Review Chatime - Auckland Central

We bought the Singapore milk tea. It was delicious and we recommend it. It had a coffee taste to it but has no actual coffee in it. Very limited seating area - only a few seats located outside shop. Not ideal if it starts to rain.

Yes, there are plenty of places to get bubble/boba/pearl milk tea in this city, but how many of them have banana milk tea?? I'm bananas about bananas! And when I saw that they have banana milk tea on their menu, I just had to have it. It's not bad. Tasted like banana flavor that I expect and the tea is decent enough. Per usual, you can adjust the sweetness level and the amount of ice for your drinks.

I visited chatime queen street branch. I ordered Perl tea (cold).. the tea taste was good. The staff were absolute friendly. Good place to get a ice tea and they don have variety of shakes as well. Good quantity with price.

XL Chicken was yummy and moist I would come here again for the chicken. I tried their pando Sago with brown sugar pearls is was not good. In the picture there was a green element but when we were served the drink it looked like all brown sugar? It was much too sweet and I'm not sure if that's what the pando is as I don't even know what it is but yeah too sweet I wouldn't get that drink again I may not even get my drinks there just the chicken

Stop by for the taro pearl milk tea. The taro is a bit difference since they use real taro so there are bits of taro in the drink. You pick flavour, topping, sugar level and ice level to customise your drink. They also sell some snack foods like fried chicken and kumara chips.

Nice freshly made milk tea with bubbles to chew. Located on the corner opposite to Aotea square. Unsurprisingly, there are many customers buying this yummy glasses of drink. Either you are an adult or teenager, drinking tea is a good idea for you.

The tea was amazing and the staff were really friendly.

I had my first ever bubble tea at Cha time Queen street. I got classic milk tea with Pearls. It was so good and now I'm obsessed with bubble tea 😁

Their XL fried chicken is a MUST TRY. Better than kfc. Didn't have to wait long. Fast, friendly & tea-rrific service by the 2 female staff

5 stars goes to the xl fried chicken!! seriously good and better than other places that sells fried chicken and milk tea. $9.50 for a big piece of chicken. abit expensive but.... it’s good! sometimes you can get a medium size sometimes really large. like the picture below. i bought it two times because i want to bring home and continue enjoying them. hehe. milk teas are alright, normal. my fav combo would be earl grey milk tea and the fried chicken. imagine eating a piping hot chicken in the cold and quenching your thirst with the milk tea while eating the chicken... ahh i’m hungry again. service is ok only. they got my order wrongly the other time but they said it was me that ordered wrongly. but it’s okay. they are probably students on a holiday job or maybe cause it was late so whatever. the chicken was still amazing.

Was in town and thirsty so I thought I'd try here. It was a good choice as the offering process was easy (which is not always the case at tea places), there was a really good selection of toppings, the prices were good and the service was very quick.

This is a great tea place. Always visit this place more often times than not whenever we're visiting Auckland. I hope they open a store in Hamilton so I can always order that tasty XL fried chicken. Handful of food options but they do them well so not complaining. The milk tea they make seems to be consistent enough that I've never disliked anything I ordered. Friendly staff, great location. The only major thing to consider is the limited outside seating. It can be a pain sitting outside on a really cold night. The business isn't designed for outside seating anyway so understandable. I can see how this place can get busy but so far we haven't waited outrageously long. This is a place to consider for a quick snack and a good milk tea experience.

5 star for the XL chicken. And we can go to Aotea square to enjoy the food, specially in the evening. It’s a good deal.

Yesterday, I bought a drink here as normally but i had one young boy take order with bad behaviour and poor service He has tattoo on finger and wear earrings I usually drink milk tea here but i am amazing with him yesterday I pay money to have a drink I don't pray him to have a drink I never come back! Should be briefing your staff after recruitment Good luck

I like the pearl milk tea, drink it everyday 🙂

Honeydew milk tea with pearls! Best thing ever on a hot day. Great selection of milk teas! I always tend to go for the ice crushes but the milk teas are just as good!

Craving for milk tea and give a try to chatime dirty milk tea. They give huge amount of bubble / pearl which is very yummy. I can eat it for the whole day.

Average taste milk tea, nothing memorible, my son liked its mango smoothie, the price is ok

Whenever I pay extra dollar for extra boba toppings , I never actually get extra :( I get the same amount as the usual bubble teas .. it's not fair 😞

Grabbed a Roasted tea and grass jelly milk tea. I like how you can have varying temperatures and sugar percentage.<br/><br/>Cha time milk tea is slightly cheaper than its competitors which is a real plus. Pretty quick service and the server was friendly.

