Excellent tea, I got Jasmine green tea and my friend got Royal 9. Out of all they can do 4 as hot. Nice ambience and music curation and friendly staff. read more

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Love the 25% off student discounts on Thursday nights! It's great for a sweet treat! At this point, I've tried the entire menu so I had to go for a juice or smoothie, and wow they're so good! The employee told me his fav is the mango yogurt smoothie (without the rice) and wow it's amazing! It actually just tasted like a sweet dessert haha would be perfect for a pool day! The orange peach oolong was a bit bitter but had a really good oolong flavor profile. read more

The Alley - Mango yogurt smoothie 25% sugar SO GOOD - Bubble Tea Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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Glad to see The Alley in town. Been to the one in CA and TX. Very modern and clean vibes here for a hang out spot with a gal pal or date. Ordered passion fruit tea with lychee and boba and it was good. I forgot that The Alley teas make it where the flavor is very distinct and stays with you. If you're a fan, this is it for you - much like Ben Gong Tea. I'm not a huge fun, but the tea is still good and refreshing. Music wasn't loud, maybe they turned it down when I was there a week ago. I like the location and surprisingly easy to get in and out. read more

We really enjoyed their boba since it wasn't too soft and not too firm, the perfect balance! Their waffle dessert was great as well and the kids devoured it so fast. read more

The Alley - Bubble Tea Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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Delicious. My uncle introduced me and the royal number 9 is so yummy. When busy, you must order on the kiosk, but is easy to use. The energy in there is very nice, people are normally in there late, but is never too loud. read more

The Alley is a great spot for some milk tea, fruit tea, or a small bite! The interior of here has lots of seating for you to sit with friends and yap after getting your drink (or even play board games or study!). I recommend ordering at the kiosk here you can see their fully updated menu because when I ordered at their counter, I noticed there weren't some of the items that they were promoting. The drinks here are consistent quality and good, and toppings are fresh. Great service and great spot! read more

The Alley is a nice-looking place to hang out with matching quality drinks! I always get analysis paralysis at bubble tea places with so many options. I always ask for recommendations, and it could sometimes be a hit or a miss. You don't always like what's most popular, right? Fortunately, the mango and cream drink the staff recommended this time was out of this world. It has so much unique flavor I've never had before in a bubble tea. I'm going to be coming back just for this drink alone! read more

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We have been multiple times and this is one of our go to boba places! Our favorite has to be the brown sugar cream brûlée. It's such a heavy drink but it's so delicious as well my husband and I share one and it's very good. The employees are always very nice and it's very big and asthetic inside. read more

Was excited to see an alley open in the area and try it But unfortunately it was really just another boba place. The interior is is decorated in a way where it looks like a hospital - quite sterile/ uninviting. Ordered drinks slightly sweet, but oddly towards the end, the drinks still got quite sweet. You can taste the tea flavors better here than some other places, which is a plus. It was surprisingly not busy on a Saturday night. The music also kept going off for long periods of time enabling very awkward silence throughout the shop. Staff is nice. read more

The Alley - Bubble Tea Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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Located in Fairfax City, this shop is near the major intersection of main street and lee hwy. The parking lot is small but Ive never had issues finding a spot. The interior design is simple and sleek. There is a cute "workspace" area and a few side tables and chairs. The lights are VERY bright in here. -Passion Fruit Green Tea: 8/10 - The jelly is good, the tea tastes fine but I wish you could taste more passion fruit. -Strawberry Green Tea: 2/10 - Was very sweet, had strawberry chunks, tasted like strawberry jam + water + jelly -Chocolate Croffle: 11/10 - literally my favorite item on the menu, I will drive 15 minutes just for croffle. It's just .. really good. The croffle is made fresh to order so can take some time, but it is delicious eaten fresh (still delicious later too). The waffle is hot and crisp, while the cream is delicate, fluffy and light. Topped with some chocolate powder to tie it all together! read more

