CHICHA San Chen - San Gabriel

If you’re a boba lover, San Chen is definitely worth a try! The drinks here are on the pricier side, over $8 per cup and expect to wait about 20 minutes, especially since the place is always crowded. But the quality makes up for it. Their Bubble Milk Tea is a must-try classic, rich, and perfectly balanced. I also recommend the Green Tea with Passion Fruit, super refreshing and not too sweet. I tried the Pineapple Cream as well, it’s nice, but a bit too sweet for my taste. The staff are friendly and working hard to keep up with the crowd. Overall, if you don’t mind the price and wait, San Chen delivers on flavor and quality.

Paid $8.30 for a tea, which felt steep. The service was quite slow waited nearly 15 minutes just to place the order and another 20-25 mins to receive it. We tried the seasonal grape oolong tea with konjac jelly, very fresh and flavorful. went with light sugar still too sweet for my taste. Overall, the tea was good, but considering the price and the wait, I wouldn’t go back a second time.

The best boba tea in the US! I tried boba tea at the other places but nothing can beat this one. Chicha San Chen is still the best one on my list. The tea tastes so good and smells so nice. They use the quality tea with that special teapresso machine which makes the tea more flavorful. I like the way it is not too sweet like those other boba tea shops. This one you can feel the taste of the tea since they use the leaves one not the powder. The line might be long but worth the wait I recommend. It smells so nice when you entered the shop you can smell it.

Wow, amazing! Super busy location but well worth the visit. You can expect a line up here - big ups to the staff as I witnessed and sympathize with their frustration in a fast paced environment. I am not sure if there is a drink here I would not recommed - their seasonal items are pretty worth trying as well! Overall, lovely spot, great vibe, and great drinks!

Definitely Michelin Star worthy boba! I really wanted to hate this boba shop because I just couldn't justify paying so much for such a small cup of boba -- but I love it. The boba was soft and chewy while the tea itself was nicely brewed. I recommend the Osmanthus Oolong Tea with either Honey or Mango! :) The workers were really nice, took their time to explain the flavors to us when we ordered, and also had samples ready. Since there's only 1 worker at the cashier taking orders, the line moves fairly slow. Although the interior is pretty small and only has 3 tables, the space itself was fairly nice. * Osmanthus Oolong w/ Honey: 9/10 - subtle honey flavor * Osmanthus Oolong w/ Mango: 9/10 - sweet and tart * Green Tea w/ Mango: 9/10 - refreshing and tasty mango flavor * Bubbles (Topping): 10/10 - perfectly soft and chewy Keep in mind that the prices of the drinks are kind of high. Their cups are fairly small and the average price is about $7 without any toppings. They also aren’t able to make adjustments to the drinks like removing passionfruit seeds which I thought was weird. The plaza itself is pretty small and has little parking in front of the shops, but they have an underground parking lot which makes it a lot more convenient. Highly recommend giving them a try! :)

It takes a lot of willpower to resist coming to Chicha San Chen on a frequent basis! I’ve been here numerous times and haven’t been disappointed at all. In my recent trips, I’ve got the creamy mango tart. Couldn’t recommend this drink enough, especially since it’s a seasonal drink. If you want a refreshing and slightly sweet drink, this is a must! I stopped by this location around 5:30 pm on a Friday and was surprised it wasn’t busy. I ordered and got my drink within a few minutes. Although, it terms of parking, I needed to head underground, since all the ground level was taken.

Holy moly, ChiCha San Chen is where it’s at! The drinks here are phenomenal and the service is excellent. I ordered the Osmanthus Oolong with mousse and grass jelly, plus the Pineapple Honey Tea with Konjac from the Pineapple Series. My friend ordered the fresh milk with brown boba. We loved our drinks! I’ll definitely be back to try the rest of the menu!!

