Self-serve toppings for drinks, which have flavors that you won't find anywhere else in Chinatown :D I particularly like the Genmaicha Brown Rice Milk Tea. Yum! They also serve fried food as light snacks, all same price around $4. Definitely, try the popcorn chicken, one of the best around here. read more

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This place is tucked away in the plaza with Hokkaido and tapioca house. It's pretty small and very limited seating, but I don't know why this place isn't rated any better. They've Got a great selection of drinks (amazing oolong milk tea!!) and you can pick however many types/however much jelly or boba you want (mini + normal size boba + basil seeds = party). Prices are very fair and they've got all my favorite fried snacks. They've even got a student discount going on so far Monday - Friday 1-5pm, purchase a drink you get any fried snack or appetizer for $0.99. So far, Twinkle's fried chicken nuggets are my favorite that I've had so far in bellaire. The nuggets were fried fresh and tender and flavor fully. Definitely underrated. They've also got a punch card and staff are very friendly and helpful! Can't wait to come back :) read more

I wish I could do 3.5 stars. I like that you pick and scoop your own sinkers for your drink. Twinkle has opened my eyes to so many different sinkers that I've always wanted to try. So, you may think being able to put in as many and as much sinkers into your drink is a good thing, but the downside is it changes your drink flavor. That combined with the fact that their teas are pretty mediocre makes the drink even more blah. I love the concept though. Since I love the concept and they are always changing the sinker choices, I make this my new bubble tea place for when I'm feeling adventurous. If I want to keep the taste of my drink I go to another place. On a side note, I was there the day the lady attempted turn Twinkle into a drive thru business. I was in shock and awe and so were the employees and the shop next door. As a result, Twinkle has to close for a few days, which really doesn't curb my Twinkle craving right now. Grrrrrr! read more

Had to try this place after I went to a Chinese New Year event at the Houston Community Center. The enticing part? They serve takoyaki (Japanese fried squid ball in batter). Food / yea my sister and I were hungry! . Takoyaki - it was fairly decent. It wasn't frozen, it was fresh, but the batter could've been cooked longer. I'll have to find another Takoyaki place. . Fried Fish Ball - it was good, salty, you get 2 sticks of 4-5balls . Popcorn Chicken - good portion, salty, good spice seasoning . Fried Tofu - perfect, good amount of snack portion, a little salty. Drinks - . Taro Milk Tea - it was good, nothing to die for. I liked the fact you can go up to the bar and scoop yourself the amount of tapioca balls, egg pudding, lychee, etc to a certain line. Other than that, I have another preferred tapioca spot. Location - . Across from Tapioca House, off Rochester and Bellaire in the Welcome supermarket parking lot. Service - . The food took a while, but we were in no rush. I wish they had spoons and forks to use. They only had bamboo skewers, straws, lots of napkins, sauce dish.. yea. Although I do like Twinkle, I'll continue to explore other bubble tea/snack places. read more

Came here earlier today to pick up some boba for my partner and wanted to try some egg waffles. Unfortunately they no longer maker egg waffles =[[[ sadness. But at least they have almond milk tea.The toppings were self-served, which was pretty neat, but I didn't care for anything other than the tapioca. To my surprise, the almond milk tasted pretty good. A bit sweet for my liking, but my partner really liked it. I will have to come again to try some of the snacks. Oh and on weekdays, if you're a student and have your id, between 1-5pm, you pay 99cents for snacks after buying 1 drink, so that's petty neat. read more

Twinkle - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Houston, Texas

My experience at Twinkle: pleasantly surprised. Now that the Dun Huang plaza is constantly growing and changing and is the "hub" of Chinatown, I rarely venture to other plazas anymore (shameful, I know). But on one rare occasion, I went back to the Welcome food market plaza and saw Twinkle. Twinkle is a cute little shop; it doesn't have much space, but it also isn't very crowded. What's unique about Twinkle is that they have a "toppings" bar much like a fro-yo place. You pick what size cup you want, then you add whatever toppings you went in your drink and in whatever amount, up to a line on the cup. They have a wide variety of toppings -- tapioca, poppers, all types of jellies, egg pudding, basil seeds etc. Afterwards, you pick what type of drink you want in it. I got their Oolong tea at %50 sweetness. The tea itself is really good, not as good as some of the Dun Huang places, but I still really liked it. Overall, I really liked Twinkle because of the self-serve toppings, affordability, and sweet staff. read more

