Bubble Island

I am a biiiig fan of boba tea, but this was disappointing. The employees spent their time gossiping with each other and hardly acknowledged us. My boyfriend got the coffee milk tea, where the coffee tasted stale. I got the lychee slush and was very sad. There was such a small amount of flavor that it was mostly ice and tasted very watered down. You know its bad when you are digging out your bubbles and just throw out the rest… I’d try somewhere else next time.

I had previously been here before and had the taro tea. Needless to say I did not think it was all that great but I tried to enjoy it anyway. I am a huge fan of boba tea, but this is by far my least favorite. I came back for more today to try their milk tea, any boba tea place worth anything will at least have good milk tea, how bad could it be? Well it was bad, pre made and tasteless not to mention their service was subpar. I do not care to listen to you gossip endlessly about your personal life to each other while I’m trying to get cashed out. I will not be coming here again.

While I’ve been back to Bubble Island many times since I last wrote my review, an updated review is long overdue…
Changes are always good… I’m glad to see that the design/​layout hasn’t changed much, but offerings has. I noticed that they no longer serve frozen yogurt (I could be wrong, but I didn’t see the machine in the front, unless they moved it to the back). When we got here at 7:45pm, the place was busy… we waited and ordered… I went with my usual Turtle Tea with Lychee Jellies.
As much as I would like to visit more often, being away from campus doesn’t provide any opportunity to do so… but with lot of other places offering bubble tea, glad to see that this place is still doing well.

It’s just so yummy. The bubbles aren’t gritty like they are at some places, they’re chewy. Flavors are always flawless. Mmm. I usually opt for an almond milk tea with mango stars, and it is one of my favorite things in the WORLD! :) :) :) I stop here every single time I pass Ann Arbor.

I used to come here in high school like 10 years ago. 0_​o; Anyway I’m back at work in the Ann Arbor area so this is my happy place to unwind from a hard week. Taro milk tea is my favorite :) the hubby likes the milk tea. The service is fast and to the point. I even call in ahead sometimes so I can pick up my order when I’m waiting for dinner at «No Thai». This is my stereotypical Asian thing. I have an addiction to bubble tea. :)

My first bubble tea experience.
My best bubble tea experiences.
My most missed bubble tea provider.
I’ll be back one day, Bubble Island. You taught me to love (tapioca) balls in my mouth, and I’ll always be grateful for your patience as I slowly learned to like them. Nobody used to judge me when I got the tea with no bubbles!
Dont worry, BI, I’ll be back for you one day. And I’ll play checkers while I sip on some delicious kiwi green tea with extra bubbles.

Soooo i dunno what I was thinking last year when I wrote this review. I think I must have been starved for balls in my mouth in order to give this place a 4 star review.
I have been here several times since my initial review and every time it has been rough, bubble island. WHY are my balls mushy and have no firmness/​constitution? WHY does the taro barely taste like taro? WHY do I feel so bloated after drinking the tea here???
If this is your first experience with Boba, please, go somewhere else

I usually get fusion with black bubbles. Always good. Best endorsment of the bubble tea here comes from my friends 2.5 year old son. «BUBBBLLLESSSS Need more bubbllesssss» gets handed bubbles, .03 seconds later. «PLEAAASEEEE MOOOOREEEEE BUBBBLESSSSS»
So, I would say they are pretty good

Props to whoever decided to open this bubble tea shop across the street from U of M. I had just gotten a tour of the University and one of my local friends suggested Bubble Island to quench our thirst. It was a pretty hot day, so we were especially grateful to be greeted with air conditioning. There was a line ahead of us, so it allowed for ample time to mull over what we wanted. As with most bubble tea stores, you have the option of creating your own drink or choosing from their signature drink menu.
I had the tropical rush which was a mix of calpico with kiwi and pineapple juice and came with mango stars. Very fruity and refreshing which was what I was expecting. I also tried a sip of the green turtle, classic milk tea, and mango amore. In my opinion, their fruity beverages taste better than their teas. I don’t think they’re steeping their teas long enough or rather they are using too much milk/​cream which really offsets the tea flavor.
They even have mochi ice cream here and you can purchase one for $ 0.94 or three for $ 2.36 (excluding tax — anything less than a dollar is dang tempting for a student though). Service is very quick. My friends and I all received our drinks within seconds of placing the order, which affirms to me that the milk teas must already be pre-​made. Regardless, this bubble tea shop is sure to get good business when classes begin.

