Vanitea Snow Lounge

My current favorite milk tea drink spot! Their jasmine milk tea is simply divine! Try it with crystal boba and grass jelly — worth the extra charges for jellies. Excellent jasmine tea flavor.

Small place, friendly service, lots of room here but not many places to sit unless you want a bar stool. Probably better for the under 18 crowd on a Friday/​Saturday night.
10 minutes and I’m still waiting… Nobody was ahead of me in line…

Best boba tea ever! The customer service here is absolutely amazing (especially Ito and Minh)! If you’re looking for a chill spot to kick back and enjoy some tea with some really good music this is your spot! LOVE IT

I’ve been here twice and I really like it here! The drinks i got were jasmine milk tea and honeydew milk tea. The honeydew milk tea is creamy and i didn’t expect that at first. The workers are very nice as well because when i came with friends, one of us dropped our drink and one of the workers were really chill about it and gave us a new one. The ambiance here is good, nice music, I only got good things to say! What i recommend is coming before closing since they run out of boba by then and parking is a bit tight since the plaza isn’t very big.

My go-​to place for milk tea ever since moving to San Jose. This place is pretty hip. There’s lot of room for sitting down and hanging out. A nice reservoir of board games for entertainment. Free Wi-​Fi. Pretty young populations of visitors, mostly high school kids. Workers are friendly and helpful. Vanitea introduced my to Pandan Waffles, which are absolutely delicious and affordable at $ 1.75. I come here about once a week for my milk tea fix.

I used to like this place. The milk tea and service was great the first few times I’ve visited. However, came here with my hubby on Mother’s Day 2016 to redeem a BOGO I received from Five Stars (which I’ve done a few times before also). There was a girl working who wasn’t that friendly. Purchased a milk tea and Antoinette drink. Cashier girl says I have to purchase the 2 exact same drinks to redeem my BOGO. I told her it doesn’t mention that on Five Stars, and I’ve used their Five Stars BOGO few times before, and was able to get it on 2 different drinks. She still wouldn’t honor it for me, saying it’s been like this since last August. Don’t lie to me girl… I’ve redeemed a BOGO from you guys in January and there was no such restriction. I used to praise Vanitea’s great service to my friends. I probably will not go back again after this experience

Got this melon fruit tea with lychee popping Boba. This size for only $ 4! I’m like dayum what a catch :3
The girl at the cashier was also really nice and sweet!

Great space — the murals are wonderful and there’s a selection of magazines to read while you wait for your friends to arrive and games for when they finally do. Leather couches available for large group lounging as well as smaller tables.
Mini Vietnamese sandwich ($ 3) tasted just like the ones I had in the back alleys of Hanoi and the green waffle ($ 1.75) was not overly sweet and a good size.
Open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays — later than most other places in the area.

Unassuming, no frills dive that serves shaved ice and bubble drinks — Open mic night, Five Stars customer return card program, and the occasional Super Smash Bros tourney really highlight this quaint little hole-​in-​the-​wall tea place near our house. The service from this family-​run establishment is always friendly and excellent.
Oh, and the tea is pretty good too. Their Roasted Oolong milk tea has a very nice roasted flavor and smooooth texture that is just very very pleasant. Their pandan waffles are IMO the best in the area!

Great space for hanging out late night on a Saturday. The murals look really cool. My brother got roasted oolong with crystal boba. My cousin got the mini Vietnamese sandwich. It took a while before she got her order since there was only one guy working. We then shared a green waffle. It was nice and warm

Finally, a good milk tea place in the Cambrian/​Willow Glen area! Vanitea has pretty decent milk teas (but they are pre-​mixed). I like when tea places offer oolong as an option, and they do have a Roasted Oolong.
They have really good green pandan waffles too, so don’t forget to order one! We now like this place for our go-​to waffle spot, replacing our old staple. Due to diet restrictions, I haven’t had one for months, and the smell of fresh waffles when I walk in to Vanitea is torture! Definitely have one for me if you drop by Vanitea!
TLDR: must have pandan waffle.

