We got the milk tea boba with a chocolate waffle. I think this place is a nice and fun spot. I felt the boba was tasty but the waffle was decent. The service was good but there isn't much seating. It's close to the river and a nice walk with the boba.
Jen S.
Typically, my reservations about bubble tea places are the following: 1) huge menu, no vegan options, and 2) half the boba don't fit up the straw. Neither is an issue at Happy Lemon, where you can substitute in oat milk or almond milk. And whether the boba are smaller or the straws are bigger, it just works -- you're not left with a cup full of boba when you finish the drink. This place is a good go-to for drinks and snacks, so much so that I'd choose it over nearby competitors.
Lizabeth B.
Seriously happy lemon? I paid full price for this. This is not the first time. I used to love this store but recently it always have issues.
Scot Wright
Unfortunately, have to give this place a terrible review. One drink tasted like water, the other two just honey. They were supposed to be lemon honey tea and they forgot the lemon. Have had great experiences in HL in Houston. Sad
Phillip Chin
Boba drinks are meh. Boba undercooked, hard. And place is filthy.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
Linda Wu
Decent bubble milk tea place. The place is small in there for grab-and-go. Ordered a Wintermelon Black Tea with Milk & Boba at 75% sweetness, which still ended up being quite sweet.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Neely Battle
I accidentally ordered delivery from the Evanston location thinking I was ordering from the one closer to me (Fullerton). I was worried because it was a 30 min drive to me, but it arrived in perfect condition, still cold, and it was actually a lot more quality and better tasting than the Fullerton location.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lil Profen (Samantha W)
? hmmm … went on a date here (yes, 35 year old women can drink boba) with my attr@ctive mixed tinder date whom i was hoping i could impress so i can finally be on someone else’s income. Saw my ex-husband there. With his new Russian wife. Was Humiliated. Boba was alright but i’ve had better at other places and staff is nicer elsewhere. Place appeared clean. Music could have been better. Bad song came on—made my day worse. Date blocked me. Not happy Lemon fault.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 3
Terrance Zhang
The Milk Tea with salted cheese foam is phenomenal. I drank about a third of it before mixing the foam in, and the salty-cheesiness was a great complement to the milk tea. I love it. I crave it.The strawberry green tea with lychee was refreshing and very tasty. I got 70% sugar and it was perfect. Strong and perfumy strawberry with a nice acidity.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: With Salted Cheese
Gabi W.
Happy Lemon is just the treat that I need after a long day. It's located in a busy part of downtown Evanston. I absolutely love their Mango Matcha smoothie with crystal jelly balls. I personally prefer to get 50% sweetness; however I would say I lean more towards the mild side vs loving overly sweet things.The drinks come out very quickly, so you aren't waiting for too long. There are a few spots to sit inside, but I personally prefer to grab and go.I highly recommend trying Happy Lemon if you can!
I got the strawberry Shortcake with oreos.It's great that they offer the option of less sugar. I got 50% less sugar. The drink was great, and I did not miss the sugar at all. This is a small location in the middle of the block, so it's easy to miss. You have to make it a destination. But, once you do, it's well worth a trip.Service is fast, and they do get busy, especially on a hot day.
KingofGluten
They has terraria music and it was amazing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jane V.
When I saw the sign in the window advertising the Winter Melon Lemonade, I knew I had to have it.It was a great choice, I added Mango Crystal Boba and this drink was sooo delicious!The staff was very friendly and helpful, even when they got busy.The store itself is small with only 2 small tables for 2 inside.It was a nice warm day when we went, so we walked outside with our drinks.A perfect drink for a prefect day!
riri
This is the best boba i’ve had in Illinois!! They have a variety of drinks to choose from. Their bubble waffles are absolutely delicious. They offer student discounts as well so pretty reasonable prices. This a must-try place if you are into bubble tea!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sonia B.
Ugh, it pains me to write this review! I'll start by saying I'm a fan of Happy Lemon's drinks and waffles! However, this review is based on the horrible service and experience encountered at this particular location on our last visit. Went in on a Tuesday evening to purchase a couple of chocolate bubble waffles. There were 3 orders ahead of us, and we were told it would take 20-25 minutes for the 2 waffles. We were willing to wait since we came all the way just for the waffles! Turns out one of the waffle makers was broken. So, instead of 2, there was only 1 maker available. Several people came in after me for drinks, and those were being made while the waffle maker was free. Wouldn't you think that they would start a waffle and then start prepping the drinks?! The mismanagement was horrible. What was supposed to be 25 minutes turned into FIFTY!!! Normally, I would've walked out, but these waffles were for a toddler who would've been really disappointed not to have one after a long drive over! No one working was friendly. 1 of my 2 waffles was almost given away to someone behind me. Garbage can was gross and overflowing, and not one employee thought to take care of it. It was a disaster of a trip. People behind me canceled orders because of the ridiculous wait and mismanagement of workers/ time. Will NOT return to this location! I would rather drive all the way to the UIC location, which is friendly and clean! Seriously, though... if you are known for waffles and drinks, how do you not have a backup for a waffle maker that goes down?! It's mindblowing. I get that things happen, but at least train the staff to handle such situations.
