Tea Monster

Hidden gem if you are craving Chinese street food in the Loop. It’s in the basement of Block 37 so it’s somewhat out of sight. Great selection for Jianbing (a savory eggy crepe dish with crispy cracker and protein, vegg of your choice as filling). It’s a good size for lunch or big snack. The tea option is also great. Not a lot of seating and phone signal is terrible in the basement tho..

Tea Monster has really great bubble tea. I got Lime & Passion Fruit Green (C1) and it was quite refreshing! The lid is also the best lid I’ve ever seen for bubble tea. It’s not a soft plastic lid that you puncture. It’s a hard top and it makes sure you won’t have any spillage at all.

We were searching for milk tea and found this place. I’m surprised they make Chinese pancake 煎饼。 We bought the original flavor and the dried pork sung flavor, very authentic. I think it is a great idea to sell this Chinese street food together with milk pearl tea.

Love this place! 🧋❤️ Tried the fruit tea with boba and it was amazing. Super friendly staff and super quick service – can’t wait to come back!

The food looks so amazing. Jian is like a savoury crepe made from mung bean and flour filled with stuff. I will say though that the flavor isn't as intense as the visual. It could've been spicier, saltier, sweeter... all that but it was still light and filling. And natural. It is crunchy and the crawfish pieces were perfect. I think of the jian as more of a hearty snack than a meal. It has the soft egg around it. Some crunchy stuff inside, veggies like lettuce, light sauce, and protein of choice. I ordered the crawfish one. And what's nice is you can sub organic eggs, but you're going to pay more for it. You also get to customize your spice level which is nice. The spiciest isn't that spicy though for those of us who love spice. It's not even at the level of Sriracha. Also ordered a Assam black boba tea. The screen didn't let me sub out the boba for coconut lychee Jelly so I just asked the barista and he took care of it. So day it was still too sweet even though I asked for the less sugar option. Not the best tea I've had but wasn't horrible. Overall great experience. Not too much starting, only one ordering kiosk so not super efficient and small but will definitely grow since it's the city's first Jian store!

All the way at the very lower level of Block 37 on the way to the train. Cute little Boba shop. The boba was very soft and chewy. I got the Brown sugar, dirty boba. Less sweet. Ordered on a kiosk. It took a little over 7 minutes, and there were no people there.🧋

Yumness and beyond, First time eating Jian, I ordered the crawfish and it was delicious crispy soft with light sauce. Yumm

Location is inside a mall. As far as I’m concerned, google maps alone doesn’t give you any indication that it’s inside a mall. Very small, almost makeshift bubble tea place with very few seating opportunities. Friendly staff. Disappointed in the drinks, though. Their Thai Milk Tea didn’t taste anything like actual Thai Milk Tea. And the Lychee Tea with lychee boba was good for the first couple of sips. After I was half done with it, the rest of the drink remained frozen and tasteless. Even after a waiting for it to melt, it barely melted and there was no more taste to it. Would only come back to try their savoury snacks.

Quick place to stop by for a simple drink like tea. Especially the location is inside the Block37 mall . It's a good place to get the drinks before you heading to their parking garage. This mall also is a place for Blue line & Red line CTA. Teas were made very quick and just exactly what we want, less sweet but regular ice

I will preface by saying that I think I set myself up for failure here at Tea Monster. I'm always looking to see what the place does best, and what should catch my eye but the brown sugar ginger milk tea- a drink that I think actually probably shouldn't exist. But I saw it and I was like oh? Brown sugar combined with a little bit of SPICE?? Could be good. And it's true- it could be good, but you never think about how it also could be bad. I genuinely do think this flavor has potential, but I found myself wishing for (1) creamier tea and (2) stronger tea. In the state that it was in, the ginger flavor tasted like it was being added to plain water, which made the whole experience more herbal than I'd hoped. Seems like fruit teas might be the way to go here, especially with the addition of fresh little fruit pieces! My dad enjoyed his pineapple green tea, and my sister also found the passionfruit to be refreshing!

I wish there was more of a sitdown area because this spot deserves more space! The butterfly coconut shrimp jianbing was so addictive, especially the crispy flaky crunch of every bite. The serving size was generous and could easily serve two people. It's easy to grab on the go or eat on the spot. Will be coming here often to try the other jianbing items!!

All the way at the very lower level of Block 37 on the way to the train. Cute little Boba shop. The boba was very soft and chewy. I got the Brown sugar, dirty boba. Less sweet. Ordered on a kiosk. It took a little over 7 minutes, and there were no people there.

