Early Bird Cafe in Kirkland

967 6th St South, Kirkland, WA 98033, United States

★★★★☆
(257 reviews)
Categories: Chinese takeaway Asian restaurant Box lunch supplier Breakfast restaurant Bubble tea store Chinese restaurant Lunch restaurant Noodle shop Ramen restaurant Taiwanese restaurant

About

Welcome to our restaurant, where we offer a unique blend of Chinese and Western cuisine. Start your day off right with our delicious Chinese-style breakfast or indulge in a classic Western breakfast. For lunch, we offer a variety of combo sets tailored to busy officers who need a quick and satisfying meal. And for your afternoon break, treat yourself to some bubble tea and our famous fried chicken. Our menu is designed to cater to all tastes, whether you're in the mood for something savory or sweet. Our friendly staff and cozy atmosphere will make you feel right at home. Come visit us and experience the best of both worlds at our restaurant!

Website
pos.chowbus.com
Address
967 6th St South, Kirkland, WA 98033, United States
Plus Code
MR83+Q6 Kirkland, Washington, USA
Time Zone
America/Los_Angeles

Business Hours

Monday
10:30 AM–8:30 PM
Tuesday
10:30 AM–8:30 PM
Wednesday
10:30 AM–8:30 PM
Thursday
10:30 AM–8:30 PM
Friday
10:30 AM–8:30 PM
Saturday
10:30 AM–8:30 PM
Sunday
10:30 AM–8:30 PM

Services

Service options
Outdoor seating Kerbside pickup No-contact delivery Delivery Drive-through On-site services Takeaway Dine-in
Popular for
Breakfast Lunch Dinner Solo dining
Accessibility
Wheelchair-accessible car park Wheelchair-accessible entrance Wheelchair-accessible seating Wheelchair-accessible toilet
Offerings
Coffee Comfort food Happy-hour drinks Organic dishes Quick bite Small plates
Dining options
Breakfast Lunch Dinner Dessert Seating
Amenities
Toilets Wi-Fi Wi-Fi
Atmosphere
Casual
Crowd
Family friendly LGBTQ+ friendly
Planning
Accepts reservations
Payments
Cheques Credit cards Debit cards NFC mobile payments Credit cards
Children
Good for kids Kids' menu
Parking
Free of charge street parking Free parking lot Parking

Photos

Reviews

3.7
★★★★☆
257 reviews

Most Mentioned

boba (48) dim sum (15) popcorn chicken (12) sugar (12) beef chow fun (10) rice roll (9) taro (9) matcha (5) steamed (5) wontons (5)
5 stars
137
4 stars
33
3 stars
16
2 stars
27
1 stars
44
★★★★★
December 10, 2024

If you want a great place to fill your belly I recommend hitting the early bird cafe! I work in Kirkland and I’m always looking for a good place to eat. I’ve tried several different dishes on the menu and I have loved all of them. Price is good for the amount of food and the food comes out quick and hot. The best Chinese food I’ve had in a while. 4 stars!!!

★★★★★
November 13, 2024

Danny took care of me the moment I walked in to the moment I left. I had questions and he was very helpful. I tried a couple new things and also went with my regular. I highly recommend the beef chow fun and the braised black fish fillet.

★★★★★
November 12, 2024

Beef chow fun was delicious and bubble tea options are huge

★★★★★
October 6, 2024

We ordered chicken vegetables with rice, fried chicken wings, beef chow fun. They are so good, we all love them. The waitress was really nice too. Thank you very much!

★★★★★
September 23, 2024

New owners sure know how to exceed the customer expectations. Food was prepared quickly and tasted delicious. The hospitality stood out even more so. Made sure I was completely satisfied from start to finish. Originally I was taking the food to go but I chose to sit down and eat in because I felt like family while I was there. Thanks so much!

★★★★★
July 23, 2024

I had the mapo tofu lunch special with classic milk tea and tried a couple of dim sum sides: shiu mai and wontons in chili oil. The portions here are very generous! I'm pretty sure my mapo tofu included a whole block of tofu! I really liked the pickled carrot and daikon side, it made for a nice refresher between bites of the other items. The shiu mai were very large (3-4 bites each) with excellent, chunky filling and the chili oil on the spicy wontons was a good medium heat with plenty of spices. The classic milk tea was not very sweet, which is fine by me, but I know others might expect it sweeter so know that when you place your order. I really like the variety of items that they offer on the menu. It can be hard to find a place that makes this many dishes and manages to do them all so well! $15 for the lunch special with a milk tea is a really good deal! Staff was very friendly! I'll definitely be back!

★★★★★
June 30, 2024

I had a tofu spring roll and a tofu dish with a chili sauce and it was incredibly good! I was so impressed! Also had Thai tea which was great too. Lunch special D.

★★★★★
June 28, 2024

I ordered cold lemon boba tea but it was not sweet enough. I asked for extra sugar and the lady kindly added more with no problem at all. Highly recommended this place . Delicious boba and excellent service :)

★★★★★
December 1, 2024

Very warm and kind owners who really went the extra mile for seating my Mom. We had a delicious meal of hot and sour soup, garlic green beans and mapo tofu. All the spices were balanced and flavorful.

★★
Local Guide
November 24, 2024

Food is not authentic Chinese food. If you are looking for authentic Chinese food, this is not the place. The picture is an example of which is not authentic.

