Shiny Tea

Great neighborhood bubble tea shop. Got the oolong milk tea and passion fruit tea with jelly. Both drinks were not overly sweetened, which is what I normally prefer in my drinks. Passion fruit tea was wonderfully fragrant. Jelly wasn't too hard and just soft enough to slurp through the straw. Will be back to try more flavors.

Great neighborhood bubble tea shop. Got the oolong milk tea and passion fruit tea with jelly. Both drinks were not overly sweetened, which is what I normally prefer in my drinks. Passion fruit tea was wonderfully fragrant. Jelly wasn't too hard and just soft enough to slurp through the straw. Will be back to try more flavors.

The tea is good and made within five minutes (unless it's just after schoolor work when there can be a smallish line). They ask how much sugar, ice and boba you want (though they have given me ice when I've asked for none). The prices are fair for a deluxe tea and they have a decent sized array of options to choose from. Only main complaints is that their hours sometimes vary slightly (opening late / closing early (and they aren't open late enough)), and that when they do make a mistake they don't own up to it.

No seating. Order on their website for free size upgrade. It’s also on ubereats but there’s 10% upcharge. Credit card only accepted for $10+

This will be my new favorite spot near Morningside heights! Great flavor and texture in the boba pearls and the black milk tea had a nice taste. 10% student discount + super reasonable prices. Just make sure you bring cash unless you’re going to be spending more than $10

Let's not pull punches here; the place is basically a hole in the wall, but let's face it, that's where you always find the best boba. This no frills stand offers a large selection of flavored teas, juices, and blended beverages that are all highly customizable. The laid back staff is happy to assist and entertain your customizations. The boba itself is the right amount of al dente and not overly mushy. There are plenty of selections to please everyone; milk, no milk, caffeinated, not caffeinated, and even some geared toward children. If you're in the area, my advice is to skip the big chains and support this local business

Best of the bubble tea in the area. The folks making the drinks are fast and efficient considering the size of the place. Don't forget your stamp card!

I've been in Taiwan for four years and this is definitely the most authentic bubble tea in UWS, their milk tea has real tea flavor and tastes much better than those chain stores. Gotta try their pu-erh milk tea with coffee jelly, you can get it nowhere else!

Best traditional taste of Taiwan boba tea in Manhattan. Puer tea with coffee jelly was exceptional. Hot passionfruit tea with boba was just like being in Taipei. Hole in the wall, no seating but their boba is exceptional and the tea taste comes through with exceptional quality. Most boba chains can't keep fresh tea taste and this local one gets it just right.

I got tieguan yin latte with grass jelly. Tea was good. Grass jelly texture and taste quite good. I think it's not from a can :) I like my drinks not too sweet so 30% was plenty sweet for me. Seemed like only one person running the shop so had to wait a bit to get through a burst of 5-10 people.

This was the winner of my little bubble tea showdown. It was a close call, but their tea led them to victory. My theory is that bubble tea should taste like tea. Even though this tiny hole in the wall is off the beaten path, they are most definitely getting the job done.

Had heard about this places for years and finally made it and it was delicious! a little hole in the wall where you go in, order, than wait outside for it to come out. because of its popularity, there is often a long wait and their menu is diverse which is typically a plus but made me a little overwhelmed. if you're a boba fanatic you have to cross this place off your bucketlist

I love Shiny Tea! This is probably one of the best boba shops on the UWS (at least close to Columbia). The tea is consistently fresh and delicious- I always get the Jasmine Green Tea with Boba and it's always the perfect sweetness and the boba is perfectly chewy. Some tips: Order online (via Shiny Tea Square), order a medium and they'll automatically upgrade it to a large for free! 10% off for students with cash and $10 minimum with cards (but if you order online you can bypass this) Highly recommend! Love it here.

These guys are great. They are super friendly, will walk you through what you want. They were so nice and helped find the perfect drink for my kid. Give it a try if bobba is new, and go for a drink if you're a bobba lover. Plenty of option regarding how sweet you want a drink, and tea or no tea

