No-contact delivery
Yes
Yaya Tea in New York
Categories
Location on the map
New York, New York County, New York, US
Service options
Delivery
Yes
Takeaway
Yes
Dine-in
Yes
Highlights
Fast service
Yes
Great tea selection
Yes
Popular for
Lunch
Yes
Solo dining
Yes
Good for working on laptop
Yes
Accessibility
Wheelchair-accessible car park
No
Offerings
Coffee
Yes
Comfort food
Yes
Healthy options
Yes
Quick bite
Yes
Small plates
Yes
Vegetarian options
Yes
Dining options
Lunch
Yes
Dessert
Yes
Amenities
Good for kids
Yes
Atmosphere
Casual
Yes
Cosy
Yes
Crowd
Groups
Yes
Tourists
Yes
University students
Yes
Planning
Usually a wait
Yes
Payments
Debit cards
Yes
NFC mobile payments
Yes
Phone: +1 212-226-8803
Site: http://www.yayatea.com/
Site: http://www.yayatea.com/
Opening hours
- Monday:10:30AM–8PM
- Tuesday:10:30AM–8PM
- Wednesday:10:30AM–8PM
- Thursday:10:30AM–8PM
- Friday:10:30AM–8PM
- Saturday:10:30AM–8PM
- Sunday:10:30AM–8PM
Yaya Tea in other cities:
Comments (199)
Yaya tea never disappoints. Their teas are delicious and their rice balls are yummy too. I love that the prices are affordable as well. For the same drink I pay $2 more when Im in Midtown!The people who work here are always so nice and service is fast as well.
Best boba Ive had so far, really fresh and authentic! Cute little atmosphere and great variety of choices.
I ordered onigiri with shrimps but they put cheap not yummy sausage instead and charged me for shrimp onigiri . Of course I saw it only when I back to homeIm very disappointed, if you see it at least return me money ok ?! I went to other place it had better service
Yaya tea is a really good store and they have really good food, drinks, and snacks, one suggestion i would make is they should make the rice less sticky on the dishes because they tend to fall apart. Other than that its a good bubble tea store to go to.
Truly a beautiful place and there drinks are the best! If you were to ask me give the ‘BOYFRIEND’ with Mango POP “ will not disappoint you. Never disappointed me!! Other favorite would be shrimp tampora and salman.
They never disappoint. Been coming here for years. Nothing has changed. Always bring my siblings. Never was a fan of shrimp tempura until someone put me on.. it’s a must!
They used to have great service a few years ago but now they’re not welcoming at all. drinks and rice balls are still top notch but i wish they were more communicative.
Buy LARGE! We passed this place many times but never really popped in, but tonight we finally gave it a try. And it didn’t let us down. The selection was big enough. We thought at first it was quite expensive but then we did the math and ordered the large beverages (24 oz). It’s actually cheaper than most bubble tea stores in Manhattan. They tasted very good too!
We had never had bubble tea before. The staff guided us through what to get and how to order. They were extremely helpful and wow. We loved the tea. We tried bubble tea at another place later in the week and it was not near as good.
Terrible service all four employees were just on their phones, as my first time obviously as a customer I didnt know we have to place our orders over the kiosk the poor choice of whomever hired the kid acted sarcastic pointing me to a broken koisk with a sign over it. Poor management poor people skills.
Food is fun and interesting. Rice balls with shrimp tempura or chicken are delicious. But found staff ignorant, young and unhelpful. despite it was near closing time.
I love this place. Their food and teas r on point. Just wished the one I had made for me was in plastic cup instead of whatever it was in for my tea due to it leaking thru as I was outside walking with my sister. (__)But overall, will go again. Or maybe to their sister stores. (^___^)
I got the oolong milk tea. The reusable glass bottle is $2.50 extra. The glass bottle was very cute and useful. But the milk tea itself was too sweet for me. I can’t really taste the tea. I also got the ‘I love yaya’ tea. It was pretty refreshing. The taste wasn’t very strong (more like water)but it wasn’t too sweet.
Very lovey place that serves very refreshing and wonderful tea, with a wide variety of more fruit based teas. A great place to sit down and enjoy some boba, they also have snacks and imported goods that are very yummy. Also if you’d like to sit down and have a meal they have a number of dishes that you can try.
Great little shop with drinks and onigiri. They also have a wide variety of Asian snacks sucks as ramen, chips, chocolate and candy that you wont find in any supermarket.
