Cha House - Raleigh
★★★★☆ 4.4 (90) • $
"Cha House was hit or miss.Pros:* Easy online ordering. Phone-friendly user interface.* Oolong Classic Milk Tea and Lychee Fruit Tea were good.* Pudding and lychee popping boba toppings were good.* Snacks / Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken and Bubble Waffle were decent.* Eco-friendly cups, lids, straws, and cup holders (compostable straws and cup holders).* Trash, compost, and recycle containers in-store.* Spacious cafe with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating.* Generally good service. Friendly and polite staff.Cons:* Strawberry Matcha Latte was not good.* Dirty Tiger Milk was not great.* Boba was not great. Too hard.* You must pay to park during certain hours, as far as I know.* Drinks aren't film-sealed, so there's a higher risk of leaks and spills.Regarding parking, we parked for free across the street on Daisy St. It was free because we visited on a Saturday. Street parking in the immediate area is enforced Monday-Friday, 8am-8pm.I think you can also park in the garage of the building that Cha House is located in, the Stanhope Student Apartments. There are entrances to the garage on both Friendly Dr (around the corner) and ME Valentine Dr (back side of building). I don't know if you have to pay to park in the garage.Cha House offers a decent variety of tea, milk tea, fruit tea, bubble tea, etc. and toppings plus ice cream, macarons, and Taiwanese snack food items like the aforementioned Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken, Bubble Waffle, and larger "entree" sized dishes such as Pork Chops ($7.47 and up) and Tea Stew Pork Rice Plates ($8.99). Many drinks are available hot or cold in two sizes, medium and large. I believe the medium is 16 ounces and large is 24 ounces. They also offer cream/foam milk caps (e.g., cream cheese, coconut cream, strawberry cream), but they were all out of stock during our visit. Prices listed in this review were at the time of our visit.We got the Oolong Milk Tea with "classic" milk (whatever that means; I think it's powdered or instant milk), half sugar, little ice, and pudding. We got the Lychee Green Tea with half sugar, little ice, and lychee popping boba. In medium size, both of these drinks were $5.30 each. We enjoyed both of these drinks. The Oolong Milk Tea had a good balance of tea, milk, and sweet flavors. The pudding was delicious. The Lychee Green Tea was refreshing. Online, the topping option was simply listed as "lychee," so we were expecting actual pieces of lychee fruit. Instead, we got lychee popping boba. The popping boba was fine and it matched the drink well, but it wasn't what we expected. In general, I recommend the oolong and fruit tea here.The Strawberry Matcha Latte (medium, $7.10) looked pretty, but it didn't taste good. We ended up taking only a few sips and tossing it, unfortunately. The Dirty Tiger Milk (medium, $4.90) wasn't as bad - I was able to make it through most of it. I'm a fan of sweet, sugary, milk drinks, but the flavor wasn't all there on this one. And, as mentioned above, the boba was too hard. Cha House's Dirty Tiger Milk drink is their take on the popular Tiger Sugar brand's signature brown sugar boba drink. I had mine prepared with fresh milk. Other milk options included soy, almond, coconut, oat, and macadamia (they were out of macadamia milk when we visited). Also, the outside of my Dirty Tiger Milk drink was served sticky. They forgot/didn't wipe the outside of the cup after preparing the drink.The Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken (snack size, $6.79) and Bubble Waffle with caramel drizzle ($6.50) were par for the course. This was an online takeout order, so they were packed into boxes with no holes for ventilation. Therefore, both the chicken and waffle got wet (and in the waffle's case, a little soggy) due to the condensation. Quality was fine, though. I just wish the chicken nuggets were crispy. They also tasted under-seasoned compared to the Taiwanese popcorn chicken I've had from other bubble tea places.It's great how Cha House is local, independent, and environmentally-friendly unlike the big chain bubble tea brands. I will say for to-go orders, it's easier to transport drinks from a place like Kung Fu Tea because the drinks are film-sealed and served in waterproof bags. Here, you have to deal with snap-shut lids with straw holes and cupholders similar to a fast food restaurant. However, Cha House's approach is better for the environment so it's a commendable tradeoff.At the time of writing this review, there are two Cha House locations: this one in West Raleigh near NC State and one in Cary. According to their website, locations are coming to Miami, Washington DC, Greenville, Wake Forest, and Myrtle Beach. My wife has been to the Chapel Hill location on Franklin St, but it has since closed: https://www.yelp.com/biz/cha-house-chapel-hill. She said the boba there was the same as the boba here, too hard.In this area for bubble tea, we prefer Moge Tee: https://www.yelp.com/biz/moge-tee-raleigh-raleigh."
"Surprisingly good road trip stuff for some healthy food and coffee. Don't let the office building intimidate you the visitor parking was easy and the restrooms are very clean."
"Montreal Seasoned Salmon: Perfectly seasoned salmon cooked to perfection, allowing the fish's natural flavors to shine.Southern fried Shrimp: Generous servings of succulent shrimp sautéed to perfection.Homemade Potato Salad: A delightful side dish with homemade goodness.Southern Fried Okra: Crispy and flavorful okra that makes for a delicious accompaniment.At Brick and Mortar Grill, the Montreal Seasoned Salmon is a must-try. This recipe calls for salmon that has been expertly seasoned and cooked to a rare perfection that brings out the natural flavors of the fish. The salmon's flavor is enhanced without being overpowered by the skillfully balanced seasoning. This is one of the best salmon dishes I've had in a long time because every bite is a delightful explosion of flavors. When you visit Brick and Mortar Grill, make sure to take advantage of this wonderful culinary experience.I highly recommend!!"
