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Categories: Coffee & Tea, Desserts, Chinese [Edit]
Neighborhood: ChinatownCanal Street (J, M, Z, N, Q, R, W, 6)
Chambers-Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall (4, 5, 6, J, M, Z)
Grand St (B, D)
Mon-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 11:30 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 a.m.
"Ugh ugh ugh! One of my top 3 favorite bookstores ever. Two floors with a nice cafe. Great selection (periodicals, ficiton, nonfiction,…" read more »
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I love Teariffic because it's a really cozy sit down place with a relatively clean bathroom in the back (seriously...how many times have you chugged a cup of bubble tea and had to squirm and hold your legs together 20 minutes afterwards because you didn't go to the bathroom at the Starbucks you just passed?). Anyway, the tables are really cute, the service is fast and the drinks are relatively well priced for how much you get (in my opinion). I usually order hot drinks -- i usually get black milk tea with wheat germ. Yeah, i like the wheat germ, SO WHAT. It's like having bread crumbs in your tea. They give you the hot tea in a cute little tea kettle -- it comes out to about 3 teacups-fulls worth. They also have some food items on the menu to go with your tea.
Read:
Bread with condensed milk.
I really wasn't impressed with this place. It came highly regarded by several friends so I tried it out. I'm very used to boba from San Diego. There's a specific sweetness I expect when I order a Mango, but they didn't deliver here. They didn't have slushes just snows, which doesn't bode well for the mango. They also put bits of a jelly-like substance without my permission. I took about 5 swigs and tossed it.
The place was packed, about half were tourists. I don't really consider myself a tourist since I grew up around these parts, but since I don't officially live back east, I guess I fall into that group.
Well, I have to admit that Bobalicious in San Diego is much better and more fun too. If you're into teas then Teariffic is fine but definitely not worthy of its namesake.
Yuck...
I dunno, this place has always been a miss for me even though my gf drags me here once a month. If I go for the exotic drinks, everything tastes far too sweet or far too artificial. If I go for the regular drinks, then I could have gotten it much cheaper at Quickly or Ten Ren, arguably better quality.
I do enjoy the Taiwanese Snack Plate, though... mostly for the tea eggs. It's the one thing Green Tea Cafe nearby does not have.
Very good Grapefruit with Aloe.
The Bobba al dente. Tea was a little bit on the sweet side.
Small drink $3.05
Big drink $4.55
You decide if this is pricey but the drinks were very good indeed.
What a terrific drink I had at TEARIFFIC!!!! A really cozy cool place here in Chinatown...51 Mott to be exact...to get that exotic drink to calm your nerves down and quench your thirst in this blazxing hot weather....
Ever since it opened.... I must have tried most of their Green Tea Specials with Pearl Tapioca..., Aloe Vera Series, Classic House Specials and their Exotic drinks... my favorite so far...
Honey & Yolk Cocktail.....A mixture of honey, mix fruit juice & eggyolk blended beautifully. Black Jack.......An combination of strawberry syrup, blue curacao, honey and lemon...Sunrise Delight..Mixture of Guava Syrup,orange, lemon & passion juice & honey...Grasshopper.. Mixture of Orange & Passion juice, blue Curacao and honey...
Their Fruity Yogurt with Yogurt Pearl is also delicious..My favorite..The Mango Yogurt..The Smoothies are really delicious but a little too sweet for me......
They also offer a variety of snacks. ...like Tea Eggs..Japanese Mochi Ice Cream , Green Tea Chesecake and Skewered Yakitori Chicken and some Country Style Duck Tongue(have not tried this yet)
A wide choice of hot Noodle Soups...all kinds,Udon,Ho Fun or Green Tea ....It's good but too hot to eat in the Summertime...but I had tried most of it last Winter....and a wide variety of Rice dishes are also being served...they really have an extensive menu....
I usually stop by just for the drinks on my way home.......A force of habit....refreshingly to die for....A nice place to hang out with friends.... .