Yaya has certainly upgraded their food and drinks in the past few years! I used to frequent this location in my teens and it was always good but a recent stop by had me floored. The Yaya chicken onigiri was fantastic, the tea was great and we were pleased at their sanitary measures! Love it
Taste like water. Flavor is not noticeable at all. Friend had a similar problem as well with his matcha drink. Disappointed after all these good reviews.
Read the good reviews and thought this place would be at least decent but it is not. I got there black milk tea which is supposed to be a popular item. They literally taste like powder, no black tea flavor no milk flavor. Just watery powder. The Tapioca itself is very basic. Don’t go here.
The Yaya chicken onigiri was soooo good. They also have such adorable names to their drinks, like the boyfriend or first love.Got one of their fruity white teas. Great balance of tart and sweet.
The Onigiris are the best! good for breakfast and snack!big one 3,50$ and small one 2,50$
Fantastic Onigiri and a nice comfortable spot. They also had snacks and sodas from japan, definitely worth the visit for the onigiri
Small place, great boba tea! Come in but expect to take it to go.
DELICIOUS!!! I havent had an onigiri in a long time, and they did not disappoint. I had the Shrimp Tempura onigiri, and other onigiris I cannot remember the names of, but absolutely delicious! I still have to try the other drinks there! Only problem would be where to go from to sit and eat, but its not too bad. 100/10!
Gave me immediate diarrhea. Literally poisoned. Had to run to the nearest bathroom (shout out to the tjmaxx)
Staff is so nice and have to deal with such annoying customers. Give these guys a break!
I didnt try the food but it seemed to be popular, since everyone was buying it. The Japanese snacks were plentiful but the selection was small. The bubble tea was so good, the tea was actually strong, which is a plus. The two woman behind the counter were quick and very customer services oriented. I will be making many trips here. They followed all covid rules as well.
Delicious onigiri and tea! I had the Blue Blood and fried chicken and takoyaki onigiri. Its so delicious but the wait for the onigiri is quite bad. I got my drink almost immediately and then waited in a crowded store for 30 minutes to get my food. However the taste of the onigiri and the beautiful weather made my bad mood go away. I would order this again but maybe call ahead for onigiri if i could.
Love the flavors they offer and the fact that you can customize your drink down to the sugar level! Ambiance is fresh and cool. Wonderful customer service, never had a bad experience. They also sell asian snacks :)
Tribble experience, horrible customer service, they were also out of tapioca. They used bad milk to make the Thai ice tea. They put mixed Jelly in it, tasted horrible. They refused to remake it, they refused refund. Place was dirty, gross!!! DO NOT GO, horrible place to get bubble tea.
This place has been one of my favorite bubble tea places since forever. They have a very large selection of bubble tea and sell awesome snacks and delicious rice balls to go along with it. Ill never stop buying bubble tea from them
Love this place. They have all the snacks from over seas that you cant find here. The drinks are amazing and the onigiris are delicious!
Milk tea is nearly flavorless and tastes watered down.We got matcha latte and Thai milk tea, both half sweet. Both were completely unsweet, and hardly tasted of tea. After asking for no ice, I got mine with ice and after asking them to remake it all they did was pass it through a strainer.This place is just bad. Please just go to Kung Fu Tea.
Really good onigiri. inexpensive too.
Great tea and food items!
I love their onigiris despite finding a dead roach in the fried spring rolls container one time lol. just dont order anything else but rice balls and their fruit teas are great, love the Boyfriend one with mango and/or lychee.
My favorite boba tea. Tons of options with their secret menu. I recommend the Megan Foxx
Three people were not wearing masks in the resturant, and the white man at the counter takes an attitude with me telling me to put one on. I ask him if he happens to have one; he doesnt and I leave. My friend orders tea, but they somehow dont have Boba at a Boba tea restaurant.This place is a joke.
Best rice balls and bubble tea Ive ever had. This is a small space that seats about 20 people. 2 small tables (4 people each), one long table (for 8) , and 4 high seats by the entrance. One wall is covered entirely with interesting shelved snacks and branded souvenir like cups and plush pillows. The place is across the street from a park and the Brooklyn bridge. They also have more food and appetizer options that I love. Quick service. 100% recommend.
One of my favorite spots whenever I am close enough. Delicious riceballs and yummy bubble teas. I definitely recommend anyone to try it out if they are in the area.
This is a super unique and must-try tea shop! Compared to most mainstream stores that mostly serve milk tea, Yayas fruit teas have a very unique flavor that I havent tasted anywhere else.I also love the amount of customization possible with different tea blends and jellies. And of course, the prices are very reasonable. I stop by here whenever Im in the area.
