Formosan Tea Bar in Oxford

Small cozy cafe, decent bubble tea but they ran out of pearl when I visited

It's located down an alley so slightly hard to find, but it's worth it, this is really good quality tea and it's a cool place to come and hang out or bring a laptop and do some work. My girlfriend loved it, and she is Taiwanese so she knows about bubble tea 😁

Their menu is simple and with natural ingredients. But I personally didn't like it. The fun in bubble tea was missing. It really took some effort to drink it..

We enjoyed our bubble teas. The classic kombucha though, was a little sugary for our tastebuds. The location is interesting, it’s like the real deal i.e. in some alleyway in Taipei 😀

I would have given this place a 5 star for taste. But 1 star for service. So gone with 3 star. I had to wait 45 mins for my tea. Never have I been to such a place with these crazy waiting times. And I have been to popular bubble tea places all over the world ! I left feeling very frustrated even though I’m generally quite patient.

The tea is extremely weak tasting and the tapioca pearls were so hard. When I kindly and politely told the staff this, they just shrugged and said there was nothing they could do. They were extremely rude and clearly have no awareness of customer service.

Service could be quicker and staff could be friendlier! Was in there for about 10 minutes for one drink and it wasn't busy. Drink was OK

Lovely and cosy atmosphere with a nice seating area, which is now open! The owner is very passionate about what he does. The teas, most if not all, are tasty, natural, and home-made. A great local shop. My fav is warmed jasmine green tea with milk. And the extra pearls are free! Highly recommended!

I’m by no means a bubble-tea expert but Formosan was the first place I had bubble tea from back in 2016 (it was one of the few bubble tea places in Oxford then) and I’ve been going there regularly ever since.The staff is wonderful and very knowledgeable, their recommendations are always great and if you are not familiar with their menu they will do their best to guide you through it.I don’t have a favourite bubble tea and usually go with whatever seems best on the day but as a general suggestion would recommend their lemon-bases options as a refreshing summer drink and their milk-based options for the winter. They serve bubble tea both warm and cold but I always go for the cold option.If I had to pick a favourite, the ones I got for most often are the baked Oolong tea (OMP) from the milky options and the Jasmine green tea (GLP) from the lemony options.So far the only tea I have tried and not liked was the crushed almonds special tea (AMP) but this was very much a matter of personal preference as the tea was really well made as always.One of their products that does not get enough recognition is their kombucha which they make themselves - it is better than anything you will buy in a store so do give it a try (if you are not familiar with their options they usually allow tasting before you buy)Finally, the atmosphere and internal decor in Formosan is one of it’s main assets: the interior is calming, the decoration is very elegant, and soothing music plays in the background making it feel like you are entering another world. Seating is not available at the moment due to restrictions but once they allow it the bar is a wonderful alternative to the business and noisiness of Oxford cafesOnly compliments and appreciation from me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Was just here after a tiring day and it made me happy. Moment I walked in the man at the counter offered me four different samples of tea (all of which were brilliant). I had the Golden Milk which is milk w brown sugar and it was absolutely amazing, the pearls were soft and chewy and the sweetness was good (I asked for 75%). Will certainly frequent before and after classes because having tried other bubble tea places in Oxford this place is very much the best..!!!