This place was a welcomed break for my trek through Chinatown last week. I ordered blueberry green tea, which was delicious but a little too sweet. My friend got an unsweetened jasmine, and it was extremely bitter. If I were her writing this review, I would be writing a pretty harsh review, but I had more sense than to order plain boring jasmine tea. kidding!
But with that in mind... this isn't a tea stop for those organic tea types. It seemed tailored more towards the sweet tooth tea drinker. To put it bluntly, their unsweetened options were lacking quality.
But their saving grace... tapioca balls! I was happily chewing on these little mothers for the next 20 minutes or so. My organic friend wasn't really into them, so I took hers. It did look a little odd having all those tapioca balls in a clear cup, but hey... it's New York... who's to judge me? :)
Mhmmmm...! Love this place now. Now, I know why this place is jumping off in the evening -- its mad packed. I loved the cutesy Atmosphere. The one thing I'm always tempted to get when I'm there, is there Chocolate Milkshake. Its the richest, refreshing -- no hype here.
I love how their not pricy, just a few bucks gets you quiet a few things. Between and friend and I alone, I spent $18.00 -- that not including the tip either. This is why I love chinatown for these cute little places.
my husband's favorite place to get boba drink. Opens late so perfect for a late night snack and all their tapas are less than $5.
I love their passion fruit black eat.
Very solid pearl milk tea/boba or whatever people call it nowadays, bubble tea place in Chinatown. For someone that's used to drinking the sugary filled milk tea chains like Tapioca Express, Quicklys, etc, this place was a nice find by my friend while in NY.
The standard milk tea (black milk tea) is actually on the tea side, less milky and sweet from what I'm used to but this is the way I like it, it reminds me of the milk tea places you can find on any corner in Taiwan. They have all the other staples on their menu as well but you can never go wrong with just straight boba.
Ordering is a bit chaotic since everyone's bunched into the front cashier area and standing around waiting for their tea to be made. This can be a bit messy but somehow they manage to give the right drink to the right person without receipts or keeping tabs.
There's room for improvement in their layout and ambiance since at the moment it's not exactly a place you'd stick around and chill like at any other coffee/tea store. But honestly who cares? Most people are here for a quick milk tea fix anyways.
Love the place! It's a great place to sit down and get bubble tea. I also like their agar drinks. If you don't like your bubble tea so sweet, you can request for less sugar or half sugar. Their ice cream mochi tastes like the Imochi brand I like from Mitsuwa (btw, best brand of ice cream mochi I have ever bought States-side). If you are sitting down to eat - get the regular size. It will be more than enough. If you are taking it to go, you should get the jumbo size. For some reason the regular size for take out is much smaller than the regular size cup when you sit down. The only place I like better than here for bubble tea (esp if you want to sit down), is Saint's Alp. It's a little cheaper here than Saint's Alp, and definitely cheaper than Ten Ren.
Love!
Love the decor.
Love the foods. (mostly snacks, finger types)
Love the drinks.
My gf and I stumbled upon this little hideaway. We picked it because when we walked by, it was so crowded ... so we thought to ourselves that it MUST be good.
We had to wait a good 15 min before we were seated (this was a saturday's evening).
Imagine Starbucks meats Asia. It must be a "happening" place because the older people there were probably the owners lol.
Hope I'll be able to find it again when I'm in NY in the future.
I'm a regular here, I come about 3 times a month. Always feel Teariffic was about 3 stars...so why the 4 now? I dropped by a few days ago and found they had printed shiny new extended menus!
Items I've always WISHED they had are now a reality! (Like watermelon juice, avocado milkshake). So now I will be less bitter when the one rude guy server looks at me like I just tried to order a dead beaver when all I just asked for was a napkin or a fork or something.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Taro or Sesame frosties are amazing. The fried chicken strips are tender and crispy! (Stay away from the noodle bowls though, while the toppings are good, the base are all nasty instant noodles)
I always wondered why Chinese elders like to drink tea after their meals, I decided to try the same habit to find out why. Just half a block down from BIG WONG RESTAURANT there is a tea house called TEARIFFIC.