One of those crazy parking lots that you hope to get a spot and we thankfully did! No one talks about dairy options and I found that very frustrating because a lot of Asians are lactose intolerant or sensitive!!! So I will let you know here that I asked and they do NOT have any non-dairy or lactose free options. I took a risk and we got the Lemon & Passionfruit with condensed milk (about $8). Thankfully no stomach aches! And, the mix of flavors is actually really good! I normally would not get lemon but it worked well with the other flavors and like someone else mentioned, it is tart-like (the lemon). The boba chewy-ness is good but I couldn’t really taste flavor from the boba (not sure if it was because the lemon was overpowering). Oh and the wait IS long! We waited close to 30min!! Part of that time was spent outside in the 100 degree weather and when we came inside, I noticed they have more space but are using half of their shop as storage!! Terrible use of space. Especially when the lines are long and weather is insanely hot! Some of us could be waiting in the AC if storage wasn’t taking up so much room!! Overall, I personally do not think the wait is worth it (my husband did because the flavors are unique). So make your own choice but you have been forewarned!

The Cassia Black Tea Mousse is delicious --rich tea flavor with the perfect mousse texture! I also recommend getting the Osmanthus Oolong Tea with Mango with no sugar to really taste the tea.

Parking is kind of a huge hassle. The line is outrageous, but if you are willing to wait, then I would say the drinks here are well worth it.

Maybe I'm not "Asian" enough to fully appreciate this place, but I found this tea shop to be meh. Not really sure what the hype is about. It was just bland tea. And I don't think I got the wrong thing. I asked two people in the store what they would recommend, and ordered exactly what they suggested. I ordered the fresh taro series with boba with black tea, and I just couldn't get into it. I was quite disappointed from the first sip, and even thought about throwing it away. For close to $9 a drink, it was not my cup of tea at all. Service was alright, the woman hardly spoke any English and couldn't explain the drinks to me very well. They had quite the assembly line going to create the drinks, so I guess that's effective. But I still waited 15mins for my bland drink. Personally, I won't be back.

Have always wanted to come here but the line was always out the door. We finally decided to go and just out luck there wasn't a line! However waiting for our drinks took a long time, 25min or so. We also had a large group. Everything tasted really good though. I order the Osamthamus Oolong Mango Tea 50% and it was very refreshing. Highly recommend but plan for the wait time for your order

Writing an update to my previous review because after recently visiting their location near Cupertino in Norcal I must say this one is the best. I don't know why but the drinks at the location here is so much better than the norcal one. The norcal one is nice but the tea is surprisingly not as strong. I'm happy that they opened up another location in Alhambra because the wait was usually always really long at this location so I am hoping the quality will be the same since they're right next to each other.

Great bubble tea from Taiwan, we got the taro series with regular milk and taro balls. Also got the passionfruit green tea and osmanthus with taro balls. The service was quick and efficient, sometimes there's a long line and long wait time. The ambience is relaxed and plenty of parking in the plaza

SO good. The quality of the tea is impressive. The place smelled fragrant like freshly brewed tea and taro. The line was extremely long on a Sunday afternoon and now I know why. I got the peach green tea with milk mousse and it was excellent. The peach didn't overpower the green tea. My friend got the taro series drink with taro balls and also enjoyed it. Overall it is quite pricey but the quality was on par with the item. I think Chicha San Chen is now my favorite tea spot.

I came here a second time to give it another try since I didn't have the best experience the first time. My friend said this is his favorite boba spot in the area, so I wanted to try it out again. We came here around dinner time so the line was long, but not longer than what I have seen. We waited probably around 30 minutes. I ordered their jasmine milk tea with crystal boba, half sweet, and it was actually really good! The Jasmine milk tea was fresh and fragrant, and the crystal boba was a nice substitution for regular boba. The line did continue to get longer and longer after we ordered, so it seems like there's not really a good time to come here where you won't have to wait long. But once we ordered, our drinks were ready in less than 10 minutes. Overall, it's a good boba spot but I wouldn't frequent this place due to the long line.

Award winning Chicha San Chen you say? Came here with some friends on a Sunday at around 1PM and there was a line, I assume there's a line all the time though. Got myself two drinks. Saw all of the hype through social media so I had to come in to try. Their Dong Ding Milk Tea with Boba is pretty solid, however, would I wait in a long line for it? Probably not, but it's definitely a must try. I also enjoyed their high mountain pouching tea with lemon, I thought it was refreshing. As an ex-boba barista, I can confidently say that their teas are solid across the board and the quality lives up to the hype.