The rice balls/ onigiri are consistently great, and my tea-drinking companions always seem satisfied with those. Plenty of flavor options, including some vegan choices. Not a lot of seating, though, so its a good spot for takeout.
If youre around Chinatown and hankering for a snack then you definitely must go to YaYas and try there delicious rice balls! Every different flavor is great and they come in two sizes, small and large. Their drinks are also really good but make sure you get the mango stars in them! Order time Id like to say is pretty fair. I would say the staff is all pretty nice and friendly and its a fairly small shop. Theres plenty of Asian snacks and they stock tons of Matcha stuff (great if you love green tea!). Because its a small spot, seating is very limited so you better make sure you come on a down time if you plan to sit and eat. Make sure you try their spicy mayo with your rice balls! Parking is street parking and there are a couple of parking garages close by.
Super good tea. GF and I are huge bubble tea fans. We came here on a whim, and ended up visiting 3 days in a row. Definitely recommend. Had their classic milk tea as well as a couple of their fruit-flavored teas...all were great! Also a super cute spot.
Another one of my favorite bubble tea spots. Theres snacks on the wall, plenty of small nibbles and different types of tea. You can add jellies and tapioca pearls along with other offerings. I get the shrimp tempura appetizer and rice balls. The spicy mayo is delicious with both of these. Not a large seating area and can sometimes be busy. If you can get a seat, stay awhile.
The riceball is amazing. It served warm which is something I didnt expect. The bubble tea is great too. One complain, you have to purchase more than $10 in order to use card. The atmosphere is fine but I recommend just grab and go.
Can you guys open up a location in Philadelphia please? It would do amazing there. I promise. I come up to NY every year at least ONCE to get yaya onigiris and their teas. So yes. They are beyond good.
The rice balls are the perfect meal/snack. Its better to order the small ones which give the perfect ratio of rice to additive. The large ones just give you more rice. The yaya chicken combines seaweed with chicken and is pretty tasty. My kids like the shrimp tempura and spam.
This is a great small place to go if youre looking for a modern and hip place to hang out in Chinatown. The resturant is pretty small so dont expect to find a place to sit during your visit. The drinks are a bit overpriced in my opinion but I love the rice balls. Theyre made fresh and still warm. But I wasnt sure how to open the packing...the woman that day wasnt very helpful with that..
I miss this place so much, great affordable food. My brother and friends go here all the time (I moved out of state). Loved their different teas and different bobas. Loved the rice balls and takoyaki. Its a really small place and easy to miss but its great. Usually get my stuff to go cause it is small, not much room for seating, but I like to get my food to go and eat across the street at the park.
Best rice balls in the neighborhood. I have tried the Japanese, Yaya Chicken, Yaya Shrimp, Salmon, and Spring Roll rice balls and they are always on point. They sell snacks that are hard to find in other places such as flavored kit-kats (green tea is one of them!). Friendly, fast, helpful staff!
Really nice place, it was quick and we were out in 15 minutes after I placed an order.. the bubble tea here is fantastic and I recommend anyone to go over and try
I love Yayas! Their onigiris are fantastic and relatively cheap. Smalls tend to be under three dollars, and the larges are under five. Its wrapped with the plastic wraps that you have to peel yourself, but it preserves the crispiness of the seaweed. The filling is fantastic, rice always nicely cooked, and great for a small lunch or afternoon snack! Their fruit drinks are extremely customizable and I believe this is the location where you can go bananas and ask for every single syrup. :) My only complaint is with the rise of more and more quality bubble tea shops in Chinatown, they could use a larger, updated selection of bubble teas.
Ive been coming here since 2009. Its 2017 and its still my favorite spot to come to in China town. Their drinks on point. Their onigiris on point WITH THE SPICY MAYO. They have tea in a jars, and a wall of Asian - Japanese snacks, and they now do The only down full is that its always packed!! But its because they are that yummy. I will be a old lady and still come here.
Drinks were very light i wished it was a bit more sweeter but thats just me. I highly recommend the onigiri they all tasted great especially the chicken one.
Love their tea and onigiri. Cute little place with lots of snack goodies for sale. Their teas always come with quotes for your to ponder. Small seating area, but it fits a wheelchair. Unfortunately there is a slight mini step into the place
Great but you can only take out
This place has a great selection of teas and toppings. Their riceballs are pretty good, they come in a small or large size. I always go for the chicken teriyaki ones although the crab ones are great as well. The seating arrangement is okay when it’s not too busy, although there are times when they get a large line and no seats are available. You can also purchase some asian packaged goods such as Pocky, chips, matcha, and the like. Very cute place, I would recommend you trying them out if you haven’t.
