At The Alley in South Oahu, they make it their mission to serve up artisan tea made with artistic flair from open until close. All their drinks are as beautiful as they are tasty, giving you the full handcrafted tea experience at every visit. While they specialize in their brown sugar boba drinks, they have a huge menu full of inventive tea creations.
All the drinks at The Alley start with a tea base, like their premium oolong sweet tea, earl gray tea, blueberry black milk tea, and jasmine green tea. Since there’s definitely a little something for everyone, you have to take your time and pour through the menu to find what speaks to you most. You’ll have plenty of time to do that, however, since the line is always meandering out the door. The team does work quickly, but it’s still quite a wait when you have at least a dozen people ahead of you.
To avoid the long line, you just have to put in your order online before you arrive. With that move, you can also take as much time as you want to look over The Alley’s menu. They will text you when your drink is ready, and then you just have to walk up and get it from the front counter. Whether you order online or in person, you can adjust the drink to how you like it best.
Want oat or soy milk instead of cow’s milk? They can do that. They’re even happy to adjust the ice level and overall sweetness to your liking, so you get a perfect drink every time. If you’d like to go all out, you can add brown sugar boba, crème brulee, coconut jelly, konjac jelly, crystal boba, snow velvet, sweet cream, or green tea jelly to the top for an extra charge.
Must-try menu items at The Alley include:
Brown Sugar Deerioca Milk
Arguably the most popular drink at The Alley, the Brown Sugar Deerioca keeps it simple so the bold boba tea flavors can shine through. They create this drink by pouring in their signature brown sugar boba in a regular or large cup. Over that, they pour in your choice of milk before topping it all with their housemade sweet sea salt cream.
Snow Strawberry Lulu
For a light, refreshing blast of fruity decadence, the Snow Strawberry Lulu is your drink of choice. To build this drink, The Alley blends their premium peach oolong tea with fresh strawberries. Then, they pour it into your regular or large cup and add their cheese foam, which is made using milk and cream cheese.
Passionfruit Green Tea
When you order the Passionfruit Green Tea at The Alley, you just know you’re in for a treat. They create this drink in regular and large sizes by mixing jasmine green tea with a delicious passionfruit puree. Then, before pouring it in, they add their boba to the bottom. Coconut jelly goes over the top to finish it all off right.
If you’re feeling a bit snacky during your visit, you can get a couple of treats to go. The Alley carries Irvins Salted Egg potato chips, cassava chips, salmon skins, and crunchy rolls in several flavors. Want something a little sweeter? You cannot go wrong with their Lemon Cake, Cinnamon Roll Cake, Marble Cake, and Banana Nut Cake. Available in two- and three-packs, their ultra-cute Pineapple Cakes are a clear winner, especially if you love sweet and tart flavors.
Insider Tips:
-Are you a superfan of their deerioca? If so, don’t forget to treat yourself to The Alley’s adorable Deerioca Plushie during your visit. They have tumblers, too, if you’d like even more branded swag to carry on your travels.
-If you prefer to keep it sugar-free, your only real choice is their original brew tea without any sugar added.
-They are a cash-free establishment, so plan to pay by card.
-You can wait outside of The Alley for your drink if you want. They’ll let you know it’s ready by calling your number over the loudspeaker.