Used to come here all the time but I’ve migrated to other milk tea shops because cha-fime does seem to be a bit sweeter than other places and PERSONALLY i just like less sweeter (even with 0% sugar its sweet). Usually their products are 6-7/10 and their service is alright. I’ve noticed their staff would snicker at some customers when they have inquiries or their customers are confused.<br/>Snickered at my friend for asking if they could put no ice or less ice in the mango smoothie? But they snickered, said no and proceeded to give us a “mango smoothie” which was more like their “slush” products. 2/5 for alright drinks and meh service.

Chatime has a wide selection of flavours of bubble teas. They were refreshing and good with an option for level of sweetness. The staff was efficient and fast.

Nothing goes wrong with milktea, except sometimes the staffs are hmm too tired to do their service! I recommend y’all to try every single thing there 💋💋

I come here when I go to the central library which is less than 100m away. <br/>Good bubble tea. I tried their mocha cream cheese with boba, the topping wasn't that nice, it curdle my drink but still taste good. Boba were squishy. Good quick customer service.

Chatime does pretty good, reasonably priced boba milk tea. You can ask for level of sweetness and ice. My favorite is actually their XL fried chicken. Their Kumara sprinkled with plum salt is sinful. They do loyalty card system where you collect points, about 10% roi per purchase and once it reached $7 worth, you can claim it. Great thing is that they open until late at night. Perfect for sweets cravings!

I always crave for their XL fried chicken. One of THE best snacks ever created in this world. Right amount of seasoning, crunch, and flavour every time. Drinks are always good too.

ordered from here the other morning just after they had opened. staff were really friendly and made my order (Lychee green tea with pearls) asap considering nothing had been properly set up yet.

Definitely a place to come for inexpensive drinks.<br/>I have the Roasted milk tea with pearls and though it’s not the best one I’ve ever tasted it is quite acceptable and not every tea shop offers roasted milk tea.<br/>Nice and icy for summer - standard sweetness is not too strong.

It’s just good. And thier loyalty programme is rewarding. Thier original milk pearl tea is my absolute fav with no ice! Friendly professional staff.

My favorite drink from Chatime is actually one you cannot get at any other bubble tea place, the warm milk tea with pudding!<br/>At other stores they always claim they cannot add pudding to warm drinks as it would dissolve however, Chatime does it! <br/>Their passionfruit QQ is als good and more “natural tasting” than other brands.<br/>Chatime can be a little on the pricier side.

There were around 4 staff members in the shop and nearly all were on their phones, lady at the counter was too busy talking to coworkers. I stood at the counter for a while then eventually left.

The fact you have to pay for their loalty card yet they will not accept it after payment is made is beyond me. And very rude about it as well one tried to sort it then asked the manger and she rudely said before payment next time.

Offer better flavour ! I like their Thai tea ! I was surprised how this canned thai tea wasn't really popular in nz even in most Thai restaurant didn't even have it but here I can always get them and I feel like it's almost healthier than canned ones when I can adjust the sweetness here ! And this is way better than the same branch that's in St Lukes.. I'm not beings judgemental but every single worker I had met at St Lukes for last few years were very (f**king) retarded and had wasted my money and time..

Would not recommend taro milk tea though the pearl milk tea tastes like GENUINE real tea. There’s only 10 things on the menu and the ordering process was easy.

This place had a D certified food hygiene 350 Queen st last year. (2017) cleaning not done properly. Don’t think I’ll be visiting this place in the near future.

Haven't had a bad experience in this particular branch.<br/>Their snacks are very flavourful - which i like.<br/>I never really order kumara fries but I found myself liking chatime's version. Its packed with so much flavour and the kumara is cooked perfectly. Love the combo of salty and sweet on their kumara fries, the plum powder goes really well on it suprisingly.<br/>I also like their shoestring fries, i have yet to try their chicken.<br/><br/>Drinks are always good and they are very generous on the toppings.

Snack time this afternoon and wanted to give this place a go. My Fiance recommended the skin on potato fries and he was definitely right. It's a nice portion size for one and the price is also worth it. I also tried a Hazelnut Chocolate Tea Milk which was not as sweet as I imagined it would be. However, it tastes good, is light and hydrating. Definitely a winner with these two items. I am keen to come back for more fries and to try their XL chicken. I saw other people muching on it and it looked tasty.

Ordered slushee... not available, ordered caramel milk tea.. not available. Had to settle with chatime milk tea. Tastes good but the overall experience was a downer due to lack of availability of other items.