★★
Local Guide
November 22, 2024

Went in for dim sum. 4 ppl, left $150 poorer. They charged $17 for a side of steamed broccoli. Not worth it by a long shot.

★★★★★
Local Guide
October 22, 2024

Very dedicated customer service

Local Guide
October 22, 2024

DELIVERY DRIVERS: do not pick up here.

October 22, 2024

Ordered pork wonton soup with noodle as an add-on and pork & century egg congee via UberEats. Was very disappointed that they didn t separate the noodle with the wonton noodle soup. By the time the food arrives the noodle was completely soggy and inedible.

★★★★★
October 22, 2024

Food was delicious. The new owner Danny is very nice. Highly recommended m.

★★★★★
October 22, 2024

Atmosphere was welcoming and clean, service was quick and tidy, food was flavorful and good portion, i will be coming back!!

★★★★★
September 22, 2024

Staff was friendly, food was so tasty. Great tea too!

★★★★★
Local Guide
August 22, 2024

Food was excellent especially the hong Kong noodles, fried chicken, freshly made dim sum .

★★★★★
August 22, 2024

Very tasty W food 10/10 would recommend

★★★★★
July 22, 2024

Great home cooked meal. Nicest people

Local Guide
June 22, 2024

Their was $12.5 on the takeout menu, but after I ordered it, I was charged $16.5 instead. I was careless and paid without double checking the price. My wife found out, asked them to honor the menu price and refund the difference. They not only refused, but also insulted my wife with a horrible attitude. So in the end, we didnt even want the item anymore and just refunded the item. Its unacceptable for a business to have such a bad attitude and insult a customer. For that, well never visit this place again and advise everyone else to think twice too.

★★★★★
June 22, 2024

This is my favorite restaurant. Everyone who works here is so kind and generous. My favorite dish is the popcorn chicken with brown sugar boba to drink.

★★★★★
June 22, 2024

I come here with my older brother every week after school. I always look forward to the drinks we order and the welcoming staff. They are very kind, generous, and might give extra food if you are a regular. My favorite drink is the Brown Sugar, but the Strawberry Fresh Milk is also very good. If you are ever passing by Houghton plaza- or live nearby, I highly recommend you stop by.

★★★★★
June 22, 2024

Awesome food

Local Guide
May 22, 2024

Food is too expensive, low quality, bad taste. For this price, you should have way better food. I ordered at the counter and waited the server bring my food. Other than that, there was no any other service at all, why should I give 15% tips? I don t recommend this restaurant at all.

April 22, 2024

Bad customer service and overpriced food

★★★★★
Local Guide
March 22, 2024

Great dim sum, friendly service!

★★★★★
March 22, 2024

The people are friendly here! Me and my mom got stuff and enjoyed it a lot! We got it to go but we stayed and ate some of it there and took the rest home. The proportions are good as well as the taste!

★★★★
Local Guide
February 22, 2024

They say the early bird gets the worm. No worms here. We had a scallion pancake with egg. Very breakfasty. Good. Would have been delicious if wed used some of the sauces offered on the table. Sesame ball with purple sweet potato. Tasty. Nutritious. Would have been more delicious with less sweet potato focus, maybe custard or more sesame seeds or coconut? Good as it was, but best shared. The best was a flavor sensation for us. Never had its like and I know it will be added to my crave list with mussaman curry and oyster fritters. Think rectangles of rice and taro, pan fried to perfection. Add mystery sauce and carrots soaked in something yummy. Eggs for extra flavor, though they didnt really need them. So good! We will be back. Beyond that, the people were super nice and friendly Thank you, Early Bird Cafe.

★★★★★
Local Guide
February 22, 2024

So yummy, convenient, and timely! Absolutely LOVE their dim sum and the workers are amazing.

★★★★★
February 22, 2024

This is my favorite place when I m craving home cooked Chinese meals! I love their dim sum and congee, and their lunches are delicious. The duck bento and chow fun are our lunch faves, and they make great congee with fried dough and dim sum. My absolute favorite is their steamed rice rolls which is rare to find in Kirkland and they make it traditionally and fresh!

★★★★★
February 22, 2024

Incredible food paired with a great staff. It was our first time dining in today and we couldn t have been happier. It hit all the right spots. If you re looking for exceptional dim sum this is the place.

★★
January 22, 2024

Food is extremely salty. Portion is like only half as before.

★★
Local Guide
January 22, 2024

Taste of the food really needs to improve.

January 22, 2024

Way too overpriced

December 22, 2023

Ordered through Uber eats yesterday. Whole family got food poisoning and kept vomiting and diarrhea. Extremely disappointed!

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2023

I ve been hemming and hawing about trying this due to the 3.8 stars at the time of my review and finally decided to give it a try! I m not sure why people have had such bad experiences here but I had the black pepper steak combo which also included coconut shrimp and rice and I was so blown away considering the bad reviews! The portion size was great and both items were scrumptious and not greasy! I ll be back and if you haven t tried it yet, don t pay attention to the reviews and give it a try!