I dont order drinks here, just the onigiri, which is always warm and made to order ! They have a variety of flavors as well, including 3 vegan ones !
I ordered the Aries honey tea and it was soothing, not too sweet with the added aloe vera. The smaller size was $2.50. My co-workers were particularly impressed to see that the larger size was only $3.50. Having been into the store once, Im impressed with the wide selection of snacks and sweets to choose from.The drinks also contained a taped on fortune-cookie-like reading or should I say Snapple factoid fortune? - which was a fun read.A lot of kids like to hang there in the limited seating area, so I wouldnt expect a seat unless you want to share it with them.My coworker wasnt entirely impressed by their dumplings which seemed hard and likely reheated by a microwave. I cant say much about that because I havent tasted one yet.
It was amazing but they were almost out of tapioca which didnt affect me but it was a little inconvenient tho overall it was amazing everything there was amazing and the service was excellent 👌 9/10 would go there again also it was a little far bit that wasnt on them
The space is very small, dimly lit, and appears messy, although looking closer at the environment, everything appears to be where it should be. The food is okay, the rice balls and tea being the best attractions of this place. If youre considering visiting this little hole-in-the-wall cafe, make sure youre prepared to take your food out to a nearby park, because its popular with youngsters and it gets crowded during and after lunch hours. This particular Yaya Tea was okay, to say the least.
This is the original Yaya tea place, their teas are pretty good with cute names too. Any of their signature drinks are good, and get the popping boba. Its like little fruit water balloons. They sell Japanese candy too, but its a bit expensive.
It is hard to find Japanese rice balls in NYC so I am glad I found this place. This is a good place to go if youre craving rice balls. Their rice balls are very filling and reasonably priced.
Ive been to the other Yaya Tea many times and its really lovely so I was excited to see this one and decided to stop in. I ordered their takoyaki, spam onigiri, lychee tree drink and tealuxe latte. Both drinks I ordered were large size, no ice, 25% sugar. The lychee tree came out correctly, but it was very bland -- I could barely taste the lychee or strawberry, and it tasted like they just used plain water instead of white tea. Pretty disappointing, 1/5 stars. The tealuxe latte came out as a small drink, and not a latte. He heard wrong on the size so at least I wasnt charged for the large. I asked why my drink had no milk in it, since the picture clearly showed a milk tea. I was told there wasnt supposed to be milk in it (sorry, but its a latte -- how does that not have milk? And the picture on the wall shows milk tea, not clear tea, so Im not sure how any of that makes sense?). Apparently theres a non-latte version without milk, which was not what I ordered. They offered to remake my drink so that it was the correct order, and it still came out the wrong size, and they put ice in it ( which I had originally asked not to included). I had to go up a third time to ask to have the ice taken out. The drink itself was disgusting and even more bland than the lychee tree drink. Theres no rose flavor, no osmanthus flavor, barely any milk flavor (kind of like milk tea if you got a ton of ice and waited until the ice all melted), and some weird tea-esque aftertaste. There was barely any sweetness, maybe 5%? Certainty not 25%. Seriously, one of the worst teas Ive had -- 0/5 stars. The takoyaki was warm and the taste was fine (far from amazing, but compared to the drinks they were great), so 4/5. The spam onigiri was at least of the same quality of the food that I get at the other Yaya Tea I usually go to, with a good amount of spam in the middle. 5/5 stars. Overall, Im not sure what happened here but it was definitely an unpleasant shock that this is the same chain as the other Yaya Tea, which I really like. Im for sure never coming back to this one; Ive been to the other one multiple times and they consistently have good food and drinks. Id recommend going to the other one for sure, its disappointing that this one shares the same name.
Love this place; I wish there were more locations!
Yaya Tea Garden has an enlivening as well as homey atmosphere, and the rice balls are fresh beyond belief! Or if youre only in the mood for a quick snack, come no further! They have a wide variety of Japanese chips, sweets, and even crispy ramen noodles. Dont forget to drink up before you leave! They have a pleasing array of herbal teas that are guaranteed to make you feel brand new, or, if you want something sweet, try the bubble teas or milk shakes.
Still my favorite Onigiri spot. Still delicious, my favorite is Shrimp Tempura. Its a small place, young crowd, love the food, the teas and the variety of snacks they have.
Its a nice little hole in the wall. They have tons of Japanese chips and a variety of bubble tea made to order. Custom funny names, and good food make this a homey place to come with friends and enjoy food.
Yummy onigiris and bubble tea!
