I'm always happy to have bubble tea, but I'm not fond of this establishment. While the staff means well, the location is terrible. They have all sorts of board games to play and books to read, but nowhere to sit down and absorb them. Just get in, get your tea, and get back out to SALT. That is if you can find the tea or extras that you want! A lot of their flavoring comes from powders or syrups, and many of these are almost always absent from the menu. Their supply chain is terrible - they sell out of things and do not replace them in a timely fashion. The staff will be apologetic and they really are doing their best, but they are operating from a poor position.
Celina Q.
Mahalo for the delicious memories at their SALT location. As of 3/28/2019, this location in Kakaako is permanently closed after failed re-negotiation of lease terms! Visit their original location on Kapiolani, their Ala Moana Center shop, or call to em to see about delivery.
Michaela A.
Cute little boba shop in a nice location. They have a variety of flavor options, but I opted for cotton candy with rainbow jelly (since they didn't have the poppers I usually get). Their regular sweetness level was just right and the flavor was there. Wish I could have tried more!
Sabrina L.
I was recommended to go to Mr. Tea by a local, so my husband and I stopped by after lunch at Moku Kitchen. I was initially struck by the fact that half of their menu was unavailable. They had simply taped X's across most of their chalkboard menu, which led me to believe that they haven't had these menu items for a while. I wasn't deterred, as they still had black milk tea available, which is my go-to for all boba shops. Service was slow, and when it was finally my turn to order after 5+ min, even though there was only one party ahead of us, I asked for a black milk tea with boba to be served in my reusable white Hydroflask. She was very put off and confused by my request, which I'm used to because using reusable cups is a relatively new concept for cafes and restaurants. My problem was she was about to start writing my order on my white Hydroflask!!!!!! I had to stop her when she was about a centimeter away from writing on it to ask her if she was going to write on my tumbler. Confused, she told me she needed to write my order because that's how they do it with the rest of their plastic cups. I could not believe her lack of common sense not to permanently ruin a customer's personal property. Baffled, I continued with my order and she wrote my order down on a separate piece of paper and then wrote on a plastic cup for my husband's order. After having written down our orders, she asked what type of milk we wanted. I told her the regular kind, and THIS was the time that she told us that they only have almond milk. Are you kidding me? You should've crossed it off of your menu like the rest of your out of stock items or if it is a new development, you really should have told us ahead of time - even when I asked if you also ran out of boba. We were so appalled by our experience here that we just left and we refuse to give any other location a try. Don't bother coming here - Friend Cafe at Ala Moana is way better.
Lilian C.
Half of the menu crossed off, no non-dairy creamer, slow service, broken blender, cups without the logo printed...I'm willing to bet the owners are preparing to close this location down. It's a pity because even though this location is tight, I've always liked their decor (the manga collection, games, and the adorable plants). They seemed to have no shortage of tourist customers either. Because I wanted parking validation, I ordered a large matcha milk tea and it fell flat. It was too powdery. For $5.75, I expected more. With so many milk tea places around, it's steep (pun intended) competition. Taste Tea or Tea Boss would be a better choice.
Dorothy L.
I downloaded Yelp just to post this because honestly this is a great place. A nice spot to just order bubble tea and relax a little. The mood was relaxing and the staff are really nice! Today another customer took my drink by mistake but the staff were quick to offer me a new drink. Thank you for doing that! The macarons are really delicious too, I ordered the red velvet one and it's really yummy. Hope business thrives throughout.
Lianna N.
Solid menu with a convenient location. How does a bubble tea shop make it in today's day and age of overwhelming options and creative growth for this genre? I think this location of Mr. Tea is quite friendly, and they'll even go the extra step to let you sample the custard, or the bobas, to help you make a decision. -They offer quite a bit of "toppings" (boba, popping jellies, jellies, custard). -They have some manga and other entertainment options. -They have a reward program. -They have a solid recipie for milk tea, which is how a boba place really wins my approval. Would like to see them implement the salted foam for the top of the drinks!
Tony N.
I visited this place while I was on vacation. But it made me wish I lived in Hawaii. So getting off the cruise ship, I was really craving boba from being out at sea for a week. I'm glad Mr. Tea Cafe was in a short walking distance from the pier. I thought the plaza it's located in was really cool . So my first impression was that it wasn't just small, but definitely very cramped. I hope during the day they open that garage door they have to free up space. When I went there it was a little hard to move past the people waiting for drinks and the people standing in line to order. Overall, not the place to go if you want to study (unless you can snag that one seat they have) but if you wanted to hangout with friends the Starbucks next door has lots of outdoor seating. I was very impressed with their menu, I thought they were pretty smart with their offerings. A lot of boba shops have a billion things on their menus but Mr. Tea knows how to simplify to make your life easier. When I first saw their cereal milk teas I was perplexed. I tried the coco puffs one and it was really good actually, would recommend. Overall, small but cool spot and has really good drinks. After I got my boba I walked over to the esports center and played league lol.
