Carina Tea & Waffles

Great bubble tea and loose leaf tea, but if you go at night they will almost always be out of your fav ingredients (tapioca bubbles, lychee jelly, mango pudding).
The cashiers themselves are very nice, managers not so much. One manager sat on her phone the entire time I was there (~2 hours) and whenever customers had questions the other employee would go to ask and she would basically bark at him, very unprofessional, and I’m not sure why she still has a job there.
The waffles are cute, but not worth it. Spend the extra $ 1-​$ 2 on a specialty bubble tea, it’ll be worth it.

The food is decent, but pretty overpriced for the portion size. The green tea ice cream, strawberry and waffle combo was on point, but unfortunately was not worth the money we paid. Also, the texture of the waffle itself is a bit different from what I was hoping (a caramelized hard exterior and soft, fluffy interior).

The place was pretty empty when my friend and I went there, but it was also during UPenn’s finals period, so that made sense. We got the waffle sundae with green tea ice cream, since they were out of red bean when we were there. I think the waffles are a bit expensive (for their size), but they are really good! The waffle itself was dense and a bit chewy, unlike other waffles I’ve had in the past, which was a good change. You could also pick between different toppings, such as honey, caramel, etc. We opted for everything, though I think only honey would have paired with the waffle the best. The server was also very friendly, a definite plus in my book!

I went back to Carina’s a couple times the past few months, and I was sadly disappointed each time. Service has gone down A LOT. It’s like the workers don’t even want to be there and taking your order is a chore. The drinks are a lot sweeter than before, even when I asked for less sugar. They also run out of essential ingredients all the time. Sometimes I also feel like the waffles are under-​cooked. Won’t be returning back for awhile.

I love bubble tea and I love waffles, so I initially thought that it would be so great to have this combination nearby Penn’s campus, but I’ve found that I rarely visit it for a number of occasions. For one thing, it’s pretty overpriced, particularly the waffles! They’re a kind of specialty — tasty and cute (perfect for getting those hearts on instagram), but they’re really small and not worth the money. Secondly, they often seem to run out of ingredients (for both their bubble tea and desserts)! And finally, I would say you can get much better bubble tea in Chinatown.
However, it has its upsides! It’s nested in a Penn building next to a large outdoor patio so it makes for a great meet up location for tea and waffles on sunny warm days. Also, since it is within a school building, you can find tables in common areas inside if you prefer to study or something as well. So, I wouldn’t rule it out completely quite yet, especially since it’s the only place specifically for bubble tea in the UC area (although you can find it at some Asian restaurants around)!

I’m sad cause they never have the things I want and they’re constantly running out of things.
Like all the time.
Like do they even stock the mango pudding at all?
Ever?
It’s a little expensive for the size of drinks, but when they come they’re pretty good and they have quite a variety of stuff on their menu (when they stock it).
I still can’t get over the fact that they are constantly not in stock for vital things on their menu.
However, they do make their tea from teabags with loose leaf tea which is very admirable.

Carina is a place of tremendous unrealized potential. With some improvements it can become a true hotspot in the neighborhood, but right now it simply isn’t up to snuff quite yet.
I’ll start with the positives. The location is convenient and cozy, with a variety of seating where you could just as likely bring your laptop and do homework or kick back have some tea with friends. I also love the variety of the kinds of teas they offer, including a sampling station by the cashier.
However, most people come to Carina looking for bubble tea/​boba, and Carina’s just isn’t all that good. If you’re going to be a bubble tea place, you can’t mess up the simplest and most popular item on the menu. Further, the service is pretty unreliable. Wait times can stretch pretty long, especially when they are busy, and close to a third of my orders have turned out wrong one way or another.
I have my hopes that Carina will get its act together, but don’t hold your breath. In the meantime, visit Chattime or stick to Chinatown.