This is probably my favorite teashop in town, it is a small, clean, and quite place. the only place in Chinatown you can choose whatever topping you want to add into your drinking. Also highly recommend the popcorn chicken, and the dipping souce. read more

Twinkle - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Houston, Texas

I wish this place was what it was like before. I think they tried to update their menu and change up some things which I didn't see the need. They now have fresh pressed teas with the fancy machine! Prices have increased. Booo...... They did add new items on the menu as well. They no longer do the small size cup; it's only the normal and the large. The one thing I do like is their new promotion going on for now. It's the student discount where you buy any drink and get a snack for $0.99. The snack items are usually $3 something so it's a good deal. The deal is good Monday through Friday from 2-5pm! read more

nice people, quiet and clean, delicious boba and customizable toppings. try the cloudy! read more

Twinkle - cloudy w/ coffee boba - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Houston, Texas

I thought i have been to the best boba place before i have went to Twinkle, but it turns out that "Twinkle" is the better. Therefore, it makes them the best boba place that i have ever been too. When my friend told me about this place. I told to myself, " wow i should really go there." The first time I been there, i realized that it was self served. I found it such an amazing idea. Along with the drink, i got some popcorn chicken. I love popcorn chicken. I got to say that their popcorn chicken are delicious and so is their boba. It is also amazing that its so CHEAP. Out of all of the places i been too, Twinkle is cheap. It allows me to save more money so that i can spend some more at Twinkle. I don't think i can ever stop loving "Twinkle." I believe everybody should try their menu because it will surprise you. Twinkle deserves a 5 star. read more

Very delicious drinks, quaint place, and the first place I've seen to give you free reign on boba selection. Our favorite in China town!

Cool concept: you choose all the sinkers you want and then they fill it up with your choice of drink. Encountered this at Teaway in sf, nice that it made it to Houston. When we went, our worker didn't seem to speak English that well so we were just staring at each other. You order your drink first, fill up on sinkers, then they make your drink. The milk tea itself is good. E put it nicely, reminds me of what milk tea would taste like if you ordered from some small shack stand in Taiwan. Most of the sinkers (fruit jelly, popping tapioca) don't go well with milk tea...so I guess you'd be better off ordering a fruity drink. Sinkers in general were kind of gross...I've had better egg pudding and grass jelly. However good place for a 2 dollar cup of milk tea. read more

What a find! I used the yelp offer and got a 15% off my medium sized drink. The price came out to be $2.56 definitely cheaper than most boba places I've tried. Coming from California, this definitely beats the price. I ordered the mango tea and put in boba, rainbow jelly, lychee jelly, and grass jelly. Soooo delicious. The mix reminded me of this drink I get in Oakland. Also, I love the sinker bar idea! it doesn't charge extra which is a plus. The drink was already prepared but it still tasted fresh. Plus, the server was super friendly and I applaud her for the quick service with the line. There was a peaceful ambiance when I walked in, funky furniture but I can overlook that. Overall, it was a nice little place to stop by for boba. Definitely a must in Chinatown! read more

My 6' 2" male friend who knows I like Teahouse and Xiong's: "Want to go to Twinkle?" Me: ::blink:: Twinkle? I was so full already from an overly-ambitious dim sum lunch, but the sound of DIY sinkers had me curious enough to try this place at the expense of treason. "I'll just skip the milk." So I had the honey green tea, half ice and half honey. And just like that, my newly pledged allegiance to Xiong's became shattered. Lychee, apple, mango, rainbow jellies AND regular and mini boba? Seriously, how am I supposed to say no to that? For green tea, my favorite is still Duno Baby, but it's a little far unless I get dim sum at Ocean Palace (lazy bug, I know). The sinkers here are better, though. I haven't tried the milk tea and with so many people hating on it, maybe I'll stick to Xiong's for milk tea. Choices, choices. ... :) Update: I now only drink milk tea from Gong Fu tea and get the C5 at 10% sweetness from Honeybee. read more

I haven't been here in a while so I stopped by and tried the Thai milk green tea and it was pretty good. Not a strong green tea taste and I couldn't really taste any Thai tea flavor in it. After about half way of the drink, I couldn't taste anymore flavor though. read more

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Good milktea spot. Not a place for variety beyond milktea. They have a self service toppings bar for your drinks; boba, mini-boba, grass jelly, basil seeds, etc. They will draw a line on your cup where you fill your cup up to. Nice little niche most boba places do not have. My wife is a milktea enthusiast and she and I come here often. Limited seating here with only about 4 tables with 2 chairs each. We usually come here after going to Hokkaido Sushi or TastyPot in the same plaza. read more

