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Category: Coffee & Tea [Edit]
Neighborhood: International DistrictMon-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
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One of my fondest memories in Taiwan was going to the neighborhood snack store and buying a carton of flavored green apple milk tea.
Ever since then I've always loved green apple milk tea (super refreshing and hits the spot). But not many serves it correctly with the distinct milk flavor.
This cute pearl tea shop has it just right tho! It's soooo good!! Wish this place was in the Bay Area so I can come everyday!
Gossip is a pretty good place to stop by for bubble tea and other tapioca drinks. They offer your usual menu options and I have yet to be disappointed. Personally...I enjoy having their passion fruit slush and their taro bubble tea with pearls!
Don't mind the wanna be trendy furniture, just get in and out and you won't be disappointed!
I stopped by here as a tourist on my way to Sea Tac Airport.
Coming from the SF Bay Area, I have drank my fair share of tapioca drinks. The first thing I noticed about the drinks here is the bang for the buck you get. For $3, you get an amount of tapioca and drink (whether it is tea, smoothie, etc) that would cost at least $5 in the Bay Area and most other places. The second thing I noticed is the material they use for their cups. The plastic is rock solid and would probably cause an uproar in environmentally sensitive areas.
I ordered an almond milk tea with tapioca. It tasted a little bitter, although it wasn't bad to the point that I was disgusted with the drink. On the plus side, the drink actually tasted like almond, which is something that cannot be said of many other places that I've gone to because they sometimes provide me something that tastes more like medicine than actual almond. The actual tapioca was so-so, as some individual ones were a little tough while other individual ones were nice and soft, so I would imagine a new batch of tapioca had been put in a bucket with an older batch.
Basically, come here to get a very, very generous serving of an average tasting tapioca drink.
GOSSIP, a place like our home.
I dare say I'm a boba connoisseur. I can tell if a store simply boils their boba or if they take the extra step and pressure cooks it with a mix of brown and white sugar.
I know. I'm THAT good.
Gossip's boba is A-OK. Not the best, but not the worst. I appreciate their variety of tea flavors and for not over-sweetening my green tea.
Gossip bubble tea... sigh let me just tell you. it was a disapointment for me. i always go to oasis down the street but today i was curious and wanted to see what gossip is all about... and let me tell you.. curiousity killed the cat.. should of just walked a little farther and go to oasis. i dont see why this place has such high reviews...
so when i first walked in i thought hey this place looks pretty good, but as i stood around looking at the menu, i felt like i was invisable.. all the workers were ignoring me and all of them just kept doing what they were doing. one was texting and another leaning against the counter with her back turned against me. it wasnt until i went up to the counter that they finally said something. i asked them if they could mix coconut and papaya togeher. and they said sure but then one of the girls made this face to her co-worker like eww what kind of mix is that.. that sdiscusting.. i was really offended.. if you dont like your drinks then how am i suppose to enjoy it.. but moving on.. the price was pretty reasonable. it was 3 dollars or something like that. so as i waited for the drink i went up stairs to check out there second floor, sigh.. that is something i shouldnt of done.. it was SO dirty.. napkins everywhere and half drank bubble tea.. and now i see why those were half drank..
as they called my drink out. i took it and the workers didnt say thank you or anything they looked at me and then looked away... bottom line, the customer service was HORRIBLE, the coconut papaya slush that i order, i drank about 1/3 of it and threw it away, it was was tasteless, i dont know what they did... probably added a crap load of water.
but on the bright side, there is this one girl. she was really sweet and cute, i heard her co worker call her name, it was something like rekel or rechal or rachel or something like that. but she was very pretty and was the only one who smiled at me. if i ever go back to gossip, she would be the only reason i go.
but after i left gossip i saw on there door, they have a sticker that says.. " people love on on yelp" so i decided to come on here and look.. well yelp let me tell you im people and i do not love gossip on yelp..
but after i left i went to oasis and order a coconut papaya slush. when i walked in, this tall chinese guy greeted me right now with a warm smile and asked how my day was. considering the experience i just had at gossip i just told him, not as good as it should be. but i order from him and he took my money and said thank you and told me my drink will be out in a sec. it was only about 30 seconds before my drink came out. i took one sip and the whole gossip experience just flew out of my head cuz all i can think about is how good it tasted. a perfect blend between coconut and papaya, not too sweet and not too tasteless, it was perfect, the chinese guy said thank you to me and smiled and i smiled back. and as he said bye to me as i walked out the door , he didnt realize it but he had completely made my day.