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Parking: it is located in a mini strip mall. So there is free parking out front. However there are other businesses, so spaces can be limited. Seating: there are 11 two-seater tables & 1 long 8-seater table. There are a lot is seats, but can also fill up quickly. It is clean and spacious inside. Food: the bubble tea is pretty good. I like the Ube one and my husband thought the lychee one was okay~ Bathroom: there is one bathroom for women & one for men in the back. Price: it can be a little pricey for bubble tea. However the cups are a nice large size. It looks more like a large compared to other boba places. Service: everyone is very nice & helpful! Service was good! read more

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Overall, a decent boba spot. I was helped pretty quickly when I came in so I really do like their service here. I had the matcha rice purple drink and my boyfriend had their brown sugar tea. Both really good and not overly sweet. The atmosphere is very laxed. It gets pretty busy on fridays/weekends but seems to appeal more of a younger crowd. read more

The Alley - Bubble Tea Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

I usually enjoy The Alley, as I've had good experiences at other locations, which is why I'm giving this visit 2 stars instead of 1. I came by on a Friday evening specifically to order the Thai Tea. Unfortunately, the drink was not edible and tasted strongly of something that had gone bad (sour). It genuinely tasted fermented. This indicates a serious quality control issue with the milk or the tea base itself at this specific location. While their other drinks haven't been this bad in the past, a basic check needs to be done on their perishables immediately. I won't be ordering that drink again here. read more

Ventured here last night for an evening sweet treat. For a Sunday evening this place was jumping! And surprisingly busy. Packed with customers "waiting" for their orders. The cashier was very patient with me and I appreciated that as I'm very new to the Booba business lol. I end up going with the Matcha Green Tea with Brown Sugar and this dessert that reminded me of a pancake, shaped like a fish, with a not too sweet cream filing. I really enjoyed both items actually and I would certainly order them again. The restaurant was clean, however there were only 3 employees working and the wait time for my order was ridiculous. I think maybe having someone to work the specific stations would help with efficiency because just the 3 last night wasn't cutting it. Maybe have one/2people focusing on the many drink orders, one person assigned to the snacks since these are made to order, and one as the cashier- who can also float when he/she aren't taking any orders. I believe some folks were also placing orders on touchscreen kiosks they had which was awesome if you already knew what you wanted- however they found themselves waiting in limbo for their orders as well. I have a feeling on the weekends this might be the hangout spot for local teens and with the business I experienced yesterday you definitely don't want to run business off because of that wait time... If they can get that wait time down, I would certainly frequent this spot for my booba fix! Happy Yelping!!! read more

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Checked this spot out this past Saturday afternoon. It was not crowded and only a couple people in front of me waiting to use the kiosk for ordering. Ordering was a breeze and easy. The atmosphere is very open, modern and comfortably inviting to be a good work space to hang out at. They even have a large table for working if you have a bigger group. I ordered the Lychee Green Tea with green tea jelly--so refreshing , perfect balance of sweetness. read more

The Alley - Lychee Green Tea with green tea jelly - Bubble Tea Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

The mango drink was amazing, the coconut flavor was not strong which I loved! The strawberry one was good too but tasted a bit too artificial for me. Service was so fast but that's because the store wasn't packed like other boba places in the DMV. The store was clean and quiet, perfect for studying. Aesthetically, modern and calm vibes. read more

The Alley - Mango Coconut Milk Smoothie - Bubble Tea Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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i had my first "the alley" in vietnam so wxpectation were HIGH! my first time trying it here was okay. I was not loving it as much as vietnam but also don't hate it? I liked my drink. I got a yogurt purple rice l drink which tasted like dessert with me asking for it to have less sugar! My recommendations is to do less sugar as drinks are typically a bit sweeter in my taste. Also got to try the mango snow (i think thats what it called) with less sugar and liked it as well. Thai tea tasted like sugar even with less sugar. Service was pretty quick and fast and the space is roomy. Plenty of space to seat. Easy parking and access, would come here again! read more