My second time trying this place and i wanted to try some new drinks! so glad the line was pretty short when i got there. only waited around 10 minutes or so. I got: osmanthus oolong tea with mango and konjac jelly: i highly recommend setting this drink with a topping! (4/5) green milk tea with taro paste and balls : i really like how the taro paste and the balls tasted very fresh and handmade (5/5) dong ding oolong tea: definitely had a pretty strong tea flavor which is to my liking (5/5)

I don't know why, but man, there's no good boba spots down here in OC. Whenever we are up visiting SGV or 626 area, the Taiwanese boba there is freaking bomb. It was our first time trying Chicha yesterday evening. It's not like Lollicup or Ding Tea; it's a whole another level. When we came, the place was flooded with hella people. You know it's a good sign when the business is popping, alright. We ordered 4 Dong Ding Oolong milk tea, 1 green milk tea with foam, and the mango drink. Everything was a 5/5. The Dong Ding was my favorite because it's not too milky. You can actually taste the tea and it has a nice aroma. It took about 40mins for our drinks to come out like god damn lol. Was it worth it though? Yes it was. I got none to say about the service except that it was efficient. Service was good but not beyond. People come through for some bomb bobas! We taking this one.

I thought the hype died down, and was not expecting a long wait but I was very wrong!! The line was out the door and many people waiting for their drinks as well. Some people before us also ordered 4+ drinks and that added to the wait as well. We ordered mango tart and the dong ding milk tea with boba. 10/10 both drinks. Always high quality tea, service, and experience. It always smells so good and workers are very kind! Approximately 20 minute wait so we walked across the street to Kee Wah and picked up pastries and when we got back our drinks were ready. I usually go to the Rowland one, this is my first visit to this location!

The boba shop across the parking lot was closed, so we decided to try this place since there was a line of people outside. I ordered a seasonal drink, but when I asked for boba topping, the person taking my order said they couldn't add boba to any of the seasonal drinks. Since boba is the main reason I go to boba shops, I ended up settling for the green tea with mango and boba. I found it pretty annoying that they wouldn't let me add boba to the drink I originally chose. It took about 10 minutes to wait in line and another 15 minutes for them to make my drink. The one good thing was that the drink itself turned out to be delicious--so if you have the time, this place might be worth it for you. 3 star for the time it took to get the drink... 2 star for them not allowing boba topping on my drink.. 5 star for the green tea with mango & boba drink

Nice to see that the line is still atrociously long at Chicha San Chen but alas, that's the price to pay for good tea. If you never had chicha san chen tea, then today's the day cause it's really good. No specifics on which tea or milk tea to get cause everyone has their own preference and I'm lazy and forget what I order whenever I go here anyway. Anyway, it's great tea but the price and line leaves much to be desired. But I suppose you make due with what you can.

Finally got to try Chicha San Chen! Went on a Sunday not even 10 mins after opening and there was already a line starting to form. The line moved pretty quickly though so it wasn't an issue. I got the oolong milk tea 0% sweet with boba. Even though I got 0%, the tea was soo smooth, without any bitter taste. The tea tasted very high quality. I wish the cups were bigger though, the cups are not very big so my drink didn't last very long lol. My cousin got the passion fruit green tea and it was very good! I'd come back to try the fruit teas next time:) Things I would do differently next time: I would ask for less ice because the ice quickly started diluting the strong tea flavor. Ask for less boba, the boba to tea ratio was a bit off (too much boba and had some left over)

I came on a Sunday morning and this place already had a line. I waited almost 20 minutes before I got to the front to order. My drink was a green tea + mango with less sugar and light ice. My order was ready within 10 minutes. I had somewhat high expectations for this place from all the hype I heard about having amazing tea. My first impression was the nice blend of both the taste of mango and the green tea. Most other places, I can only taste one or the other. Their green tea was strong but not overbearing, while being balanced by the sweetness of the mango. Overall, great drink and definitely lived up to my expectations. It was a smaller drink than I expected to pay for though.

Update: came here on a Sunday night and waited in line for half hour only to be told at the cashier that I need to wait another 1.5 hours to get my drink if I order now. There should be a sign or speaker warning people about this! I understand this place produces quality tea that unfortunately takes a lot of time but damn you just wasted my precious time! I don't support business practices like this.