so now everytime i get tired of lazy, i know to take the extra 30 second walk to go to oasis and get my drink from there.... and you should to. Go to OASIS you will find that its the best bubble tea in seattle and you wont regret a second of your experience there.. so GO NOW!!!! experience the MAGIC for your self.. -_^
Faves: lychee black tea when I need to cool down or hot almond when I need to warm up, prices, punch card
Misses: parking, service
I love their drinks - just sweet enough and the boba are not crunchy. The price is reasonable - $3 and it's a tall cup! Word of advice... if you're reading all your choices on the big board, step aside so the peeps behind you who know what they want can order. I hate standing around waiting for a bunch of people to read the huge board while I'm parked illegally outside!
Someone please explain to me why this place has high reviews. I have been here on several occasions in a perverse attempt too disprove my initial poor impression of this place.
The first time I went to this place the texture of the Boba tea without tapioca pearls was a bit chunky as if some decided that slightly curdled soy milk was an excellent addition to my milk tea.
The second time I came, after some prompting from a friend of mine, I experienced a terrible after-taste to the tea that prevented from even finishing a quarter of the tea.
Even if they served the best Boba tea on the planet, the service was quite awful, I mean I was getting "I am not part of their Asian Clique" looks when asking simple questions like what I should be expecting in some of their undiscernable flavor names.
Admittedly although born in the proud independent technocratic nation of Singapore, I am largely western educated. This must have shown through in my distinct mid-western accent, making me clearly deserving of scorn.
Or maybe it was because I asked the guys to un-pop their collars and told the girls that knee high socks are not cool in America. I kid I kid.
Anyways, I had an awful experience and if I could give it a lower score than 1, I would. In fact I will up the price beyond truth to balance the fact that I cannot give it a negative score.
Tried this place several times. And each time, I have been severely disappointed. Have it not for the fact that it is conveniently located in the heart of Chinatown, I would never venture in here.
First, it closes at 9pm on weekdays. Really? 9pm? What are you guys, 6th graders?
Second, the environment looks kind of ghetto. Checkered tiles. The Taiwan scenery images were printed on a dot-matrix printer or something, then taped on to a white light board. Tacky, if you ask me. Some of them are falling off too, because the tape's adhesives are getting worn out.
Third, the service is pretty bad. The people behind the counter are generally pretentious Asians that think they're better than everyone else. I asked one of them a simple question ("where is the best place to park around here?") and she gave me a "whatever" look. Also, the guys behind the counter need to get a haircut. I guess I would be a mean person too if I worked at a place that made terrible tasting boba drinks.
Lastly, the tea. It's terrible. There is a wierd aftertaste, and sometimes, it's a bit chunky. Just say no to chunky tea. I've tried 4-5 of their drinks over a course of a year, and I have not be pleased with any of them.
Once, I asked two of my friends "Hey, want to try the worst-tasting tea ever?" They were reluctantly but finally agreed, and I took them here. I don't think either of them could finish the tea drinks they ordered. I didn't get anything myself.
Go to Ambrosia up the street instead. It's slightly better.
Not the best bubble tea in the world (I've been to Taiwan ;)), but probably one of the better ones in the Puget Sound area. It is relatively cheap compared to other places, and the general amount they give you is pretty generous for American pricing. Flavorful unlike Ambrosia, and they have many flavors. Too bad I'm horrible at parallel parking in the middle of Chinatown...
Priced Great and quality is good. I ordered the almost milk tea with boba and it only cost 3 bucks for a large. I'd go again!!!
"Powdered Bubble tea at it's finest"
Gossip has not changed much since it first opened year ago. I think the only difference is the lack of smoke on the second story lounge area.
Milk Tea's are good here, consistent in taste, texture and price.
I can care less for the transient community that hangs in front, or the crack whores..
But if you need a quick sugar buzz, Gossip is a great place to go.
I was not a fan of tapioca until I tried it at Gossip's. I just had a Strawberry smoothie and I loved it. Nice service and prices. I am definitely looking forward to going back!
