Cuckoo's Cafe — Restaurant in Duluth

I’ve seen this place occasionally when driving by the area, but never thought of going in until my niece mentioned it. So we came here for quick snackies and boba. As most boba places are, this was counter service. There were a few parties waiting for their order already, so we took a seat in the waiting area while looking over the extensive menu. It’s a really cute atmosphere. There are yellow chick stuffed animals (the mascot) at the ordering station, plenty of seating/lounge areas, and even booths with your own privacy curtain. They have drinks and snacks galore: milk teas, fruit teas, smoothies, street snacks, bento boxes, etc.!

I ordered the Taiwanese chicken nuggets (spicy). Nice texture and they used dark meat so it was tender. They were lightly dusted in spice so it could have been spicier in my opinion, but still delicious. I also got a peach milk tea with lychee and mango jelly. The drinks all come in one size, and it’s a fairly decent amount. My niece and her friend got the mango milk tea with boba. She raved about the chicken sandwich. Now I usually don’t care for chicken sandwiches, because I think they’re basic and I already had one not too long ago. But OMG. She let me try a bite and it’s one of the best chicken sandwiches I’ve ever had. Juicy, crispy, and the sauce they use is bomb. I think it’s spicy mayo but it’s not regular spicy mayo….they had to have put crack in it, I swear lmao. My chicken nuggets were good, but that chicken sandwich was fire!

We ended up getting a sandwich to-go (for someone else though) and then we were still hungry, so we ordered some more chicky nuggies! I asked for a side of that crack sauce (spicy mayo) but I don’t think the cashier knew what I was talking about so she said “zesty bites?” And I was like sure…? I’m glad she mentioned it because the garlic took it to the next level. The zesty bites are pretty much the chicken nuggets drizzled with spicy mayo and fresh garlic. I would have never thought of that combo, but it is surprisingly out of this world! Even Dracula couldn’t mess with us after we were done. Haha. This place really amazed me and I will definitely be coming back over...

The food is delicious - particularly their chicken sandwich. But their customer service is very inconsistent depending upon who is working, and I've never seen anyone clean the tables at the restaurant any of the times I've been. I typically come twice a week, but today will be my last.

The bathrooms are also hit or miss (at least for the ladies - maybe the gents have better luck); the sink is perpetually clogged and had yet to be fixed, and there's been at least 2 times I've been there they were out of soap (luckily, two of the ladies who are actually good at their job were there those afternoons and promptly resolved the issue). The outdoor patio area is not often cleaned and they do not have umbrellas but at one of the tables (the one they do for one of the tables is often broken; if you're lucky, you'll get it while it works).

If you get a great server, they will recommend some of their delicious milk teas and "toppings," which are similar to boba. They will also recommend you add garlic to their chicken sandwich. If you don't, you'll not know about any of the other yummy choices they have on their menu, which is a shame

This is is also an Asian-owned establishment, and many of the patrons are also Asian. And unlike other Asian eateries I've been to around Gwinnett, some servers will treat you differently if you are not Asian. As a black American woman, it's disappointing, but not surprising. I actually asked to speak to a manager today - something I don't do - and the lady I had an issue with blatantly told me there wasn't a supervisor of any kind on staff at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, and that I'd have to wait a a few hours (which is fine by me, since I come here to work). Bear that in mind if you have a serious issue that they can't resolve. I'll stick to White Windmill bakery...

I visited for the first time and did not enjoy my experience.

I ordered a taro milk tea with toppings and it was wayyyy too sweet for my liking. This store doesn’t offer sweetness options (0%, 50%, etc.) like other boba shops and I think that’s a very necessary addition because not everyone likes super sugary drinks. After forcing myself to drink about 10% of my tea, I decided I just couldn’t do it and asked the cashier if my drink could be remade less sweet. She offered me a cup of water to water it down, which didn’t really help the sweetness and didn’t really make sense to me because how do you pour a cup of water into a cup of boba that is nearly full? There’s no space in the cup to add the water… A pretty inefficient and ineffective solution. I wish they’d just remade my drink. Ended up throwing the whole thing away when I got home.

I also ordered the fries and spicy chicken nuggets. They came out piping hot which I liked. The fries are a thicker cut but they were nice and crispy. The chicken nuggets were also hot and crispy but I found the seasoning too salty and not spicy. My total order with the boba was a little over $20 and I had a stomach ache by the time I left. Not sure if that was from the drink or the food.

I came in to do some work on my laptop but the atmosphere just wasn’t for me. They play k-pop music and the lighting inside is very dark. I found the music distracting even with my own headphones on and I wish it wasn’t so dark inside. I ended up leaving after an hour to continue my work somewhere else. They do have a lot of seating and many booths with outlets, which is nice.

Ultimately, I think this shop just wasn’t for me. I didn’t care for the food, service, or atmosphere. Others seem to like it based on the reviews but I don’t see...