"Tao Tea is a great spot for true tea lovers, especially if you’re tired of boba spots that use lots of artificial powders or otherwise skimp on tea quality. I got the Tao special milk tea, half sweet with milk foam and it was perfect, not too sweet and great assam flavor. Lots of tannic notes, depth, and a bit of warming spice, you can absolutely tell this is brewed tea as opposed to artificial. That does mean they have a smaller menu but I prefer that honestly, choice paralysis sucks. You get one free topping with your drink which is lovely! They only offer one size, which is pretty big. No hot drinks as far as I can tell, but it’s well heated so I was fine with iced even in January. Friendly staff, and there are kiosks if you don’t want to order at the counter, but they do make you put in your phone number for marketing texts (ugh). Plenty of seating, outlets, and WiFi. Decor is very bright and fun, and the music is honestly quite nostalgic for me (lots of 2010s pop). However, the space isn’t the cleanest. Floor was fairly dirty, and the bathroom wasn’t clean. I know the snow makes that a tall order, but some floor mats would help! Overall— good vibes, high-quality tea, interesting but fun music choices, and superrr comfy couches. Great for catching up with friends or doing work, but be mindful of mess."

"Nice selection of teas and it's quiet enough and cozy. The music is not loud thank you. Nice staff or owner. The coconut banana smoothie w lychee jelly was good it was just not real fruit bc we didn't taste any coconut flakes or banana particles ... maybe they were all part of the powder. The brown sugar boba was good and sweet enough. My favorite was the mango smoothie and I added lychee jelly. It was very refreshing, sweet with bursting mango flavor, and the best part is you can customize whether you add cream or not and the jelly and boba etc. The atmosphere is very nice with lowfi type music and the decor is pleasant and cute. Gender neutral bathrooms and just big enough to fit a wheelchair. Love the neighborhood as it's in the heart of all the fun food and clothing places. Great place for a first date."

"I visited Tao Tea while I was in Chicago and tried their brown sugar boba. It was good, but not great—mainly because they don’t add tea to it. However, the ambience is beautiful, with some great spots for photos."

"Love that it's not overwhelming, sweat. Has a great balance between the flavor and the toppings. The cute panda on the cup is an added plus. Also, I love the space! Would definitely come back to try the dragonfruit with coconut milk!"

"My drink was so good! The seating area they have is super cute and comfortable too. I definitely want to come back to try some more flavors."