable. read more

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Ten Ren isn't what it use to be. Ordered 2 drinks. Black milk tea and honey lemon green tea. Both tasted like water. No hint of tea, just colored water. Drank a couple of sips and tossed into the nearest garbage can in Chinatown. Wasted $12.00. read more

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One of my favorite spots to get tea! I usually go to their South Bay location so this was my first time visiting their SF location. It is located in Chinatown so there is barely any parking. The store itself is quiet and the menu is straightforward. My friends and I all tried their lychee green tea and loved it. It was very refreshing and we enjoyed sipping on our teas while strolling through Chinatown. Will definitely be back! read more

I love the Ten Ren in South Bay and this was the first time trying the SF Chinatown location. I got my usual iced roasted oolong tea at 25% sweet which was the perfect amount of sweetness for me but the drink was surprisingly a bit diluted and watery. I love Ten Ren for their strong tea flavor but this was a bit disappointing. read more

Ten Ren Tea - Tea Rooms Near Me - San Francisco, California

We're originally from the South Bay and usually go to TenRen in Milpitas, which has tons of options and true OG boba shop vibe. This SF location feels a bit overwhelming at first, but surprisingly, the menu is much smaller. They only offer a limited selection of teas and toppings, and the customization options are pretty basic. The service was also on the slower side, it took quite a while to get our drinks. The tea itself was fine, but nothing special. Overall, it's a decent quick fix if you're nearby, but not something I'd go out of my way for, especially if you're used to the variety and quality at TenRen in Milpitas. read more

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We were in Chinatown and came upon this new boba shop! It looks like it may have been an old tea shop. Nevertheless we wanted boba and this was perfect. It is a slightly small menu but all look great. my sister and I both ordered the roasted oolong milk tea with boba and it was PERFECT! Service was quick. The drink was not overly sweet and the boba was the perfect texture. Love that they sell other teas in the shop as well! We will be back. read more

Ten Ren Tea - roasted oolong milk tea with boba - Tea Rooms Near Me - San Francisco, California

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It's half boba place and half traditional tea tasting place. The boba options are limited. But it's also nice that you can sit down and try fresh brewed tea. read more

Pu'erh milk tea is amazing and I can't recommend it enough. Fair price, about $6 for a milk tea that you can customize sweetness level of. Enjoy browsing the tea selection while waiting for your drink and carry on with your Chinatown stroll! read more

Ten Ren Tea - Pu'erh milk tea is a must - Tea Rooms Near Me - San Francisco, California

Fiona!!! We will go wherever Fiona goes! Her customer service is amazing. She is funny and sweet and so informative. The tea is great but you can get tea anywhere. Come for Fiona tell her we sent you!! Tell her the bully bears sent you! read more

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Service was horrific. There was an older gentleman staff who was standing around and noticed that I was waiting by the register to order but did not do anything while the younger lady seemed to be overwhelmed with orders. They also proceeded to spill an entire jug of tea on the floor and it was a complete mess. The rating is about the drink itself. I honestly expected the hardest boba in my life after considering the circumstances but it actually wasn't bad. The pu-erh milk tea, however, was not good at all. My drink tasted like water with a side of tea... I won't be coming back here again considering the $6.50 that was charged. There's too many other good places out there that charge around the same price point. This was a MAJOR disappointment because I loved the Ten Ren in Hong Kong and it was among the best boba I've ever had. read more

Autumn is evidently here and the tree leaves have been falling. Leave it to Boba that is good for all four seasons. One tea company in San Francisco which has been serving tea leaves since 1953 with people coming and leaving from and to this place for their variety of teas. Ten Ren Tea have been serving variety of herbal teas from Asia to patrons for seven decades and also offers the now popular Boba tea as one of their more modern draw for customers. Entering Ten Ren Tea you feel like you are inside a tea shop where there are people congregating for tea tasting in the back of the shop. In the front you can order Boba tea which I ordered a Mango and Lychee Green tea Boba. You can customize the Boba tea which is good since I was making sure my drink was not too sweet. The Boba is a little different and is served in a non transparent cup ( can't see what's inside the cup on the outside ). The other difference is the Boba tea has more of a herbal tea flavor to it which I appreciate and the mango and lychee flavor made it a bit more tastier. You can add aloe ,aiyu jelly, boba , and lychee jelly to the drink. The drink was refreshing and had more a medicinal feel to it than most traditional Boba teas in the city. It's more my cup of tea. Come to Ten Ren Tea and try the Boba and do a traditional tasting of their herbal tea Ten Ren Tea has been around since 1953 read more