After a climbing session, a refreshing boba drink was just what I needed! Tea Monster and Jian are housed in the same space in the pedway of the Block 37 mall complex. I went on a weekday around noon, and they were getting a good amount of traffic. The 3 employees were definitely working hard, and I was pleasantly surprised that the wait wasn't as long as I anticipated. Although the jianbing looked good, I only had time to order a drink. I ordered the genmaicha with less sugar, regular ice, and tapioca. I was impressed by the strong tea flavor and the soft boba. The sweetness level was perfect. In addition to pure tea drinks, they also have smoothies and fruit teas. I would recommend this boba shop if you prefer strong tea flavors!

Pluses: Kiosk for ordering. Specify less sugar, less ice or tea versus milk. Con: cream top is commercwhipped cream

Definitely try this if you're curious. It's both savory and sweet. The crust is sweet and crunchy, but you have the egg and the ingredients (of your choice) for the savory part. It's in the middle of a downtown mall, so don't expect any ambiance really. My only complaint is that it can take a LONG time to get your food. I do hope that improves because I do like this!

This spot is in the basement of block 37 near the entrance for the blue line train. The mango dirty boba was extremely refreshing and delicious on a warm summer day. Don't go if you are in a rush. I waited about 10-15 minutes on a Saturday night around 6:30pm and wasn't in a rush. Current hours online say they close at 6:30pm, but I'm unclear if that time is correct due to the fact that they were still accepting orders close to 6:50 when getting my order.

It was our first time trying out Tea monster and it was a wonderful delight! Their boba is not overly sweet like other spots and their Jianbing is really good. It was also our first time trying that time and it has a wonderful texture and also flavor. I would recommend! They were busy so service is a bit slow but there is a kiosk to order. The ambiance is very cute and aesthetic for photos and a cute date!

I love this place. it's so good. tea is amazing and addictive. Srrvice is AMAZING. best service. there's a guy who's really nice and always says hello and asks how you are and really makes you feel at home. i dont know how to describe the tea other than it's amazing. I will always have nostalgia after grabbing some tea from here and then hopping on the red line to get home. something about the smell of the red line mixed with the taste of the tea is just amazing. only problem is ITS SUPER EXPENSIVE. like 10 bucks for a tea, but to me it's worth the price so I give it 5 stars.

The dirty taro latte was amazing. I got it with less sugar, and that was the perfect level of sweetness for me. The taro flavor was decently strong, and the pearls were chewy and flavorful.

New bubble tea place in Chicago that opened inside the Washington Blue line stop. You have to walk down into the station, and Tea Monster is in a booth outside of the fare stations right by the Block 37 subway entrance. The hours have been a bit unpredictable - hours online and Yelp haven't always matched what's posted on the window, and they've been closed a few times when I've come by. There are kiosks outside to order automatically, and every time I've come by there's been a small crowd with a 10-15 min between ordering and drinks. There's been the same guy there everytime making the drinks who is very nice. Service can be slow especially if there's a lot of orders since there's only one person mixing the drinks. Drinks at Tea Monster are great and it's no wonder it's already very popular. Menu is extensive and has a lot of unique options like brown sugar ginger tea and fruit tea with cheese foam topping. Original milk tea is one of the best in Chicago. Definitely come check Tea Monster out.

Located in Block 37's basement (B1) off the blue line - did not hear about this place until some friends told us! My husband and I shared the Monster Smoothie (banana, granola, honey, coconut milk, peanut butter) with tapioca. Interesting combination but it was overall tasty. The smoothie was more liquidy than I would've liked, and the tapioca balls were pretty bland. Did not think it was worth the additional 85 cents. :/ Definitely will be back to try something else though!

Great bubble tea/fruit tea/smoothie spot conveniently located at the Washington Blue Line stop/Block 37 entrance. I noticed it a few days ago as I was headed from the Washington blue line stop to the pedway. I decided to try it today and had a great mango smoothie. I ordered at the kiosk and received my smoothie quickly. Love the cute cups! I plan on making it a regular stop and next time I'll try a jianbing and fruit tea.

Simple and efficient, you'll get satisfying bubble tea creations at tea monster for a reasonable price. It's simple to order off the kiosk here with plenty of options to choose from, with a good number of pictures, and lots of ways to customize it to perfection. The Dalgon coffee I tried was strong and smooth like a Vietnamese coffee without being too sweet. The taro was similarly aromatic and flavorful without being too sweet. In both drinks, the boba was nice and chewy which provided a nice match to the drink. Though the restaurant itself is small, the quality of the drinks is as good as what you'd get from a larger boba tea store.