Came here twice, matcha 🍵 green milk was ok & customer service is alright.Well, I prefer chat time next to the civic theatre.<br/>LOYALTY CARD AVAILABLE: YES <br/>Pay-wave: NO

great milk tea first time watered down bitter milk tea the second time. horrible service. Lady is so rude and horrible customer service skills ive gone twice and both times she just looks pissed off and makes you feel uncomfortable. I repeat myself and she continues to get order wrong and gets annoyed at me for her mistake. Would not return no matter how good the tea is.

Busy chatime branch in the city! Good thing they manage to cater quickly to all the orders. My favorite is the roasted milk tea, I just love how the taste blend with this flavor. A good place for quick refreshing milk teas!

+ pros<br/>+ Drink size is generous for the price (at least in NZ)<br/>+ got the matcha latte and there was decent amount of milk in it.<br/>+ Customer service was friendly, cashier smiled at me and said "sorry for the wait" when the person before me ordered 3-4 drinks and she couldn't take my order straight away. ---> don't know her name, but the girl was wearing glasses :)<br/><br/>The cashier the other day kept texting on her ph and just looked up when I asked her to take my order. At least don't do that when the customer is right in front of u...<br/><br/>- cons<br/>Pearls were a tiny bit too hard, ie. slightly undercooked and got a sore tummy from it (similar effect as eating undercooked rice). Will leave in fridge overnight and hope they soften<br/>

Worst customer service, staff were so unprofessional and very rude sometimes. They serve expired food as well. The No.1 don’t go place in Auckland.

There are 2 chatimes in Queen street! they're both the same. I love TARO milk tea with pearls absolutely to die for! You can choose with any Chatime drinks the sugar level and ice level which is awesome especially for any diabetics.

Tried the XL fried chicken here and it was decently good. Portion size was much bigger than expected and it was crispy and fresh. My only complaint would be that it was served in a paper bag the size of the McDonald's small fries bag so about 60% of it was hanging out of the paper bag. It was then put into a plastic bag. It made eating it a little cumbersome. Overall though the taste was fine, service was friendly and quick. I probably wouldn't go back unless I was seriously craving XL fried chicken as it was nothing too special.

Always great milk tea and fresh pearls. Nothing to complain about - you get full flexibility with sugar (I suggest half sugar because the drinks are very sweet), ice, temperature, toppings. A classic and very popular. They did give me original milk tea by accident instead of hazelnut but their service is very fast and efficient and they normally get the order perfectly correct. Highly recommended.

Person at counter couldn't be bothered listening to the order. Repeated 3 times and still kept asking. Worst customer service. Pearl milk tea tasted rotten and the pearls were clumped into a big chunk. Almost chocked to death lol

i think this place need to work on their customer service. that staff with short hair was so rude and impatience. I do not want to pay money and BEG for a drink. <br/><br/>Taste is alright, so far  much better than other chatime

I ordered the Taro milk tea and it was quite the unforgettable experience. Not only that I choke as I took the first sip because I was greeted by an unwanted harsh texture, but also ever time I walk past your store to uni, it always sounds like you play really annoying music loudly. I think one rating is more than enough to explain myself.

The drinks are really good, nice and tasty.They could improve on customer service. Wait time is too long, for drinks. Seems understaffed at times. It seems nice and clean. Otherwise really good place to go if you are looking for drinks.

The service was fast but staffs werent very friendly. bubble tea took a while to be made but it was a disappointment to drink as it was watered down which made it really bland and the pearls consistency was too hard and floury. Will not be returning to Chatime now since its just a disappointment.

Their XL fried chicken is surprisingly good! Taste just like the traditional street food back in Taiwan! Their drinks are ok too, it's a shame they don't have the handmade coffee anymore.<br/>

Sweet location being right opposite AUT and Aotea Square, ChaTime and it's abut food stores are all reminiscent of 00's Asian store layouts.<br/><br/>Touring a group of friends who were visiting Auckland over the long weekend, one of them was dying for some classic Taiwanese Fried chicken and we were just walking by Chatime. We had a pleasant lady take our order with a 10 minute wait on the chicken. Fantastic I absolutely adore a fresh batch of fried goodness. <br/><br/>What was disappointing was that the staff refused to cut the chicken into smaller pieces for us to share. Which meant that we had to rely on tooth picks to share the chicken, not ideal at all. Also there was some bone in the chicken which was rather annoying, definitely not a Taiwanese Chicken trait.<br/><br/>In terms of taste, I'll admit i was a little disappointed, there's a distinct taste to Taiwanese fried chicken, and Chatimes version was lacking in the taste department. To their credit though the fry was fantastic, there was a great crunch and crisp to the skin.<br/><br/>A few others also had gotten some boba, noting that the teas were okay but nothing to rave about.<br/><br/>Showstopper: Freshly fried Chicken. Boba comes out really quick, thumbs up for boba efficiency!<br/><br/>Overall Grade: B- <br/><br/>