Honestly not worth it. The drink itself is fine, but not wow. But there's a long wait (at least 30min) and it's way overpriced ($7 for a regular sized drink??) This place is overly hyped. There's a whole bunch of other boba places around SGV that are way better options. Will not recommend :(

I had green tea passion with konjac jelly, it was good. The line was long but it was worth to wait there. They have lots of good choices of teas.

Small cute interior, expect a wait outside for at least 15 mins just to order at 3pm on Friday. And then another 15 min wait for the drinks to arrive. We lucked out with parking as it seems to cycle out pretty frequently. That said, it's very good! I got the peach oolong tea with bits and tried the regular milk tea. Peach tea is very refreshing but I recommend stirring it well because the initial drink was bleargh. The milk tea was very creamy and so pleasant. Both were light in sugar. In hindsight I should have ordered something with milk since it's imported from Taiwan. I recommend coming if you have some free time on your hands. Next time!

Sorry, Chicha. I didn't feel the same way about your drinks like others did on Yelp. I felt the Dong Ding Oolong tea I had was too milky and didn't have not enough tea flavor. The taro latte with taro ball was good, but not amazing. However, I did appreciate the service that I received and the place was clean and organized inside.

I was the very 1st one in line when arrived about 15-min prior to open. I always wanna try but gave up when seeing lots of peep waiting in line all the time! This time I got in w/ a perfect timing! 1) Tropical Milk Tea $3.5-star 鳳芒柚粒厚奶 Pineapple bits mixed w/Pouchong tea /包種茶 light cream mixed w/tea n pineapple. Can not get any tea flavor as how others described...pineapple is sweet n sour, perfect drink for the hot weather! But I can't taste any tea flavor . 2) Creamy Grapefruit Tart-2-star 雲朶百香柚茶 My 1st sip like taking vitamin-C other than a refreshing tea drink. It's mixed with/ Osmanthus Oolong tea, but again, there's no tea flavor at all, as well it's a bit too sweet for my taste. It does not do the justice in b-tween the item names and the real taste for the ones I ordered. Nothing really stands out based on the above I've ordered. I vote for Good Osmanthus Oolong tea drink @ Half n Half as they make real good strong tea flavor! Cheese foam in Sun-right is nicely balanced, cheesy creamy yet not greasy at all. Mango or Avocado drinks I vote for 3-Cat as they're using real fruit bits other than cheesy puree.

The hype hasn't died down. People are still coming in droves. The line to get in and order is still long, like 20 minutes long. It's fine as it gave everyone a chance to read the menu and make their choices. And change their minds and make some more choices. We didn't remember wrong - the freshly brewed tea, the baristas' process, the custom-manufactured machines, the award winning tea leaves... all add up to the best iced bubble tea experience. I'm trying to remember when and where I've had better tea and execution of brewing, but at this moment, I cannot. Even though they only have three very small tables on which we can enjoy our tea, it doesn't deter the customers. They have 5 baristas working to and a cashier. All are working hard and fast to fulfill orders. It didn't actually take long to get our drinks after ordering- it's just that the sheer number of guests is large! The POUCHONG WITH LEMON JUICE is delicious! I caught a floral scent. Brings joy, this drink. PEACH GREEN TEA with chunks of fresh peach is addicting. The green tea is yummy! Did I mention it was addicting? The flavor of/in the BLACK TEA WITH BOBA is full and smooth.

Chicha San Chen is a Taiwanese bubble tea chain. From the moment you walk in, you will notice how popular the establishment is. There was roughly 6 staff members working the bar area and who knows how many more people are working in the back kitchen. The staff are friendly and efficient, make the ordering process smooth and enjoyable. They're knowledgeable about the menu and happy to offer recommendations if you're unsure of what to try. The interior is modern and clean; a perfect vibe for sipping your drink and catching up with your friends. The only downside is the limited number of tables and space. Prices are on the higher end due to the quality of the drinks you receive. I ordered the Bubble Milk Tea. I was shocked to find how milky the tea was, I wished I got more of the tea flavor from the drink. The pearls, on the other hand was chewy and fresh. Overall, Chicha San Chen is one of the highly ranked boba spot in the SGV area. But the drink, price, and wait-time doesn't entice me to continue coming back to the establishment.