My friend and I had trouble finding this place. Its in the same area as The Teahouse. Pretty much behind it. O: the drinks are really cheap :D the milkteas are 1.99 and 50 cents more for the large! Its like a self serve place, kinda. You add what you want & the worker will pour your drink into your cup. I loveeeeeee rainbow jelly haha :D & yes, you can add as many add ins to your drink as you want. Theres many different choices. The appetizers are inexpensive as well. Theres also a sign that says to make sure you leave room for your drink. read more

Although this place is pretty small the menu is rather big. And even though this place has 6 other tapioca places within a 2 min walk, I think it can very well hold its own. If only this place had more comfortable seats. The way its set up....its more like a grab-n-go kinda place. Milk Tea is good --chicken nuggets...ehh. read more

Great teahouse! Love the snacks...I had the lobster rolls, coconut shrimp, and wintermelon tea! Love! I would definitely recommend this teahouse. read more

Twinkle - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Houston, Texas

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My friend recommended this place as one of the best popcorn chicken in town. It was delicious!! Fresh hot, crispy, juicy, and flavorful coating with a lingering pepper taste. Yum!! Will definitely be back. read more

I honestly don't get how this place has so many good reviews. This place is disgusting, only reason I'm giving it two stars is because the girls behind the bar were extremely sweet. This place gives you the option to pick and choose your own topping which is kinda fun and something new. However, the drinks here are not worth it. Ordered a Mangonada and Peach smoothie with my boyfriend; mangonada didn't even taste like mango. It was literally just a cup FULL of chimoy sauce and an ice blend smoothie... the peach smoothie came out better but it lacked flavor. Would not recommend, ever. read more

My new fav. place! The drink is good and the price is even better! read more

Honestly, the drinks are just A-Okay. The Ovaltine malt milk tea is good and worth a try but the taro milk tea is too sweet and lacks flavor. What makes me wanna come back to this place is the seared oysters!! Holy moly! Those petit oysters are yes, small, but very juicy and de-freaking-yummy-licious!! The two skewers of oysters (per order) just disappear in a heart beat! read more

Twinkle - Seared oysters. Highly recommended! - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Houston, Texas

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I found this small but lovely gem from someone's Instagram post, and I wanted to check it out. I think it's pretty cool how you can put the sinkers in yourself. I usually go for the brown sugar milk tea, but other times I got the jasmine and regular milk teas. They were delicious. The staff is really friendly too. read more

I've been to twinkle several times and it's one of my favs! They're a little different than your usual boba shop, they allow you to put your own toppings and it's great! The only thing is I wish they didn't give a certain limit to where you're allowed to put toppings :/ (they mark a line on the cup). the drinks are really good though they have a large variety of teas, some I've never heard of before too! I've never had the food but I've heard that it's pretty good! The customer service is great, they're so friendly over there and always smile :) I definitely recommend this place! read more

I felt queasy after eating chicken. I believe some of the chicken was bad because some of the pieces tasted sour. I had to lay down for a while. I did not feel better until that bad food was out of my body. I will stick to the two places that I go to and not venture out. read more

I'd say this is one of those hidden gem in china town. If the location was right It probably would've been a hit hit hit. You walk into the place and you'll notice a smaller than normal space for a tapioca place, it's really not a place for you to bring your backpack and laptop to do your homework for half a day. They have all their menu listed on the wall board but I've only gotten regular milk tea for the many times I've been here. What makes twinkle unique is that they'll give you you're cup and let you fill it up with what you want in there(tapioca, crystal tapioca, peach pops, jello, and more..) and it's not little, they have a line where you can fill it up to and it gives you more than plenty. Try this place out whenever you go to chinatown welcome market with your mom to shop, yes, it's in that plaza. read more

The peach oolong large size is my favorite! I almost always order this whenever I come here.

