Tea Dot Cafe

Love their ice cream coffee and milk tea, hopefully they update new
Location soon so I can get my boba fix.

This place sucked.
I went here for lunch with some coworkers, and never again will I go. First of all, the lady at the register said food would only take about 10 minutes to come out, it took about 30 minutes, and we were almost late getting back to work.
The tea sucked. I’m not one to throw away boba, but this was so crappy that I couldn’t even finish it and had to throw it away. Between the 4 of us, 3 of the 4 teas were horrible. Some were too sweet, others too artificial, the other was way too tart.
The price was decent, but the amount of food doesn’t even begin to compare to Star Snow Ice. The food was mediocre at best and lacked in flavor and amount. They did have an interesting take on how they presented their eggs. They had a baked egg white, so that was different, but other than that, nothing really amazing.
The one redeeming factor for this place was that the music was on point lol.

Nice atmosphere and good drinks. Good prices for what you paid for. The quality of the drink is good, most places get new employees all the time and the quality isn’t as good. They have a lot of food and pictures of what the food looks like. I have only tried this spicy noodles but their bento box looks yummy, will have to try it in the future. The owner is nice and the place is nicely decorated.

Tea Dot café is tucked in the armpit of the center. It is exactly in the turn of the plaza and can be easily missed. The parking here is terrible as lunch and dinner time is always a struggle to find parking. Some people have resulted in parking on the sidewalk area directly in front of Tea Dot (wish I was kidding).
Tea Dot has many choices of dishes of your choosing, most notably are their rice boxes that come with an assortment of rice, sides, meat and a drink. While it was a good deal, their food is a little above average at best. Their tea was decent, but nothing extra-​ordinary. Remember, in order to stand out, you need to do ordinary things, in an extraordinary way.
I elected to get the noodle soup with fried pork chop on the side. I was impressed with the size and amount of fried pork chop that they gave me. But I was a little less enthusiastic with the bowl of noodle soup. It was bland, tasteless and a little bit too greasy to be an effective noodle soup. Coupled with a fried pork chop, its a buncha fat going down into my system. Needless to say, I stopped short of being satisfied and didn’t finish the meal. I did take half my pork chop home to feed me for another time.
Tea Dot Café will be moving to a new location, yet to be announced. They’re also cash only (cheating the IRS).
I wasn’t really impressed with this place, but I don’t mind going back if someone drags me to it. Food is average and is probably a good lunch place, but then again, most everywhere you go in chinatown is a lunch place. I would much rather go to Star Snow in the Dun Huang plaza to get a similar fanfare.

A hidden bubble tea place that a friend told me about. The service is friendly and welcoming, the lady who made our bubble teas was kind and patient, as we asked for suggestions for flavors. From the outside it doesn’t look as big, so I was surprised to see how spacious it was. It would make a good place to study, it wasn’t that crowded when we went in after lunch on a Friday.
I got the classic black milk tea and my friend got the honey green milk tea, which tasted almost like jasmine. Both teas were really good and one huge plus is that this bubble tea place is not as expensive as the other ones! I’ll be back.

A nice, spacious Taiwanese fast food café hidden away in the corner of the Jusgo plaza, next to Mala Sichuan. Unfortunately the location is just terrible, as I’ve been coming here for years but never bothered to look inside because of how dark and run down the corner area is on the outside. But inside, it’s actually not too shabby. Just not very well lit. They sell the standard tea house drinks and Taiwanese light snack foods, for REALLY good prices it seems. Similar to Tapioca House and Tea Cup Café (which I will now get this confused with).
Tapioca Cream Tea ($ 2.75) — by far one of the cheapest black milk teas w/​tapioca you can buy in the city. And unlike the other über cheap ones (Star Snow Ice, My Tea House), this milk tea is actually not terrible at all. The milk/​cream tea was on the sweeter side and tasted a bit too much like creamer, but not bad. If they’d go easy on the non-​dairy creamer and made the tea stronger, I’d be a real fan. The tapioca, though, was just amazing for the price. Chewy, bouncy, and perfectly sweetened. Maybe just a bit too soft/​overcooked on the outside. And with a very generous serving of this tapioca and minimal ice, this milk tea has some stellar value.
Fried Pork Chop w/​Rice Bento Box ($ 5 with drink, $ 5.95 without) — so cheap, especially when you get it with a drink. And beautiful presentation. Unlike most other fried pork chop rice plates, this one has a mish-​mash of multiple cultures — Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese. It comes with fruit, salad, braised pork rice, fried pork chop, and steamed egg.
The braised pork rice could’ve used more pork, but was pretty good and in line with the ones from most other cafes. The fried pork chops had a light breading and came drizzled with a sweet sauce so it actually reminded me more of tonkatsu. Very tender and juicy, and conveniently cut up into small slices already. My favorite part of the bento box though was the hot steamed egg, which had a silky smooth, delicate texture. Underneath it was some sweet soup that balanced out the egg well. Not the best steamed egg I’ve had, but pretty darn good! A nice touch to the bento box in my opinion.
Overall not nearly as good as the fried pork chop rice from San Dong or Star Snow Ice, but I still recommend it for the quality, price, and creativity. It’s at least better than Tea Cup Café’s fusion’d up fried pork chop rice.