Local Guide
December 22, 2023

Milk tea was okay but boba was not included, which was different than the image shown. 4/5 Chili wontons came in a regular unsealable box. Main ingredient was Lao Gan Ma. 0/5

★★★★
December 22, 2023

Happy that there is another Chinese / dim sum place in this neighborhood where Chinese food is scarce. Tried dim sum - the changfen is not great because it was over cooked and falling apart, but other ones were good and not too greasy. Century egg and pork porridge was great! It s a takeout oriented place so everything is in takeout container even if you eat there and you need to bus your own table. It s not fancy, but pretty happy overall with this everyday place.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2023

Roasted duck is the best!

December 22, 2023

Rude staff Long wait Small portions Bad food Problem with this place is that they have too many menu items and everything comes out below average and mediocre at best You will regret paying money They need to move to a new location and start fresh with less menu items they can handle

December 22, 2023

I got upset stomach and had diarrhea for 2 days because of this place Did not feel hunger for the entire day with growling sound in my tummy, it was horrible, I did not eat any other food, so I know it was from here 100% They have a lot of health code violations going on at this restaurant I would recommend everyone to boycott this store

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2023

Quick and convenient yet with good quality of tasty food! Will definitely come back often! The daily special soup is my must go to item!

Local Guide
December 22, 2023

Thumbs down

Local Guide
December 22, 2023

Rude staff

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2023

Really Taiwanese style

Local Guide
December 22, 2023

Took forty minutes for a simple beef noodle dish that was overpriced and nothing special.

★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2023

Really yummy even for not a Chinese food lover! Food was quite clean.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2023

Delicious Shumai and more dim sum options located conveniently in Kirkland in a cafe setting.

★★
December 22, 2023

Very salty food, overcooked meat. Told them that we would dine in, but was given food in take-out boxes. No service at all - need to get water and utensils yourself. Insane default service fee up to 35% (may not remember correctly).

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2023

I love this place. I usually get their boba tea but decided to treat myself to some shrimp fried rice today. Did not disappoint. Shrimp was fresh and gorgeous and had lots of flavor.

★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2023

Too Good To Go menu

★★
December 22, 2023

Got the Wonton Soup, Hot and Sour Soup and Spicy Chicken. The Hot and Sour Soup was good. But the Wonton Soup was not great. The spicy chicken was boned but there was not much meat on the bones. It was chopped up in small pieces. In the end, did not finish the wonton or spicy chicken after a few bites.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2023

Friendly staff and a great selection of Cantonese style Chinese food. For a shop this small, its amazing to see so many things on the menu.

★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2023

Ordered beef chow fun to go. I was shocked by how bad it is. The color is completely off. It has gotten worst and worst. The price has also gone up and up. Not sure what happened.

★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2023

Unfortunately, this store deteriorated a bit too much in such a short period of time. Everything went up in price quite a bit, and the quality of their products cant seem to keep up. Its a shame really, I used to love this store a lot.

★★★★★
December 22, 2023

Super delicious. Very friendly staff.

★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2023

The food is decent but it is not a fast food takeout

★★★★★
December 22, 2023

Food is tasty, boba tea is amazing, people are super nice. I d go again.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2023

Nice mix of Asian food

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2023

Our family had a yummy lunch! We enjoyed the spicy cucumber salad, steamed BBQ pork buns, boiled fish fillets in hot sauce ( ), and popcorn chicken. The is my favorite; extra spicy and satisfying! The staff were so friendly and helpful. Cant wait to go back!

★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2023

Must try beef rice roll + egg. Rice roll is good, you can also add eggs

★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2023

This restaurant has great potential and it could be my favorite as well as many others favorite restaurant in the area. And I think with a few small changes it could become that. The first small change that I would make would be to make the boba so that it is more firm or less soggy. For the food I had the pepper steak. The first bite was good however for the next ten bites all I could taste was flavorless oil.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2023

My choice: - Bento Duck Combo is great - Passion iced tea, medium sugar Food

December 22, 2023

Much worse than at the beginning

★★★★★
December 22, 2023

This café is fantastic! The food is truly delicious with an always-expanding menu of authentic & creative dishes. The sheer variety of choices is so satisfying & fun! The service is friendly, prompt, & accurate (even when adding ingredients & dips upon request). The prices are very reasonable & the serving sizes generous. Whenever I am close (for work, or any reason) I keep this place @ the top of my list of must-haves. I recommend the Early Bird Café to family, friends, & strangers alike

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2023

good

★★★★★
December 22, 2023

One of the Most authentic Chinese food in the great Seattle area. Definitely my top 3. Great atmosphere.

★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2023

I haven t tried the food but the boba is good. My husband didn t like the blue ocean but my taro berry was amazing

★★★★★
December 22, 2023

Really yummy wonton soup. The wontons are made perfectly. I also got Thai tea which was delicious!

★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2023

The rancid beef really adds a whole new dimension to the dishes! Vegetarian options: Beef is available Food : 1/5 |

★★★★★
December 22, 2023

I came in thinking it was an American breakfast diner (come on..the name!) but ended up having some really good dim sum. Service was friendly and fast.

December 22, 2023

Have never had food like this. It s nothing like the Chinese food we all know and we will not go back. Lots of fibrous vegetables- is it leeks?-and too spicy hot.

