Jo’s Tea Park Row — Restaurant in Bristol

(Please see “Update” section)

We were a little disappointed because I’ve been following Jo’s Tea on Instagram for a couple of years and I’ve been a fan of their beautiful photos and nice branding, so always looked forward to trying it when coming to Bristol; but unfortunately our Classic Roasted Milk Boba was very bland and watery.

However based on the color, texture, and flavor, it does seem like this was likely due to poor preparation by worker and maybe not due to poor quality ingredients, so it’s possible we would have a much better drink on a different day. But it’s also the shop’s responsibility to train all the staff to prepare drinks well and I think part of what makes a great cafe is consistency and knowing you’ll get great food/drink every time.

Additionally, on the day we went, they had a “10% off everything” sale, but I noticed the cashier didn’t give us the deal, and when I mentioned it they realized they had not been giving the discount to any of the recent customers.

Update:

After posting this review, the shop owner, Jo, wrote a very thoughtful and quick reply (see below) and after I emailed her she kindly explained there were some troubles with the machine that are impacting the quality while they wait for repairs.

I’ve updated my review to 5/5 because I can tell that so much love & care has gone into creating delicious and authentic drinks and Jo is a very genuine and passionate business owner. I think that kind of care and professionalism should be rewarded :)

We’re looking forward to trying more drinks...

45min wait because there were about 7 delivery orders before us but no indication of this until we already waited 45min watching order after order go out before us wondering what the heck is taking so long.

This isn’t the fault of the employees cos they have no power.

But screw the business that understaffs their shop, doesn’t train them to deal with influx of orders and just creates such a rubbish experience for customers coming in store.

I can’t help but think if you wanna let delivery slow down orders for waiting in store customers almost 1hr you shouldn’t open doors to customers to walk in in the first place.

Disastrously terrible experience (again, blame the business not the staff).

EDIT - also after 40min of waiting and we went in to check, there was a backlog of about 15 delivery orders until they were paused.

We were already waiting with 8-9 other people visibly upset with waiting 45min for a boba.

Dread to think what people walking in AFTER us are in for.

Sorry, but when you take customer money and make them wait 45min for a boba I think that’s disrespectful to people you took money from. At least give something back or a refund if you actually cared about a good customer experience to show you that you understand that’s your bad.

1*...

I recently ordered a large original milk tea with less ice from this place, and I have to say, I am extremely disappointed with the quality of the drink I received. It felt like I was given a cup of cold water with no tea flavor or milk whatsoever.

The taste was just as underwhelming as the presentation. The milk tea lacked any discernible flavor, making it difficult to believe that it was actually supposed to be a milk tea. It was nothing more than cold water with boba, and one of the worst examples of an iced tea I've ever encountered.

Needless to say, this experience has left me with no desire to order from this place again, and I will definitely not be recommending it to my friends. There are plenty of competitors in the area who not only offer better tasting beverages but also provide them at more reasonable prices.

I expect a certain level of quality when it comes to my milk tea, and unfortunately, this establishment failed to deliver. I hope they take this review as constructive feedback and make the necessary improvements to meet customer expectations in the future. For your referance my order number is - A13B8 on 16th of May...