Golden Tea Shop

901 Franklin St, Oakland, CA

★★★★★4.6(148 Google reviews)

Crema's Take

This Oakland Chinatown gem refuses to cut corners, brewing from real loose-leaf teas, fresh fruits, and herbs instead of relying on powders or shortcuts. Beyond their stellar boba selection, Golden Tea Shop offers over 10 varieties of delicate scented teas that are mostly caffeine-free and dairy-free, creating a thoughtful menu that feels both nourishing and creative. It's the kind of underrated spot where regulars become evangelists, with a dedication to quality that's evident the moment you taste it.

What to expect

Traditional drinksSlow sitSpecialty drinksSignature drinksQuick grabMatcha & tea

Google Reviews

Charmaine Chan
★★★★★a month ago

Pleasantly surprised stopping by here! Nourishing teas (called scented tea) has over 10 options of lightly herbal and floral teas, majority are non caffeine and dairy free which I love! Got the option 1 tonic tea wjth chrysanthemum, goji and lots of herbs and it’s delicious, not over brewed and just sweet enough at 25%! Very affordable too, I’ll definitely be back.

Madeline Huynh
★★★★★4 months ago

Golden Tea Shop is so so good! I have recommended this place to my family and friends and they always want to come back! It may not be the fanciest boba shop, but it is truly an underrated one. I’ve tried several boba shops in the Bay Area and this one has really good teas and toppings that are more niche (peach gum, tea jelly, etc). My personal favorite is the peach gum milk tea with black tea. It is so creamy with a nice tea taste, and I love the toppings it comes with. The price is great and the cup is a good size. Disclaimer: drinks take time to prepare bc it’s family owned so be patient. Give it a try, it’s great!

Sēn Lu
★★★★★6 months ago

Like others have been saying — hands down the best boba / tea shop in Oakland Chinatown, using actual teas, fruits and herbs instead of powders. Great selection of loose leaf teas as well (inquire at the counter about shopping for loose leaf tea next door). Love the owner as well and the opportunity to support a small business instead of a chain ~

Vivian “Vivventure” Wayfarer
★★★★★8 months ago

Tasty and affordable tea shop! Definitely can appreciate the variety and the freshness of the tea. We ordered the Mango Sago, Hong Kong Style Tea and the Dragon Well Tea with Pudding & Grass Jelly. All taste great and would come back!

Joanne Yuen
★★★★★a year ago

I’ve definitely been gatekeeping this place for too long and i want it to do well so here goes my review! BEST BOBA /TEA IN OAKLAND! You know the tea is good when it literally has a tea leaf shop. All the drinks are made with the same tea leaves from the tea shop which makes this place so special. Prices are still reasonable (but even if they raise it I won’t be mad). I usually get their dragonwell milk tea and finally ventured into a pineapple fruit tea and it was just as delightful. Menu is massive but I doubt you can go wrong with anything. They also serve cute Hong Kong style street snacks like curry fishballs and fish siu mai as well as rice noodle rolls in sauce. I got a drink, noodles and siu mai today and it was $18 with tip. Cannot praise this place enough! The only somewhat downside is that it can take a while for your drink to be made but I like to believe it’s because they brew each drink with fresh tea leaves, none of that instant powder or pre brewed large batch of tea!

Crema Reviews

No Crema reviews yet

Been here? Be the first to leave a review in the app.

Write a review on iOS