Owly Tea & Crepe
Near UCI, this Irvine crepe and tea bar is decidedly better than the declining boba shop it replaced
The Irvine plaza known as University Center – across the street from UCI – has a surprisingly modest turnover rate given how many of the businesses seem to be lightly popular with students and other visitors; boba shop Pink Pig was a prime example, somehow lasting five years in its space despite a dwindling menu and declining service. Between April and May 2026, Pink Pig finally disappeared, and within only days its signage was replaced with a new name: Owly, also known as Owly Tea & Crepe, which soft-opened on June 1 with a refreshed menu and brighter interior.
We visited a month and a half later, finding a relatively short menu that reflects either an intentionally high level of focus or a cautious approach in early days. Five total crepe options – four permanent, one seasonal – are each $11, except for a stripped-down $5 “crispy butter crepe” with nothing more than the crepe and a pat of butter in a paper cone folder. Twenty standard drinks ($5.75 to $7.50) include five each of “old school” milk teas, “luminous” fruit-only or fruit teas, “whimsical” ube/Oreo/matcha/sesame milks, and “yes to all” fruit, tea, and/or milk blended drinks; a 21st choice is a “seasonal item,” initially combining lime, vanilla ice cream, and jasmine tea. Owly offers a $9 combo with both the seasonal basic crepe and drink, a nice savings for those who find both appealing.
Our visit’s highlight was unquestionably Owly’s “luminous” crepe: cubes of fresh, sweet mango and peach paired with mango ice cream and custard inside a just-made, cone-shaped crepe – a Japanese-style presentation without whipped cream. Every single bite of this crepe exploded with flavor until we reached the bottom of the cone, when it was hard to keep gnawing without accidentally ingesting paper. That aside, we now want to try all of the other $11 crepes (including creme brulee/Nutella/fruit and Oreo/strawberry versions) to see how they compare.
Drinks ranged from “fine” to “good.” Pineapple sunshine ($7.25) was a blended pineapple slushie with passion fruit juice and seeds, not overwhelmingly sweet at regular sweetness, and better than basic pineapple smoothies we’ve had elsewhere recently. While a peach jasmine ($6.75) was sort of dull besides its cubed fresh fruit, a mango sticky rice smoothie ($7.50) balanced its creamy, fruit, and rice layers perfectly even with recommended lower sweetness; it put to shame the version served at LA’s Kanomwaan, and definitely we’d order it again.
One other note: Owly’s seating is deliberately unusual, with multiple low-to-ground chairs made from knotted rope and oversized pillows, as well as organically rounded table and chair designs. The decor concept here appears to be “whimsical and fun,” and while it’s somewhat sparing, what’s there succeeds in creating a nice environment.
Between its reasonable pricing, great-tasting crepes, and generally good drinks, Owly’s replacement of Pink Pig strikes us as cause for at least a little celebration. We fully expect to return here and try more of the menu in the future.
Stats
Price: $
Service: Counter
Open Since: 2021
Addresses
4255 Campus Dr., Suite A124
Irvine, CA 92612
Instagram: @pinkpig_irvine