Last weekend, I had the pleasure of trying out Teamoji, a bubble tea store located on Green Street in Campustown. This casual dining spot has so much more than just bubble tea, and it is my pleasure to share my experience there with the readers of Smile Politely.
Teamoji offers a variety of menu items ranging from dessert to savory items, plus delicious refreshing caffeinated and non-caffeinated drinks. The cute, trendy dining space offers a perfect spot for a picturesque experience and adorable social media snaps.
I placed an order on one of the many self-service ordering kiosks. All menu items have a picture, so even if you are someone who is not familiar with the cuisine, you can still be aware and knowledgeable of all the options. Teamoji offers both hot and iced milk tea drinks, which are drinks that are a creamy and dreamy combination of — you guessed it — milk and tea! If you are looking for something more refreshing they additionally have refreshing iced fruit-flavored drinks.
When ordering at the kiosk, it asks about ice level (no ice, light ice, regular ice, or extra ice) for all drinks, and there’s a choice for sweetness level (100%, 75%, 50%, 25%, or no extra sugar added). At boba shops, it is a popular choice to add a topping because it adds bite and texture, making it both a refreshing and sensory experience. At Teamoji, each topping is an extra charge of $0.95. These toppings are mousse, boba, lychee jelly, mango jelly, crystal popping toba, and taro balls.
For my visit, I decided to try both an iced milk tea and an iced fruit-flavored drink.
I ordered the large honeydew milk tea, at 100% sugar level, with no ice, and the crystal boba topping ($8.20). The crystal boba topping offered a cane sugar taste with a chewy and smooth texture. The tea itself was creamy and had a strong melon flavor that I heavily enjoyed. The milk teas are caffeinated beverages, so it’s a great alternative to a morning cup of coffee.
For the fruit drink, I ordered a medium passion fruit mojito at 100% sugar with light ice and no added toppings ($5.75). This drink was a non-alcoholic twist on a mojito (an alcoholic drink traditionally made with rum, mint, lime, and soda water). The drink was incredibly sweet, slightly tangy, and had seeds floating around in it that were crunchy and easy to eat.
At Teamoji, they offer mochi donuts, which are chewy yet fluffy donuts. The key ingredient is mochi (that makes it different from donuts you may be used to); mochi is rice that has been pounded into a paste that is used in various desserts in Japanese cuisine. Mochi donuts were popularized in Japan but have gained popularity in South Korea. These mochi donuts was light, chewy, and not too sweet.
Individual donuts are $3.25 each, but there are value packs available as well, priced at $12 for four donuts, or a 6-pack for $18. I decided to go with the four-pack ($12) so I could try a variety of flavors. I selected the flavors of strawberry, ube (purple yam that originated from the Philippines), coconut, and Nutella. For the donuts, they were all plain mochi donuts as the base, and the flavor qas part of the toppings and icing. All the mochi donuts were incredibly delicious and aesthetically pleasing.
The strawberry mochi donut had bright pink icing and strawberry shortcake crumbles. This flavor reminded me of strawberry shortcake ice cream, due to the delicious crumbles on top! The ube-flavored mochi donut had purple icing and a heavenly sweet vanilla flavor with a nutty undertone. I highly suggest this one if you are a fan of unique sweet flavors. The coconut had vanilla icing with coconut shavings, caramel drizzle, and chocolate drizzle. It reminded me of Girl Scout Samoa cookies, so if you are a fan of those, you will absolutely adore the coconut donut. The Nutella donut had a rich chocolate flavor, but I personally would’ve loved for a stronger hazelnut flavor in the frosting. However, it was still delectable, and I suggest it to all the rich chocolate lovers out there.
For the savory portion of my meal, I decided to order a Jongro hot dog (Korean corn dog). These delicious crispy treats were fried fresh and served hot. Crispier then American counterparts, these have a variety of different fillings. The batter itself was less sweet than the batter American corn dogs are fried in, and traditionally to add that extra bit of sweetness, Korean corn dogs are often dusted in a light layer of sugar.
At Teamoji, there are many different ways to customize Jongro corn dogs: original batter or fried with a choice a topping in the batter such as crispy ramen noodles, potato, or sweet potato. For fillings, choose just mozzarella, beef, half mozzarella/half beef, or beef and cheddar. The wide variety allows this yummy treat to be customized to your specific needs — for example, if you are a vegetarian or dairy free.
I chose the potato Korean corn dog ($7.25). The mini potato cubes on the outside of the corn dog added a delicious French fry taste. For the filling, I chose half beef and half mozzarella. The top half of the corn dog was filled with mozzarella that I’m still dreaming about because the cheese pull was unreal! The bottom half of the corn dog had a savory beef hot dog that tasted similar to the hot dog filling for American corn dogs.
There were a variety of sauces at a self service station: yellow mustard, ketchup, honey mustard, and a Korean sauce called boom boom sauce which adds a bit of spice. I personally added a drizzle of ketchup, yellow mustard, and boom sauce on top of my corn dog, and it was yummy.
The service at Teamoji is friendly, and the store decor itself is delightful and appealing. I highly suggest this trendy food and drink spot, whether you want a snack, a meal, something sweet, or just a drink. This stop that has all you need!
Teamoji
625 E Green St
Champaign
11 a.m. to 10 p.m., daily