Its a cute medium sized tea shoppe with lots of tea, food, and dessert choices very conveniently located around the corner from the Lucky Star bus station. I go there every time I go to NYC! My favorites are the Matcha Milk Tea and oniguri with salmon!
Best place for a variety of tea. If you dont know what to get, ask someone. Theyre all good and are named rather casually. Favorites of course are boyfriend and hulk, but dont be afraid to mix and match your own. If you dont have a sweet tooth, ask for it without sugar!
Yaya tea garden is a very cool japaneses imported cafe. the prices are pretty good and there food is very good. the rice ball is to die for and the bubble teas flavors are custom and to your liking and they sometimes make them according to the recent themes in the movies. There sauces are very good also , the crowd favorite is the SPICEY MAYO( which is totally awesome. I have tryed all the riceballs and they are excellent.
I ordered Japanese Onigiri, Fruity Tea and Takoyaki and all of them are not the same as Elmhurst branch, maybe its just me but hey just my personal review. They put half piece of crab stick (imitation) in Japanese onigiri - cant taste it just the seaweeds and super chewy octopus in takoyaki. I just tried the branch here since its near my work.
I love this place. Huge selection of bubble tea and onigiri. Very limited seating (only 2 or 3 large tables). Accepts credit cards. The Grand street location is larger.
Their rice balls are amazingly great. And the tea selection, yeah, very good choices and they all taste good.
Freshly made rice balls, about $3 each. Good tea selection. Cute place. Not that many seats available considering the amount of customers that they have.
Best bubble tea in Chinatown hands down.Worst staff hands down as well.They got my order wrong and I was somehow expected to pay for the drink to be remade.I am not usually a crappy customer but I was not satisfied by the service by a long shot to the point that I will not be back (Im a bit mule-headed once I get pissed off about something).
Two words, rice ball! If you are looking for fresh rice balls, or onigiri, then Yaya tea garden is the place for you. I love their yaya special and fried chicken rice ball. Contribute a lot to my winter fat. While there pick up a bubble tea or two. They are one of the few places that brew fresh tea for bubble tea, is a rare thing in New York City. Many place just brew one batch of tea and mix in different flavors. There are many food options here as well, too many to mention.
Its yayas, if you like riceballs, bubble tea and imported snacks for cheap then what are we talking about. Easy 5/5. Ive been going since 2010.
Tea tastes ok, but toppings are terrible. They are not fresh and barely have any taste. Would not recommend.
Ya Ya is definitely an experience in that it offers the BANG for your buck. Inexpensive delicious food and drinks in a warm comfortable environment where the staff AND owner will always remember your face and genuinely ask how your day is going.The decor got a very good because im hoping they will expand again-I see this business growing yet again.
The rice balls are great. Im not a fan of bubble tea, it feels like there is way too much suger, but the cute mango stars at the bottom of the drink make it some what worth it.
I LOVE YAYAS! They are the best bubble tea house in Chinatown! They use real tea bases and no powder, which makes all the difference in a bubble tea addicts experience. They have snacks (fish balls, rice balls, etc.) and full meals (noodles, sandwiches, etc.). If you get an entree you can combo it with a drink and get the drink half off, which is always a great lunch option. The atmosphere is very family friendly and trendy. A lot of high schoolers from the near by Hester Street school complex go there after school so I would be aware of that when deciding when to get your bubble tea fix but the servers are all really great about being on top of your order and they are extremely friendly. They also support people in the local community, which is always a plus. Another plus are the names of the drinks! They have quirky names like first love, boyfriend, period pad, Chinatown Water, The Hulk, etc. they also have messages on the back of their cup labels with uplifting quotes or song lyrics. My Yaya favorites are the shrimp tempura rice ball, Sunset bubble tea with pop boba, and yaki soba noodles.
Amazing bubble tea. There is tons of variety with the flavor of the tea as well as the flavor of the bubbles! Large menu, fast service plus great rice balls.
Yaya Tea Garden is one of the only places that I know that you can get a great tasting Onigiri (or Rice Ball) for a very low price. They also have a large variety of different tea drinks with eccentric and unique names. The atmosphere is always lively with crowds of students, tourists, and other chinatown locals. They also offer different asian snacks that you wont find anywhere else, like Melty Blend Whips!
Could have better quality drinks and food. Sometimes the drinks taste watered down. Bubbles seen to be hard to chew through at times. Only thing Im like about this place is the prices. Relatively cheap for boba in NYC
The best place to get bubble tea. The rice balls still taste great too.