I really wanted to like this place since it’s close to where I live (which sorely needs more boba places) and I read good things about it on Unilocal.Unfortunately, my experience there was a disappointment.
One of the more positive aspects is that this place closes late (around midnight) so anyone with boba cravings in that area can stop by and not have the make the drive to Cupertino or east SJ for boba. In my opinion, the décor inside is definitely confused. On one hand, it’s trying to be a dimly lit more trendy boba place, which is evident by the hipster and modern art on the walls. This reminded me of Pekoe. There were high tables on one side and couches on the other end. And on the other hand, it had elements of a traditional Vietnamese tea shop. I definitely think Vanitea could benefit from having a more cohesive image and décor so they can focus on attracting and building a community. This place had been open for a while but I had never even heard positive recommendations or people suggesting we go here.
The sweet smell of Vietnamese green waffles is pretty overpowering when you first enter. I tried their fruit teas and I got the rose/​passionfruit green tea with honey boba and lychee jelly. The fruit teas are definitely on the less sweet side with the tea flavor coming through strong with no sweetness adjustment. They were also basically out of boba and of their Vietnamese sandwiches.
I tried one of their green waffles as well and was thoroughly disappointed. The customer before me came up asking about where his waffle was when I got my drink. I waited about 20 minutes before going up to ask about my waffle too when the cashier noticed one and figured that it was mine. By now, it was cold. I probably looked unhappy because about 5 minutes later while I was still there, he came and refunded my money. Overall, this place has great potential but could really do with a more focused and refined emphasis on décor and a more organized system of making and tracking drinks. They seemed understaffed but there really wasn’t too many customers either. It was just overall messy. However, I’ll definitely come again and give it another try, especially since it’s in the area.

Drinks: I had the hot matcha milk tea. Temperature wise, this drink was served too hot that it literally burnt my tongue upon the first sip. They need a little improvement on making their hot drinks to a comfortably warm for the customers. The drink itself was too thick, sweet and creamy for my own liking. However, I enjoyed the roasted oolong milk tea, and added the honey boba topping for an extra $.50. The drink was deliciously refreshing and was finished in a jiffy.
Snacks: I had the green waffles aka the famous pandan waffles or banh kep la dua in vietnamese. The waffles were infused with coconut flavor, creating this irresistible fragrant aroma. It was $ 1.75 for a thick waffle with generous filling. It is well worth the money compared to the thin green waffles I usually get at Asian bakeries, such as the one in Grand Century. The waffles here are made on the spot and are super fresh and tasty — one of the highlights of this place that will keep me coming back.
Service: The workers were very friendly and welcoming. They said hello upon our entrance. Since it was my first time, they recommended the popular drinks from the menu. Instead of calling out our names or order numbers, they physically delivered our drinks/​food to the table. Awesome! The most important thing is that the people here actually smile unlike the recent boba places I have been to. The only downside is that there is a minimum of $ 8 in order to charge with debit/​credit card.
Location: I had difficulties finding this place at first. It’s situated at the end of the plaza. The lighting inside is dim, eliciting an almost night life lounge environment. I love the wall décor filled with beautiful artwork. The place is very spacious, so each table is set far from each other. You won’t have any trouble hitting the person behind you if you scoot your seat back. They have comfortable couches that are perfect for hanging around. There are also board games available.

So you just had poki bowl down the road… and now you want some boba?! :)
Loves:
+ Cool art inside
+ Very spacious (they can fit more tables and seats inside though for the amount of space available)
+ Friendly staff
+ Pandan waffles!
I felt the boba was quite good although not I don’t think there isn’t as much to customize as elsewhere. Solid place overall.

