Argo Tea

I really really like this place! I wish there were more in Texas, but alas. You’ll find these tea shops sprinkled throughout Chicago frequently and they have delicious tea. I got the Carolina Honey which had a lot of honey to soothe your throat and was perfect for a chilly day. I recommend getting the larger/​largest sizes since I drink tea quicker than I drink coffee and it has less caffeine. I finished my small almost immediately and wished I had ordered a larger size. All of their options seem great and most drinks come in hot or cold versions.
It seems like Argo Tea is the Starbucks for tea drinkers in Chicago.

Great little tea shop. The staff was very friendly. Lots of varieties of teas. You can order what’s on the menu or design your own tea drink, hot or cold. Perfect for a blustery cold day!

When Argo first opened we made a tickets reservations with the stop in Chicago, so we could have their delicious sandwiches and other things. With time it’s getting worse and worse. Now there is nothing on the menu, that we would want to order, even when very hungry.

Yum! I like tea more than coffee!
Tried red tea here and wasn’t familiar with it. I like that I got to taste a sip, first. You can choose hot or cold (I did the cold, unsweetened).
Probably too pricey to get often, but once and awhile a nice treat. Lots of people were getting the bubble tea (which the gel stuff was square instead of circles — don’t know the story behind it, though!).

Just ordered an Irish Cream Latte which tastes like warm soy. Very disappointing.

Fantastic tea and great Barista Who had great recommendations on which specialty teas to get for this evening in the Willis Tower.

Located inside the Willis Tower on the Wacker side of the building. The manager and all of the staff are super friendly and check to see how you like your drink. It gets busy on and off throughout the day, but the service is fast.

In my quest to avoid over-​caffeinating myself on a daily basis, I happened upon this Argo Tea location inside the Sears Tower. I walked over to the kiosk that’s placed rather awkwardly in the corner of the main entrance, as a depressed employee slumped over the counter with her hands holding her face up watched me approach.
«What can I get you?» she offered, before I had the chance to look at the menu. I quickly decided on some foofy earl grey signature tea.
«A who?» she questioned, staring blankly at me as if I were trying to order in Greek. I pointed at the menu and repeated my order.
«Oh, ok, that’ll be $ 4.50». I paid and quickly stepped away from the register to avoid further contact. She had already re-​entered her zombielike trance by this point. I imagine the overwhelming amount of impatient, poorly tipping businesspeople that frequent this location must have this effect on people.
The drink was ok though.

xoxo to this lil piece of heaven.
Besides the stellar baristas and baristers this place is down for some good a$$ coffee in the AM and I’m not re-​balancing my funds afterwards like at some other coffee shops around!
This adorbs corner in the lobby of the Willis tower is virtually uncharted for folks who dont work in the building but hot d@mn it’s worth coming just for the views. And of course the iced almond milk mochas… YUM!

This location is so convenient for me. Very close to work. It’s good for grab and go. There are about 7 tables around the window if you want to sit and chill. It’s not a quiet place, because the AC/​Heat system is a little bit loud, so if you are seeking a quiet place this is not the best place to be. But the staffs here are very helpful and very great. They helped me to choose which drink I wanted. And it was great! Try the teappaccino with green tea and passion fruit /​vanilla flavor.

In a super tourist area, can get super busy during lunch hours.
Didn’t try their tea, but their coffee was definitely A-​OK.
It’s almost like knock-​off version of Starbucks, except serving mostly tea.

Argo Tea helps break lose the stereotypes that tea drinkers are either old and always looking for a hot beverage to keep warm in the 80 degree summer or are high-​strung and in need of a major chill pill to take along with their teas. Here, the teas are offered in flavors such as Red Velvet, Chocolate Mint, and Mojitea. And unlike Starbucks, you don’t need to wait until the holidays to have your drink served in a decorative to-​go cup.
I was even more impressed with the staff on how they took time to explain about the different teas, offered samples, and helped me choose one I liked. I finally decided on the Fruit Sangria and asked for it to be given at a cooler temperature in efforts to not melt away my Invisalign. They were more than accommodating with my request and even let me sample it before serving to make sure it was to my satisfaction. The tea was a perfect balance between fruity and sweet, without having added any sweeteners.
I realize this is quite a lengthy review for a cup of tea from a chain store kiosk, but it is well-​deserved!

