Boba! at Colonial Williamsburg's Secret Garden

Secret Garden is one of the few shops in Williamsburg that sells the chewy and delicious boba in tea. Located in Merchant's Square in Colonial Williamsburg, Secret Garden is the premier — if not the only — boba shop in Colonial Williamsburg. Upon entering the establishment, I was wowed by the interior design. The inside gave off a sleek modern, yet minimal and comforting vibe. With seating capacity of over thirty, the cafe is perfect for studying or work.

Secret Garden's menu is not limited to tea. They carry a variety of refreshing desserts and breakfast foods such as ice cream, liege waffles, and Korean Bulgogi wrap. The cultural influence of the owners really shines through with some of the Asian food offerings! While these add ons are amazing, I came solely for the teas. Secret Garden offers a multitude of tea options including milk, milk foam, brewed, fruit, frozen milk, and juice. A selection that anyone could be content with!

I personally went with a large peach oolong tea, with boba added as a topping. If boba is not your jam, Secret Garden had many other great toppings like lychee jelly, popping bubbles, and milk foam to choose from. My order came out to be $6.10, pretty standard for a tea in America. Obviously if you travel to Taiwan and China — oh my — the prices are much more favorable.

My Peach Oolong is on the Right!

Taste-wise, my Secret Garden order was on par with many other tea cafes I have been to, such as Teas N' You and Kung Fu Tea. However, the volume of the large Secret Garden drink was comparable to the regular at those two cafes, making my bang for my buck unfortunately lower than usual. Peach oolong is definitely my go to tea. At Kung Fu Tea, while peach oolong was not an option, I always would special request the combination, with it coming out just perfect.

All in all, my experience at Secret Garden was extremely positive. Not only was the service fast, the employees were friendly and courteous (they waved and thanked us as we left!). The drinks were spectacular and the cafe's environment was even better. My only gripe would be spending $6 on 16 fluid ounces, but unfortunately that is the price of boba tea anywhere in the States. For any tea enthusiast or a foodie looking for a change in scenery, Secret Garden is a great place to try!

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