[NYC BOBA TOUR STOP #23] This hole in the wall on the upper west side is very curious!! It is truly brain-tickling!! We don't know what to do with ourselves here. Our opinions on this store had more range than Ariana Grande. I completely forgot to take a picture of our drinks, but we ordered (rating): Passionfruit Premium Green Tea with Grass Jelly (4.5/5), 3Q Milk Tea (2/5), Jasmine Green Milk Tea (1/5), Fresh Jade Green Milk Tea with Shot of Coconut (4/5), Grass Jelly Milk Tea (4.5/5), 3Q Milk Tea with Shot of Coconut (4/5) The store itself is kinda what I feel like boba should be. Literally a small sliver of space that you might miss if you're not looking for it. No seating or anything, just order your drinks and go when they're done. There were only two people working the store when I was there, and my six drinks were ready in about 15 minutes. They put it all in a bag and I was about to leave when one of the people there was like, "WAIT WAIT WAIT!" And I was like "WHAT?" because I thought I mis-paid or something. And then they pulled out a STAMP CARD. They wouldn't let me leave without giving me a stamp card and they gave me an extra stamp with a lil "happy holidays," wish and it made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. Their boba was a little soft and was missing taste but definitely has the chew factor that we look for. In general they tasted like nothing at all. I personally enjoyed the mix of the white boba (which are essentially just mini boba) and the regular boba because it lended itself to a fun & funky for texture, but other people in my family didn't like the white boba because they kinda just disintegrated in your mouth. I honestly thought one of the coolest and most unique things about this place was that they let you add flavor shots to your drink. My sister and I went for the coconut shot and it was super yummy. The flavor shot mixed really well with the tea so that it didn't taste like powder at the end. It was just another level of personalizing the drink to make it for your taste that I haven't seen at other stores! And finally, their prices were the most reasonable I've ever seen. We got a lot in the $5 range and a few in the $6 range, but none over $7! Which is almost unheard of in NYC these days and made me smile. There were quite a few drinks that were great, but there were also many that missed the mark. It was the inconsistency that got to us. We'd recommend the Passionfruit Green Tea but honestly because we had so many different opinions, you may have to come here and try something for yourself!

Close and convenient. Also a good place to sit and relax and get out of the food mode (coffee makes one full and light huh)

Highly recommend the Jade Milk Tea. Best bubble tea I have ever had. I was told the jade is stronger than the jasmine and you can really tell it's high quality tea being used. Small to go shop with no seating indoor or outdoor as a heads up. Wish there was one closer to me!

I've been drinking bubble tea up and down the West Side of Manhattan for a minute, and finally found my spot. Really great quality tea here, friendly service, and tea is more affordable here than other places. Lychee Green is my favorite. Thank you, Shiny Tea!!

After exploring the Conservatory Garden and North Woods on a warm, humid NYC day, wife and I wanted a refreshing drink and to just sit down. We found Shiny Tea on the UWS and decided to check it out. When we arrived, we learned there were no indoor / outdoor seating. It's a very small shop with only enough room in the front of the counter for 2-3 people. We waited for about 5-10 minutes before ordering because there was only one person taking orders and making the drinks. He was also receiving mobile orders so he was busy. When it was time for us to order, I ordered a medium passion fruit green tea with less ice and regular everything else. Wow. It was very refreshing! My wife tried it and said it reminded her of something she would get in Taiwan, so that's a plus! 4/5 Yelp stars. Well be back!

Great neighborhood bubble tea shop. Got the oolong milk tea and passion fruit tea with jelly. Both drinks were not overly sweetened, which is what I normally prefer in my drinks. Passion fruit tea was wonderfully fragrant. Jelly wasn't too hard and just soft enough to slurp through the straw. Will be back to try more flavors.

Easy to miss it if you don't know what you're looking for--I walked past a few times before finding it, but definitely great flavor and friendly staff!

There were posters inside saying that this was the best milk tea from Taiwan and certified by some Taiwanese bubble tea organization---i got a traditional black milk tea with 50% sugar, and it was disappointing and extremely watery.

Ordered both the Apple Vinegar Oolong & Pineapple Jade Green Tea. Apple Vinegar was different, but the pineapple was much more up my alley.

The tiniest of tea shops. This place is probably as narrow as it gets, great for grab-and-go (obviously). The tea here isn't the best but will get the job done if you're looking for tea in this area. The prices here are good too. There aren't a whole lot of tea shops up in this part of town, so this is probably your only option if you're craving it. Great spot though.

Many flavors to chose from, takes a while to get it though. It took around 8 minutes for a large bubble milk tea. Although there are only 1 or 2 people working there, 8 minutes is quite slow compared to other boba places. Another inconvenience is that you need to pay a minimum of $10 for Apple Pay or any electronic payment, and they are closed on Tuesdays so, which is kind of annoying. Overall, it's a good place in general but takes a while and is inconvenient

Easily top 10 bubble tea place in NYC. Not sure what it is but their regular milk tea tastes absolutely delicious!!! I don't like the white bubbles but the regular ones are consistently great! I had a bunch of their fruit teas and oolong teas - you can't go wrong here, there wasn't anything I didn't like. Once in a while they will have 'heart' shaped boba. Instagrammable but they don't go thru the straw LOL! The staff are superstars too!

