The Alley
Bubble tea store · Montagne ·
Freshly made tapioca pearls, brown sugar milk tea, Royal No. 9
Freshly made tapioca pearls, brown sugar milk tea, Royal No. 9
"Canadians will likely recognize the Alley’s deer head logo from one of its various stores across the country, which make sugar cane syrup and tapioca in-house. Its deliciously decadent and crunchy tiramisu milk tea merits waiting in line for a try." - Kelly Albert
"I discovered a new bubble-tea destination on Guy Street by Concordia University: The Alley, a Taiwanese chain that opened its first location in 2015 and has rapidly expanded across Canada (numerous Toronto locations, plus Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver) and into the U.S. The Alley makes its own brown sugar–infused tapioca balls on-site each day, cooking the pearls in brown sugar “lava” for two hours, and they feature in the chain’s signature “deerioca” trio—regular sweet milky tea, a matcha option, and a “creamy” option that leans toward crème brûlée—priced at about $6 with reasonable portions. There’s a clear focus on quality tea, which the chain says goes through a 500-day process from harvesting through roasting, and the menu of black, green and oolong teas includes the staple Royal No. 9, a black tea roasted with blueberries. While many menu items are sweet, unsweetened choices are offered and iced drinks like the Apple of My Eye (made with honey, apple cider vinegar, aloe and more) are generally not cloyingly sugary. The deer-head logo is part of the brand’s identity rather than an attempt to play up Canadiana, and the Guy Street location at 1256 Guy (corner Ste-Catherine) is open daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m." - Tim Forster
"Located on Guy Street at Ste-Catherine, I see this relatively young Taiwanese chain positioning itself as a sophisticated teahouse: founded in Taiwan in 2015, it focuses strictly on (mostly sweet) fruit teas and bubble teas and has expanded to over 300 locations across Japan, China, the U.S., and Australia in just four years. I note the brand is cultivating a wholesome image by making its own brown sugar cane syrup instead of artificial syrups and hand-making its own tapioca balls, and its logo evokes a third-wave coffee-shop aesthetic; it already has several Greater Toronto Area locations and planned expansions to Alberta and Vancouver." - Tim Forster
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