Fried oysters are so good!! We usually get their popcorn chicken and calamari but decided to venture out and try something new! I really like how you can pick your own toppings at the bar that's why we are frequent customers. read more

Twinkle - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Houston, Texas

This is a nice boba place that isn't one of the typical chains you see in Bellaire. The drinks are solid - the employee marks a line on the cup and you can fill as many toppings as you want up to the line. FYI though - they do pay attention to this and you better be sure not to pass that line to avoid an extra charge. I really enjoy getting the popcorn chicken here as well - don't bother going to Star Snow Ice for that as it's far superior here. read more

I have been to Twinkle for years ever since they first open. Twinkle is not quite typical tapioca shop where you order your drink and toppings, instead, you get to choose your own add-on, just be careful that don't get greedy and put thousands of stuff in your cup and there's no room for actual milk tea anymore. Their drinks are pretty consistent, it's not that impressively mind-blowing good, but it's good. Their store is pretty mini fashioned, if your party have more than 6 people and you want to find somewhere to sit and chat, then you should probably consider somewhere else. Their appetizers are always on par, I've had their fried tofu, spicy chicken nuggets, and 蛸焼き／たこやき (takoyaki), they were all really really good. Plus, they give you punch card where you get a free drink after ten visits, it's pretty easy for me to get my extra drink. Overall, I recommend this cute place if you happen to be in the area. read more

Any other tapioca place you'd expect. What stands out that catches my interest is that you're able to add any jelly/tapioca you'd like! ( there's a limit of course, but you can get a lot!) standard size is 3.99$ and large size is 4.99! Large is really big though! The standard size filled me up! read more

Twinkle - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Houston, Texas

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I found my new drink spot in bellaire and the price can't be beat! I am able to customize my own "sinkers." The extras aka toppings that SINK to the bottle of the drinks. So many to choose from. My brother got the passion fruit green tea in the large size.. what a fat cup! Lol I ordered the coffee milk tea at half the sugar sweetness.. always a plus the more you can customize the drinks to please your customers. Thumbs up on my new drink spot out of the many to choose from down here. Bonus is a stamp card for each drink. We also ordered their most popular snacks. The takoyaki and popcorn chicken. They don't make it til you order it so it comes out hot and fresh. Yummmmiiieeee. Another plus, snacks count on the stamp card too! read more

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Cool boba place that offers some yummy floral teas that you can't always find elsewhere. They have the best floral tea I've had so far, and I love the fact that you can choose which sinkers you want read more

The BEST!! I tried the fresh Rose milk - rose flavor has been challenging to find @ other boba places. This place is SUPER authentic! I love that they mark the cup and I get to choose my own combo of boba and lychee. Gosh, feels amazing to customize my drink EXACTLY how I like it! Thank you for wonderful experience - wish I could store boba drinks and take 5 more to go!! read more

A hidden gem in Bellaire that's gotten more and more popular with time. It's been awhile since I've been here, but it used to be my go-to spot literally 2-3 times a week. Any time I was in the area, I had to have Twinkle. Just because it's ridiculously cheap compared to all the other places you can buy tea. There's a sinker station, where you can fill your cup "to the line" - which is pretty much as much as you'd like - for no additional cost. From tapioca to egg pudding to fruits, your options and creativity are not limited at all! They have a lot of different flavored teas and milk teas. My favorites are the jasmine milk tea (with 50% sugar) and the passion fruit green tea. It's not the best tea I've ever had, but it's pretty damn good and definitely worth it for the price you pay. A regular size costs you less than $3, and they're mega-size is just a little over it. And trust me, it's mega. Now the food. Some of the best popcorn chicken I've ever had in my life. And I'm not exaggerating. And they also have powder you can sprinkle on top to make it as spicy as you'd like. Mmmmm. Yes. The takoyaki isn't the best, but it's not the worst. The lunch boxes are mediocre (I much rather go to Star Snow Ice down the road.) But the popcorn chicken. Did I mention that already? It's definitely more crowded there now than it used to be, which sucks, because it's a small place. Regardless, I've been and always will be a fan of Twinkle. Def check it out if you're in the area! read more

Came back and tried their tea. Rose milk tea and hojicha milk. Both yum! I like how their fresh brewed tea lets you adjust sweetness. The rose milk tea has a faint hint of sweetness even without any added sugar, and the rose scent is very apparent. Good! Hojicha, wow, you can really taste that it's fresh brewed and strong. Definitely my favorite out of the two. The boba is average. And of course, can't leave this place without an order of their delicious popcorn chicken! read more