This random hole in the wall milk tea shop that no one's ever heard of just gave me a banger of a classic milk tea. Not much to say, it was just amazing milk tea with boba.

Dropped by Shiny Tea yesterday, and had a great experience. The teas -- honey oolong and jade green -- were generous, delicious and NOT too sweet, like most other places. They were also full of boba and pineapple star shaped jellies , which we have never had before. The service is friendly and efficient and the prices were excellent. We will definitely come back to try other teas.

Shiny tea's first birthday and they have great promotions! I always like to try new bubble tea stores, and shiny tea is pretty tasty especially they have panda bobas which are black and white bobas. Their bobas are not too sweet but it still gives you the flavor you want from bubble tea. They have a lot of different drinks you can choose, go try it before they are sold out!

Tasty teas and cheerful service. I love that their menu includes some unusual drinks and allows you to specify the sweetness. We got jasmine green and oolong teas and both were flavorful and nice - an improvement over some boba chains where every option is flavored. Here, the teas get to shine (and they have flavored drinks too).

8.0/10 Jasmine green milk tea: very high quality tea; although lacking in sweetness (bc I asked for 30% sugar), the drink still had a lot of personality; seemingly fresh and high-quality milk; drink was ice cold despite me asking for no ice, which i really appreciate, doesn't happen often; overall, could've had some more flavor, but a very good drink nonetheless

The best boba in Morningside Heights. The tea is delicious, the options are just right, and the pearls are cooked to perfection. A great QQ texture with a slight sweetness to each pearl. The prices are not bad either. This doesn't feel like a sticky, teenager-run, bubble tea place where the ingredients are slapped together. The taste of the drinks here scream delicacy, balance, and quality. Did you know? AmazonRestaurants can deliver Shiny Tea to your doorstep? I know, I'm like a walking advertisement. I just enjoy Shiny Tea so much I want everyone to know they can get access to it (yes, for a not so low price of a $6.99 delivery, but maybe get a group of folks to go in on an order!)

i have been going here for over three years and there has not been a problem but recently the workers have made me feel very uncomfortable by asking me for my instagram and asking my name and school and adding me on snapchat. i am a minor and this has made me feel unsafe and uncomfortable and i will not be coming back.

After dinner at a nearby place, we were looking for a bubble tea location and this place popped up on Yelp. Given its good reviews and high ratings, we decided to give it a try. It's a hole-in-the-wall bubble tea place with no indoor seating. I'm so glad we stumbled upon this place because not only was the bubble tea amazing, the owner was extremely friendly and very interactive. I'd highly recommend Brown Sugar Milk Tea! Note: Minimum to pay with card is $10--2 medium drinks will do!

With new bubble tea shops that are supposedly "hyped in Asia" opening every other week, it's hard to find a place that hasn't been overhyped and won't cost you your left arm for a drink. Luckily there's Shiny Tea. Although their quarters are cramped, the quality and taste of their drinks really packs a punch and makes up for it. Unfortunately, when I stopped by with hopes of ordering a bubble tea, (or boba milk tea as they call it here at Shiny Tea and in California) I was told that they ran out of bubbles. They recommended the white pearls, so I went with that. I paid my $4.63 and waited for my drink. Then I was informed that they also ran out of white pearls and recommended the grass jelly. So grass jelly it is. I ordered my drink with the standard sugar level and ice and it was nicely sweetened without being too overwhelming. The grass jelly was a bit harder than your typical grass jelly (which isn't necessarily a bad thing in this case.) The milk tea was refreshing and best of all, didn't cost me $7 like it did at Koi The down in the Greenwich Village. I am forever grateful that these hole-in-the-wall bubble tea places still exist. Luckily, you can still get your bubble tea cravings satisfied for under $5 at such places. There is absolutely no need to wait on-line and spend $6-$7 for a drink whatsoever.

Worth a visit both for the excellent and authentic tea flavors as well as for the super-unique space which can't be more than 8 feet wide. Charming and satisfying spot, probably our second-favorite in the city after Gong Cha (and far more quirky and local).

Best boba in the UWS; they use quality tea from Taiwan. Tieguanyin milk tea is top notch. Unfortunately, they're temporarily closed from September 1, 2019.

