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    The Alley

    4.1 (19 reviews)
    Open 11:30 am - 11:30 pm

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    Julie L.

    The bubble tea at The Alley was good. Some of the flavors are unique. It's definitely better than an average bubble tea place in Ottawa. The atmosphere is cute and cozy. My only issue is sometimes certain cafinated drinks cause my stomach to ache - and my stomach had that same caffine aching after the bubble tea. But that's a personal thing. So for that reason I personally won't go back in my own.

    Front of the store
    Jennifer P.

    The Alley has finally opened up a location in Ottawa! Now if only we could get a OneZo Tapioca here, my bubble tea dreams will have come true, lol. So I love bubble teas at The Alley, which is a Taiwanese chain. I've had their bubble teas in Toronto and in Montreal and they are always consistently good. This location in Ottawa was no different. Since they just opened, they are having an opening special of 10% off until July 24, 2020. I got a small Deerioca Puff ($6 - 10% = $5.40). It was my first time having this drink. I usually get the Royal No. 9 Tea Latte (which has delicious notes of blueberry in it) or The Alley Trio Tea Latte (which has 3 toppings: tapioca, pineapple jelly and rainbow jelly). The Deerioca Puff contains their signature brown sugar infused tapioca pearls (they call them "Deerioca" instead of tapioca) which are made in-house and are served warm, with custard pudding and milk. Apparently it's supposed to have a creme brulee topping, but mine did not have this :( The sugar level is fixed for this drink, and since I usually get my bubble teas 25-30% sweet, I did find this drink too sweet, but it was still very good. The tapioca pearls (aka Deerioca) were soft and chewy, with a slight smokey caramel flavour and the drink was smooth and creamy. The inside of this location is less industrial chic than most of its locations which usually has lots of exposed brick and lots of wood, and while it's not exactly spacious, it's much less narrow and cramped than other The Alley locations. Service was friendly and efficient. This location had the misfortune of having their grand opening during the Covid-19 Pandemic, but I hope it will survive. Staff were all in masks they have limits on the number of people allowed in the store at a given time to abide my Pandemic guidelines. Downtown Ottawa is becoming quite the Bubble Tea Haven. The Alley is definitely a welcomed addition to the mix!

    Passion fruit tea
    Anzor A.

    Well well well, After a long brake from visiting new places, my wife and I finally went to try something new, but famous like The Alley. It is one of the best bubble tea places in Toronto, plus it is famous all over the world. The staff was really helpful with choosing the ideal option for me, as I do not like boba and sweet teas. The know what they are talking about. The tea itself was really nice and refreshing. The price was about $6. I think that it is a reasonable value, as they seem to use quality materials. Overall, I think that is a great place to get something new, but one think is that their choices have less options, e.g. Preso Tea has a bunch of selection. I would definitely recommend to try this place out!

    a black and white image of a deer
    Hadia G.

    Awesome drinks , very nice store, chic, loved the cups and presentation sleek design. I ordered the strawberry snow lulu.. awesome drink with a cream cheese froth that tastes like a drink of cheesecake! My sis got a passion fruit green tea with pineapple jelly super refreshing! The place is still in soft opening mode and line ups are too long! We waited about an hour but was well worth the wait! Can't wait to be back!

    Large Iron Goddess Milk Tea
    Anita C.

    I am so excited one finally opened up in Ottawa! The Alley is one of, in my opinion, the best bubble tea places! They have a great selection of drinks and their milk teas are superb. We've tried the earl grey milk tea, as well as the iron goddess milk tea and it was great! The prices are average for bubble tea so it's fairly reasonable. You can collect points for free drinks by downloading their app. I believe you can also order on the app to make things easier for COVID. I highly recommend this bubble tea spot! I will definitely make the trip out just for this!

    Deerioca matcha
    Audrey T.

    Yummy new bubble tea spot in Byward Market! Located on corner of Sussex and York. Did not have a long wait on a Thursday evening, and social distancing was good and masks were on. Enjoyed a 10% Off for their grand opening. Will return and try their other drinks!

    Left: apple of my eye (includes aloe topping) Right: snow velvet peach matcha
    Susan H.

    BEST BUBBLE TEA IN OTTAWA!! Soft opening promo: 10% off until July 24, 2020. For people who are unfamiliar with The Alley, this is a global chain and they are famous for their deer and rustic interior. They have many unique flavours and I highly recommend their top 6 drinks. Keep in mind that some drinks have FIXED sugar and ice levels!! So if you typically order your bbt with less sugar, you may want to have a couple of backup drinks in mind. In terms of price, most are $5-6 and toppings are $0.50. The aurora series (morning dawn and northern lights) $8 are the most aesthetic and expensive drinks but they are underwhelming and I would NOT recommend them. COVID note: masks are mandatory. Hand sanitizer is available. The washroom IS open. Indoor seating is available but it's not very spacious (for comparison it's smaller than Coco tea and Chatime).

