Tealux® Cafe — Restaurant in Norfolk

Update as of June 2023: OK so when we first had this place it was decent. Drinks and food were good enough to return for. However this place has really gone down in the past few months. I ordered a milk tea and was given a cup of ICED MILK. Ummmm huh??? It's like the staff is completely clueless of what the store serves. TEA...Lux....??? Anyway, this will be my last review because I'm over it and won't be coming back. I'm just tired of the staff being unprofessional and acting like they don't want to be there while serving mediocre drinks or literal cups of milk without any tea in it 🥴.

Previous reviews: (2022) I have gone to Tealux twice since moving to the area and the first time was good. We got a Thai Tea and an iced Vietnamese coffee. We asked for the popcorn chicken but they were out. The Vietnamese coffee was great. Absolutely loved it. Then I went back a second time and the Vietnamese coffee was.... Just OK. It didn't have the correct condensed milk to coffee ratio. And we asked for popcorn chicken again and they were out. I'm starting to wonder if they even have popcorn chicken like... Ever? 😅 Anyway, not a big deal but just disappointed. The second visit looked to have only 2 teen staff working and the one sitting at the register was on his phone talking about how he couldn't wait to be off work. The other staff member had to literally reach over him to ring us up. She also made the drink. I think she probably could have ran the place herself, lol. Not counting this place out yet. I'll visit again and see if I can ever get my hands on this mysterious popcorn chicken item that's on the menu but they never have 🤣

Update! My review hasn't really changed but I did get to FINALLY try the chicken 😂 It was just OK. It needed more flavor... I really wish they could add spice to it like other Taiwanese boba shops where I've had this kind of chicken. Anyway, I still enjoy this shop and go often. I would still...

We came to this location this morning because we’ve had such great experiences at the other branch, and we even drove from Virginia Beach just to get it. Unfortunately, this visit didn’t meet the same standard.

My main concern is consistency. At the other branch, I’ve always been able to order my drink with no ice, even if it means paying extra—which I’m completely fine with. I just don't like my drinks watered down and that's always been my preference. Here, one staff member was very kind and said it wouldn’t be a problem, but then another male employee stepped in and said they couldn’t do that. It honestly left a bad impression with me because it came across less as following procedure and more as dismissive, which didn’t sit well with me. I don’t blame the staff, as I know employees can only follow the rules they’re given, but I do hope management ensures consistency across all branches so customers don’t feel like they’re getting different answers at different locations. To add to the frustration, I was told after ordering that the boba pearls wouldn’t be ready for another 15 minutes. I almost cancelled but the girls did their best to work on my order and I'm really grateful for them.

I want to give credit where it’s due—the girls working at the counter were wonderful, very nice, and had great customer service. But overall, because of the inconsistency and how dismissive that one interaction felt, I don’t see myself coming back to...

I rarely take the time to leave a negative review (my last was in 2020) because I believe most businesses are doing the best they can, and everyone has a bad day. Accordingly, I’ll start with the good. Last night, I stopped in for the first time for an earl gray bubble tea after getting my nails done. It was delicious! I brought two people back with me today, and we ordered about $75 in food and drinks. Our bubble tea and Vietnamese coffees were good. The banh mis were okay, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to order them again. Unfortunately, the rice paper salad was sad and soggy. The mango fruit cup was hard and green. When I asked if it was supposed to be this way, the guy working said, “I mean, I can go dig in the back to look for a ripe one.” I said, “But is it supposed to be hard and green?” I wanted to be sure that I didn’t misunderstand what I’d ordered. He looked at me - clearly irritated - and said, “Yeah.” No apology, no offer to refund - no solution offered at all. I would never risk losing a customer over a $6 food item, but that’s what’s happened. I then watched him clean the bottom of his shoe with a pastry paper and return to preparing drinks without washing his hands. Yuck. Finally, the bathroom was extremely dirty and out of toilet paper and paper towels. I recommend visiting Oh Mochi in Virginia Beach instead - amazing food and drinks, good...