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Ten Ren is a classic, but I've never been to the SF location. Stopped by while in the Chinatown area, and was pleasantly surprised. The store itself is pretty quiet; when I went, there was just one super friendly older lady doing everything. I got a classic pearl black milk tea, and it was solid. Tea flavor was good, but a tad bit diluted. Overall creamy, but doesn't quite feel like they're using whole milk, and more like a mixed creamer. Sweetness was also quite not sweet at 50%, so honestly would go 75%-100% (I usually get 25-50% at boba shops). Overall, really solid! Definitely satisfies the boba itch if in the area. read more

Ten Ren Tea - Tea Rooms Near Me - San Francisco, California

We got the oolong milk tea! It was $6. My sister LOVES this place even though there are a lot of boba places in Chinatown. This place is extremely cute on the inside because it is also a tea store. The milk tea here tastes really fresh and authentic. Would recommend if you love Oolong milk tea :) read more

Ten Ren Tea - Tea Rooms Near Me - San Francisco, California

Great price for boba and the tea and boba were 10/10 from a boba enthusiast! Service was great!

Customer service is bad. The female cashier was rude and not welcoming at all. Don't think I would come back. Also, the tea was pre-made and too sweet read more

3.5 but I'll round to 4 stars based on service. $6 for a drink and 50 cents extra for drink add on toppings. Personally, I found it hard to eat the toppings after I finished my drink. I wish they had straws to help me out. read more

RIP OFF! DISHONEST, TERRIBLE TEA. AVOID THIS PLACE! TOURIST TRAP. Ten Ren Tea has nothing to do with good quality tea at all. The teas are not produced correctly and the tastes are bad. Even the manager who conned me out of $ 6.00 for a cup of Tie Quan Yin which had absolutely no flavor at all, wasn't honest enough when I told her before I paid for the tea, to try and replace it or give my money back. She did what she did in an underhanded way. She and the others know nothing at all about tea. PUT TEN REN OUT OF BUSINESS, SPEND YOUR MONEY ELSE WHERE. read more

Tea was good 3/5 but it's pre-mixed and like other reviewer mentioned, they used creamer, not milk. A chubby sale girl was very unfriendly. They didn't put a trash bin at counter for straw paper, she asked me to go to the back of the shop to put it away! She said, "you have to put it away! In the back, under the sink!" With a very unfriendly tone. I remember they used to provide bad service on my last experience, but it's has been so long and I forgot so I came back again, but I won't go there next time! read more

This place is a rip-off. Salesperson made me commit to buying a tea leaves fbefore tasting. She did not offer any other tea samplings then charged me 55$ for a tin of said tea. Don't go there- terrible place, just out to gouge tourists. read more

Amazing spot if you like a more pronounced tea flavor! I usually get the black milk tea or oolong milk tea. I'd recommend getting 100% sweet for the milk teas as they don't add too much sugar and the flavor of the drink tastes watered down when you get reduced sugar. They also sell/sample actual tea here which is also pretty good. read more

The roasted oolong milk tea and boba was delicious. I forgot to take a picture of the drink though. The service was fast and we tried the tea tastings in the back. It was great because they let us try a lot of the tea. The milk tea is so smooth and creamy which I love and appreciate. The menu may be simple but it allows us to appreciate simple milk tea. read more

Ten Ren Tea - Tea Rooms Near Me - San Francisco, California

As I was reading the other reviews I felt a little skeptical. However, it was the best experience! The lady that was working was very nice and friendly. The drinks were perfect for me it was not too sweet and had a good tea taste. The boba was also the perfect chewiness! I highly recommend:) read more