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I've seen the alley overseas during my travels but never had the chance to try it--so I'm glad I finally did. The place is super spacious, so even with a busy cashier, there's plenty of room to move around. The ambiance has its own way of charming you, with mostly natural light creating a cozy and inviting feel. It's a great spot to hang out with friends or stay for a meeting--though it can get a bit loud at times, so visiting without one might be better. I tried the ube crème brûlée milk tea, and it's officially my new go-to! Plus, they offer food and smoothies, giving you plenty of options beyond just milk tea. read more

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The one thing that dragged my partner and I to this spot was the offering of Ube tea! We usually go to Teado, but seeing this a new spot that opened up we decided to give it a shot, glad we did! I'll be going for either 25% or no sugar next time in my drinks, but for my boyfriend the regular sugar level was fine. We also got the custard fish dish (forgot what it's called), but will skip on it next time and just order drinks - the dessert was cold and hot in some spots. If we're feeling custard like that we'll just go to Yi fang. Nice modern look of the cafe, service has the desk or kiosk (love me a kiosk). We'll be back! read more

The Alley - Ube milk tea with pandan foam, brown sugar milk tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

Yay!! Another aesthetically modern bubble tea/boba shop. It's like the modern artsy shop. Like it wants to be an art gallery but for boba. I have not been to the alley before so I am not as familiar with the franchise I just know that the drinks are very pretty hence aesthetics however as many know it may look beautiful but how is it taste. I perused the menu via kiosk cause I like pictures lol. I'll be honest I'm not a huge brown sugar boba drink person. I know judge me it's classic but.... I usually try to find the most outlandish combination and the selections seemed a bit..basic. So if cold foam coffee,simple teas or milk tea and matcha is your jam this is your place. Now service wise .... I get it perfection takes time however if you take so much time and still mess up we have an issue. It took probably about 10-15 mins since they were busy. I went with friend who ordered the Ube taro milk tea but upon inspection missed the Ube taro and just got some brown sugar milk tea um... hello it's not purple doesn't they give you a hint it's the wrong drink mind you people who ordered after us ordered the same drink 3 in fact ...so not only did we get sidelined we had to wait for a new one. So organization of cups is an issue since they stack them with the label facing away from them... uh why? So I can see that my order was forgotten??? Also if you read my reviews you know I strongly dislike reviewing service so the fact I mention it means it was an issue for me. Oh mind you it's a clear window so you can see them making each drink so there is no hiding the issue. Anyway good thing the friend thought the overall flavor was good. I ordered the garden milk tea only garden about it is the two tiny mint leaves. It is a a cream foam drink with Oreos other than that standard milk tea with Oreo crumbs. No mint flavor so if you don't like mint it's just garnish doesn't add flavor. I will admit the tea flavor was not overpowered by milk so I'll give it that a nice clean flavor the match the clean stony cold aesthetic of shop. Overall just another mod place for the college folks to order bubble tea late night with no seating cause unless you want to sit at the communal tech table or the few tables this is more of a Togo place. Let's be real it's close by Fairfax parking is a bit limited in front but there is parking on the backside. Will I frequent maybe depends on budget $7.00 typical for your boba one size fits all and the ability to customize your drink sweetness,ice and toppings. read more

The Alley - The Garden Milk Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

Cute spot with a clean, minimal aesthetic that makes you want to love the drinks... but sadly the menu is very misleading. I tried their popular ube brown sugar boba crème brûlée milk and brown sugar boba crème brûlée milk in their brown sugar boba series only to find out they both leaned way too heavy on the dairy, leaving it to taste like sweet milk before I realized there wasn't any tea. It's misleading to have a specialty item be a milk rather than a milk tea when their place literally says "time for tea" in their logo. If you're here for the vibes and an Instagram moment, you'll be happy--but if you're a tea-forward boba fan, it might leave you wanting more. read more