Amazing bubble tea. There is tons of variety with the flavor of the tea as well as the flavor of the bubbles! Large menu, fast service plus great rice balls.
Some of the best onigiri! Always warm and delicious. My fave is the Yaya Chicken, but you can’t go wrong with any of their options
The food in here is inexpensive so its perfect for you dont want to spend too much money. I had a crab meat onigiri and that taste really good. I will come here more often to try their other stuff 😊
My cousin and I went allll the way to Chinatown from Brooklyn yesterday for two reasons: because he was in town and to try YaYas rice balls! Im hooked now! I had the french kiss (mango) bubble tea and it was addictive! And that triangle rice ball thing made the trip worth it COMPLETELY. I will definitely be back again! :-)
Im sad they didnt have boba when my first time there. :(However, its a really cute cafe, decorated with kawaii japanese things and snacks!!! This place is really clever with their drink names too. ;) Next time I go, must try their snacks and other drinks!
I love this place- super cute & chill vibe, lovely offerings and a lot of choices. Very positive, down-to-earth while still enchanted atmosphere, and my tea (& onigiri) has been perfectly delicious everytime
Classic tea place, huge menu so a little bit for everyone. Best onigiri place as well.
A small establishment of great bubble tea and rice balls. Prices are cheap and staff is friendly. I love to come here whenever I am in the neighborhood!
The tea is sooooooo freshly brewed from leaves. Love love love the tea and it was only 3$ for a medium sized cup. Got the shrimp rice ball, it was good as well
Those octopus balls are delicious in your mouth 😵
Great food. Terrible delivery boys. Ordered 3 seperate times and the refuse to leave the lobby of my apartment, then call and text me threatening to leave with my food. Normally I wouldnt mind going downstairs but the calls and texts are so annoying I dont want to order from here anymore. Please hire new guys.
Real cute tea spot with extensive menu and friendly staff. Still taking their covid precautions very seriously.
They have the most addictive snacks, food, and drinks. Were always finding ourselves coming back here for more & you really cant beat the pricing for great Japanese snacks!
Not much seating, but the coffee was excellent. I really loved the story behind the shop as well. Definitely worth the visit while I was in town!
Incredible for a quick bite, some shopping for snacks, and just a popular hang out spot for young, Asian, teens. It is a hole in the wall that is very packed from the moment it opens to when it closes, but does not take away from the quality of the snacks there.
The onigiri rice balls were good, service was slow
Food is amazing, the riceball and fruit tea is the best. Boyfriend and chicken onigiri/riceball are a to go for me. Definitely recommend food here😉.
My first time having bubble tea and it was lovely! They also give inspirational quotes with your order, refreshing in every way😄
I have fond memories of this place. Amazing selection of onigiri (riceballs) and drinks. They offer a wide variety of japanese snacks on an entire side of the wall too
Best Bubble Tea and Food in Chinatown! It‘s cheap, staff is friendly, nice atmosphere and view on the street. 10/10 would go again.
They don’t have anywhere to charge your electronics which is ridiculous since this is a tea place and there are sitting areas. The owner of the store should look into placing outlets near the sitting area otherwise this is bad for business.
Ordered mango smoothie and it was refreshing. Funky lil spot kinda out of the way of major areas. Food comes out from the back on a conveyor belt which was unique. Will definetley go back again for food and other snacks.
The onigiri is very good, they make it fresh and great selection of Japanese snacks. Havent try their tea yet.
Wonderful selection of drinks and rice balls! Great decoration inside store and love the snacks the have there as well!
I absolutely love coming here. Everyone is so kind and helpful and theyve already recognized me when I come in I love the energy
Great place to snack. Ive only had the rice balls and there bubble tea, but I would go back for more, esp if I feel a little peckish
First time trying these Rice balls, favorite flavor is chicken, the squid is slightly bland but overall great hidden gem.
The employees are nice. The rice balls are good. The drinks are good. It’s a little expensive in my opinion but overall pretty decent
Drinks were good (I got the passionfruit I Love Yaya drink), riceballs (note: the takoyaki goes in the riceball...I dont know what I was thinking) were good. cashier was curt but I wonder if its a New York thing...
I’m a massive bubble tea drinker and his is my favorite bubble tea spot in the city. Delicious and loads of flavor options. Also a great location
The rice balls are so delicious! The seaweed and pickled radish one is an excellent vegan option
Tried the Gong Bao chicken vegan Onigiri and I was HOOKED so delicious also love their vegan Spare rib
Rice balls are very good...they spread the filling so its not 90% rice and no filling. They make to order so there will be a wait. Still, its worth the visit
Delicious Japanese rice balls, clean and friendly environment. Dont forget to ask for spicy mayo to give your meal an extra kick.
