I'm a full-on boba addict at this point (might need an intervention soon). I'm not really into milk teas, fruit teas with a little caffeine are my thing. Found Yaya Tea randomly and it's quickly become a favorite. They have a kiosk to order so no waiting around which I love. TMI but I was having tummy issues, so when I saw the "period pad" drink I was intrigued It's strawberry + mango in peach tea with popping mango boba. I'm obsessed. It honestly lifted my mood. I went back and tried the First Love too which is just as good. If I'm nearby, I'm definitely stopping again. read more

Yaya Tea Garden - Period Pad (10/10) - Coffee & Tea Near Me - New York, New York

I already knew yayas was the best but they always save me. I had the BEST beef rice ball here. I was starving all day and couldn't get anything down and that riceball saved the day. The best place to get refreshed, get a snack and take a break. The place is always so clean, fun, friendly. Staff is always amazing. Thanks for being so great! read more

Yaya Tea Garden - Coffee & Tea Near Me - New York, New York

Ordered pickup through an app. Pickup as quick and staff were very friendly. Riceballs were still warm. Got 2 chicken rice balls and 1 bulgogi rice ball. All small sizes. The bulgogi was yummy! I would get it again. The chicken was slightly too salty for me, but paired well with the sushi rice. I was stuffed after the 3 small rice balls! read more

Yaya Tea Garden - 2 chicken rice balls, and 1 bulgogi rice ball. Small sizes. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - New York, New York

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Keepin it real out here in Chinatown I didn't even know this is the OG Yaya tea spot, recently renovated, looks great and the food still authentic to what they always been serving. They got these extra huge rice balls here with a great amount of filling (protein) & sauce so it's not dry at all, goes great with the drinks. Will visit more often read more

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Maybe we ordered poorly, but the Okinawa milk tea with tapioca pearls was underwhelming. It was hardly any different from a regular boba milk tea, and yet cost nearly $8. At 25% sweetness, the lowest percentage offered (above zero), the drink was still too sugary. The drink was at least made promptly, and we were able to order directly at the counter instead of navigating the kiosk. The store's exterior and interior were recently renovated. We did find the interior space to be clean, pleasant, and somewhat charming. It was a comfortable m, air-conditioned place to relax after walking around Chinatown on a hot day. read more

Nice go-to area to chill around or on the go to get some rice onigiri and tea. They also have merchandise and a free stamp card that you can redeem after ordering a couple of times. They did revamp the place to make it look nice after a couple of years since the time I started to go here, but still nice, warming and modern vibes. read more

Yaya Tea Garden - Coffee & Tea Near Me - New York, New York

Exciting News! Yayatea at Chrystie Location is BACK and better than ever! After a stunning renovation, this adorable spot is cuter than ever--and packed with irresistible merchandise like cozy sweaters, snack packs, onigiri-shaped plushies, tote bags, and so much more. But the real star? Their massive rice balls! Loaded with fresh, flavorful fillings and perfectly balanced with just the right amount of rice. They've also got tasty appetizers, stir-fry udon, and endless tea options to explore! Customize your tea with your favorite fruit flavors and toppings for the ultimate sip-worthy experience. Looking for a cozy spot to enjoy small bites and refreshing teas? Yayatea is the place to be. Stop by and check it out! read more

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I love Yaya Tea Garden. There is one near my home; it is a couple of blocks away. This one I went to is close to my accountant's office. After meeting him, I dropped by here for a quick lunch. For less than $5, I enjoyed a delicious chicken rice ball with spicy mayo. It's so convenient to order too. You select the items you want on the iPad and you scan your debit or credit card. The server calls your name when it is ready. The store is very clean and bright. read more

Yaya Tea Garden - Onigri with spicy mayo - $2.50 - Coffee & Tea Near Me - New York, New York

Rating only on bubble tea. Drop by this location on their anniversary buy one get one free drink. Surprise to know that the regular black milk tea does not come with bubbles. With bubbles extra charge .75 cents. I ordered the regular black milk tea with bubbles. The tea was good and strong and bubble was chewy. Enough sugar but too much ice. Next time I will definitely ask for less ice. You order give your name and they will call you when it's ready. read more