    Deerioca Fever
    Kate M.

    My long awaited first visit to The Alley and I was not disappointed! I ordered the Deerioca Fever on ice - fresh milk and warm brown sugar tapioca pearls. Refreshing and delicious! Friendly and fast service. Would recommend. I am now looking forward to trying other drinks on the menu.

    Hot Earl Grey Milk Tea

    The Alley is one of the best bubble tea chains out there and this location is not an exception! I am so glad they finally opened a chain in Ottawa as their brown sugar bubble tea is unparalleled to any other place (no wonder it is their most popular flavour!). However, the Earl Grey Milk tea was just as good - perfectly balanced sweetness and super chewy tapioca (I personally recommend getting it half sugar). I also love the place as it so clean and appealing to the eye - the design and aesthetics is incomparable to other bubble tea chains. I only wish they had wider selection of flavours and toppings:)

    snow velvet peach matcha
    Ange A.

    I love to tryeth boba places and this hath to beest one of mine minion ones! So many options but 't isn't overwhelming. As someone who is't loves matcha, i would recommend the 'snow velvet peach matcha' with nay sugar!

    two drinks in front of a sign

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    4 years ago

    polite staff. helpful in my decision of beverage. ideal location. fair prices

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    Review Highlights - The Alley

    We've tried the earl grey milk tea, as well as the iron goddess milk tea and it was great!

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    CoCo Fresh Tea & Juice

    CoCo Fresh Tea & Juice

    4.2
    (23 reviews)
    1.3 km

    My friend tipped me off about the Canada Day drink, which featured a carnival of toppings. It had…read moretapioca pearls, pudding, grass jelly, coconut jelly, and red bean. When she told me about this special, I had the following day to take advantage of this offer before it disappeared. After a great day shopping, I capped it off by getting a drink from this CoCo Fresh Tea & Juice. Driving over to this location made me cut through a part of Ottawa that I used to spend a lot of time walking around. I used to stay at a hotel at 140 Slater Street and it's still a hotel! I reckon that walking from there to this CoCo would take ten minutes. I parked on Bank Street. It was free parking by the time that I got there after 6 pm, so I was thrilled. If you're there during the daytime, you'll have to pay, which is the only downside to visiting this location. This CoCo is on the northwest corner of Bank Street and Somerset Street West. It looks like a tiny store, but it isn't. It's deep when you walk in. I had the nicest woman help me out. I asked if the Canada Day drink was still available. It was. I got it with less ice. The sugar level was fixed. I paid with a credit card. I tapped and was good. It didn't take long for my drink to be ready. I thanked her and happily headed back to my car. The Canada Day drink is the Three Guys Milk Tea, but two other guys in the form of toppings decided to join in on the fun. I will say that you you love toppings in your bubble tea, this one is for you. One word: hefty! My large cup was a third full of toppings. I thoroughly enjoyed this bubble tea on my birthday. You didn't know what toppings you were going to suck up and enjoy with each sip. The milk tea was a perfect balance of strong tea with the perfect milky consistency that you'd expect from CoCo. The fixed sugar wasn't horrible. I'm guessing that it was at 25%, which I was fine with for someone who generally cuts out the sugar. Frankly, I was stuffed eating dinner and having this Canada Day drink with a built-in meal. I loved it all! I liked visiting this store. I hope to do it again when I'm back. It was great dropping by after rush hour and parking for free as if I was getting away with murder. (281)

    Order was taken very quickly. The March special (large lemon green tea for $3.80) was such a steal…read more I also added coconut jelly which was made to perfection. Staff was very cheerful and greeted every customer. Very pleasant experience.

    Photos
    I'm here for the Canada Day drink.
    I'm here for the Canada Day drink.
    Interior
    Interior
    Payment area

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    Payment area
    Meow Tea

    Meow Tea

    4.2
    (24 reviews)
    1.1 km

    Ordered a few drinks here late at night. The staff was very friendly and was patient as I waited…read morefor my family to tell me their orders over the phone. I believe they also have board games so it's a nice place to chill and hang out with your friends. I'm not from the area but really wanted bubble tea that night. Glad we stopped by here cause we really enjoyed the drinks. The tea was very fragrant and had a nice flavour to it. The only downside is they forgot the toppings for one of the drinks (didn't realize until later on when we got back to our hotel). Other than that, I would definitely try their other drinks if I'm ever around the area. They also offer snacks.

