Pearl Drops Teahouse

Bubble tea is excellent but the price is ridiculous… Pearls aren’t good anymore and just not as friendly as other owners

Mmmm, having my 1^st house milk tea latte! Pearls are nice and chewy, lovely tea flavour, can’t wait to try other teas now!
Cute ambiance, Xmas music happening, smells sweet in here, very cozy. Plenty of free parking around. Wish there was food here besides dessert, but for bbt, one of the best I’ve had!

Was looking for a bubble tea/​dessert place to go to as we were coming down from Burnaby mountain, and decided on this place due to good reviews. As we walked in, we were immediately greeted by a very friendly girl who gave us some time to look over the menu. We ordered a piña colada (featured as one of their top 5 most popular drinks), their matcha flavoured «signature milkshake», and a strawberry cheesecake. The girl was very nice, gladly took our 15% Unilocal discount, and said she would bring the order out to us.
The cheesecake was good, but at $ 5, was pretty pricey for such a small piece. It came with a delicious strawberry syrup made with fresh strawberries on top.
I didn’t get to try the piña colada but heard it was good.
My matcha milkshake was kind of a disappointment because it was so icy, more of a slush than a milkshake. It was so icy that there wasn’t much flavour to the drink. I ended up throwing away half of it because all that was left in the cup was slush that tasted mildly of matcha :(The colour of the drink itself was a pale pale green, not a medium green that most matcha drinks are, so you can tell that it has been very much diluted. If I knew that it was like a slush, I wouldn’t have ordered it! So be warned!
It was a nice place though, and the service was great, so I would probably come back for bubble tea if I’m in the area — but I’ll be sure to order something else!

If I could, I would rate this place as 3.5 stars.
This place is on Willingdon and Hastings, and there is plenty of free parking around the shop. Although small, the place is nicely decorated. The drinks menu is pretty big, but I settled on the Oasis drink, made with a combo of passion fruit, lychee and mango. The drink came out to 5.50 (with coconut jelly), which is on the pricey side, but the drink was good. They also offer free wifi, and they give a 15% discount if you are checking in with Unilocal (which I figured this out before I ordered). I’ll remember next time I stop by.

Felt like bubble tea today so my girl friend introduced me to this place. They have great selection and I like that they use fresh ingredients. Their staff are friendly and knowledgable. I have walked past this place many times over the years because I didn’t realize it was there. Will definitely be back again soon.

best service, one girl with short fun hair works here; very knowledgeable
amazing options and unique Bubble Tea!!!
quality is so good and anything taro and matcha is a good bet :)
some of the best ive had in BC– worth it if in neighbourhood

Pretty good. Overall, nothing to fault. Drinks are big. My daughter enjoyed it the most. Lots of younger folks hanging around but everyone minds their own business and are polite. The waitresses are young and very friendly. The drinks are fresh and not overly sweet which is a good thing plus huge variety. My daughter wants to come back with a group of her friends. Nice to have a place like this in my neighbourhood.

As soon as I found out that this place uses fresh ingredients I knew I had to check it out. Definitely met and exceeded my expectations!
Not only are the drinks fresh, portions are huge so they get points on value as well. As a bonus, they make their own desserts! Awsome service, and for a first timer, very impressed with the girl that ensured that ehatever drink we chose, if we didnt like it, she would make us another one at no cost.

Had no idea there was bubble tea here until now.
Parking is available in a small little lot just S of this place. If this lot is full, there’s also parking on Hastings, or another larger lot 1 block E of here.
I wasn’t sure what their theme was. It seemed somewhat Taiwanese, but also somewhat Canadian. Couldn’t quite put my finger on it. The staff seemed to speak both Mandarin and English (surprisingly fluently).
There are maybe 18 seats inside. Not too many for sure. Takeout is probably your best option.
While we were here, a giant bubble tea lineup formed. Guess this place is somewhat famous.
I had a blueberry slush. I really liked how it wasn’t too sweet. Most places enjoy giving you diabetes. Also it seemed like they used real fruit. Another plus.
I also had a chance to try their honey box cake (forget the exact name). It’s like a cake bin filled with sweet goodies. It does look novel, but I must say it’s quite difficult to eat. The «proper» way is to slice off one side and fold it downwards, like opening a box. Unfortunately it also meant that everything inside spilled out, creating a giant mess that almost was impossible to share. It did taste good though.
One last tip: if you check in here, you get 10% off your order!

