Cha for Tea

Sad this place closed down it was the best. Open Til late & the closet to my house this was always my go to place there Chrispy chicken was the BEST
I HOPE THEY REOPEN IT BACK UP in the area i miss it so much.

This branch recently just closed to the plaza’s long-​time-​coming demise. I mean come on, Cha for Tea was the only thing that brought people to the run down plaza!
I’m hoping they’ll open another branch in the area! Nothing beats their mango green tea and the friendly staff!

Looks really good. Didn’t get anything, but the Boba looks tasty. I think this whole arcade, though, is about to go bye-​bye with condos coming in. Sad. Fun that ppl hang out at tables, play cards or just stand around and talk.
I really liked how the gal would come out of the café into the arcade/​walkway and vocally track down whosever’s order was ready. She’s great.

Place gets busy, but it’s nice to hang here during late nights with friends.
Drinks are a tad pricey. I got the iced Almond Black Milk Tea, one of their more popular drinks. I got it with less sugar, and I really liked it.
Service was nice and friendly.

– Paying with credit card under $ 5 they charge you $ 0.25
– add Tapioca $ 0.47
It was 1:30am and I craved for something sweet. I’ve been here before and it was ok.
I ordered Almond Black Milk Tea with boba, and they DIDN’T TELL ME THEY CHARGE EXTRA FOR TAPIOCA. At Whatever Tea Lounge they you don’t pay extra for jelly or boba. And because I would have paid 25cents more with credit card, she suggested me to upgrade to an large drink. I ended up paying almost $ 6 for ONE drink. That was an expensive late night craving I had.
At least my desire for sugar is pleased now.
I gave it two stars, because I’ve experienced better. It doesn’t mean Cha for Tea is bad… it’s just not good enough.

I tend to only get the teas here but have heard good things about their food. That being said, I can’t fully give them 5 stars if I don’t know what their food tastes like.
This place gets busy and stays busy up until closing time (midnight or 1am).
Its a decent place to take a date as you get the hustle and bustle of the city but it’s intimate enough to talk to each other.
Great customer service.

There is a reason Cha for Tea is still in business.
Anyone who is familiar with the area has seen and understood why this is the only establishment standing. Located on the southeast corner of Main and Garfield, they share an empty shopping mall with plenty of parking. Mervyns is long gone, the Forever 21 wannabe shop disappeared, Payless shoes obviously wasn’t paying enough, and Radioshack will soon be just a shack. Anywho, freshly made high quality drinks is the victor of Cha for Tea.
Popular drinks:
Mango green tea
Diabetes sweet. It’ll hit you when you take your first sip, but by then you’re already addicted. Obviously you can change the amount of sweetness but I never do: D
Honey green milk tea
Sweetened with honey so less guilt than refined sugar. Unique flavor regardless.
Almond milk tea
Signature. I prefer this drink on cold days because I order it hot with boba. The boba melts in your mouth towards the end.
This is an ok place to study, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Kinda small inside, and lots of high school kids roam the area.
–Shared public restroom available.
–Free wifi.
–Cash discount.
If you don’t like your drink, they will remake it or give you something else to satisfy you. Service is served.

Been there twice and really like it a lot.
Free wifi. although the password must be a well kept secret… but they do have it and people use it.
You’ll see a few student laptop campers while you’re there… that’s for sure.
They have some really good lunch specials, so be sure and check ‘em out. You order an item from the menu and you get a free drink. but only certain drinks and certain items. In my case is was $ 7.72 for the grilled chicken lunch. If you stray from that deal, like my friend did, you’ll end up paying about an extra $ 4 for a simple cup of hot tea.
I had grilled
came with a small salad, corn, and a generous portion of steamed rice. The chicken had a lot of garlic, and I loved it! Plenty of food, and the quality was excellent.
No free refills on simple teas. Bummer.
Service is great, food is fine tasting. Plenty of parking in the back lot of what used to be Mervyn’s.
Next time I’m in the area, I’ll be back!

The service was great…
The boba drinks were great too. But, the pearl balls were a bit to small, other than that everything was good. Although the pearls were small they were good and sweet but chewy.
The food on the other hand was delicious.

One of the usual hangouts for me and my buddies. Great place to just relax, hang out with friends and have some boba.
Hot Almond Milk Tea with Boba on a cold day.

Opens until 1 am. But I wouldn’t recommend this place for anyone to «study» because it’s a very loud environment, people smoke outside and you can smell it sometimes when you are sitting inside. In addition, no power outlets– so if you like to sit at a tea place to «study» then this is not the place to go.
However! If your objective of coming here is to catch up or chit chat with friends, then I will come here, well minus the second hand smoke. They are very consistent with their drinks.
*this review is strictly for coming at night– I came to cha for tea around 9:30 pm

This location is pretty busy on a Saturday night. I like this place because it is next to the shopping parking lot and its so easy and free to find parking!
Popcorn chicken was yummy and their almond black milk tea with boba was yummy, although a bit too sweet towards the end. The boba was soft and chewy!
Their wifi is fast and there are people studying here too but it can get a bit loud with the music and ppl conversating around you.