With a combination of traditional hot teapot drink and cold tea beverages, this place defines tea drinking in a very creative way. Since I prefer the hot tea because it can warm the stomach and accelerate digestion, I tried Rose Tie Kwan Yin. Tie Kwan Yin is a type of Oolong Tea, mixed with dried rose follower gives you a refreshing taste and light fragrant smell. It was served in a very elegant teapot which made a big contrast with the beverage my friend ordered.
He ordered Kumquat Lime Juice which is the exotic fruit kumquat infused with a hint of lime juice. The lime juice gave it a nice tart taste while the kumquat kind of tasted like orange juice, but with more flavor. Since it was a rainy day, sitting in a dry place and watching people pass by outside through glass doors is kind of enjoyable and relaxing.
The decoration of Teariffic also consists of modern design with an ancient twist. With square rosewood stools and tables mixed with colorful lighting, you definitely don't want to miss this place on a lazy afternoon.
Unfortunately, we went at a peak hour which was crowded and noisy. I will give it a five star if it is less disturbed. I could barely hear myself with all the people chatting loudly around me.
Besides drinks, the tea house also served meals and snacks. Because we went with a full stomach, we didn't try any food. The menu is very elegant and well categorized which was easy to navigate.
Its price is reasonable, it cost us less than $10 (tips included) for 2 drinks. For over an hour of relaxation, it is priceless. I guess Starbucks is not the only choice when it comes to a decent drink.
Name: TEARIFFIC
Address: 51 Mott St. (between Bayard St & Pell St) New York, NY 10013
Positives: Cozy, price, variety of drinks and snacks
Negatives: can get really crowed and noisy.
Price: $
For more reviews on other places to eat in Chinatown, check out my blog; http://chinatowneats.net
Almond bubble tea--very good
Passion fruit yogurt drink--very interesting and good, the bubbles aren't chewy tapioca but round spheres filled with yogurt-milk (like Calpico)
Small drinks are around $3, so prices are all right.
I've heard that Teariffic uses real milk instead of milk powder, so that's a plus.
I've gone to a lot of chain or hole in the wall bubble tea places but I think Teariffic is the nicest. The iced almond black tea was delicious. I got the jumbo size since the regular looked too small. Although I didn't eat the food, I will definitely go back and try it since I like tea places that offer the toast and fried chicken. The atmosphere was nice since Chinatown can be super crowded and if you want to sit down and rest with friends for some snacks and tea, this is a good place to go. They have a variety of different flavors and drinks so everyone is sure to find something they like here.
i always wondered why teariffic was always packed and green tea cafe wasn't.
reasoning:
green tea cafe = $4.50 bubble tea
teariffic = $2.80 (for small) bubble tea
shame on you green tea for ripping people off!
teariffic = 1, green tea cafe = 0
I love these bubble tea/snack cafe places - they are just so cozy and relaxing to me! I like coming here when I'm craving something fast and more on the snack side. They have a wide selection of drinks and snacks. This place is good for sitting and catching up with old pals.
I had the almond milk tea which came in a teapot, well worth it for $2.95. I also got the samosas, which were alright b/c it didn't have enough stuffing inside. Also got the crispy chicken condiment with rice for $4.75....sooo cheap for such a filling portion! I love the condiments with the rice!
The only sucky part is the chairs are stools, so it's hard to hang your coat somewhere...so you have to eat with it on. The waiter was nice too, he didn't rush us or anything even after we were done.
Want to get scammed or massive stomach pains, then you want to avoid this place! Came with friends, we had some coupons for free drinks, because we came regularly so earn enough stamps for a free drink, so obviously we used them, when we handed the waiter our coupons, about 20mins later we got the bill, and the waiter who took our coupons had vanished and it ended very unpleasantly.
So that is why now they get 1 start then the 4 I would of given them...
But they had some decent bubble tea, Tao Milk Tea which is my favorite, they did it properly leaving no powdery after taste. The chicken wings on the other hand gave us all stomach pains, just to add on the bad taste of their service.
