Fantasia Coffee & Tea
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: No
- Parking: Private Lot
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Wi-Fi: Free
63 reviews
Los Gatos, CA
"Five stars for the taste! If only I lived closer to Los Gatos, I would come here everyday. The froyo is tart and creamy; it's the best…" read more »
122 Reviews for Fantasia Coffee & Tea
The tea here is noticeably better than anything else in the area. It's definitely the real deal -- not the fake powdered stuff -- and is consistent in its quality. The ambiance is nice, the indoor and outdoor seating plentiful with well-maintained, slightly upscale furniture. Reminds me a little of Starbucks actually.
Downsides?
- It's in Cupertino Village, which has a horrible parking situation at mealtimes.
- It's a buck or two more than I usually pay for pearl milk tea.
I'd stop by after a meal, but I wouldn't go out of my way to come here.
Nice, clean, lovely atmosphere. A great place to drop in for a cup of hot milk tea, or to have a conversation over a nice hot beverage.
I'd say this is the best tea cafe in the bay area. The tea is not overly sweet, and is always very fragrant. If you prefer the taste of tea over loads of sugar and condensed milk, go to Fantasia for a lighter, (but still sweet) fragrant tea experience.
Another plus: Attractive customers! Is it just me who has noticed?
Fantasia is pretty good, I'll admit. Their PMT actually tastes like tea, which is a rarity. I, for one, don't really like my PMT tasting too tea-y, but today their peach flavor knocked my socks off. Their pearls are also the right consistency, which is an accomplishment unto itself.
Their chocolate chip cookies, on the other hand, were "subpar" according to 1 of my companions. Note to self: don't order their sweets.
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I have yet to find a Taro milk tea as good as Fantasia's. I think it's because they don't use the purple taro milk powder. They use something else. Is it actual Taro pieces? Tastes like it. I've been all over LA, trying to find non-purple taro milk tea. Taro really isn't that purple in reality, so why are all the bubble teas with taro bright PURPLE??
Anyway, I remember when I was in highschool this place used to be the thug life hangout for fobs. Since then, I've been back during college, after college, etc. and now it seems to be predominantly families and moms hanging out at this place. AHHAHA. anyway, it's cool, i enjoy the vibe, feels more like a cafe than anything else now. I used to come here with my mom in the daytime and get the hot grass jelly drink, after my piano lessons. Mmmm... nostalgia.
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oh fantasia!! why must you be so far from me?? i use to visit fantasia quite frequently and it was ALWAYS jam-packed in there. it's my personal favorite place to get a boba drink. i love the drinks!! especially the coconut milk!! it has coconut shavings in it too. the tapioca is yummy too. MMmMmm.. one day we will cross paths again! =) until then, i'll keep drooling. hehe...
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Best boba place hands down. I like to get the taro milk, milk tea, or thai tea. I've also gotten their merry strawberry shake and it was like drinking ice cream out of a straw. I haven't found a better place than Fantasia. I haven't been disappointed with anything I've gotten at Fantasia.
This is my favorite place to get pearl tea. You can actually taste the tea in the pearl milk TEA. It tastes like the boba I had in China :)
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Best cafe specializing in Hong Kong-style milk tea in the bay area (and arguably North America). The black tea here is dark, rich, full-bodied, and freshly brewed (NO powders in sight!). The sweetness of the tea varies depending on how generous the mixer is with the syrup. The tapioca pearls are usually perfectly al dente but can be soggy or overly chewy depending on the time of day; regardless, the quality of the tea more than compensates. Fantasia also serves a variety of desserts, flavored teas, and slushies. Most are very good but are as good elsewhere, so I stick with the classic milk tea, which is unrivaled.
This place is always crowded. I used to go every other weekend when I lived in Santa Clara. The drive is a bit far now that I live in San Jose.
I'm not a huge fan of pearl tea, though I do enjoy a cup every now and then. My favorite here is the green mango aiyu. It's sweet and sour, very nice when it's ice cold on a hot day. Add some boba and you'll always have something to chew on as you're drinking.
I like this one because it's in such a nice area (Cupertino Square). The pasteries are pretty good too and I think there's wifi.
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Fantasia is my favoriteee place to get boba. Whenever I try a new boba place, I always think, "hmm I like Fantasia better."