I always go here for the yaya shrimp rice balls, they are the best! Place is pretty small and unassuming. It seems to be a popular place for younger folks.
Favorite place to get onigiri in the city. Really like their hulk as well.
Great place for gathering with friends. they have a variety of snacks and drinks and have many options. delicious fruit teas were also great.
My go to spot for delicious onigiris and they never disappoints. I try to stop by every time Im in Chinatown.
I live for this place. So good. The rice balls yum, the gyoza delish, the drinks amaze. My favourite spot in Chinatown.
Will always be my favorite location💙
Love Yayas. They have the best bubble tea drinks in Chinatown and they have pretty good food and its not pricey at all.
Nice atmosphere. Great place to take a few friends and get something to eat. I reccomend the chicken yakisoba and Hulk with green tea jelly.
Ive been coming to yaya since 09 i was a student at professional business college which was located around the corner at a time . i enjoy Japanese rice ball or their lovely seeweed salad .😍😋
Not much seating in the dining area, but the onigiri is phenomenal, especially the shrimp tempura with the spicy mayo.
Nice place very friendly they only open till 8pm .. prices are awesome bubble tea was on point .. definitely recommend this place
Only place I know to get warm Japanese rice balls! Their juices and variety of boba/toppings are good too
Awesome place to get a quick bite! And of course, bubble tea to quench my thirstAnytime Im near Ill be sure to stop by
Limited seating. It is a popular hangout spot for students since it is close to schools. The rice balls are good.
Guuuuud! LoL
Their onigiri are delicious. I love that they have a piece of paper under each drink with a quote/saying.
I love this place, seriously wished there were more locations but the food is worth the travel and the drinks are so delicious and creatively named.
Bubble tea and japanese style rice balls not bad they opened two places one near m3 and one in Chinatown
Super cute place! I love all the little kawaii things. Its a very cozy spot but worth the visit.
Absolutely miss this place. Memories from middle school.
Good food and drinks but very expensive compared to the surrounding businesses.
Food is amazing drinks are amazing however the snacks are expired look before buying snacks from here i was going to buy a snack i looked at the expiration date and it was expired so i just decided to just buy a drink and a riceball
The warm taro bubble tea is sooooo good.
Sad that the virus has stifled business, got the Boyfriend, fried takoyaki, and spicy crawfish onigiri, all very yummy
This place food is really good, love how they switched it up over the years. Great customer service, since Ive been going
Amazing bubble tea. Really good taste and nice kind staff. Took a while but it was all worth it.
The rice balls are top 5 and the special teas are exquisite.
Small café type place. Has a small selection of food and a variety of tea. Good place to hang out with friends and talk.
These riceballs just melt in my mouth, superb taste!! Pricing can be more reasonable though...
Best place to get dumplings and rice balls they do serve tea but I only go there for the rice balls
Really good rice balls 🍙 good bubble tea, love that they have many options for jelly.
A great variety of boba tea and onigiri. It has become pretty pricy over the years.
This place was awesome and I love the tea and rice balls. I recommend to anyone
Awesome rice balls and tea. Great service and a lot of space at this location.
I love this place, excellent rice balls and large variety of teas.
Great place for some solid tea flavours and many snacks to choose from.
Pretty chill environment with tasty drinks. A nice spot to visit when you’re bopping around the city.
Rice balls are delicious, the best I love Yaya tea!
Perfect food every time, the bubble tea goes great with the rice balls.
Nice place, lots of teas with options, ample seating with a time limit (1 hour) and plenty of snacks.
If you have a love for onigiri and tea, definite go to if youre ever in the Chinatown area
Love this place! Love the riceballs and bubble tea here!! Everything is fresh!
The rice balls and tea are good here. However seating area is very limited
The drinks and food in this place is always the same great quality no matter the day or time they make no compromises on quality no matter how popular they get.
Onigiri were fantastic, great sweets selection as well
Most tea drinks are mediocre and the snacks are old and tasteless. Very small space too.
Definitely get a glass bottle for the discount next time. Youll definitely come back!!
Number one thing I heard while at Blue Bottle: wow, is that the line for coffee? Good coffee, busy spot.
Stellar sticky rice! Get a drink with fruit poppers while youre at it. Super tasty stuff!
Fake flavours, syrup, tea is average.
Amaziiiing riceballs with two sizes to choose from. Teas creative, but alright in flavor.
Amazing food, great drinksOnly con is that they removed the restroom from the store.
