Taiwan Bubble Zone

I was craving bubble tea and instead of the usual Dream Tea House, I decided to try this place. Walking in was not all that inviting. The place was super dimmed and poorly lit. The girl at the counter just stood there and I had to ask her for a menu. She was not overly friendly as I had to seat myself. It was not at all busy as well. I sat at the table waiting for about 10 mins for her to come and take my order but she did not move so I went up there to her.
I ordered the traditional Taiwan bubble tea with pearls and when it was ready, I had to go and get it from her. The tea tasted like instant mix. I think I said enough already. Not wasting another second.

Cold weather, warm weather, wet weather, whatever weather. I drink bubble tea at least once per week in the SF/​Bay Area where we are inundated with bubble tea places, and so I am pretty picky. Craving bubble tea while on a visit to Edmonton, I thought to try Taiwan.
The interior of the store is not very cohesively decorated. It is also quite dark and has a strange musty yet lemony cleaner smell I can’t quite put my finger on. The girl working the register was very uninspired and not helpful at all.
My boyfriend and I tried black milk tea and another milk tea which I don’t remember. Neither were terrible nor great.
The hunt continues! I am still searching for the best bubble tea in Edmonton!

Snack time after a busy night out we were in the mood for some bubble tea. Looking for a place that was open late we came by Taiwan as our other #1 choice (Gama Café) we called ahead (a friend in my group speaks Taiwanese) and they said they would keep the kitchen open. No dice. They decided they were tired and closed. So onwards we trek to Taiwan. As we enter a young girl working there (looking tired and not happy we were entering at midnight) asked us what we wanted to order. So we went with some spicy dumplings and chicken gizzards. Some may think this is what you feed your dog Fido but it’s quite delicious and a delicacy. To wash it down was a nice milk tea boba 50% sugar. My drink was definitely low on sugar taste was adequate however. The spicy dumplings and gizzards were delicious and although our young server seemed quite miffed (she may have had a long or bad day) I get it. Overall definitely a decent snack house and good it was open to 1AM.

This is where I normally go bubble tea. I like the original one or the rosy one. Another favorite is the dessert bowl. That is a big one, even could use it for lunch lol A good recommendation for the dessert bowl is coconut milk + red bean + lotus seeds + taro balls + soft tofu, so yummy!
I personally don’t like to order their dishes coz they are really not too outstanding.
But i like the duck neck, if you never tried them, it’s worth to try. A bit spicy, but a good snack.
Their spicy dumplings are ok too.
Another good dish is Taiwan meat rice bowl, very simple, with eggs and veggies in it, good for a light lunch.

Generally, not a good experience. The service was horrible. No one to bring us to the table, have to seat ourself and asked for the server to get us the menu. And then the server never comes back to get our order. This is more like an order and go kinda eating place. I would not recommend to come and sit for a good relaxing meal as the environment is dark and noisy as there’s lots of young Chinese youths playing card there. The food is just subpar, have a home cooked Chinese feel, not necessarily Taiwanese. The hot and sour vermicelli have no taste in the soup and the peanut in the soup is rancid. The taiwanese milk tea is not strong in the tea flavor at all. This place is perfect for those who wants to get a quick bubble tea and make sure you get those with the artificial flavoring that is made from the powder which is ok, if you are looking for the authentic taiwanese milk tea version then don’t even bother. By the way, for those who don’t know what the weird smell is when you first go in to the restaurant, that is the smell of durian.

I was in the area and decided to give them a shot. The place looks very different from the photos posted, unless it was just the lighting and I’m blind? Maybe they renovated? I don’t know.
Anyways, I got the «moon light» (I think that’s what it was called) bubble tea. It was passion fruit with mango, and rainbow jellies. Their bubble tea was kind of sour, which was different than the very sugary bubble tea I usually get. It was delicious!
Service was nothing special. I just ordered my bubble tea and left. The girl was talking with another girl behind the counter while I was choosing which bubble tea to have, so the only time we talked was when she took my order.
They also have a stamp card you can get.
My drink was delicious, so I would go back again. I just wish they had more bubble tea options (I know their menu is big, but my usual place has more bubble tea options). Maybe I didn’t see the entire menu, the lighting was pretty weird for some reason.

