The first time I’ve had Chatime was in Toronto, 2014. At the time I was shocked how a tiny bubble tea station in a mall can taste so much better than all the bubble tea restaurants in Vancouver. I researched on opening a franchise location in Vancouver, but life got in the way. Sure enough, one year later the first Chatime in Vancouver opened.
Strength: Plenty of seating to catch up with friends
Weakness: Limited parking space
Other Bubble Tea Franchise
- Hanlin Tea House (5 Stars)
- HouCaiLei Tea House (4 Stars)
- Yi Fang Taiwanese Fruit Tea (4.5 Stars)
- Xing Fu Tang (4.5 Stars)
Chatime near Langara
This Chatime near Langara college is one of the newest Chatime locations in town. It is located right on Cambie St. Unfortunately the only available parking is on the street.
Interior with large Chatime logo
Chatime has dark purple theme color. Even with a white interior, you can still see a large purple wall on the right side to display their logo.
Front counter to the left
You can see the front counter to the left. Most of the time there will already be a line up. The line is organized with crowd control barrier posts to make the space look less clustered.
Top 10 drinks on display
Chatime has a good strategy to provide top 10 items at the front counter. This helps narrow down the menu for customers so the lineup dissipates faster. It also helps the staff prepare for drinks.
Handicap accessible seating platform
There is a ramp right at the entrance leading to an upper platform seating area. The seats are a little tight, but there are quite a bit of seating. Tables and chairs are clean and well maintained so far.
Fully Customizable Drinks
At the cashier, you can also see this picture explaining the customization you can do to your drinks. Sugar and ice level adjustment are normal for every bubble tea places now. You can also change the toppings to be added to your drinks.
Brown Sugar Pearls with Fresh Milk
Brown Sugar Pearls with Fresh Milk is Xing Fu Tang‘s specialty. In Chatime, they are also serving it with limited quantity. You can order this with no ice, but an additional fee of $0.50 would incur due to the extra fresh milk. The taste is pretty authentic. You can feel the pearl’s texture change from soft when it’s hot, and chewier when it’s mixed with cold milk.
Grass Jelly Roasted Milk
Chatime’s #2 Grass Jelly Roasted Milk has always been my favorite. It is made with large scoops of extremely soft grass jelly, comparable to BlackBall. The milk tea has distinct taste of roasted oolong tea. My suggestion is to drink this without any modification. It’s perfect just the way it is.
Marked cup
For people who are interested. This is how Chatime keep their drinks consistent. They guarantee pearls to at least the ‘F’ mark. I assume their standard of procedure would denote other ingredients to different marks.
604 Food Critic Assessment
Chatime’s drinks cost are considered average compared to most other bubble tea places. Grass Jelly Roasted Milk Tea costs $5.85 each. The Brown Sugar Pearls Fresh Milk cost $6.35. Most of the tea served here are pre-made and kept in different casks. They might not be the best bubble tea place, but the taste really entice my palate.
Menu
How to get in touch
- Phone: (604) 620-0688
- Address: 6361 Cambie St, Vancouver
- Hours: 11:00 am – 11:00 pm
