Twinkle

The only boba shop in Houston where you can mix your own toppings - cool concept. However, both fruit tea and milk tea were just ok taste/flavor

This is one of my go to spot for drinks. One of the few spots that let's you put your own toppings. Drinks always come out delicious and flavorful to the touch.

This spot is seriously slept on and I will be going here for boba from now on if I’m in the Bellaire area. How this place works: You chose your drink of choice, sweetness/ice level, and size. Once you place your order, the bobarista draws a line on the cup and then you head over to the toppings bar. The toppings bar has a large selection to choose from and you can put as many different toppings as you’d like (it just has to be up to the line that was drawn on the cup). When I went, there was mango jelly, basil seed, rainbow jelly, egg pudding, crystal boba, grass jelly, strawberry jelly, aloe vera, coconut jelly, lychee jelly, apple jelly and coffee jelly. Review: My friend and I ordered a large sunset drink and it tasted great. What I love about this spot is that the cup sizes are huge (even the medium is pretty big) and you get to choose as many different toppings as you’d like. Most boba spots nowadays charge anywhere from $6-8 dollars and it only comes with one topping. But here, the portions are generous and I love how you get to have a variety of different toppings to put in your drink. As for the interior, it’s clean and well decorated. On top of that, the service was good and fast. I highly recommend this spot!

There’s like a billion boba spots in Houston, with many of them located side by side or in the same shopping center. I have a list of my favorite spots that I rotate through. Twinkle has been in my rotation for over a decade now. Over the years, they’ve revamped their teas and also their snack menu. The popcorn chicken is bomb, I get it to-go to eat on car ride back home. I caution that there can be a wait on the days, where for some reason, only a total of 2 people max, are working. Yes, there’s other places that make a particular drink better than here but, I only get citrus teas. They actually use real, fresh-squeezed fruit for their citrus teas here. This place is also up there for the one of largest size boba cups available in H-Town.

I think they recently changed ownership or management because this whole boba shop looks entirely different with the setup and decor. This place is much more hygienic now with glass shields and a fancy espresso maker. I always come here for the spicy chicken nuggets 盐酥鸡。This is the best place in town to get Taiwanese popcorn chicken, the quality of the chicken served is better than other places and I love the spicy dry seasoning I can add on top. I am impressed with the attention to detail and level of customer service here. I asked for a cup of ice water and the girl with the long ponytail and the boy with the hat made me an ice water in 30 seconds and even sealed it! That was so thoughtful of them. The girl with the glasses and ponytail has the best work ethic I've seen at any boba shop. I ordered a Hong Kong MT and she graciously poured 2 cups of condensed milk into my tea to make a delicious smooth concoction.

Honestly BEST Teas we have had! From being able to put which ever topping ,to being able to choose our sweetness I was impressed. We usually don’t like it because most shops taste very artificial when it comes to their teas but this shop is way above that ! They make the drinks right in front of you, my family and I chose regular sugar and it still tasted amazing! No packets of artificial flavoring in sight. Those that say anything other wise are definitely artificial boba junkies 🙃 This place will definitely be our shop we will frequent often for our 🧋 fix 🩵 Also the inside is cute and clean Definitely a plus.

This place had become my favorite tea house! They may be the only place that I know who use real tea leaves for their tea. Unlike some other places, they use powder. Also, their toppingS is FREE! You get to choose and put in what topping do you want into the cup without any extra charge. (Reasonable amt of course) Their food are excellent in variety, taste, and quantity! For example, I have never seen that much of 盐酥鸡 (popcorn chicken nuggets) for one order. The last time I saw that amount was in my home country, Taiwan.... By the way, the owner is super nice too. She always remembers what I like and make the best suggestions when I want to try something new. Highly recommended!

You can scoop your own toppings for the drinks and these cost the same or less than nearby shops. Only points off because decor is a little worn and lots of scuff marks on the wall. The barista with glasses and long hair was great and worked fast, knew how to prioritize orders and was working alone.

I enjoyed the fruit tea from this bubble tea place tucked in a Bellaire strip mall. I appreciated the amount of fresh fruit they put into the drink, and prices are reasonable for the area. Overall, a great pit stop to get your bubble tea fix.

Twinkle twinkle has lost its little stars. I used to fancy this place, but I noticed a slight decline in consistency when it comes to their boba. During my last visit, the boba was overly sweet and stale. The person behind the counter tried the boba and agreed, and thankfully allowed us to choose something else. The idea of personalizing your own sinkers is great. They have a such a wide variety that it feels like the combination is endless, though I usually just stick to boba, egg pudding, and grass jelly. Interior is small and a few spots to sit, but nothing draws me to stay. I usually grab my drinks to go! I'll come back to give this place another shot in high hopes it'll improve.