I feel untrue to myself that I have to give at least a 1 star review. It is unfair to all the other places that I gave 1 star for. There are definitely better boba places in Seattle, and it's really not that difficult to do a better job than Gossip. The aftertaste of the milk, the unexpected chunkiness, the uncomfortable chairs, the almost broken door knob of the restroom door.. just didn't work for me.
Gossip gets the boba tea shop ambiance. Light, bright decor, cute asian teens working the counter, fobby music playing inside, clean, decent wi-fi. The drinks were aight (I think I prefer Oasis's boba better) but for meeting friends, this place will do in a pinch. What made me laugh out loud is its endorsement (two thumbs up!) from UW's student groups -- to be precise, the Hong Kong Students Association and the Taiwanese Students Association. They did offer alot of fruity boba tea varieties.
If I was killing time in the ID, I'd go here to hang out and buy a drink.
I took a few points off for a) lack of snacks to purchase (what happened to popcorn chicken? fried squid? HK/taiwanese toast?!) and b) lack of a flat screen TV showing some Chinese/Korean/Japanese music videos.
/snark.
Food: Good flavored teas
Service: Good
Price: Great, large sized drinks
This was literally the 2nd bubble tea shop to ever open in the Seattle area (if my memory serves me right). #1 is Ambrosia down the street. Ambrosia is good for the standard tea flavor only. Gossip has a multitude of flavors with different add-in options.
The flavor hasn't changed since I last visited 5 years back. My staple is the honeydew tea. This time I got the pudding instead of boba (btw, I tasted the hubby's boba and it was tough, not soft and chewy).
4 stars for good flavor even with powdered ingredients. 4 stars for the large sizes. Minus one for bad boba pearls.
Cute decor but it seems the chairs are wearing down. Love the photographic mural on the wall - fun to ID the locations if you are Taiwanese.
Still can't beat bay area bubble tea - Seattle-lites, come try a taste of GREAT bubble tea in San Jose.
O Gossip... I remember when you first opened when I was in high school. So popular and always packed - a great place to hang out. I would be there at least once a week. Started off as a strawberry bubble tea fan but once a friend introduced me to taro, I've never looked back. 5 stars for the good memories!
I'm from California and was visiting Seattle when i was craving Boba. I was walking in Chinatown when i saw Gossip. I thought it was kind of random seeing a boba place just when i wanted some. I decided to give it a chance and it was good. For some reason i liked the cup and kept it as a souvenir. I guess it's not cheap like the ones here.
I also saw a room upstairs because i think it's a small night club at night. I saw some pictures on the walls and it looked like people were having fun. I wish i was there at night so i could dance with a cup of milk tea boba. haha.
It was nice and quiet in there. There were a few electronic and car mags around so i was taking a look at those while was sippin my milk tea.
Gossip is a good place if you're in the ID and you're dying for a bubbletea fix. I would recommend though WOW in the U-district for a better atmosphere and a more eclectic menu. I have to admit that Gossip did a good job with their taro flavor boba, but served a disappointing mango boba.
I'm gonna review the karaoke aspect of this establishment rather than bubble tea. I think I had champagne grape bubble tea, though, and it was light blue and tasted like cream. Meh.
So if you disappear behind the pay counter at Gossip you can slide on down to the basement and belt your heart out with a disco ball overheard, particleboard coffee table to stand on, atop the sticky tile. The seats are vinyl -- easier to wipe the cum off.
A lot of your singing time might be counted against your trying to figure out the dang computer. If you can read Korean to work the machine, great. It's totally unintuitive, as are the stereo controls. The guy behind the counter did help, but only for each specific problem, rather than showing me how to use the thing in general. He did look like one of the '70s swept-bangs sidekick friends in Return of the Dragon though. Tony, I think his name was. Like one of my uncles, back when he was thin.
He did end up charging us a whole hell of a lot more money than we anticipated, as their signs are very misleading.
The selection of songs is minimal, but we DID get in EDELWEISS. And plenty of ABBA. And Cuando, Cuando, Cuando, and Electric Youth, and I think a Wilson Phillips song (see photos of the lyrics attached to this review). Haaay. Not quite like dear Thep Naree in Berkeley, CA where they had the entire Radiohead Hail to the Thief album loaded to their karaoke machine a week in advance of its release, but still, we found plenty of cheesy pop to scream at each other. We took turns being backup and lead singer for Total Eclipse of the Heart.