My favorites are strawberry pearl milk tea and coconut milk tea. The strawberry has little bits of strawberry, which makes it delicious. It's creamy and just the right amount of sweet. The coconut milk tea is soo good if you love coconut milk. It's not super watered down, which makes me happy, and it has coconut flakes as well.
Just writing this review makes me wanna go to Fantasia and get a drink!
Only negative thing about this location is that it closes kinda early (I think 10pm??)
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This is my favorite of the Fantasia franchise because you can actually come in and sit down and enjoy your drink.
I don't think they are as fast at getting your drink ready as the Milpitas location but they have never gotten it wrong.
The drinks are good! They have a selection of tea (hot or cold), blended drinks and also coffee and you can get everything with or without pearls. My favorites are the mango teas, either back green mango or mango milk tea with pearls of course. I have also tried their honeydew milk tea which is really good. Not overly sweet or powdery tasting. Their boba is consistantly good. Never under or overcooked nor stale. If I want to introduce someone to boba, I take them here.
Whenever I am in the area, I stop by here for a treat.
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If it wasn't for: the lack of seating, rude workers and cash only policy, I would've given Fantasia 5 stars.
This place has arguably the best tapioca pearls. Slightly sweet with the right consistency. PLUS, the big bonus here is that they serve Taro balls! Definitely give it a try. I haven't found any other tea place that offers it.
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Even though the parking could be a pain here, it is in a nice corner in the Plaza, and their pearl teas are consistently good, most of the time with fresh pearls. I wish this lady behind the counter could be a little more pleasant and friendly sometimes.
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I remember when they used to have fantasia at Eastridge mall and I was a frequent visitor of this boba place. Fantasia isn't your ordinary pearl milk tea joint. Unlike most pearl tea places like Lolicup, Tapioca express or quickly with their crazy colorful azn interior, fantasia has a mature feeling. I always get coconut milk tea with pearls. ALWAYS. In fact I like it so much that as much as I want to try something else I couldn't because I just want that coconut milk tea so bad. Although Fantasia no longer exists at Eastridge, it's ok because cupertino is pretty close to work also.
I often get on different food kicks and currently, I am on a boba kick. I try to seize any opportunity I can to get my hands on boba. I've come here now and then but as of recently, I've been coming to get my hot green milk tea with pearls which comes out to $2.98. Their boba tastes really fresh and their green milk tea is not too sweet which is I like. It's usually crowded here so I take it to go.
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This particular Fantasia is one of the best places to get milk tea, next to Ten Ren. The one in Newark is average, the one in Milpitas is about the same as this one, and the one in Santana Row is a lot more overpriced, I believe.
I have good memories of this place since I had my first milk tea like, a decade ago, before I even knew Tapioca Express existed. The pearls are always fresh, which is a plus, and the milk tea is creamy and fresh as well. They have a lot of cute French-style desserts as well; it's slightly overpriced though. My friend got the peanut butter toast here and loved it. I know, peanut butter toast doesn't seem like anything special, but this was amazing. Thick, creamy peanut butter melting on a hot slice of toast.....mmm....
The pearls are solid, the tea is usually good, but I'm still traumatized from the last time I came here--got a Guava milk tea and it was quite gross.
This is one of my favorite "pearl" tea places and was the first one I've ever been to! I love the Green Milk Tea with pearls. And if I don't feel like "milk", then I get the Honey Green Tea with pearls. Good stuff! Everybody I've brought here like it. Great place for pearl teas on the go or even if you want to sit and have a conversation. Although, I suggest you go in the afternoons because some of the nights are really busy there. The service is super quick too (after you order since the line can be out the door).
Sometimes the place is clean and shiny whereas sometimes its dirty as hell and smells. Tables outside are generally always dirty.
Boba is pretty consistent and chewy however the general tea itself always feels watered down. However, I'm used to the watery taste of their normal milk tea w/ pearls since I grew up on it but no doubt there's better out there.
Been coming here for years ever since Cupertino Village got china-ized and still come here although many people prefer the fobby feel of Tap X instead. Long lines at night, beware.
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My favorite Fantasia around. The one at Santana Row is alright, but I would rather drive a few miles for the one in Cupertino. For the most part, the pearl tea is consistent, but once in awhile I'll get tea that tastes too syrupy. The pearl tea here tastes more like tea than most of the places in the Evergreen area. Way better than the Tapioca Express in the same plaza. Oh yea, not to mention their fast service ...
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This was the first place I've ever had tapioca milk tea from and was the best for quite a long time for me. However, they've become quite inconsistent. Their tea, which I loved for their right amount of potency has become more watered down.
