Sweetea

Passing by Ktown, I stopped at this tiny, adorable bubble tea shop, Sweetea (28 E 33rd St). The moment I walked in, I realized my outfit perfectly matched the store’s color palette—everything was the same soft, buttery yellow. These little moments of joy in everyday life really do make you happy. The shop is filled with the cutest details: an adorable clock, fridge magnets, cloud decorations, milk-tea-shaped lights, and even a special cup holder just for photo ops. Honestly, it’s probably the most photogenic, best-for-pictures bubble tea shop I’ve ever been to! The owner was super warm and recommended their mochi series, so I ordered two drinks: the Cheese Foam Mochi Taro Milk Tea and the Mango Mochi with Popping Boba. Both were beautiful, but especially the bright yellow mango one—it matched my outfit again. The mochi slid effortlessly through the straw, so smooth that I literally said, “How is this so silky?” The owner told me they make their mochi fresh every day, and I had just caught a newly made batch—I was the first one to try it. A lot of chain shops prepare their mochi in advance, then freeze and thaw it later, which changes the texture. The silky mochi blended with taro and creamy milk was a gentle, comforting kind of satisfaction. Mixed with mango, it became light, sweet, and bright—two completely different but equally magical flavor experiences. Their fruit jams are freshly made, too. They also have lots of cute little merch, and if you buy two drinks, you get a free gift. I saved the cookie and croissant for later that night. Editing and studying at my computer while letting my taste buds be happy too somehow made the whole grind feel lighter and more fun, haha. I showed my friend the photos I took in the shop, and she immediately started craving it. She checked to see if delivery was available—and turns out it’s on several delivery platforms! Definitely running back next time I’m nearby.

This milk tea shop uses incredibly fresh ingredients, and you can really tell there’s no artificial or “over-processed” taste. The staff was very thoughtful and kindly used plant-based milk for my drink, which I really appreciated. The food was also delicious. It’s a small shop, but the interior is adorable, cozy, and full of charm. Definitely a lovely place to visit!

Absolutely the cutest hidden gem in K-town 💛 Their little lion logo is ADORABLE — honestly just walking in already made my day better. I came in feeling stressed, and somehow left completely healed 😭 The taro mochi drinks are insanely good. You can actually tell everything is made fresh — I saw them bringing out freshly made mochi and real taro right from the kitchen, which made me love this place even more. The brown sugar boba milk tea is also SO satisfying and perfectly balanced. Today was their first day reopening for Valentine’s Day, and they had a Buy 1 Get 1 FREE strawberry mochi drink 😱💗 Such a sweet surprise. Super cozy vibe, super friendly people, and drinks made with real care. Definitely coming back！

A small little shop tucked away amid a few others on the side street, Sweetea specializes in bubble tea. However, they have some special additions that make them a bit less run-of-the-mill. Their highlight is the topping of mochi. The pounded rice is very thick and settles with Boba at the bottom, so you need to be vigorous in mixing it before drinking to properly enjoy everything in your straw. Their mochi bubble tea comes with many flavors along with toppings. They also sell some merch in the store. I recommend reducing the sugar level for drinks because the toppings like Boba carry extra sugar syrup with them as it is. The mochi is very satisfying to slurp up. Unfortunately, the cup I got for my drink had a small hole so I needed to quickly find some tape for it. But the drink was still good.

I’m very particular about taro milk tea. I really don’t like the artificial-tasting ones made from powder — they just taste fake to me. The staff told me they make their taro paste fresh every day, and you can truly taste the difference. I was so happy to finally find a bubble tea shop that actually cares about quality. Since it was late and I didn’t want any caffeine, I ordered the fresh taro milk, and it was absolutely delicious. Rich, real taro flavor — not overly sweet, just smooth and comforting. Definitely coming back again.

This is my favorite choice for mochi milk tea. They have the best in the city! The mochi is incredibly soft and chewy. Don’t sleep on the croissants, which are perfectly crispy and flaky. The quality is truly exceptional.

Tried the Taro Ube Croissant Sunday combo at Sweetea this sunday and it was such a perfect Sunday treat. The combo was only $11.99, which honestly feels like a great deal for what you get. The drink was super tasty, and the taro + ube combination felt unique but really comforting — not overly sweet, just right. The croissant paired so well with it too. Definitely made our Sunday feel a little sweeter. Will be coming back to try more! 💜

Ordered 3 drinks two brown sugar milk teas 30% sugar no ice and an orange green tea 30% sugar no ice. I was told that the orange green tea was good. The brown sugar milk teas were decent, the boba was chewy and soft and the milk tea wasn’t overly sweet either. The only thing I didn’t like was that we ordered one hot milk tea and we were surprised that it was in a plastic cup… it was lukewarm and wasn’t hot which for this case it was good because steaming hot drinks aren’t supposed to be in plastic cups anyways. That was a little disappointing so we won’t be ordering hot drinks from here. Other than that it’s a very small place with cute decor and a little bit of seating inside and outside!