We walked right in thinking it was Ten Ren and when we realized it wasn't we were too lazy to leave. Weird set up for a tea place. You either sit and order or you order at the register then pick it up. I think they have a much bigger selection of drinks then Ten Ren but I could be wrong. I had iced coconut milk tea and my husband had iced sesame. Both were sweet and tasty. Wasn't expensive at all.
I do recommend checking out the graffitti in the bathroom. You will laugh. Some people are just so creative when defacing property.
My favorite place to get a (non-alcoholic) drink in Chinatown. There are a lot more varieties of bubble tea/shakes/etc than at most other tea places. One of my favorites is the Golden Dream- it's apple with honey and an egg yolk and something else I don't recall- not really a tea drink. The creamy drinks are the best IMO and I like that they have red aloe vera. There's also a variety of snacks (a lot of them are consistently sold out) but most of them aren't that good.
One major bonus is the Chinese cashier guy. He's super friendly, eagerly answers any questions, and doesn't mind making substitutions. This is REALLY unusual in my experience. They also have tiny bags especially designed for drinks that make them easy to carry out so they won't spill. the seating is pretty uncomfortable; I usually get my drinks to go.
I love fruity, ice cold tea with little bits of aloe... not so much a fan of tapioca balls, but I'm a huge fan of green apple with aloe and mango/passion fruit with aloe here. Service is brusque, but that's because they're busy all the time! Good stuff. Really good stuff.
On a bitterly cold Saturday afternoon, I decided to stop in here for a hot drink. I'm a big fan of bubble tea so I like to think I can recognize a good place when I try it.
I ordered the hot coconut black tea w/ tapioca balls and my boyfriend ordered the hot tea/coffee combo.
The tea here is cheaper than St. Alp's and the sizes seem to be bigger as well. We ordered our jumbo teas to-go and they were served in enormous styrofoam cups.
My tea was delicious, but it was so filling I couldn't even finish it. My boyfrend's tea/coffee combo was also really tasty and really strong caffeine-wise. Definitely recommended if you need a pick me up.
it was super crowded in the restaurant, but luckily we were taking our tea to-go. The service was fast and pretty friendly. I haven't tried the food here, but it looks good so next time I will.
Overall, great selection of tasty bubble teas - highly recommended!
SUCH a neat little eatery! I'd describe it as Chinese tapas - small plates of snacky-type food that are probably meant to be shared. I didn't eat anything here, but it looked good and was really cheap. DEFINITELY cheaper than your average Spanish tapas place!!
I was only here for drinks, and their mango and green apple juice with aloe ($3) is so unique and delicious. It truly tastes like both mango AND green apple, and the aloe gel makes it even more refreshing. I was iffy about eating/drinking aloe vera because it's something I usually only put ON my body, but it was actually good.
Too bad I live in Cali otherwise I'd plan on coming back...maybe next time I'm in the city :)
The tea was decent..................at first.
i ended up rushing to the bathroom to throw up the tea i had just consumed. Not exactly sure what was going on, but friends who had ordered similar drinks had stomach problems through out the day...
however, the drinks were tasty. haha
The place is poppin' so we had to get in-line but it was a nice rest area for tourists like myself who had a long day of walking.
will i go back? probably not, only because i had a bad experience..
I first discovered the horribly-named Teariffic a couple of years ago after stumbling out of the Chinatown Fair gasping for breathe (the geek funk can get to you after a half hour or so) and desiring a smooth drink to quench the thirst. The bubble tea was quite tasty that night, and being quite pleased with the cheap prices and accommodating staff, I vowed to return. Several, several times.
Teariffic is one of those places that makes the trek to Mott Street worthwhile. I love the peanut shake so much, that I may very well purchase a ring, drop to one knee, and ask it to be my lifepartner from here on out. My favorite dish (at least when I was a meat-eater)? The spicy beef/rice combo. Simple fine dining, and it costs less than a 5-spot
It's a must have destination for anyone braving Chinatown.
Ahh~
I was really craving for Saint Alps, and I knew this place would be a similar place.
The menu offers many drinks and snacks, and I really enjoyed having variety of things to choose from. The food was not at all expensive, and was very affordable for lunch.