Unfortunately, Twinkle keeps losing stars. Over the years, this fill your own cup boba shop has declined dramatically. We came here around 7pm on a Friday and there was no one here. I ordered a milk tea and filled my cup with boba, grass jelly, egg pudding and basil seed. Everything looked great, until I took a sip. The boba was SO sweet. Disgustingly sweet. I went back in and informed the cashier and he tasted it and made a face, the same one I did. Overly sweet and extremely chewy. He said "the lady that makes it in the morning makes it very sweet, I will let her know." Yall, they let the boba sit ALL day. Most boba shops make fresh boba every 3-4 hours, but Twinkle makes a large batch in the morning and just lets it sit all day. No wonder it's soaked up all that sugar and is super chewy to drink. Seriously a let down. I will definitely not be back.

I came right after the storm and luckily they were open! I have actually never been before but I will be coming back. The drink was really good, orange fruit tea. It had lots of chunks of real fruit. The topping bar was pretty new to me and I thought it was pretty cool. They give you the cup and let you fill it up to a line on the cup with whatever toppings you want! The girl there was super nice and explained it all to me. It's a pretty small place so it's be hard to hang out in there as there's just a few tables but still pretty cute.

Twinkleeeee!! They never miss with their milk tea. Even though they offer a full topping bar- each topping I've tried is ALWAYS on point and well sweetened. Some boba I've had is hardly sweet and the syrup is lacking as heck It's always so good I tried their ube milk tea and it definitely tastes more like taro but I could taste ube notes for sure My milk tea was truly to die for and I can confidently say twinkle never misses I would give 5 stars if seating situation was better and ambiance was given more thoughtfulness. Idk why but everytime I go too, there's a weird smell... but the drinks are always wonderful and unforgettable chicken nuggets

My favorite place to get a honey lemon green tea! I love that i can personally mix lychee jelly, Crystal boba and basil seeds as sinkers. They draw a line on the cup that you can max out at. The drink is light, refreshing, not overly sweet nor overly sour like most places. I get regular ice and regular sweet, always a large! My other favorite item to get here are the fried oysters/ the breading is perfect: very light. Full of flavor! I usually get 2-3 orders and inhale it in one sitting. It's a small, quaint place with just 4-5 small tables and the staff is pleasant.

This spot is seriously slept on and I will be going here for boba from now on if I'm in the Bellaire area. How this place works: You chose your drink of choice, sweetness/ice level, and size. Once you place your order, the bobarista draws a line on the cup and then you head over to the toppings bar. The toppings bar has a large selection to choose from and you can put as many different toppings as you'd like (it just has to be up to the line that was drawn on the cup). When I went, there was mango jelly, basil seed, rainbow jelly, egg pudding, crystal boba, grass jelly, strawberry jelly, aloe vera, coconut jelly, lychee jelly, apple jelly and coffee jelly. Review: My friend and I ordered a large sunset drink and it tasted great. What I love about this spot is that the cup sizes are huge (even the medium is pretty big) and you get to choose as many different toppings as you'd like. Most boba spots nowadays charge anywhere from $6-8 dollars and it only comes with one topping. But here, the portions are generous and I love how you get to have a variety of different toppings to put in your drink. As for the interior, it's clean and well decorated. On top of that, the service was good and fast. I highly recommend this spot!

I never realized this teahouse was located in the shopping center behind The Teahouse, but it's a cute little spot. The grapefruit tea is the perfect sweetness level at 100%. The milk tea is weak in tea flavor, in my opinion. I like that they have a self-service toppings/sinkers station where you can customize your drink. The boba is sweetened nicely but too firm for my liking. You can choose between regular (what most teahouses consider a large) and large (jumbo size). The popcorn chicken comes out mild, but you can season your chicken to your preference with the spice shakers available at the counter. I like that they give you a lot of opportunities to customize your drinks and food. I've visited a couple of times so far and they have been consistent with the tea flavors, I just wish their boba was better.

Pretty interesting topping system at this shop. The prices were insanely cheap for how humongous the large size is. Very chill employees that made our drinks with care.