Janel E.
Bubble tea for me is a treat, and more like a dessert than a drink. An indulgence not given in to daily or often, due to restraint rather than a lack of desire. My favorite combination is a passion fruit and guava smoothie with boba and double lychee jellies. 0% sweetness because like me, it's sweet enough as is (hahaha). After trying many bubble tea spots, Mr. Tea is always my first choice. Their three locations are consistent - awesome drinks and adorable decor. I always love seeing the little cactus and succulent plants in cute pots! There's also a rewards program available that links to your phone number. Points are awarded for purchases and accumulate toward complimentary drinks in the future. At each visit, you'll enter your number into their system. If it's busy, you may need to request to do this. Unlike myself, if you're a bubble tea addict, you'll enjoy faster and more frequent free treats.
Leicie Y.
Pretty standard milk tea shop but I love the ambience. They have manga and other eclectic books on their shelves and interesting little planters. They were unfortunately out of the non dairy creamer for the milk tea but offered to replace it with whole milk or almond milk as a substitute without the up charge. I got the cotton candy since I've never seen that as a milk tea flavor. It was a little disappointing only in the fact that it tasted more like bubble gum than cotton candy but was still tasty. Maybe it was due to the almond milk substitute. Definitely will stop in again when at SALT.
I've tried pretty much ALL of the boba shops in town - have to say that Mr Tea Cafe (and Shaka Shaka) is superior to them all. I can't even explain it - the whole experience is just amazing. Boba, service, everything on point. I recommend their Roasted Oolong with whole milk with the lowest sweetness level you can manage. Like 10%. SO GOOD. Oh my god. I dream about this drink. Hahaha.
Marqus G.
this review is really overdue since I came here at the beginning of the year. I wish this place was closer so I could come more often. It's a nice little place in Honolulu, next to my favorite camera shop but it's small so it's easy to miss. parking is great and the service is really good. the place is small, so there's not a lot of seating. they offer daily specials and stamp cards. anyway, the decor is neat and really photo friendly. the drinks are so refreshing and you can taste the quality. every time time I'm in the area, I'm definitely come back.
Ella H.
Love the strawberry milk boba tea. I've been to several boba tea places but I like Mr. Tea the most. This location is particular is great and the staff are very nice!
Jaime K.
The taro milk tea is so delicious! I love that everything is customizable- from the level of sweetness, to the type of boba or jelly, and the milk. They also have a cute bookshelf to browse while you wait for your beverage!
I'm always happy to have bubble tea, but I'm not fond of this establishment. While the staff means well, the location is terrible. They have all sorts of board games to play and books to read, but nowhere to sit down and absorb them. Just get in, get your tea, and get back out to SALT. That is if you can find the tea or extras that you want! A lot of their flavoring comes from powders or syrups, and many of these are almost always absent from the menu. Their supply chain is terrible - they sell out of things and do not replace them in a timely fashion. The staff will be apologetic and they really are doing their best, but they are operating from a poor position.
Mahalo for the delicious memories at their SALT location. As of 3/28/2019, this location in Kakaako is permanently closed after failed re-negotiation of lease terms! Visit their original location on Kapiolani, their Ala Moana Center shop, or call to em to see about delivery.
Cute little boba shop in a nice location. They have a variety of flavor options, but I opted for cotton candy with rainbow jelly (since they didn't have the poppers I usually get). Their regular sweetness level was just right and the flavor was there. Wish I could have tried more!
I was recommended to go to Mr. Tea by a local, so my husband and I stopped by after lunch at Moku Kitchen. I was initially struck by the fact that half of their menu was unavailable. They had simply taped X's across most of their chalkboard menu, which led me to believe that they haven't had these menu items for a while. I wasn't deterred, as they still had black milk tea available, which is my go-to for all boba shops. Service was slow, and when it was finally my turn to order after 5+ min, even though there was only one party ahead of us, I asked for a black milk tea with boba to be served in my reusable white Hydroflask. She was very put off and confused by my request, which I'm used to because using reusable cups is a relatively new concept for cafes and restaurants. My problem was she was about to start writing my order on my white Hydroflask!!!!!! I had to stop her when she was about a centimeter away from writing on it to ask her if she was going to write on my tumbler. Confused, she told me she needed to write my order because that's how they do it with the rest of their plastic cups. I could not believe her lack of common sense not to permanently ruin a customer's personal property. Baffled, I continued with my order and she wrote my order down on a separate piece of paper and then wrote on a plastic cup for my husband's order. After having written down our orders, she asked what type of milk we wanted. I told her the regular kind, and THIS was the time that she told us that they only have almond milk. Are you kidding me? You should've crossed it off of your menu like the rest of your out of stock items or if it is a new development, you really should have told us ahead of time - even when I asked if you also ran out of boba. We were so appalled by our experience here that we just left and we refuse to give any other location a try. Don't bother coming here - Friend Cafe at Ala Moana is way better.