I can wholeheartedly say that Tea Monster is the only good bubble tea spot in the heart of the Loop. I've gotten tea from here a few times and it's been top-notch every single time, which I must say is impressive as I've frequented a number of bubble tea stores that struggle with consistency. I've tried a few different bubble tea flavors from here (including the earl grey and jasmine) and all have been exquisite - they're a little on the stronger side as far as the tea itself goes, which I love (not bitter though). And you couldn't ask for more out of the tapioca pearls...chewy and sweet! A notable feature of this place is the service. There's a person who often works here that's extremely friendly and polite so that's the cherry on top for the whole bubble tea experience. The only unfortunate thing about Tea Monster is their hours. I don't remember their exact hours but I often find it closed in the evenings and on weekends. All that means is that whenever I swing by the Washington blue line stop and it's open, I pop in for some bubble tea!

The most unexpected place to find boba. Located in the Blue Line CTA pedway under Block 37/Thompson Center. I pass by everyday on my way to work. Hours are a bit weird to me and it's unfortunate that they don't upen up in the morning. But other than that, they're great! You can order through the register or they have a kiosk. I've tried the Black Boba Milk Tea, Taro Boba Milk Tea, Thai Boba Milk Tea, and the Roasted Oolong Boba Milk Tea. The drinks with 'Boba' in the name have tapioca included! Their tapioca is also cooked perfectly imo. All of the drinks I've tried from here are great! I love how the sugar levels can be customized. They also advertise daily specials. Overall, really good! One thing that keeps me coming back is the service. I've been here plenty and the one guy that works here is always so nice and friendly. He also works very fast even when there's rushes. Sanitary as well, as I saw they made sure to wash their hands after touching cards and cash (I know this should be standard, but seriously I have seen it not done before at many other places). Great boba spot that I will continue to get! :)

My go to bubble tea place right now. The hours has changed from like 1pm to 6pm, I'll try to take a pic of the updated hours the next time I go. I really enjoy the roasted oolong milk tea or jasmine milk tea with bubbles or coconut lychee jelly. You can really taste the tea which is why I think it's quite good. Their mango / passion fruit drink is good as well (the mango one comes with chunks of mango!!!!!!!) The owner / guy behind the counter is super nice.

very good prices for boba and smoothie the jianbing is a must! very well made and the servers are friendly as well

Use the kiosk to order. The stand is in front of the blue line entrance. You can adjust sugar level and such. Nice staff and good boba!

I was so excited to try this place when I found out about it. I hate saying hidden gem but it kind of is! Easiest way to find it is taking the blue line stairs down on Dearborn. I got a dirty brown sugar tea and it was SO good! Bobas weren't overly chewy and the tea was so sweet and flavorful. Can't wait to come back and try more of the menu.

Got the oolong and brown sugar ginger milk tea. I was very impressed considering everything is mixed by hand. The oolong was very strong and the ginger milk tea also had a very strong ginger flavor. I got the agar bubbles, but it's not really for me. They were running out of tapioca due to price increases and the boba shortage, so I let my bf have the last one. They're open until 6pm M-F and closed on the weekend. The owner was very nice.

Presentation 10/10 cute, boba was 8/10. Service was super friendly, very convenient for those who take the CTA line. Located in front of Washington Blue Line Stop - downstairs of the Block 37 Pictured: Dirty Brown Sugar Milk Tea

We like this boba tea the best in Chicago. We try to stop every time we come into the city. Never had a bad drink from this place.

I ordered the passion fruit tea with boba. The boba was great but the tea itself lacked flavor / was watered down. However, the prices were refreshingly reasonable and the location is conveniently in the blue line station, so I can see myself going back and trying something else

BEST BOBA in Chicago. You get to watch them freshly muddle the fruit, if you like fruit teas. Just down the steps towards the subway. The somewhat stealth location somehow just adds.

Pretty good bubble tea specials for $4-4.5. I got Thai tea with boba($4.5), which was pretty good, not super sweet, but a little diluted. Same with brown sugar ginger iced milk tea with boba($5.50)- not overly sweet but diluted flavor. The server mixed the drinks on the spot quickly and was super nice and friendly. He poured a lot of tea and, even though none spilled, he wiped each cup before handing them to us to make sure they were clean and not sticky. Great customer service! You can get there through block 37 by going downstairs, and turning to the blue line station.

This little hidden gem at the blue line pedway is lowkey really good. I came here Friday around 3-4pm after shopping before I got on the bus to go home. I ordered the osmanthus oolong milk tea with boba (less sugar and light ice) because not a lot of places carry osmanthus oolong as a flavor for milk tea. The guy who made the drink was super nice and I can't wait to be back to try their jasmine milk tea next time! The bubbles are definitely on the smaller side, but I didn't really care much since it's just a difference in size as long as it's flavorful. I can't to be back in the near future on Fridays after I get off work since it's a good 15min walk from my work place, but worth a treat yourself!