And just a few nights ago I ordered a taro milk tea which tasted sour/spoiled. I gave it back to them to have them redo it and the girl at the counter said that it's impossible since it's the same recipe they use every day. Can't trick me with that since I order that drink quite often.
Fantasia's tapioca is still the best and you get your order very fast. The good thing is that the same applies to all the other Fantasias I've been to. The drinks at the Milpitas branch are more consistent so I now call that one my favorite. So now, I'll split my business between the Milpitas Fantasia and Sweetheart.
The best pearl tea ever. I also like the Milpitas and Santa Row Fantasia, but Cupertino is probably the nicest location. Both indoor and outdoor seating. The pearls are perfectly cooked, and the drinks have real stuff in them! Red beans, lychee, etc. My favorite drink is the iced honey green tea with lychee and grass jelly. The toffee nut crunch slush is pretty yummy too.
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This is the first Pearl Milk Tea place that I visited, many, many moons ago. Consistent product for many years, and probably the best in the Ranch 99 area. My favorite is the taro milk tea with pearl. It's even good warm, surprisingly.
Great place to go on any given night because the people watching is great.
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Fantasia has the best pearl milk tea. The other places just don't compare.
The one in Cupertino, for some reason, is the best Fantasia location (you can also find them in Milpitas, Rivermark and Santana Row... FYI the last two locations suck). My favorite during winter is the hot grass jelly with red and green beans. For those of you who don't know this drink exists, it does. The drink might look a little bit odd at first - the texture is black and gooey - but don't let it fool you. It is delicious.
For the less adventurous, there's a wide selection of milk tea with tapioca pearl. I would suggest taro milk tea or lychee milk tea.
This place opens quite late at night so it's a perfect hang-out place... especially when the night is nice and balmy - the outdoor seating is just perfect. The worst time to go? mid-day to early afternoon on Saturday and Sunday.. the line can go out the door.
For green milk tea, Fantasia takes gold. I've been around the block, I've been to Q-Cup, TapEx, Verde, etc. I've been to Taiwan, motherland of all bobas, and have tasted the stuff of 85 Degrees C and 50 Lan. Even in comparison to Hong Kong milk tea (sorry for all you HK style fans out there), I still say Fantasia tops it all. The taste and quality of their tea is what I praise. It's not overlwhelmingly sweet and not watered down either. Plus, no grainy powder-tea taste. Their tea is strong enough to give a decent jolt of energy (so I wouldn't recommend taking on an entire cup before bed). In terms of the boba balls, Fantasia's have just the right combination of chewy and soft so as not to make your jaw fall off, but not soak around and fall apart in the milk tea either. This place also has poppy Chinese music playing in the background, power outlets for the laptop users, super-speedy service, plenty of seating (though plenty of regulars as well), and location location location (for all you other "villagers" who call it home base).
So now, I'd like you to channel Ratatouille for a moment if you will -- remember that scene where Anton, the food critic, takes his first bite of Remy's Ratatouille and it whisks him away back to his childhood. That is what sipping Fantasia milk tea is like for me...and I'm sure many of you out there can relate. After all, what are coffee/tea houses but just a place to rendezvous, reunite, and chat with old friends, new friends, boyfriends over the complexities of life and the latest juicy office gossip. And what better nectar to sip on in between throws of laughter than some good quality green milk tea. So yes, if this is the type of experience you're looking for, I'd definitely recommend Fantasia.
I'm not much familiar with the Fantasia Coffee & Tea chain's history (I'm from S. California), but I am very impressed with the chain in general. The one in Cupertino is very nice, but as others have mentioned lots of smokers in the outside seating area.
The variety of foods kept here is great, and the format of the little shop is too. There's the Chinese-style sofas (wooden sofa-width chairs with padding) for a group of friends, and little tables for individuals/smaller groups. As for the actual boba, I'm not sure about its quality, as I'm no "boba connoiseur," but the tapiocas have never been overly soft, hard, bland, or sweet, and I really like that the majority of their menu is green tea- based. Try the peach green tea (w/o milk) - it's amazing!