The Alley - ube brown sugar and brown sugar - Bubble Tea Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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This spot had recently opened up so we wanted to check out the hype. Drinks are massive and very colorful. We went with their signature drinks and let's just say it was just alright. Their most popular drink was the ube one but you are unable to get it less sweet. While the first few sips were great, it ended up being way too sweet for me to finish. Their other popular drink, the Royal No.9 was really good though! Nice milky tea flavor that wasn't too sweet. Seems like there are hits and misses on the menu, but you just need to see for yourselves! Drinks: Ube Brown Sugar Creme Brûlée Milk Tea and Royal No.9 Milk Te read more

The Alley - Bubble Tea Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

Overall, 2.5/5, but will bump to a 3/5 since it's still new with room for improvement. My friend's drink was forgotten for about 10-15 minutes, but the owner was very apologetic and offered him a free drink during his next visit. I heard that The Alley was extremely popular with extensively long lines during the first couple weeks after opening. Fortunately, it's been about 3 weeks since, and when we stopped by around 9:15 PM this past Monday, there were a few open tables we could sit in. I've been to The Alley in Toronto before and was a fan back in 2018, so I was hoping I would be wowed here. ROYAL NO. 9 MILK TEA - 5.75 +0.75 for boba This is their second most popular drink and my favorite since it's infused with blueberry notes. The quality of the drink was average at best, but I still drank most of it. The tea was way too over-steeped, and the boba texture was inconsistent -- some were too hard. There was too much blueberry syrup in my drink, which dominated other flavors instead of the "hint of blueberry" that I remembered. 25% sugar (slightly sweet) is too sweet for me here. My friend got the LYCHEE YOGURT SMOOTHIE (with 75% sugar, less sweet) and I liked that a lot because the sweetness of lychee balanced the naturally sour flavor of yogurt well. If I come back, I'll get this drink with jelly and much less sugar. The interior is clean and the space is large. Hopefully the quality of drinks will continue to improve throughout. read more

The Alley - Royal No. 9 Milk Tea + boba - Bubble Tea Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

Came here 3 times, and was finally able to get what I wanted on the 3rd try. Guess the saying is true..."3rd time is a charm." First was during the soft opening, and there was no brown sugar boba left, so we were comped our drink orders. Second time, line was long and moved really slow. Third time, I was 5th in line, but had to wait a long time too, but not as bad as some of the other reviews. After waiting 30 mins, my order was ready. The bubble tea tastes good and the size is decent. Dinging a star for the long wait time. Would I try it again, sure if I were in the area and there is no long wait time. read more

The Alley - Bubble Tea Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

We first stopped by when we saw their soft opening advertisement on Instagram! - Royal No. 9 Milk Tea -- added crystal boba with 50% sugar; strong floral flavor - Garden Milk Tea -- comes with boba with 50% sugar; became one of my favorite! During their soft opening, it was very busy near closing time and they notified us in line that they were out of boba, which was understandable. We went back a couple days after their grand opening and it was busier when we saw rows of cups on the counter waiting to be made. The interior is bright and clean with a couple of small tables and a large table for groups. read more

The Alley - Royal No. 9 Milk Tea + Garden Milk Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

I remember driving past it on their grand opening and it was sooo busy, so I thought to myself it could be worth a visit. I finally made it a week or two later and it was extremely underwhelming. I was first in line and the guy at the register seemed completely disinterested in his job. Any question I asked about the menu, his answer was "I don't know" or "I never had that". Since he was no help and I didn't want people behind me waiting, I ordered the matcha purple rice yogurt. They only had the large size which is obviously expensive, but alright. Even though they have about 5-6 people working, drinks were coming out of order because those high schoolers were too busy giggling and stumbling over each other. When my drink finally came out, it was a letdown. The matcha was so bitter that nothing else could redeem that drink. With all the tea shops in the area, I'll gladly skip this one. read more

