i-Tea Castro Valley — Restaurant in Castro Valley

Food is great. Service is hit or miss. But the food is so good, I keep going back!

Two things to keep in mind: The lines for ordering versus just picking up food are unclear. People cut all the time and the workers do nothing to stop this. I just had another woman cut me today and the server watched it happen and didn't offer to get my pick up food. Instead, she just took the other woman's order, who got there after me. I always tip, but I literally put my cash back in my wallet when she did that. :( Don't try to order online for a specific pick up time. I've tried this twice. Failed both times. First time food clearly had been sitting out and second time, I arrived early, checked in, and they still forgot about my order, until I checked in again 20 minutes later.

If you order online for immediate pick up, it's great! Just don't try to order online for a scheduled pick up time in the future.

Managers, 1) make two lines clear-- one for pick up, one for ordering and serve both lines. 2) if you don't have a system in place to prepare orders at specified times, then remove that option from online ordering. Otherwise you'd...

This review is focused on the bentos. I’ve had their drinks and other food before, but it was years ago.

My friend and I wanted to grab something simple and quick from i-Tea. Did not realize that they no longer had tables to dine in. We had to order to go. These bentos got our attention and we ordered two. I had the Braised Pork Belly bento and I was pleasantly surprised at the size of the bento box. It was huge and enough for two. The pork belly was tender and flavorful. The fried tofu was on point. This was $15. It was great value and the taste was satisfying. My friend got the $15 Taiwanese pork spare rib bento and it looked equally as good. I had a piece of the pork spare rib. Pretty good, but I still prefer the pork belly.

The server said that they currently do not have the permit for dining in. I really don’t want to order and bring ramen elsewhere since I don’t live nearby so I hope they get it soon. It’s been a while since the pandemic so maybe this take out option is just more profitable. Now that I know their bentos are delicious and affordable, I will certainly...

We come to this place almost once a week for a post-dance class snack. Happy hour is no joke here starting at 8pm M-Th and 9pm on Fri-Sun with lines often going well out the door, but you can't beat the price so the crowd is worth it. Our personal favorite drink is the C1 - milk tea with boba and coffee jelly at 100% sweetness and little to no ice. Unlike other boba places in the area their sweetness levels is spot on, so a 100% sugar isn't too sweet. I also highly recommend the mango sago and mango crystal. They are SUPER refreshing on hot days but also really filling compared to tea!

We also regularly partake in their snacks, mostly their seasoned curly fries and calamari, both of which are awesome (although better calamari can be found at another local tea spot). I personally like their popcorn chicken, but my other half doesn't because she's not a fan of garlic. All the snacks we've tried are good, but expect a longer wait for snacks compared to...