I love bubble tea and I love waffles. However, I do not love Carina Tea & Waffles.
They often run out of ingredients, though the service usually tells you this fairly abruptly and rudely. Also, I find that the tapioca pearls lack sweetness and are always stuck together, making it impossible to drink from. The waffles are good, but not great nor worth the price. I found them to be very small and nothing that was too out of the ordinary.

ONE LINER — Carina is forgettable in the breakfast arena as the waffles are over-​priced for a product that is not stellar enough for the price tag. The hot tea latte is worth a visit.
AMBIENCE — Clean and simple. No interesting/​pretty wall art or table centerpieces (except for one vase of red tulips at the counter) so it doesn’t quite have that cozy café atmosphere that would encourage me to be come in and hang or do work while sipping tea. The chairs and wood benches are hard (obviously) and could use sitting pillows to add comfort. The counter girls were chatting audibly about their boy dramas. It didn’t bother me, but I can see how it can annoy others.
TASTE — I had the banana peanut butter waffle which was perfectly cooked, bananas were fresh and not brown, and the peanut butter was the usual. Nothing about the flavor excited my mouth. The Jasmine milk tea latte was more memorable for my taste buds. Can taste the Jasmine green tea used, perfectly sweetened, and warms me up nicely.
VALUE — the price of 5.50 for what looks like a ¼ of a Belgian waffle, a smear of peanut butter, and slices of a banana is horrible. That price alone would keep me away from Carina and hence 3 stars. The milk tea latte is reasonably priced at 3.50 for what seems to be a 10oz cup (no markings on the cup). I would come back for the milk tea lattes.
CUSTOMER SERVICE — The counter girls were friendly. The chatter volume could be taken down to be more professional or at least not talk about lover drama at an open space at work. The 2 counter girls could have taken turns to eat their lunch so one could cover the counter. It kind of grosses me out to see them eat and then serve a customer that walked in. As I’m writing this, I’m not sure they washed their hands before serving the customer. I’ll have to pay more attention if I ever come back for a hot tea latte. One of the counter girls also told a customer that she couldn’t eat her froyo in the café because it was «outside food» and that she could eat it on the red couches outside of the café perimeter which the other counter girl and her friend are sitting on by the way. I think it is silly to say such a thing to the customer considering she just made a purchase at the café which entitles her to sit and eat in the café.

Went here for the boba and it was the worst. I got the Thai tea bubble tea and you can tell it came straight from a powder mix. Even when you get Thai tea powder and make it yourself from the grocery store, it still doesn’t taste this watery/​diluted. The pearls weren’t chewy and sort of just clumped together to the point that it even clogged the straw.
The service was interesting. The lady seemed pretty irritable and even rolled her eyes when my friend ordered next the same order I did.
The place did smell good of waffles and hopefully I’ll update this review upon trying those sometime in the future.

I have recently started going through a fascination with doing homework and readings at coffee shops, so I had an urging to try get some tea and stay a few hours to get my history reading done, since it’s right by campus.
I love all of their real looseleaf tea, that they make with bubbles or as a normal drink! I usually enjoy making my own looseleaf tea at home though and prefer the sugary/​fake teas when I’m at a coffeeshop, and I thought the lavender milk bubble tea was VERY VERY good in terms of tea flavor but seriously lacking in that satisfying sweet way that typical Chinatown teas are. There was too much ice in my glass, and while I enjoyed the texture of the bubbles, the drink itself seemed watered down.
I LOVE their waffles!!! Perfectly soft and chewy, they are a guilty pleasure – especially with ice cream on top! Definitely try a liege waffle for 10% off if you check in here.
The biggest reason I’m docking 2 stars is the customer service. One of the ladies who works here is always extremely rude and downright unprofessional, as I always see her come back from a break with half a cigarette left and also answers my questions extremely abruptly. Carina’s also seems to run out of ingredients rapidly, especially strawberries, and that information is communicated to me by that cashier rudely all the time (I would feel better if she were nicer saying it…)

