T4

Never returning here again. Dont waste your time. Would give no stars if possible.
My friend & I decided we would stop here for milk tea instead of going to another spot i usually go to. Horrible idea. I didnt check the reviews before coming in since i seen a long line, If i had forehand i wouldnt have entered.
I figured since there was a line out the door that it HAD to be good. There was a sign outside that said «soft opening» and were having a discount on drinks. Pretty small inside and is all decorated in a Tiffany blue.
Once i got to the counter a variety of things went wrong from there…
1. They didnt have chocolate-​hazelnut milk tea): (not a big issue but i dont understand whats so hard about just mixing the two flavors?) So i ordered the Ballet chocolate &my friend the Panda milk tea
2. The girl at the register was EXTREMELY overwhelmed and flustered. She was the only cashier.
3. She let us know that they were out of number tickets already
so she was gonna have to write it on a piece of paper. (we came in here at around 3’oclock)
4. THEY RAN OUT OF BOBA): Seriously wth ??? (AGAIN we came here at about 3:00) At the time i was told this my order had been placed & charged already and we received no discount at all. Panda milk tea had white & black so my friends was only served with white pearls.
5.Since they were out of boba I had to pick something else, it took me a second to think about it because i dont like any of the other toppings. Then the cashier got upset about that and snapped at me with ATTITUDE!!! Hold up girl, not my fault this place was out of boba.
–So i told her just give me the milk tea no, toppings then with more attitude she was like «Well im going to have to give you your money back» At this point i was over this f*cking place and i just told her It was alright to just make the tea without it.
6.We waited literally foreeeevvvveeeerrrr. We where there a legit 20 minutes waiting. The employees making the drinks werent messing around or anything but they were super understaffed.
7.Once we FINALLY got our drinks they were both HORRIBLE. The ballet chocolate literally just tasted like milk. Nothing. Else. Ive never in my life had milk tea so bad.
–My friends was also just as bad. Extremely flavorless and the white boba pearls were extremely hard. We both just ended up dumping our drinks.
–Some of the food looked good like the ramen (i think) but I am never giving this place my business again!!! What an EMBARRASSMENT of a «soft opening» to have been running out of things so early!

Curiosity got the best of me and I decided to try out the newest boba shop in Oakland Chinatown. I shared two drinks– Passionfruit Royal Tea and Jasmine Milk Tea with Boba (it was BOGO free). Even at 50% sweetness level, it was tantalizing sweet… tasted like straight up sugar and water :/​. If you are on a diet, I would run far, far away from this place. On the other hand, the Jasmine Milk Tea actually tasted like it had 50% sweetness– but the boba was a bit too chewy for my liking.
Would recommend this place if you want to channel your inner high schooler while playing jenga with friends. But if you are looking for quality boba, I suggest crossing the street to I-​Tea :).

Comparing the San Leandro, Alameda and Oakland T4 locations, the Oakland Chinatown location has the best interior. It is the most spacious, with many tables and even extra chairs against the back wall. It is a great spot for sitting down, grabbing a boba and catching up with friends.
Service is slow, I waited 15 minutes to place the order, but waited 30 minutes for our drinks. I tried the Rose Milk tea, which is good. It tasted like rose-​scented hand lotion, and the texture is very smooth. I really liked it.
Since the quality is similar to the other T4 locations, I might consider going to the other locations instead. Service is too slow, and there are many other boba places to choose from around this area.

I usually go to T4 in San Leandro since that was the first location. I have a better experience there because they are quick but they still can get your order wrong.
Been to Alameda too, my first time going, they mess up & give me grass jelly when I asked for lychee jelly. But that’s fine. Typical T4.
Now Chinatown is open! I’ve decided to compare all 3 location since my cousin said its «better». Come & it was cool. They were very cooperative with my last minute no ice & got my order correct. Also yay for buy one get one free till Feb. 1! Big con was that it wasn’t even busy, but they were soooooooo slow! The ladies were too busy talking, all the other workers all of a sudden went to the back or went on break all at the same time, & one stopped her job to pulled out her phone. Like ugh… We’ve stood there for a nice 10 – 15 mins waiting. Even our popcorn chicken came out before the drink.

Walking around Chinatown in Oakland and having a craving for tea, we came across T4 advertising their new soft opening special good through the end of this month. $ 2.50 for any drink? Sold!
I ordered the pearl milk tea and out of all of the places where I have had this so far in the Bay area, this actually was my favorite one so far! They didn’t ask me about what percentage of ice or sugar I wanted, which was a little odd, but whatever they did by default to the drink, it was perfect!
I wish I could take one of these and put them here in Florida! We really don’t have very many places like this here… Then again, I am tempted to move out here just so I can be closer to this place alone! :P

Earl milk tea– it’s better at a different location.
Matcha milk tea– first time tried it and it was bomb! In description, it tastes like starbucks green tea latte. :)

I’m a loyal T4 fan, but after visiting this location, I will not ever come here again due to the worst customer service I have encountered. The cashier was super rude and unprofessional and probably had no idea what she was doing. The drinks were poorly made with ¹⁄₃ boba, overly sweetened and just plain sugar milk. Disappointment.

