Taichi Bubble Tea, Ramen and Poke Bowl - Watkins Glen — Restaurant in Town of Dix

After conquering Watkins Glen’s stairmaster-in-disguise trails, we were ravishing (yes, that’s one step past “starving”) and pulled into the first place that looked decent from the road. Tai Chi Bubble Tea turned out to be a jackpot find.

From the outside, it looks like a modest little spot, but inside—bam!—bowls of ramen and poke so good you forget you were about to gnaw on your hiking boots. The ramen was flavorful, generous, and came out steaming like a reward for our sore legs. The poke was fresh and colorful enough to make us feel slightly healthy despite the fact we immediately ordered giant bubble teas to wash it down.

The place is simple, neat, and spotless (always a good sign when you’re about to eat raw fish), and the staff was warm, friendly, and patient with our post-hike indecisiveness. Portions were big enough that we waddled straight to our motel afterward, bellies happily overfilled and ready to carb-load for day two on the trails.

In short: Tai Chi Bubble Tea is the kind of surprise you hope for on a road trip—affordable, tasty, and just quirky enough to become part of the memory. Ramen, poke, and bubble tea?...

I really, really like Poke bowls. When my party of three walked in, one is greeted by the staff with a hello, and a large monitor to order off of. The menu is GREAT. Dish descriptions and a pictures also. Highly informative. The atmosphere inside is bright, engaging, fun, and is exactly one would hope for as to the kind of restaurant you are in. The menu was SO beautiful with the descriptions that I did not order a Poke bowl! I had gotten a Miso udon pork bowl that was out of this world in flavor and texture. Best I have ever had. The staff were very pleasant and helpful. Dumplings were great and their sauces are, again, out of this world. The other two persons in my party ordered a salmon salad and a Poke bowl. We commented that these were THE freshest ingredients that we ever had at a restaurant or even at a grocery store! Well done Taichi, to have this quality of food in Watkins Glenn is an honor...

This Taichi in particular has to be the slowest Taichi I’ve been to. I just want to let everyone know that this is not a proper sit down restaurant and I waited almost 40 minutes to order and receive a POKE BOWL. The staff are clearly overwhelmed and poorly trained. They stop taking customers’ orders and turn off kiosks when they’re slightly overwhelmed and don’t know how to keep up with the pace. Their service is extremely slow and I understand that they’re probably exhausted, and I advise that they get more staff and train them efficiently. In addition, the manager is not able to maneuver through their own register and seems to gather other staff to assist. The only reason I would give them 4 stars for food is simply because their portions are bigger than the other Taichi...