I came here almost a year ago when it first opened for it’s bubble tea, mostly because there weren’t that many options in University City. I remember it wasn’t bad, but also not great.
Having just moved back to Philadelphia after almost 9 months away, I decided to come here again for an afternoon snack — milk tea and waffles. The tea was mediocre, the bubbles extremely tough and un-​chewy, and the waffles were nothing special.
What gives this place 2 stars it the horrible service. Maybe it’s just that one waitress /​cashier /​drink maker. My friend and I ordered the same drink, but with varying degrees of ice and sugar. I think to save time, she made them together, thus they turned out the same. When we asked which one was which, she said, oh they’re both the same. Lovely. Now mine is too sugary and too cold.
When we paid, they use something like square to accept credit cards. I’m pretty sure she said something along the lines of «next page is tip, tip and then sign». Who outright asks for tip like that? I didn’t. especially since I was going to take it away, and received no service. I thought I heard wrong, but she repeated the same thing for my friend.

It has taken multiple experiences for me to write this review, as I always attempt to confirm if awful, rude service is a single instance or a reoccurring experience.
Despite Carina’s consistently being under supplied, (how do you seriously run out boba and matcha every single visit?), the service has been particularly bad in my history with this business.
Although we’ve seen multiple employees being rude and openly cursing the equipment in lieu of their lack of training, the employee named Joy is perhaps the rudest and snobbiest worker I have ever had the displeasure of encountering in food business.
On every occasion we would enter Carina’s when Joy was working, she would leap off the couch in the back of the International House (which isn’t even a part of the café) as we had interrupted her texting and lounging on the job, and rudely mention that they were out of something before even greeting us.
In one instance we asked what was available in place of the missing item to which she rolled her eyes and pointed to the menu without muttering a word. We were very insulted by this gesture as it implied that we couldn’t see the menu and that it wasn’t her JOB to know what was on it.
Because of this particular employee and general lack of damage control, I have had it with this establishment and will no longer return or suggest it to anybody. You won’t need our business to run out of supplies anyway.

The first time I visited Carina, I left raving about it to my friends because I had a delicious taro milk tea drink with REAL diced taro. This time, however, I discovered that this drink is no longer available. Wanting to give Carina’s other items a chance, I decided to try the hot taro milk tea with boba and the nutella waffle. The boba was flavorless and overcooked. Even worse, the waffle was undercooked to the point of still being gooey inside.
Carina, if you’re going to be so expensive, please improve your quality!

So I’m not a bubble tea expert, but to my tastebuds, each one I’ve had so far has been wonderful. They are sorta pricey, but it’s good to know that they can adjust your sugar levels. I love the coconut milk and aloe vera chunks.
Their waffles are a sugar overload sometimes, especially if you get the ones with the brownie waffle. But with the warmth of the waffle and the contrasting ice cream, it hits the spot.
Great thing about the place is that it has enough tables to study at for a little bit, and opens into the International House atrium. Also, there’s jenga and other games sometimes.
Oh yeah, if you check in with Unilocal,you get 10%. Every. Single. Time. And there’s a punch card. Say whattt.

Love everything about Carina’s! From the delicious chewy Belgian waffles to the perfectly made iced teas and boba, Carina’s satisfies cravings that no other establishment on Penn campus could. Seriously though, the Honey Green Tea Matcha waffle is a strangely satisfying combination. Keep it up, guys!
One word of warning, if there’s a considerable line, come back later. They only have 2 waffle makers, I think, and the waffles do take awhile to make. Your wait could end up being considerably longer than your estimate!

