Spiceology

Hands down my FAVORITE place to get boba in the SGV. Best taste, price, and service. I moved to the valley about a year ago but always make it a point to drive back for their drinks.
Great place to study/​work and catch-​up with friends. There are outlets available for each booth.
Delicious snacks (fries, fried fish cake, popcorn chicken, onion rings, shaved milk — ask for extra rice balls mmm!), and meals (minced pork on rice, wonton soup, spicy wontons, beef noodle soup).

Good go to place for drinks. Well priced and highly recommend their non milk teas.
Ask about the watermelon green tea or the watermelon juice. They make it with fresh watermelon.

Shaved snow — 4 stars, atmosphere — 2 stars.
We ordered the green tea flavored shaved snow with mochi, red beans, and boba. Texture was melt in your mouth, perfect and excellent green tea flavor sweetened by condensed milk. Could do with a bit more of the toppings though.
Although the snow was delicious, it was an awkward place. First, there was no music or any sort of background sound, so it was eerily quiet despite being at around 80% capacity. Also not very well decorated as their big shelves were empty of any décor.
In short, tasty desserts, but don’t expect it to be a fun hangout place.

So disappointed that this is a cash only place. What a huge turn off. They should at least put a sign in the front to let people know.

This place has great boba. Its more expensive than Tapx but generally has less of a line and is worth it. My major complaint is how its often not open when it’s supposed to be. I am still giving it 5 stars so people continue to support it. It’s really good boba and shaved snow, shaved snow is probably 6.5÷10 if class 302 mango is a 9.5. Its good, not great, but their drinks are great.
I get mango green tea with boba, their boba is some of the best cooked boba I’ve had in the area, and I’m a boba fanatic. It’s soft, perfectly sized, perfectly chewy, and has a little honey flavor in it.
Please support spiceology!

Perfect Taiwan style fast food & snack shop!
My order;
1) Oolong Tea Late — sweet with black sugar and a lot of milk, just great!
2) Fried Tofu — not the stinky one, crispy outside and very soft inside, chili pepper & salt flavored, Cool snack!
3) Green Tea Snowy ice sorbet with toppings of red bean & lychee jelly. Yummy even cold night!
4) slight fried Pok Choy; Taiwanese taste, just good!
Total $ 20.
Please come here when DinTaiFung is full, this restaurant never let you wait, but tasty!

Just had their Fried Chicken Leg Rice and it was so good!
I’m normally a white meat eater but the pictures on Unilocal and on their menu looked good I decided to give it a try. Called ahead of time to make sure they’re open since I’ve tried to go a few times before and they were often closed (even though their Open sign was lit).
The rice had flavor in it too — so delish! The fried chicken was a lil sweet but overall was good.
Glad I came back!

First time trying Taiwanese! Got the spicy popcorn chicken (not spicy enough) but the chicken was so juicy and had a great taste. Spicy chicken with rice was also good, not too salty and it contained some very spicy peppers. Minced beef with noodles (which is actually pork) tasted better than it looked. Slightly sweet, we enjoyed it. Prices for each dish were under $ 8. And we still had some for later (2 people). No soda or fountain drinks-​my only criticism.
The passion fruit green tea was not bitter and had just the right amount of sweetness. We left satisfied.

3.5 stars. Service was good even though the cashier serves double duty — also act as the server. Parking wasn’t hard to find inside the 99 cent store plaza. Order at the counter and food will be brought to you.
Had the Egg fried rice + shrimp+ spam + corn & Spicy Wonton & Cold seaweed appetizer. Honestly, the food wasn’t bad. It’s not exactly «wowzer» or anything like that, but decently good. Oh, also had their popcorn chicken. It’s alright. Neither good or bad. It’s fine. My favorite is still Factory Tea Bar’s & Jazz Cat’s (though their’s is such a huge piece that it’s like chicken nuggets).
Tried their Iced Green Tea. Tasted kinda light, but ok/​fine. May like Tapioca Express & Quickly’s Iced Green Tea better (for cheap teas). Also had the Oolong Tea Latte with boba. Their boba is soft & chewy, so I like that. You know you’re not getting the day old boba that has been refrigerated.
Overall, a decent experience. Wouldn’t mind coming here if I was in the area, but wouldn’t go out of my way to come here.
*Cash ONLY*

Well the popcorn chicken was really tasty. Boba was good too. Was little disappointed with other foods we order, it was very tasteless and nothing really special to it! We order the spicy chicken and other vegetables and it was very disappointing. If you are craving for popcorn chicken this place is perfect to get one but stay away from other food!

