On Fifth Avenue in Dyker Heights lies Kung Fu Tea, nested between New York Market and Pearl Nail & Spa. Although we visited their Park Slope location for this review, their menu and atmosphere is constant throughout all stores. These stores can be found throughout New York City, from Queens to The Bronx. They were founded in Queens in 2010 and have now grown to having over 350 locations around the United States. They even created National Bubble Tea Day on April 30, 2018, exactly eight years after their opening. Overall, Kung Fu Tea is widely recognized as a satisfactory bubble tea place. But does it deserve the hype? Here’s what we think:
As we stepped into Kung Fu Tea, we were immediately blasted with a warm and pungent scent of tapioca, which was quite nice (especially being that it was quite cold outside). Although the Fifth Avenue location is particularly small, the establishment manages to fit and display the extensive list of beverage options across the walls. We sat on the high stools inside and as we scanned the menu options, we watched several people come in and out within a minute, with their orders in hand.
When asked what is the most popular, the worker recommended passion fruit tea, strawberry lemonade with crystal boba, and the original black bubble tea. We ordered passion fruit tea with tapioca and strawberry lemonade with lychee crystal boba. Each drink was $6.84, with a total of two drinks for $13.68. The passion fruit bubble tea was exceptional, and it had all the best elements of a good bubble tea: a sweet fruity flavored tea, with chewy boba. While the tea was more of a generic fruit flavor rather than specifically passionfruit, the boba was incredible, and biting into it released the flavors that further enhanced the drink. The strawberry lemonade was quite different from the passionfruit. What specifically stood out about it was the crystal boba. We actually wouldn’t even consider it boba as it tasted and felt like pure lychee. Although it was enjoyable for us, the texture was a bit weird inside the drink and the flavor didn’t match the rest of the drink. The strawberry lemonade was refreshing, but there was not much strawberry flavor, mainly pure sweetness.
After trying two of Kung Fu Tea’s most popular drinks, we have come to a consensus: it is worth trying but maybe not during the school day. With limited time to get lunch during the school day, Poly Prep students would have to drive 15 minutes to and from the Dyker Heights Kung Fu Tea location which is impractical. This being said, it is a great snack to grab after school with friends. The quick service and the bubble tea’s strong flavors make for a good sweet treat. However, we would not recommend the lychee crystal boba and advise you to just stick to the more classic forms of bubble tea such as tapioca pearls. The extravagant attempts to revitalize the drink made it unappetizing and overwhelming. Overall, Kung Fu Tea is a great option as an after school treat, but is not worth going to during a busy school day.
