FIFTYLAN UNION SQUARE — Restaurant in New York

I wanted to give a 5 star because it’s my favorite boba place in NYC as it’s my favorite brand and milk tea flavor in Taiwan and in mainland China (under another name). The golden bubble milk tea is my favorite and the only drink I order for 98% of the time (because I’m a bubble tea lover and not so much keen on other kinds of drinks) but I can’t give it a 5 star because the bubbles are totally different than the ones in Taiwan and mainland China (they have big bubbles and mini bubbles for you to choose, you can choose either one or both of them together in one single drink and they are free as toppings), but this store here only has medium-size golden bubbles and they are relatively hard to chew.

I sometimes only wanna have big chewy bubbles and sometimes only wanna have mini bubbles, and sometimes wish to have them together. (I might be a little picky and specific at one thing sometimes, but I think I can give some opinions as a bubble tea lover since I’ve tried countless bubble tea shops all the way from 10+ years ago. )

The golden bubbles might be the only thing I don’t like in this store, but this only thing is one of the most important factors when I decide which store I buy bubble tea from.

The golden bubbles as the only option for bubbles are awkwardly in the middle for the size in my opinion. They are also hard and firm to chew, which I don’t like very much. Although the flavor of the milk tea is absolutely my favorite and is the same as the flavor back home (and is the reason I still come here very often), sometimes I have to choose other bubble tea shops because they have either bigger and softer (but still chewy at the same time) bubbles or they offer the option of the mini bubbles!

This is a thing that I feel pity and sad about and is preventing me from fully enjoy the bubble milk tea. If they can offer the same bubbles as the ones in Taiwan and mainland China, then it would complete my wish and satisfaction! It would then truly feel like home!! The difference in the bubbles is the only but very important aspect for me (and maybe for a lot of other customers as well) when choosing a place for bubble tea.

I asked one of the staff before if they were gonna have bigger and smaller bubbles as the way in Taiwan, their response was kinda vague and said they will see how the market is and decide later. I’m not sure if they have made a decision yet or had enough observation and analysis from customers. But if they are gonna have the new bubble options as I wished, I’m sure it will MAKE MY DAY and I’ll come more often instead of switching to other boba places for boba variations.

P.S. I’ve included a photo of the fiftylan bubble teas I bought in Taiwan for anyone who don’t know what I’m talking about. The left one only has mini bubbles and the right one has both big bubbles and mini bubbles.

I still wanna give you guys a thumbs up because I think you are still doing a great job and maintaining great qualities of your products and the cleanliness of both of your...

This is actually a 3.5 star review rounded up to 4. The milk tea is decent. It has tea flavor. However what they're known for is their golden boba but their boba is so hard that it is difficult to finish the drink. It seems like it isn't fully cooked because you can see the starch on the inside of the golden boba and it is more translucent on the outside of the boba. If this is their recipe, then they should let corporate know that that is not a good recipe. The boba tastes way too hard! Not tasty at all! It's also bland. They might need to change the receipe to soak it in honey or something if the name is golden boba. I definitely would not get the milk tea with the golden boba. I hope they do something about their boba so that it can be better so they can continue to stay in business because I support small businesses especially if it's something...

Fifty Lan is my favorite bubble tea in Taiwan, I ordered a Golden Oolong Tea with boba.

Golden Oolong Tea is tasty, and boba too.

I gave it 4 stars because of the boba.

The boba size should be large size of boba, not medium size. Very pity

After more than two years, I finally got to enjoy 50 Lan again! This time, I skipped the milk tea and went for just the tea 🍵. Thanks to a Thanksgiving promotion, I got a free topping of pearls with my large drink—such a small joy!

The Golden Oolong was as reliable as ever, with a rich aroma and a subtle aftertaste that really deserves to be savored. ✨

As for the pearls, there’s still a bit of disappointment. The texture didn’t quite match the chewy, QQ experience of Taiwan’s boba. Next time, I’ll probably just stick to the tea for a more...