The Alley — Restaurant in Katy

Let me start this review by saying that I am no boba tea expert or connoisseur by any stretch of the imagination. I drink milk tea very occasionally. With that being said, I do visit several boba tea shops in the area with friends although I almost always order a variation of jasmine green tea.

I visited The Alley on a recommendation from a friend who convinced me to try a few of the boba tea flavors. I was not disappointed!

Upon entering the shop, I took note of how clean and organized the layout was. The entire shop is decorated very nicely with a modern design and style. The shop was definitely busy but not crowded and the line was moving fast. I appreciated that they had a sign displaying the most popular drinks. Still I had a few questions, which the staff graciously answered. After a bit of discussion and consideration, I decided to order three drinks to sample.

The first one I ordered was the most popular drink there, which was the Brown Sugar Deerioca Crème Brûlée. I was expecting to be overwhelmed with sweetness but to my surprise it was not overly sweet. In fact, for someone who doesn’t drink a lot of boba tea because of the sweetness, I thoroughly enjoyed the Brown Sugar Deerioca Crème Brûlée! I want to call it the Brown Sugar Dessert because that is what it felt like I was treating myself to. The creaminess and texture of the milk, pudding and tapioca made an irresistible combination that made me want more. This is a winner!

Next up was the Ube Crème Brûlée. This was also a very good drink. It was more rich than the Brown Sugar crème brûlée and I could definitely taste the ube, which was great. Again, not overly sweet and all in all, was a close second to the Brown Sugar version. A solid competitor for top drink.

Finally, for consistency sake, I ordered a Jasmine Green Tea. If I’m not a boba connoisseur then maybe I am a Jasmine Green Tea connoisseur. Easily in my top two Jasmine Green Tea drinks in the Houston area so far. The strength of the taste was just right for me and was a refreshing way to wash down the previous two drinks. I can never go wrong with a good Jasmine Green Tea and The Alley didn’t go wrong with what they served me today.

In summary, this was an enjoyable experience in a clean, efficient establishment. The drinks were excellent. Highly recommended! I look forward to visiting again to support...

In my opinion, one of the top boba places with amazing drinks that tempts you to try them all. So I've tried out a fair share of their menu and these are ones I recommend trying out if you're a first timer...

The iconic "brown sugar deerioca milk", it doesn't have any tea (so not milk tea), but the brown sugar syrup and texture of the boba itself makes it hard to stop at one sip. They also have this drink but with creme brulee which I know alot of people like, and I agree it's equally delicious but it's a tad bit of a sugar overload to me so I always opted without the creme brulee. One of my favorite variation of this drink is with Matcha and sub for soy milk.

Other drinks worth trying out are: Snow Velvet Strawberry Lulu ( tastes somewhat like a strawberry smoothie or milkshake to me, pretty good) Snow Velvet Peach Oolong Tea (currently my favorite, light tea base with salted creme, great combo) Lychee Green Tea ( my go-to drink here, has lychee bits and crystal boba, a refreshing drink)

Some newer menu items to try: Yogurt Grape Lulu ( I got hooked onto yogurt-based drinks and this is an interesting one, loved it) Brown Sugar Snow Velvet Milk Tea( from their Meteorite Series going on now, it's everything from sweet, creamy deliciousness that you ever wanted)

On my most recent visit, I got the Yogurt Grape Lulu, Snow Velvet Peach Oolong Tea, and tried out the Purple Rice Yogurt drink as well which again, amazing as always. Atmosphere here is nice and clean and can get a little pack during weekends but no worries, the employees does a great job to get the line moving pretty quick. So if you're looking to test your temptations, don't skip out...

Love this boba shop! The Ube crème brûlée brown sugar boba milk tea (what a mouthful lol) is exquisitely delicious here!!! It’s definitely my favorite drink at this cafe. This, and the new location they opened in Bellaire, have easily become one of my top boba spots in town!

Was struggling to find my next boba fix, and hadn’t been able to find a boba shop that can make that specific Ube brown sugar drink ever since my fav boba shop, Yumcha in bellaire, closed last fall;(

But was so delighted to find The Alley has it on their menu! So glad I stumbled across this shop when in the area, they make the Ube drink just as good as Yumcha use to make it, possibly even better!🙌

Don’t skip out on this place. For all the boba lovers that are in the same boat, adrift after our favorite bellaire shop went under, look no further than The Alley lol! They’ve got the same chill and welcoming vibe, clean and aesthetic atmosphere, great customer service, and amazing dedication to providing the best experience to their customers. The severs are always so sweet and welcoming. Their drinks always taste amazing and fresh, and they adjust the sweetness to your liking each time.

It’s also a great study/wfh spot, WiFi signal is strong, and noise levels are moderate. Def recommend checking this...