Terrible customer service. Came here today ordering my regular drink and today it was lumpy, powdery, and inedible. I took the drink back to the man at the counter to show him the powdery lumps in it, and he wouldn't even look at it. He refused to give me a refund or another drink. Will never be coming here again, and recommend you stay away from this place.

OPENING HOURS ARE A LIE. Terrible, horrible service. A smile couldn't hurt right? Apparantly so at Chatime. <br/><br/>Came to get my usual drink last night, (inside opening hours) However for the 4TH TIME THIS YEAR I have come as a loyal customer I repeat DURING OPENING HOURS to be turned away. "We close early if not busy" was what they said after I asked why their hours stated otherwise- No apology or explanation. I travelled 20 min out of my way to get there as I was craving bubble tea and think most would agree for the expectation that a business will honour store opening hours as stated online. <br/><br/>No respect for customer loyalty and trust, let alone customer service. Would rate minus if I could. Opening hours state closing is at 11:30pm yet I am turned away at 10:10? If you are planning on closing early (let alone an hour) update your online times so that you don't have to lose faithful customers. The customer service was completely non-existent and the young man and woman working, unhelpful and rude. <br/><br/>If anything, I can recommend Gong-Cha as a superb replacement.

Horrible bubble tea... Waited for 10 mins even though I was the only one ordering. I asked for jasmine green milk tea, 80% sugar and less ice. What I got was watered down milk tea (and flavorless) , about 20% sugar, no ice and it was WARM. Cashier looked at me as if I did not know what I was talking about when I told her I wanted less ice, not a Warm bubble tea 😒. Bad service and even worse bubble tea, don't bother getting your fix here. I just spent $5.50 for the worse diluted flavored water.. What a joke!

Not the best for bubble tea, at first the queues here are too long and totally not worth the wait. Rather go HuluCat or Gong Cha for bubble milk tea

Tasty milk tea with a wide selection of different toppings. You generally choose an drink, sugar and ice level (Normal, half etc)  and then wait for the sealed drink to arrive and be consumed. They also sell fried chicken if you are feeling peckish.

I would like to make a complaint regarding the quality of service that was demonstrated at a Chatime store located on Queen St a few minutes ago. The lady who was serving us was unfriendly throughout, which was unexpected and unprofessional. I would like to remind Chatime to maintain an appropriate level of professionalism, and ensure that customers enjoy the experience rather than walk away disappointed. I believe that this is not only the fault of the individual, but rather that of the management level. Thanks.

Really good place just like any other milktea store but with a larger variety! (Than gongcha etc). Got a warm one this time and it is pretty warm, not hot , but perfectly warm. Will DEFINATELY return hahah !!!

I tried the taro flavour and it had a similar taste to cookies and cream. Needless to say, it's the best tea I've ever tried, would mind coming again if I had the time from studies

As much as I love bubble tea, cha time just doesn't cut it for me. The worker was rude and sitting on his phone and when I ordered he was still texting, later asking me to repeat myself. Seemed very absentminded and was sitting and not very welcome. The bubble tea I got tasted unauthentically sweet compared to the other ones I have tried such as Hulucat and another on Queen St. Feels like they have had turned everything up a notch unnecessarily to fit the mainstream brand of drinks. This is like the Starbucks of the milk/bubble tea world, won't be rushing back anytime soon.

Have been to Chatime a few times now. Used to order the hazelnut pearl milk tea, and it always hit the mark.<br/><br/>However today I ordered the taro pearl milk tea for the first time, and it was horrid. It was not mixed well at all, completely powdery with no absolutely taro flavour. At this price you would expect to get at least a decent milk tea.<br/><br/>The pearls were well cooked though. My friend enjoyed her jasmine milk tea, and we both loved the kumara chips with plum sauce - all crops on the outside and fluffy on the inside. My husband had their fried chicken fillet too and said it was very good.<br/><br/>It is unfortunate that I will have to give this place a low rating since the taro milk tea was such a let down. Hopefully there will be some improvements in the future as I actually really like this place.