Stopped by on Wednesday around 1pm. The best part = no line! But still busy inside as the staff was making lots of orders, and there was a steady trickle of people coming in the door. I ordered the bubble milk tea, half sweet, less ice. It was tasty and I enjoyed it. But IMO it's pricey at almost $8. Not sure if I would come back right away. There are so many other tea places to try. They gave samples of the Pouchong tea which was very refreshing and tasty as well. Parking on the street may be easier than dealing with the parking lot.

Whenever we come to this plaza, we always see a long line outside of Chicha San Chen. I was lucky enough to come earlier in the day around 4:00 p.m. where there was less people, so I decided to give it a try. The ordering counter had their menus laid out with their top 10 drinks and the cashier was very patient when I was figuring out what to order and provided recommendations. I ordered an osmanthus oolong tea with cream with boba, perfect sweet, less ice for my wife and an osmanthus oolong tea with mango, less sweet, less ice for myself. While waiting for our drinks, I sat at tables on the inside. The drinks came out fairly quickly and they offered to give a drink holder. The service here was very good at attentive. My wife enjoyed her Osmanthus Oolong Tea with Cream but did not enjoy the Boba that much because it was a little too hard for her. I enjoyed my osmanthus oolong tea with mango. I usually prefer not as sweet drinks, so getting this modified to less sweet was perfect for me. Overall, the teas were good. However, I don't think I would wait in a long line for this. I do recommend everyone coming out to give this a try for yourself!

Came to try the famous Michelin star boba shop! My bf and I got 2 different drinks, we got their bubble milk tea with no adjustments And a jasmine green tea with moose, also no adjustments We really enjoyed the jasmine green tea with moose, we liked the boldness of the tea bc it was the perfect level The bubble milk tea was honestly just ok... I think our friends hyped it up too much cus we were very underwhelmed but we KILLED our jasmine green tea w moose cus that was SO GOOD Service was great cus they helped us when we asked a million questions and couldn't decide on what to order. They were also so patient with the huge crowd of guests that came after us The interior is nice and clean, extremely spacious but I wish they had more tables and chairs available cus there's only 2 small tables with 4 chairs max I'll definitely be back to try some more drinks sooner or later

Food Cassia Black Tea with Mousse (5/5): The cassia black tea with mousse was yum. It has a rich tea flavor, and considering I'm not being a fan of sweets, I found it perfectly balanced. Usually, I prefer to reduce sugar in my drinks, but this one had the perfect level of sweetness at the normal level it comes with. Service: The service was very nice. Despite the long wait due to its popularity (it took about 30-40 minutes to get my drink), we happened to be offered a sample of a peach drink that day. Ambiance: The ambiance is both charming and cozy, with a cute aesthetic that adds to the overall experience. However, the space is quite small and seating is limited, which can be an issue during peak times.

I've heard so many good things about Chicha San Chen but I haven't stopped by because of the long lines. The other day I was in the area and I didn't see a line so I immediately parked and went in! It was my first time and I asked for a recommendation. I ordered Bubble Milk Tea with boba and Osmanthus Oolong Tea with Mango and Coconut Jelly. I can taste the tea and I can see why many people really like this place. Pricey but it's worth it! Staffs are friendly. I do appreciate friendly service but sometimes it's a bit much which caused the long wait. There were only two people in front of me but it took a while until my turn. I'll be back when there's no line to try other drinks!

I was actually left quite disappointed after much hype on Chicha san chen. My friend lives close by, and I figured the crazy lines must have subsided by now and wanted to give this place a try. We came here on a Saturday afternoon and only had to wait for ~5 people in front of us. To my disappointment, the cashier told me that they don't have any boba left. I was surprised since it was in the middle of the day! I even verified again with the cashier and she apologized for not having boba. As such, I decided to just get konjac jelly along with my oolong tea with cream. When I was waiting for my order, I saw that the orders in front of me AND those after me had boba! I understand if it was just shear luck if they ran out of boba right when I ordered, but I didn't understand why they would tell me they don't have any boba and offer it to the customer a few number after me. When my order was ready, I asked the staff who was managing the order pick up. She seemed confused as to why I thought there wasn't any boba. I would have chalked this up to miscommunication at the order, but I verified twice with the cashier before I placed my alternate order. I feel petty writing this review over it but it just left me disappointed and unwilling to try them again as the price was steep also.

