Pekoe — Restaurant in San Jose

This spot is located in the same plaza as Lucky, CVS, and Lee's Sandwich. Parking is open to all patrons. Since this is a local hotspot for the younger generation, of course it's going to be crowded. It's not rocket science; hence, it's a given. I would try not to go when it's super busy and filled with millenials and the younger gen. What can I say...it's common sense.

So I came here with my step-daughter after the dentist, which was about block away, on a Friday afternoon around 330pm (summer time) We've been wanting to check this place out since her Uncle has been a few times.

Upon entrance, it's dim. The giant menu screen lights up the place. The girls behind the counter greeted us. Luckily, it was slow. Both of us looked at the menu trying to see what we want to try. The menu has a different setup than most. They have cute names for their drinks. We stood in awe and didn't know what we wanted. The girl we approached asked us if we wanted milk or tea and I let her know it was our first time.

I was standing there looking like a kid in a candy store, with my eyes wide open and excited. The cashier noticed and said how I felt. She made our experience extra special. She gave us like a super star treatment. It was very sweet, kind, and nice of her. She didn't have to, but she did. She went above and beyond for customer service. If only I caught her name. :D So, she let us try a few samples of their popular milk teas: Pekoe Special (black teaish), Gold Mine (jasmine green trains) & Let's Get High (chocolate milkish). Then she let us sample the regular teas: PomStar (tastes like Tebo Tebos tea) & Yellow Mango.

All in all, we ended up ordering Gold Mine & Pekoe Special in the split cup. It's very convenient when you want milk tea, but you don't want too much of it. We will have to come back again to try other flavors as well as the regular teas! Our drinks came less than five minutes after we ordered & payed for it. Again, this review is based on my experience during a down time for them. I know not to expect it...

Pro: (1) Amazing customer service and delicious drinks. I got the #5. Roasted Oolong milk tea at half sweetness with boba and coffee jelly. The boba was perfectly squishy and sweetened ( there boba portion is light, so I'd ask for extra if you like boba) , and the coffee jelly was similar to all the other jellies, but was in a pill capsule form. The sweetness is a bit sweet even at half and would recommend 30% or less to avoid a saturated sugary tea. (2) The seating and the environment was above and beyond my expectations and would definitely recommend this tea place in your in the area or want to try another tea place.

Con:

1. For the most part the tea's are sweetened using syrups and other sweeteners which is similar to Tpumps. This is not inherently negative, but can be on the sweeter-side which ever drink you choose. Also for some of the drinks, there are syrups unmentioned in the description which I wish could of been more clear.
2. If your looking to study this place may be difficult because there are very few plugs, and the tables are not friendly to your back. If your laptop has a longer battery life, and your willing to study outside, than this con isn't applicable to you.

In general I'd definitely recommend...

The gold standard for milk tea, not just in the Bay Area, but nationwide.

I usually get a custom milk tea whenever I go here; there are plenty of options for flavors and toppings. (Do note that the custom tea options are no longer listed on the on-screen menus, but is still offered as an option if you ask the cashier for one.) It is really nice that the actual tea flavor remains intact most of the time and isn't drowned out by the sweetness of the secondary flavorings (which I've noticed happens a lot at other milk tea places), which makes it a winner in my book. The Sea Salt Crema is delectably creamy with a mild saltness that complements the teas well.

However, on my most recent visit here, I decided to get the Yellow Mango ($5.50). The mild tanginess and sweetness of the mango flavor definitely shines through, but as stated before, the mango flavor does not completely drown out the tea flavor. The mango stars have a nice chewiness and sweetness that accompanies the tea well.

This place does have a trendy vibe to it that does cater to the younger population.

Overall, you can't go wrong with ordering...