One of my favorite hidden gems in Chinatown, but it seems to be picking up lately after the rennovation! The shop now looks so cute and modern. The service is always quick, even when they have only 1-2 staff members on site. My all-time go-to order is Orange Fruit Tea, Large size and 50% sweet! Large size would warrant you a humongous cup that may not fit in your car's cupholder - so beware. The Orange fruit tea is just so refreshing and one of the best in the city! And what not to love when you get to add any toppings to your delight (as long as you don't go over the mark -- which is quite generous to me already). The most recent drink I had was quite delish too -- Cheesy Mango Milk Shake. 50% sweet was too sweet on that for me though, so maybe I will do 25% sweet the next time. Their snack options are really good too - the popcorn chicken is so tasty! Tl;dr: get the Orange Fruit Tea, it will not disappoint!

Went with a group of friends and had great Boba. It's not a large dining area to hang out with people. The drinks are always amazing and the staff is super friendly.

When I went, there was only one worker, but she worked fast. The place is small inside. You get to scoop your own toppings! If you go past a certain line on the cup, they charge you extra. I tried the taro or ube milk tea (i forgot which one it was) It was really sweet, but that's on me for ordering a little less sugar. The boba was a bit hard tho.. Overall great place if you like to scoop your own toppings to fit your preferences.

our fav place to go weekly they never change their recipes and the milk tea taste best when they make it. even though its a petite place but so cute and people here are always so nice. mini octopus is soooo rare we need to step up our game and get it earlier at daytime!!

Not sure how I've never stumbled upon this location because this place is such a gem. I decided to get their Mango green tea (25%) & I also got the honeydew milk tea (50%). Let's start with the mango tea, it was pretty much a textbook made drink. I can taste the actual green tea & was satisfied that it wasn't weak. The honeydew milk tea was amazing, I got the richness from the honeydew, it had the right amount of sweetness & it was such a refreshing drink. I also like the fact that it wasn't powdery. Tea wise, I didn't really taste anything however the drink was so good that I didn't really care. Overall, I thought this place was gonna be like every other tea house but it's pretty darn good & a must try. The cashier was very nice and patient & recommended some of her favorite drinks which helped out a lot. Will I come back? Yup.

I always love this place but today it let me down, couldn't believe what they gave me. I order 6 popcorn chicken expecting it would fill up at least half a party tray for my birthday. But this is what I receive, you can see that it barely fill up all the way it was NOT EVEN HALF A BOX. So you telling me I pay $6 and got 6 PIECES OF CHICKEN??

I came here because one of my friends had told me that I'd be able to put as much toppings in my drink as I'd want. Pretty cool! That alone would make this place wroth checking out. However, when I was actually here, there's actually a limit of how much toppings you can put in your cup, marked by a little black line they put on your cup. Oh well, I guess. Oh, I also have to mention that they didn't have signs on some of the toppings available so I didn't know what was what. The drink I had was pretty good. But it wasn't good enough to set this place apart from all the other boba places that you can find in Chinatown. Didn't try the food, but there was really nothing on the menu that made me want to try it.

Wow. I didn't know there was a place that gave you free reign on toppings for one low price (limited). Of course you can go above it but it would be an extra cost. Even then it is well worth it. The tea itself was quite ok compared to every other tea out there, but their cheesy smoothies were nice with that interesting cheesy foam twist at the end. The space itself looks renovated but it is quite small. There really is not a huge reason for anyone to stay in there feeling cramped. Highly recommend a try!

Twinkle Twinkle little Mochi How I like when you kill a Roach Up above the 59 With my gf (she's so fine) Even though you caused me pain During Harvey Hurricane When you bit right through my hand But I truly understand When I'm back in Houston soon I'll feed you Greenies with a spoon That's for my little purr machine mochi, who, about 15 minutes after I rescued him from nearby Njoi, in the 100 degrees of summer in Houston's chinatown, visited Twinkle with me, and slept in the back window (with the engine running and the AC blasting) while we cooled down with some bubble tea and treats. He slept so soundly, purring so hard and breathing so fast, because he knew he was finally safe. And even though, as mentioned, he almost cost me my finger, I will love and take care of him forever. Translation: I'll have a hot promiscuous girl take care of him forever while I'm hardly ever even in town. What to get: Strawberry Mango smoothie with tapioca is my fave, same as at Njoi, where I found Mochi. Did I mention I found Mochi at Njoi and then took him here 15 minutes after I found him? No? So yes, this was the first place I took my darling little Mochi after I rescued him from outside another (better) drink place - Njoi. But let's talk about Twinkle itself. They're notable for having self-service drink toppings, so you can put as much "stuff" in there as you want. I bet that put a twinkle in your eye. The service is really wonderful here. My goddess like the Taro chips but I thought they were really not very good. Not because Twinkle makes them badly but because I don't like Taro Chips. The drinks are nice here but nothing that keeps me coming back in a city full of excellent bubble tea. I only come here maybe once a year, but it's still a special place for me. The drinks are closer to a 4 but the service bumps it up to a 5. Sort of like your mother is maybe a 7 at best but the service bumps her up to an 11. And if you are only coming in here to Tinkle at Twinkle, then at least buy something. They deserve, and need, your business. A lot more than freaking Raising Cane's does. Speaking of Tinkling, I gotta go brb.