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(Overall: F) - Overall, the concept of a rice ball cafe is a good one, but I felt like it fell short in execution in too many aspects. The food is concerning as some of the items on the menu were poorly thought out and I am genuinely curious who thought it was a good idea to leave items on the menu without trying them first (or worse, thinking that was a good idea without adjustments after trying it.) Furthermore, the menu lacked classic meat options that could've easily worked well without significant additional difficulty such as unagi or imitation crab to name a few. On top of this, the shop weirdly serves as a dual grocery store in a strangely decorated way with signs referring to black friday despite it being in March, and that the server initially forgot about one component of my order. -- (Takoyaki Onigiri: F) - Inherently, this is not the worst concept, but the execution was incredibly poor as it tasted like undercooked takoyaki dough smash inside of rice with no substance. It could perhaps work if the takoyaki was fried to crispiness, and more substance like octopus or bonito flakes were added to the rice ball. (Shumai Onigiri: F) - I was actually surprised that this one managed to taste worst than the takoyaki as it essentially is just fish paste and mayo at its core. I am genuinely concerned if someone tasted this combination and thought it was a good idea to add the menu. (Crawfish Onigiri: D) - This crawfish rice ball is better than the two above, but unfortunately the seaweed salad overpowers the taste of the subtle crawfish. Additionally there is so much rice that it drowns out most of the taste, which is quite unfortunate because I would've liked to draw out more of that crawfish flavor. (Peach Mango Tea, Lychee Boba: B) - The boba cup is quite cute, but the fruit flavor unfortunately tastes quite artificial. The lychee boba is of appropriate interest as a topping, but overall nothing exciting. (Vegan Citrus Short Rib Onigiri: C) - This rice ball was much better than the rest of them as the soy based protein did not taste far off from the original and the short rib had intriguing citrus notes. However, it was still hard to parse these notes as it was overpowered with unseasoned rice. -- Food: -1 Presentation: E Price: E Atmosphere: -1 Service: -1 Menu: -1 Overall: -4 F Insta/Beli: @amei_eats read more

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shrimp tempura - yummy, there are 2 tempuras in there plum - yummy, needs a little more rice tuna - very salty, not enough filling and roo much rice fruit tea - i got 50% less sugar, i wish i opted for 75% :) the small sizes are standard onigiri sizes, not sure about the large. lots of different things on their menu great location, in the midst of chinatown. a few seating areas facing the street so you can people watch and have entertainment while you eat (i watched a truck try to park and maneuver a portable stage onto the middle of the street) theres also 2 digital ordering screens you can use to browse and order would come again!!!! read more

Yaya Tea Garden - small salmon onigiri, small plum onigiri, small tuna onigiri, fruit tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - New York, New York

Stopped here for taro milk tea on a hot day. I ordered at the counter and it was ready quickly. It was good and much needed. The only caveat is that there's only one kiosk to order from so for someone who is trying this place for the first time, I would've liked to see my options. But I was in a hurry and ended up getting my drink before the couple at the kiosk were even done placing their order. Other than that, would recommend trying if you're in the area. read more

Yaya Tea Garden - Taro milk tea, 50% ice, 50% sugar, lychee jelly. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - New York, New York

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The interior is cute and clean. On a Friday evening, there's only a few customers dining in. I used the machines to order a milk tea. A couple of suggestions for improvement: 1. Consider adding the ability to adjust for how much ice and how much sugar. Some nearby bubble tea places are doing that. 2. It was smart to start the tipping options at 10% rather than "No tip." I have mixed feelings about this as a customer. Despite not being able to adjust the sugar level on the Winter Melon milk tea, I didn't find it too sweet. It was filled 25% of the way with ice, so drink in a timely manner. I like the onigiri here which is more unique and I've come here on multiple occasions for their onigiri. read more

Pros and Cons from our first time trying Yaya Tea - delivered. We got the fried chicken, japanese, plum, and salmon onigri and for a drink, we got the lychee mango white tea with lychee popping boba. Pros: The onigiri (rice balls) were still warm upon arrival They tasted fresh and were overall pleasant We got the small onigiri to taste and they were surprisingly pretty big The portion of the fillings were also good The rice itself was tasty Prices were all between $3:50-$4:50 each Cons: Overall, the onigiri didn't have much flavor and the fillings didn't make much of a difference. The fried chicken wasn't crispy at all The plum was overly sour The japanese onigiri's seaweed's artificial green coloring made the egg and imitation crab completely green as well so it wasn't appetizing to look at and didn't taste great either. The drink ($7) was artificial as well unfortunately with no hint of real mango or lychee in it. It could have been any flavor really and you wouldn't know the difference bc it's just your typical artificial powdered drink mix. So, will we order again from here? Probably not. Well, I don't think I'd mind getting a plain rice onigiri if I was in the mood for it and nearby, but that's about it. :) read more

