Bubble Dip

Were not even sure if this place is still in business. We have gone more than 3 times on the weekend during their listed business hours and they are never open.

So sad… it still looks like she could come back any day, but I walk by several times a week and it remains a ghost town. I hope the owner is well, she left so suddenly. I will miss this place.
I guess all that’s left is to take bets for when the for sale or lease sign goes up. :/

4pm on a Thursday and like the other reviewer said, it looks like a ghost town in there. There’s no indication on their voicemail or website they’ve closed, so hopefully they’re just on winter break (a posted notice would be nice though).
I was pretty excited to find a highly rated boba place in Alexandria… guess I’ll have to save the calories for elsewhere! :-/

It’s Thursday at 11:35a… Thursday, 12÷18÷14 to be exact and it’s a ghost town. Their website, their VM, and Unilocal says they open at 10a.
The doors are locked and I got a VM when I called the phone number. Not sure if there was some type of emergency, but there are no signs on the door stating abridged business hours today.
I was desperately craving Bubble Tea, but I guess I’ll head back to a Unilocal search for alternatives in the area.

I’ve always wanted to try this place, because I saw that it had high reviews for bubble tea. The entrance is on the side which was different, but not an issue. What was weird was when you walk in, it’s a little room with a small table. The fact that everything was white (but clean) and a little bare made me think I had entered a doctor’s office. So, I was a little confused and honestly thought I had walked into the wrong place. That is until the worker told me that it was in fact the bubble tea shop. You just turn the corner from that little room and there’s the counter to order.
I didn’t know what flavor to get. I always struggle with making decisions so I went with a safe bet, taro! It tasted just like taro. Which I know a lot of people look for and enjoy the fact that it’s not sweet. But admittedly I actually like sweet drinks! So, this taro was a little different than what I was used to. The worker noticed and immediately insisted I try a new flavor. I felt bad for making her make me a new drink, but she said it was her pleasure. She just wanted me to be satisfied which I completely appreciated! I in turn ordered almond milk. There’s no way you can go wrong with this! And there wasn’t– my almond milk tea that she made was great. The boba bubbles were also a very nice texture. My friend got the honeydew and that too was good.
They also have huge desserts that all looked great. We did get a dream bar which was devoured.

Great first experience! When we arrived, the person who first addressed us (which I think is the owner), was very helpful in offering her advice on the different teas. She informed me that the passion fruit bubble tea with milk was their most popular drink. So, of course, I had to order it. It was delicious! I was tempted to order more boba balls in the drink but I’m glad I didn’t bc she added just enough of them. We ordered the desserts that she had displayed on the counter. We ordered the green tea cupcake, dream bar, and a green tea mochi piece. Everything was scrumptious!
I took one star off the rating though bc the business is kind of hard to locate (not much eye popping signage on the building). Also, the space is set up strangely. When we first walked in, it was this unused small space until we walked around the corner and heard the owner. Overall, good food and teas. We will be back again!

On a late, brisk Wednesday evening, my friend and I ventured out into Old Town as we had heard of a recently opened bubble tea shop. That is more than enough reason to get me at the front door. The general Unilocal reviews were quite positive, (4.5 stars!) so we were off to give it a whirl. I should forewarn you that my standards for bubble tea may be a little bit high, since I had my first one over 10 years ago in Taiwan (the motherland of the original drink). Unfortunately, the taste of our tea did not match the hype. There were a decent selection of flavors, but I had the original to gauge the base flavor which was sadly very bland. My friend got the taro, which while it had more flavor/​sweetness, it tasted very artificial. We both agreed that the drinks tasted a bit chalky, like powdered milk or something. On a positive note, the service by presumably the owner was excellent, especially as we came in so late in the day. The store layout was very cute and had a bunch of seats for sitting/​dining in. Also, I thought the bubbles were nicely sweetened and had a good texture, but the tea overall just wasn’t quite up to par for me.
Perhaps it was due to us coming too late/​close to closing time, but neither of us particularly enjoyed our tea. :(I was hopeful there’d be a nice spot to go to nearby our work, but at $ 4 a pop for just the small size, I don’t foresee myself going back very often. So sad.

It pains me to write this review. The owner is SO sweet. But, I think honesty is important to growth so I’m gonna be real with y’all.
I know my boba. This boba is just sub-​par.
The pros: they use real unsweetened tea for their drinks. This is the foundation as to what sets good boba apart from great boba. So I applaud them on that. I got the peach tea and it was wonderful taste-​wise. I wanted to try the milk tea but I didn’t want dairy baking in my stomach on such a hot day.
HOWEVER. You can’t have a good boba drink without good pearls. Tea is important but so is the tapioca. Can’t have one without the other. That being said, the boba was overcooked and not as fresh as it should be when served. The outside was mushy and did not come up through the straw easily. The center was hard and powdery, a sign of the boba having been sitting too long. You really can’t keep boba out for more than a few hours without it turning this way. Icing it won’t work either. It simply has to be fresh.
There wasn’t much sweetness to it either. Most boba is soaked in a simple syrup of brown sugar and water, sometimes honey. I’m not sure if this had been soaked a very short amount of time, or if at all. It had that bitter taste to it that you get when it isn’t properly soaked.
I think this place has potential and this is by no means me trying to bash them. Just constructive criticism because I know a lot of people around here are ill-​informed by what makes a good boba tea.