I’ve had shaved ice three times and the first two times it was yummy and a great deal but the last time my ice wasn’t shaved enough and it was pretty unpleasant chewing chunks of ice. The taro mochi balls are yummy but don’t get the regular mochi– they’re really aweful! I’d recommend the lychee, lotus, sago, tapioca, mango, and red bean toppings. I haven’t tried their bubble tea but I’m a bit skeptical because they put candy toppings on it and that kind of turns me off.

Tried Taiwan Bubble Zone for the first time this evening, as I was seeking bubble tea while on the south side. Huge selection — I was confused for the first time in a long time. I ordered two fresh fruit slushes with boba. My fresh taro was perfectly mixed — no huge chunks of fruit or ice. The boba was a bit mushier than in other bubble drinks I have had, but it was no big deal. This place is a little pricier than what I am used to in Chinatown, but it is fancier inside and also the location plays a part in that too. I would come here again for sure.

DO NOT EAT THE FOOD HERE. It’s overly salty and just a general waste of money. The only thing that’s semi decent food wise is the green onion cakes.
The drinks on the other hand are all very decent. I like to order the raspberry and vanilla mix (I think it’s called Happiness?). Their tapioca is awesome when it’s freshly made and still slightly warm.
There’s quite a few games to chose from to sit and play. They’ve got a cool set of Jenga where each piece has something you need to do written on it.
In short, the drinks are good. It’s a fun place to hang out with your friends. Don’t order the food.

First time having bubble tea. Had the mango flavour, made with soy. It was tasty, but the peach flavour my friend had was better. It was reasonably priced as well. I have nothing to compare it against so it’s hard for me to put it into perspective, but it’s definitely not bad, and as a first time to enjoyed it.

Best Bubble Tea in Edmonton, hands down. I dare anyone to challenge me to another that’s better, and I will accept that challenge!
I’ve been to many places in Edmonton, specialized or just restaurant-​based, and have yet to meet a bubble tea to match those made at Taiwan Bubble Zone.
My judge of a good bubble tea joint is the quality of the taste of the taro milk bubble tea. Some have a weird grapey taste and lots of purple colouring. It’s perfect here, or at least, it’s my gold standard.
They have lots of flavours, combinations, specials, kinds of jelly and boba, and tons of other options. They also recently did renovations if you care to stay, the snacks are nothing to write home about, but the bubble tea my friend… addictive.

For me, a sign of a good bubble tea establishment is how good they make a classic milk tea. Here it was delicious. Not too sweet, well mixed, and refreshing. There’s plenty of seating here although we chose that day to take our drinks to-​go. The menu extensive enough. Apparently they open late, which is good for those who get bubble tea cravings late at night. I’ll be back!

Been here a couple of times with my Bubble Tea obsessed friend (she had 4 of those loyalty card stamp things when we came here). Place seems like a cool place to sit down and chat. Saw that the have random magazines/​boards games that you can use.
Had the milk bubble tea passion fruit with mango stars (hate those tapioca pieces). Pretty decent for $ 4 and change. My friend always gets the black tea bubble tea flavours. I can’t say I’m a bubble tea expert but as someone said below, it wasn’t the best nor the worst. I’d say it’s average. Worth giving it a shot if you want to try something different from the Dream Tea House.

Just a block south of Whyte Ave, Taiwan Bubble Zone offers what you’ll expect: bubble tea. The place is quite dark and had more of a bar-​like feeling to it. They have a lot of seating along the side along with some board games to play with if you’re eating in.
They do have an extensive menu of flavours though felt overwhelming because I had to look again since I forgot what I was ordering in the first place. Even though I was in a bit of a rush, my strawberry bubble tea was made very quickly. Overall, it tasted pretty good, not the best thing I had but still refreshing to drink when you’re very thirsty.
For $ 4, you can’t go wrong with the price so I’ll definitely be back to try out more of their stuff.