When I was in San Francisco, I had to get tea from the mother of all that is Boba, Ten Ren Tea on Grant Ave in Chinatown. I was feeling excited because I'm from New York, this is something that started on the west coast and made its way to the east coast. It's a once in a lifetime order, I don't know when I'll be back to the west coast again so I placed my order for a simple honeydew tea with tapioca. There was a small language barrier but the menu board was pretty simple to decipher. I made my selection and in about 5 minutes my drink was ready. Ten Ren Tea, this location is also a small luncheonette? My drink was tasty, just what I wanted on vacation is San Francisco. read more

Ten Ren Tea - Honeydew green tea - Tea Rooms Near Me - San Francisco, California

As a long time tea store, I always remember two places on Grant Avenue that were "green" as in color not being eco friendly. The old time Sun Sing Theater next to that iconic egg custard tart place and this place. Green as a color does stand out when everything else on the street is gray, dark, or in generally drab hues. Ten Ren is a publicly traded company based in Taiwan and known for their extensive variety of tea leaves from Asia, primarily Taiwan and China. As Ken K. (https://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=DS0Idr2XDhz5e7ZfSy0dYA) states, there are quality differences between the various stores throughout the country (Southern California, New York, and formerly Chicago) as well as Canada (Vancouver and Toronto). Before tea shops became popularized in its current form throughout Grant Avenue in Chinatown, they were a pioneer in offering tastings of various teas along with that tea shop that used to be on Powell Street and now presides in the Ferry Building. Now, there's probably around ten to twelve other shops throughout Chinatown. Well, Ten Ren still does sell tea, but their primary business now comes from the popular tea drinks and bubble teas offered at the counter on the right as you enter. I recently stopped here one afternoon, studied their menu, and ordered a Passion fruit teazer (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=iXPpDP_SUEismTCv-ImlHg&userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q). I enjoyed my slushie like drink which had a strong passion fruit flavor and hit the spot on a humid afternoon. I rate this four stars. Now, the only troubling point was that it took about five minutes for me, as the 2nd person in line, to place my order. I will only partially criticize the counter person for the wait as he was enthusiastically helping an out-of-town couple. However, our line grew to about eight or nine before the couple finally placed their order. The main issue was the customers practically asked questions about each menu item. To add to that, they did not leave the order/cashier area and stood there instead of walking to the serving area on the left. It might have helped if the counter person directed them instead of disappearing to make their drink. Fortunately, a lady came from the back to man the cashier and take my order or it might have been another seven or eight minutes. Drink quality is definitely here. It's just learning how to efficiently sell your products. Three stars is about right and I do advise coming when there are no lines. read more

Ten Ren Tea - Passion fruit teazer - Tea Rooms Near Me - San Francisco, California

Love Ten Ren. I've been a fan of their tea since I first tried their bubble teas in NY. Employees were very friendly and helpful. Some seating is available. In addition to bubble teas and hot tea, they also sell their loose-leaf teas. It makes for a wonderful gift! Their teas have always been on the pricier side but they use quality ingredients which I appreciate. While in Chinatown, if you're looking for some refreshing tea, Ten Ren is a good option. read more

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Back when they had a location on Irving St, Ten Ren was one of my relative's go-to spots for boba. In part because there weren't a lot of options to choose from back then (crazy, right?), but their milk tea was actually pretty decent (I should hope so, given how they were also a tea shop). Once she discovered Wonderful Foods/Wonderful Desserts though, well...that's all she wrote. Not only did they replace Ten Ren in her heart, but they literally replaced them on Irving as well (they took their old space)! Fast forward to all of these years later and I found myself parking in a space right outside Ten Ren. It was like a sign from above telling me to give them a shot again! And by "sign from above", I mean the unseasonably warm weather shining down on me. Either way, it wasn't a hard sell, especially since I had been hearing so many good things from friends about the Ten Ren's spots in Cupertino and Milpitas. Compared to so many of the other boba joints out there, Ten Ren's menu is pretty basic. To be honest, the types of drinks they have to offer isn't anything special (milk teas, fruit teas, blended ice drinks), though they do offer a decent mix of hot teas to choose from. At the same time though, I already knew I was going to get my usual measuring stick - a MILK BLACK TEA with no boba. All in all, while my order certainly wasn't bad, I wouldn't say it was all that special either. The tea itself was pretty solid (surprisingly strong), but I thought it was a little milky. What's more, the drink had a slightly artificial taste to it (powdered milk/creamer? Artificial sweetener?). The one redeeming quality though? The price! Hard to argue when it only set me back $2.75 for a cool drink on such a sunny afternoon. Although I still fail to see what makes Ten Ren all that popular (back then or now), perhaps this particular location just can't compare to the ones in the South Bay. At the very least, it's far better (and cleaner) than Sweetheart Cafe up the block. However, I'd be more inclined to try out Cool Tea Bar or some other boba joint than to come back again. read more