I had some time to kill after my spin class while I waited for my chiropractor’s appointment. A cold refreshing beverage was sounding just right. Thank goodness for my trusty Unilocal buddies to point me in the direction of bubble dip. I hobbled my sore booty over there to see what this place was all about. Now, I’ve had bubble tea once before when I was in law school in Athens, and it was gross. A sugary mess (and I love me some southern champagne er I mean sweet tea), and I completely wrote bubble tea off. Until now.
Upon walking in, I was immediately greeted by the owner, and let me tell ya– she’s a sweetheart. You can tell she takes pride in her craft, and genuinely aims to please. I had nutritional questions about the tea (I told y’all I just left the gym!), and she was knowledgeable, and explained the different products well. It was very hard to resist those dream bars I could smell cooking up (next time I promise)! She started with seven flavors, had ten to choose from, and two more are being added next week! There is a flavor for everyone with that many options. I opted for the passion fruit flavor, and it was delish! The actual tea itself has to be tasty to me, and this tasted like quality tea. I could drink that by itself all day long. I appreciated that my tea was shaken, and not made into a blended drink. The passion fruit flavoring was not overpowering nor underwhelming. Lastly, there was a heaping serving of lychee beads added, and they were gummy and flavorful. No mush in my cup!
The facilities were clean, and the décor while minimal was cute. I will definitely be back!

I couldn’t wait to head to Old Town Alexandria when I found out that a bubble tea shop opened up. And boy was I impressed!
Not only is Bubble Dip Veteran owned and operated, but this place is rocking! The treats are to die for, the boba is delish and you can’t beat the customer service.
There is ample street parking (bring some change, though, or download the convenient app that allows you to pay for parking) and it’s relatively easy to get to from the highway.
You must buy a dream bar while you’re there. It’s all there in the name — a dream! It’s a chocolately, graham crackery, coconut shredding mouthful of deliciousness and fun!
Also, Jessica (the super sweet and charastmatic owner/​baker/​worker/​do-​it-​aller) just started great lunch specials. Fresh-​made sandwiches, a bag of chips and a bubble tea for just $ 8.50. You can’t beat that deal.

I have nothing but nice things to say about this place. The owner, Jessica is as sweet as can be! I’m not a huge fan of tapioca but still love the drinks itself so when I eventually asked if she would get lychee (my favorite) in, she got it! And now my favorite: passion fruit with lychee in it. Ugh and then you walk in and the smell of the freshly baked goods hits you in the face. I try to eat something different when I go and man, she does good. Real good. Mmm. Brownies. Cupcakes. Cookies. Those black and white whoopie things, and she does GF too. And the last time I went she had sammiches. Sriracha tuna kind is what I chose. OMG it was so big and just perfect. Combo that with a drink and chips and it was somewhere around $ 8.
Rambling, sorry.
Parking is easy peasy, the wifi is strong, the owner is bubbly as ever, and the drinks and food are amazing. It’s such a cute spot.

The cookies were so soft and the boba texture was perfect! We bought 3 cookies and didn’t finish them and they were still nice and soft the next day. I made a request for taro cupcakes and they will bake them this weekend! So excited!!!

A friend’s wife recently posted about Bubble Dip on Facebook, and I happen to be something of a bubble tea aficionado, so I decided to make the trek out to Old Town to see what was up.
Bubble Dip is located in Old Town Alexandria, which means that it’s a converted townhouse like many businesses in the area. Seating is in the sunny front room, where there are lots of tables and chairs and a cute bubble themed décor. Parking is a nightmare, though, so be prepared to hunt for a spot and feed the meter.
I ordered a taro bubble tea (my usual) and, after some consideration, a cupcake which I believe was carrot cake (EDIT ⁶⁄₂₂: it was green tea flavored). This was about $ 7. Now, the bubble tea here is different than what I’ve had elsewhere. It has a liquid consistency made in a cocktail shaker, rather than the blended ice smoothie I’ve come to expect.
Sadly, my drink was not that good. The boba here are the tiny kind, which I have to say I didn’t care for very much, and my drink only tasted slightly of taro despite having the signature purple color. Honestly, it tasted a lot like raw boba water with a hint of taro. The cupcake was better, but not as good as those I’ve had at dedicated cupcake shops like Crumbs, and smaller than those to boot for about the same price.
Overall, I neither loved nor hated Bubble Dip. It’s way, way out of my way (about a 45 minute drive on a Saturday), so I doubt I’ll be a regular visitor, but if I happened to be in Old Town again I might consider giving it another try.