★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2023

For anyone wondering, this cafe replaced the DIY bubble tea store that was here and took over their page. Good food but the congee is a bit watery for my taste. Their signature tri-milk tea is delicious! I highly recommend it. I forgot to add that they use plastic reusable packaging for all food (even dine in) but there isnt anywhere to dispose of it other than the trash. This packaging works really well for takeout but I would prefer less wasteful packaging for dine-in.

★★★★★
December 22, 2023

The scallion chicken dish is so good! Their staff is also super friendly! Highly recommend .

Local Guide
December 22, 2023

This is some real overpriced garbage. I ordered 2 dim sum dishes. Not only did it take 20 minutes to get here, but it was just 2 pieces of the frozen packaged stuff (that you get at Asian supermarkets) that has been reheated. Pan-fried buns are just steamed and cost $7.5 for 2 tiny pieces which is ridiculous. Literally go anywhere else for dim sum. This is almost insulting to the customer.

★★★
December 22, 2023

The taste of the food was better during the summer. Its not as good anymore.

★★★★★
December 22, 2023

Came here several times. Ordered diff dishes and our family really love this place. All the dishes ordered were delicious, especially the individual stir-fries, which were a lot. Last time, it was my daughters birthday and the owner gave us two egg tarts. So yummy! Do not forget to buy coupon on Groupon, great deal!

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2023

I purple, I got a taro/expresso boba milk tea and sweet purple rice ball. Both were delicious. The rice ball was a first for me, I loved the sweetness of the rice and the crunchy center! The boba was nice and soft which I always love, because some places have boba that is too firm. I came by before the soft opening and they offered me a free drink to try out, I m not quite sure what it was but it was good, and had lychee. Can t wait to try something else next time!

★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2023

Good take out options but be careful there are more on the menu in the restaurant than on the ordering apps.

Local Guide
December 22, 2023

Terrible experience at this restaurant, its incomprehensible for totally unprepared people to have an establishment, I waited 35 minutes for my order and when I went to ask them the reason for the delay they told me that they forgot my order... This is playing with the customer, I dont recommend it this location.

Local Guide
December 22, 2023

The drinks are descent, but it s a shame they serve microwaved, prepackaged frozen dim sum that you can find at an Asian market. Overpriced.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2023

Our favorite place to go for tea and dumplings! Everything we have tried so far has been delicious. Our favorite are the shrimp and chive dumplings.

Local Guide
December 22, 2023

Got two beef Cho fun for $16 to go. Extremely over saluted and very little beef. Undercooked onions. Nasty ended up in trash I will never return!!!

Local Guide
December 22, 2023

They do not serve rice rolls at anytime. Even after telling me to come in before 10am

★★★★★
December 22, 2023

Stopped this morning around 10. Food was terrific. Customer service even better. Neither I or my mom had ever had congee, so in addition to our order they gave us some to try. It was delicious. Would 100% go anytime I can.

December 22, 2022

We came in just after the shop opened and we were first time customers. The kid in the shop didn t greet us at all, told us to order using the pad which we would have been good with but then he appeared very annoyed to be at work. He was slamming things around as he was making our drinks, didn t know what something was off the menu and was frustrated that we picked an item straight from the menu but he was unaware of. The customer service in this location leaves a lot to be desired. We won t be coming back to this place.

December 22, 2022

I spent about 30 minutes in the store waiting for 2 bubble waffles which usually, at this location and other boba chains, take at most 10-15 minutes. I was then given two wrinkly mushy disgusting waffles. Only 1 person was working (which has been the case multiple times I ve been there) but they are not satisfactory and do not taste good. I m finding a new bubble tea shop

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2022

Drinks were great, cashier went above and beyond and was able to make my unique drink request as well as make sure company got their profits through ordering on the app!! Service was quick and exceptional!!!

★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2022

They had 1 person to take the orders and make them! Are they out of their mind? It took us 20 minutes to get 2 boba teas and we were the first in line, not cool. The tea was good but nothing out of the ordinary for a boba tea. Honestly, based on the name I expected more

December 22, 2022

Taro Smoothy was horrible and it s normally my favorite terrible taste, took a long time, smoothie want even thick like it should be, it was like a cold milk tea. Save your money and go somewhere else

December 22, 2022

Drinks taste like sugar water and looks nothing like the picture, nothing DIY about it. Employees looked like they hated their life.

★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2022

Their popcorn chicken is amazing! But boba tea was okay. May be I should try a different flavor if I visit again.

December 22, 2022

This place is not good and never make any of the drinks correctly. There is usually just one guy overworked and not sure how to make any of the drinks properly.

December 22, 2022

Horrible customer service, and unpleasant drinks, do not recommend, will never be going to any diy tea lab

★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2022

I got the brown sugar and it tastes like milk and I hate it it was a waste of money

December 22, 2022

came here with my wife after work the other night for a quick late night snack, pretty disappointed in the options (seemed outdated for boba these days) but was way more unattracted to the cleanliness of the store. the staff didnt seem to care about what was happening either. would def recommend happy lemon/share tea over this place for good satisfaction. for new time tryers, stay away.

December 22, 2022

My taro blended tea was chalky with little particles floating around in it. Undrinkable. Do not go there!

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2022

Nice clean place with plenty of non dairy options.

★★★★★
December 22, 2022

Underrated little place for your boba fix! I m not usually a fruit tea person but their flavors are really good and the drinks are good quality. Blue ocean is my favorite! Today we ordered black sesame milk tea and sea salt ube milk tea. Yum!

