Tea was discovered in ancient China when a leaf blew in the window and landed in the emperor's bath, which he was slurping through a straw. Sip leaves steeped more decorously with today's deal: for $6, you get $12 worth of specialty loose-leaf brews, bubble teas, smoothies, and more at Fat Straws' locations on Alpha Road in Dallas and Park Boulevard in Plano.

Fat Straws serves a wide variety of liquid refreshments, but its specialty is bubble tea, a tea spruced up with gummy tapioca balls and big-boned straws. Try flavor combinations such as jasmine blueberry, liquid jade, and lychee (prices vary by flavor and availability, $3.65–$4.25). The beverageatorium's signature drink is the green-tea milkshake, which combines Japanese green tea, green-tea ice cream, and shake. For people who wish to keep solids and liquids separate, Fat Straws' iced teas are available in fruit flavors or lattes ($2.50–$3.45), and warming cups of jasmine and black tea fulfill longings for a mouthful of hot drink ($2.25–$2.85).

Reviews

The Dallas Observer awarded Fat Straws the Best Bubble Tea 2008. Yelpers give both the Dallas and Plano branches an average of 4.5 stars:

• The Dallas location we visited near the Galleria is a slight, sleek ultra-modern venue, and the menu boasts a vast array of post-modern beverages such as a green tea milkshake, passion fruit jasmine tea and mango slushees. This is definitely not your father's Starbucks. Nor does it pretend to be. – Dallas Observer
• High quality ingredients makes this a must on anyone's Best Boba Tea Places list. – Kareem A., Yelp