Ten Ren Tea - Milk Black Tea - Tea Rooms Near Me - San Francisco, California

I only know this walk-by Grant Avenue place from the bubble tea they serve at the counter. I don't know about you, but a stroll through Chinatown can be rather taxing from a sensory standpoint since there are only so many silk slippers and dead ducks on a hook I can take in at one time. Any respite can be welcome, but even the unparalleled egg custard tarts at Golden Gate Bakery require waiting in a queue. That's why Ten Ren is a welcome green-tinted sight since barely anyone notices the place. They've got pearl iced and milk tea selections. I went for the $3.25 Coconut Milk Green Tea which lasted me until Union Square. That includes the last few minutes where I was on a major hunt-snd-suck mission to get all the black pearls through my straw. It was challenging since the pearls were on the excessive side, but that was okay since the straw did appear bigger than the norm. I was so distracted by the suckage that I swayed a couple of Australian tourists away from the execrable Far East Cafe without providing an alternative. I guess I am the ugly American. BUBBLE TEA - 3.5 stars...nice pearls, or are you just glad to see me? AMBIANCE - 3 stars...an island of quiet on tourist-infested Grant Avenue SERVICE - 2.5 stars...she's a machine of efficiency, no eye contact TOTAL - 3 stars...if you need something sweet to suck read more

Ten Ren Tea - Bubble tea menu - Tea Rooms Near Me - San Francisco, California

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My FAVORITE pearl milk tea in SF, hands down. The other places I've tried are way. too. sweet. Sometimes, boba places will mix coffee or ovaltine in (major yuck and too sweet). I would prefer if Ten Ren makes their tea just a tad less sweet. The pearls are perfectly cooked, nice and chewy, and not saturated with brown sugar. My only comment is that they always skimp on ice, and could be more generous with the boba. read more

Ten Ren Tea - Tea Rooms Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Oh my goodness, after tasting my lemon honey drink I was like, "This should be one of things you try before you die!" Hahaa.. And I've been doing a lot of that lately! I got the lemon honey with ai-yu ($3.25). Lady who made it was efficient. It was super good. Must try! Friend ordered the hot jasmine milk tea. Didn't try it so I can't tell you how it tasted. But mine was yummy. read more

Ten Ren Tea - Lemon honey with ai-yu $3.25 - Tea Rooms Near Me - San Francisco, California

The strawberry green tea boba here is so delicious - you can taste the real tea. The service was great too! We were looking for a place to rest our feet and eat our dan tats (egg tarts) from Golden Gate Bakery so we sat at the bar. They didn't mind us sitting there for over 20 minutes and smiled at our group of six while were enjoying our tea and pastries. Thank you Ten Ren! read more

They have Ten Rens over in my area so I was excited to see that they had one while I was visiting San Francisco! My favorite is the lychee green tea with jelly (and no boba). The price was very decent for a large as well. Customer service wasn't the greatest or the nicest but at least my drink tasted good. read more

Ten Ren Tea - Lychee Green Tea with jelly - Tea Rooms Near Me - San Francisco, California