Speaking of which, go to Google Video and type in "Total Eclipse of the Heart". Watch the one that has a Scandinavian title screen. Godd! It's like duplicates of Carrot Top when he was skinny! I want to take a diaper wipe to that buttcrack the one stove guy starts to show!
I am a Boba Fanatic. (It's called "boba" peeps, at least in San Francisco it is). Anyway, I've ingested more boba than oxygen probably, there's probably tapioca in my veins instead of blood.
Gossip...is awesome. I was afraid that I would't be able to find the caliber of Boba (bubble tea for you PNWers) that I was used to in the bay area, but boy was I wrong. First off, let me say that the atmosphere is totally cute.
Nice little tables to eat at, cool mural on the wall, great couches and tables upstairs to study at whilst you drink your "nectar of the gods" (aka boba)-what more could you ask for?
Oh, snacks you say? They've got snacks! Ice cream, flavored toasts, and assorted fried sea creatures. Oh it's a dream come true!
Try the honeydew smoothie or the mango milk tea...and for a twist, put in pudding. YUM!
Totally tasty bubble tea, served by a friendly staff, in a setting that makes you feel like you are in Tokyo.
I found this place wandering the ID while I waited for my take-out at Jade Garden. They recommended I walk over if I wanted a really good tea. Quick service, really tasty smoothie and the best tapioca balls around. The place was busy with tons or customers enjoy tea and the wi-fi. Great pictures on the wall of the karaoke moments and a nice upstairs to people watch. All this pleasure for only $3 for a huge bubble smoothie. YUM!
Another stop on my whirlwind tour of Seattle bubble tea establishiments!
While randomly wandering the ID for a tasty lunch spot, I spotted a couple of girls with fresh bubble tea cups. A quick jaunt further up King St. put me in front of Gossip. However, I had to get some food before my bubble tea.
After some Pho at a place around the corner I stopped back in at Gossip to see how they do with my Lemon Green Tea. I was surprised to notice Lemon was listed as a seasonal fresh fruit option on the blackboard. The cute and helpful cashier asked if I wanted fresh and I agreed this would be the best course of action. (For Science! of course)
The verdict - Interesting, but perhaps not my favorite Lemon Green Tea to date. I expected the fresh lemon to be much more tart, but it was a little overly sweet. Kinda like a fresh squeezed lemonaid with too much sugar. Definitely different from the other syrup-based Lemon flavor drinks. Might need a second visit to check out the non-fresh version.
The other week the lovely Kerrie L broke my balls, I mean bubble tea, cherry, well Dan and GBF#2 were there too but it was her idea. I had what she was having with balls and all. Her order was half the sugar and I liked it that way, any more sugar and it would have been too sweet for me, I think I could have done with just half the balls though they were a bit of a surprise with each sip. As GBF#2 said "the balls are a surprise kind of like a tranny you don't expect them but whoops there they are." Next time I think I'd go ball-less as I wasn't really a fan of the whole balls hitting the back of my throat thing but that's not Gossip Tea's fault that's mine.
2 1/2 stars.
I've been here several times and the drinks are just okay. They do give you at good amount for the price. When I had it the last time, I remember it being a bit watered down.
I do like the seats upstairs, however it wreaks of smoke.
If you're a fan of FOB juice, bubble tea, pearl tea, boba, or whatever the hell you want to call it and in Chink Town. (I'm Chinese and refuse to call it "The International District"). Gossip is a pretty chill stop. Decent prices...or normal prices. Tapioca is never under cooked (believe me some places fail), and drinks well..are all made from the powder stuff, but it's good enough. Playing connect four there was a memorable experience...considering the last time I played that game was in 3rd grade.
Anyway Gossip is still a cool stop for some Fob Juice, but just a Warning...given what it is Gossip is also FOB central with FOB music...so don't say I didn't warn you. So if that's not your thing...get in, buy your drink, and run out as fast as you can.
~G
p.s. If anyone has a mini dolphin stamp let me know..so i can fake some more punches on my Gossip card.
I had a bubble tea here, and it was okay.
It didn't have a good flavor of tea, and it was really sweet..
The interior,, um OK...
The stuff was really nice.
Lavender milk tea + boba = instant relaxation. I love lavender milk tea but often find it too sweet and syrupy. Gossip gets it right! It's loud and obnoxious, but hey, that's boba!
