Chicha San Chen

Best boba I've ever had. I had no idea there was a Philly Chinatown chain of Chicha San Chen and I'm so glad I stumbled upon it. The cashier was so friendly and offered free samples of one of their mango teas. I ended up ordering the honey osmanthus oolong tea and it was delicious. Fresh tea is steeped right in front of you for each order and you can taste the difference. Love the string carrier as well, such a cute addition! Can't wait to return.

Definitely the most popular boba spot in Chinatown. Had very long lines when we went on a weekend. Having tried many boba spots (including in Taiwan), this is good boba tea. Just don't think it's worth the long wait and the higher price. It's a good bucket list spot.Pros:-simple menu with quality tea and toppings-boba was fresh and soft, chewy-you can take the classic tea flavor, better than the average boba place-not too sweet-gave a good amount of topping-comes with a cup holder string - which is unique and a nice souvenir-some seating insides, which is more than most in ChinatownCons:$10 card minimum-pricey - $5.50 for just the tea itself and it's only one size - medium

Date of visit: 7/31/24Supposed to be a premium tea place , but what I received today totally didn't reflect that. Tea was super light and missing all the tea fragrant that usually greet me the minute I enter both Chicha's tea shops in SoCal. Boba was also a bit too hard to my liking. This place def need to step up!

Chicha San Chen is a cute tea shop in Chinatown and tried their Mango Green Tea Bubble Tea, and it was an absolute delight! The combination of fresh, sweet mango with the subtle bitterness of the green tea created a perfectly balanced flavor profile. The drink was refreshing and not overly sweet. I did ask for 50% sweetness though. The shop was clean and modern. There is a $10 minimum spend for credit cards so make sure to bring cash if you are only getting 1 drink. The service was prompt, and my drink was ready quickly even though there was a long line. I'd definitely return to try more flavors.

The place is packed. We were almost on top of each other because the place was too small. It took almost 20 minutes to get my order. While my drink was good, it wasn't worth the wait. They need to hire more staff to make the tea.

SUCH good boba tea! The tea itself was fantastic, and then the pearls were the perfect size and chewiness and deliciousness! This place can get packed! They have a few small tables you can squeeze into. They only let you use card for $10 or more fyi!

These teas were really good! Not too sweet and so flavorful. Why can't they come in larger sizes tho?!

I finally had the chance to check out Chi Cha San Chen over the weekend. As a die-hard Kung Fu Tea boba fan, I have to say Chi Cha San Chen was really, really good. Since I don't like waiting in line, I tried placing an order online but saw that the store was not accepting online orders. It's likely that online ordering is not available on busier days like on weekends. I did see that the store was accepting online orders one Tuesday afternoon and placed an online order then, but on a Monday afternoon, it wasn't. I'm not certain of the times when online ordering opens up, but I would suggest checking if the option is available. If not, you may just need to go to the store and order in person. Anyway, as my husband and I approached the store, we were relieved to see that there was no line forming out the door, so we went in. Inside, I placed an order for a Bubble Milk Tea and a High Mountain Pouchong Tea and requested boba in both drinks; however, the store had run out of boba. The nice staff member at the counter recommended taro balls as a substitute, which I agreed to. After ordering, we joined the group of people waiting for their drinks to be made. We were informed it was gonna take about 15 minutes for us to get our drinks, which we were prepared to wait for. Considering the horror stories we heard from people who waited 45 minutes to an hour last year, 15 minutes was not bad at all.The teas were served in plastic cups held together by a handle made from twine. This twine handle was Chi Cha San Chen's signature. Before picking it up, make sure the handle is properly balanced on both sides of the cup or it will tip. The teas were super flavorful, more so than Kung Fu Tea. The taro balls were tasty and had a nice chewy consistency to it. Though, after a while, I did get bored of them. There were just too many of them. I definitely recommend the taro balls if you like mochi and can't get enough of it. According to the staff member at the counter, the taro balls are only here for a limited time.My husband and I did come back another time to try the boba, which we thought were just ok. But the teas, though, were definitely top-notch.

Osmanthus Oolong Tea w. Mango and bubble is superb! This has quickly become our must go to Philly stop

Bubble milk tea was delicious but could have used more ice on a hot day.Taro boba was okay and worth trying but I will stick to the regular boba next time. Overall a decent boba spot.