This review is based only on the snow since I didn’t try any of their food dishes. I got the green tea snow with three orders of rice balls and lychee jelly. The rice balls were sooo soft and chewy (even better than Blockhead’s!) and the snow was big enough to share with a friend. They have many tables and the place has a comfy atmosphere. I would totally come back here and try their food and boba.

Best popcorn chicken ever.
This little hidden gem in Arcadia is the perfect boba shop. There are plenty of seats, many booths, plus they serve shaved snow and really good tea. Oh and did I mention the best popcorn chicken ever?
They use dark meat and they breading is just right. The chicken is always moist and flavorful. They use this really delicious chili powder on it. I get it extra spicy and still find it to be very manageable.
Spiceology is cash only so make sure you bring cash with you. They are located in the same plaza as the 99 cents store. There’s usually plenty of parking in the lot.

I came here for some dessert, but this place serves other entrees/​snacks as well. I ordered the mango snow with condensed milk and rice cakes. For only $ 7 it was pretty decent. The snow texture was good, however I thought the rice cakes were a bit too small and «mushy.» But overall, the taste is pretty good.
Service is decent. Parking is easy since it’s located in the same lot as the 99 cent store. I think this place is cash only though!

My favorite low key tea place who’s half sugar is actually half sugar and not diabetic sweet! Also a big fan of their shaved snow and popcorn chicken.

Decided to stop by for some snacks before I head to the Arcadia library. I got the Popcorn Chicken and Oolong Milk Tea because I saw reviews saying how good it was. The popcorn children was tender but the flavoring is very weird. It tasted sweet and a little spicy and not the good kind. The oolong milk tea was flavorless. It was soooo bland and tasted like watered down milk with no taste of tea AT ALL. the total was $ 8.13 for two items. Portions were good, the drink was only one size (large).
I was so disappointed, don’t think I’d be back again.

My go-​to boba spot. I’d rather go here than Au.
Honey green milk tea.
Lactose-​free cause they use non-​dairy creamer. I appreciate that.
Boba is usually on point.
Only thing that kind of sucks is when I forget to carry cash with me.

Great ambiance and pretty good menu too. Their popcorn chicken is one of the best I’ve tried – crisp, tender, so good! I usually get the Oolong milk tea or the Osmanthus milk tea with half sugar, both of which are pretty tasty! You go here for the atmosphere though, definitely; they have cush seating, where you can sit back and chill with friends.

Cute little place. The onion ring were surprising amazing. Decide to try something new for lunch with a friend. I almost walked out when I realize it was more of a tea bar with food on the side. I had the 5 flavor chicken. It was a little rubbery but it was pretty good for a tea bar. The green tea I had was great. My friend is a vegetarian, she found great noodles on the menu. We were the only people in the place for lunch and the guy was attentive and check on us.
Payment: Cash only
Parking: Shared private lot
Service: Great. We were the only ones in there and the guy was attentive.
Overall: I would def come back if I’m in the area for a drink and snacks. They do a really great job with the teas. It would be a great place to hang out for groups of people.

So this place use to be «Tasty to Go» and now has a new store front name operated by a new management team. I use to come here when it was «Tasty to Go» and I recognize the male owner’s face. This new place is operated by that same guy so I’m not sure if it’s under new management but more like just a new store name with some new add ons to their menu.
I ordered the mango shaved snow that comes with mango and pink mochi and added a side of popcorn chicken — medium spicy. The shaved snow portion is modest but the amount you get for mangos definitely changed. There’s barely any mangos and I think the old place use to give generously sized mango portions when it was starting out as a business to get their name out. Anyways, in terms of quality, it’s OK. If only class 302 was closer, I would definitely go there instead. but this place will have to do.
I do not recommended ordering anything main course food related other than small bites/​snacks. Food is really lousy. Most come here just for boba/​tea drinks or shaved snow.

