Formosan Tea Bar

I was so excited to find this tea bar tucked into an alleyway on our way between Christ Church and the bus stop back to London. The person serving us was so friendly and let our family try four different samples of tea, explaining each one. They have kombucha on tap, excellent quality of boba and strong tea flavors. Coming from California, we have so many variety of boba shops there but this hidden gem in Oxford really stood out to me. The decor here is minimalist with a hidden panel for the bathroom and a fun little lounge lounge as well. The service here was amazing and I could tell the server loved working here. Would love to come back again!

I come from a place with a lot of boba tea stores, so i have high standards for fruit teas & milk teas. It’s okay to try out, just don’t compare it to other stores in Asian towns so that you won’t be disappointed. It’s like a typical Asian drink but targeting non-Asian people, so tastes and flavors are not the same.

Got one of the best teas I've ever had the pleasure of drinking here. I love the size and decoration of the interior as well. It helps create a calm and comfortable, yet sociable atmosphere.

Came across this shop with great reviews so i decided to try out. It is an amazing experience as normally I wont expect I can try the drinks before buying. The experience is like going to the bartender buy for A TEA, which I absolutely loved

Such a hidden gem! Who knew that in a tiny alley in Oxford I would find the most authentic taiwanese tea house I’ve seen yet in the UK. The little shop has years of history, but its interior is contemporary and pristine. The teas are brewed in house and taste amazing- the staff was incredibly friendly and helpful, giving us taste tests and recommendations based on our personal preferences. There’s a cozy study area for longer stays and bar seats for short visits. Will absolutely be coming back if ever in Oxford again. A must visit!

I always love coming here which isn't enough. If you're more into your traditional high quality bubble teas then this is the only place to go in Oxford. It is also the first ever bubble tea house since 2012. The nice guy behind the counter offered us tasters as we weren't 100% sure which flavour to order. Great to see kombucha served here in different flavours on tap. There's a private room where it looks like a Japanese tea room where people can hire it out to have meetings. Look forward to returning here again.

I never do google reviews but would give 200/10 if I could!!! Best and most authentic bubble tea place I've ever been to in the UK (believe me I've been to A LOT). You can actually enjoy the flavour of the tea without artificial tastes, unlike other bubble teas which mainly rely on sugar and artificial flavouring. Bit hard to find (it's in a tiny alley that you have to spot) but it is SO worth it and the privacy makes it all the more enjoyable imo!!! Has working space and in a nice and sunny seating space, AND the customer service is absolutely wonderful! I was given four samples to try (of tea) first time I went and all four samples were AMAZING. Lifesaver and a NEED for students during term!

If you're looking for an authentic tea experience then this is the place to go. I've never been disappointed and I've tried a lot of the drinks on the menu. The kombucha is also amazing. The staff are always super friendly and I can definitely that this is the best bubble tea place in Oxford.

Came here because my brother told me this was the best bubble tea place in all of Oxford. It was a hot summer day. I had just gotten off a long bus ride from London and checked into my room, and I was really in the mood for something cold to drink. When trying to find Formosan Tea Bar at first, it was a bit confusing. There was an alley with a sign for Formosan Tea Bar, and walking down the alley felt very sketchy and weird. But it's at the end of this sketchy and weird alley where you can find the entrance to Formosan Tea Bar. Once inside, it certainly looked much nicer than from the alley. The Japanese gentleman (and I knew he was Japanese because he told me his ethnicity) with a lovely British accent let me sample a few of the teas, and we had a nice conversation about the teas, the weather, the sweetness levels of the tea, and helped me decide which one I liked best. I chose a black tea with lemon juice and tapioca balls. It was so refreshing and delicious, and I could instantly see why they had the best bubble tea in Oxford. They were also so kind to fill up my personal water bottle with iced water as well. The one negative part of my experience was when I was about to snap a photo of the bubble tea menu, but then the caucasian guy working there just yelled at me. If I had been ruder, I would have just snapped at him, "You don't have to yell at me." The tea was much needed and was a pleasure to drink. I enjoyed being in their store to escape the heat.

OMG, it was soooo hot when we stopped in here and got our drinks. Loved the green tea lemon honey bubble tea. This place is in an alley way and so glad that we were able to find it. The drink and the rest in this lovely shop hit the spot. Definitely coming back the next time we're in Oxford.

