Young T and Tea — Restaurant in Ellensburg

No regrets! I'm so happy I made a pit stop here while making a long drive from Spokane to Port Angeles. I had a serious case of highway hypnosis, but their Vietnamese Durian Coffee snapped me out of it real quick and kept me wide awake for the rest of the drive.

I was really impressed to find such a good boba shop in ELLENSBURG of all places, and I'm a tough boba/food critic in general so let's breakdown this 5 star review.

Starting with the drink I ordered, the VIETNAMESE DURIAN COFFEE. I love viet coffee and I love durian, but never in a hundred years would I have ever thought of creating a drink by mixing the two, and let me tell you... it works. The coffee flavor was strong and dominant, but if you eat durian you know there's no masking its pungently aromatic smell and flavor. REAL frozen durian is used to make this drink rather than an artificial flavor or powder, and to me that makes all the difference in the world, great job in that department. I didn't alter the sweetness or ice levels here, but it came out near PERFECT to my liking (for reference I usually order 50% sweet and less ice at most other shops). This shop also had a cute quote, "Taste our balls!" Well BET! TASTE THEIR BALLS I DID! These were some of the best balls I've ever had in my mouth. Every single ball was soft, tender, and chewy to their core, clearly made with love and care. None of that undercooked hard center or overcooked mushy business here. I would absolutely order this drink again, but maybe after I've sampled all their other drinks first!

Speaking of which, let's talk about their menu! Actually no, I'll just upload photos of their menu and I'll let it mostly speak for itself. I loved how many pictures they have of their drinks. SUPERB selection of common and more unique drinks to choose from. Aside from their drinks they also offer bubble waffles and a whole selection of classic Asian snacks and goodies, like what??? This place goes above and beyond in terms of what they have to offer.

Now let's talk customer service. There were 2 workers behind the counter. The gal who took my order was warm, honest, and helpful, the service was fast (they probably made my drink in ~3-5min), the establishment was super clean with a very charming and spacious aesthetic including a fish tank, numerous beautiful plants, artwork, Asian decor, and plentiful seating. This place is just a total vibe, and it smelled great inside too. From my observations there was a very steady trickle of customers coming in, but it never got packed, so no long waiting lines which was nice. There's ample free parking available in front of the store as well.

Last point I'll hit on is value. Prices and drink sizes are pretty comparable to other major boba shops in WA like Sharetea or Happy Lemon, but given the extraordinary quality of their drinks and the fact that they used real durian (which can be kinda expensive) I would say this boba shop is a step above the competition in terms of value.

Highly highly recommend giving this place a try, I can't...

This is one of my top two restaurants in all of Ellensburg. Are they expensive? Yes. Is their food and drinks some of the most delicious I've ever had? ABSOLUTELY!

I've been here countless times. I've ordered the Vietnamese spicy beef noodle soup, their yellow curry, and a huge variety of their Bahn Mi sandwiches. I've been meaning to try more of their menu, but these dishes are so good that I keep ordering them!

Pictures with this review is the Vietnamese beef noodle soup. This is a soup with a rich, spicy broth, plenty of noodles, and oodles of beef, Vietnamese ham, and Vietnamese sausage. It also comes with a huge plate of veggies to add to your heart's content (I love to add the cabbage and some of the jalapenos, while eating the bean sprouts on the side!).

And of course, how could I forget my drink, which was this restaurant's original call to fame. I got a Taro milk tea with taro whipped cream and mochi! Absolutely delicious. Again, expensive, at about $8 a drink with toppings, but absolutely worth it as a treat. All their drinks are wonderful, including their iced teas, smoothies, and hot drinks. (My "secret" order is a hot Okinawa green tea! It's such a pick-me-up on a cold day.)

The atmosphere is amazing, with a modern interior filled with plants of all shapes and sizes! You can tell how much the owners care by the sheer number of plants they're able to keep thriving in the restaurant. There's also a cool fish tank.

The one part of this restaurant that isn't so stellar is their service. It can take a while for the waitress to come around and take your order, and it's rare for them to come by and refill your water when you need it. This is because the waitresses are also the ones making the drinks for the to-go customers, so I can't really blame them. It doesn't bother me that much, but I know some people care more about slow service, so I'm noting it here.

I love this restaurant. Ellensburg is blessed to have such amazing...

Our group of 4 came in on a Sunday for lunch. I love the decorations in this restaurant and am surprised that they have a good set of asian food on the menu, despite the store name that suggested a tea cafe. We ordered our food and asked to be billed separately. 2 of us ordered beef pho, we were seated on the same table but across diagonally. When they serve us the pho, they gave only a plate of bean sprout to my friend. I asked for my own plate of bean sprout since we are not sitting directly opposite and did not ask to share food. The waitress says I can have my own plate of bean sprout. I waited a long time for my plate of bean sprout, I was already half done with my noodle when I reminded the waitress. At check out, they said I ordered an extra plate of bean sprout and was going to charge me extra for that. They said they had served us one plate of bean sprouts to be shared! I explained that I did not ask for food to be shared, we asked for bills to be separated, I asked for my own serving of bean sprout that I should get with my onw order of pho. The waitress did not even inform me that it is chargeable. It took me a while to get through this argument with the waitress before she unhappily said she will take it off the bill. This really spoiled my experience with this restaurant. My friends could not believe...