Food & Drink/Food

Nothing beats having your drink and eating it too, which is why bubble tea or, boba — that most crave-able snack/drink combo — continues to quench the collective desires of our NEXT Three Cities.

Filled with silky milk tea or refreshing fruit flavours paired with chewy and sweet tapioca pearls, this Taiwanese creation satisfies all your cravings.

There were once only a few iconic bubble tea brands, like Chatime, Gong Cha and Yi Fang Tea; now, there’s a new and innovative tea house on every corner. We’ve scoured the streets for the best and most creative bubble tea so you can spend your September slurping and sipping the best boba your city has to offer. Time to get this tea party started!

TORONTO

OneZo Tapioca

The Alley
Looking for a woodsy vibe to go along with your afternoon boba break? The Alley alludes to its grassroots and do-it-from scratch mentality by taking us back to nature in its homey cottage-style teahouse. This Markham boba shop hand rolls different flavours of “deerioca” (tapioca) pearls daily for its multitude of tea options.

Try the fresh Green Milk Tea made with all-natural cane sugar, fresh hand-selected tea leaves and fresh black sesame “deerioca” pearls.
505 Hwy. 7, Markham, the-alley.ca

OneZo Tapioca
Mastering the art of from-scratch tapioca, OneZo is pumping out fresh pearls daily to elevate the classic Taiwanese drink. Concentrating on creating the most flavourful and delectably chewy tapioca, each of OneZo’s pearls is unique, just like its teas. The Dirty Milk Tea is a fan favourite, with brown sugar and fresh tapioca pearls.
399 Spadina Ave., Toronto, onezotapioca.com

TP TEA
Famous in Taiwan for its slurp-able shakes and Tieguanyin tea, TP Tea (Taiwan Professional Tea) is a must-have in Toronto. Sister brand of original Taiwanese tea house Chun Shui Tang, this spot is connected to the history of popularizing milk tea in Taiwan.

With over 30 years of experience, TP Tea brings some of the most well-crafted and traditional teas to the market, but it also has a flare for the original. Try the boba soft serve or one of the cheese crema-topped teas, like the new Pink Salt Cheese Crema Strawberry Tea. Can you say strawberry cheesecake in a cup!?
505 Hwy. 7, Unit 86, Thornhill, on-tptea.com

VANCOUVER

Baroness
Known for its handmade brown-sugar pearls and grass jelly, Baroness is making a royally good name for its brand in North America. Originating in Taipei and recently opening on West Broadway, Baroness brought over 30 different tea options to its Vancouver outpost.

Popular picks include the Purple Yam Milk with Brown Sugar and the Classic Brown Sugar Milk Tea. Another great thing about Baroness is that all its milk teas are dairy-free! Using oat milk for the luscious milk teas, this boba shop is vegan and lactose-friendly.
2790 West Broadway, Vancouver, baronesscanada.com

Machi Machi
Machi Machi is all about that cheese foam. After whipped cream-cheese bubble tea took over bubble teashops in Asia, Machi Machi decided to bring its thick, frothy, cream-topped drinks to North America.

Along with the classic teas, Machi Machi also slings some two-layered drinks, like Fresh Strawberry Latte with Panna Cotta, in its iconic stubby bottles. If you’re looking for a cheese-free experience, try the refreshing Fizzy Passionfruit Orange Honey Jasmine Green Tea, made with fresh passionfruit and orange slices.
1194 Robson St., Vancouver, machimachi.ca

Dragon Ball Tea House
This Vancouver stalwart is a nostalgic spot for long-time residents and offers traditional Taiwanese staples. The Shaughnessy tearoom, with its extensive list of bubble tea options and iconic cups sporting a red dragon drinking bubble tea, is hard to miss.

The pearls here are legendary for their chewy texture and perfectly balanced sweetness. Order like a local and go for the red bean or Japanese green tea ice cream slush with pearls. Or spice things up and pick up a peach tea with chewy coconut jelly.
1007 W. King Edward Ave., Vancouver

CALGARY

Kung Fu Tea

The Moon
We’re over the aforementioned moon about this tea house’s commitment to working with the best and highest-quality ingredients to serve up carefully crafted boba.

The brown sugar drinks are a staple at The Moon. The Flame Cloud — a milk tea layered with Okinawa brown sugar, loaded with mini brown sugar pearls and topped with its cloud foam — may just be the best boba in Cowtown. The Moon also makes its pearls in-house every four hours, so each tea is guaranteed fresh to order.
14th Ave. SE, Unit #212, Calgary, tmoon.ca

Don’t Yell at Me
Layered to perfection, this boba tea house has some of the most Instagram-worthy drinks in Alberta. With a massive menu of specialty drinks, Don’t Yell at Me has a bubble tea for whatever mood you’re in.
The dessert-inspired drinks here are super popular, especially the Tiramisu Milk Tea. But if you’re looking for something really out of the box, try the Winter Melon with Milk tea and Soft Grass Jelly. The drink list is long and enticing.
620A 17 Ave. SW, Calgary, dyam-ab.ca

Kung Fu Tea
This is Calgary’s spot for traditional milk tea. At Kung Fu, the style is clean, classic and focused on providing the highest-quality boba. The 38 Milk King is its most popular tea, with freshly prepared pearls, agar jelly and grass jelly in the rich, yet delicate, milk tea. This is the bubble tea fit for royalty. The fresh fruit teas here also can’t be missed, especially the Grapefruit Green Tea with agar bubbles — perfect for a hot September day.
564 64th Ave. NE, Calgary, kungfuteacalgary.com

Meet the inventor of Bubble Tea