heytea (Long Island City) — Restaurant in New York

Haytea, as a representative of China's new-style tea drinks, is very popular with a large and loyal fan base. The recently opened LIC location has quickly become the most popular tea shop in the area, with long lines of customers from morning until night. I’ve tried several of their tea drinks and can say their popularity is well-deserved.

Firstly, they offer a wide variety of fruit teas, and the fresh quality of the tea and fruit is evident in the taste. The sweetness is just right, and the combination of the milk foam, fruit, and tea is well-balanced, with no single ingredient overpowering the others—perfect for a refreshing summer treat.

Secondly, their product innovation is strong, with seasonal fruit teas regularly introduced, allowing customers to enjoy the flavors of the season.

Thirdly, the shop operates very efficiently. Although the lines can be long, they move quickly, and the staff manages the crowd well, keeping things orderly. The outdoor waiting area has shaded spots, so it doesn’t feel too exhausting. After placing your order, you can expect to receive your drink within 10-30 minutes, which is faster than anticipated. While the new location currently doesn’t offer pre-orders, visiting in the afternoon or evening can help avoid long waits.

Fourthly, the staff is very friendly and skilled at taking and fulfilling orders, maintaining smooth operations even during peak times without the confusion and mistakes that can occur at other popular spots.

Overall, I highly recommend Haytea to those living in LIC or anyone interested in trying it out, even if it means traveling to get there. You won’t be disappointed. I hope they continue to thrive and become a new community hub in LIC, boosting the vibrancy of the...

Heytea's been open for a while but I hate queueing so I haven't had the urge to come by, until recently when I passed by and there was no crazy crowd outside the door lol.

I had the matcha bobo shake. I really liked the flavour of the matcha - they do a bunch of advertising about how authentic and high-quality the matcha they use is, and I think that's probably pretty true. It smelled and tasted really fragrant, and the depth of flavour was definitely there. I ordered the minimal sugar option, which was a good choice, bc it was still a littttle bit too sweet. The boba was nice, but nothing too special. (It was a bit funny that they stayed on the top of the drink for a while since I ordered an icy/slushy drink.)

Anyway, it was definitely good, but I honestly don't really see why this place been so popular for so long (and at every new location they open, too!). Maybe I'll have to come back to try some of their other tea / fruity drinks, which also seem quite popular.

You can get 15% off (if I remember correctly) your first order when you make an account on their app. Usually I dislike downloading apps like this, but I have to say, the Heytea app is actually quite well-designed and...

The coconut mango boom drink is probably my favorite drink from here - I like that heytea has a 0 calorie sweetener option and how it doesn't taste obviously artificial. If artificial sweeteners aren't your thing, getting minimal sugar or less sugar are still great options! (Doesn't end up making the drink taste like nothing)

Heytea recently added a jasmine tea latte to their menu, and I had never tried their milk teas before, so I decided to order the jasmine tea latte with their recommended sweetness/ice levels. The latte reminds me of Molly Tea's jasmine milk tea, which makes me really happy because now I don't have to trek all the way over to Flushing if I want a good jasmine milk tea 🧋

The major downside of Heytea in general (not just this location) is how crazy the wait times can get sometimes. They have a ton of staff working on drink orders, but they seem to get really backlogged by delivery orders. If the TV screen says that the estimated wait time for a drink is 45 minutes, believe what the screen says. :( It gets especially busy in the evenings.

I'd recommend ordering ahead using their app - it gives you a pretty accurate ETA before you...