Forest Tea Bar — Restaurant in Berkeley

I was really excited to come here after seeing much of their stories on Instagram and sadly I have to leave a not so good review 😥

I placed my order at 1:20pm, with an estimated ready time at 1:47pm. Personally, I didn’t mind waiting 30 minutes as I knew it was a soft opening and it was a little busy with only 2 people behind the bar. It wasn’t until 2pm that I saw a couple who had ordered 15 minutes after me being served their drinks with complimentary ice cream, because they were friends with the staff. I went up to the counter and asked if my order was ready, and the barista said that I would have to wait another 20-30 minutes for my drink as there was still 8 drinks before me. I didn’t end up getting my drink until 2:25pm, more than 1 hour wait. The staff was nice, but the matcha wasn’t anything mind-blowing or HAVE to try. I think Asha would be a much better choice for anyone wanting a good matcha - friendly staff, umami and concentrated matcha, and no wait time longer than 10 minutes.

I really wouldn’t recommend coming here during soft opening unless you are ready and willing to wait for more than an hour’s time. I think if they had pasted a sign on their order screens or even on their IG story stating wait times, it would’ve given much more clarity on expectations. Overall the main thing that left a bad taste in my mouth was that the couple who were friends got their drinks before and didn’t have to wait more than 20 minutes - don’t get me wrong they deserve nothing less than the star treatment, but I think it was not the best time to have done it, especially as they were chatting up a storm and leading to...

Came here with my boyfriend on an early Saturday afternoon. There was no line at the kiosk, but the estimated wait time was 50 minutes. We ordered a normal iced matcha latte (regular sweetener) and a normal hot matcha latte (with maple syrup). Both had oat milk (which I think is the default). I wish they just had regular milk since I don't have lactose intolerance issues, but they did not. Sometimes oat milk can upset my stomach.

We waited over an hour for our drinks, but we walked around Berkeley for a while and came back. They closed ordering for a couple hours in order to catch up and reopened orders at 3:30pm. So be prepared for that if you go. The earlier, the better.

The drinks were really good. You can tell they use very high-quality matcha powder by the beautiful emerald green color and lack of bitterness. I think I liked the hot matcha latte better with the maple syrup. I wish they had half-sweetness options, but it was only full sweet or unsweetened.

I will definitely be back. Apparently they will have online ordering through snack pass, but it wasn't available yet when we ordered. Looking forward to trying their...

Pros: High quality matcha, service was excellent and friendly, atmosphere was a vibe. Cons: immediately enter in through a door that swings into the shop (instead of out to the street), which cannot be opened with more than 4 people in line inside because they placed the ordering kiosk facing the door. Got the iced matcha latte and the iced black sesame matcha latte - both were watery and lacking body and depth, albeit the black sesame was tastier and more complex. You have to pick up your drink at the bar where customers are sitting so you have to walk through the line of people ordering and the people at the counter then you have to go to the end of the counter to get a lid and a straw. The flow of the shop is quite terrible and not accommodating. Waited over 30 minutes for two drinks (wait to order and a longer wait for your drink).

Had high hopes but disappointed. Social media aesthetic trap. Far more tasty shops that serve...