This place did not taste anything like the other T4 I’m familiar with. (San Leandro location)
I ordered the wintermelon milk tea with grass jelly & boba.
Usually at the SL location they usual give you a free upgrade when you order 2 or more toppings with your drink. This location did not. AND, Usually with wintermelon milk tea, you can’t choose your sweetness level so thinking that I just got regular sweetness. & it was so sweet I tasted diabetes & cavities In my future. Worst mistake ever!
They also messed up on my drink. They gave me just wintermelon tea without the milk. After I told them it was wrong they just cut up the drink poured half into a new cup & pour milk in it & sealed it back up. They didn’t have the decency to remake my entire drink! I watched them as they did it and cringe every second. Not sure if that’s an health issue or not.
I understand that they recently just opened but after 2 locations that just opened (here & alameda) that I’ve tried, they’ve both failed me. I’m definitely only sticking to the San Leandro location from now on!
See you never!

Yay, $ 2.50 for all drinks for there soft opening and 1 buy one get one free on there grand opening. Also you can get lunch here since they have beef noodle soup here.

Terrible!
No lie, but I’ve been here three times, and each time they always seem to conveniently forget to make my drink. Wth! And to be honest, the drinks aren’t even that good. I’d rank them on the same level as Quickly. It’s either too sweet or watered down, regardless if you customize your drink or not.
I doubt I’ll be coming back or anyone for that matter once their soft opening $ 2.50 drink special expires. I’ll stick with iTea for my boba cravings.

Came to Chinatown during my lunch and drove by t4 that caught my eyes. Recognizing it’s bright vibrant colors and décor I knew it had to by one of my favorite boba shops around the bay. But I was surprise when I walked in this t4 serves Taiwanese snacks and most importantly the famous Taiwanese beef noodles. For apps I got the basil popcorn chickens (my go to snack at the t4 dro location). So for my lunch I finally narrowing my choice down to the Taiwanese braised beef udon noodle soup. Taste AWESOME! The most important thing about Taiwanese beef soups are the broth and they are down right perfect! Full of flavors and the beefs are cook the way it’s meant to be like in Taiwan. It’s great to know I can get my boba tea and good Taiwanese beef noodles soups all at one stop! Customers service was good and and food arrived accordingly. Definitely will be my regular lunch spot.

I call in for to go order at 4:45 .I got there at 5:35 I ask for my order. They said another 15 min waiting .It take one hour for my order. Thats bad
I will never go back.

I’m surprised with how many T4 locations are opening up here in the Bay. I think this is the only location that serves like actual food like rice and noodle dishes. I haven’t tried any but I did try their egg puffs. The egg puffs were a little bit on the expensive side but they give a pretty good portion for the price you pay. This place is right next to shooting star café and was also where the old shooting star café location was before. Its pretty spacious inside and I can tell the people working there are still working on getting everything together. I will still probably prefer I-​Tea over T4 if you are in Oakland Chinatown, but its a nice hang out spot to hang out with friends and grab some snacks since they do have tables. Also they also take credit cards which is also a plus when you are in Chinatown!

Two stars because I have yet to try to savory snacks.
One star because they charged the regular price less $ 1 so not $ 2.50 at all. Worse yet the taste was so Blah. The tapioca was half cooked so had to sit next to a garbage can spitting them out as I go. Terrible!
Total waste of time and money!

On the signs, it says «$ 2.50 on all drinks on menu» for their «soft opening» so I got a drink. Instead of getting it for $ 2.50 it was just a dollar off, really? Why?
I give them props for their grand opening. I waited 41 minutes just for my drink! They were less busy than the other tea places in Chinatown, yet they took more than half an hour? What were they doing? I’ll share what I observed. They were doing their own things in the middle of making drinks. They would do one thing related to the job and be chatty with each other or on their phones for just chilling! I’m sure they were hired to work, not to hang out.
Even though they have a nice area to prep drinks and you could actually see them work, which is nice, but if you want to wait a long time just for a drink then this will be the spot.

Super awesome new boba place to give iTea a run for their money. The opened up on Monday and currently have a $ 2.50 boba special on all their drinks on there menu. any extra add ins are extra… so please don’t be confused. Ordered the grass jelly milk tea (regular size) + pudding and it was delish. They do not skimp on the pudding or grass jelly. They also let you customize the ice and sugar level too. I am a fan. Next time i am in Oak-​town I’mma hit this joint up. Good job ladies…

T4 has a soft opening special $ 2.50 for all drinks. 1÷18−1÷22.
avoid busy times after 3 when nearby schools have ended classes.
drink: avocado milkshake (smoothie, 3.75)
–cup size looked regular, not sure if real avocado used or flavoring used.
–first time for this drink, should have choose no ice, option of less ice/​sugar here.
–took about 10 minutes.
–many tables for sitdown, snacks available.
drips:
–size does matter. other boba shops have large cups to match large pricing
here, just the price large, cup is small…
–drinks made in plain view, no curtain mystery here.