11/06/21 Service - 5 / Ambiance - 3 / Food - 3 / Price - 4 COVID: All the staff wore masks. It took us a while to find the entrance to this boba place, as the entrance is through the CTA Washington Blue line Station. They handshake all their drinks, and I prefer the tea drinks over their fruity drinks. The boba is okay...it's pretty chewy and the boba to drink ratio is pretty good, but it's not the sugar has cooked really well into the boba. There is only one large size, and the prices are pretty standard for a large boba. This is also going to be the second location for JIAN, which specializes in a Chinese street breakfast food called JianBing. http://www.jianbingchicago.com/ Drinks Dirty Dirty Mango Boba Latte - 2/5 They do use real mango jam which is nice and the drink is not too sweet. It tasted a bit watered down to me and I didn't love the fruity drink. The boba was okay. Osmanthus Passion Fruit with Boba - 4/5 The drink was not overly sweet and had a strong, rich tea flavor. *All ratings are out of 5

Neat spot in the Block 37 Basement on the Blue Line. For my lactose intolerant friends, the drinks are dairy free! The drinks came out very fast and there was no line on a Wednesday afternoon. My group said the drinks were really good and the shop being in a subway stop was reminiscent of Taiwan. The cups are cute too! Would definitely recommend checking this shop out

Delicious and cute! Taro tea latte (purple yam) was so good! Very strong taro flavor barely tasted tea. Perfect! It wasn't overwhelmingly sweet like some can be. The bobas at the bottom have a chewy, waxy and slightly slimy texture. If you never had it, it's worth the experience to try. I normally ask for it to be removed. I just forgot this time. The drink is over $5 after taxes. Could definitely make this for cheaper at home.

Brand new place for 2-3 weeks. I tried the brown sugar boba tea. I thought the brown sugar boba had the right chewiness and sweetness. I could not taste tea and I let the owner know who was open to feedback. I'll plan to come back in the future and try something else.

Drinks are very good, especially the fruit teas and slush, and the bobarista is always super friendly and timely

Tea Monster is hands down the best bubble tea shop in River North, Chicago. They have a friendly and respectful staff who are always so quick to make your drink! My favorite is the the taro milk tea with boba. Very tasty and reasonably priced! It is tucked underground so you have to enter near the blue line station.

Great bubble milk tea! The owner was really kind and I got my drink really quick. Bubble tea tastes amazing with the right amount of tea and sweetness. I also like their bobas which is chewy and sweet! Will definitely come back again!

My favorite Boba tea place in Chicago so far! I'll be back to try the scallion pancakes. This is in the block 37 mall in the basement heading towards the blue line. It's a little out of the way but soooo worth it!!

At the Washington Street blue line stop you will find this gem of a bubble tea shop! I've encountered the same person working there, and he is so kind. The teas are top notch, and there are tons of flavors to suit every palate!

Great tea with perfect boba. Also, in the most convenient of spots as I trekked to the Blue Line to O'Hare.

My job likes to order from here to keep us hydrated and refreshed during long shifts. We ordered thru grubhub or some other 3rd party delivery service and our driver never showed so we couldn't get our drinks. The 3rd party did refund our money but the employees over at tea monster didn't want us to miss out so they were kind enough to deliver our order free of charge. Great customer service. Thank you guys!

The guy was cool and he worked real fast to get my oreo tea done. For a first timer, ill definitely come back soon

Some of the best bubble tea I've had! I got the dirty taro boba and it was so good and had taro smeared on the side which helped the flavor a lot. Absolutely loved it.

Great location, I tried different stuff ever time I passed by, the Jian bing is pretty good, I love the pretzel as well. Very authentic bubble tea

This place was a small little shop on the Washington blue line stop and it came in clutch. I got the Taro Bubble Tea, and it was a solid size, was delicious, and had just the right amount of boba. Will be back! It's a perfect little pick me up

Super sweet owner. Good prices and really yummy tea! My favorite boba, love the texture and it's lightly sweetened. My fav teas are the lime passion fruit tea and the oolong boba latte!

Right out of Washington on the Blue line, I was greeted with a nice man nicely cleaning the shop. I was hesitate at first but needed a little pick me up as one usually can get. I usually aim for brown sugar milk teas but saw they had a brown sugar milk tea coffee latte and immediately got it. Though the drink is very dark in terms of flavor, the refreshing drink was a nice buy~

I got the jasmine milk tea and was disappointed. There was almost no flavor what so ever. I would say it's not worth a trip back. The service was friendly and quick however

Yelp needs to update their listing! This shop is closed. Long walk for nothing. Please update your listing!

One of the best Boba and Tea place,the staff are always nice and the daily specials are good.

Tried it again. Much better improvements to the boba so it's no longer huge. They're much smaller and have a great chew to it. I also got a hot matcha and it was a nice drink to have since colder weather is coming up