I loved it!
Red velvet cake= awesome. Soft, fluffy, and the frosting was just right.
I had the peach tea, and it was so yummy. I’m pretty sure my little man drank at least a ¹⁄₃ of it, but as most little ones, has a texture complex when it comes to foods. He wasn’t impressed with the bubbles, but they were much better than the previous bubble tea place I’ve been to.
Yes, I’ll be back!
Jessica– the shop was friendly and inviting I can’t wait to see what you do next! Thanks’

It’s hard to find a bubble tea place in this area much less one with good quality boba and flavor. I love this place. The boba is the perfect texture and size and they don’t skimp on the quantity. The place is clean and inviting, I’m always greeted with a smile. I’ve been there a handful of time now and get excited as every time the baked goods change. Some days it’s cupcakes, other days dream bars. Today it was a fresh whoopie pie (which by the way if you every have the fortune of trying you’ll absolutely love!). My favorite bubble tea flavor is the taro milk tea, it’s the perfect match for my taste buds. Bottom line: Great bubble tea, great goodies and great service!

I am so glad to see a quaint bubble tea shop open for business! It’s an item pretty hard to locate in the area, and this place does it right.
I came in today, and I tried a few things — mochi, taro bubble tea, and the dream bar. The mochi wasn’t anything special — think store-​bought rounds with fillings like red bean and green tea. The taro bubble tea was well made though: it was cold, wasn’t watered down, and the bubbles were fresh. The taro flavor was tasty.
My favorite thing was the dream bar! It had several ingredients like chocolate, peanut butter, coconut, and graham crackers. There was a lot of butter in it, and it was truly amazing.
The shop is cute with a few tables and chairs to sit at. Overall, the building looks like a house, and the entrance is on the side. The menu isn’t super large, but the offerings are sufficient for a small, local business. There are both cold and hot drinks. The lady who made the tea was super friendly and upbeat! Very refreshing.
Prices are good, and the location is great — you can get away from the always-​busy King Street and be in a calmer area with plenty of parking.
Bottom line: I will be back for sure. This place should definitely do well in the upcoming months!

I’d never actually had bubble tea before wandering into Bubble Dip, and I was a bit apprehensive — my only experience with tapioca is tapioca pudding, which I really don’t like. I really enjoyed it, though! This place has a nice informal atmosphere, delicious home-​made baked goods, and quite a few available bubble tea flavors (which you can combine into new flavors if you’d like).
I’m not in Old Town all that frequently, but when I am, I’ll come back to try more flavors and see what delicious goodies they have for sale!

This place is so new I could literally smell the paint drying on the walls as I walked in. I’m so excited about a bubble tea joint opening up near me as I was lamenting to the boyfriend recently about the serious lack of good bubble tea in Old Town.
Well there’s no more lamenting here cause this place is great. I got the honeydew and the bf got a peach lemonade. The honeydew is perfect! Lovely and refreshing while not being too sweet and having the taste of actual tea, I was a fan. The peach lemonade was actually a bit too strong for both of us and we actually ended up diluting it a bit when we got home to more manageable levels. I understand that some people like a nice strong lemonade though that’s not my preference. The tapioca bubbles at the bottom were nice and chewy though some clumped together and wouldn’t separate. I think I’d go here and do some work instead of heading to the usual starbucks sometimes.
The owner Jessica was super nice and pointed us to the 2 for 1 coupon on facebook which I will definitely be snagging. They have some nice looking pastries as well which I’m sure I will be trying out soon. Though I do wish they would have an option for blended bubble tea the regular version is plenty great. Bubble Dip has opened just in time for the spring and summer heat!

*FINALLY* a bubble tea location (Corner of Washington/​Wolfe) in Old Town!
Delicious tea! I can appreciate that they do NOT prepare their teas with a blender — it really takes away from quality. Instead, Bubble Dip’s are hand-​shaken with the ice and then strained into a cup so that it’s still cold, but not watered down!
Have yet to try their baked goods (whoopie pies looked amazing!), but I will be returning. Love the location and I *LOVE* that there’s finally a bubble tea shop close by!

3.5 stars
My eyes popped when I saw the sign for Bubble Dip; bubble tea in Old Town?! We had to stop in ASAP.
I was disappointed to see that they only serve tea and not any of the smoothie kind, but it was pretty good! I had honeydew, and I definitely felt it was healthier than the average smoothie bubble tea. Delicious flavor and chewy boba. The boyf tried out their mochi, and he was a big fan of the red bean. We will definitely be back there as the temps warm up and they get the kinks worked out. Happy to see bubble tea in Old Town!