HK Tea

What a wonderful idea to open up a Milk Tea place and have it connected to the Pho place right next door! Well decorated with a nice place to take selfies in the back. The line get's pretty crazy for pho, so why not wait with a cup of delicious milk tea a few steps away?The opening of this shop was a bit shaky and understanding it was their soft opening, I reserved my review until the processes and recipes matured.Here's the absolutely most important aspect of their business that they improved on. The actual authentic taste of what they call Hong Kong Milk Tea. Yes, there is a very distinct difference in the taste of Hong Kong Milk Tea vs any other milk tea you find anywhere else. The tea is stronger and has a very noticeable taste. I've searched FAR and WIDE in the Austin area and unless you want to drive to Houston, this is the ONLY place at the moment that can satisfy your Hong Kong Milk Tea fix.If you tried HK Milk Tea before, rejoice! Because it's finally here in Austin! If you have not, give it a try and get a taste of what authentic HK milk tea tastes like!Also kudos to the very nice and accommodating staff. Service always ends with a smile and offering tips on drinking techniques to maximize the taste.

It's a solid spot, and convenient for grabbing while waiting for your spot at Pho Phong Luu which is what got me grabbing a drink here. The boba I received was fine -- the $9 price point is on the higher end, but I don't think really stood out more than other options. They also carry oat and soy milk options for people who avoid dairy, but weirdly can only make maybe 3 drinks with those milks. It makes options a bit limited, when most boba spots are able to adjust the majority of their drinks if needed.

The service is a bit cold but timely. There are a lot of seating options, and the place feels clean and bright. It's conveniently located right next to Pho Phong Luu. Both stores are connected, so you can order boba while having a bowl of pho.HK Milk Tea (Cold) - $6.50 5/5This is quite authentic, and it's supposed to be bitter. I usually order 30% sweetness, but for this drink, I had to order 70%, and I still think it could be sweeter. So if you prefer sweeter drinks, 100% sweetness might be your best bet. They also offer to adjust the sweetness after you try it, which is super nice.Pandan Waffle - $5.75 4/5It was freshly made, so I had to wait a little--probably around 5 to 10 minutes--which I didn't mind at all. The pandan flavor is subtle. I like the texture: crispy on the outside, with a soft and slightly chewy mochi-like inside. I don't usually eat very sweet things, but this waffle was about 1/5 in sweetness for me. They also sell matcha and cheese dips for $0.75. I feel like this waffle definitely needs a dip.HK Lemon Tea - $6.50 5/5The tea is strong, and there are slices of lemon in my cup. It's refreshing and not too sour. I like this even more than the HK milk tea.

Stopped in since it was built in to the pho restaurant, and glad we stopped in. Atmosphere/Ambiance - 5/5 - Combined with Pho Phong Luu, you can also wait here while you are waiting for your table (we had to wait for Pho Phong Luu for 15 minutes for a group of 4 adults, 4 kids).Staff - 5/5 - Friendly and attentive. Explained the process well.Food/Drink - Ordered the following:HK Tea - 5/5 - Ordered this for the kiddo. I usually order full sugar, but this time, I ordered 50% because I do not want my kid jumping off the rails. Of course he is too little to care for it, so I ended up drinking it.They have many, many flavors here, and the only reason I am knocking a star is because we only ordered one item. We were basically too full from lunch.However, I will be back to the Pho restaurant, and therefore will come back here to try the other flavors.

Person at the counter was super nice! And even checked in with us to see if we enjoyed our drink and waffle! I'm excited there's finally a place where HK milk tea is served as a top drink in Austin! The tea isn't as strong as the ones I've had in HK, but it's close enough. The pandan waffle was crispy and had a mochi like texture, similar to the ones you'll get from Viet stores. I enjoyed both very much. Parking was a little hard to find though, even at 6pm in the evening. But it's probably because the event space beside the store was having an event. But if you're ever looking for something that's different from boba, give this place a go!

