Don't be fool by the outlook and the location. This place is a gem hidden inside the supermarket. I tried the hot rose tieguanyin latte. Decent tea flavor and the drink was piping hot. I got it with 25% sweetness which I might bump up to 50% next time since it could've been better if it's just a bit more sweet. The service was super fast as I was the only customer then. The price of the drink is unbeatable compared to other boba places. Will definitely come back and try their other drinks next time!
Kaetyng C.
CASH OR VENMO ONLY We've been coming to Tea Island super frequently to get our tea fix since the prices are so reasonable! Note that they only accept cash or Venmo and do not accept credit cards. Towards the end of the day, they're always out of boba so make sure you come well before closing if that's what you were planning to get. From my experience, the drinks are not too sweet compared to typical boba shops and the milk teas are even less sweet. My mom typically gets 50% and think it's too sweet, but at tea Island she got 100% and said it was a good sweetness level for her. The fruit teas I think are much better here and on par to competitors. Our favorites are the passion fruit and grapefruit green tea, both at 100% sweet. Unfortunately, I wanted to try the black sesame tea but they no longer offer it here. Excited to try their other fruit tea drinks!
Elizabeth L.
Tea Island is a hidden gem in Marina grocery store. There is plenty of parking in this parking plaza. When I stopped by the first time a few years ago, I did not have high expectations, but I was blown away with how good their jasmine milk tea was for a spot in a grocery store. I would not say they are the best milk tea I had before, but it was for the price - their drinks are pretty cheap/inexpensive. Whenever I go recently, they are either about to close or they are closed (their hours are not consistent nowadays).
Alexis H.
Tea Island is one of my favorite go-to boba spots whenever I'm in the area. I've been coming here since they opened inside what used to be Marina (now it's 168 Market). The quality of their teas is tough to beat! The owner uses high-quality tea leaves and brews them fresh for every single drink order. After all these years, this is the most consistent boba place I've ever been to. Their teas are one of the best! Prices are reasonable, but they only accept cash or Venmo payment. Service is pretty fast considering that it's just the owner now making all the drink orders.
Jessica N.
A hidden gem! Located inside the 168 market. Hard to find boba spots that are still under $5. So that's a huge win. They have great drinks and you can really taste the tea. My biggest complaint is the hours are inaccurate. They don't follow the hours shown on Yelp. They pretty much close whenever they stop getting customers. I have shown up so many times around 6-7pm and they're already closed. So i would not try to come here after 530pm. Cash or venmo only.
Ching An Y.
THEY ONLY TAKE CASH! I saw all the 5-stars reviews so I had some expectations. I mean, they have some special teas in their menu. BUT THE SERVICE WAS VERY BAD! She couldn't hear my words. That was fine if she could say "do you mind repeating again please?" But she sounded very irritated and kept saying "can't hear!" "Can't hear!" Then I asked for boba (11:30am) , she said "don't have". She asked me about ice and sugar level, I asked what % can you do. She, again, looked like having no passion and pointed me to a piece of paper. Finally when I was about to pay, she told me they only take cash... ok, now is 2022 and you don't even have a card machine. Hmmm, I don't see other reasons for that unless you are trying to avoid taxes.
Rachel S.
Tea island is my go to for milk tea! Drinks are consistently good, and I love the variety of teas they have. Genmaicha is my favorite :) The barista is nice and efficient, and the prices are probably the most affordable around.
Roy L.
Yue is one of the best boba baristas ever. I've been going to this place since I was a kid and the quality is unmatched! She is super kind and gives really good high quality tea. It's probably one of the best boba places in Fremont hands down as my girlfriend and I have tried everything . Tea island is one of the best and most consistent places and I highly recommend it. Not super sweet with authentic tea. This place is amazing.
Claire H.
I was in the area and in the mood for some boba. Found this place on Yelp and saw that it had really good reviews, so I went searching for it. I was really confused on the location but eventually was able to find it located in a grocery store. It was a really quiet weekend and we were the only customers there. We ordered a Genmaicha (brown rice milk tea) and a passionfruit green tea (both with boba). The barista looked like she really knew what she was doing and our drinks were ready in less than 5 minutes. Both drinks were really good and tasted very well made. The boba was nice and chewy and it was a refreshing treat on a pretty warm day. I highly recommend this little gem of a boba shop if you're in the area. Keep in mind they are cash only.
Brittany H.
Genmaicha milk tea 10/10 Hojicha milk tea 9/10 Boba texture and sweetness was perfect. I will be coming back to get the genmaicha milk tea because it was so good. The perfect amount of tea flavor. I really enjoy the Brown Rice Milk Tea from Tiger Tea in San Jose and I would say this is comparable or better.