Great milk tea & the guy who was working there when I went was so nice! Love that they have a student discount and punch cards. Great lil spot hidden on the UWS, cannot wait to spend all my money here

Overall, this place has a bunch of unique teas, including brewed teas and vinegar drinks. The small white pearls are also pretty cool. I arrived around 11:30 am, and I was happy to discover that there was boba available even though the door says that boba isn't available until 11:50 am. I got the following teas: Tieguanyin tea latte with 30% sugar and mixed pearls (panda) - 5/5 The tea had a very smoky flavor. I also liked the softness of the boba and loved the small pearls (I really like small tapioca pearls in general). The milk tasted fresh. The drink was heavier on the milk than the tea, but that was expected since this was a tea latte as opposed to a milk tea, which is heavier on the tea rather than the milk/cream. Mango wenshan tea with 50% sugar and white pearls - 4.5/5 This tasted like mango juice masked by a shadow of green tea. There was a not unpleasant aftertaste that settled in the back of my throat and toward the back of my tongue. It had a bit of a fermented flavor. Overall, this was a very interesting tea and quite refreshing. The white pearls didn't have a ton of flavor, but I liked the texture. The service was a solid 5/5. The person behind the counter made great recommendations and provided detailed answers to our questions about the teas and how they taste.

Updating previous reviews to say that their toppings are more generous and have been consistent the past several months while ordering delivery! Shiny tea is still my favorite bubble tea place.

I could cry tears of joy: there's finally good boba/bubble tea on the UWS. Located in a tiny little space between Xi'an and Dunkin Donuts, Shiny Tea is easy to miss. They just opened 10 days ago and don't have a big sign yet, but hopefully that'll change. The store itself is tiny. There's just enough space to walk in and order but don't plan to sit down or hang out. A wall menu neatly displays all your tea options, with prices ranging from about $3.50-$4.50. Service was friendly and very helpful. I first saw Shiny Tea in Flushing, so I had pretty high hopes for authenticity and quality. And Shiny Tea delivers. Tea options go beyond fruity, syrup-based flavors and into actual tea varietals like tieguanyin (a dark oolong), Sri Lankan black tea, and pu-erh. My MO at any new tea shop is to try their jasmine green milk tea as a baseline. At 30% sugar, this one was solid: creamy with a distinct jasmine flavor and not too sweet. I got half boba and half mini white pearls out of curiosity, a combo they cutely call "Panda." Their regular boba is on the softer side but very decent, while the mini white pearls are fun for texture. Currently they have a 20% off sale as part of their grand opening. Check it out and give this neighborhood spot some love so it can stick around!

Out of all of the boba places I've tried since living in Manhattan, Shiny tea is still my personal favorite. I have tried most of their milk teas, and the brown sugar and Pu-erh flavors have become my go-to's. I usually get 50% sugar (which is still plenty sweet for me) with mini white pearls. The thing that I love about Shiny is that both the milk and tea flavor are very balanced with one another, which is a great indicator of authentic bubble tea. They also have a wide range of flavor options, and you can even get a "panda" bubble tea with both mini white pearls and traditional black tapioca. Overall, this place is a no frills bubble tea shop that puts the quality and taste over the instagrammable gimmicks that many other boba shops focus on. I would highly recommend Shiny to anyone looking for some delicious, refreshing, and authentic bubble tea around NY.

Just found this place through Google map. Not many around the Columbia University area so nice to have one in the neighborhood. Guys were really great at taking order preferences right!

The bubble tea is pretty good. The quality of drink is good. The staff is so friendly. Feel lucky to have this Cozy shop in community.

Wish I could give this place 6 stars! I was visiting friend who lives around the area and recommended Shiny Tea. They have 7 different kind of teas and their bubble tea tastes amazing! I got a passion fruit fresh jade green tea (the most premium green tea they carry for only $.50 more) with boba and asked for 30% sugar. The staff is very friendly and explained to me that the passion fruit flavor comes in a syrup that has some sugar in it and they dont add any additional sugar on top. Once they finished making my tea, they asked me to taste the tea to double check that it wouldn't be too sweet for me - so considerate! But, the surprising part on was how interactive the owner was too! As we were enjoying our drinks, one of the owners named Felix came up to us and asked how our experience was. This was a first for me when a owner ensured our stay and time was delightful. I hope you guys guys succeed! Knowing this place opened up recently, their drinks and service was A+++

Girl with the red hair and nose ring is possibly the rudest staff. Created a huge line and bottle neck and made us wait forever while she fulfilled orders for people who weren't even waiting. When we asked if we could order, she held off even longer. Wish I knew her name, but the owner should definitely fire her. She was working at 5:49pm on Saturday. Line was out the door not because of the wonderful bubble tea, but because of incompetence ‍.