I decided to try something different, and got black sesame milk tea. It was good, wasn't 'great' but it's black sesame, I can't expect anything more from it.
For snacks, I ordered Green Tea cheesecake, Taiwan hor' dourves and mango pudding (my favorite!) The food came really fast, although I really dislike the girl waitress. She really peeved me, because I was not done using the plate, she puts her hand over our table and takes the plate away (she did it for all three of my plates), I was really annoyed at that and it was just very rude. Only that girl, just her...she needs to learn to be more respectful towards customers.
Side note* the bathroom wasn't that 'clean' and the writings all over the wall really scares me. The door couldn't shut and while I was standing there trying to shut it, a guy accidentally barged in and hurt my hand. I didn't use the toilet, just left and became extremely annoyed. Really, the bathroom gave me the creeps, so if you decide to drink a lot of tea...hold it.
Best tea place to go to with friends in C-town. Why? Read on below....
Atmosphere: Besides an occassion sound of the blender being used for slushy drinks, there is no music to this place. Tea place is just one big, bright place with chairs & tables. Lighting is bright so you don't have the danger of falling asleep when you hang out with friends at midnight. Surounding sounds are minimal so you and Friends can carry conversations without shouting until your throat breaks.
Food/Drinks: Drinks are pretty similar to St. Alps except for some differences in between the two tea places. Note that Tearrific is NOT St. Alps. It used to be called that before it was switched over to new management. Now it is completely different and has it's own uniqueness. For those who like the simple and original drinks, Tearrific has it all. In addition, it also sells some rice and noodle dishes. The food options are quite limited. Snacks have more variety.
My favorite drink there is the Green Tea smoothie, which is packed with macha (powered green tea) flavor and is something of a cross between ice cream and smoothie. I usually am spooning this in my mouth rather than sipping it through a straw.
My favorite snack is the condensed milk toast, which is something that you can never go wrong by. Sweet toast......good to the bone.....
I continue to go there with friends and I am not lying when I say I'm a fan....
Teariffic was a badly needed surprise on my recent rain filled trip to New York. It gets very crowded which is an indication that it's a favorite hangout for both tourists and locals. The drinks are amazing with a selection ranging from traditional fruit bubble tea to a peanut or almond concoction. Also, the second drink is 50% off! The food isn't too bad either; my friend ordered a $5 plate of fried popcorn chicken that fed the three of us. Highly recommended for a rainy Manhattan day.
I love this joint, but there are pros and cons to this place.
The Pros:
- amazing bubble tea
- huge selection (seriously, they have hundreds of choices...)
- yummy snacks
- everything less than $5
The Cons:
- lacking service
- weird chairs w/ no backing
- extremely crowded at times
The pros outshine the cons, and I always take my friends here when were tired, around LES and in the mood for some good bubble tea.
I recommend this place.
I cannot say anything about this place that hasn't already been said to death, it is not to be missed.
With that said, the bathroom graffiti is relatively unique. Should you find yourself in the restroom, give it some thought.
This review is for a drink to-go.
You order from the front counter but the bar was in the back so me and my friend thought we're supposed to go there to get our drink.
The second we stepped in that area it smelt like the bar was radiating B.O!
LIke.. like some kind of bubble tea sweatshop was back there!!
They told us to go to the front and wait.
So we went back to the front where 8 other customers crowded the entrance placing orders or waited to be seated (every table was taken).
Then a waitress comes into the crowd holding a pink drink saying "strawberry smoothie, strawberry smoothie", whose soft voice got lost in the loud conversation of the restaurant.
No one spoke up so in the confusion we took it and left. I ordered a strawberry black tea, no tapioca, with slush. To this day we don't know if I took someone else's drink or they gave me the wrong order.
But on a busy Saturday afternoon perhaps you can walk in and claim the drink of an unsuspecting customer and walk out undetected.
I love this place! Every time i come to NY, I need to stop by this joint! The Boba tea is great and cheap. They have such a wide selection I never know what I want to get.