★★★★★
December 22, 2022

My go to boba place!

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2022

Amazing smoothie n great service!

★★
December 22, 2022

Not that great of an experience and drinks were hit or miss.

★★★★★
December 22, 2022

Delicious!

★★★
December 22, 2022

Looks fun to build your self drinks with those posions. Staff are friendly and offer us to write a review here for free drinks.lol

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2022

Id come here every week if I can. LOL! The fish balls are yummy and Ive never had issues with their milk tea. The cashier is nice as well.

★★★★★
December 22, 2022

Nice Milk Tea Love it

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2022

I was so excited to see this new Chinese cafe take over the DIY Tea Lab space! Even during this soft open period, they offer SO many food options Im excited to try more of in future days. We got their fruit tea and matcha latte drinks and they were balanced and flavorful with perfectly cooked toppings. We also tried their beef chow fun and sweet and sour spare ribs combo meals and they were quite good, too. The sauce for the ribs had a strong tartness that we loved from the red vinegar. I look forward to going back to try breakfast and dim sum sometime, especially their freshly made rice noodle rolls!

★★★★★
December 22, 2022

The food has no MSG but still tasty! The menu covers most of my favorites Asian items. Taiwanese Popcorn chicken, fried calamari, purple rice ball OMG, they even have all kinds of Boba Milk tea!!!!!! This is definitely a awesome place for an Asian appetite. I will mark this place as one of my favorite restaurants at Kirkland.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2022

The rice rolls are authentic and the best I ve had in Seattle area. Kudos to the new owners for executing to such high food standards. Great addition to Kirkland

★★★★★
December 22, 2022

Great little cafe with an impressive selection of authentic Asian dishes. Bubble tea is excellent too, the bobas are the perfect texture, consistency and flavor. Looking forward to trying their breakfast menu. Very happy to have this addition to our neighborhood!

★★★★★
December 22, 2022

boba was amazing! flavorful and high quality

December 22, 2022

Ordered on Doordash. Waited for 1.5 hours, and they cancelled my order. Worst experience ever. If they can t take my order, they shouldn t wait 1.5 hours to cancel it.

December 22, 2022

Just like other reviews said. We waited for hours for our online order, and they canceled in the end.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2022

Delicious tea and super friendly service. Will definitely be back!

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2022

Dont pay too much heed to the negative reviews, it was the soft opening recently and theyre still working everything out. Food was really great. Drinks were decent though too much sugar in the fruit teas at 0%. Excellent location. We will definitely be back.

★★★★★
December 22, 2022

I just ordered the sauerkraut sausage and it was delicious! good smell! Sauerkraut tastes very pure!

★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2022

The rice balls were average and even cold when we got them. The fried dough sticks were shriveled. The appearance of rice rolls is beyond words Fried buns have thicker skin than meat

★★★★
December 22, 2022

Went for dinner during their soft opening. Had their popcorn chicken. Breading was good, Seasoned well and had mild spiciness. Sweet and sour pork was authentic bone in pork ribs. Hakka stir fry was good. Could use more squid. Beef chow fun was Smokey which I appreciated. Would go back for sure. Was soft opening so they didn t have plates when you dined in. Service was a little slow but acceptable. Want to try their breakfast items next time.

December 22, 2022

I lived in Hong Kong for 5 years. This is the worst rice roll I ve ever had in my entire life. I only had one bite. The texture and source are all wrong!!!

★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2022

Very disappointing experience. We didnt have their boba, but the food was pretty bad. We had the shrimp dumplings (har gow), beef rice roll, siu mai, chinese donut (youtiao), pan-fried pork buns, and steamed custard buns. Everything was unevenly heated (some cold spots, some BLAZING hot spots) and made me think of microwaved Costco dim sum. The youtiao was rock hard and inedible, the shell of the shrimp dumpling had completely melted off when it got delivered to our table (pink inside was completely visible), the beef rice rolls texture was off - not smooth or soft at all, and the pan-fried pork buns didnt look anything like the picture (picture shows a shenjian bao that looks like Xiao Chi Jies but this one was totally different). The only thing that was decent was the custard bun. 2 stars because at least most of the items were edible, but I will never come back here.

★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2022

Saw their soft-open sign and went in to give them a try. Got the deep fried chicken steak (like chicken Katsu) and the Ma Po Tofu, have to say, they were unexpectedly good and authentic for a small shop. This will save me trips to Seattle CID!

★★★
December 22, 2022

Food was great but it took a very very long time to get it. It is also a little bit pricey. I wish they didnt demand a tip. Food was great though!

Local Guide
December 22, 2022

Ordered take out. I have to say the beef chow fun ( ) is just terrible. The he fen all stick together in huge chunks. The cook likely just stir fried the he fen anyway with out loosing them.