The Alley - Matcha purple rice yogurt - Bubble Tea Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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DRINKS We tried the Ube Brown Sugar Deerioca Crème Brûlée Milk Tea with boba and no modifications, and it didn't disappoint. The sweetness was just right, and the Ube flavor really shone through. It was surprisingly light on the stomach, and it made for a refreshing drink on the nice day. I'd definitely recommend giving it a try, especially if it's your first visit! SERVICE The staff are very kind and friendly! It was their first day of soft opening, so they ran out of some items that we had to wait a little longer for. Otherwise, it was a great experience! AMBIANCE The interior is very clean and spacious-- with one large table seating 8, four seats at the high tables by the window, and five tables for 2-4. PARKING Ample parking is available in front of the store and shared by neighboring vendors. read more

The Alley - Ube Brown Sugar Deerioca Crème Brûlée Milk - Bubble Tea Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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One of the best bubble tea places! I LOVE ube and brown sugar and they have just the perfect drink menu that satisfies that craving. The ube brown sugar boba creme brulee is SO yummy!! Ube flavored with brown sugar taste along with real creme brulee pieces as your drink. The lychee yogurt smoothie was also really good. Tastes exactly like the name suggests :P read more

Say what you want, but my experience here was amazing! I'm glad I decided to wait until the lines died down after their opening rush--I had heard it was chaotic from other reviews. I visited with my mom, who, like me, is an avid boba lover. Having tried locations on the West Coast, I came in with high expectations for this spot. You can place your order either with one of the staff members or at the self-service kiosk, which makes the process convenient. I decided to try their best-seller, the Ube Crème Brûlée Brown Sugar Deerioca, while my mom opted for the Royal No. 9 Milk Tea. We both loved our drinks! My mom, who is notoriously picky, was impressed by the fresh tea leaves used to brew the tea--it's incredibly fragrant. I recommend ordering your tea with reduced sweetness to balance out the other sweet elements if you prefer a more nuanced flavor. The store itself is clean, spacious, and offers plenty of seating, making it a comfortable spot to enjoy your drink. read more

The Alley - Ube Crème Brûlée Brown Sugar Deerioca & Royal No. 9 Milk Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

Came here with friends on the weekend during the day and the line was extremely long as they just recently opened. Service was nice and friendly, and the drinks are made in which they are ordered by number. I was able to try the lychee smoothie and my friends got the snow strawberry smoothie and Ube brown sugar drinks. The smoothie drinks were a little bit icier than I would like it.. I asked for 25% sugar and the lychee drink was still very sugary. At the bottom of the drink, it's all lychee jelly in which you have to break up with your straw, which I found it a little inconvenient as I would have chunks of lychee. This is definitely a lychee flavored drink. I just wish it wasn't so icy. Interior is decor with limited seating and everything is all white lol the worst is the parking here. There is a very small lot to share with numerous of other stores, and it is a very tight parking lot. I would recommend just parking on the side of the road and walking up into the shopping center, which is what I had to do. Overall, this is an OK place to me. I will come back to try more of their bubble tea drinks versus smoothies next time. read more

The Alley - Bubble Tea Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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I literally only get the ube brown sugar deerioca creme brulee milk here and I love it so much; it's a great mixture of everything that's in the name! I can't really say much about the other drinks... and have never been to the Cali locations so I can't really compare this one to them. Place may be a little expensive for what it is but drink is too bomb for me to care!!! I've been here when it was new and it was packed, but the recent times, it's pretty empty and easy to find seats and order. Cute and clean spot and seating is nice. K-Pop music is also good (for me). However, it seems to be somewhat packed at nighttime, which can make parking a little annoying. read more

First time here and it was great! Large space with lots of seating available. Went at 8:45pm on a Monday and it was pretty busy but even with the busyness our drinks came out quick (within 5 minutes of ordering)! We got one Passionfruit Green Tea and then one Lychee Green Tea. They were both large in size and super delicious. I usually try lychee at most boba places and have to say theirs is up there in quality! Will definitely be back again- highly recommend! Can't wait to try more drinks! read more