The foods are not that bad. And the prices are very reasonable. I usually order the condense milk toasted bread..YUM!!! and some chicken wings or yakotori chicken.
The service is quick and they even have a frequent visitor card. Too bad I only come to NY 4x a year! =(
Oh, how I love to come here. I think I love it a little too much. There has been a day where I ordered food and drinks from here for both lunch and dinner. My friend had to restrain me from this place for the next week. *checks self into rehab*
But seriously, I love the drinks here, especially the taro bubble tea and the Snowy Phoenix (it's an exotic drink that tastes like a slightly milkier version of a piña colada). Now that they've changed the menu and added more items, I also order the eel in teriyaki sauce with rice. The bowl is huge. It's very filling and affordable. Teariffic, I hope you never close down!
P.S. Getting those little cards is great. It gives me more incentive to buy drinks there. Those sneaky little punks. I've already filled at least seven or eight cards.
Love it, prefer this over Green Tea Cafe because of bigger chairs and tables (or so it seems). Usually get mango or peach green tea with mixed jelly.
This place was recommended to me by a friend. I loved it. I had a coffee black milk tea with boba and my friend had a lychee smoothie. Both of the drinks were amazing. We also shared an order of chicken yakitori, which was also really tasty. The atmosphere was nice and comfortable. I felt like I could sit there all day and just have drink after drink. I actually really want to drag myself to NYC to go there and have a drink. Definitely recommend it!
Okay, so I'm not really a boba drinker, but they have one of my favorite drinks EVER!
Red Grapefruit with Lychee and Aloe Vera
Yum, yum, yum! I just had one last night... It was SOOOOOO good.
Whenever I get one, my sister wants to "help me" drink it all... Yes, I got her addicted to it too!
Love their bubble tea - much creamier and tastier than St. Alp's on 3rd.
The meat+rice bowls make a good cheap meal - pretty good despite the low price! Some of the snacks are kinda skimpy and un-tasty however.
Service could be better. You have to really try to get their attention sometimes, and they'll deliver your food as they are ready. One good thing is that you don't feel pressured to clear the table - I've sat for like 5 hours chatting eating drinking eating drinking.
This is THE perfect place to bring a date who may be into bubble tea or exotic tea/juice drinks.
If said date has never heard of bubble tea, then it may be time to try something new.
Wheat germ black tea with bubbles is always my drink of choice here along with a side of samosas (yes a little like the Indian kind!).
She tried a strawberry smoothie and loved it, she also liked my drink a lot too :P
Overall, a nice gem in Chinatown NYC. Do make it a point to visit!
Tearrific is St. Alps. St Alps is Tearrific. Tearriffic can be interpreted as tear-riffic or tea-rrific. Tear-riffic sounds more like terrific. So, at first I thought the name to be inauspicious. Yes - when I think of business I am like an old superstitious Chinese biddy. I can't help it - I'm my mother's and grandmother's daughter.
Tearrific is a Taiwanese café chain. In terms of bubble tea - it's very good. Everyone has their own drink preference. Mine is either bubble milk tea (original with no flavor) or passion fruit bubble tea. You can choose either black or green tea to mix with the juice. I like this one because it doesn't have dairy in it. Milk tea is very filling sometimes because they use evaporated, condense, or sometimes half and half to make it (or a combo of the three).
Another good thing is that they do serve traditional tea. So, if you want just a pot of jasmine tea - that's available.
I love me some bubble tea. And, in the hot summer while you are walking around in the heat, there is nothing better than an ice cold mug of bubble tea. Teariffic is very convenient in the heart of Chinatown, a welcoming sight, with their doors wide open to the street and their cool AC blasting you in the face as you walk by. The location could be at least three times larger to accommodate all of their customers. But, it does not stop me from sitting down for a while or getting a green apple tea with aloe to go. I do not recommend their food, everything I have had has either been over or under cooked. But, their teas are great for the area. My favorite is still Saints Alp, because they have the whole package.
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Neighborhood: Midtown East
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Coffee & Tea
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Coffee & Tea
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Coffee & Tea
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Chinese
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Chinese
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