A really nice and cozy little café. I always liked their drinks because they arent too sweet. Cheap bento box that is rare to find in chinatown, and add a drink with just $ 1 to go with it. Their shredded pork dried noodle is good too, taste just like the ones in taiwan. Free wifi and strong ac, cant ask for more

TASTE: is not the best milk tea I have tried but it alright and the boba is good but nothing special
PRICE: $ 3 for a milk tea with boba, it cheaper than most places
TIP: ask for their stamp card

I love their milk tea. Something about it makes it stand out among other teacafes. Their prices out-​compete any other in town.

I ordered the popcorn chicken bento box and the chicken was on point. Perfectly crunchy, flavorful, and not greasy. Everything else in the bento box was just alright. The bento box also came with a drink so I got the jasmine green tea. Can’t say it has much flavor since it was so watered down.
The real issue that I have with this place is the bunny. I feel so bad for it since it is just kept in a crate with NO water and NO food! All it had was a small plastic to go sauce cup that was empty. It also has an infection brewing on his right paw. I agree that the idea of having a bunny in a restaurant is cute but that is no way for him to live. The bunny was also kept outside in the Houston heat. Rabbits require even more water than dogs and for it to have NONE is alarming. Please if you visit this location remind the owner to give it some water.

BUNNNNNY!!!
Just kidding. That’s not a good reason to come here. The real reason you should come to this joint is because you want super cheap Taiwanese food + boba. That’s really the only reasons you should ever dare to venture out to Chinatown, risking damage to your car and blood pressure.
This place is small and pretty quiet. They play good ol’ Taiwanese pop, especially the stuff dating back from 10+ years ago. There isn’t a whole lot of seating, but the small tables are ideal for hanging out with just a couple of friends and catching up! The drink menu is pretty extensive, but I honesty don’t think their drinks are anything too special. The drinks are made with dairy-​free creamer though! YAY! Lactose-​intolerant people rejoice!
They have a few of the meals available for $ 7.50 including any drinks priced at $ 2.50 (so you pay a total of $ 7.50 for a bento box meal + boba drink). If the drink you order is more than $ 2.50, you just pay the difference. The fried popcorn chicken is wonderful! The bento boxes have a good amount of food including a salad, fruit, a steamed egg, pork and rice, and your entrée. Not bad for the price, but it’s not super astounding. Oh, and CASH ONLY!

Not really a great place to study, and I can see why it was pretty empty. I wish I could rate based on some of the food, but I doubt I would come back to try it. The place is cold (and I would assume hot during the summer??) and loud. The owner’s children runs around freely and they prop the door open for their convenience even though it’s 45 degrees outside. The store smells very heavily of frying oil. That and the temperature make for an uncomfortable experience. The drinks were cheap but nothing else would make me come back.

Much Taiwanese. So love. Very motherland. Pride. Wow.
Don’t be mainstream and go to Dun Huang plaza! Go to Jusgo instead! There are much older storefronts but I promise, dig around and you’ll find some treasures. A friend and I came upon this place after getting our hair cut at King’s Salon nearby.
Dranks:
Can you say $ 3.00 (tax included) boba?! Legit, good sized boba!!! YES. Tea Dot doesn’t do it any worse than fancy pants places like Café 101 or mainstream Kung Fu Tea (which tastes pretty powder-​based anyway). Didn’t get a chance to try their food, but you can also adjust the sugar levels (10, 30, 50, 70, and 90%). They also get punch cards. Buy 10, get one free!
In terms of food, the menu has a lot of Taiwanese snacks along with simple rice bowls (braised pork over rice 魯肉飯), noodles, etc. There are also mini hot pots for cold weather when it arrives! But if you’re not that hungry, popcorn chicken, fried tempura, and other classic munchies are also available.
Ambiance:
Lots of light brown wood. Think colorful quaint dollhouse. Free WiFi! Oh so very cute. Since Tea Dot isn’t located in the center of things, I’d gander that it would be a good hideaway for dates or casual studying, things of that sort.
P. S. Bonus points if you can spot the TaTung mascot!

