Bee & Tea (CLOSED)

Like its fellow newcomer Kung Fu, Wicker Park’s Bee & Tea embraces a design-your-own ethos, putting customers in control of everything from tea type and temperature to sweetness level, flavorings (there are 24 in all, from expected options like mango to something puzzlingly called “heat”), and add-ins (choose from 15, like sweet honey boba or coffee-flavored jelly). Despite (or perhaps because of) all these options, the menu here is easy to navigate, and feels aimed at the masses rather than bubble tea buffs (not surprising, since Bee & Tea mastermind Mandy Calara, who happens to own the Forever Yogurt chain, has plans to set up outlets across Chicagoland). Some of the syrup-based flavorings, like the cherry and almond, can taste a little fake, and we had much better luck with a mango-flavored green tea combined with lychee popping boba, little orbs of tart juice that burst pleasingly between your teeth.