I came here to do some work. Here are my thoughts:
*good, prompt service
*love how you can adjust the sweetness of the tea. I like it less sweet personally.
*THE WIFI BLOWS. — so I can never come here again. Can’t load facebook

google drive, open my gmail, etc. All I see is a spinning circle of doom over and over. There’s hardly anyone here so I don’t think its a bandwidth issue.
:(
**In case you’re wondering, I wrote this review from my phone.

This place serves pretty good boba and some snacks/​appetizers. They have both outdoor and indoor seating. They have wi-​fi so you can bring your laptop and do some work online. But it can get pretty crowded, especially at night and on the weekends.
The servers are very friendly. They also offer samples. And if you don’t like the way your tea tastes, they’ll re-​do it for you. :)
Drinks:
*Almond Milk Tea — my favorite!
*Jasmine Green Milk Tea — fragrant and tasty!
Snacks:
*Popcorn chicken — I usually get it mildly spicy and it was pretty good. But it’s a hit or miss because I remember one time the pieces of chicken were really hard and chewy.
Parking: lots of free spaces in the plaza

Haven’t been back for probably a year but nothing much has changed. Easy parking since they are pretty much they only tenant in the building that’s still alive & running. Staff are friendly and there when needed. It’s a little small inside and you might run into trouble securing a seat in the evening.
My favorite drink here is the hot almond milk tea with mini boba! I can’t find anywhere else that can make it as well as they do here. Mmhmm. Happy camper! Drinks are about $ 3.50-$ 6 depending on what you order.
Great environment to hang out and catch up with a friend.

How the hell is this place still in business? We strolled in for a snack because we had 30 min to kill before our movie started.
Besides Radioshack, this is the only other business open in this dead plaza.
I remember the days when green tea was 99 cents, now it’s $ 5 a cup because kids will come and order a drink and sit there for 6 hours. Go ahead and call me old, but you’re gonna have to pay me $ 5 an hour to sit around blaring kpop and annoying teenagers.
My biggest complaint, NO KETCHUP!!! They offer condensed milk or weird looking sweet and sour sauce for 34 cents for the sweet potato fries.
Should’ve went to Radioshack instead.

Ok I have yet to get boba here but I have had a few appetizers from this place. I love the popcorn chicken and their dumplings were average… But be warned it is a lil high on the price scale.
Lots and lots of students come here to study or hang out or do whatever students do these days. Literally I can go out to a nearby bar or restaurant and then swing in here before or after and the only difference is maybe 2 – 3 of there 20+ tables have changed clients… haha talk about craziness…
Pro Tip: To Go orders are made pretty quickly =)
Truly a crazy part of this place is that they seem to be the only open restaurant/​store in this entire mall. The former anchor was mervyns and nothing else is ever open or been open here that I have ever seen. They have a unisex bathroom that needs to be cleaned and have the trash emptied much more often. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
They do have friendly service and are seemingly attentive. I think that they must have free wifi as well… otherwise the students wouldnt be swarming this place like it was required for a good grade… so you may want to check this joint out sometime…

Jeezuz, what the heck happened to the prices here and why have they all been jacked up by a couple dollars since I last remember?!
As stated in one of my many tea house reviews, this used to be my tea house of choice between 2001 – 2011 (granted the CHA at UCI zot loveee is where I fell in love). Other tea masters have since surfaced. If I happen to be in the area, sure why not. But drive out of my way, not anymore.
BUT, I will say, I still LOVE the brick toast! Buttery, sweet, soft & flaky… nomnoms.

This place is great!
Open late and prepared for anything!
Their ‘spicy’ items aren’t really spicy so heads up.
The seasoning is really tasty however, so pile it on.
The steamed green beans with the magical seasoning are a delicious snack.
The chicken isn’t chewy and is always crisp with that magical seasoning.
The lavender tea with honey is a MUST have.
Take it to go and fall asleep at home with it before bed.
This place has the ability to become packed due to students ready to study/​do homework, so you may not find a seat.
If you do find a seat and are a student, you may want headphones if you want to be zen.
They play top 40 music over their speakers which may interrupt some.
I’m a definite Cha for Tea fan!

You could probably catch me here studying the most because unlike other places, they don’t kick you out or disturb you when you’re in your zone! They have free Wi-​Fi, friendly and attentive workers, and plenty of outlet seating.
I love that they offer soy milk and Splenda substitutes to your drink. I’m known for my regular drink, Honey Milk Green Tea – a discovery I made too late! It’s light and refreshing, perfect for the summer heat in the SGV. It’s absolutely delicious, but if you know me, I usually finish that in 2 seconds (and yes, I order a large every time)!
I’ve also tried their Veggie Dumplings ($ 7.13 for 8), which I honestly wouldn’t recommend because it’s kind of bland. The veggie in the dumplings is just cabbage without much spice or seasoning in it. I drenched it in low-​sodium soy sauce and chilis, but the taste just isn’t there! I guess I should have asked for some salt and pepper, but it was just eh – nothing spectacular. I do, however, like that they try to accommodate everyone by offering vegetarian options and substitutes.
4 stars for great service, friendly workers, tables with outlets, and plenty of parking!

Love this place. the chicken is nom nomzzz!!!