Half of the menu crossed off, no non-dairy creamer, slow service, broken blender, cups without the logo printed...I'm willing to bet the owners are preparing to close this location down. It's a pity because even though this location is tight, I've always liked their decor (the manga collection, games, and the adorable plants). They seemed to have no shortage of tourist customers either. Because I wanted parking validation, I ordered a large matcha milk tea and it fell flat. It was too powdery. For $5.75, I expected more. With so many milk tea places around, it's steep (pun intended) competition. Taste Tea or Tea Boss would be a better choice.
I downloaded Yelp just to post this because honestly this is a great place. A nice spot to just order bubble tea and relax a little. The mood was relaxing and the staff are really nice! Today another customer took my drink by mistake but the staff were quick to offer me a new drink. Thank you for doing that! The macarons are really delicious too, I ordered the red velvet one and it's really yummy. Hope business thrives throughout.
Solid menu with a convenient location. How does a bubble tea shop make it in today's day and age of overwhelming options and creative growth for this genre? I think this location of Mr. Tea is quite friendly, and they'll even go the extra step to let you sample the custard, or the bobas, to help you make a decision. -They offer quite a bit of "toppings" (boba, popping jellies, jellies, custard). -They have some manga and other entertainment options. -They have a reward program. -They have a solid recipie for milk tea, which is how a boba place really wins my approval. Would like to see them implement the salted foam for the top of the drinks!
I visited this place while I was on vacation. But it made me wish I lived in Hawaii. So getting off the cruise ship, I was really craving boba from being out at sea for a week. I'm glad Mr. Tea Cafe was in a short walking distance from the pier. I thought the plaza it's located in was really cool . So my first impression was that it wasn't just small, but definitely very cramped. I hope during the day they open that garage door they have to free up space. When I went there it was a little hard to move past the people waiting for drinks and the people standing in line to order. Overall, not the place to go if you want to study (unless you can snag that one seat they have) but if you wanted to hangout with friends the Starbucks next door has lots of outdoor seating. I was very impressed with their menu, I thought they were pretty smart with their offerings. A lot of boba shops have a billion things on their menus but Mr. Tea knows how to simplify to make your life easier. When I first saw their cereal milk teas I was perplexed. I tried the coco puffs one and it was really good actually, would recommend. Overall, small but cool spot and has really good drinks. After I got my boba I walked over to the esports center and played league lol.
Bubble tea for me is a treat, and more like a dessert than a drink. An indulgence not given in to daily or often, due to restraint rather than a lack of desire. My favorite combination is a passion fruit and guava smoothie with boba and double lychee jellies. 0% sweetness because like me, it's sweet enough as is (hahaha). After trying many bubble tea spots, Mr. Tea is always my first choice. Their three locations are consistent - awesome drinks and adorable decor. I always love seeing the little cactus and succulent plants in cute pots! There's also a rewards program available that links to your phone number. Points are awarded for purchases and accumulate toward complimentary drinks in the future. At each visit, you'll enter your number into their system. If it's busy, you may need to request to do this. Unlike myself, if you're a bubble tea addict, you'll enjoy faster and more frequent free treats.
Pretty standard milk tea shop but I love the ambience. They have manga and other eclectic books on their shelves and interesting little planters. They were unfortunately out of the non dairy creamer for the milk tea but offered to replace it with whole milk or almond milk as a substitute without the up charge. I got the cotton candy since I've never seen that as a milk tea flavor. It was a little disappointing only in the fact that it tasted more like bubble gum than cotton candy but was still tasty. Maybe it was due to the almond milk substitute. Definitely will stop in again when at SALT.
Restaurantji Recommends
I've tried pretty much ALL of the boba shops in town - have to say that Mr Tea Cafe (and Shaka Shaka) is superior to them all. I can't even explain it - the whole experience is just amazing. Boba, service, everything on point. I recommend their Roasted Oolong with whole milk with the lowest sweetness level you can manage. Like 10%. SO GOOD. Oh my god. I dream about this drink. Hahaha.
this review is really overdue since I came here at the beginning of the year. I wish this place was closer so I could come more often. It's a nice little place in Honolulu, next to my favorite camera shop but it's small so it's easy to miss. parking is great and the service is really good. the place is small, so there's not a lot of seating. they offer daily specials and stamp cards. anyway, the decor is neat and really photo friendly. the drinks are so refreshing and you can taste the quality. every time time I'm in the area, I'm definitely come back.
Love the strawberry milk boba tea. I've been to several boba tea places but I like Mr. Tea the most. This location is particular is great and the staff are very nice!
The taro milk tea is so delicious! I love that everything is customizable- from the level of sweetness, to the type of boba or jelly, and the milk. They also have a cute bookshelf to browse while you wait for your beverage!
the milk tea is really good!!!