I can't even explain the level of snootiness I experienced at this tea bar. It seems to be a popular place, despite its location down a narrow alleyway. It's pretty small, so if you come during peak times, don't expect to be able to hang around. Yes, they do offer samples if you've never been here before, and the staff give you their rehearsed spiel of how they make everything in house and source everything from Taiwan, because the owner's from Taiwan, yadda yadda. I had the misfortune of getting a girl who seemed too bothered to explain anything because she started with a leading assertive question that sounded more like a statement, "You've been here before...?" When my party and I said no, she rolled her eyes and plopped 3 miniature plastic cups on the counter and began to pour us samples. Any questions we had came back with a snarky and defensive reply from her. Even when requesting to adjust the sugar levels, she assured that these were sweet enough, would be no sweeter, and found it weird that we wanted them less sweet. Well, unfortunately I did follow her advice and mine did taste even sweeter than the sample she had poured. They might follow a specific recipe with measured amounts, but there's such a thing as human error. I ended up dissatisfied with my lemon tea, which ended up tasting more like lemonade, and wish I had followed my friend and ordered it half sweet. Not all staff are snobs, though. I ended up interacting with a male staff, and he was friendly enough. So it could just be that one Asian girl with the long hair and furry arms. Also, no photos or video are allowed in the place, but you'd think management would at least post a photo of their menu. Note that there are more choices for tea customization than what you sample, there's a menu placard right at the till when you first walk in that's easy to miss. The tea quality is there, but I'm seriously debating whether to give this place a second try after service was such a turn off the first time.

This place opened in May of 2012, and no one has bothered to review them? For shame! :P I walk down High Street fairly often to go to class, and I randomly came upon a sign that led me to this cute little bubble tea shoppe. This location is down at the end of Wheatsheaf Yard; it may be a bit difficult to find at first, but there are so many unique stores tucked away in alleys, so you will get used to it. I had to go down a cobblestone alley to get here, but it wasn't of the sketchy variety so don't worry. A few things I've gathered from their Facebook page: -- They take reservations: there is a room towards the back of the store that is reminscent of private Japanese Tatami rooms. The room even has a projector! It's a cute set up if you want to get a group of your friends together and watch a show while sipping on bubble tea! (Of course walk-ins are welcome); -- There are take out and catering options; I've included a few photos that show the interior of this shoppe. Now on to the bubble tea. I live in Los Angeles, and just twenty minutes away, I am privy to some of the best bubble tea I've tasted in America. With that said, I went into Formosan Tea Bar with very low expectations (which I have for all eating establishments here in the UK). I ordered the standard black milk tea (I mean ... if you can't make a STAPLE taste good, I don't trust you'll make anything else taste good!) with just a little bit of boba (which I generally don't order). The boba balls were chewy, and the drink was subtle yet flavorful. I usually like my milk tea strong, but this was pretty good. I wouldn't say it's five-star worthy as the drink was SLIGHTLY watery, but would I come back? Yes I would. Their menu is simple (pictured), and their pricing is appropriate. They only have ONE size, so that's what the price reflects. There is ample stool seating as well as a few table setups. Also, they have a stamp card if you want to get a free drink after you've filled it up! :) This is always a great incentive if a store's product is good, and Formosan Tea Bar at least makes a good black milk tea. If you have any inquiries, email -- info@formosan.co.uk Their hours are: Mon - Sat: 10:00 am - 8:00 pm Sun: 11:00 am - 6:00 pm I'll be back to try out the rest of their menu! I have to fill up this stamp card before I leave for America again in two weeks. ;)

Wouldn't have expected a Taiwanese style milk tea place in Oxford, but it exists -- if you can find the sign that points you down a small alleyway. Of course, we probably would've passed it over except it said "free samples!", so I'd say it worked. The person behind the counter had us try 4 different teas, and we ended up getting a black milk tea with and herbal jelly and a jasmine green milk tea. Formosan has signs in the shop saying how they import their teas from Taiwan, and the taste definitely bore that out. The only real nit with the taste is it wasn't quite sweet enough, even with extra sugar. (That could just be expectations from growing up with milk tea in LA, but I like my sugary drinks!) Price-wise, it's £3.75 per drink, and £0.50 for boba / herbal jelly. Not cheap, but sounds reasonable-ish considering the imported ingredients, and they're probably the only game in town. Anyhow, worth a try if you have a craving for Taiwanese milk tea while you're checking out the colleges.

Very good bubble tea; this is a more legitimate sort of traditional bubble tea place that focus on quality than quantity of flavours. They use low sugar, so there's no need to ask for less unless you want completely none at all. It's nice and cool, even in the heat of the summer, and there is a nice seating area with wifi to chill with friends or read a book.