I have been there twice, and both times it was such a let down. First time I went there, I had to wait for 30 minutes in the heat to get an ordinary smoothie that doesn't even taste any special. I went back there a few days ago for a change, and well, I shouldn't have given this place any trust after the first visit. I basically wasted my $8 plus my precious time on a horrible-tasting, powdery drink with slimey pearls in it. Just eww. I couldn't believe I had to wait around for like 15 minutes for that piece of garbage and then they couldn't even manage to get the sugar level right so I had to wait for another 5 minutes while they re-make my drink. I honestly don't understand why this place is so popular?? I would just stick to Gong Cha when it comes to bubble teas. Their pearls are way fresher and better-tasting than here.

■ Cheap<br/>■ Huge Selection<br/>■ Options to customize<br/><br/>■ Service can be improved<br/>Their Taiwan Mango QQ is the bomb. Perfect for that tangy and tropical kick on a hot summery day! I tried it with less sugar and less ice and I think it was just the right amount. One of the things I love about them is how you can customize sugar and ice levels in your drinks.<br/><br/>I was having a sudden craving for Tapioca Pearls and thought of just going with the usual Original milk bubble tea as thats my usual but tried one of their Chatime jelly options today instead. Their passionfruit one's also pretty good.<br/><br/>The place itself is preetty small and can get very busy so can expect a queue. The customer service here though is seriously lacking! No greetings, no smiles or welcoming factor and they don't assign the finished orders to the right person at the end & just leave it there so hope this can be improved! The drinks come true pretty fast though which is good.<br/><br/>Soo many options to suit your mood and taste, one of my favorite places for pearls!<br/><br/>

Tried the Iced Taro milk tea there. Could feel the real grain of taro. Tasty even without any sugar. Price is a little bit higher than other competitors.

The taro bubble tea here is reminiscent of  what we've brought in Taiwan. We usually get it as 50% less sugar otherwise it is a bit too sweet. Its a bit more authentic than other places around and the has stingy pieces of sweet taro inside as oppose to being pure liquid. Great to have on a hot day.

Bubble tea is real good and worth the price. Tried the XL fried chicken, wouldn't go back there for it as the spice they put on it tasted real weird lol

Nice Asian place to get ur summer drinks! My favourite is the mango QQ I love it so much doesn't taste artificial or anything, would highly recommend this place

They have a good selection of drinks, however my favourite off their menu is the Fried Chicken..!!! ohmygoodness I can't even... the flavour is one of the most authentic as you can get towards Taiwanese fried chicken breasts. They have a salt/pepper and a spicy option...so yum! Drinks are average a little pricey, at the moment second best, behind Gongcha.

I love the variety of their menu! The fact that you are able to adjust the sweetness of your drink to accommodate for your sweet tooth is extremely admirable. Service is quick, fast and efficient. The drinks are also reasonably priced! However, I would not say that Chatime offers anything exceptionally extraordinary to the bubble tea community; hence, 3.5 :)

I've tried the pearl milk tea and roasted milk tea with grass jelly. They are really tasty coz the tea flavor is very strong than other shops. But to be honest, the service there is not always that good.

Really good bubble tea with wide selection of flavours and the sweetness level. But what's even more special about this place is the deep fried chicken breast!!!!! OMG it's just to die for!

This is hands down my favourite milk tea store! Chatime has a humongous drink selection but I always fall back on my number one choice: original pearl milk tea. For me, it's more about the nostalgia than anything. It tastes exactly like the milk tea I first had and first fell in love with. <br/><br/>Since I don't like sweet things much, Chatime really does it for me as you can choose your preferred level of sweetness and if you're getting a cold drink, the amount of ice. This essentially means you can modify your drink as you like without paying extra! The pearls are sweet so I always get 0% sugar and the entire experience will still have that slight sweetness to me. <br/><br/>They also have food! Fries and XL fried chicken which you can get spicy or normal. The chicken has bones in it so beware! They also have the popular Taiwanese plum seasoning! Give it a try!

Really good bubble teas served here and good service. Sometimes they are quite busy and may take awhile to make your drink. However, they're always worth the wait. Love the fresh milk selection. The XXL chicken is really XXL, it would take two to finish. The flavour is alright but definitely great portion. The shoestring fries are abit too salty. I always choose Chatime over other bubble tea stores in town.