The one thing I like about Ten Ren is that it's an actual tea shop where they sell real dried up tea leaves. So their flavor for their drinks are pretty authentic, but if they put in a little more effort into their boba this place would be poppin more. There's an average amount of people that come here and because it's in Chinatown its one of those where you have to just stumble upon and decide to get it kind of places. What I liked about their boba is that they are different sizes, like there would be some that are big and some that are small. The DOWN side to their boba is that it's basically flavorless. I would compare theirs to Quickly's boba because they're just like rubber... It's hard to find places that have a good mix of both the drink and the boba, but for those places that are good on both, they generally always have a long line. read more

Ten Ren Tea - Menu on their door - Tea Rooms Near Me - San Francisco, California

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there are two Ten Ten tea on Grant st, this one has pearl MT while the other I've read on Yelp does not Ten Ren tea brings me back to my 702 Tea Station nostalgic times. My absolute fave is hand downs the almond milk black tea. I don't visit enough for the employees to remember me and my order so every time I visit to double check if they can make my favorite drink (new worker, no ingredient, etc) - because on the menu board what is only available is almond milk green tea I forgot the price but 16oz drink with pearl and a 16oz mango cooler no topping came to total of $6.75 - less than $7 for two drinks is a steal! (last time I made no adjustments thinking it would be similar to LV but that's false. it was so sweet that it became undrinkable - I had to toss it out after sipping a 1/4 of it) there isn't an sweetness adjustment option but the employee said no problem when I asked for half sweet and this time was much better, I sipped 3/4! the pearls were yummy too my 3.5 star rating comes from at the bottom you can see the sugar particles/powder mixture versus the LV one its syrup and just the right amount I'll keep visiting periodically because in spite the sugar particles/powder, it'll satisfy how much I'm missing LV. And they have 16oz cups too #its called balance #so i can order another 16oz elsewhere too tehee read more

CASH ONLY Located in the midst of Chinatown, SF, we traversed our way to find this place just so I can see what Ten Ren's was like in another city that's not SoCal. Like all places in San Francisco, due to the lack of space for most places, this Ten Ren's Tea was... A little bigger than small, but still very narrow. The front is where they do the modern day drinks (milk teas and boba teas) versus the back is where they taught the traditional tea tasting classes. I ordered a simple honey green tea, half honey and light ice. The good thing about the drink: less ice was literally no ice. LOL. Just a few small pieces of it on the top layer of the tea. Unfortunately I found the drink to be far watered down than I would've liked as could be seen in my photo of how light the tea color was. It wasn't steeped for long enough to get out all the nutrients and taste of the tea leaves. Tea taste overall was mediocre at best at a 2 star ranking, BUT I gave it an extra star because it's so FUCKING CHEAP for tea in SF! #GREATVALUE LOL. It was $3.00 for a large. WE PAY $5.00-$6.00 in LA FOR THE SAME THING. LOLOLOL. read more

Ten Ren Tea - Honey Green Tea - Tea Rooms Near Me - San Francisco, California

The tea here was just okay to me. I bought the regular milk tea with black pearls, it cost cheap less than $3. I told her my order, and she made it immediately. She pour the ready milk tea from a big container to the cup and add on some black pearls to me. I was a little surprised by how fast she's done on the drink. This tea shop not really impressed me at all. read more

Ten Ren Tea - Regular milk tea with black pearl less than $3 - Tea Rooms Near Me - San Francisco, California

My friend and I had just scored ourselves some amazing baked goods at Golden Gate Bakery and needed some shelter to enjoy the tasty bites. The Ten Ren at the corner had some tables in back so we came in out of the rain for a spot of tea. We ordered the hot almond milk tea, which as it turns out ironically isn't even a true menu item here. Instead, they just microwaved the tea for us and mixed it with some hot water instead, not even filling it to the top. My friend and I found the tea to be too artificially sweet and it didn't go too well with our pastries. I always thought Ten Ren was supposed to be something special but as it turns out, it isn't really. Maybe the expensive loose leaf stuff is better but I wasn't that impressed with the drink we got. Maybe next time I will try the tea tasting service but until then, I will just head back to the car to eat my tarts. Food: 6/10 Service: 6/10 Price: $ Atmosphere: 8/10 read more

Ten Ren Tea - Tea Rooms Near Me - San Francisco, California