Third Place: Tealicious Bubble

Tealicious Bubble is a bubble tea store in downtown Evanston. It’s located at 1565 Sherman Ave. and is open seven days a week (hours can depend on holidays). 

Tealicious has a wide variety of refreshing drinks, from smoothies to milk tea, to traditional teas and an assortment of toppings including tapioca (my personal favorite), popping boba, crystal boba, cheese mousse, etc. They also have a selection of food such as egg waffles and popcorn chicken. This local bubble tea shop opened on June 10, 2019, and makes all of its tapioca pearls by hand. It’s a perfect place to go on a hot summer day when you need a cool drink. 

Freshman Anna Furney says, “I like Tealicious because it has the best boba in Downtown Evanston, and the service there is great.” 

Similarly, sophomore Delila Liston says, “Their service is very efficient, and the workers are always really nice.” 

Tealicious is a place where customers feel welcomed, and don’t feel like they have to wait forever to get what they ordered. It has fast service and nice workers, which can be rare.

Liston also commented on the ambiance. “I love the environment,” Liston says. “It’s really fun with stuffed animals, and I like how you can watch them make your drink in front of you. I really like the feeling of it, the stuffed animals on the wall and the open seating area just make it feel so welcoming and fun.”

“I think it’s really cute inside,” freshman Lillian DeBernardi agrees.

 Everyone thinks that Tealicious is an enjoyable place to be. The environment and vibe of a business are part of the experience, and if a store has a bad vibe, people won’t want to come back. The fun and happy environment of Tealicious is one of the reasons that customers return. 

I personally go to Tealicious on a hot day to get a refreshing Wintermelon Lemonade to cool me down. It’s the perfect mix of sweet and tart, and it’s just the right thing in the middle of summer. Another popular drink is the brown sugar latte, which is a favorite of both Furney and DeBernardi. 

Furney says that she “likes the syrup-to-liquid ratio, which makes it sweet, but not too sweet.” She describes it as “having the taste of coffee but not being too bitter.” Though it’s not one of the traditional drinks at Tealicious, it’s one that’s perfect for people who don’t want milk tea but still like the toppings. 

A fun and comforting environment, efficient service, good drinks, and kind workers are some of the reasons that Tealicious is a favorite of bubble tea lovers in Evanston.