Bubble Island is great… when they’re open. I know they cater to college students who are looking for a late-​night spot, but for those of us wanting a bubble tea caffeine fix before work, we’re out of luck. Lately, it seems like the posted hours are mere suggestions. After holding out all morning for a bubble tea, I arrived at 11 am to be greeted by a sign that said they weren’t opening until 12:30 pm. During Art Fair, they didn’t open until noon (surprising, because it seems like there would be decent business from Art Fair patrons). The changed hours are not posted on their website, so now I find myself crossing my fingers and hoping they’re open every time I venture over. $ 2 bubble tea before 1pm is a great deal, but if they keep changing their opening time, I may find a new source for my tea.
Despite my aggravation over the arbitrary hours, I will say that I am a fan of their tea. I like the light milk tea with either almond or taro. On a hot day, a mango snowbubble is a sweet treat!

I’m a fan of this place. I get the classic Thai tea and the mojito typically. I’ve never had the food here, but the bubble tea is good.

Bubble Island has a pretty strong presence on campus as a bubble tea café — however, it’s mostly because people don’t know better. The nice thing about this place is that it’s open late and is a casual setting to play games with friends. For under $ 5, you will be getting a flavored drink with tapioca bubbles. Sure it’ll be sweet but it won’t taste much like tea.
The fact that it’s open late makes it a great place to grab food or drink when you’re looking for a study break. I recommend the popcorn chicken or mochi ice cream balls (green tea and red bean are great!). As for bubble teas, feel free to experiment by mixing a variety of flavors together. Almond-​Taro is surprisingly good.
If you are looking for a better tasting bubble tea, I would suggest checking out TK Wu’s. Sweetology is alright but it’s a lot pricier.

My all-​time favorite drink is always the Taro Milktea with bubbles The staffs are friendly and the price is pretty okay also.

Tried multiple bubble teas– don’t recommend the snow teas and found the black bubbles inedible, should let people try them because it was gross to me and a total turn off but everyone else I was with liked them

They got me again.
Went last Saturday at 10 pm. Once again, was told no extra black bubbles because they are closing soon and are running out. Five hours before closing.
I kindly protested. Exercised the passive side of my aggressive muscle — felt like hulk on the inside but I kept it in.
By the end of our very short interaction the bubble dealer did crack a small smile, which is a big deal considering the temperament of some bubble island employees I have encountered.
In the end, I think he may have used a heavier hand than usual when dosing me because my tea was fabulously bubbleicious.
Thank you!
Still, two stars for faking me out and raising my blood pressure.

So my FlockTag which never fails me texted me one morning to let me know that I had a free drink available on Bubble Island, so I sailed my behind over there because it was the last day.
When I got there, I chose my favorite juice and got the default bubbles, but unfortunately in my overzealousness about springtime and being super excited to partake in this wonderful drink that is bubble tea, upon inserting my straw I punctured my (extremely flimsy) cup and juice spilled all over me and the floor. Of course, probably because my drink was free, not one person behind the counter offered to help me clean it up and just stared at me as I attempted to fix the mess myself. Having seen similar situations in other businesses handled with care and finesse and staff members not staring at you as if you’re an idiot, I have nothing good to say about this place.
I take care to pay especially good attention to how places treat customers when they have deals like these, including FlockTag Deals and Groupons. If they can’t treat you well when you have a deal, why waste your time and money when you have to pay full price? Am I right? More than ever I just missed my former bubble tea haunts in the City and New Jersey, you know? The places that didn’t have plastic wrap lids and cups that couldn’t easily be punctured by an excited customer, oh and staff that were helpful when you looked sheepish…
From now on if I NEED a fix, I’ll look elsewhere and if there’s no where in sight, there’s always Winter and Spring Break, right?
*sigh*