★★★★
December 22, 2022

Went yesterday, they had a water problem which caused them to only have a few dishes. Very friendly and tasty, think they will be nice addition to Houghton area.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2022

I was trying to get boba, but this spot replaced the old DIY Tea Lab. This soft-opening spot gives off family vibes. After overhearing the conversation with the cashier lady, it is a partnership with a Sichuan ( for Szechuan) chef and a Canto chef that lived in Taiwan for couple of years. The portions were sizeable and fair price for Houghton Area. We got the Duck Bento (not super dry and flavorful, the favorite), Fried Chicken steak (taste like a steak version of saltier popcorn chicken, the breading is what you would imagine), Lurou pork belly (Pretty standard, good), Deep Fried Port Steak (not dry, and more on the sweet side). I highly suggest any of their drinks with Matcha, apparently they source it directly from Japan, and it hits different. The boba is on the stronger tea side, which is always a plus to pair with the meals. They have a small fridge (didnt get anything tho) on the side that sells random items like shots of Calpico, jar of XO sauce ($15), soymilk ( $3.75) as of Oct 2022. Do expect a longer wait time for the food as this place was previously a boba kitchen. Definitely will come back here in the future, but I wont recommend trying delivery for a soft-opening restaurant. If you want to really try a spot, dont try to get delivery and drop 1 star reviews, especially for this sort of mom & pop shop. Foods for thoughts... How do you review hot food thats delivered after an hour? Do you think its restaurants food quality issue if its through a 3rd party food delivery service? Thanks for reading this review and my vent.

★★★★★
December 22, 2022

I like their boba tea, steam dumplings and beef chow fun. Surprisingly good!

★★★★★
December 22, 2022

I packed two preserved egg and lean meat porridge today and it was very delicious! Warm service Will come again next time!

★★
December 22, 2022

Ive been here twice, both times on a weekend, and had to wait about 90 mins for my food each time. The food is fine but its definitely not worth the wait. I hope they can get their process figured out.

★★★★★
December 22, 2022

Wonderful staff! They were very helpful and accomodating. The food was fantastic and fairly priced for the large portions.

Local Guide
December 22, 2022

Ordered in store for pickup for only a few items. Was told a 20 mins wait. After 45 mins I asked for an update, was told she would check on it but never got back to me. After 60 mins I start to see numbers behind me got called on, was told my order is being packed up already just taking turns to be brought out. Between 60-75 mins they keep saying it s waiting on XLB which will be ready immediately . Around 75-80 mins I was very mad already, asked them to cancel the XLB and give me the rest. And they brought out my order with XLB. Wth? There have been so many delivery orders and it s just hard to believe I actually had to wait 80 mins for like 4 dim sums we ordered. They must not have been going in order. Their excuse is that they have a big selection. If you cannot handle this selection why not reduce it? Their other excuse is that XLB naturally take longer then why don t you inform me? I would not have ordered XLB. We also did check in at 45 mins mark. The food is so not worth the wait. The rice rolls are completely dry. And all food other than XLB are cold already after waiting on XLB for so long. The congee oddly becomes super thin after reheating. Fried donut is chewy in a bad way. I wanted to support a new Chinese place in Kirkland so bad but they really deeply disappointed me.

★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2022

Only had breakfast, will edit after tasting their other menus. As a breakfast place, Pros: - open early (compared to others) - a variety of food. Congee, soymilk, vermicelli roll and etc. - volume is enough Cons: - in general the tastes are on the mediocre side Reviews on dishes I ordered: 1. Minced Pork Congee w Preserved Egg ( ) - Pork and egg have good volume - Congee is smooth - a bit on the heavy taste side 2. Soy Milk - minimum sugar which is good from my POV - too much sedated residues 3. XO sauce stir fried vermicelli roll - XO sauce tastes pretty good - volume is great - vermicelli roll is soft 4. Steamed vermicelli roll w pork - vermicelli roll not made well, the skin would fell apart easily - sauce is good but not authentic Cantonese style

★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2022

If you choose to try this place, they have a Groupon deal (which i wish I gotten) . Cute place with potential. Honestly, Im not sure if this place is trying to be modern and airy vibe or hole in the wall. The prices are expensive for the quality. You order your food on the giant tablet. They do cashier but didnt seem like cashier service was available. After ordering, they will bring your food out. The pictures show two popcorn chicken. One has fries, and the other does not. Popcorn chicken was standard it is kind of hard to mess up fried food. Not too dried and a decent crunch to it 3/5 Avocado smoothie 0/5. It tasted bitter and with a bitter after taste. I think the avocado are old. Talk about yikes! I got it with 50% sugar and lets say nowhere else with 50% sugar ever tasted bitter. The chili oil wonton are a 1/5. The sauce had no flavor even sirracha was spicier. The wontons lacked flavor. I think it was a pork and shrimp mix. I rather eat frozen dumplings . Water and utensils are self serve. You also bus your own tables.I didnt see them wiping tables after each customer. This place has 3 bar seating and only a couple of tables, probably best for to go or just not go here at all. I am open to giving this place a try again in a year and hopefully, it improves.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2022

Fantastic small family owned restaurant, the food is delicious and so far we havent had a bad meal there, they have very traditional dishes that you dont find in the area like congee. We frequent the spot and get lunch once or twice a week, my kids love the fried rice and the costumer service is cordial and friendly. The price is pretty good considering the area.