This is my first time writing a review because I really love this place!!! This a very small store, but it offers the best milk tea and green tea I ever had in Houston China town! And the prices are cheap compare to store like Tea House or Tapioca House! The regular size is less than 3$ and the MEGA size one is just 0.59$ more! P.S. The regular size cup is actually very big! Another reason I love this place is that you can add your own tapioca, flavored jelly, and puddings as long as they dont go over the line! If you add things to your drink at other place, you have to pay extra moneyyy$$, which makes your drink cost alot more -_-||.... My personal favorite of the place is Regular Milk Tea, Jasmin Milk Green, Honey Lemon Tea, and Peach Smoothie! P.S Honey lemon tea is da best! The snacks are also very good, especially the Popcorn Chicken, and Japanese Takoyaki, and Mini Octopus! The serving amount for popcorn chicken is definately worth the money you pay! This place will continue to be one of my favorite place to buy drinks and snacks! Definitely a place to come again! ~\()/~ read more

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Yum! This was the first time I had ever been introduced to the self serve sinker concept, but I really liked how unique it was in comparison to other tapioca places in Chinatown! I ordered the tapioca milk tea, and even though it was premade, it had just the right amount of sweetness and was super smooth and consistent throughout. The prices are unbelievably low - $1.99 for small drinks with a $59 cent upgrade to a large? I've never seen that anywhere else in Chinatown. For sinkers, you can fill up on whatever you want up to the starred line on the cup. The selection is pretty good - tapioca, fruit, and a variety of different flavored puddings, jellies, and beans. However, because they also add ice to your drink, be sure to leave some room for the actual drink itself! They also have a wide variety of snacks and cute speciality Japanese items to choose from, like Matcha Pocky or Ramune gummies, and I appreciated the variety! I will be back to try their snacks and more of their drinks - definitely a gem in Chinatown! read more

Favorite bubble tea shop in Chinatown. Unfortunately I've been to almost all of them so I can say that Twinkle is unmatched in its combination of menu diversity, price, and milk tea that actually tastes like tea. Forget Teahouse, Tapioca House, all those overrated places in Dun Huang. Twinkle may not be in as cool of a location, but this is the hidden secret you should look for when you're actually thirsty. The menu is slightly confusing and the cashiers don't explain it that well so I'll give it a shot. Standard milk teas ($2.74 for regular size, usual 22 oz): nothing special, just solid milk teas that might be premade (black milk tea) and/or flavored with powder. They're all cream teas with the exception of the Hong Kong Milk Tea which uses condensed milk instead. They do have some tea flavor, but are mostly on the creamy side. My favorites are the Jasmine Green Milk Tea and Taro Milk Tea. Every drink I've gotten from here has been as good as the $4+ stuff from other places, so it's not like it's bad or anything (you won't find a better sub $3 black milk tea w/ topping anywhere else). There's just better... Fresh Brewed Milk Tea ($3.79 for reg size) - This is what I come to Twinkle for! A machine fresh brews this stuff so it takes a while. I've never found tea freshness to matter once you've added milk and sugar, but whatever their Teapresso machine does is like magic. The tea it drips out is STRONG and concentrated, probably like if you used a French press to steep. The resulting milk tea is noticeably stronger and less creamy tasting. I've been nothing but impressed with the drinks from this menu - the Hojicha Milk Tea, Rose Milk Tea, Ceylon Milk Tea, all superb. The price is significantly higher but with such high quality and toppings included, you still can't beat this value. Teapresso ($3.59 for reg size) - same teas made by the Teapresso machine like for the Fresh Brewed Milk Tea, but without milk/creamer. Toppings/sinkers - another winner for Twinkle. It's a DIY bar and you can mix and match whatever you want, up to a certain line that's pretty generous. There are always some more interesting toppings in their rotation that you don't see often, like wheat germ, pineapple, and other fruits. Can't go wrong with tapioca though. It's consistently fresh, chewy, and lightly sweet, usually sitting in a container of warm syrup outside of the bar. Not the best tapioca in Chinatown, but it's definitely up there (and free!). I honestly don't know what I can knock on them. There's minimal ice in your cup, their default sweetness might be a bit much but you can request 50-75% sweetness on the machine brewed teas, and they have off-the-wall items sometimes like Black Sugar Milk Tea ($4.20) which is quite a unique and refreshing break from the usual fructose sweetened milk teas. There's still reason to go to Sharetea or other shops sometimes for different drinks and better tapioca, but most of the time I'll be recommending Twinkle. By the way, right around the corner is a shop called Go Go Ice that is like the Twinkle hidden secret of slushie/smoothies. No good for milk tea, but they've got the best and cheapest real fruit blended drinks around. UPDATE: they raised all their prices so regular milk teas are now $3.10/4.09 and fresh brewed milk teas are now $3.99/4.99 :( still great value though. read more

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