What can I say? Never a bad experience at Gossip. I'm on my third punch card . The prices are pretty reasonable, I order mine very special and they nail it everytime. The area upstairs is alot of fun with friends; comfy couches, games to play, good times. Prime location, and a great place to swing by after a great dinner in the ID.
Oh, and the flavors are all good. Between me and my friends we've tried them all i think. Good stuff!
The bubble tea is better than most here. The tapioca balls are chewy and fresh and the cup is generously large. I just wish the milk tea wasn't so sweet.
Came here on account of a friend's recommendation. It's the first and only boba (yes, "boba") place I've been to in Seattle. To me, boba places are a lot like mechanics or hair salons - I'd really rather go to one a friend has recommended me to. Well, this happened to be the place a local friend pointed to. Apparently it was one of the only ones that didn't hike their prices by fifty cents.
I got the Hong Kong style milk tea (slightly more bitter, with a bit more of a cocoa/coffee flavor on the tea) and an almond milk tea. Almond milk tea tasted like almond pudding. Wasn't expecting that, but I thought it was pretty good.
Three bucks gets you a fairly tall milk tea with boba (yes, "boba". Bubbles are full of air). Pretty typical if you ask me, so it's not a bad deal. Cheaper, and it would've been four stars.
I didn't pay too much attention to the interior, but there is a giant collage of a city that is obviously not Seattle. But there are seats, tables, and televisions. What more could you want? :P
It's one of the few places to get authentic Taiwanese-style bubble tea in Seattle. I also like the tapioca pearls here... kind of chewy and not too hard. The milk tea can be kind of sweet... ask for "half sugar" if it's too much for you. The karaoke rooms downstairs are fun... better quality than Venus Karaoke a few blocks away. The service for the most part is good... although they can be kind of snobbish and rude (at times)... ^^
This is a great environment! Wide open, well lit, lots of windows. Plus, the bubble tea is one of the best prices around. Service was 'with a smile' and very welcoming.
They have a nice variety of drinks to choose from.
This is my favorite bubble tea place. Coffee smoothie with tapioca is the best. I've been going here since I think they first opened around 10 years ago.
Great place, good Bubble Tea and overall ok Scenery.
I picked up another fix of this stuff after a Yelp dim sum event today. The girls at the counter were really friendly and the service was prompt. The reason why I left a star out is because some of the tapioca did not have a thorough gummy texture like it should, but a slightly crunchy center, which is probably an indication that they did not cook the tapioca long enough.
There's nothing worse than a junky powder mix boba shake! Ugh! So I love the fact that I can get my… Read more »
Well... all I can say is 'avocado with tapioca'... Holy schnikey!!! So yummy and refreshing! I'm no expert, and I will confess that I was a bit hesitant to try this particular drink. But whoa nelly!!! To me, it doesn't really taste of avocado... more like not too sweet persimmon (which I love). That combined with delightfully squishy tapioca balls makes me a happy girl. Some day, I fully intend to try some of the other flavors offered, but I haven't yet completely exhausted my fascination with this particular drink. Sadly, as most of my trips to the ID consist of stuffing myself silly with dim sum, I don't get this 'meal in a cup' as often as I would like. But every once in a while... I manage to control myself (ummm yeah... or something like that) and march myself straight into Gossip for this tasty treat.
Seattle may make smaller sizes for their coffee but loooove to make "American Super Huge Giant" sizes for the bubble tea. Good god, a regular milk tea with tapioca is 120 million oz of sugary sweet deliciousness (or more like 24oz). I would have loved a smaller size option since I just had lunch, but I never turn away tasty sugar milk tea and finished the whole thing anyways. Yum.
As far as I am concerned, this is the only real bubble tea place in Seattle. Don't get pulled in by other places, most do NOT have tea in their bubble tea. It is usually merely a smoothie with tapioca pearls. Gossip, however, is totally legit. I suggest getting the peach black (or green) tea. And for those a little more adventurous, go ahead and order avocado!
Gossip definitely has the best boba in Seattle (but Black Pearl Teahouse at Alderwood Mall is the best ever). Their tapioca balls have a hint of brown sugar, where most places just have bland boba. They offer a wide selection, as well, and their prices aren't bad. I'm VERY picky about my boba, so the fact that I always recommend this place to people says a lot! :)
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