We got the milk tea boba with a chocolate waffle. I think this place is a nice and fun spot. I felt the boba was tasty but the waffle was decent. The service was good but there isn't much seating. It's close to the river and a nice walk with the boba.
Typically, my reservations about bubble tea places are the following: 1) huge menu, no vegan options, and 2) half the boba don't fit up the straw. Neither is an issue at Happy Lemon, where you can substitute in oat milk or almond milk. And whether the boba are smaller or the straws are bigger, it just works -- you're not left with a cup full of boba when you finish the drink. This place is a good go-to for drinks and snacks, so much so that I'd choose it over nearby competitors.
Seriously happy lemon? I paid full price for this. This is not the first time. I used to love this store but recently it always have issues.
Unfortunately, have to give this place a terrible review. One drink tasted like water, the other two just honey. They were supposed to be lemon honey tea and they forgot the lemon. Have had great experiences in HL in Houston. Sad
Boba drinks are meh. Boba undercooked, hard. And place is filthy.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
Decent bubble milk tea place. The place is small in there for grab-and-go. Ordered a Wintermelon Black Tea with Milk & Boba at 75% sweetness, which still ended up being quite sweet.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
I accidentally ordered delivery from the Evanston location thinking I was ordering from the one closer to me (Fullerton). I was worried because it was a 30 min drive to me, but it arrived in perfect condition, still cold, and it was actually a lot more quality and better tasting than the Fullerton location.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
? hmmm … went on a date here (yes, 35 year old women can drink boba) with my attr@ctive mixed tinder date whom i was hoping i could impress so i can finally be on someone else’s income. Saw my ex-husband there. With his new Russian wife. Was Humiliated. Boba was alright but i’ve had better at other places and staff is nicer elsewhere. Place appeared clean. Music could have been better. Bad song came on—made my day worse. Date blocked me. Not happy Lemon fault.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 3
The Milk Tea with salted cheese foam is phenomenal. I drank about a third of it before mixing the foam in, and the salty-cheesiness was a great complement to the milk tea. I love it. I crave it.The strawberry green tea with lychee was refreshing and very tasty. I got 70% sugar and it was perfect. Strong and perfumy strawberry with a nice acidity.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: With Salted Cheese
Happy Lemon is just the treat that I need after a long day. It's located in a busy part of downtown Evanston. I absolutely love their Mango Matcha smoothie with crystal jelly balls. I personally prefer to get 50% sweetness; however I would say I lean more towards the mild side vs loving overly sweet things.The drinks come out very quickly, so you aren't waiting for too long. There are a few spots to sit inside, but I personally prefer to grab and go.I highly recommend trying Happy Lemon if you can!
Restaurantji Recommends
I got the strawberry Shortcake with oreos.It's great that they offer the option of less sugar. I got 50% less sugar. The drink was great, and I did not miss the sugar at all. This is a small location in the middle of the block, so it's easy to miss. You have to make it a destination. But, once you do, it's well worth a trip.Service is fast, and they do get busy, especially on a hot day.
They has terraria music and it was amazing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
When I saw the sign in the window advertising the Winter Melon Lemonade, I knew I had to have it.It was a great choice, I added Mango Crystal Boba and this drink was sooo delicious!The staff was very friendly and helpful, even when they got busy.The store itself is small with only 2 small tables for 2 inside.It was a nice warm day when we went, so we walked outside with our drinks.A perfect drink for a prefect day!
This is the best boba i’ve had in Illinois!! They have a variety of drinks to choose from. Their bubble waffles are absolutely delicious. They offer student discounts as well so pretty reasonable prices. This a must-try place if you are into bubble tea!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ugh, it pains me to write this review! I'll start by saying I'm a fan of Happy Lemon's drinks and waffles! However, this review is based on the horrible service and experience encountered at this particular location on our last visit. Went in on a Tuesday evening to purchase a couple of chocolate bubble waffles. There were 3 orders ahead of us, and we were told it would take 20-25 minutes for the 2 waffles. We were willing to wait since we came all the way just for the waffles! Turns out one of the waffle makers was broken. So, instead of 2, there was only 1 maker available. Several people came in after me for drinks, and those were being made while the waffle maker was free. Wouldn't you think that they would start a waffle and then start prepping the drinks?! The mismanagement was horrible. What was supposed to be 25 minutes turned into FIFTY!!! Normally, I would've walked out, but these waffles were for a toddler who would've been really disappointed not to have one after a long drive over! No one working was friendly. 1 of my 2 waffles was almost given away to someone behind me. Garbage can was gross and overflowing, and not one employee thought to take care of it. It was a disaster of a trip. People behind me canceled orders because of the ridiculous wait and mismanagement of workers/ time. Will NOT return to this location! I would rather drive all the way to the UIC location, which is friendly and clean! Seriously, though... if you are known for waffles and drinks, how do you not have a backup for a waffle maker that goes down?! It's mindblowing. I get that things happen, but at least train the staff to handle such situations.