December 22, 2022

i am old customer and I order >20 times by both phone and WeChat group. One of their server irritates me today and I block this shop. I first order WeChat group ok. no one reply to me. So after 10 minutes I call their shop s phone number to order. 20 minutes later I reach out to the shop. they prepared duplicate food. When i start to pay , one of the server started to complain that it is my fault to that leads to their duplicate preparation for the food. Summary 1. I have ordered more than 20 times with you including WeChat and phone calls they know my number and WeChat id 2.their Lack of ability of management on orders lead to the duplicate preparations 3. The server not professional In front of so many people, to blame the guests just to shirk the responsibility. Some lesson i learn from this . 1. never let the restaurant think their food is your only choice, otherwise they will never respect you. 2. never ask the server with bad attitude and full of pua skill to serve you 3. Cut the loss when you find they try to pua you

★★★★★
December 22, 2022

Must try: Shrimp Rice Roll and Century Egg & Pork Congee

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2021

I love DIY Tea Lab! They are so good and flavorful. Their Boba is always cooked perfectly when we go there. Always a nice treat.

Local Guide
December 22, 2021

Despite the good and speedy service, my sister and I both got sick from the boba and ended up vomiting shortly after. Needless to say, we will not be returning.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2021

Very good! The place is very cute!

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2021

I love the combos! My only wish is that there were more drink varieties, and that I can specify no sweetness at all.

★★★★★
December 22, 2021

Good tea and great popcorn chicken.

Local Guide
December 22, 2021

very slow, leaking package, too sweet to drink even if selected less sweet , some menu didn t have less sweet option and it was too sweet.

December 22, 2021

Some kid took 1/2 an hour to make bubble waffles. They were disgusting, they tasted and smelled horrible not mention one was cold and gooey the other in pieces. I just wasted $10

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2021

Drinks are very tasty.

★★★★★
December 22, 2021

Great experience 10/10 would 100% Recommend

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2021

They have really good chicken poppers that are crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. I appreciate that I can make everything from scratch and control the sugar levels. They always have great customer service but not always the best music. I dont want to wait around and listen to trap music people cussing and talking about stuff.

★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2021

DIY Tea Lab has been my favorite go -to place for bubble tea. Each location has its own perks. For this particular location, they have combo deals where you can grab popcorn chicken + fries + a drink = $11. The popcorn chicken is super good here, i literraly will get an order of these every time i come by. Their drinks are also very pretty and good. Service is great as well and prices are super reasonable.

★★
December 22, 2021

All drinks are made by canned materials, also see some flies are flying in the shop.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2021

Taking bobas to the next level...great idea and combinations you can dream of, for very reasonable $ amount.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2021

Great Boba here airways get the Melanies taro berry with Xtra boba

★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2021

Expensive. $8.60 Boba tea after 15% tip.

★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2021

It has plenty of variety milk tea with toppings to choose from. The price is more expensive than other pearl milk tea stores, but the taste is pretty good.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2021

TLDR: tender boba. Taro Berry is a must try! Parking: small shared lot. Menu posted around the exterior and there it is again inside. If you miss it somehow, then I dont know how to help you haha. The menu doesnt list every single ingredient but the title and side descriptions give you a good idea. According to the staff, all menu items have dairy free creamer in them. Service: Order and pay at the front, wait for your drink to be called and pick it up at the counter. You can order to go or pick up and all you have to do is walk in and grab it from the table near the door. Atmosphere: small cafe setting with limited seating indoors and outdoors. You can adjust ice and sweetness levels of your drink. Each drink also comes with one topping of your choice; additional are extra. Popcorn Chicken: really crunchy and crisp! I totally love the outer texture. I found myself finishing it down to that last crispy crumb! You can choose a spice level of mild, medium, or hot. Im a wuss and got close to zero spice and I still like the flavor--lightly salted. The chicken itself was slightly over cooked and a bit stringy but was still fine and satisfying to pop in the mouth. Blue Ocean: unique flavor but I wish there was more tang. The blue Caribbean cane syrup tasted great but it was slightly more like carbonated sugar water. I would have loved more citrus tang. The limes in the drink are for aesthetics and didnt really do anything in terms of flavor. The sparkling water is club soda so it is slightly bitter--mix up your drink well before drinking it. Taro Berry: whoa, who knew that this combo of flavors WORKS?! I love the blend of taro smoothness with the tang of the berries. Highly recommend this! Boba: hint of sweetness with a nice and soft texture and delightfully chewy. Crystal Boba: lightly sweetened and I love the breakable texture! Goes great with anything but I highly recommend it for fruity drinks.

★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2021

Picked-up an ice blended bubble tea with a servicing of popcorn chicken. While it was tasty, it wasn t exactly what I was expecting, I wanted it to be a bit more slushy and the coconut flavor wasn t there. I liked the boba though. The popcorn chicken was good, I especially liked the sauce.

★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2021

I got the mango green tea and it tasted like artificial-ish mango flavoring syrup. I much prefer the places that use mango puree syrup. For the price it doesnt match up with the competition around.

★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2021

Tried 5 teas. Creative flavor combos, but not all successful. Peach tea was particularly bad. Classic Ruby was ok. Ube was good. Strawberry was meh. The sweetness balancing at 75% was not consistent between the drinks.

★★
December 22, 2021

tea isnt even that good in the first place, lets be honest

★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2021

Staff is very friendly and they have fun boba tea options. Wish that they had more choices on their snack menu but the drinks are delicious. UPDATE: Used a Groupon and went back. They still only have a couple of food options, but their tea options are great!