Literally my all time favorite milk tea place here in houston. I am not sure what it is about this place but their milk tea is always on point. Plus you can add your jellies and boba free of charge! I've been in houston for 6 years now and I always go back circle back to this place no matter how many milk tea joints opened up around the bellaire area. I see that they recently remodeled so really hoping they made it through covid and thriving. Always recommends this place to my friends who's out of town.

This is definitely a hidden gem in Chinatown (same plaza as Welcome and Hokkaido). If you look past all the chain boba places you'll be surprised at the places Bellaire offers. This is similar to Tapioca House where they offer drinks and snacks. Their house milk tea was amazing. That'll always be the first drink I try and judge to gauge the spot out, and it passed the test. It wasn't overly sweet and you could taste both the tea and the milk. I also got the takoyaki and the chicken nuggets. The takoyaki was nothing spectacular but the nuggets were very good and you get a big piping hot bag worth the low price. The only negative is that you can't hang out or study here bc it's such a small space so you're either getting your food/drink to go or just meeting one person here.

Oh Twinkle...how far you have fallen. Twinkle used to be my number one boba spot. They were the top of the top. I mean you get to put your own sinkers in! What kind of boba aficionado wouldn't love this place. I used to come here, order a fruit flavored tea, and go to town filling my cup with regular boba and popping bobas. Then this establishment began to go down hill. There have been three different occasions when they did not have any boba. Yes, I said three. A boba place without boba. And it wasn't even like I stopped in first thing when they opened, each time was at least an hour after their open time. But even if I did go in right when they opened, a boba store should ALWAYS have boba. The first time it happened, the cashier didn't even bother to tell us they didn't have boba. We found out after we had already paid. My most recent trip there has really sealed the deal for me. I ordered a jasmine litchi tea with 25% sugar. My total ended up being $4.67 because they charge extra for less sugar. Now I personally think that is ridiculous. They are trading in a few pumps of syrup for a few extra drops if tea... I got my cup, chose my sinkers, and returned the cup for my tea. There were theee people behind the counter. Two ladies came in behind me and placed their order for four drinks. It took two if the employees to take their order while the third one busied herself with something other than making my drink. I waited 10 minutes for tea. While I really enjoy getting to fill my own toppings, there are much better boba establishments to frequent. I don't believe I have been to any other place that charges for altering the sugar content, that seems fairly standard these days. The customer service was not great either. And finally, their worst offense? They no longer carry popping boba...

(4/5) environment: very clean but very small. (4/5) service: very nice and takes orders well. (4/5) pricing: average pricing. Love that this place allows you to have unlimited sinkers. Also, they use a tea press machine so the tea is fresh.

Located in the same plaza as Hokkaido. I usually come here after eating at Hokkaido. Their drinks are cheap and good quality. Free drink up to $3 for every 9th drink on your stamp card. The popcorn chicken is pretty good here. You get to taste a decent amount of actual chicken meat. There is also a spicy mayo sauce that you can get yourself. Their takoyaki is alright, not the best. I also enjoy the squid ball. What I love is the cheap prices and pretty fast service. Mango tea is one of my favorite. Their osmanthus milk tea is also good. They have a new drink, thai green tea. Pretty decent too. They have two sizes you can pick from. The place is not that big so a little difficult if you want to chill with your with group of friends. We have to sit 6 people on a tiny table. They different kind of music, mostly Asian. Nice atmosphere and cute interiors. They do have wifi so you can study. It's not too crowded at times so a good hangout place for friends. ***Student discount weekdays 1p-5p. Buy 1 drink and get a snack for 99c. Bring your student ID.