Another classic taiwanese milk tea place, although their milk tea doesn't stand out to me in particular, but their expansion into the snacks market has definitely been successful! They have humongous fried chicken slices and their kumara chips are definitely a must-try! The thick-cut kumara chips were fried crispy outside and sweet and soft on the inside! Tomato sauce, aioli, salt and pepper... you might've thought that you had it all, but Chatime's PLUM powder on kumara chips were definitely irresistible!  Would definitely go back again and again :D

Forget the teas, they are average BUT they do have the best fried chicken and fries in town If you're prepared to wait a little. The staff are usually friendly too, not always.

They may not have the best bubble milk tea but they do have really good chicken! The size of the chicken may seem overwhelming but trust me, you won't even get sick of it

Perfect place to go to on a hot sunny day like today! Got the pearl milk tea and the lychee black mojitea with pudding and both were yummy.<br/><br/>The cool thing about this place is that you can customise your drink to your liking. As this was my first time today, I just stuck to the normal sugar and had the 80% ice. <br/>My pearl milk tea was nice- perfect sweetness. I'm not as keen with the lychee black mojitea as it was fizzy but it was still nice. <br/><br/>A bit gutted that I didn't try their chicken today since I was really full from lunch but I guess that gives me the incentive to come back next time :)

I had tried Chatime overseas and loved it, so was excited to see that it had landed in Auckland as well. I ordered the almond milk tea with pearls and half sugar & ice. I was a little disappointed that the flavour was not very strong, and overall the tea was just a bit bland. Perhaps it was the half sugar that did it, but usually half sugar is a good amount of sweetness. If you do like your milk tea sweet, I'd definitely say go with full sugar. Will try a different flavour next time and see how it goes.

Near the top of Queen St, Chatime is one of our favourite milk tea places. The milk tea here is flavoursome compared to many other places with reasonable prices and fast service.<br/>We ordered a jasmine pearl and roasted grass jelly milk tea. The pearls at Chatime are to die for, they are the best tapioca pearls I've ever had. I will come here just for the pearls. The milk tea wasn't too sweet either like most places but the tea tasted bitter like it had been steeped for too long.

Amongst the new-ish places I'm discovering on Queen St since I have been back after a two-year absence abroad, is Chatime. There are a lot of new bubble tea places around town. Have you noticed? A new one just popped up on Lorne St a few weeks ago. My colleague K has a Chatime pretty much every Friday after lunch. It's her yes-it's-finally-friday celebratory treat to herself. Good for her. I personally wish they had a smaller size than their size small, because I find the smallest size already quite intimidatingly large. These teas are a meal in themselves. So many flavours and so many toppings to choose from - a warm small taro drink with half the pearls and no sugar, please.

I just tried their new flavor: Wintermelon Milk Tea and it was not disappointing. They have other new flavors<br/>that I can't wait to try. They offer a 1$ loyalty card which I bought that gives you point on every purchase, members offers only & a free drink on your birthday!

We've been wanting to come to Chatime on Queen Street for so long because of the XL fried chicken! We made time especially for this chicken yesterday afternoon. <br/><br/>We ordered just the chicken yesterday as we already had drinks but they have deals at Chatime where you can get like $1.50 off the chicken if you buy a drink with your meal? And also another deal with Kumara chips as well. This would be good for the next time I come! <br/><br/>We had to wait around ten minutes for them to make it the chicken, but everyone is given a number and they call out the number when your orders done so that wasn't so bad! It also means the chicken is made fresh!@<br/><br/>The chicken tasted like a big piece of popcorn chicken. We thought the whole thing was a boneless fillet, but it had a few bones in there making it a little difficult to eat! We got the chicken medium spicy and it was very nice! I think we could bump it up to hot spicy next time. It's $8.90 for the XL chicken, so I wouldn't get it ALL the time for this price, but it would definitely be a good snack to get occasionally. <br/><br/>I will be back!

Probably the best bubble tea place in the CBD, compared to Hulu cat and some of the other local joints. Always interesting to try the limited edition and seasonal flavours. Was very busy when they first opened but calmed down quite a bit now.

conveniently located on Queen Street opposite the road from Metro, I have walked past countless times before finally giving in to my cravings. They allow you to choose how much sugar you want in your drink, and whether you want ice or not. So, pretty personalised. The taste is pretty good, and unlike Hulucat, there are choices of medium and large sizes.

Good range with lots of flavours and options. With the central location a good choice if you're craving bubble tea in town, limited seating though so more of a pick up and go.