Our friends took us here once. We loved it so much that we because regulars. We also asked them to provide tea at our wedding. They showed up right on time, everything went to plan and, as always, their bubble tea was fantastic, and loved by everyone. The tea here is really high quality, natural and authentic; very different from the brightly-coloured, sugary ones you get elsewhere.

This place is relatively concealed in an alleyway, which is a plus if you're aiming to avoid really big crowds. I really like their bubble tea. It's probably the first time that I was blown away by the interplay between the chewiness and the firmness of the tapioca. Their lemon bubble tea is made of freshly squeezed lemon juice, which I haven't really experienced before. The cafe is relatively small, but it's a great place to enjoy bubble tea and get some work done. It has this "oriental" wooden sitting area with a window view. The WiFi is reliable, and the staff is pretty friendly!

Came here with my boyfriend on a day trip to Oxford and absolutely loved it! We felt welcomed the moment we came in and were offered different samples of tea since it was our first time there. The staff were super friendly and knowledgable about the different teas they offered. Small seating area, but it was comfortable and nice. I really recommend this place for some great boba in Oxford.

You will find this tea bar through a tiny alley in Oxford. It was rainy, typical Oxford weather. That really heightened the experience of looking for a nice little tea place to shelter us from the rain. For those who know little about Taiwan's history, Formosa was one of its earlier names, given by the West. Formosan isn't very big but has a Japanese styled tatami sitting room, which is perfect for studying. The tea is a bit more on the expensive side, but this is Oxford, so its prices reflect that. The regular Black Milk Tea was one of the more flavorful I have tasted in London. The teas itself are very lightly sweetened. However, the Green Milk Tea had a slight bitter tinge and I felt that adding some more sugar would probably have increased its flavor. The boba was average, not too hard but had a slight bland flavor to it. The menu has an interesting array of flavors, such as Raspberry Black Tea that my friend ordered. It was extremely tart with a strong Raspberry taste. Regardless, I think its great that Oxford has such a tea place nearby and the quality of their tea tastes pretty high.

Lovely tea bar in a small alley by high street. It could be hard to find just by looking at the address. The tea bar only serves tea and complimentary peanuts are by the cash register. The guy working behind the bar was really helpful in my decision making of which tea to order. He even offered free samples of the green tea and black tea with milk. They were both delicious but i went with the green tea with honey and pearls. The way you order is by picking the tea base, and each topping is an additional £0.50 (like honey or pearls). Usually it takes 5 minutes for the drink to be ready but they have free WiFi so the wait isn't too bad! The tea bar seating is quite unique so i would reccomemd drinking it there if you can find a seat. The place is quite popular!

Just wanted to review since I came here so often while I was at Oxford. It might be a little hard to find but it's probably the best bubble tea place in Oxford. Coming from Taiwan, this isn't the best but it's good enough. Their teas aren't too sweet, and they also give out free samples.

My all time favourite cafe in Oxford. Formosan is in a relatively secretive alleyway, which means it's generally quite quiet and a perfect place to escape the noise of the city centre. The staff are always friendly and helpful - they give out free samples, and are very knowledgable about what they sell. The WiFi is very fast and reliable, which makes it a perfect place to study. The bar seating is usually busy and a bit awkward to sit at, but the tea room is lovely and I personally always go there when studying for exams. The room is very cosy in winter and cool and calming in the summer, and the bubble tea is my favourite in Oxford by far out of the four bubble tea places that I've been here - not too sweet, all natural ingredients and very delicious.

This place is awesome. Tucked away down a tiny alley off the main road, it provides a peaceful haven within the city. (Srysly quiet in there, perf for studying). I recommend the cold jasmine green tea with milk and sugar. It's great. They also serve salted peanuts that accompany the sweetness of the tea perfectly, however are ridiculously overpriced, only buy the peanuts if you are rich, or if you just don't care about how overpriced they are. Tea is about £4-6 last time I checked, so normal fancy drink prices. They have some chilled music on and you can either sit on a bar stool, or take your shoes off and sit on a wooden floor in the back of the tea bar with cushions and cozy bits. I hate feet so I just sit on the bar stools, plus who had the time to take there shoes off, then go through the hassle of putting them back on before leaving? Not me.

Tasty tea, but served in throw-away plastic cups even if you want to stay in the tea room. The only toilet they have is the staff one, and you can only use it if you explicitly ask, and they let you in using their staff card. Although Formosan wants to be an authentic Taiwanese place, it is poor quality European pop-music which makes the background of your visit.

I have to say this isn't the best bubble tea I've ever had. The bubbles were slightly too soft and chewy; the regular milk tea was good but I felt not sweet enough. Overall, OK if you're just looking for quick boba. Definitely won't be my go-to, though.