Ok. I admit it: we were in the center just to get some bubble egg but with 2 kids and what looked like a full house there, I decided to give Twinkle a try just to support them and because they were conspicuously empty. It was a Saturday night and I walked in alone first to see what they had. The workers are young girls (2) and I'm assuming are international students from China because once I finally decided to order, I found out that they didn't understand half of what I said when I asked about a few of their drinks. The rest of my party arrived (4 adults, 1 toddler, 1 baby) and her eyes widened comically. We pretty much filled most of the shop. I ended up getting a Plant Pot Teaspresso (with earl grey tea) and a White Grape Oolong Milk Tea - both at half sugar and less ice. By the way, the Plant Pot Teaspresso and Plant Pot Milk Tea are identical EXCEPT that you can customize sugar levels and tea type with the Teaspresso but the milk tea one is premade and not customizable. She wrote our orders out on the cups themselves and gave it back to us. The rest of the party got a Thai Tea and 2 hot Almond milk teas. WHOA. You can fill up the cup with sinkers up to a line! There's a little sinker bar at the far end of the counter with things like egg pudding, grass jelly, basil seeds, tapioca/boba, popping boba, and assorted jellies. This was awesome because I have not seen a place with a self serve sinker bar that's included in the price of your drink! After our cups were filled, we set them by the cash register and waited. They have cute little tables with these interesting orange chairs. It appears to be geared towards students as there's a wall with little notes from customers and a special for students where you buy a drink and you get a snack for 99 cents. Another party of three came in at this time and they placed their orders too, but they seemed to be regulars. We slowly got our drinks and at the end, we realized my white grape one was missing. Turns out that the party of 3 took mine instead and left. They made another one for me and I got to get my sinkers again. There seemed to be an issue in the back due to the mix up and we decided to tip them additional for it. The lady in charge wasn't amused with it. So, my favorite was definitely the Plant Pot. The milk tea part of it was perfect and it came with a thick (dense) layer of salted cream to hold a few chunks of broken Oreos. Flavors were great! Presentation could be better. For one: I imagined finely crushed Oreos and not chunks of them that were only placed in the center and it lacked a sprout. Still yummy though. White grape was interesting and vaguely bitter. At least it's good for diabetics? I'm not sure if that's what it's supposed to taste like or maybe I should have kept the original sugar level... My main comments: - Cute little place with reasonable prices. Best part was the sinker bar! - The place smelled like meat. I normally don't mind too much (we're all vegetarian) but I'm under the impression that the place lacked good ventilation and the meat was fried and fried foods SMELL (even vegetarian ones). It wasn't as obvious at the end as we got accustomed to it but.... ew. As soon as I opened the door, I was blasted with meat deep fried in oil. - If they don't want to write down names like Starbucks does (they are notorious for getting names wrong even if it's in English), they should at least call out drinks as they're finished and watch the customer get their drink or call out by order number to prevent confusion. I think they just called them out, left it on the counter, and went back to make the next drink. The person who took my drink had a nearly identical one except theirs was peach. Half of the cups even had stickers with the drink names and order numbers so it wouldn't be something hard to do. All in all, not bad! Just get a better ventilation and ordering system.

Twinkle is my top favorite boba place. Honestly it probably isn't for everyone. It's unique unlike other boba shops. I would like to believe it is catered for me and my tastes lol. I love floral teas. Twinkle has a lot of different tea leaves that other boba chains don't even carry like osmanthus oolong. Their flavors are different and unique and that's what I like most about them. Another reason to stop by is that you get to fill up your own sinkers (toppings) compared to just regular boba. You can get herbal jelly, lychee jelly, egg pudding, watermelon, mango jelly etc. and best part? That's all free. Come on in and try it for yourself if you like trying new things but don't be expecting a regular boba shop, because it's far from regular. Try ordering something new and maybe you'll find a new favorite.

I loved this place since the day I found it. A boba place with a topping bar of boba, coffee jelly, lychee jelly, coconut jelly, strawberry jelly, apple jelly, fruit mix, etc. They also offer 2 different sizes for their boba drinks; regular and large for an extra $1. They usually draw a line of how much boba you can fill to and if you go over the line it's a small charge. It seems that there is only 1 person working per shift sometimes 2 so the wait can be slow if you order snacks but the snacks are delicious so it's totally worth the wait. When you order you drink the toppings tend to make it sweet so you can order a lesser amount of sugar (100%, 75%, 50%, 25%), I like 25% sugar because with the sweetness from the toppings it makes the drink just right. If it is too sweet I talk longer to drink. Overall I love this place. My top favorite drink place.

My friend recommended this place as one of the best popcorn chicken in town. It was delicious!! Fresh hot, crispy, juicy, and flavorful coating with a lingering pepper taste. Yum!! Will definitely be back.

Fewest words possible Drinks: good Sinkers: good Prices: good Vanilla Milk Tea: excellent.