Pretty cliché place. :)
I like the fact that it holds up to the standards. I am yet to experience a flavor that’ll keep me coming back :)

I’m only reviewing this place based on their drinks and shaved snow! I’ve never tried their food before except for their fried tofu, which was okay. I think tap ex has better fried tofu.
This place used to be called tasty to go, but now they completely changed the name and the food that they serve. There’s plenty of parking but a majority of people shop at 99cent store, so it gets packed super fast. You’ll be fighting with old people for parking, just a heads up.
Their boba milk tea is DELICIOUS, MOUTH WATERING & AMAZING! This was my go to place for boba whenever I was craving it. I always get it after I finish eating the Guilin noodles place that’s in the same plaza. Their boba is always so warm, hot & fresh. They only have one size for drinks by the way. So the bottom where the boba is, is warm, while the milk tea part is super cold. Drinking both together is so perfect; the first sip is always the best part. I’ve always been so scared to try any other drink because I just love their milk tea too much.
Their shaved snow is delicious as well. I prefer shaved snow over shaved ice because of the texture and of course how it looks. I definitely recommend this if you’re craving for something sweet and want dessert after dinner.
The people that work here are friendly and nice. The lady doesn’t really speak much English, but the guy knows perfect English and he will learn to know who you are the more you go there.

Ordered oolong milk tea with coffee jelly. The flavor is rich and the coffee jelly is the right combination of chewy and firm. Lady friend ordered jasmine green milk tea with grass jelly. The jasmine flavor is prominent and it isn’t as thick as some places. I think the milk is thinner. Overall not bad, and the cups are Hella big.
Downfall is that there wasn’t anyone there but it still took a while for the drinks to come out.
–The Hangry Photographer

Their popcorn chicken is pretty good.
Coffee milk tea is delicious.
Minced pork over rice is ok.
Oolong milk tea is wonderful.
This place is hidden but their food and drinks are pretty good. The ownership recently changed so they changed the name but the manager is still the same and food taste the same. They did add a couple more items to the menu, which is great!

Been here for their drinks and shaved snow.
Nothing too out of the box here, you get what you come for
CASH ONLY
prices are typical for boba/​drinks

Not a fan of the food. I suggest sticking to the drinks and desserts.
Fried tofu– Like that they use the silky tofu. The dipping sauce had no flavor and they gave very little of it anyways.
Pan fried dumplings– Same as the ones from the frozen section of the supermarket. Needs more sauce.
Preserved vegetable and pork rice noodle soup– So bland. This looks like something you can make at home. I think my home version would’ve turned out better.
Pork Chop rice– The pics look like it’s deep fried with some batter. It came out un-​coated. Did have a good flavor though.
Total $ 25
You order at the counter and they bring out your food to you. The place looks like a local hangout/​study place for a bunch of high schoolers who order 1 drink and sit there for hours on their laptops.

Their Minced Beef Noodle, N1 on the menu, seems to be pork instead of beef. I heard two employees say minced pork noodle after I put in my order (a pork version is not listed on the menu); I find this misleading (What if I was a customer who didn’t eat pork?). My green tea milk tea was decent, the flavor was strong.
We were told that the sesame noodle and it’s rice counterpart were not available, so we also ordered the Szechuan Eggplant Lo-​mien. The minced pork noodle was pretty good and I found the portion size decent. I liked the texture of the noodles used. The eggplant lo-​mien however, just tasted like Szechuan stir-​fried eggplant on top of noodles, which made the noodles itself a little tasteless.
Prices for their drinks seem to have increased. My green milk tea cost about $ 3.50, although the size of the drink was a medium (small sizes are not available). The employees and seating are the same as before (when it was called Tasty-​to-​go) and the snow desserts are still available. The employees could be a lot friendlier. Having three different menus (food, drinks, and snow) made it a little overwhelming. I may or may not come back again.