I was not expecting good boba to be inside a grocery store! I enjoyed my drink a lot surprisingly.... I do prefer my boba a little softer and not as chewy but it's definitely a personal preference. Tea Island is great. I'll be coming back when I'm in the area. Note that it is cash only!
Victor S.
One of the few places left where you can get cheap milk tea to go at less than $4! And not only that but the milk tea drinks here have strong tea taste and don't taste watered down and are not overly milky! Normally I get 25% sweet for my milk teas but this is one of the few places where I get 50% sweet. The tea is at the same strength as Teco in Fremont and Ten Ren in Cupertino village! This isn't a place to hang out ( it is in the corner of the Chinese supermarket and is on your left once you walk into the supermarket) but it is one of my go to places for cheap great milk tea! Drinks I have tried: Assam milk tea 50% sweet no ice Jasmine milk tea 50% sweet no ice Heads up: CASH OR VENMO ONLY
Tiffany T.
Not a super flashy place because it's inside a supermarket, but the boba here is decent! I got the Jasmine milk tea with boba. There were several people ahead of us, and even though there was only one person at the booth, we got our drinks pretty fast. The drinks are fairly priced, and they only accept cash.
Angeli A.
definitely a hole in the wall boba spot! this place is located inside the 168 market and wanted to try it. i ordered a honeydew milk tea half ssweet less ice and even though i asked for half sweet it was still pretty sweet, so i recommend getting like 25% sweet if you want something with lighter sweetness. otherwise the price was great and the honeydew flavor was pretty prominent. the boba itself wasn't too bad either, it had a good amount of chewiness. i will say this place has great prices! i had a large drink with boba and it was $4.25, definitely more inexpensive for a bay area boba shop. the menu was pretty extensive as well. i don't go to the 168 market often, but this place is definitely worth it and i would be a regular if i shooed at this market regularly.
Hoiyiu K.
Best boba in the Bay Area & a hidden spot known only to locals!! I've been coming here since high school and nothing in the Bay beats Tea Island. Their tea is fresh, strong, and fragrant (you can ask for stronger flavor if you're a tea lover like me). Go to order is Jasmine Green Tea (no milk) with lychee jelly, less ice, less sugar. For warmer weather, their hot Oolong Milk Tea with less sugar is great too. You can smell the oolong even before you taste it. Please come support this small local business!
Don't be fool by the outlook and the location. This place is a gem hidden inside the supermarket. I tried the hot rose tieguanyin latte. Decent tea flavor and the drink was piping hot. I got it with 25% sweetness which I might bump up to 50% next time since it could've been better if it's just a bit more sweet. The service was super fast as I was the only customer then. The price of the drink is unbeatable compared to other boba places. Will definitely come back and try their other drinks next time!
CASH OR VENMO ONLY We've been coming to Tea Island super frequently to get our tea fix since the prices are so reasonable! Note that they only accept cash or Venmo and do not accept credit cards. Towards the end of the day, they're always out of boba so make sure you come well before closing if that's what you were planning to get. From my experience, the drinks are not too sweet compared to typical boba shops and the milk teas are even less sweet. My mom typically gets 50% and think it's too sweet, but at tea Island she got 100% and said it was a good sweetness level for her. The fruit teas I think are much better here and on par to competitors. Our favorites are the passion fruit and grapefruit green tea, both at 100% sweet. Unfortunately, I wanted to try the black sesame tea but they no longer offer it here. Excited to try their other fruit tea drinks!
Tea Island is a hidden gem in Marina grocery store. There is plenty of parking in this parking plaza. When I stopped by the first time a few years ago, I did not have high expectations, but I was blown away with how good their jasmine milk tea was for a spot in a grocery store. I would not say they are the best milk tea I had before, but it was for the price - their drinks are pretty cheap/inexpensive. Whenever I go recently, they are either about to close or they are closed (their hours are not consistent nowadays).
Tea Island is one of my favorite go-to boba spots whenever I'm in the area. I've been coming here since they opened inside what used to be Marina (now it's 168 Market). The quality of their teas is tough to beat! The owner uses high-quality tea leaves and brews them fresh for every single drink order. After all these years, this is the most consistent boba place I've ever been to. Their teas are one of the best! Prices are reasonable, but they only accept cash or Venmo payment. Service is pretty fast considering that it's just the owner now making all the drink orders.