Honestly, this is seriously the BEST place for boba in Houston. I've tried Kung Fu Tea, Share Tea, Gong Cha and many other places and I find myself always coming back! The service is amazing. The staff is so nice. They make your drink exactly how you want it even if it's complicated. They never complain either and they make them fast! Do yourself a favor and go to Twinkle the next time you want to quench your thirst. They have student discounts and small snacks (popcorn chicken, fried tofu, French fries etc) that are excellent as well! Also, their music they play is ALWAYS on point.

There are so many bubble tea places popping up that you really have to set yourself apart to get my business. I was told this place has the new white boba that people are swarming over AND you can put your own toppings into your drink? Apparently, they have updated it and you can no longer put as much as your want, they make a mark on your cup and you cannot go beyond that mark for toppings. The large drink is bigger than most places in town and is about $1 less in price too, so if you're going for value this place might be it. However, I felt the actual tea portion was just OK.

Whenever I want to feel like a kid again, I stop by for a refreshing treat. It's so much fun to make your own bubble drink for less than most stores. Especially, buy 8 get one free. I love the concept of self serve. My recommendation is to choose compatible topping with with the base. For example, if you get a peach flavored tea, don't add coffee flavored jello. Credit card acceptance policy is complicated. Best way to pay is always by cash. I always tip them for the great service and smiling faces.

--- NK Score - 8.2/10 --- 6/10 = Tables/Environment 8/10 = Drink Quality 8/10 = Variety/Customize 9/10 = Service/Prices --- Price Range ($3.50 - $5.00) --- --- Pay with Card = Few Cents Extra --- --- Free Tapioca with Purchase of Drink --- --- Student ID = Buy Drink + $1 Snack --- --- DISCOUNT Above 1:00 - 5:00PM! --- Hello, I've been to Twinkle many times so I'll try to write a pretty informative review for this location. The place is fairly small so it's best to come alone or with a small group, also the tables are circular and isn't very big so if you need a lot of space for you to study or do work you might want to try elsewhere. Now, the drink quality here is quite good and fresh depending on what you get, if you want something fruity with a punch of energy, try the Passionfruit Tea (My Friend's Fav), or if you want something sweet and soothing, you can try the Strawberry Cheesecake Smoothie (Costs a little more). Some of their milk tea may not be as good as other places, but everything else is pretty good, including the Popcorn Chicken. Also, I believe the prices for the drink and snack combo is very efficient, you can buy a drink and include a snack with it for only $1 more (Student ID Required), but this option is only available during certain hours (1:00pm - 5:00pm). Their regular sized drink (24oz) is only $3.50 and you can make it large (32oz) by adding another dollar. The cheap price for the drinks + the free tapioca is what makes this one of the best places in Chinatown (Unless you want big tables for your group). Finally, another great reason to come here is for the vast amount of tapioca you can shove in your drink! They have Nata Jelly, Boba, Crystal Boba, Aloe, Pudding, Basil Seeds, and many more neat toppings. Lastly, the service here has been pretty good most of the time, which is a plus when you just wanna chill. Recommendations: Try the Passionfruit or Peach Tea with Crystal Boba, Aloe, and Rainbow Jelly! ($3.50) - Signed NK (March 2017)

nice people, quiet and clean, delicious boba and customizable toppings. try the cloudy!

My friend and I's go-to place every week. We always go to Twinkle after class around 3:00 p.m twice a week for the Student Discount that gives us $1 snacks. We love their drinks, which is sold for such a reasonable price and the snacks are delicious and filling. My favorite is their Popcorn Chicken and Takoyaki. Try the snacks with their spicy mayonnaise. It actually goes well together. Drinks are amazing, as well. You can never go wrong with Milk Tea. They give us the option to put in our toppings, which we can fill up with pretty much anything as long as it reaches the line. Punch cards is only $3 off, and cannot be used when you already have student discount. The only drawback is that the furniture is very small. So if you're looking for a somewhere to study or hang out with friends, this is not a recommended place. It's because the shop is so small, it cannot fit big tables and chairs. However, the workers are very nice and allow my group of friends (a party of 6) to put tables together.

Very delicious drinks, quaint place, and the first place I've seen to give you free reign on boba selection. Our favorite in China town!

