Yi Fang Fruit Tea Old Spitalfields Market — Restaurant in London

2021 update: Seems like the waiting time is the smallest problem here. I am a bubble tea lover so I come here a lot but past few weeks the people working at the market stall provide the worst service ever. They don't pay attention to people, it usually takes two minutes and three "hello"s to be even noticed. Smiles are apparently charged extra. The "dream team" sign hanging there must be from 2019, this team was clearly not trained yet/ever. Yifang is not a cheap bubble tea but I am still willing to pay for a quality product. However, as a lactose intolerant customer you cannot order what you want - soy milk alternatives are only available to set menu choices. Meaning you can order fresh milk tea with pearls with soy milk but not fresh milk GREEN tea with pearls with soy milk. You can order mudflip milk with soy but not mudflip milk TEA with soy. Basically, if you are lactose intolerant screw you....

Yes, I understand you have recipes but I am also paying almost £6 for the cup of tea. I am happy for your team members to tell me it won't taste as good but I am the paying customer so I would like to be able to order what I want. What shocks me to most is that green tea with soy milk and pearls is something I drink for about a year at Yifang and suddenly it is impossible to make it. I think your team members should remember Yifang is not the only bubble tea shop around. Loving YiFang from Taiwan, loving having it here in London. It is almost as good as back in Taiwan but the waiting time?...

Disappointing Decline: A Beloved Tea Spot Loses Its Way

This place was once a personal favourite. Back when they were in the market, directly opposite their current shop, the queues were a testament to their quality. Their fruit teas were consistently fresh and great quality.

After opening their permanent store, standards were initially maintained, but sadly, something has drastically changed.

My recent visit was a stark illustration of this decline. I ordered a Taro Sago milk, and the experience was far from satisfactory. The young server appeared untrained and struggled with the order. She initially forgot the tapioca pearls, which I had to point out. When adding them, she clumsily spilled some of the drink and made no effort to top it up. This was not the end, the real issue became apparent when I got home. The Taro Sago milk was incredibly lumpy, clearly indicating the taro had not been blended in, a step always taken previously. What I received was essentially sweetened milk with chunks of taro and a few tapioca pearls – a far cry from before.

I don't fault the young employee; her lack of training was evident. The responsibility for this significant drop in quality lies squarely with management. Beyond the poorly prepared drink, the overall hygiene of the place also seemed to have slipped, a concern echoed by other reviewers. Regrettably, given this experience, I won't be returning.

Management urgently needs to address the significant decline in standards that many customers, including myself,...

YI FANG ARE SCAMMERS!!!!!!

I purchased a £20.00 digital gift card for a friend directly from Yi Fang’s website back in JANUARY but, when attempting to use it in several branches (Canary Wharf, Bond Street, and others), the staff claimed to not know how to process payments using the gift card. Eventually, after speaking with staff from at least 3 branches, we were informed that Yi Fang have discontinued the use of gift cards. Ah, brilliant! So, where’s my money?

For the past 10 months, I’ve gone back and forth between Yi Fang and Toggle (the third-party company who powered the digital gift cards) — Yi Fang tell me to go to Toggle (they actually told me it’s “Toogle” so almost had me contacting the wrong people, further wasting my time!!!), and Toggle tell me to go to Yi Fang for my refund. I even passed my details onto a member of staff at the Canary Wharf branch who said they would pass it onto their Manager (who is, conveniently, never around) but, unsurprisingly, the Manager has not contacted me to this day.

At this point, after several months of absolutely terrible communication with Yi Fang’s staff (in store, and via Instagram because they refuse to respond to my emails!), I honestly feel like walking into a Yi Fang branch and demanding £20.00 cash straight from the till, PLUS free drinks as compensation for the amount of time and energy that has been wasted on this useless company.

REFUND...