Yaya Tea Garden - Japanese onigiri and Plum Riceball - Coffee & Tea Near Me - New York, New York

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I used to visit this place frequently as a teenager, and the onigiri (rice balls) are absolutely delicious! My favorite is the tempura with spicy mayo--it's simply irresistible. Their fruit tea is fantastic too; my absolute favorites: First Love & Second Chance. This place holds a special place in my heart! read more

It's been awhile and I remember the days I'd love stopping by Yaya's if I'm in the area. A friend saw me eating onigiri and told me about her favorite shumai onigiri from Yaya's. I knew I had to try it! That was what led me to stop by Yaya's recently and I was disappointed, there were barely any filling inside. Felt like it was just pieces of savory fried crumbs with minimum flavor and barely any shrimp shumai pieces. My favorite is still their Japanese rice ball with crabmeat, seaweed, and egg. Not a fan of their milk tea drinks, too powdery and the fruit drinks taste like diluted flavored syrup. I'll stick to their freshly brewed teas for a light refreshing beverage. The Aries: Jasmine, and Chrysanthemum is worth trying. There is no indoor dining at the moment but it makes it more space for you to check out the great variety of snacks, cute accessories, decorations they have around the store. read more

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Refreshing! I got the boyfriend drink which has mango and lychee. You order on kiosk and fast on service. It's cozy inside with sitting. I did 75% sugar on my drink and it was perfect amount of sweetness! Affordable as well. read more

Yaya Tea Garden - First Love, Better Lifebetter, and Boyfriend medium size - Coffee & Tea Near Me - New York, New York

The graphics alone makes this place worth checking out at least once. I was in the area after a Yelp event and was craving some boba and Yaya Tea was the closest one to me. I decided to check it out because they also have onigiri! There's two kiosks to order from but you can also order at the counter. I decided to get the Boyfriend (mango and lychee tea) and a shrimp and tuna onigiri. I only had to wait about 5 minutes for my order to be ready and the onigiris stayed warm even on my commute home. The tuna onigiri is nothing to write home about - I think it would be better if they added more sauce. The shrimp tempura onigiri was pretty good - I would get that one again. One of the things I liked about the onigiris here was that it was really easy to remove the packaging. At other places, the onigiri ends up falling apart when I take off the plastic, so I was impressed that the onigiri kept it shape and nothing fell out here. The Boyfriend drink was pretty good - I added lychee jelly too. It's one of their specials, so you can't go wrong with it if you are looking for something fruity. I liked the graphics on the lid too! I wish they sold it as a card/print because I would totally buy one. There's also a mini market inside the shop selling various plushies and snacks. I didn't have a chance to take a closer look at the merchandise because I was in a rush, but the plushies were pretty cute. read more

Yaya Tea Garden - Coffee & Tea Near Me - New York, New York

Loved it!!! The kiosk asks you to choose a percentage of sweet and I said 50% and it actually tastes 50% sweet! Speedy service, great vibes, good taste... can't complain! read more

Yaya Tea Garden - "First Love" drink - Coffee & Tea Near Me - New York, New York

Taste: 4/5 Price: 3/5 first time here so I asked the cashier what the best selling onigiri were and she said the yaya chicken (seasoned chicken, seaweed) and Japanese (egg, crab meat, seaweed) so of course I went with those. I ordered a small spicy mayo as well which was a bit overpriced, 50 cents for a tiny bit of mayo. Total came out to be around $8. My favorite was the Japanese, and I highly recommend eating it with the spicy mayo (it added a hot kick to it). The Yaya chicken was alright, i barely had any chicken so I didn't get to fully experience it to make a final judgement. ALSO There is a specific way to open these -- pull the red tab!!!! read more