I was familiar with this location because New Generation Tattoo is one store down. I don’t think they pick a good location since there’s not much parking if it gets crowded. I did not knew they had a new boba tea spot until my friend referred me. He took me here and it was pretty dead since it was on a weeknight. The inside was pretty big and spacious which I did like. I wish they added more tables since there was many space. I did like the art on the wall which stand out.
When we got in line, the cashier did not knew we were standing there for 3 minutes, so finally he took our order. They charge extra for debit/​credit users, which I don’t like. My friend ordered the green waffles, guava, and white peach tea. I ordered the usual jasmine milk tea. It tasted okay, but was just too sweet. I should had asked them less sweet, but my fault.
This place is great for large groups and I do like the atmosphere. I wouldn’t mind coming here again when I’m in the area.

Still a lovely place to go to. Join their five star rewards — you can redeem your points! 10 points = 1 free drink, 20 points = 1 free shaved snow.
They play decent music & it’s a great place to chill. Their workers have always been helpful with suggestions!

Great teas. I have had this place bookmarked for a while so I decided to finally try it.
The space looks artsy with the tables and couches around the place. The art is a nice touch and the light fixtures are nice.
Vanitea offers more than drinks with it’s snow and snacks. The mango green tea was refreshing and the honey boba was firm but still chewy. I personally like it softer but it was not bad
Overall, Vanitea is a nice place to hangout and chat while you drink your drinks. The woman who took our orders was very nice, especially when it came to explaining their points system for Fivestar. It was also very nice when they brought our drinks to us and she also brought over the straw container for us to choose which color we wanted. I would want to try their crystal boba in the future and their green waffles, mmm…

My go to milk tea place! They have the best jasmine milk tea here. And normally when I ask other milk tea places to not put ice in my drink, they reduce the milk tea :(
Their fruit tea is phenomenal especially the lychee melon with aloe vera. A perfect drink for the hot summer.
Love that they have an open mic night every first Friday of the month. Buy one get one free milk tea!!!

After reading Ashley D.‘s review on this place, I came here with my friends to check it out after dining at Poki Bowl. It’s true, if you don’t look carefully, you’ll miss the store because the sign/​storefront doesn’t look like a boba shop at all!
All drinks come in 24 oz. cups. Woohoo, go big or go home!
— Milk Teas ($ 4-​$ 4.50)
— Fruit Teas ($ 4): lychee green tea is super refreshing!
Toppings are $ 0.25 or $ 0.50 each.
— Shaved snow ($ 6 – 8)
— Pandan waffles ($ 1.50)
They have a bunch of games (ex: Jenga, Uno, and other board games) that you can play with. Service is definitely top notch. The cashier was attentive and helpful with suggestions. They even brought over all the drinks and food that we ordered. Definitely a step up from other boba places!
In a nutshell: good drinks, huge space, and a fantastic art wall!

Boba lounge in San Jose?! SAY WHAT? IM SOLDDDD!!!
This Boba lounge is ABSOLUTLY beautiful! I was in awe when I walked in and seen how nice it is!
What really attracted me to this place was the art gallery that they have. The pictures are beautiful and express so much detail.
They have one side of the room as a «lounge area» with nice comfortable black chairs and the other side has tables. Such a great set up.
Parking can be a pain at times I’m scared to see what the parking situation will be when the word gets out about this place.
Don’t be alarmed because it’s really hidden in a strip mall at the end near the hookah bar…
Ordered:
–The green waffle– SO delicious and the price was ONLY $ 1.75! Name a place that sales a big waffle like that and taste this good? Umm… NOWHERE! I really liked it when I noticed that it had coconut bits inside! OMG… Just talking about it now makes me want one!
Customer service is great here as well! After we ordered our food we had a seat and soon after the beautiful Jeannie came and brought us our waffle!
Now, all this Boba lounge really needs is to have Boba parties at night with some good ol music playing! Oh Wee! HAHA
I have YET to try there Boba so don’t worry Vanitea Snow Lounge… I WILL be back!