    Overall: A // 5 stars…read more Pleasant tea shop in the vibrant food scene of Ottawa. I liked the touches of Asian decor in the shop, from the claw machines to the Giant boba piece. Their menu offers a refreshing take on a variety of fruit teas, milk teas, and coffee offerings, including the Meow Meow Fruit Tea which I opted for. Although I could not say the name with a straight face, I like the blend of fruit in this as there were clear notes of citrus, passionfruit, and kiwi that made this an enjoyable and palatable drink. The cup is also quite cute. Would recommend. Food: +1 Presentation: +1 Price: E Atmosphere: +1 Service: E Menu: +1 Overall: 5 stars Insta/Beli/Yelp/TikTok: @amei_eats

    Photos
    Benches along the wall with playful kitties :3
    Benches along the wall with playful kitties :3
    Brown sugar boba milk
    Brown sugar boba milk
    Menu

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    Menu
    Tru Tea

    Tru Tea

    4.0
    (2 reviews)
    5.5 km

    So as of February 1, 2023 there was no external signage to the store, so you can easily walk by and…read morenot even know that the business exists. I'm pretty sure they started out as a ghost kitchen business only taking orders from Doordash and Fantuan (neither of which I use) but then I saw them pop up on UberEats so I decided to give them a try. When I went for pickup, I asked if you can also order in-store and the girl working there said "yes." I also asked her if they plan to be a regular bubble tea shop with seating and all, and she said "eventually." This is great! I guess they are just slowly ramping up business. I got the Strawberry Trupioca ($8.35) which only comes in large, and is strawberry puree on top of milk with "trupioca" which is their version of agar bubbles. I ordered no sugar, but the drink was still really sweet, lol. I still liked it though. The puree is made of real strawberries. The trupioca were light and springy and popped a bit in my mouth. Agar bubbles are my favourite topping so I really liked it. I just wish they gave me more, haha. Pickup was quick and efficient. It's in a converted old house and is where Bite This used to be and before that, Kelly's Liquidation. I love that Westboro is getting more bubble tea shops. Street parking only, which is a pain in the area, especially in the winter with snowbanks everywhere.

    My daughter surprised me with a bubble tea from Tru Tea a couple of times and it was great. The…read morefirst time, the drink had purple yam, taro, tapioca, barley and creamy foam on top. She said it was called Deluxe Purple Yam drink or something like that. It was so tasty. The drink was creamy and thick. It had real taro paste and the tapioca was soft and chewy, but not enough tapioca, haha. The second time she got me a Taro milk tea with sweet purple rice. I loved the generous amount of real taro. The rice was interesting in the drink, I liked it. The milk tea was creamy. These were better than the bubble tea I can get in Orleans, haha. But at least I can get bubble tea in Orleans now, when I first moved here there were no bubble tea stores here, but that's a different story.

    Photos
    Double roasted frosty
    Double roasted frosty
    They finally have external signage! (March 18, 2023).
    They finally have external signage! (March 18, 2023).
    They finally have external signage! (March 18, 2023).

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    They finally have external signage! (March 18, 2023).
    Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea

    Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea

    3.3
    (7 reviews)
    0.4 km

    5 stars out of 5 for:…read more -- friendly staff (one of two) -- it was a busy Saturday especially for delivery orders, & we were a walk-in; so we had a long wait & the store staff apologized profusely for the long wait, they also made up for it by offering us each (3 in total) - 30% discount coupons for next time -- I had the cold oolong milk tea = quenched my thirst. I wish this bubbletea place was closer to where I live.

    Yi Fang opened up where ShareTea used to be. Overall I found their drinks tasty, but a bit pricey…read more I got a regular sized Super Trio Milk Tea ($6.75) and it was fairly small, especially for the price. This drink comes with tapioca pearls, sago, and grass jelly (aka Mesona jelly or herbal jelly). I got it 30% sweet with 70% ice. It was plenty sweet and plenty cold, I probably could have gone with no sugar and half ice. The tiny sago balls and big soft chunks of jelly, along with the regular sized tapioca pearls gave the drink a fun texture. The tapioca pearls were soft and chewy. The milk tea was creamy and had a good tea flavour to it. I really enjoyed the drink, just not the dent it made in my wallet. Like with taxes and tip it was close to $9 and it was so small (when you look at my picture, keep in mind that I was once told by a jeweller that my hands are the size of a 10 year old's, lol). Service was courteous and efficient. Street parking only.

    Photos
    Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea
    Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea
    Large Aiyu Jelly Lemon Green Tea $6.45 + $0.50 for tapioca. Less ice, no sugar. Was perfect. Plus, I got BOGOF on UberEats :)

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    Large Aiyu Jelly Lemon Green Tea $6.45 + $0.50 for tapioca. Less ice, no sugar. Was perfect. Plus, I got BOGOF on UberEats :)

    The Alley - coffee - Updated July 2026

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