I decided to try HK Tea out again after eating next door at Pho Phong Luu. It had been about four months since I last came here during their soft opening, so I wanted to give them another chance. I ordered their Chrysanthemum Iced Tea with 25% sweetness and boba this time, and P2 had their Lychee Smoothie at 50% sweetness. I could tell that the workers were diligent in making our drinks, as they carefully measured all the ingredients and checked the finished products before bringing them to us. The presentation of the drinks is on point and IG-worthy.I've got to say I'm impressed by how much they've improved since my last visit. I could taste the Chrysanthemum in my tea, and the boba had a good chew consistency without being too chewy or hard. P2 mentioned that their Lychee Smoothie was very refreshing.Unfortunately, it tasted as if their boba was underprepared, in the sense that no time was given to allow the honey to soak into it. Instead of tasting like Honey Boba, per their menu, it tasted more like honey with boba.Overall, it was a solid, enjoyable experience. Their prices are still a tad high for the area, but the quality is definitely evident.

My experience is solely based on the only drink I got there - roasted black sesame smoothie. After reading a lot of negative reviews about this place regarding drink quality and pricing in the beginning as well as not being recommended by other Vietnamese businesses, I was super skeptical to try. However, after they opened for a while and got some positive reviews about this drink in an Asian Food FB group, I decided to give it a try while they offered holiday discount, and this drink is good. It doesn't contain any tea, so it's ice blended black sesame latte. They also have black sesame smoothie. The difference between the two is they use black sesame powder in black sesame smoothie while the roasted one is from blending the roasted seeds, so it's more natural and a bit grainy. Glad I chose the roasted one - it's creamy and nutty. Pricing is definitely higher compared to other boba tea shops. I saw that their durian smoothie and durian avocado smoothie is almost $12 a drink, which is wild. Teapioca Lounge also offers good durian smoothie as their seasonal drink now and it's half the price. Will I come back to this place for other drinks? In terms of pricing, no because Austin has grown with a lot of boba tea shops now and they offer similar drinks and delicious at a lower cost. This place is unique for offering black sesame drinks, so I'd only come for it. It's conveniently connected to Pho Phong Luu and owned by the same owner I believe. They did a great job with cute decor for pictures.

I've heard a lot of opposing thoughts about HK tea between it's pretty good vs it's overpriced and the drinks are too watery. I can wholeheartedly agree that it's overpriced because why was my milk tea without any toppings over $7??? But I wasnt disappointed by the milkiness or lack of milk. I think the drinks do run a bit sweeter than other places, but I'm a fan of that. And the HK milk tea is honestly the most authentic Hong Kong style milk tea I've had in the US. I can see where it can come off as not we milky. Because it is more tea-centric. But I loved it. And it definitely is strong. The flavor comes through so well. And I finished my drink around 3pm and I couldn't sleep that night until like 3am :/// so if you're sensitive to caffiene, don't drink this too late in the day.

HK Tea is located in a shopping plaza on Dessau Rd. The plaza is next to a Texaco.You'll be entering a bright airy space when entering the shop. There is a connecting door between the this place and the restaurant next door. There are plenty of floral pieces placed throughout the seating area.Ordering can be done at the kiosk or at the counter. I opted to grab a Chrysanthemum Tea at 25% sugar, and Avocado Durian smoothie at 0% sugar.I was satisfied with both: normally I would get milk tea with no sugar, but 25% for the Chrysanthemum seemed to be a good choice. It allows you to taste the floral notes in the tea, which I highly appreciated, and they are not muted out at this sweetness level.For the Avocado Durian smoothie, They had initially suggest they could do 25% sugar, but I pushed for 0%, since durian should be plenty sweet enough in its own. It's unclear which species of durian they use, but the result is a pretty nice durian flavor and fragrance. They do use real durian and avocado. The smoothie is not comparable in flavor to eating fresh durian, but the flavors will definitely remind you of it. The durian flavor seems to be diluted out by the avocado actually, and makes the durian sensation more evanescent, rather than a lingering taste. I would say the olfactory sensation is actually stronger than the taste, and overall, the smoothie is quite refreshing.Both drinks were done well, and service was prompt and very friendly. I would definitely come back to try out their other menu items.

Great neighborhood spot for boba tea! I ordered the taro smoothie with 75% sweetness which was a good amount for me, and the size of the drink was satisfactory. However it did taste quite powdery. They did a great job with the decor! It's very pretty inside and I loved the flowers. Right next door is Pho Phung Lu, and it's divided by clear sliding doors so you can go sit and order pho after ordering boba and ask them to bring it to the restaurant for you. In terms of remote-friendliness, they provide you the wifi password when you ask for it. There are a few outlets along the wall but the tables are pretty far from them. There's a good-sized parking lot by the building, but Pho Phung Lu brings a lot of traffic during peak meal times.