Amazing fruit bubble tea selection. I stop by every time Im in Chinatown.
My bestie owns this shop. The food and drinks are delicious. Its a must try!
Good food and a fun place for kids who like Japanese snacks too.
Their rice balls are great and they serve bubble tea!
It’s bubble tea! Nothing super special about it. It tasted good overall.
The rice balls are the bomb . com but seating is limited and hot and no restrooms
Loved the bubble tea here! It was the highlight of my visit to Chinatown.
Great food and fast service. I love going there to eat lunch with my brother.
BEST PLACE EVER. Best bubble tea and best rice balls
I love THIS PLACE!!!! The service was so awesome and the drinks and food were delicious great!!!
Great bobble tea. Has some delicious rice rolls.
Cheap and delicious quick bites. People would come from Brooklyn by car or subway for a Yaya.👍😋
Great boba tea and rice balls (even though they are triangular)
This place has the best rice balls ever
Delicious Buns!!! Yum ~~ =D Someone awesome introduced me to this place & im hooked! Thanks!
Great fanduan and bubble tea
Total reviews rating 4.5
199 Reviews for Yaya Tea 2023:
Review №1
2022-05-29Cool store, great vibe. The bubble teas were good, definitely not sweet enough for me. I got a passion fruit green tea, and it was alright. I’d recommend it to you if you like light bubble tea. The prices weren’t bad though, three drinks costed about $18 for me. So it’s definitely worth check out.
Review №2
2022-01-09This is my first time trying YAYA TEA and I can happily say that I really enjoyed the food and drinks here. We got the large shrimp onigiri and large Japanese onigiri. Both had great reviews from the party. The shrimp had seaweed with 2 tempura shrimp pieces, and the Japanese had imitation crab meat, egg, and seaweed. We also ordered the Hokkaido milk tea, which had a hint of a floral taste which was very pleasant, and 5 Wishes, which had strawberry, passion fruit, peach, mango, and pineapple. Unfortunately I could only taste the pineapple and mango flavors, but I would still go back to try more teas and food options!
Review №3
2022-06-21Good tea, but not super good. I originally asked for the bubble oolong milk tea and I thought it would come with the tapioca balls as I saw in the images. The lady whispered to me something like toppings which I didn’t want and I guess that’s why I had just a cup of milk tea. Very unfortunate - I wish the server could speak a little louder because it’s very hard to understand and you can easily miss the order.Very cute spot tho.
Review №4
2022-04-12I’ve been coming to Yaya’s for years & every time I come here, it’s always great! Great consistency in food and drinks, I recommend this spot for a quick snack. I like the bubble options here too! I’ve tried the combination of yogurt bubbles and lychee, and it was so good :)
Review №5
2022-08-15First time in NYC and had to was craving bubble tea!My boyfriend had Iced Thai Latte and I tried my first love bubble teaPros:- Cute place alot of snacks- Bubble tea around the corner of Chinatown- Thai Milk Tea way betterCons/improvements:- Not much seating more take out- Some drinks were not customizable for sugar and ice.
Review №6
2022-06-28Visting the city this week and found the perfect place! Rice balls were amazingly good. Love the bubble tea as well. Unique flavors
Review №7
2022-07-10Taste: 4/5Price: 3/5first time here so I asked the cashier what the best selling onigiri 🍙 were and she said the yaya chicken (seasoned chicken, seaweed) and Japanese (egg, crab meat, seaweed) so of course I went with those. I ordered a small spicy mayo as well which was a bit overpriced, 50 cents for a tiny bit of mayo. Total came out to be around $8. My favorite was the Japanese, and I highly recommend eating it with the spicy mayo (it added a hot kick to it). The Yaya chicken was alright, i barely had any chicken so I didn’t get to fully experience it to make a final judgement. ALSO There is a specific way to open these — pull the red tab!!!!
Review №8
2022-05-27Food and tea is good, but this location has astonishingly bad service. I keep going back, but half the time I go, they either mess up my order or take way too long to prepare it (think 45 minutes and still no food). Today they ignored my internet order all together and when I showed up to pick it up i was told that they probably could give me a refund (its been 12 hours and no sign of a refund). I am rooting for this place, so please Yaya management: if you are reading this, you need to do better. A lot better.
Review №9
2022-03-20The Yaya chicken onigiri was good and the boyfriend drink was refreshing. The tapioca pearls weren’t the best.
Review №10
2021-03-15Been coming here for years.The chicken onigiri and the shrimp onigiri are the best. Some of the other ones dont have as much meat.Tea is good too.