Yaya Tea Garden - Coffee & Tea Near Me - New York, New York

Delicious rice balls. Reasonable prices. Easy-going atmosphere. Friendly staff! What's not to love? Oh yes, great bubble tea too:)

Drink (4/5): I heard that the milk tea is no good, but we got the fruit tea and it was reasonably well flavored and refreshing. Venue (4/5): There aren't really any seating areas as they've been replaced with a shop and decorations, however the the decorations do appear really nice and give a nice vibe to the place. Service (4/5): Came with a large group from work and everyone was able to efficiently and quickly get their orders. read more

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My friends constantly rave about their rice balls and it was definitely one of the better ones I've had. My favorite was the Ginger Chicken, my boyfriend's favorite was the Yaya shrimp. Each has a lot of mayo and are budget friendly at $2.50-$3 a rice ball. My advice is to eat them when they're fresh! What we ordered: Yaya Chicken rice ball ($3) Yaya Shrimp rice ball ($3.65) Ginger Chicken rice ball ($3.50) Tuna rice ball ($3.00) Shrimp with Crab riceball ($3.65) Crab Meat riceball ($2.75) Salmon riceball ($3.00) Our Favorites Shrimp Ginger Chicken Crab Meat ⁣ read more

Yaya Tea Garden - Salmon Riceballz - Coffee & Tea Near Me - New York, New York

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Finally returned to Yaya's after 10+ years and glad to see they are still doing very well. I remember their fun and fruity bubble tea selections as well as their onigiri. We ordered the clean clothes and a Large spicy crawfish onigiri to share. The tea with 50% sweetness was quite plain in my opinion, but still unique and refreshing. The crawfish onigiri was very flavorful and tasty, drizzled with a spicy mayo. The seaweed salad added a nice freshness to the snack. I would highly recommend and would return again just to try more of their onigiris. read more

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I remember coming here in my middle school days. It was just THE place to hang out for youngsters to socialize and grab a bite/drink. They're good for their tea-infused/non-bubble tea-based drinks, as well as their onigiris which are triangular shaped rice balls wrapped in dry seaweed, with a variety of fillings you can choose from. I ordered a typical milk bubble tea and a yaya onigiri, because to be honest, the last time I came here was when I was in middle school. The onigiri had way more rice than filling (chicken and seaweed), very different from the past. Wish there was a better ratio because it felt like I was just eating rice + dry seaweed. Figuring out how to unwrap the plastic from the rice ball was a definitely a throwback. I would recommend this place if you haven't tried onirigis before or an alternative to bubble tea. They also sell a lot of unique Japanese snacks and cool merch. read more

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Pictures of products misleading and looks nothing like the picture. Staff is unhelpful and very rude and doesnt follow any of the instructions put. Ex: 100% Ice no ice in drink then they refused to fix unless I bought new. Never go here there are better places read more

This shop had pretty average milk tea overall. I had the passion fruit green tea, which tasted just like others I had at other tea shops. There's an overwhelming variety of drinks to choose from, so it's possible I just haven't found my specific flavor combination. read more

One of the best riceballs in town! They also have quech thirsting drinks like their Taro milk tea and other food options like yakisoba and pan fried udon which i also am in love with. Very reasonable pricing compared to other places not to mention their staff are friendly as well. If you are looking for a place to grab some grub and a drink this is the place to be! read more

They have delicious rice balls. I highly recommend the Japanese rice ball or the shrimp tempura rice ball. The Japanese has crabmeat, egg and seedweed salad. Perfect as a snack. read more

I'm hoping when I do come back that they can do a bit better. I got the Boyfriend, which was a mango and lychee white tea, which I thought was descent in taste. I tried my sister's drink "Sunrise," which was a strawberry and mango white tea, which had a aftertaste I did not like. I think what made me give them a 3 instead of a 4 star is because the girl helping us had so much attitude. We could definitely tell she didn't want to be there and disliked our presence even more. read more

Yaya Tea Garden - Boyfriend - Coffee & Tea Near Me - New York, New York

It has been a long time since I last visited this place. Since then, they have renovated the place and it looks more spacious. Aside from the food and bubble teas, they also sell Japanese snacks and merchandise. I'm so glad to find that they sell vegan onigiri. They have 3 vegan flavors, spare ribs, gongbao, and ginger chicken. Tried all of them with Pogibear and loved every single one of them. My favorite is gongbao and for him, it was spare ribs. Both affordable and delicious. Last time I went they packed our onigiris in this cute eco friendly reusable bags. So yay for that. read more