The best way to describe this chain, as well as this particular store, is as a Chinese Starbucks. Where Starbucks has bagels, muffins, biscotti, and the like, Fantasia boasts Asian tea eggs, cookies, cakes (moon cakes right now, too!), and bamboo leaf-wrapped rice dumplings (I have no idea how to best describe it, but it's zhong zi, if you're familiar with Chinese foods). Wireless is available here, and because it's NOT actually Starbucks, it's free! Seating resembles that of a chain cafe, and where you'd have Starbucks coffees, you have Fantasia teas. Just as Starbucks coffee is by no means the best coffee in the world, neither is Fantasia tea.
Also, be sure to ask for the Fantasia stamp card, if you are able to hold on to those (I always lose them, so I don't bother any more), so you can get a free drink every ten or so drinks that you buy. Also, make sure you specify whether you want milk tea or not, because they often assume that you want milk tea. And make sure to specify whether it is green or black/red tea that you want, because as mentioned earlier, the majority of the tea offered here is green (though they aren't likely to not have what you want - just make sure they understand what it is). ALSO (last one I promise), if you're new to tea or have friends who are, get one of the Adagio blooming teas that they offer here - they're fun for people who aren't concerned with taste, though a bit pricey ($10)!
All in all, I really enjoy coming to this boba place, though it can get quite crowded on weekends.
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This place has been around for ages. I remember first going here in the mid 90s when visiting a friend in Cupertino while we were still at Berkeley. This was when we had our first ever boba race. Boba racing is where you spit a pearl through the straw onto a wall so it sticks. The difficulty is in that the boba has to be taken by gravity and slowly roll down the wall. The one whose pearl rolls the furthest is the winner. What does the winner get? Um ... respect. The loser has to pick up the boba and dispose of it, because we're not litterbugs, yo.
Fantasia, like almost all boba places, has expanded it services. it's definitely one of the larger boba places and feels more like a coffee shop in terms of ambience. With so many boba places around, it is no longer THE place to go. Still, i only work 2 miles from here, so I come to enjoy a pearl milk tea from time to time.
I remember back when this place opened when I was 16, a junior at Lynbrook High School. Back then there was this fad called "AP" or "Asian Pride" where high school guys with bright Nautica Jackets, baggy jeans, and high fades/long bangs would roll in groups of 20. Girls would roll deep too but guys usually outnumber the girls. Girls all had the standard Polo Sport handbag and dyed hair, either brown, blond, or some shade of red, and you can't forget the heavy makeup. Baggy tear off windbreakers were the in thing back then too. Fantasia was the ONE kick it spot for all the cool Asian folks in the Cupertino/WestSJ/Saratoga areea with the lowered Civics and Integ Type R's. Occasionally someone older than hs age would roll by in a more expensive ride in a leather jacket and all the younger azns would stare at the ride and show respect to the old dude. But then again, why would an older guy with money wanna hang out with a bunch of high schoolers? I came here a few times back then and always tried to wear my best clothes and always made it a point to say "wudup" to everyone I knew to look popular. If someone made an effort to acknowledge me first, I'd feel real good about it, like it reaffirmed my popularity or something. I remember back then thinking that it was sorta lame how all the "cool" Asians only hung out at this one spot. Unless there were other spots they didn't tell me about!! Bastards! And here I thought I was accepted as one of them..
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Their pearl teas are awesome. I had the lychee green tea with grass jelly and pearls, and it was very refreshing. My friend had the hot taro tea with pearls, which tasted kind of like a sweet milk...something that would be perfect for a cold day. Service was very fast.
Why oh why are they only in the Southbay??? (Santana, Milpitas, Cupertino) They need to be in SF. Yes, I still love my Wonderful Foods Co. on Irving..but Fantasia has a really good Jasmine Milk Tea...the flavor is so strong. Always gotta stop here after dim sum at Dynasty. MMMMMMM...
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I think I've been coming to this Fantasia for 6 or 7 years now. What what! Great hang-out with friends. 'Love all their drinks, especially mango, passion, peach and lychee milk teas w/pearls!
If the weather is nice, definitely snag a table in the patio. They have a large patio area, that's why I like this place! I'm not sure if they still have the stamp cards, but if they do...for each drink you buy, you get a stamp and if you get 10 stamps, you get a free drink!
Great place to talk story! I usually hang out here with friends for at least a couple hours at a time.
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I've been here two times, I think? And both times, I got myself a green milk tea with pearls. The pearls are sweet and "chewable" if you know what I mean. Most places make boba that taste rather disgusting, but this Fantasia did a job well-done.
