Classic sweetened iced black tea — simple, reliable, and at $3.50 the best-value flavoured drink on the menu. Vegan, ~90 calories, no dairy. The drink for when you want something cold and slightly sweet without committing to boba or a specialty lemonade.
There is an underrated quality to a well-made iced tea: it doesn't try to be anything it isn't. The Ugly Dumpling Iced Tea is sweetened black tea over ice — the same foundational drink that has been served at Chinese restaurants across the United States for decades. It's familiar, cooling and genuinely refreshing alongside a full table of food.
At $3.50, it's the most affordable flavoured drink on the menu. The value proposition is clear: for $1.50 less than the Lemon Tea and $2.50 less than the Brown Sugar Boba, you get a cold, sweetened tea that pairs with everything on the menu and requires no decisions about sweetness levels or ice adjustments. It's the default beverage for diners who want something more than water but don't want to think about their drink.
The tea base is black tea — brewed, chilled and lightly sweetened. The tannins in black tea still do their fat-cutting work even with sugar added, making this a reasonable pairing for fried appetizers, wok dishes and soup dumplings alike. It's also entirely vegan and dairy-free, making it the safe universal pick for tables with mixed dietary needs.
| Nutrition | Per serving (~16 oz) |
|---|---|
| Calories | ~90 |
| Total Sugars | ~22g |
| Fat | 0g |
| Protein | 0g |
| Caffeine | ~45mg |
| Allergen | Present |
|---|---|
| Milk / Dairy | No |
| Gluten / Wheat | No |
| Tree Nuts / Peanuts | No |
| Eggs | No |
| Soy | No |
At $3.50, Iced Tea is the cheapest drink with any flavour character on the menu. Only Fiji Water is less expensive, and water has no flavour. For a full-meal drink, Iced Tea is the clear value choice.
The neutral sweetness of iced tea doesn't clash with any food on the Ugly Dumpling menu. Whether the table is ordered light or heavy, spicy or mild, Iced Tea sits comfortably alongside it all.
No common allergens, no dairy, no animal products. At a table with varied dietary restrictions, Iced Tea is the safest, most universally acceptable beverage option.