ChaiTime is the go to place for that bubble tea fix! To my surprise its the most decent bubble tea shop in Auckland CBD with great customer service. Staff help with making orders and suggest things by asking what your preferences are which is rare to see. A+ for effort in customer service. They thoughtfully have a heater outside the shop to keep us customers warm while waiting for our orders in the cold, especially this icy winter season. Please keep it up =)

Always love coming to chatime. Their milk teas have always been good, also having the option to choose cold, warm, hot, as well as how much sugar you want. However they can be heavy handed on their toppings, sometimes filling a third of the cup.<br/><br/>Have loved their new XL fried chicken. It's very tasty, tender and moist, being cooked to order (5min). I recommended hot-spicy, it's not really spicy, more smokey. The meat is fresh, not frozen, with bone in to keep it moist, and also halal. <br/><br/>Definitely come and try the fried chicken, you also get discount on drinks when you purchase the chicken.

Exclusively at Queen St chatime, the XL fried chicken is definetely something to talk about! <br/><br/>They are made fresh to order and they are big in portion . However, at $8.90 a go, i feel this would be more of a novelty eat than a regular <br/><br/>The flavour is zingy - savoury with a bit of peppery spice and a subtle hint of sweetness. Not overly sweet as i prefer my savoury foods to be savoury

I love Chatime in Asia and this one tastes just as well. However, all the staff seems pretty new and on training which makes for a slow service. Sometimes, there's confusion in the way of ordering. But their milk tea is really the best! Wintermelon is a must-try.

Chatime has a variety of delicious drinks that originally came from Asia. The customer service is great however I do wish that the workers would be more enthusiastic and not just be enthusiastic when faced with a customer. Other than that, the drinks are great and the service is great. I would really recommend it to whoever who has not had boba tea before.

The best milk tea in Auckland ( in my opinion) but the service isn't really up to standard. There are days when the workers doesn't even look like they want to be working and on others they are approachable. Other than that, i always go to this place for their Chatime Milk Tea with grass jelly. It taste so good and so does the jelly. This outlet still has a long way to go in regards to their customer service but product-wise ... it's the best.

Chatime might have a good reputation internationally but the service at this outlet seriously need a lot of improvements. Even the staff member standing outside with the tasting samples won't smile at you and if you ask what is it, she won't give you a proper reply, as if we are unwelcome to this place. <br/>Not all drinks can be customised. I ask for no ice in the new sparkling series, and they said they can't do it. So that means not everyone can enjoy their products. <br/>Seriously! ChaTime: improve your service, the server still doesn't smile or show enthusiasm. Makes me feel Am I even welcome?<br/><br/>Cha time in opposite direction is far better than 350 Queen St.

Worst bubble tea ive ever tried in my life. I had to try this place as it became so popular. The staff were rushing every orders and one of them spilled my drink so they remade my drink BUT it was the wrong one. So they made another one again but when i took the drink the cup was sticky and wet plus My drink was... Powdery im pretty sure they didnt mix or whatever, I was drinking liquid/powder. I didnt bother to ask for new one as i waited 25mins. Dont go to this place, popularity made them not care about customers. Im going back to hulucat.

I tried Iced matcha tea latte with pearls and I liked it. I'm a big fan of matcha (green tea) and I think they delivered good taste of green tea here. <br/><br/>The pearls have slightly better taste than other bubble tea shops.

I'm sure everyone's seen the long lines outside cha time and all the hype on facebook<br/><br/>When I finally got to try some I was pleasantly surprised. I could actually taste tea!! Milk tea always tastes like milk and water in NZ but chatime milk tea actually tasted like milk TEA. <br/><br/>The pearls tastes the same as everywhere else though.

Good old authentic Taiwanese milk tea catered to the international market unlike those other  wannabes in Town except Hulucat and Quickly. A++++++

One of the better bubble tea places has now hit Auckland! My go-to was usually Hulucat as there weren't too many options in Auckland CBD. This is a great place if you're looking to grab a quick drink and wanting to feel 'healthy' haha (compared to a those bottles of coke =p) Remember to get less ice so you get more tea/juice ?

RAWR! Long time no review, so here we go since I finally got a proper day off :)<br/><br/>Damn... Who hasn't seen the post on Facebook about Chatime opening here in NZ? I was wanting to get a drink since my last one back in Sydney in November 2014. Such a big hype for this place haha. Personally, its the same to me to any other stores in Auckland, still prefer milk tea back in Asia :) <br/><br/>Anyways, first experience in NZ - OMG, that line was incredibly long!!!!! But, just to be jew and I had free time, I took advantage of their opening special of buy one and get one free milktea :3 huehuehue. Just like all the other milk tea stores I go to, you can modify the sugar level and if you want ice or not and so on. <br/><br/>Good to see a more international milk tea store here. Prefer this over Easy Way any day xD