LOVE this chain.
Please, please, please open one up in Los Angeles !! I miss you already !

Haven’t had this good a cup of Earl Grey Crème in a while. Environment is cozy, wi-​fi is free, staff is friendly… all-​in-​all a nice place to warm up after wandering around the city with camera in hand at dusk for an hour or so.
Also conveniently located half a block from my dinner appointment! (Disclaimer: This may or may not hold true for readers of this review)

Seriously, this place is freakin awesome. The overall ambiance of the place was very fun & inviting.
The staff… so knowledgeable and upbeat. I had a blast with them. They we’re handing out samples and when I couldn’t figure out what I wanted I was offered various different kinds of teas to try out till I found my favorite. It was a black tea… which had light notes of fruit.
They added some cane liquid to make it a tad sweeter for me. I sat and relaxed and sipped my tea while enjoying their free wi-​fi.
I decided to browse around and look at the items they had for sale. I remember I had some loose tea at home that had been sitting there for a while. I was going to buy some tea bags for individual cups that you could use your loose tea with. I asked the man (who helped me before… gotta get his name next time) what he thought of them and if he had anything he could recommend.
He walked me through everything and then I stumbled upon this green iron pot that has a strainer in it. It is freakin adorable! I got it for my husband (& for me of course… shhh don’t tell him) and it works great. It was only $ 34.95. Pretty cheap compared to a lot of other places!
I highly recommend this spot. They have every kind of tea, hot or cold, creamy or plain. They will work with your taste buds. Can’t wait to go back!

2 words: bubble tea

This place is for Tea, what Starbucks is for Coffee!
It’s a nice place, they have all the tea related paraphernalia that you would need (strainers, bags, loose tea, etc…) and they can also whip you up a cup of tea unlike none you’ve ever had.

I haven’t had good experiences with argo tea before, but I gave this location a try. and was pleased. I really enjoy the black tea. I guess I’ve been craving it ever since having milk tea in chinatown. I can now get my bubble tea fix without having to trek to chinatown!
One thing that I wasn’t mentally prepared for… I was confused when I ordered a bubble tea and got a drink with what looked like cubed jelly at the bottom. At first I thought they must have run out again and used a substitute.
However, that’s intentional. They use coco de nata (coconut jelly) as their «bubbles» or «pearls.» It tastes good as they still are doused in sugar syrup like regular tapioca. They have an interesting texture that I would describe like so… it feels like regular jelly but it kind of feels like it pops in your mouth then deflates to what feels like paper pulp in your mouth that doesn’t dissolve. That being said, I don’t mind it.

I can’t comment on the tea here because I’ve yet to have it, but I am currently obsessed with the Chai Curry Chicken Teapot. I ate it two days in a row (a rarity for me) and it is my new goal in life to recreate it at home.
I needed lunch one afternoon and decided I want to try something new. I’ve heard good things about the food at Argo Tea so after checking out the website I headed across the street to the Sear’s Tower.
My only minor complaint was the cashier and staff on my first visit. The cashier was nice enough, but definitely gave an «I don’t really want to be here vibe.» She also didn’t heat up my food. (The food still tasted excellent so I just assumed it was supposed to be a cold dish.) The cashier and staff on my next visit were much happier, friendlier, and helpful. The girl behind the register offered me samples (The chocolate chip cookie was SO good.) and told me it would take about 90 seconds to heat up my lunch — which of course threw me for a loop since there was no such offer the day before. While my food was being heated, I browsed their wall of loose teas when another staff member came over and asked if I had any questions or needed any assistance. He wasn’t pushy or over eager to help me — just friendly.
I foresee many return visits on days I need a quick lunch, and maybe one day I’ll actually try their tea too!

I stopped here after visiting the Sear’s Tower Sky deck. It’s located in the atrium of he building (which is called the Willis Tower now). I stopped in to grab a chai tea for the walk back to my hotel. The people working there were really friendly and the chai was awesome.
They had a bunch of food that looked really good too, but I didn’t get a chance to try it. Love the tv screen that scrolls through all of the choices and prices, with pictures. Really easy to choose what you want that way. Totally wish I had tried the seasonal pumpkin chai though, but I didn’t notice it until after I had ordered.
Next time I’m in Chicago I will definitely be stopping by one of these shops!