BenGong’s Tea San Diego CA — Restaurant in San Diego

This is my 6th time at BenGong’s and I typically have a relatively fine experience; I order my drink, wait a bit, and go on my way. My go to order is the golden sesame milk slush (which I’ve ordered 4 times before). But, I personally don’t enjoy the salty taste of the cheese foam topping and ask for it removed. The workers are normally happy to do so (as they simply forgo it every time), and in the past, have even agreed to replacing the cheese foam with red bean for no extra charge (as they are both charged at the same price when added to other drinks).

However, today, when I walked in and asked for the same drink, the girl at the counter wasn’t sure if it was possible. She called her coworker over to ask, and he looked at me condescendingly, scoffed, and then shook his head and said it wasn’t possible. Although this is a minor thing, I think it’s a perfectly acceptable request to make (as it’s not a mixed component of the drink and rather a topping they simply add at the end) and his attitude toward me was just rude.

I was honestly a little shocked and then proceeded to order a jasmine milk tea instead, trying to disregard his attitude. But when I again asked if I could replace the boba with red bean, speaking to the girl at the counter, he then laughed again at me in a very rude manner.

The girl at the counter was in braids with lash extensions (apologies, I didn’t see any nametags) and she looked at me apologetically and I totally do not blame her as she clearly felt bad on behalf of her coworker. Yet this guy’s attitude was honestly just unacceptable. Again, I didn’t see his name tag but he was wearing an apron, was about 5’7/5’8, was pretty tanned, and working the shift when I got my drink at roughly 8:20pm. I just feel as though if I’m paying upwards of $7 for a drink anywhere, I’m not expecting to be waited on beck and call (all I really expect is basic decency) but at the very least, I will not tolerate being scoffed at twice for simply ordering. Especially for a request that is not outlandish by any means, and has been granted regularly at the same location.

There are many other boba drink places at UTC, so really don’t waste your time coming here unless you want the workers to scoff at you. Wushiland and the Alley are delicious and have...

BenGong's is heaven descended upon our earthly moral realm. Ever since I was born, my taste buds have been destined for greatness but none have ever sated my exquisite palate (I'm a wine connoisseur btw). Unbeknownst to the many ignorant, this society has suffered a drought of good food. That was until I heard through the grapevine about the wonders that was BenGong's. Intrigued, I wandered the alleys of UTC searching for this mystical haven. I saw its glory in front of me. It was beautiful. I had seen nothing like it before. It's glowing white sign. The flourishing wish tree. And then bountiful menu. The sight was wasted on my undeserving eyes. Yet, it stood in front of me, waiting for an order. It was all I had dreamt of since I entered this world. Steadying my step, I entered the domain. With so many options before me, my thoughts were at a standstill. Thankfully the person at the till, her name was Elizabeth, recommended their brown sugar milk. It was like she read my mind as I despised brown sugar milk TEA. How could anyone drink tea with brown sugar milk? Such an abomination abhorred me. But this establishment knew this fact as well as there was no brown sugar milk TEA on their menu. That's how I knew I was in the right place. Not many minutes after, I received my drink. I observed this ambrosia. The color. The cool touch. The container. Everything was perfect. I would like to thank the academy, my family, that one hamster from the movie Bolt, Elizabeth, the Constitution of the United States, and Elizabeth again. I will never go anywhere else ever again. I will never eat anything else ever again. I was born too late to see the dinosaurs. I was born too early for time travel. But I was born just in time for BenGong's Tea San...

Food: 2/5 Service and Setting: 3/5 Value: 2.5/5

Bengong’s Tea, located inside UTC, is always busy with notably Chinese customers. I caught them on a more relaxed day and went in. The interior is clean and modern, yet confusing. The layout has a corner set up like an art gallery but is not very practical for holding lines or giving people a comfortable place to drink. The cashier and staff were nice but did not mention things in the drink I ordered that I would have no idea of until I received it. The prices are a dollar or more higher than most boba shops but I feel like the quality of drink I received does not justify the premium. If you are craving boba, I would honestly say that Wushiland or Happy Lemon are better bets.

Strawberry Peach Soda Tea: 2/5 I always tell myself that I am not going to get a sparkling drink and it always fails me, but this one had tea in its name so I took the chance. I did not ask if the tea drink had tea in it and that’s on me, but I did not want to be that guy. I am almost positive it does not have tea and in Chinese it just says bubbly rather than saying tea. The drink also comes with crystal boba, something the staff did not tell me. It was very fresh and not very sweet, but overall pretty meh. The drink was a bit lacking in the bubble department and gave me DIY soda vibes in a bad way. There was nothing very cohesive or special about it and I got that dreaded wasted money feeling after I finished it. Maybe their normal teas are better but I probably...