If you’ve ever attended even a single club event at Baruch College, it’s highly likely that you’ve encountered the distinctive cups of Yaya Tea—or just “Yaya’s,” as most students call it.
Yaya’s sits at Third Avenue and East 22nd Street, just a three-minute walk from the William and Anita Newman Vertical Campus—if you’re finance-bro power-walking, that is. The shop specializes in freshly brewed teas using a purifier filtration system and premium leaves brewed daily, which is a quality that apparently justifies its campus-wide love.
A note for all the club leaders who just order the chicken and veggie options and the same milk tea: the menu has an extensive selection, which I would urge you to explore. They’ve got a myriad of cutely named fruit tea combos for $4.95, like the “Boyfriend” (mango and lychee white tea) and the “I Love Yaya” (strawberry, mango, and passion fruit oolong).
If you’re more of a milk tea person, they’ve got everything from basic black to taro for $5.50. You can add popping boba that explode in your mouth or regular tapioca pearls for an extra touch.
Beyond just beverages, Yaya’s food offerings have developed quite a following among students. “Yaya is so affordable,” Michelle Martinez, a senior marketing major, told me between classes. “Their rice balls are yummy and so good when you want something light to eat too.”
She’s not wrong. The onigiri—Japanese rice balls wrapped in seaweed—start at around $3.55 for small ones and around $6 for the large. I tried the shrimp tempura onigiri for $6.89 and it’s genuinely my favorite. It’s crunchy, sweet, tangy, and just amazing.
The menu also features appetizers like pork and shrimp gyoza (both $6.89), takoyaki octopus balls ($7.99), spring rolls ($5.05), and edamame ($5.05) for those wanting something beyond rice balls.
After sampling their offerings, you can’t help but wonder about Yaya Tea’s seemingly unbreakable hold on Baruch’s student activities and its unofficial monopoly on campus. As it turns out, it’s on the Office of Student Life’s approved vendor list, making them one of the few pre-approved places club treasurers can order from without dealing with extra paperwork.
Students should take a genuine moment of appreciation for anyone who does treasury work for a club or organization on campus. Those poor souls are fighting through actual bureaucratic hell trying to get reimbursements and purchase order approvals—just so you can have free bubble tea at events. Next time you see your club’s treasurer, thank them.
The shop itself is very cool. If you’ve never been, it has ordering kiosks, but you can also order at the counter if you’re technologically challenged—like me, a CIS major. Not to mention, half the place is casually a mini Asian market with random plushies and snacks.
The shop features onigiri-shaped stuffed toys that are very endearing, and the whole setup gives the store a charming atmosphere that makes visiting worthwhile.
Whether you’re grabbing a rice ball between classes or enjoying a “Boyfriend” with lychee jelly after hours, Yaya Tea provides a uniquely affordable option for Baruch students. And if you’ve ever wondered about the origin of the food at your event—especially those familiar bubble tea cups that seem omnipresent on campus—consider visiting the source yourself to see what the hype is about.
At $4.95 for most drinks and under $7 for a filling rice ball, Yaya Tea offers a welcome alternative to your “trying not to eat ramen every night” budget.
And the next time you’re enjoying free bubble tea at a club meeting, take a moment to appreciate the student treasurer who battled through paperwork to bring it to you.
