iTea — Restaurant in Tempe

iTea, I was a hungry passerby when I just so happened to stumble upon your location. Located in downtown Tempe, iTea is easily found, for both new & accustomed diners alike. What drew me into your business was sheer proximity to your competitor; Starbucks. Location west of Starbucks and North of 'Nail Palace', iTea put forth successful expenditure into location & how this plays a role in attracting new customers.

As previously stated, I had been in the mood for a small bite the day of my visit. Guests can find a smorgasbord of 'bubble tea', deep fried/tempura battered appetizers & even... Takoyaki! Takoyaki is a Japanese national favorite dish consisting of broiled octopus, deep fried in tempura batter & served with dipping sauce. You should have seen my eyes. As someone pre-accustomed to Japanese fare, this was an exceptional find. Takoyaki not commonly served en masse in the United States, this was both a rare find & a delightful surprise.

Takoyaki and bubble tea selections are noteworthy. On par with most major US locales serving similar fare. iTea is comparable to 'create-your-own' locales such as Chipotle. Simply step up to the counter, place your order, have a seat for ~5-10 minutes &...voila! iTea was able to successfully convince me to give its business a try. This, due to my prior exposure (& preference) for Japanese fare & sheer proximity to my agenda that afternoon. 4/5- noteworthy, convenient & accessible small...

I came in tonight and ordered one popcorn chicken. I’ve been here plenty of times and it has always been a very typical Taiwanese popcorn chicken. However, tonight the pieces were COVERED in a DRY SPICEY POWDER. I thought maybe my order got mixed up or something happened for it to be made differently today, but one taste and I realized that the pieces were close to TOXIC! I am never the type to complain, but I came back literally less than 5 minutes from grabbing my order and ALL of the workers were sitting in their allocated break spot in the front of the store on their phones leisurely eating and drinking (NOTE: It was still 2 hrs before closing). I tried to ask if someone was different about the recipe but before I could finish one of the guys said “It looks the same to me” without even taking one look at the box. The girl, who I assumed made it, said very defensively that it’s the correct recipe. Then she rolled her eyes and said she would make another one if that’s what we wanted. I’d rather not have someone angry making my food for me so I said that’s fine and left. Not once did they get up from their seats or try to resolve the issue. I will not...

DO NOT GO TO THIS SHOP 30 MINUTES BEFORE THEY CLOSE. This place has been a favorite of mine for YEARSS. One of the best boba spots in the Phoenix metro area, no question. The popcorn chicken- amazing. However, the service definitely lacks. When I ask a question about a menu item, I feel like I am bothering them. They were out of a lot of menu items, including regular honey boba, the last time I went. A little odd but I didn't think too much about it. I went the other day about 30 minutes before close, and was told that they were no longer taking orders, despite it clearly being a busy night for them still. I have worked customer service and coffee and did not understand this. Closing 10 minutes early- sure. 15 minutes early- sure. 20 minutes early- ok, I suppose. But 30 minutes? When you are clearly still consistently getting customers? I don't know about that. This place is great but it has so much more potential and can clearly be improved on the customer service front. In the meantime if you go to this spot, just don't go 30 minutes...