Delish Bubble Tea had its long-awaited grand opening at the Northside location. Overall, I thought the store itself was quite satisfactory in terms of service and ambience, but the drinks themselves felt mediocre or even lacking.
My first order was a large classic milk tea with boba, or tapioca pearls. The tea had an above-average flavor. It was nothing exceptional or amazing, but it had a satisfying, sweet, milky and slightly bitter taste. However, I was disappointed by the boba. Although the employees cook fresh boba everyday, the boba wasn’t chewy, and it fell apart after a few seconds of munching on it. In addition, the flavor of the boba was lacking. Compared to the traditional sweet taste, I felt that Delish’s boba was bland.
As for the environment, the boba house had a modern, brightly lit look. Sparsely furnished, Delish has high seating, sleek tables and a singular television. I enjoyed the open, clean and inviting ambience.
The teas are priced competitively at $4.10 for a large with a topping, like boba, or $3.30 for a medium without a topping. The prices are higher for slushes, smoothies and milkshakes, but everything is standard from what I have seen from various boba houses. If anything, Delish is a little cheaper.
Delish is often packed with UTD students, so waiting times can get long. On the grand opening night, I waited almost thirty minutes after stepping inside the store to get my tea. On a Wednesday afternoon, it took me only about ten minutes to get my slush. Most boba houses tend to be faster, but a bit of wait is expected when the shop is so busy.
From a service perspective, the employees are kind and do their best to get you exactly what you want, which was much appreciated. At this time, there is no stamp card or rewards program, but an employee notified me that the manager was planning to set up something of the sort soon.
Delish has a wide variety of drinks available. The second time I went, I ordered a medium mango slush with lychee jelly, so I could try something fruity with a different topping. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this drink. Both the slush and the jelly had a very artificial taste — the entire thing had a syrupy sweetness rather than fruit flavors.
The slush was not made well either as the ice and liquid flavoring were almost on separate layers. I could taste both components separately, and it was apparent they weren’t blended to create one consistently thick drink. There were even a few times that I encountered pure ice crystals in my mouth when I tried to take a sip. The lychee jelly topping, just like the boba from the opening night, seemed to clump together, and was hard to get through the straw. Despite having a similar problem with the topping, the milk tea itself was far better than the fruit slush.
At the end of the day, I think Delish Bubble Tea is a decent boba house that offers a plethora of choices for the consumer at a competitive price. While there were flaws, part of it could be attributed to how recently they opened and how new the employees are. In any case, the ambience and location makes it an easy place to grab a drink and socialize with friends, which is something I value greatly in a boba house.