The Alley — Restaurant in Vancouver

Not horrible, but nothing to write home about. I've been to a number of tea places in the area, and most are pretty good, so I had high hopes for this shop. Especially with such good reviews. Unfortunately, it was very underwhelming. The menu is pretty small, which I actually prefer at most places, but customization is lackluster, which limits the menu, and the quality was poor.

Based on previous reviews, I'm not sure if I was just unlucky, but you're not able to remove any toppings from the drinks. You can't get a brown sugar tea without boba (something that just about every local shop is able to do), you can't remove jelly from other drinks, you can't change out a topping flavor for another (even if you would pay for it), essentially anything that comes with a topping on the menu is locked in, you can't remove, add, or customize. This is very odd compared to most places, and I'm not sure if this is just standard for this franchise or what. When you have a limited number of drink options, not being able to customize is a bit strange.

In terms of quality, that was also lacking. I got my drink quickly, and upon leaving and taking my first drink, it had a very odd taste. It's almost like a soapy flavor that lingered with a strange film that coated my mouth. I'm not sure if it was a specific ingredient, something off with the tea, or what, but it was odd, and I ended up tossing the drink. I honestly could've gotten over the strange customization rules, but having a drink that tasted so badly was a big no-go for me.

The staff was kind and helpful, which is much appreciated. The place was clean and service was fast. I'm sure there are many people who would enjoy this place, and maybe I just had an abnormal experience that's not standard, I most likely won't be suggesting it to anyone after...

Came here for the grand opening and waited in line for about an hour. People who seemingly owned the shop or had some sort of affiliation with it (dressed in fancy dresses and heels & lingering outside with the photographer) kept coming in and out of the store, and then walking in front of us over and over again without saying excuse me, occasionally brushing up against us. That was my initial impression of this place so that was disappointing.

Once finally getting into the shop, I decided to go with the matcha brown sugar boba milk, and my partner got the crunchy strawberry milk tea. The matcha was delicious at first, because all of the syrup and flavors of the boba sat at the bottom of the drink even though I mixed it to be sure that wouldn’t happen. The flavor was gone very quickly, and once it was just matcha left, it was the grittiest and un flavorful matcha I’ve ever tried. I’m super disappointed because I really wanted to like it! I had more than half of a drink left and I couldn’t finish it. My partners drink was extremely syrupy too, and she didn’t finish hers either.

I think the grand opening could have been organized a bit better by only letting a certain amount of people inside once they made it to the front of the line, because we were packed like sardines in there at one point as it’s not a very big shop to be able to hold that many people at once. There were also people completely blocking the door, and there was only one way in and out of there, so definitely a safety hazard.

The biggest pro to me is that they have dairy free...

Hands down my favorite boba shop in town! Everything about this place is amazing—from the drinks to the atmosphere to the super friendly staff. It’s cozy, clean, and has such a welcoming vibe that makes you want to hang out and stay a while.

I am completely obsessed with their snowy strawberry smoothie. It’s beyond delicious—creamy, icy, and packed with fresh strawberry flavor. It’s sweet, refreshing, and blended perfectly every single time. I always add boba, and it just takes the drink to a whole other level. The pearls are soft, chewy, and have the perfect texture never too hard or soggy. I seriously crave it all the time.

And if you’re in the mood for something richer, their brown sugar milk is also a must-try. It has that deep caramelized flavor that hits just right not too sweet, but incredibly satisfying. The brown sugar swirls in the cup make it look as good as it tastes. You really can’t go wrong with either drink.

The staff are always kind and quick, even when the shop gets busy. They’re happy to answer questions or make suggestions, and you can tell they care about making sure every customer has a great experience.

If you’re a boba fan or even if you’ve never tried it this place is the perfect spot to fall in love with it. I can’t...