Tiffany-​blue as the wall color scheme. A+
Unilocal is making me use more words so that this appears as a review rather than a tip. I suppose I can try. These last eight words may make the difference.

Time: 3:48pm/58°F cloudy
Purpose: Wanted to see if I can propose a deal with this place in negotiation and term talk.
Ambiance: T4 replaces Shooting Star Grill & Sushi with a complete overhaul makeover. Like most T4 franchise, they follow a strict code of conduct meaning ordering and buying from same supplier. Besides those policy, the company signature logo, coloring, and schematic has to be near exact specs too. Place starts with L-​shape counter with faux beige booth style seating running against wall with flatscreen televisions (off). How-​to-​order menu board is to your immediate right as you walk in. Counter production area in center with back kitchen doing fried finger food. Nothing more to say, its just like any other T4 bright, vibrant, aqua teal green asian style eatery located in Chinatown. Place will certainly be a after school hangout for kids. So, avoid hours when school is out if you want quieter times.
Staff: Really young crew some with braces, teenie boppers. Just by looking at them, you can tell freshly trained ready to work. Hell, couple of them just got their first ever job. Like any new place, they’re very eager to please, and do what it takes for a check. No trouble with these kids. Hopefully their experience will lead them to where they want to go in life. A few miscommunication here and there with colleagues, but minor.
Eats/​Drinks: Avacado milkshake with agar Jelly (30% of sweetness/​ice). Just wanted to see if they know what they’re doing. Can’t say much about my drink other than its satisfactory. They follow through accordingly with customers request. Mines was so basic just avacado and agar jelly with nothing else added. Expectations met. Egg puff for $ 4.95 is a bit pricey considering others around and being new place, I’ll let it slide. To me, its standard puff that can be had anywhere that sells it. Nothing special or stands out with egg puff, its just batter that pops out from griddle. As a matter of fact, its comparable with pandan only green in color with pandan added. Showing no favoritism of what so ever, even though given on the house.
Main Features: Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup.
Products/​Services: Golden reputation, Taiwan classic, smoothie, special flavor, snacks, tea eggs, various finger food (mostly fried), choose your preference, add on/​size up (extra $.50), free Wi-​Fi, television, board games, soft opening special Jan 18 – 22 on all small drinks $ 2.50 up a size (extra $.50).
Punch Lines: Hip and happening, seating, better than average, plush booth seating, pleasing flavor, modest cost, fresh and new staff, always buzzing, laid back, devotees, light bites, lively atmosphere, can’t go wrong, casual, nothing out of the ordinary, crowd pleasing, kept its standards, satisfactory, street or garage parking (Pacific Renaissance).
Tradeoffs: Not all T4 has food added to its standing menu. Don’t be fooled by pictures of beef bowl with the word (Nan-​Nan). It’s no different than the nearest restaurant that does beef noodle soup.
Final Thoughts: Just when you think you’ve finished counting boba shops. Another one pops up following another, and another. Now Oakland Chinatown is about 4 – 5 blocks radius with the heart of it, being at 8^th/​Webster. Pretty soon boba shops will outpaced long time cafes taking over as the new norm. As for me, I’m not crazy about sweets or desserts. I’ll go only because of the job and proposals that follows. At least there are seating here for those that may want to hangout. Base on my notes there will be another boba place opening end of the month (Jan 30^th) to be exact. See what I mean?

Soft opening from ¹⁄₁₈ — ¹⁄₂₂ which means $ 2.50 drinks (not including toppings). The place is a little hectic and it’s kind of a mess because well. It’s a soft opening. The line is out the door with a bunch of folks tryin’ to get their $ 2.50 drank on.
I ordered a Rose Milk Tea ($ 2.50 for soft opening, regularly $ 3.50) with Agar Pearls ($ 0.50) to give it a try. I usually use the milk tea to rate boba shops but I decided to flip the script and do something different. It took about 12 min to get my drink which isn’t terrible since they’re slammed. The drink, itself, is quite good. The rose flavor is strong and 50% sweet is perfect for me. The Agar Pearls were also on point. Regular ice was a mistake on my part because it was half the cup. Next time, I’m going with 50%. The drinks are also kind of small, compared to i-​Tea. I wouldn’t pay more than $ 2.50 -$ 3.00 for a drink here considering i-​Tea is down the block for slightly more.
This place has the potential to be a 5 star. As it sits, they’re a solid 4 star until the issues get worked out.
Other notes:
+ They have board games so it seems like they want you to stay and hangout which is cool.
+ Everything is shiny because it is all new.
+ Food /​snacks are offered.
+ The color scheme is teal and white which is super Asian and hurts my eyes a little.
+ I’m hella annoyed that Tim guy got the first review, especially since his review is virtually useless.