A hidden gem! Located inside the 168 market. Hard to find boba spots that are still under $5. So that's a huge win. They have great drinks and you can really taste the tea. My biggest complaint is the hours are inaccurate. They don't follow the hours shown on Yelp. They pretty much close whenever they stop getting customers. I have shown up so many times around 6-7pm and they're already closed. So i would not try to come here after 530pm. Cash or venmo only.
THEY ONLY TAKE CASH! I saw all the 5-stars reviews so I had some expectations. I mean, they have some special teas in their menu. BUT THE SERVICE WAS VERY BAD! She couldn't hear my words. That was fine if she could say "do you mind repeating again please?" But she sounded very irritated and kept saying "can't hear!" "Can't hear!" Then I asked for boba (11:30am) , she said "don't have". She asked me about ice and sugar level, I asked what % can you do. She, again, looked like having no passion and pointed me to a piece of paper. Finally when I was about to pay, she told me they only take cash... ok, now is 2022 and you don't even have a card machine. Hmmm, I don't see other reasons for that unless you are trying to avoid taxes.
Tea island is my go to for milk tea! Drinks are consistently good, and I love the variety of teas they have. Genmaicha is my favorite :) The barista is nice and efficient, and the prices are probably the most affordable around.
Yue is one of the best boba baristas ever. I've been going to this place since I was a kid and the quality is unmatched! She is super kind and gives really good high quality tea. It's probably one of the best boba places in Fremont hands down as my girlfriend and I have tried everything . Tea island is one of the best and most consistent places and I highly recommend it. Not super sweet with authentic tea. This place is amazing.
I was in the area and in the mood for some boba. Found this place on Yelp and saw that it had really good reviews, so I went searching for it. I was really confused on the location but eventually was able to find it located in a grocery store. It was a really quiet weekend and we were the only customers there. We ordered a Genmaicha (brown rice milk tea) and a passionfruit green tea (both with boba). The barista looked like she really knew what she was doing and our drinks were ready in less than 5 minutes. Both drinks were really good and tasted very well made. The boba was nice and chewy and it was a refreshing treat on a pretty warm day. I highly recommend this little gem of a boba shop if you're in the area. Keep in mind they are cash only.
Genmaicha milk tea 10/10 Hojicha milk tea 9/10 Boba texture and sweetness was perfect. I will be coming back to get the genmaicha milk tea because it was so good. The perfect amount of tea flavor. I really enjoy the Brown Rice Milk Tea from Tiger Tea in San Jose and I would say this is comparable or better.
Restaurantji Recommends
I was not expecting good boba to be inside a grocery store! I enjoyed my drink a lot surprisingly.... I do prefer my boba a little softer and not as chewy but it's definitely a personal preference. Tea Island is great. I'll be coming back when I'm in the area. Note that it is cash only!
One of the few places left where you can get cheap milk tea to go at less than $4! And not only that but the milk tea drinks here have strong tea taste and don't taste watered down and are not overly milky! Normally I get 25% sweet for my milk teas but this is one of the few places where I get 50% sweet. The tea is at the same strength as Teco in Fremont and Ten Ren in Cupertino village! This isn't a place to hang out ( it is in the corner of the Chinese supermarket and is on your left once you walk into the supermarket) but it is one of my go to places for cheap great milk tea! Drinks I have tried: Assam milk tea 50% sweet no ice Jasmine milk tea 50% sweet no ice Heads up: CASH OR VENMO ONLY
Not a super flashy place because it's inside a supermarket, but the boba here is decent! I got the Jasmine milk tea with boba. There were several people ahead of us, and even though there was only one person at the booth, we got our drinks pretty fast. The drinks are fairly priced, and they only accept cash.
definitely a hole in the wall boba spot! this place is located inside the 168 market and wanted to try it. i ordered a honeydew milk tea half ssweet less ice and even though i asked for half sweet it was still pretty sweet, so i recommend getting like 25% sweet if you want something with lighter sweetness. otherwise the price was great and the honeydew flavor was pretty prominent. the boba itself wasn't too bad either, it had a good amount of chewiness. i will say this place has great prices! i had a large drink with boba and it was $4.25, definitely more inexpensive for a bay area boba shop. the menu was pretty extensive as well. i don't go to the 168 market often, but this place is definitely worth it and i would be a regular if i shooed at this market regularly.
Best boba in the Bay Area & a hidden spot known only to locals!! I've been coming here since high school and nothing in the Bay beats Tea Island. Their tea is fresh, strong, and fragrant (you can ask for stronger flavor if you're a tea lover like me). Go to order is Jasmine Green Tea (no milk) with lychee jelly, less ice, less sugar. For warmer weather, their hot Oolong Milk Tea with less sugar is great too. You can smell the oolong even before you taste it. Please come support this small local business!