I have tried Chicha San Chen before, but this review is mainly for the drink. One of my friends drop off a osmanthus oolong tea with mango. For adjustments, it was light sugar, normal ice, and boba. My friend mentioned they didn't have to wait long to order, which was on a Thursday around 5 pm. The drink was the perfect amount of sweetness. The boba was fresh and still warm. You can really taste the quality of the drink, which is consistent with the other times that I've had it.

Boba - sweet and have the firm chew I like Sweetness - Appreciate the sample to know what "perfect sweet" is compared with what I like Tea - it's stronger than most, but still not as strong as I would like. I chose the ding dong, which is the oolong with the stronger flavor, according to the cashier. Like that less ice is less ice (not always the case). Price is definitely higher compared with all other boba shops, especially since they have only one size, which is a 16oz. Line was out the door to the jut in the wall, and it was a 30-minute wait to get to the front of the line. But I didn't feel hurried. If you're in line by 7, you'll be served.

Chicha San Chen is good, but there are pros and cons that I'll delve into. The most obvious negative is that the tea is very expensive relative to its peers. Some will say that it's because they brew each individual cup and they take time to craft each drink. While this is true, at some point, the baseline boba shop's drink quality has reached a point where there's not a whole lot more marginal benefit from Chicha San Chen's brewing methods to quantify an extra 20-25% in cost. The highest compliment I can pay Chicha San Chen is that despite how popular they are with a massive line outside right as they open is that they are methodical and their assembly line churns out hundreds of cups per hour and that's a huge compliment. Their milk teas are overrated, but their fruity tea selection is by far their best offering. The peach green tea was absolutely delicious and would come back for more of that. Parking sucks during the weekends and the line is extra long. Be warned.

I got the lemon passion fruit condensed milk! I was expecting the drink to be more on the creamy side however it was more on the juice side.. Lemon juice it was lowk a bit sour for me but perhaps it's my bad since I got a lemon drink ahaha. I personally would prob not order this drink again as I do not think it is worth it for the price cus it literally tasted straight up like its name but their other drinks sound good and I would prob be back to try another

This was the first ever Chicha San Chen location I been to... so nostalgic. The tea quality here is insane... I can't think of any other boba/ tea place to compare her to. Litcherally one of the top boba places for me ever.... so good! The lines usually get a little bit crazy but I always try to come when it isn't peak hours. Coming with friends really helps the line because you just yap the whole time you're waiting anyways xD They opened a location in Hacienda Heights not too long ago and PSA the lines are shorter there. My two go-to drinks here are the Cassia Black Tea with Mousse & the Green Tea + Cream (basically a jasmine milk tea). The Cassia black tea is a black tea with a creamy mousse cream top & the green tea + cream is a high quality jasmine milk tea. Both SAUR good I cannot Drinks are on the pricier side but honestly soo worth it. This is much guilty pleasure & I don't get this as often but I always treat myself to her once in a while. Drinks range from 7-8 dollars here, but you really pay for the quality of the tea. I took sips from my friends boba milk tea and even the boba quality is *chefs kiss*. Only thing I wish was the line go faster because the longest I've waited here was an hour and a half... but still so worth it! This is indeed a true Michelin star level boba tea place you can get in California.

I don't like to wait a long time for boba, but I would for Chicha San Chen. I've been here three times and have had to wait close to 30 min each visit, but I keep wanting to go back (sparingly). Above all, the drinks are superb. You can really taste the difference in quality in both taste, texture and freshness compared to other boba places. Nothing tastes artificial. The milk doesn't feel watered down. The tea flavor is very rich. Even with normal sugar levels, the drinks are not too sweet (unless you get something very fruity). I've tried the Dong Ding Oolong Tea Latte, Lemon Condensed Milk with Passion Fruit and High Mountain Pouchon Tea with Lemon. I think my favorite would have to be the Lemon Condensed Milk with Passion Fruit because you can really appreciate the natural sweetness from the passion fruit. I've tried the boba and konjac jelly, and both are pretty lacking in flavor, but I can see that by design it really allows you to appreciate the drink itself more than the toppings. Making it sweet would really take away from experiencing the tea. I personally liked the konjac jelly more as it was more chewy. The boba was kind of soft.

