ZaoAn Café - Drinks & Bites

Despite it’s recent opening, Whale Tea is already one of my fav boba shops in DC proper. I got the milk tea with Oreo; the taste of the tea was excellent and they did not skimp on the Oreos at all! The vibe inside is cute and homey. The staff were friendly and helpful. I will definitely be back to try more of their flavors.

We go to Whale Tea pretty regularly since it’s opened up. My favorites are the oolong tea with foam and aloe, and my kids like the brown sugar milk teas with pearls. They also really like trying the seasonal drinks and that there’s cake pops and macarons :) The shop aims to be a third space, to integrate with the community - it’s modern and cozy, excellent bathroom, and whoever selects the music does a good job. I like sitting there and reading around lunchtime, and often there are uni students on their laptops. For warm weather, there’s a waiting area for dogs with toys and water bowls/jugs. Right now in winter, they’ve put out a dome for outside seating and decorated it with lights :) I love chatting with the owner and the staffers, and learning a bit about the business and them as people. They don’t mind my adhd kids 😅😝 The only thing I hope they see growth in is figuring out their target market. They started as a clear high-end-tea boba shop, with a taste that is probably more accepted in Rockville than DC (fresh fruit in the tea, tea base that is never oversteeped, excellent boba prep, foam that is salty - all the things i like). As they are figuring out their business model, the menu has expanded vastly and hasn’t stabilized yet. I think this business wants more to welcome and love people than it cares about selling a particular food. Once they figure out how to present this consistently as a brand, it’ll be perfect.

I walked in and ordered a smoothie and a chocolate croissant. Service was slow because there was only one person at the counter. My croissant had too much chocolate in it I had to toast 2 slices of a baguette to make up for the excess chocolate. The chocolate was perfect! (-not bitter and not too sweet-) My croissant came with a few slices of cantaloupe. All in all a great experience!

I visited the Whale Tea for the third time today. After eating a few bites of the danish, I looked at the bottom and found mold. Very scary health wise and disappointing. I enjoyed the strawberry milk tea the first time I visited which is why I am leaving 3 starts and not 1.

Great start to my trip to DC and this was near the hotel. Cute atmosphere, creative menu (I got the blackberry cloud matcha and it was delish!). They even have a geodesic dome style tent out front.

The Whale Tea in D.C. delivers on delightful bubble tea. We tried two standouts: Cream Brulee Milk Tea with Mango Popping Boba was pure indulgence. Rich cream brulee met smooth milk tea, while vibrant mango boba burst with fruity tang. A perfectly balanced, dessert-like treat. Fresh Mango Milk Tea with Lychee Jelly offered authentic, bright mango flavor, complemented by a comforting milk tea base. The lychee jelly added a subtle floral note and satisfying chew. Lighter and fruit-forward, it's ideal for a refreshing pick-me-up. Overall, The Whale Tea provides a fantastic, creative bubble tea experience.

I ordered the whale crystal and a taro fresh milk tea online I then ent to go pickup my order, but when I walked in I said hi and the lady that was at the register didn't even respond or say anything, and then I went to the register to tell her that I have a pickup but she just ignored me for at least 5 minutes, later when I got home to try the drinks, I took a sip and could already taste the stale old jelly, for the 2nd drink which was the taro fresh milk tea the boba pearls were so small for some reason and there was barely any boba, also I could taste that the drink was mostly water and barely had flavor. I also noticed that the tiramisu they had was the ones that are sold in Costco like at least make your own tiramisu instead of buying ones from the store just to resell them. Also at least half of the picture that they have online is Ai like you guys couldn’t even put effort in taking pictures of the stuff. Never ordering from there again.

can’t speak for the other food and drinks, since I only ordered an iced Americano. It cost close to $6. I was hoping it would be a good cup of coffee, even if it wasn’t cheap. But the moment I took a sip, I realized the beans were not fresh and tasted old. The staff also didn’t seem professional. Sorry to say, but I felt like I just lost $6. Honestly, I would have been better off getting a $1 iced Americano at McDonald’s.

Super yummy! Loved their creme brûlée milk tea series, so creamy but not too sweet! Tried their Creme Brulee Brown Sugar Milk Tea, Korean corn dog, Pan Fried Baozi, Egg Tart, and matcha roll, and would get all again!

I wanted to go here to get the purple ube drink. It looked really cool online. I expected it to look like the photo, but they gave it to me in a paper cup even though I wanted it for dine in. I was so disappointed, though the cup was cute.

Whale Tea offers your typical selection of boba and is a great addition to the Connecticut Ave businesses. I'm not sure what type of business was in its place before, but Whale Tea inherited a "classy cafe" interior with chandeliers, making it a nice place to hang out. Service was very quick after ordering on the kiosk. I got a signature milk tea with boba, half sweet. I give it my seal of approval for taste, but for a medium size it was a pricey. Whale Tea is a short walk from the UDC/Van Ness metro. There are certain areas of DC, like Georgetown, that have boba places have crowded into and this shop found an opening in this neighborhood.

I was craving boba and wanted to try a new spot and my friend chanced upon this spot on Google maps. The next thing we know, we are seated in this nice cafe with bougie ambience and you can order your boba from the self service machine. I got the matcha milk tea and it's pretty good. We sat outside and I got bitten by some mosquitoes so moved indoor which offers ample seating. I just wish that more seats are facing each other instead of facing the crowd or the window.

Really like their breakfast menu and drink options, especially the passionfruit tea. Would definitely come back!

I have been here three times. the service has been appalling and the food and coffee bad