I love how you don't have to wait long for your drink, considering the great amount of people that are there. Both indoor and outdoor seating, so that's pretty cool; I guess you can say that it's a great hang out place, if you're with a big group.
Now here's the con; I haven't tried the other drinks so I really can't critique on just one drink. And my friends told me that it gets pretty crowded sometimes. So, if you're claustrophobic, well ... good luck.
In my opinion, this location is probably the best Fantasia in comparison to all the other Fantasia's around. Heck, it's probably the best pearl drink place in Nor Cal that I have been to.
Last words? I don't mind being the fan in Fantasia. hahahah, hope this review helped. =)
This has got to be the best of all their locations. Busy most of the time, but fast and attentive service combined with consistent quality make this a place to go after dinner or on a hot day. The staff recognizes regulars and their "usuals". Very impressed considering the volume of business. Parking can be tough during weekends and dinner, but a little patience goes a long way. I've tried at least half of the drink menu and all have been fantastic - from the hot red bean to the iced cappuccino with pearls.
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Haven't been here for a while but had to cool off with a friend after some way-too-spicy dinner.
Funny thing tonight was seeing:
a) almost empty
b) more non-asians than asians in there
c) everyone in there conducting business of some sort (vs. socializing)
Strange.
Terribly overrated now compared to where it was when it first came out over a decade ago. This place lives off it's reputation it's earned throughout the years, and it earned it by being one of the first milk tea places in the south bay. Back then it was great, and just really good.
Now-a-days though I swear the owners know that no matter what they do, they'll make duckets in buckets. They can cut costs and people will think everything is still great based on their reputation. But really, have you really compared the taste of this place now compared to your standard Lollicup or Tap Express?
Just the basics, regular Milk tea, is so watered down and bland, I refuse to order it anymore...and that's without ice too! The pearls are OK at best, sometimes good, sometimes hard. One time I got a combination of both, which I later found out was yesterday's batch mixed in with today's batch. I'm sure many places follow the same practice, but actually knowing that they did that, made me toss a full cup away (oh that $3....how I miss you).
But really, the high praise this place gets isn't deserved in my opinion. Any praise you give it should be the same praise you give Q-Cup on the other side of the plaza.
But despite all this, I'll say props to the owners for having the vision of bringing this to the states. Once you build a reputation, it doesn't matter how bad your quality gets, people will buy into it no matter what. Being in an Asian plaza and perfect location helps too.
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I love their green milk tea with pearls. Fantasia, Verde and Sweetheart Cafe are my top 3 favorite boba places. MMMMMMM!
Oh did you know there is no dairy in their milk tea at Fantasia so don't worry about your lactose intolerance boys and girls :)
I prefer this one over the one in milpitas. It's good depending on the drink you choose. The red bean milk tea was real good. The regular milk tea no pearls, no ice was so bitter, did they forget to put sugar in it? The lychee milk tea with pearls was alright. The mango milk tea no pearls was way too sweet. The lychee frost was decent. The taro milk tasted more like coconut and was way too milky. Overall, they're kind of inconsistent but they've never messed up my precious red bean milk tea so that's what I always order.
Of all the Fantasia's in the Bay, this is by far my favorite one. The green milk tea is the best! The hot taro is pretty good too on a cold day. I used to visit this place weekly when I was still in CA. The boba is one of the best, if not the best. I like how they use real tea and not powdered tea like Tapioca Express, Quickly, and a few others.
Their menu may noto be as extensive as other places, but they have the essentials.
This is a must if you want to experience authentic milk tea.
**Tip: If you don't like your drinks too cold, too sweet, or you want less boba, just ask for it. They'll basically change your drink to however you wish.
I usually stop by Fantasia Cupertino once a week to get my Pearl drink fixing. I must say that their drinks are consistent.
I think that other Boba places have their drinks way too sweet, esp. Tap Ex. In fact, I always get my drinks w/ more ice, and less sugar at Fantasia.
I noticed that the Milpitas Milk Tea w/ Pearls (the only drink I get) is more whitish color and doesn't taste as good as the Cupertino one.
There is usually a couple people in line at least and the service is relatively quick after you put in your order.
One caveat is that the order taker sometimes has an attitude...
Price of a Milk Tea w/ Pearls is $2.5 or $2.71 after tax. They offer a stamp card w/ an expiration date (wtf???) usu 3-4 months later...
I love Green Milk Tea's!! Hot or cold depending on the weather conditions. There pearls are sweet and they seem to make it perfect!
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