Ok I'm a fan. I was worried about potentially waiting a long time for their drinks, but on a busy day, managed to get my order within 30 minutes. The inside is actually very small, so the line stretches outside. Parking is limited because the lot is actually very small but they have underground parking. I got their pineapple fruit tea, part of their signature series. It is every bit one of the better fruit teas I've gotten. I would definitely come back.

Delicious and worth the long wait! The shop is small, so the line starts outside. With the high turnover, the boba is always soft and warm when served. The tea is freshly brewed and the service is pretty quick after you order. Highly recommend the classic milk tea if you dont know what to get!

This is my current #1 favorite boba spot, to be exact, in the whole world! I've tried different bobas from around Asia, including ones in Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, but I think bobas are best in our local 626 home. My go to is the Bubble Milk Tea, Light on sugar. Quality tea and perfectly chewy boba, plus it's not extremely sweet! I love that there's always a tea sample welcome drink but I assume that's what extended the wait time, in addition to people looking at what to order on the menu. It's obvious why there are still long wait line of about 20-30 minutes wait on the weekends even after so many years since they first opened the store. I'd just come here between 6-7pm so there're no wait. I usually get my drinks pretty quickly during this hour. Like 5 minutes wait or so. FYI, when I was in Taiwan last month, I got curious and looked up ChiCha San Chen. There was only 1 location over there :0 . @tableformin

Chicha always has a long line (that moves very slowly), but I've discovered it is in fact worth it. Prices are definitely steep (total was $25 for 3 drinks) + portions are tiny - much smaller than your average boba. However, it's definitely worth the splurge at least once. Recs: - Fresh Milk with Brown Sugar Bubble: 9.5/10 ($7.99) I really, really liked this one. One of the best brown sugar bobas I've had. No customizations for sugar/ice for this one though. - Peach Dong Ding Oolong Tea: 9.5/10 ($7.29) They gave samples of this at the register when ordering. It was super yummy. If you're feeling fruity, get this one. - Dong Ding Oolong Tea with Fresh Milk: 8.5/10 ($6.99) Canto dad approved, + not too sweet (he got light sugar). - Bubble Milk Tea: 8/10 ($7.79) My friend said this wasn't sweet enough. Wasn't the best boba she's had, and she's had a lot. There's limited seating inside, but we were able to snag a seat despite the long line. Overall, would highly recommend stopping by if you're in the area!

Delicious!! When you walk into the store you get hit with the strong aroma of tea. Every time I've gone, there's always a wait. It's roughly a 30-40min wait if you start lining up in front of "Nowhere", which is a few stores down. The creamy mango tart tastes like a creamsicle. The high mountain pouchong tea isn't the best with fresh milk, I think it would've tasted better with honey or something that doesn't take away the tea flavor. The peach series is delicious!

Probably the best milk tea boba I've ever had! You can tell how much they put effort into the tea making process. I love that it's not too sweet and the boba balls are very moist and squishy. We ordered the milk tea and brown sugar flavors. The line is pretty long but well worth it. Didn't wait too long for our boba. There aren't a lot of seats or tables to sit in inside the shop so it's definitely more of an order and take it out spot when it's busy! Will definitely come here again for more!

I went with my brother and the line was long. The drinks were good. Nice looking place.

Definitely Michelin Star worthy boba! I really wanted to hate this boba shop because I just couldn't justify paying so much for such a small cup of boba -- but I love it. The boba was soft and chewy while the tea itself was nicely brewed. I recommend the Osmanthus Oolong Tea with either Honey or Mango! :) The workers were really nice, took their time to explain the flavors to us when we ordered, and also had samples ready. Since there's only 1 worker at the cashier taking orders, the line moves fairly slow. Although the interior is pretty small and only has 3 tables, the space itself was fairly nice. * Osmanthus Oolong w/ Honey: 9/10 - subtle honey flavor * Osmanthus Oolong w/ Mango: 9/10 - sweet and tart * Green Tea w/ Mango: 9/10 - refreshing and tasty mango flavor * Bubbles (Topping): 10/10 - perfectly soft and chewy Keep in mind that the prices of the drinks are kind of high. Their cups are fairly small and the average price is about $7 without any toppings. They also aren't able to make adjustments to the drinks like removing passionfruit seeds which I thought was weird. The plaza itself is pretty small and has little parking in front of the shops, but they have an underground parking lot which makes it a lot more convenient. Highly recommend giving them a try! :)