I am ashamed to say that after 21 years of living in Houston and pretty much growing up in Chinatown, I have never been to or heard of Tea Dot. But this weekend everything changed.
I was eating next door at Yuan Ten, when my mom got a massive migraine from caffeine withdrawal. So, we saw Tea Dot and immediately ran in to get her a caffeine fix. The establishment is really cute, very homey and café-​like with nice decorations and a calm atmosphere that makes you want to sit, drink tea, and read Jane Eyre. But the real reason I give Tea Dot 4 stars is that IT IS SO CHEAP. An order of milk tea with tapioca is only $ 2.75, without tapioca it is $ 2.50. AND they give the full-​size large cups that you would pay $ 5 – 6 for at Teahouse. I remember when all milk tea was under $ 3, but back when I was 10 years old. Since the big boom in tapioca places, prices have been steadily rising to the point that it is ridiculous. Thus, finding this little gem was the highlight of my weekend, not to mention, the milk tea was pretty darn good. It tasted like fresh tea (a little bit too creamy) and hey also let you choose your sugar levels. I will definitely be coming here more often.

Looks a bit run down outside but very cute inside. Saw good reviews on the popcorn chicken so decided to try that and ordered a kumquat green tea with no tapioca. The popcorn chicken is on the pricier end compared to some of the places around this area. It’s $ 4.25 while most places are $ 2.99 or $ 3.99. Their popcorn chicken portion is also smaller than most other places, but I have to admit, it’s good! Seasoned well and moist! A good snack item to try if you stop by. The kumquat green tea was too sweet for me, should have asked for less sugar but now I know for next time.
After snacking and studying for awhile, I ordered the regular hot pot. It’s about $ 12 and includes a small plate of beef cuts, and a bigger mixed bowl that contains veggies, Japanese mushroom, tofu, one shrimp, fish ball, one clam, clear noodles, and some other assorted fried stuff that was previously frozen. A really good deal for $ 12! The portion is also nice. Enough for two to share! And if that’s not enough, you can order extra sides (they have udon, noodles, shrimp, fish balls, tofu, green veggies, etc.) and those range from $ 1 – 3. Very affordable and it tasted really good for what you paid. Not the best quality but if you’re paying only that much, it’s a great ass deal!
Overall a nice place to study, (yay for free wifi) and snacking place! The workers were also very nice as well and they have a cute chubby bunny outside, in front on the side!
Cash only as well.

Best Thai tea I have ever had:)
Friendly owner — only reason i dont like this store is because of it location, decoration, and inside store doesnt looks clean to me

Solid boba drink place with clean and chill atmosphere to relax and hang out! The owner lady is pretty nice too and gets the order delivered quickly.
If I’m in the Diho Plaza, I will almost always visit here to grab a drink, and never had a bad experience. Although the drinks weren’t rave worthy, I think they are still pretty good and cheap! I definitely recommend at least a visit to try out this cool place!

Small Taiwanese joint in the older Chinatown plaza. I love coming here to study on weekdays as it’s usually pretty quiet and not very busy. I especially love saying hello to the bunny that lives outside in a crate. He/​she is very friendly and fluffy!
The drinks are cheap and food is decently priced. Their milk tea is frothy and has a good flavor not overpowered by milk or sugar. I usually order the popcorn chicken or bento box. Fun fact: their ceiling has glow in the dark stars and trains. I’d love to see this place at night!

Really good tapioca and milk tea! The regular milk tea has a hint of a lemony taste to it, which is different and pretty nice. The tapioca balls are are awesome– really chewy and slightly sweet, unlike a lot of other tap places.
I can’t vouch for the other drinks though. I ordered a matcha milk tea from here and it tasted really powdery :/​. I would just stick with the milk tea.
Another plus is that it’s so cheap! Only slightly more than $ 3 for a milk tea with tapioca. AND they have a bunny outside that you can play with :3. Beware though, it looks kind of dirty: T.

Disclaimer: I’m a student who’s always looking for a new study spot and Tea Dot Café is one of my favorites. It has lots of big tables that you can share with a friend or spread your books out on, comfortable chairs/​couches (though not so comfortable that you fall asleep), is quiet during the afternoons, and serves up cheap and delicious drinks and Taiwanese small eats. The owner is nice, wifi is free, and the music is all in Chinese so it’s not too distracting.
Food: My favorite drink is their original milk tea with egg pudding. Their tea base is creamier and has an almost jasmine-​like taste to it. I’ve tried other flavors and been disappointed so I stick with the original. They give you a larger size for «regular» than other places do for still less than $ 3. Their popcorn chicken is perfectly crispy and savory.
Random Chinatown bonus: There always seems to be a brown bunny in a box outside this place. Sometimes it’s inside the shop on a table. Always a nice study break, to have a bunny around.