PaTea Brown sugar oolong milk tea with boba: I really love living in NYC, but one thing that was missing for me was a mom-and-pop super-asian bubble tea shop, the kind that has an overwhelming number of flavors that isn’t a major chain like Gong Cha or Coco. Those types of shops are omnipresent in the Bay Area, but not so much here. However, that gap has now been filled by PaTea, a very small bubble tea shop a few blocks away from Union Square. There, they have the “chubby” bucket-sized bubble tea cups in a variety of milk and fruit te... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended nyc bubbletea drinks milktea chinese asian patea brown sugar oolong milk tea boba 4.0
Il Laboratorio del Gelato Gelato crunch cup: Available at Oath’s Upper East Side location, this gelato cup from Il Laboratorio del Gelato (my favorite Gelato spot in all of NYC) is a significant upgrade from ice cream cups i had growing up. Vanilla ice cream is mixed with crunchy cinnamon bits reminiscent of smashed up Cinnamon Toast Crunch, but less sweet and more spiced. It also has some oats tossed in as well for added texture. Great nostalgic snack that’s better than the sum of its components. 3.5/5.0
recommended icecream nyc dessert illaboratoriodelgelato gelato crunch cup 3.5
Lundberg White cheddar & jalapeño baked grain bites: I know Lundbergh from their rice crackers, but this is the first time I’ve seen a snack from them that’s shelved outside of the health food aisle. Baked puffed “grain bites” have a bit of heat but largely taste imbalanced, with a white cheddar flavor that doesn’t quite mix with the brown rice taste. Crispy snack is reminiscent of chicharrones, but lighter and of course without meat. 2.5/5.0
organic lundberg white cheddar jalapeño baked grain bites 2.5
Snacklins Chesapeake Bay Vegan Cracklings: These vegan chicharrones made of mushroom and yuca are like the Impossible Burger of the cracklings world. The texture is remarkably similar to the traditional meat-based snack; they’re light and crispy, and they have that slightly oily coating. Unfortunately, the only problem is that this particular flavor is extremely salty, with an over seasoned old-bay-spiced coating that makes them hard to eat much of, though this bag is meant to be single serving (it’s not resealable). Too bad, because... (read more) 3.0/5.0
wholefoods chesapeake bay vegan cracklings 3.0 snacklins
Kuang Chuan Oolong Tea: I spent some time this summer looking for the best asian grocery store to buy bottled tea in Chinatown and ended up wandering into a handful of different small shops. To be honest, I don’t recall exactly which one this drink was from, but this bottle of oolong tea was decent - slightly roasted flavor, unsweetened, and thirst quenching. It wasn’t good enough for me to seek out again, though. 3.0/5.0
drinks tea chinese kuangchuan oolong 3.0
Yaya Tea Clean Clothes kiwi and mango fruit tea with boba: This Little Italy-based tea shop has mixed fruit tea flavors with bizarre names like “Blue Blood” and “My First Car.” I ordered one of the weirdest ones, a mango and kiwi fruit tea called “Clean Clothes.” Somehow the tea managed to be simultaneously super artificial tasting yet also incredibly diluted, with a sweet yet sour flavor that reminded me of those Chinese jello snacks and Jolly Rancher candies. The boba was similarly subpar - overly hard and lacking any taste. Definitely the worst... (read more) 1.0/5.0
avoid nyc drinks bubbletea yayatea clean clothes kiwi mango fruit tea boba 1.0