Has a very different atmosphere to the Dream Tea House across the road, the décor is much darker and at night it feels more like a bar. I have had the tea from here a couple of times and it has been pretty good, although they didn’t do a great job with a hot bubble tea that a friend ordered. The selection of tea is quite standard, the usual choices of tea, milk tea, fruit smoothes etc. — quite logically organised into numbered lists which makes ordering quite easy.
I didn’t get to try the snacks unfortunately as the kitchen was on vacation, I have heard that they are pretty good however. They also sell a lot of unusual (mainly Taiwanese) toys and knick-​knacks, which are interesting to browse while waiting for the tea.

I love this bubble tea place, but I would have never gone here had Dream Tea House had been open. The Taiwan Express has great bubble tea and lots of board games and cute asian fashion magazines. It is also open until 2AM on the weekends, which I find to be one of the biggest reason I go here. No matter the time they always have great bubble tea and a great selection. I love this place and I am not sure if I will return to Dream Tea one Whyte any time soon. Take a chance and try Taiwan for a change!

Situated right across the street from Dream Tea House poses quite a challenge. How do you compete against the juggernaut that is Dream Tea House which every man, woman, child get their bubble tea on?
After walking in, it’s quite clear. Taiwan Bubble Zone caters towards more for more foreigners trying to get a taste of their homeland. The number of flavors is five to six pages deep and I honestly can’t tell the difference. Maybe that’s why I don’t like this place that much because I’m just overwhelmed. Nope, wait, I know why, their bubble tea is so-​so. Nothing to rave about, nothing to rip apart. It’s just mediocre.
BUT, if you feel like playing cards, boardgames, and even their projection-​drinking-​style-​game-​for-​old-​pervy-​men, this is your place.
It’s got the Ikea décor mixed in with some trendy Asian flair to welcome you in.
It’s a nice place to hang out and chat, but you probably are better off drinking the tea from somewhere else if you’re picky about your bubble tea.
Not bad, overall. Not bad

There are other bubble tea places outside of Dream Tea House.
Taiwan Express is my place! I am here 3 times a week with my friends.
Why? Cause I love bubble tea and I drink it like it’s nutritious.
Great customer service from the man behind the counter.
He’s really the boss!
He always smiles and acknowledge me every time I come in. I know that if you are a loyal customer, he will show you his appreciation.
Taiwan Express has many different flavors that you can chose from.
Originally, bubble tea is either a fruit-​flavored tea or a milk tea.
But now a days, entrepeneurs like to expand and create «hybrid» drinks.
I faithfully order from the fresh fruit catagories because I like to keep it real. =) I’ve never been disappointed with my order. It’s always good, smooth and fresh every single time I buy there. If you’re into power flavored or syrup flavored bubble tea, there is big selection of those kind of drinks just for you.
Not a fan of bubble tea? But your friends want to go… You can order a beer there!
Sometimes it’s nice to have some food with your bubble tea, but I haven’t tasted anything at the moment that I can say, «it was delicious».
Respectfully, I truly do adore this place. It has a «laid back» atmosphere and you always feel welcomed to stay as long as you like.
Also, the boss is super generous with the variety of boardgames that he puts out for his customers to have at it.
So if you’re craving a bubble tea, give me a shout.
I’ll meet you at Taiwan Express!

I was reluctant to try this place at first because I’m very loyal to beloved Dream Tea House. However, I am sooooooooo glad that I gave it a shot!
I never thought I would say this, but the bubble tea I had at Taiwan Express was better than the bubble tea I usually have at Dream! I couldn’t believe it!
The milky bubble tea was sweet and smooth — no chunks of ice anywhere to be found! It was truly delicious.
I’m giving this place 5 stars because the bubble tea was amazing and the gentleman who served us was very kind and friendly. I’m not sure if this place is under new management, but the store looks different from the pictures that were posted of it (I put some recent ones up). I think they are doing some renovations right now so I’m not going to judge them on appearance.
I really hope that this place makes it. It has the potential to be another popular late night hang out, just like Dream. It’s a really cute place and I will be going back time and time again, that I can promise!