3 Bears Tea — Restaurant in West Des Moines

I keep forgetting to take pictures, I see other people have posted so I’ll just focus on my review, fear not.

If you’re looking for a bubble tea spot that feels straight out of a storybook, 3 Bears Tea is the place to be. The atmosphere is irresistibly cute—warm, cozy, and charming in a way that makes you want to linger a little longer with your drink. The staff match the setting perfectly: friendly, attentive, and always happy to chat about the menu. They’ll guide you through the drinks with genuine enthusiasm, which makes trying new things feel like a fun adventure instead of a gamble.

The ingredients here stand out immediately. Everything tastes fresh, vibrant, and thoughtfully prepared—no shortcuts, no artificial aftertaste, just quality in every sip. I’ve sampled multiple drinks, and each one has been a hit. The Mango Sweet Dew deserves a special spotlight: it’s refreshing, bright, and absolutely bursting with natural flavor, like sipping pure sunshine.

The Dragonfruit Smoothie is another delight—tropical, slightly tart, and incredibly refreshing. For something more indulgent, the Caramel Milk Boba Tea nails that balance of creamy sweetness without being cloying. And if you’re a tea purist, the Pineapple Chelan Oolong Tea is beautifully layered, with the floral depth of oolong elevated by the zing of pineapple.

And it’s not just the drinks. The food here is just as impressive. Everything tastes fresh, and the egg waffles in particular are adorable, golden, and wonderfully crisp yet soft inside—the perfect snack to go with your tea.

3 Bears Tea is one of those rare places where everything feels thoughtfully crafted, from the drinks to the food to the atmosphere. It’s whimsical, welcoming, and delicious—definitely worth...

FRESH FRUIT! REAL INGREDIENTS!

That is really all that needs to be said, but I will elaborate. This is the only bubble tea shop in the DSM metro area that uses fresh ingredients in all their drinks. The difference is night and day, it's like ice cream with strawberry flavoring vs ice cream with real strawberries. They are back there chopping up and blending fruit in your drinks so you may need to account for that if you like sugar in your drinks. I always get mine with 0 sugar since fruit has sugar, and some of the toppings are already made with sugar, but to each their own.

Pricing is in line with other bubble tea shops or maybe 1-2 dollar more depending on which ones you are comparing it to. Which is wild that places using powdered mixes are charging 5-8 dollars per drink + more for toppings. Those cheap products belong in grocery stores for at home creations or at a fast food place.

I honestly didn't want to say anything to keep this place for ourselves and keep the wait down, but I do want this place to succeed. Timing takes a bit longer, since they have to chop and prep more. Its easier to keep fruits from going bad by not peeling/cutting until it's needed. Powdered tea shops are a lot easier since its just scoops of powders + tea, but I got a watermelon drink and the are back there cutting up a watermelon. Same for mangoes, strawberries, dragonfruit, etc.

Now that we finally have a real bubble tea place in DSM. I don't have to worry about holding out for when I go to a bigger city. If you care about what you are actually consuming there's really no other alternatives. Perhaps if you only get a plain tea + boba or other toppings maybe another place may suffice in a pinch but if that's the case might as well...

3 bears tea is a very cute boba shop. We tried the smoothie and it has good flavor, but it could be a bit more sweet. We also tried their tuna poke bowl and it was good, but I think the soy sauce and the vinegar over power the flavor. They just on their soft opening phase, so they can improve on their drinks. I will come back to try their milk tea later and update the review. The staffs are very nice and friendly. Overall the experience was good and the smoothie was very good. Give them a try!

Update review on 3/28/25

Went to 3 bears tea again and ordered 3 milk tea and egg waffle. My milk tea toping was with sweat potato. They used fresh potato and the texture was very good. I would have to say that their milk tea is a lot better than the smoothie I had ordered the other day. The egg waffle was decent and not overly sweet. The owners remembered us and said welcome back. I thought that was a nice touch. They only have 2 people working so plan to wait have a long wait. Overall, the experience was fantastic and should give this place a try. Can’t wait to try their...