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LOVE THIS PLACE. My favorite: boyfriend, I love yaya, first car, and first kiss hahaha EVERYTHING IS GOOD read more

Yaya Tea Garden - Coffee & Tea Near Me - New York, New York

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Yaya is known for their onigiri- rice balls. My favorite is the shrimp and the japanese- it has seaweed, eggs, and imitation crab meat. $4.50 for large and if you check in you get a small container of spicy mayo. It taste really good and fresh. The spicy mayo is not spicy at all and it taste amazing on the rice balls. Customer service is ok. Not so friendly but fast service. The drinks on the other hand is absolutely terrible. It is overly sweet and taste very artificial. First love was too sweet and tasted bad. read more

Yaya Tea Garden - Shrimp and Japanese onigiri - Coffee & Tea Near Me - New York, New York

In the continuation of my enamored interest with onigiri I ventured to Yaya Tea's other location in Chinatown, Lower East Side to obtain more rice balls and boba tea. This location is small and conveniently accessible by subway near East Broadway's F train. The rice balls comes in small and large sizes at various prices. I purchased two small plums, two Yaya small shrimps rice balls and my default peach green tea bubble tea with my favorite grass jelly topping. The small rice balls were plentiful, delicious, and enjoyable for any meal at any time of the day. Unfortunately, like their Grand Street location soy sauce also was not provided in my onigiri order as I had to use my own soy sauce from home. My food order for rice balls, thankfully, did not take an eternity to be fulfilled. Yaya Tea practices sweetness percentage distribution for intake as 25% is the lowest which is a small pump. Former NYC Mayor Bloomberg would have been proud of Yaya Teas's controlling sales distribution and my consumption intake of sugary drinks. While I do not like excessive sugary drinks I do like a tad small percentage of sweetness. The bubble tea mirrors exactly as their mirror Grand Street counterpart for the ice melted and the coldness dissolved the grass jelly, disappointingly became mediocre room temperature thus four stars. I became utterly dispirited. I wanted a cold refreshing drink as relief from summer's blazing heat and humidity. Orders are called by first customers' names. This Chinatown, LES location has a Yelp mobile check-in offer and a loyalty card, and a takeout menu. The takeout menu is very detailed with descriptions of various teas and the types of tea (green teas, oolong teas, black teas, herbal teas), and a "how to open an onigiri." read more

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- yakisoba is the best dish here hands down. Very flavorful - the best riceballs are the Yaya chicken and the Japanese rice balls - really enjoy the bubble tea options. I usually get the lychee tree, first love, and boyfriend. Very fruity and sweet drinks. Has nice toppings as well read more

It'd so clean in here, but I think they mopped the floor with dirty mop water. It STINKS in here badly. I don't even want the food. Made this trip for nothing. I don't even smell food cooking. Guess I'll have the pork buns from a few doors down at Tao's bakery read more

Yaya Tea Garden - Looks clean - Coffee & Tea Near Me - New York, New York

used to come here for their rice balls and it is still good. a friendly neighborhood spot that offer Japanese snacks and boba.

Cannot recommend this place enough. We stopped for a snack because my friend had never had a rice ball and I loved them. We came back not even 30 minutes later for a second because they were SO DELICIOUS. Service was quick and nice; you can order on a machine or at the counter. read more

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I've been here twice - once it was super crowded and hard to enjoy the experience on site. Second time, it was dead empty. Just us and our stroller and kids. Finally got to experience what Yaya is all about. Hubby decided to swing by here on a cold day as our toddler was hungry. Stroller and kid friendly during off-peak hours (when you're able to find a seat). Salmon rice ball - delicious. Great seasoning and crisp seaweed. Love the packaging. So smart! I believe we also got the seaweed salad rice ball which was packed with ingredients and flavorful! Peach tea drink - so yummy. Jelly was perfect with this. Taro bubble tea - just the right sweetness and the tapioca was done right. They also have quotes taped underneath your beverage for your reading pleasure. Big fan of this place and can't wait to come back to try the other rice balls. read more

Yaya Tea Garden - Delicious large rice balls - Coffee & Tea Near Me - New York, New York