Other than the usual drink fare, the little shop also sells small snacks like spiced chicken nuggets and takoyaki. $4.99 lunch boxes are also offered, but onto the drinks! You can add in whatever toppings into your cup before they pour in your drink, but I'm not a fan of boba or anything that makes my lazy self chew when I'm supposed to be drinking something :P They used to have mung bean and red bean (my favs!), but today they only had jellies, puddings, boba, and fruit balls. That said, I tried their taro cheesecake smoothiefor $3 today! ... that's right. I said Taro. And Cheesecake. *together in a smoothie* OoOoooOooh~ Twinkle's the only place I've seen offering this combination, and it's downright delish! The first sip and Bam! Cheesecake flavor's definitely there. The texture is slightly gritty due to the additional cheesecake pieces, and there were bits of crust at the bottom when I finished. Totally yummy, definitely recommend coming here if only to try their unique cheesecake flavors and snacks :)

So I've been to Twinkle multiple times within these 2-3 months and I like the size that they have available (16 oz and 33 oz I think) but sometines their sweetness level for drinks were inconsistent. A little too sweet or bitter, no matter what percentage of sugar I asked for. That was fine though, because the girls were worked at the counter were usually very nice and would let me bring my drink back to add more tea/sugar, etc to change it and make it better. I think most boba places does this. Its usually okay if you bring your drink back to dilute it or whatever. I went there saturday and I got a jasmine milk tea, which I usually get, at regular sugar level. Its usually okay, not too sweet or anything. This time it was just a tad too sweet and I brought it back but the girl told me that I shouldve ordered it at a lower percebt to begin with, and I'm like, okay, my bad, but can you maybe add more tea please? But I think she's new or something because she seems reluctant. I walk back because I think shes trying to tell me she can't, and she offers to make me a whole new drink instead. I'm like, that's nice but that's kinda a waste because my drink is fine but just a little sweet, so I say, no, its okay and I leave. Not a bad experience per say, but I usually don't think its a big deal to change your drink... Then again, she seems new, so its fine.

I used to come (and recently began coming again) to Twinkle when I was just a freshman in college. The drinks are DELICIOUS and you can add as many sinkers as you want (there was a point where I added tapioca + lychee jelly + coffee jelly + egg pudding). I've always gotten the Milk Tea that they make and my girlfriend gets the mango smoothie. We came here once (after going to Gogo Ice for a while) and it completely won my girlfriend over, thus we come here now. The price for the milk teas is 4.00 and the smoothies are 4.25; so a bit more expensive than Gogo Ice's, but definitely worth it! My girlfriend likes that she can control the sweetness of her drink with the amount of sinkers she puts in, so she can make it milk (by just putting in a bit of tapioca) or she can make it really sweet by adding a lot of sinkers. Tip: Students can get a snack for 0.99 when buying a drink from Monday-Friday (until 5 PM). So it's a really good place to just come here after your lectures to study! Overall: Amazing drinks, decent price (more than Gogo Ice's, but less than The Teahouse around the corner) and you can control the sugar that is in the drink! Definitely recommend!

Some love the DIY boba toppings here but I love this place for the snacks! I'd say my favorite are the skewered fried octopus that I love to dust with their shaker filled with finely ground salt and pepper. However, BEWARE of overhshaking! Not only will you get an overly salty snack but a huge helping of pepper that will make you sneeze like no other! Aside from the octopus l, I also enjoy their bag of french fries that are always hot and crispy. Oh and don't forget the popcorn chicken! That stuff is great anywhere but the prices at Twinkle can't be beat!

Self-serve toppings for drinks, which have flavors that you won't find anywhere else in Chinatown :D I particularly like the Genmaicha Brown Rice Milk Tea. Yum! They also serve fried food as light snacks, all same price around $4. Definitely, try the popcorn chicken, one of the best around here.

Had to try this place after I went to a Chinese New Year event at the Houston Community Center. The enticing part? They serve takoyaki (Japanese fried squid ball in batter). Food / yea my sister and I were hungry! . Takoyaki - it was fairly decent. It wasn't frozen, it was fresh, but the batter could've been cooked longer. I'll have to find another Takoyaki place. . Fried Fish Ball - it was good, salty, you get 2 sticks of 4-5balls . Popcorn Chicken - good portion, salty, good spice seasoning . Fried Tofu - perfect, good amount of snack portion, a little salty. Drinks - . Taro Milk Tea - it was good, nothing to die for. I liked the fact you can go up to the bar and scoop yourself the amount of tapioca balls, egg pudding, lychee, etc to a certain line. Other than that, I have another preferred tapioca spot. Location - . Across from Tapioca House, off Rochester and Bellaire in the Welcome supermarket parking lot. Service - . The food took a while, but we were in no rush. I wish they had spoons and forks to use. They only had bamboo skewers, straws, lots of napkins, sauce dish.. yea. Although I do like Twinkle, I'll continue to explore other bubble tea/snack places.

