U Tea

I’ve been spending a lot of time recently studying here because their bubble tea is really delish. And they’re conveniently located right across from Spadina Station and next door to Burritos Bandidos.
But I think I can understand why their business is not taking off.
–The place needs a good scrub down. The bathrooms are gross, the counters are gross, games are disorganized. The whole environment makes me want to get my Mr Clean sponge out.
–The signs are really home-​made and not aesthetically pleasing. A very ugly handmade sign announcing their deal on wings.
–There is not enough awareness about ingredients. They weren’t a 100% sure on whether their product was vegan or not.
–The women’s bathroom is forever closed.
But, seriously, some of the best bubble tea I’ve had. They just need to double check that vegan thing.

I’ve been really interested in trying a variety of bubble tea places lately and I’m really glad I found this place! Really close to the uoft campus, (as suggested by the clever name of the place, UTEA) so an excellent spot for students to hang out w/​friends if they have a big gap in their schedule. Standard pricing for bubble tea, expensive cause they expect you to sit for awhile playing their board games. Speaking of board games they do have a wide assortment of them which is always a bonus when I visit places like these. No food though, so I kind of wish they would offer simple snacks, the type they can’t mess up on like fries or something, or even desserts that they could order from other places.
Interesting note: their menu layout looks EXACTLY the same as Green Grotto. Wonder if they are owned by same people, or just went to the same menu place.
PS. for anyone who knows who Kahlil Fong is (Taiwanese/​HK singer), they have him on repeat here. SO if you like his music, extra incentive to visit ;)

I first came here way back when it first opened, and it didn’t even have a listing on Unilocal yet. I know this because the food there was so horrible that I wanted to write a review to warn others.
I went again last month though and was surprised to see that they must have gotten the message regardless, because they now no longer serve food. Good! Because, I mean, their bubble tea is actually pretty good! (If a little expensive.)
They also have a good collection of board games, including Chinese ones. My friend and I opted for Bananagrams.
There was one time my friends and I tried to go a few months ago, in the evening, but even though the lights were on and there was staff inside and the sign said they should have been open, the staff told us they were closed. I still don’t know what that was about. Maybe they’ve got their bearings together now.
But yeah, good bubble tea.

This place is a hidden gem. There’s surprisingly not a lot of Bubble Tea places with sit down along the Annex Bloor Strip. And bonus, this has a really good array of board games that could be your back up place if Snakes is full up.
Their shelf is well stocked with TWO Settlers Basic, along with other things like Taboo, Apples to Apples, Monopoly (2+1chinese), battle of the sexes and some other obscure things. Also a selection of Chinese and Japanese games. They are in really good condition. I also saw a sign that you can bring your own games too.
The BBT is also very good. The girl that worked there spoke good English. I liked the Sesame Milk Tea.
On Sunday night, after dinner at Guu, it was about 8pm and the place had a few students with their laptops.
Great place to hang out, alternative to a bar.

Lovely little shop, perfect for avoiding the long wait at Snakes and Lattes, especially if you have your own board games to bring. They have the classics (2 copies of Settlers of Catan, Monopoly, etc.), but not nearly as much selection as Snakes and Lattes. The tapioca is not sweet like some other bubble tea places. The employees are extremely kind and friendly, and gave us free drinks for not having tapioca right when they opened. A plate of onion rings, taquitos, or fries are about $ 5 (including tax), and they are delicious, but U-​tea has a limited supply of fried food.

It’s funny how what the first reviewer mentioned in her review happened to me last night. A few friends and I were planning on having some board games fun at Snakes & Lattes, only to make it as far as the door when we were told that the wait was 1 hour or more. IT WAS ON A WEEKNIGHT! I remembered that U-​tea also had some board games, so I suggested that we all go here instead. Their board games collection has expanded since the last time I visited, though I’m sure the collection is not as expansive as Snakes & Lattes. But seriously, how many board games can you play in one sitting, right? ;) They have the classics, like Monopoly, Scrabble, and chess. The also have the modern ones, like The Game Of Life, Dirty Minds, Headbandz, and so on.
Anyway, the bubble tea isn’t the best and definitely not cheap ($ 4,99 for a small flavored milk tea + 50 cents for tapioca or 60 cents for jelly). Also, they have very limited flavors. It would never be my go-​to bubble tea place but I would probably pop by whenever I’m in the area and craving for some bubble tea.

I am ashamed that I had no idea this place was here. I can literally see it from my house and I still had no clue. This is a true testament to how unfortunate the location is. Aside from the subway entrance across the road (which doesn’t have a ticket booth, so most people use the Spadina Rd entrance), there isn’t a whole lot of foot traffic that goes by. There’s a Burrito Bandidos next door but that’s about it. So, not only did I have no idea this was here, it’s been here for almost five months! Since November, you guys! What the frack?
U Tea is an odd combination of bubble tea and board games. They sell other teas as well as a section of food (wings and the like). I’m a little disappointed I couldn’t try out the games this time, as my boyfriend just brought me home take-​out, so I plan on heading back with a couple of friends to scope it out properly as soon as possible.
With regard to games, they don’t have a whole lot. It’s not Snakes & Lattes big, so don’t go expecting anything close to that. Honestly, the games café idea is an awesome one. I feel like these guys are in a really great position to take the overflow from Snakes & Lattes, which is just down the street and always booked up. The real board game fanatics will know you kind of need a reservation for S&L, but those that drop in having heard about it through the grapevine will likely show up sans reservation having no idea how popular it is. For these people, U Tea would be perfect. However, their menu for food, drinks, desserts is a lot smaller than Snakes & Lattes. Not to mention the fact that S&L’s serves alcohol! Major point for them. And again, the game selection isn’t stellar. They have the favourites (catan, monopololy, bananagrams) but it’s not the wall of awesome that is Snakes and Lattes.
As for the bubble tea! It’s pretty decent. It’s not as high end as Chatime, more on par with Teashop 168, but it does just fine to satisfy a craving. Pricing is pretty much Teashop 168 as well at $ 3.50 for a large special. The black milk tea and green milk tea are both decent.
Word of warning: They don’t have the awesome heat-​seal machine that most places do, which means they just use regular beverage lids with the little ‘x’ for the straw. DO NOT SHAKE, bubble tea shakers! You’d think it was obvious, but in the heat of the moment some people (ahem) can get carried away.
Also, I had the bubble tea at 9pm/​10pm and was awake until 7am the next morning! I’ve never had this happen before and I’m a professional tea drinker (six cups a day and especially in the evening time while watching TV). I’ve also had Chatime as late as 1am and not had the same experience. Not sure if this is U Tea’s fault or just a coincidence and I was particularly wired that day but OY! Be wary!