★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2021

This is one of the milktea shop I always want to try because I have heard so many good words about them. The below is my experience with them: Location:its across the street from MET market so very convenient Ambience:neat and clean Staff: super friendly and very attentive Now come to the most important part : food& drink. I read so many reviews about their popcorn chicken is not spicy at all so I ordered with the extra spicy note to the staff and it didnt disappoint me at all. The popcorn chicken came out so crispy, flavorful and spicy as I expected. The good thing is their portion is very generous. I didnt eat anything before going there and their popcorn chicken alone can easily fill me up. However, I got the milktea with brown sugar as their staffs suggestion and it didnt meet my expectation. The boba is right cooked but tasteless. They should have cooked them with some sugar and o enhance the flavor, thats my suggestion. Otherwise, I have a very positive experience with this place. Definitely will come back to try other things

★★★★
December 22, 2021

Cool atmosphere and cool looking drinks. I had the peach tea and it tasted like peach rings. The service is fast.

★★★
December 22, 2021

I came here on a Sunday afternoon around 5PM, only one table full, no line. I got the matcha latte without ice and without sugar, which was basically drinking whole milk with some matcha mixed in. The matcha wasnt strong enough, so it was basically like drinking milk. Not great, $5.51 including tax. Not sure where the DIY comes in. Had the drink outside in the outdoor seating area.

★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2021

Good place for a refreshing drink, staff was kinda welcoming.

Local Guide
December 22, 2021

My biggest issue with this place is theyre slow, and have been for as long as I can remember, commonly taking 15-30 minutes to complete orders. On my most recent visit, after standing there for over 15 minutes, another customer came in and they immediately started working on her order. If you have a backlog, you cant play favorites like that, it looks like you dont care about other customers.

Local Guide
December 22, 2021

$20 for two kids drinks and one regular. Very watery drinks and just taste of chemicals and sugar. No fresh ingredients. Disgusting.

★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2021

Underwhelmed for the price. Boba was tasty but the tea I had tasted really artificial and I did 25% sweet. I like the ordering system. I probably wouldn t come back again.

★★★★★
December 22, 2021

Amazing service and amazing food. Absolutely favorite place for boba tea!

★★
December 22, 2021

I order the drinks and all the drinks doesn t taste too good and is missing boba very disappointed life is peachy just taste water down 1st time going and they ran out of popcorn chicken at 7:30

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2021

This is my new favorite boba tea!!!!!

★★★★★
December 22, 2021

The best of the best!!!!

★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2021

Its an average boba place. You wont go wrong here.

★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2021

Ordered Mango Tea which was good. I have not been to similar shop before so was different for me. The main issue was the wait time to get the order.. it took 20-25 mins for it to be ready..Plus the groupon did not work..even though it was valid.

★★★★★
December 22, 2021

Ive been going to this location since it opened, and its always been my go-to boba place for their fruit-based drinks and wide selection. I recently did have a problem with their service, but they made up for it quickly and quite substantially.

★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2021

Way too much artificial color added in the milk tea.

★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2021

The tea was amazing and well made, but the service was terrible. The barista barely acknowledged me or my partner and then was on a personal phone call with his earbuds the entire time we were in the shop.

Local Guide
December 22, 2020

Went in for some tea with the fam. There were 3 staff out front, the credit card reader not working. After waiting for 8-10 min we left. Also... they were giving out free chicken wings spicy or regular... so like maybe just do bubble tea faster and leave the wings out.

December 22, 2020

one of the worst teas I have had, drinks are watery, doesnt have too much taste. servers can be more friendly and helpful as well.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2020

I really love this place! The service was excellent and I got my boba super fast. I recommend the Let That Man Go Smoothie with Boba :)

★★★★★
December 22, 2020

We visited the Lab a few weeks ago, not expecting much, but we had a good time. The Lab is cute with an open concept. They have many fun flavors, though I always stick with Original. The staff are efficient and kind. They also had a special where they gave out a free chicken wing with each order and the Spicy one was delicious. I want to go back for those wings!

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2020

Now serving Buttermilk chicken, not bad! 5 stars for impeccable service! Leo is a rockstar bobarista/tea lab experts! Angela is awesome & Khai, too! Thank you! Now, offering ube crinkles! Will not disappoint paired w/any boba especially, Let that ManGo!

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2020

Delicious! My friend had the matcha green tea and I had a lychee smoothie. We will come back again.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2020

Very good experience, and the drinks are amazing.

★★
December 22, 2020

Very confusing experience. Ordered online but they ran out of an ingredient. Waited for 30min and they never contacted. We finally reached out and found out they hadn t started our Oder.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2020

We got some boba tea last night and it looked like there was only 1 person working and a bunch of people came in at the same time. Whoever was working last night was totally killing it! He was so polite and the drinks were great

★★★★★
December 22, 2020

The boba especially their iced Thai tea is nothing like I ve tasted before. It is extremely hard to find good Thai tea around the Seattle area and I have finally found the best Thai tea. I extremely strongly recommend the boba here!!!!!!!!!

★★★★★
December 22, 2020

Fun experience with so many options and a cute shop.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2020

The friendliest staff ever! The teas are so fresh and taste great! Not too sweet either!

★★★★
December 22, 2020

Good place to get a boba tea. The Taro pearl milk tea is very good.