Came here earlier today to pick up some boba for my partner and wanted to try some egg waffles. Unfortunately they no longer maker egg waffles =[[[ sadness. But at least they have almond milk tea.The toppings were self-served, which was pretty neat, but I didn't care for anything other than the tapioca. To my surprise, the almond milk tasted pretty good. A bit sweet for my liking, but my partner really liked it. I will have to come again to try some of the snacks. Oh and on weekdays, if you're a student and have your id, between 1-5pm, you pay 99cents for snacks after buying 1 drink, so that's petty neat.

Oh Twinkle, you sneaky little bastard lol. Why do I have to look at the Activities on my phone? This is how I found out about Twinkle.....and venture out I must. My first trip here had me wanting to try the Black Sugar Milk Tea for one simple reason: I had it in NYC & absolutely hated it because it was SOOO artificial & it was like drinking pure sugar. I am not one to give up so easily & wanted to give it another try especially since this is the first tea house here I've been to that serves this. Wow, first thing's first: sinkers are buffet style! No charge on sinkers; they give you the cup and you go to down filling it to your heart's content it you like. I was ecstatic for the baby tapioca & added a little egg pudding. Oh em gee, this stuff was crazy good - very sweet but not excruciatingly sweet. Since then I've had the Earl Grey Milk Tea, Peach Oolong Milk Tea, Banana Smoothie & Roasted Oolong Milk Teas and I've had their famous popcorn chicken which is amazeballs! The popcorn chicken is enough for 2 people, has a wonderful flavor of which basil is dominant. My faves here are the Black Sugar & the Roasted Oolong Milk Teas and have found my happy medium @ 50% sugar. Twinkle is definitely my number 2 place now.

This is probably my favorite teashop in town, it is a small, clean, and quite place. the only place in Chinatown you can choose whatever topping you want to add into your drinking. Also highly recommend the popcorn chicken, and the dipping souce.

Twinkle is a hidden secret! Their milk tea is one of the best in Chinatown, and prices are one of the best too. With any drink order, toppings/sinkers are included. There's a topping bar where you can load up on boba, egg pudding, whatever you want to add. You can choose the sugar level if you don't like it too sweet. 50% sugar is plenty for me. Definitely order their popcorn chicken snack, and be sure to ask for a punch card. After 8 items purchased (snacks included), you get $3 off.

This place is tucked away in the plaza with Hokkaido and tapioca house. It's pretty small and very limited seating, but I don't know why this place isn't rated any better. They've Got a great selection of drinks (amazing oolong milk tea!!) and you can pick however many types/however much jelly or boba you want (mini + normal size boba + basil seeds = party). Prices are very fair and they've got all my favorite fried snacks. They've even got a student discount going on so far Monday - Friday 1-5pm, purchase a drink you get any fried snack or appetizer for $0.99. So far, Twinkle's fried chicken nuggets are my favorite that I've had so far in bellaire. The nuggets were fried fresh and tender and flavor fully. Definitely underrated. They've also got a punch card and staff are very friendly and helpful! Can't wait to come back :)

I haven't been here in a while so I stopped by and tried the Thai milk green tea and it was pretty good. Not a strong green tea taste and I couldn't really taste any Thai tea flavor in it. After about half way of the drink, I couldn't taste anymore flavor though.

Good milktea spot. Not a place for variety beyond milktea. They have a self service toppings bar for your drinks; boba, mini-boba, grass jelly, basil seeds, etc. They will draw a line on your cup where you fill your cup up to. Nice little niche most boba places do not have. My wife is a milktea enthusiast and she and I come here often. Limited seating here with only about 4 tables with 2 chairs each. We usually come here after going to Hokkaido Sushi or TastyPot in the same plaza.

Twinkle done me wrong ]': YA DONE GOOFED ok the place itself isn't that bad. It's in a more secluded part of Chinatown, so parking is ezpz. What everyone else said is true: their drinks are pretty typical and you get unlimited sinkers--super cool, right? Ya, especially when the milk tea is like $2!! OH BUT WAIT. They raised their prices!! UGH. Seriously a few months after I found out about this place, I hear that they jacked up the prices like a whole dollar. NUUUU my heart )): Otherwise, the place is kinda crowded and small. I would come for a chill hang out, but not like a...deep talk, "tell me about how hard your life is" kinda talk. Definitely not a place to do work, either. It's a good stop for something quick, especially if you want like a small snack with it. The service is aight. Pretty slow, even when it's not busy. But I guess overall it's worth it if you're looking for a boba spot on the cheaper end. Overall--it's ok. I'm just heartbroken over the price increase LOL. It's not at the top of my list of places to go, but if someone suggested it, I wouldn't be opposed really.