I have been here many times. I like this local place coz it’s in my old hood. Their selection of drinks is unparalleled. Plus, I’d say they have really taken their marketing to a new level. They are always offering new promotions and deals, and they really cater to a student crowd.
My fav drink is Oasis, which many of my fellow #604insomniacs would agree, is quite delicious. It is a blend of mango, lychee, and passionfruit. MMmmMmmm. They other drinks are just as tasty. They are also very generous. If you stay in, the drinks come in massive beer steins. They also have some very impressive desserts.
At the moment, they have a special deal on their Facebook page. It is a buy one get one free coupon, which is a great deal! Also, if a person becomes the mayor of Pearl Drops on Foursquare, he or she gets the same deal until he or she is dethroned. There is also a special Unilocal deal for 15% off when one checks in. Good job for them on using social media to boost sales and to help the regular Joe save some moola!
I go back all the time. If you see a short Asian girl drinking an Oasis in a to go cup, it’s probably me (or any other Asian girl that patronizes the store).

This place has gotten a lot better since the old owner left. The new one has established this place and have properly aimed their target market to teenagers though. LOLs.
I don’t mind coming here from time to time, and their drinks are affordable. It is considered to be the only boba place in all of Burnaby Heights area. I only come here to pick up a drink and then leave, as this place doesn’t have a welcoming atmosphere to stay and have a drink.
I see the amazing comfortable chairs, but the place is so busy it doesn’t make me want to stay and just hang out for studying. It is too loud for that. On top of that, the last time I came here the floors were extremely dirty. Dusty, and muddy, I even asked the people that work here is it okay for a place to be so dirty?
I felt this place could have been better than it was in a lot of degrees since it has been established within the community. I come back here from time to time, as it is easy and close by for me for boba.
I do wish this place becomes popular for the better and become a bit more cleaner than what I stepped into…

I’m not a bubble tea person. I think the calorie count is way too high for something that doesn’t taste mindbogglingly good. But I may have been converted.
A girlfriend and I were looking for a place to sit and chat so we decided to stop here. The service was incredibly friendly and since it was our first time here, they took the time to explain how to order, what are the specials and what type of fresh fruits they had.
I decided on a Taro Macha Shake. They gave me the choice of real taro or powdered. I knew powdered would be a lot sweeter, but I chose the real taro since it was better for you. The girl who worked there offered to change it if I didn’t end up liking it. Another point for customer service. If you haven’t tried real taro before, I’m not sure if you’d like the texture because it’s really grainy tasting. I loved it since I ate a lot of taro growing up. The shake ended up being not overly sweet, but it was so big I ended up only finishing half of it. Points again for value and taste!
Note — remember to check in at Pearl Drops because they’ll give you an additional 15% off.

Heard a lot about this place and finally had the chance to visit last week.
It definitely lived up to the hype. My standard green apple green tea w/​pearls was def better than most places. I love how this place puts a greater emphasis on tea flavouring opposed to the artificial flavours (says the guy who orders one of more artificial drink flavours). But once u give this place a try u’ll understand what I mean.
I love how innovative their marketing tactics are, using things like Unilocal,foursquare, facebook to promote by giving customers discounts just for checking in.
Overall, good drinks, nice friendly service, parking lot close by. Def worth a visit.

It is somewhat out of the way during the week in Burnaby, however. The reason I got this Living Social coupon is that I haven’t seen very many bubble tea houses on sale. I wanted to try and get the guy I am dating into bubble tea without scaring him too much with those oversized pearls. He was content with his iced strawberry lemon tea with very cute star shaped mango jelly pieces on the bottom.
I had the caramel tea cream latte. This has to be one of the best lattes I’ve had. Nice and foamy and smooth throughout. Who would’ve thought that the best latte I’ve had in a long time would come from a bubble tea house and not a coffee shop on the drive or on the West end? I was pleasantly surprised.
The strawberry cheesecake was good, your standard cheesecake taste. They win points for having the cheesecake in house made. I was a little disappointed when I came in that the green tea cheesecake was not ready for consumption. This was one of the reason’s aside from the Unilocal reviews, that made me want to come in. I won’t hold it against them, I will just have to come back.
The lady at the cash til was super friendly and took the time to explain the deal. This has to be one of the best coupon deals ever. We got a gift card for the amount of the coupon deal which means that we can use it in multiple visits. Everything is so reasonably priced that it was impossible to use the entire $ 35 in one sitting for two.
In fact the entire staff was extremely friendly and hip. The barista served our table and even asked if my drink was okay. Normally at bubble tea houses, people don’t give a shit about you. It was in pleasant shock.
The shop is small and cramped, not suitable for large parties. The ambience is clean and fresh which is appreciated.
They lack in the dessert selection, however, their drink menu is very large with awesome combinations. One the largest drink menus that I have seen at a bubble tea establishment.
Their warm meat sandwich was extremely awesome and fresh. There’s nothing I appreciate more than warm meat in my mouth on a Saturday night (yes I am deliberately being sexual).