Pretty decent boba but was way overhyped. Visited on a Saturday night and line for checkout was not too long but there aren't enough workers making drinks so expect a wait (we waited 35 min to get two drinks). Ambiance of the store is very nice with great lighting and plenty of seating. I decided to get the brown sugar deerioca creme brulee milk to compare to other brown sugar drinks i've had from other boba shops and felt there wasn't anything really special about the drink besides the actual boba topping. The brown sugar boba is delicious and is what gives a lot of the flavor in the drink. Otherwise, it's pretty overpowered by the milk. I would definitely still come back to try their other drinks to see if I can find a favorite but with the current wait times it will probably be awhile until I come back. read more

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Really, really yummy milk tea! I stopped by on a Sunday afternoon, and the place was packed. I thought it was because there was some kind of Yelp event going on, but the manager told me that they're always busy on weekends. Anyway, I bought a Brown Sugar Boba Creme Brulee Cold Brew, and it was delicious. The combination of the caramel brulee and coffee flavors mixed well with the soft and sweet boba balls. This was possibly the best-tasting milk tea/boba I've ever had. Thanks to the caffeine in the cold brew, this made for a great afternoon pick-me-up! read more

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I came in on a busy Saturday night, there wasn't a line, but there were many people dining in. I decided to order a bungeo-ppang and the Pommes Frites with Cajun seasoning. It took quite some time for me to receive my order. The bungeo-ppang had a rubbery texture and the custard inside had very little flavor, these are usually one of my favorite treats, but this one I did not enjoy. The fries, although fresh and hot, were not crispy at all and could've used more seasoning as well. read more

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Bobas a hard thing to break into since there are so many in area. Place is clean with a lot of outlets. Could definitely do some work here. The drinks are fairly unique but we missed some simple flavors (like plain taro). It also takes a bit more time bc it's not just a simple powder. You can order kiosk or person. We tried the ube taro (a bit too sweet will lower sweetness next time) and the matcha brown sugar (deep matcha taste). Give it a try and unlike some shops more room to hangout. read more

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Been here pretty much every weekend because I love this place! The bubble tea actually tastes like tea and not just sugar. You can order by kiosk or at the counter, and now u can order online clover. My favorite is lychee green tea. This place is super clean, well lit and people just studying or on a date or hanging out. My husband likes the original rice yogurt, it can replace lunch since it's so filling read more

The Alley - Bubble Tea Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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Consistent across other locations. Drinks came out fast. Staff very friendly. Parking here is tight. read more

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I came here on saturday in the middle of the day and I was surprised that it was pretty empty. I tried the Royal Milk Tea Number 8. It had a blueberry aftertaste and it was very strong. It was not enjoyable without more sugar. I probably won't be able to get it again as the tea was overbrewed and the boba was too chewy. It was extremely bitter and my friend tasted it and we both agreed that it tasted like medicine. read more

The Alley - royal milk tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

I have been making every excuse to myself to come back to this part of Fairfax just to get my milk tea fix. My first experience of The Alley franchise was actually in South Korea. And while I remembered their fruit and aurora specialties and croffles were good, there was nothing memorable about the milk tea. Here though? Quite the opposite. I come SOLELY for the assam black milk tea because of how well steeped the tea is. It has the perfect amount of sweetness (not too sweet) at 70-100% and a stronger emphasis on tea flavor, which I personally prefer. Boba is always soft and good texture too. I tried their Royal No 9. on my third visit here, which is like their black tea but with a hint of blueberry. Personally wasn't a big fan because I don't like fruit milk teas in general and while the blueberry was light it was still very good, again personal preference. Service can be hit or miss depending on how busy it is but they are generally very kind, even if they aren't the quickest. I'm hoping their tea quality will stay consistent and not drop after soft opening like how other boba places in the DMV area have watered down their drinks after hitting a goal in reviews out of comfortability. read more