Formosan Tea Bar — Restaurant in Oxford

I’m by no means a bubble-tea expert but Formosan was the first place I had bubble tea from back in 2016 (it was one of the few bubble tea places in Oxford then) and I’ve been going there regularly ever since.

The staff is wonderful and very knowledgeable, their recommendations are always great and if you are not familiar with their menu they will do their best to guide you through it.

I don’t have a favourite bubble tea and usually go with whatever seems best on the day but as a general suggestion would recommend their lemon-bases options as a refreshing summer drink and their milk-based options for the winter. They serve bubble tea both warm and cold but I always go for the cold option.

If I had to pick a favourite, the ones I got for most often are the baked Oolong tea (OMP) from the milky options and the Jasmine green tea (GLP) from the lemony options.

So far the only tea I have tried and not liked was the crushed almonds special tea (AMP) but this was very much a matter of personal preference as the tea was really well made as always.

One of their products that does not get enough recognition is their kombucha which they make themselves - it is better than anything you will buy in a store so do give it a try (if you are not familiar with their options they usually allow tasting before you buy)

Finally, the atmosphere and internal decor in Formosan is one of it’s main assets: the interior is calming, the decoration is very elegant, and soothing music plays in the background making it feel like you are entering another world. Seating is not available at the moment due to restrictions but once they allow it the bar is a wonderful alternative to the business and noisiness of Oxford cafes

Only compliments and appreciation from...

I used to come to Formosan during my school years on a weekly basis for ~2-3 years, back when it was the first and only bubble tea store in Oxford. And had many fond memories of the place, catching up with my friends and family and listening to the quiet, gentle Taiwanese/Mandarin music that used to play in the background. I had switched to other stores when they opened due to the greater options available elsewhere. After Yi-Fang’s string of awful bubble teas, I decided to return to Formosan despite the limited options as I’d remembered it to be tasty, if not basic flavours.

I will add here, at this point, that I do not typically post reviews if at all. But my recent experience with their bubble tea was so very disappointing - it was flavourless, and the pearls were “ok” - at least had the characteristic “bite”. Historically, I had recognised Formosan to be a place that had fewer options to choose from, but always had quality. This is not the case anymore - and I’m not sure if this is because management has changed, or the recipes now reflect the cost-of-living crisis …?

The premises looks a bit run-down now as well (which can’t be helped, I suppose) and could do with a little bit of a touch-up/modernisation. The only positive I would say are the staff - they were attentive. I don’t think I’d come again anytime soon based on the tea though, it did mar the fond teen memory I had of Formosan.

I’ll stick to In-Cha and disregard the central-oxford bubble tea stores in future, even if it’s a trek and a half to get there. The quality...

Standard deteriorated over the years. I had wonderful memory of this shop a few years ago, when they greeted me with free tasting of different kinds of tea upon entering the store. When I passed Oxford last month, I made sure to bring my friends to the cafe, but was utterly disappointed by it. 1) On our way to the store, we need to pass a narrow alley with a strong smell. One of my friend later identified that the smell came from the corpses of pigeons that were lying dead forever on the net hanging above the alley. 2) In the 1st round of the tasting session, my friend left around 1/5 of the tea in the small cup unfinished, and before the 2nd round started, the waiter demanded her to 'Finish it' in a rude tone -otherwise he would not let her try the 2nd type of tea. 3) This is just a serving mistake probably. While I ordered 'no ice' in my tea, my order was clearly mistaken and they added a lot...