The bubble tea drinks are too watery for my taste since the pearls are too warm which melts the slushy. That was for the take-​outs. Went back again but too early for the pearls so I grabbed the lychee bits. Definitely much better this time around.
Pretty good cheesecake though.

I’ve been going to Pearl Drops since it was opened approximately 5 years ago. The current ownership group is not the original owners but they’ve done a great job keeping to the beliefs.
Their BubbleTea can’t be compared to anyone else. I’ve watched them make the actual tea for my drink and I’ve never seen that anywhere else before. They take the extra time and effort to ensure that your drink will be a delight. I also like their packaging. They don’t use the classic plastic seal that other places use, rather a lid that can be removed if you want to slurp up the last few «bubbles».
They recently added desserts to their menu and these are definitely a hit. I watched the owner make the Cheese cake in the back kitchen so you know it’s not just store bought and repackaged. Their parfait is unbelievalbe… it’s also quite large so I wouldn’t recommend trying it alone. Each of the desserts are made to order so it’s as fresh as possible.
I recently tried a hot tea since the weather has been getting cooler and it was just as good! I even added some lychee gellies for a different taste!

In Burnaby, especially North Burnaby-​this place can’t be beat. They advertise that they use less sugar than most other places, and I can taste the difference. I also like that I can order it without ice cream on those days when I’ve already indulged and don’t want to feel more guilty. I haven’t been to any other bubble tea places that let you customize without flat out declining, giving you a disgruntled look, or completely screwing it up.
I usually order taro with coconut jelly-​and it’s always thick, well-​blended, and tasty. The coconut jelly is not too sweet either (like it is at Bubble World).
There aren’t many places to sit, and it does take them a bit more time to make the bubble tea. They take their time, and I see them tasting the teas they make from time to time, so you know they care about quality. I wouldn’t go here to stay and relax, but for bubble tea to go it’s a great spot.

The non-​asian runned bubble tea place is a great place for tea but it needs work on their other drinks. They have other drinks which other bbt places have but it seems to be lacking the taiwanese spark which most bbt places have. They only serve drinks. The place is pretty quiet but busy enough to have a few people streaming in every 10 minutes. Maybe that’s why there is only one person working each night.
They seem to like to experiment with different drinks and they use it as their special. It’s a hit and miss. I haven’t had any of their specials yet. I usually get what is offered on the menu. I had a green apple calipco with coconut jelly one time and it was pretty good. Not too sweet and not too bland. It was just right. I went another time with a few friends and I ordered a tea. My friend ordered a lychee tea latte which I mistakenly drank. It was pretty good. I could taste the lychee. I think I had the jasmine and it wasn’t too bad.
I should really try some of the teas at other bbt places. I always forget. At least I can compare it to others that I’ve been to.

Fresh and real is what comes to mind having the bubble tea here at this place. They are very well knowledged in the ingredients used to make all their drinks, from the fruits to the tea leaves, the staff they hire definately goes through a crash course in regards to the product sold. You usually think that entering one of these places, you will be greeted and served by an Asian (Chinese person), that is definitely not the case here.
It’s a tiny little place, with only 5 tables, as most people just pick up their stuff and run to the next destination. So not much seating, but an ok place to hangout with some real good drinks. I remember they use to have food, but I think they took that off their menu. A place out of the norm, and located where no other bbtea places are. A little pricier than your standard places too, but I guess your paying for quality.

After having gone here twice, I feel confident in finally reviewing this place. For a bubble tea house, this place is modern-​looking. The friendly guy behind the counter has been helpful in entertaining my questions with regards to ingredients and food preparation. The not-​too-​sweet drinks could have been perfect if only the accompanying pearls were sweetened.
The good:
— Friendly service.
— «Fresh» ingredients really means fresh, not canned.
— Matcha madness in whatever combination they can come up with.
— Clean, cozy place to sit and chat with friends.
— Stamp cards are available.
The bad:
— The pearls despite being fresh, soft and chewy are definitely not sweetened. It’s the reason why this place doesn’t deserve 5 stars.
— The snap-​on lids are prone to spilling especially if you plan to take more than one home. (Versus the traditional heat-​sealed covers).
— Stamp cards were not readily being offered.
— Pricey. The most expensive bubble tea house I’ve been to so far.