I just want to start by saying... it's amazing how most of the general public believe Chicha received stars from a French tire manufacturing company. Google is free! Don't get me wrong, the drinks here are in fact good. It just wasn't the equivalent (key word, equivalent) of a three-star Michelin experience. This tea shop is located in a shopping plaza along Valley Boulevard. We didn't have trouble finding parking on a Saturday afternoon. There are additional spaces underground if the surface lot is full. Very little room inside to queue, so the line was out the door. We waited about 30 minutes to order, and luckily grabbed one of the three tables inside. You can watch the staff members brew each cup individually. That adds to the wait time, but they are pretty efficient. Ample amount of drink options here. Ice and sugar levels are customizable for the most part; there are some teas that you can't request "no ice" or additional toppings/substitutions. Green Tea with Passion Fruit with Perfect Sugar, Less Ice, and Boba (additional 75 cents) - Strong flavor, good mix of sweetness and tartness Bubble Milk Tea with Light Sugar and Less ice - This one was a bit milk-forward, creamy with just a hint of tea. The boba had a satisfying chewy consistency. Misinformation notwithstanding, I would stop by again if I'm in the area. And if I had time to wait.

Worth the wait. Perfect texture of boba. This place also smells amazing. Very busy but clean. Lots of parking in front or underground.

I tried Chicha San Chen at the other location and they all were good. But at this location it's really bad, waste of money. Please improve ur Milktea like the other location.

One of my top 5 favorite boba places in SoCal! The wait can be long but I think it's worth it if you're here with friends (since time moves faster with friends). They used to have an online order ahead option but they took it away after the pandemic started to die down. Now it's just wait in line and pray it isn't too long. Thankfully they're opening another location in downtown Alhambra so that should relieve some of the business at this location. My favorite drinks to get here are the Dong Ding Oolong milk tea, oosmanthus oolong tea with honey as well as the green tea with passion fruit. My fiancé tried this place in Taiwan and her favorite drink is the green tea with cream. I always adjust my drinks to 50% sweetness by default but 100% sweetness here isn't too bad actually! The service is pretty much non-existent because they're so busy but they do their best to make your drinks fast. Every time I go there, they're always giving out samples of their special drinks for the day and I usually end up getting an extra drink so I can try the specials. That's actually how I discovered the green team with passion fruit. There's very limited space to sit inside and it isn't your typical boba shop spot with outlets and study music/EDM blasting. It's a pretty much grab and go kind of establishment that happens to provide chairs and tables for people who are waiting.

Tea in its purest form. Definitely deserves Michelin rating. I came here a while back when they had online ordering, but I couldn't find it this time around and waited in line. The store opens at 12 PM and I arrived around 12:15 PM with a line out the door. The line ended in front of the hair salon. I appreciate the respect they have for other businesses, with signs asking customers to leave space for a walkway. ChiCha San Chen already knows their tea is a hit. I get a little peeved seeing other customers not respecting the business' sign to "Please Keep The Door Closed". I closed it while waiting in line, but it ended up staying open shortly after me. Personally, the wait to the cashier took about 30 minutes and is worth it. I wasn't expecting a sample of their Peach Tea before I ordered and was pleasantly surprised by the freshness. The shop is small and clean with 3 tables to seat 4 people each. I waited outside for my order to be made. The loudspeaker makes it clear when your order is ready. Each drink is made efficiently and it took about 15 minutes for 4 drinks. Bags are $0.75, but I brought my own tray and bag. The staff kindly helped me pack it up. I ordered the Peach Dong Ding Oolong Tea, Osmanthus Oolong with Honey and Grass Jelly, and Dong Ding with Oolong. The tea's pleasant aroma and crisp, refreshing flavor leave a lasting impression. A little pricey with each drink almost reaching $8. It's a treat for me and I savor each sip.