I’ve avoided writing a review for a while because I used to work at a bubble tea store back home and was afraid of being biased. I keep wanting to give Bubble Island another try but I continually leave there disappointed.
Yesterday, I ordered the Classic Milk Tea, which is pre-​made and disgusting. It has no taste of black tea and just tasted like watered down cream with sugar. So, don’t get that. My boyfriend ordered a hot Javanut. Did you know, they microwave any hot orders for 3 minutes in a plastic container? I don’t know if that’s safe. Speaking from personal experience, in 3 minutes, you can steep tea or French press coffee and then take another minute to mix in the flavors. Needless to say, the hot drink was not delicious.
Whoever was working last night was NOT a pleasant person. He talked super fast and angrily and didn’t make eye contact. I’m sorry, but if you chose to work a late shift, at least try to make the most of it. Don’t ruin someone else’s day with your attitude.

Where else can you get a medium sized bubble tea that is nearly sugar-​free for $ 2 (before 1pm) AND use your FlockTag to build up points for your next FREE item?
Yup, it’s bubble island! It’s a bit of an eclectic mix of students (high school and college) huddled around tables, sipping bubble tea and complaining about how unfair that exam was! Then, you have the ‘board game’ folks who can’t seem to get enough of Connect Four (if you give the staff your license, you can borrow one of their many board games). Lastly, you have the late night study crowd who just wants to get thru one more chapter of Orgo before calling it a night.
When this placed opened in the early 2000s, I used it as a study lounge. This is back in the day when they gave you stamps for each purchase and after buying 5 bubble teas, your 6^th was free (now they have FlockTag). They have always had the industrial looking machine that seals a plastic lid to your cup but they used to have animé characters (as ‘lid art’) that were really funny (now, the lids just say Bubble Island). I once got an angry looking cartoon figure of Tom Cruise as my lid art and I used to anticipate what lid I’d get cause you’d always get a good laugh out of it.
Some drawbacks to this place is its not convenient to visit if you’re not walking in the area already (although there is parking around the corner) and the bathroom is in a funky place upstairs, around the corner and them some extra steps. The drinks are pretty good (I love the sugar free options) and for those who like their flavored tea on the strong side, just ask them to put more of the base flavor and less tea.
All in all, this is a place that is here to stay in Ann Arbor which is a tough thing to do (sad to see MoMo tea gone!) but obviously something students continue to flock to year after year.

Craving boba/​bubble during my first night in AA, my friend who’s a local took me to Bubble Island. The other option was Mo Mo Tea but that was closed and this place opens until 2 – 3 AM!
I got the hot milk tea with bubble and popcorn chicken. The milk tea was good, but then again, I find it very hard to mess up on milk tea. The bubble was chewy and soft so I enjoyed that thoroughly. The popcorn chicken, however, was HORRIBLE. I urge you to never order this. It is basically the dough/​flour and very little chicken meat. It was hard and tasteless. They gave us a lot but I ate a few bites and had to stop.
They do have a rewards program and they are open late so I can see how it would attract desperate kids who wants to satisfy their milk tea cravings. Just avoid the popcorn chicken, really. you aren’t missing out on that at all. I am being generous and giving it 3 stars. Those poor students in AA need better access to better tasting bubbles!

I realize this is a pretty mediocre place as far as authentic bubble tea goes but I hold a special place in my heart for bubble island. It is super conveniently located in South University and it’s atmosphere is the main reason I will keep coming back. It’s got board games, bubble tea, and is open late enough to satisfy my night owl tendencies. I really couldn’t ask for more.
If you are looking for recommendations for drinks, some of my favorites are
the mango calpico cooler with mango stars
Taro milk tea with black bubbles (This is the one I always crave)
strawberry milk tea with oreo
Quick tip: if you are looking for something new, check their specials board! In the fall or winter they sometimes have a toasted marshmallow and it is seriously amazing. If you see it on the board try it hot or cold!