I came here expecting it to be like a real sit down dinner experience but was incredibly disappointed.
Loud, obnoxious kids from the nearby high school come here to study and goof around.
The water is served in styrofoam paper cups and the owner or main man of the establishment smokes (although outside in front of the restaurant).
The menus have a lot of typos on them and I was confused as to what I was ordering.
I eventually got the Spicy Chicken & Rice because it looked amazing on the menu but it was yet another disappointment. I asked them to make it with less oil but at the bottom of my plate, oil was pooling in one large unappealing puddle.
It didn’t even taste like anything besides spicy. The vegetables were bland and mushy. The rice was plain. It was not worth the $ 9 I paid. The chicken still had bits of skin on it and some parts were rubber and hard to chew.
Also, since they clean up after you, you feel obliged to pay a good tip but they don’t offer any other kind of service besides taking your plate to you and back. You have to get your own water and throw away your things on your own and get seated by yourself. I don’t mean to sound pretentious but the experience is more like that of a tea house and less of a real family restaurant.
Inside, it’s kind of cold and the furniture is eh at best.

Exactly the same as Tasty-​Togo but they just changed the name and the food.
The food is more like tea house snacks now as opposed to Tasty-Togo’s better version of Panda Express.
The snow is still the same. The owner is still the same and still so nice. I love this place because of the reasonable prices and yummy food.
Try the Milk Fusion it’s soo good! I usually get it with pudding and I say a little bit of boba because personally I don’t like boba but if you don’t get boba it will lack flavor.

My favorite dish there is popcorn chicken. Must try~
Also loved the oolong milk tea with boba. As it isn’t too sweet.

On a recent trip to Subway (eat fresh) in the same plaza, I noticed this new business with a grand opening sign. This took the place of Tasty To Go, a shaved ice shop. I suspect it may be the same owners opening under a different name because the old faded posters of shaved ice is still pasted on their window.
I love spicy foods, and its name, Spiceology really got my attention. I studied the menu which was also displayed on their glass for my return visit.
When we came back a few days later, I noticed the doors were still locked, lights were off & no one was inside. The sign states they open at 11:30, and I stood outside at 11:40 wondering if they forgot they have a business to run. Luckily, while we were in the lot deciding where to go have lunch, the «open» sign lit up.
We walked in and a guy was behind the counter setting things up, not even paying attention to us, though he saw us.
I asked, «Are you open?»
«Yea» he said.
OK, I guess we’ll just sit anywhere then. Waited a few minutes and he was still behind the counter, until my wife went to him and asked for menus. He pointed at some menus that was stuck to a side counter (see photo) My thoughts are, if this is a grand opening, then you should assume every customer is a new customer. Don’t just assume we all know you stick your menus on a side counter & we help ourselves.
Once we placed our orders (at the counter) the food actually came out in a bit over 5 min. But then again, we were the only ones there ordering food. Another table only ordered shaved ice (in December? sure. why not?)
We had:
N10: Szechuan pork lo-​mein, which should be full of flavor & spices, but was extremely bland like noodles in hot water w/​a slight sweetness. Wait, it did say Szechuan right? (see photo)
N8: Pork w/​Pickled Mustard Green noodle soup, which was decent. It tasted as it should, same as all other places so no complaint escept the portion was a bit smaller than other places. (not photo worthy)
I could not eat more than 3 bites of the Szechuan lo-​mein as there were no soy sauce, hot sauce or any type of seasoning or condiments available. I took it to go and mixed it with my own hot chili oil concotion, which made it quite edible.
The impression I got was Spiceology opened for business before they were ready.
Examples:
1) They should open on time. 2 ladies were also outside at 11:40 & left after trying to open the locked doors.
2) There are no cups next to the self-​serve water dispenser, I had to go ask.
3) When I asked for to-​go boxes, the guy had to go look for them.
4) The food needs improvement (most importantly) There are so much fierce competition in Arcadia, a mere 5 minutes away.
Though the service was lacking from the moment we entered, the guy turned out to be nice & courteous. Just need to work out the kinks, soon!
I’m not ruling this place out just yet. There are other items I want to try, but will let other Unilocalers comment on them first. I already got suckered by its Spiceology name and claim that my Szechuan noodles would be spicy and have actual flavor. I also really want local businesses to succeed, so good luck!
note:
* As of now they do not accept credit cards, but will in a few weeks (approx. late Dec. or after the NY)
* Closed Tuesdays
* Grab your own menus at the counter, and go back to place your orders. They will bring your food to your table.
* I suggest trying their shaved ice first. It’s harder to screw those up.
* For now, stay away from anything Szechuan