The Whale Tea Virginia Beach — Restaurant in Virginia Beach

I can absolutely see why this place is already so well loved. A few people told me that this was there to go place already for tea! I now see exactly why. When I first went into Whale Tea what loved was the set up. Very welcoming place for a first time person getting into the swing of bubble tea! So bright, clean, and a lot of claw machines and cute decorations that immediately make you want to not just buy from them, but explore the store as a whole! They have the store decorated with a Sanrio/ Hello Kitty claw machine, and Kakao/Line friends everywhere, and KAWS, which are all very familiar and fun as I love all of those things lol. I really enjoyed how clean and organized they were. Everything was just so tidy and these days sadly that's hard to find. You go into someone place and it's just a mess top to bottom. I love that they care enough to keep it clean constantly. (I say constantly because during my visit I saw people come out to check on things. Made me even more comfortable!). You can literally smell everything brewing fresh, and the warm smell of egg waffle wafting in the air! Now the egg waffles, baby let me get down to it. You NEED them, you don't just want them...you NEED them. haven't had these since I was back home in NYC walking through Chinatown. It gave me memories of being back in school and walking to the waffle carts after school for hot waffles! These are freshly made so if you're looking to rush out, you need to order another day when you can be patient!!! (Yes, you! As they are working at a fast and consistent pace for FRESH waffles). They offer 3 flavors: Cheese, chocolate, and pork floss. They were out of pork floss, and I mean I get why they're utterly amazing. I got the cheese, but that's what I planned on getting regardless so I was happy they hadn't sold out yet. When they came out, the first thing that hits you is that fresh sweet warm smell of waffle. I literally kept smelling them, because it's a scene that brings back so many memories for me. Biting into them, they're so soft and you get that cheesy salt taste! I really love a sweet and salty combo so it's always a party in every bite for me lol. I went with the lychee fruit tea which was 50 percent for sugar and 50 for ice. Next time I'II do 75 percent ice cause I'm an ice queen, but honestly if you're someone who complains about that "I want more drink" thing then 50 percent is for you! Either way I think you get more than enough. Not too sweet, tasted so fresh and smooth, I also love the little fresh bites of lychee cause I'm a fiend for it. My boyfriend got the blue crystal, and was surprised by how much he loved it. A milky smooth coconut taste with a very delicious jelly that works perfectly with every sip of the coconut drink. Very tropical in a Milky Way like pina colada vibes but ten times more subtle. The more he had the more he loved it, it's one of those drinks you sip nice and slow to enjoy truly how much flavor depth it has! Also, they have display stands you can put your blue crystal drink on and it lights up, yeah you heard me...DISPLAY STANDS CAUSE THAT DRINK IS A STAR! SHES A SHOW STOPPER AND YOU WILL GIVE HER THAT ATTENTION LOL. I just love it so much, and can see this is a real addition to a community bubble tea wise. With so many shops opening up, it's good to stand out in as many ways as possible and this place does it well from flavor, to options, to overall vibe they're very creative. I hope they continue to flourish this way, and doing what they're doing...

As I moved to the Hampton Roads since late February, I've been on a mini quest to find good bubble tea in the area. Tried places like gongcha, tealux, ninja tea, sharetea, and even joyu; unfortunately, they were all disappointing. For a point of reference, I've had good bubble tea in the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast (with places like teado, teaDM, Coco, tbaar, and tiger sugar. I'll add the gongchas in MD, as there's definitely a difference in quality and service with them). So when trying this place, I didn't necessarily have any expectations because of my prior disappointments from the above. But when I tried this place, they got a fighting chance to properly represent bubble tea in the Hampton Roads. As they allow you to choose your ice and sugar levels for your drinks, they have plenty of selections for everyone. In my current experience, I've gotten the taro fresh milk tea with pearls, as well as the classic milk tea. Both experiences presented with drinks that were balanced, just with the right amount of sweetness (also too with that of the pearls, a big plus), properly chilled, and not watered down or being made from a powder mix. If any friends or family need a rec for a bubble tea for whenever they're in the Hampton Roads area, it will be this place that...

On a recent trip to Virginia Beach, we were craving boba (bubble tea). We checked out Whale Tea and loved the cute interior.

Ordering was done through their self-service kiosk. Luckily, no one was behind us because placed a few drink orders plus one of their Stuffed Smiley Bites (egg-shaped pancake-tasting treat).

I was drawn by the beautiful blue in one of their drinks and ordered. I had the Whale Crystal (Coconut Milk). At first sip, I was actually disappointed and didn’t like it at all. The flavors and texture just didn’t work for me.

I tried a couple sips of the Taro Fresh Milk and that was way better than what I had. Our party also ordered a regular Milk Tea and Jasmine Tea Crystal (Coconut Milk). Mixed feelings on our drinks but we did enjoy the Stuffed Smiley Bites (Chocolate).

The day we came (Sunday), there were 2 parties ahead of us. Most of us were sitting around without drinks. I’m sure those ahead of us were waiting long as well. The total wait time for our 4 drinks and egg bites were 40 minutes.

Whale Tea helped satisfy our boba cravings though. It’s not as good as the ones I’ve had in California but definitely not the worst either. Kind staff. Cute interior. Long wait time.

Note: Located in the E Mart...