WALKED right past this café since we didn’t expect to find it INSIDE the international housing building!
unique selection of teas to choose from PLUS you can customize your sugar levels
—lavender milk tea: a bit herby. took some getting used to but now i’m hooked on lavender flavored drinks! went SO well with the refreshing aloe which i now order at all other tea shops thanks to Carina!
waffles smelled SO good but we just came for drinks!
lots of tables & some couch seating towards the back

I’ve been coming here since it’s «soft» grand opening and found it to be a convenient location for bubble tea near campus, but nothing really more than that. The tea tastes fine — it’s made from powder, so you can’t really go terribly wrong with it. Though, it is nice that you can control the sugar level.
I would stray away from the waffles. One of the waffles that my friend ordered was seriously burnt, and the pricing is ridiculous considering the tiny sized waffle that they give out. Definitely don’t want to pay over $ 7 for a waffle the size of my fist.
Though the service has gotten faster and more efficient compared to when Carina’s first opened, the staff still does get a bit frazzled when there are a lot of customers. There have been lots of promotions recently (such as happy hours) during which the small shop gets SUPER crowded, and the staff tends to get pretty irritable…
Overall, a solid bubble tea place that filled the boba void in University City. If you do have the chance, the places in Chinatown are much better.

Carina Tea & Waffles is a hidden treasure within University City! My friends and I stopped by one evening after dinner since we were looking a sweet dessert place. Unilocal guided us here!
I tried the Honey Matcha Waffles and my friend tried the Red Bean Waffles.
The Honey Matcha Waffles were delicious! As a super fan of anything matcha or green tea, I instantly knew I’d order this once I saw it on the menu. Initially, I wasn’t too big on the honey flavor on the waffles, but realized it really complemented the whole dessert. There were cookie crumbles, strawberry slices, whipped cream, drizzled honey, and a scoop of matcha ice cream atop the waffle. It was a decent amount and ended up being a little less than 8 bucks. Although I wish I had an extra scoop of ice cream, everything was great!
My friend’s Red Bean (or Tropical Red Bean???) Waffles were apparently delicious to her, too. However, she took out the pineapple and possibly replaced it with the chocolate syrup. She said the Nutella and chocolate syrup were a bit too overwhelmingly sweet, but all in all, she loved her waffles, too!
We’ll definitely be back to try out more waffles and the drinks! We didn’t order any bubble teas due to her doubts on American joints making bubble tea. It’s always been places in Chinatown that we’ve relied on for that, but we’ll be sure to give it a try next time!
The location is a little difficult to locate. It’s inside the International House. Just enter, make a left up the stairs and it will be toward your left on that hallway. However, they have their own entrance if you search for the outdoor seating and look out for the sign that says «Carina Tea & Waffles». Hope this review helps!

LOVE LOVE LOVE
This is the BEST bubble tea I’ve had in Philly! Even better than what I’ve had in Chinatown *_​_​*
A friend and I came across the soft opening of Carina by chance – the café is located within the massive structure that is International House, but it’s near the front and very visible, so it’s not hard to find. The interior was bright and classy, with ample area for seating. Ordering is fairly straightforward, and the line at the counter wasn’t too long (once Carina opens for real though, I anticipate looong lines though!). The menu is PACKED with really cool bubble tea flavors /​combos, and equally tantalizing waffle+ice cream flavor combos. I ended up ordering a Cold Lavender Bubble Tea, and my friend ordered a Cold Original Bubble Tea with Strawberry Popping Bubbles. We got a Waffle with Nutella and Matcha Green Tea Ice Cream to split.
We waited about 10 minutes total for all of our items to come out – and everything was INCREDIBLE. My Lavender Bubble Tea was so very… lavendery. Like, the flavor was really a standout and the bubbles were perfectly cooked. It was phenomenal. My friend’s bubble tea was also awesome, with the strawberry popping bubbles being a fantastic standout (I can’t wait to go back and try the mango popping bubbles!!) The waffle was a bit small for the price we paid, but was AMAZING in terms of flavor and texture. I had no idea that nutella and green tea ice cream would go together (my friend’s decision, not mine…) but it was mind-​blowingly good, especially on top of the crunchy-​yet-​soft-​on-​the-​inside waffle.
Definitely check out Carina!!! It’s a new gem on Penn’s campus with lovely people, lovely food, and a lovely interior. I’m looking forward to becoming a regular there in the few months I have left in Philadelphia.