This was my first visit here and I got the wan shan milk tea with 50% sugar. My friend got the jasmine milk tea with 80% sugar and the white pearls. I highly recommend the wan shan, it has a light floral flavor and you can really taste the tea. The jasmine milk tea was good too and the pearls were pretty typical (they mini and super cute). The menu is pretty extensive and the shop is tiny, a grab and go type of place.

Had a passion fruit tea It was good, I found it to be too sweet for 30% The bubble tea shop is extremely cramped. It smells a lot like the toppings selection you choose for the beverage, inside the store. Customer service is just ok. I feel these people (when I went) should keep their comments about the product and critique to a lower tone or to themselves. Not sure if I would recommend this place. Unless of you are on-the-go and not looking to sit/relax

Found this tiny boba tea shop by my new apartment complex and was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the tea! The classic milk tea isn't too sweet and the boba is perfectly chewy. I've also tried the brown sugar milk tea and it's delicious as well! The staff is very friendly, which is always a plus. Something to note, though - they have a card minimum of $10 (so make sure you have cash!)

Tiny place to come for bubble tea. Reason for such a low rating was because how hard the bubbles were. Tapioca bubbles must be cooked right and chewy but their bubbles were just not cooked correctly

It's disappointing. I am a bubble tea expert since I get bubble tea at least three times a week (I love bubble tea). I didn't like their bubble tea. I got oolong milk tea with bubbles and it didn't have a strong oolong flavor. It was really weak.. almost like water. Bubbles were just okay too. I will go to other bubble tea places. I won't come back here again.

This hidden treasure of bubble tea is a great gem for the UWS (sorely lacking in some good boba). It's a grab and go shop - perfect for a good weather stroll. The menu is extensive with lots of different options to the amount of ice, % of sugar, and LOTS of toppings. They had some really great options (I had the date and longan tea) very reminiscent of my childhood. I will definitely come back for some good, good tea.

Outstanding bubble tea on the Upper West Side. Service is pretty slow, as there are only 2 workers and they handle one order at a time, but the tea is generally worth the wait. It's the quality of their tea and their boba that makes this place stand out above the rest in this neighborhood.

When I saw such a well-reviewed boba spot in the Upper West Side (and walking distance from Columbia's Morningside campus!) I couldn't help but stop by when I had the chance. However, I have to say I was a bit disappointed - not sure if I came on an off-day, but my drink was just okay. I opted for a classic milk tea with boba. The milk tea was good and had noticeable tea flavor, but the boba was quite bland. Perhaps their other toppings are better?

Boba perfection. One of the few boba places that: 1. Make everything fresh and use real ingredients 2. Bubbles are always perfectly cooked 3. Offers apple vinegar and plum vinegar options Melody C. treks one hour each way just to get this, and it's well worth it. Run, don't walk, to Shiny Tea!

Shiny Tea, once only a spot in Flushing - has a location in the Upper West Side? I had no idea this place existed until I accidentally walked by this past weekend. I don't even know how long it's been open. It's literally just a storefront - only enough space to walk in and order and walk out. No seating space whatsover - even smaller than it's location in a bookstore in Flushing. The prices are competitive with all the other bubble tea chains in the city. My favorite here has always been the Tieguanyin tea (no milk) at 80% sugar with white pearls. It has a very strong and unique tea taste and I love the texture of the smaller tapioca. Note that at the time I went, they ran out of regular tapioca. The only downside of this location is that the lady behind the counter wasn't the nicest and was actually quite cold, to put it nicely. Otherwise, great spot for tea.

location: located on 100 street, this place bring no excitement to the bubble tea industrial. There are no formal seats, and no clear sign of their business. So you have to take a closer look to the place. Bubble tea: I did their white bubble.. Actually, when I visited flushing, I found out that white bubble is very not that mysterials. ... Average... compared to the price, i think coco is much better Price: average is 4 dollar. I don't think you need to pay this much for a bubble tea Service: shitty service. They have a cold attitude to Asians and a warm attitude to white. FUCK YOU. Overall: I don't know why asian people don't treat asian people shit. SHAME ON YOU. BYE 0 STAR IF AVAILABLE. ADJUST YOUR ATTITUDE

Although it is a small shop but it is busy all the time. Great thing was that they made the drinks really fast so the line up moved fast as well. I recommend their panda milk tea (which has black and white boba with milk tea) so good!