I can still vividly remember the reaction of my fiancé the moment he saw that Chatime was opening in Queen Street. We were walking back to Britomart from Ramen Do in Symonds Street, I asked him whether he wanted churros for dessert, but I heard no reply. When I looked at him he sort of looked like this -> 8D. <br/><br/>Then came the countless taps on Chatime's Facebook wall checking when they would open. <br/><br/>We were expecting long lines during opening week knowing that they are a pretty well known brand overseas. My fiancé was a bit disappointed though because they didn't have Wintermelon milk tea on their menu, he is such a wintermelon loyalist. (We know they have this in their Manila and Melbourne branches so we we're hoping they'd have it here too.) I asked him to order the Oolong milk tea with pearls (large, $6.50) while I got the free Pearl milk tea. <br/><br/>What I love about Chatime is that you get sugar and ice options, which essentially allows you to modify your drink for free. We just got the normal sugar and ice levels the two times we went, I'll probably increase the sugar level of mine next time. I think my tastebuds have adjusted to the rather sweet milk tea from other local bubble tea restaurants here. <br/><br/>If you're new to Chatime and can't decide on which to order I'd say start with their Pearl Milk Tea or Roasted Milk Tea. The Mousse line is yum as well, go with the Chocolate Mousse if you're not in the mood for tea otherwise go with the Black or Oolong Tea Mousse.

<br/>Being excited over the reviews of Chatime in Queen Street, I had to go and check it out myself. There was a long line despite the fact that buy 1 get one free promotion has ended as of yesterday. Assumably because of the free upgrade to large promotion that runs until 3rd of March.<br/><br/>We ordered Taro Milk Tea with free size upgrade ($6) and Jasmin Green Milk Tea with pearls ($5.5). Jasmin Green Milk Tea has a nice fragrant taste and the pearls were cooked just the way I like it - nothing hard in the center nor too mushy.<br/><br/>Taro Milk Tea was the interesting one. At first sip I thought that the powder was not mixed well enough, only to find out that wasn't the case as I took more sips. It is thick, and you can feel the ground soft taro all over your tongue. Not the typical taro milk tea we're used to having, I know. Being a little taken back and confused, I took the drink back to the counter and asked why this is, and the staff kindly explained that it is because they use shaved taro whereas other places use powder. After hearing that, a taro milk tea has never tasted so healthy. Mind you, it is very fulfilling so I couldn't even finish the whole thing.<br/><br/>It is only the opening period for them and considering that there was a long queue, a 25 minute wait wasn't all too bad.<br/><br/>I love the fact that they have a sweetness option and they are not that sweet to start off with anyway. I might go back and try their brewed tea selection of milk tea next time.<br/>

There was a huge line so had to wait for a while but quite worth it with the buy one get one free promotion and understandable as it has just opened! The QQ jelly was amazing and love the cheap price with the topping already included in the drink. Unfortunately no seating area!! But will definitely go back again!

So glad I got in before the Buy 1 Free 1 promotion - crazy long queues outside Chatime today! :D<br/><br/>When I went last Saturday, before the insane queues started, it still took about 20 minutes to get my order – but damn, it was worth every minute of the wait. My roasted milk tea with pearls ($5.50) was amazing, transporting me back to the first time I fell in love with Chatime in Malaysia, all those years ago. It has a subtle but distinct ‘roasted’ taste, quite different from your usual pearl milk tea. I ordered mine with 80% sugar and less ice, but they aren’t excessively sweet in general (unlike a few other bubble tea places in the city that shall go unnamed) so you can go normal sugar if you have a sweet tooth.<br/><br/>Their menu is full of other flavours, but I’ve never been able to go past the roasted milk tea, so I can’t comment on them. Some of my friends are crazy about their passionfruit QQ, strawberry au lait, and matcha red bean milk tea, though. Definitely get the pearls as an additional topping – they make the perfect pearls, chewy and springy but with a sufficiently soft centre. Their regular sizes are cheaper than Hulucat’s, but smaller, which was perfect for me as I can’t finish the giant sizes anyway. If you like, you can have a large for $1 extra.<br/><br/>Probably the only downside in my opinion is that the Queen Street branch is takeaway only, so there’s nowhere for you to sit down and sip your drinks (I took mine home, which is why you can see a study lamp in the background of my drink :P). There’s another outlet opening soon in St Lukes apparently, though I’m not sure if that one has seating either.

Really long queue today since there was a Buy one get one free deal, BUT it was worth the wait. Pearl Milk Tea is the best drink ever, so cool and refreshing!