Wanna know what’s popping?
It’s bubble tea, baby! Also known as boba or pearl milk tea, bubble tea is a Tawainese drink traditionally made with black tea, milk, ice, and chewy tapioca balls at the bottom of the cup. You can now enjoy it in a variety of different forms and flavors – from smoothies and fruit juice drinks to toppings like fresh fruit, aloe jelly, chia seeds, cheese powder, and many more.
We’ve put together a list of some of our favorite bubble tea and boba spots in Chicago (along with standout items from their menu), so you can enjoy a sweet new drink perfect for any season.
PHOTO VIA FACEBOOK / UNI UNI
2171 S. China Place - Chinatown
1130 W. Argyle St. - Uptown
It's impossible to miss Uni Uni's rainbow unicorn mascot – and their huge menu of drinks is just as colorful and magical as the character. Enjoy delicious base drinks like fresh fruit teas, traditional milk teas, and even Yakult smoothies with customizable toppings like aloe, taro, honey red beans, crystal boba, and pudding! Also keep an eye out for the community events in the space, and an environmentally sustainable line of boba merchandise.
PHOTO VIA FACEBOOK / TE'AMO BOBA BAR
2169-A S. China Pl. - Chinatown
520 N. Michigan Ave. - The Loop
1115 E. 55th St. - Hyde Park
Te'Amo is passionate about using the highest quality organic ingredients to create healthy and traditional tea-based drinks. Their drinks aim to do more than hydrate and taste great, they also include several antioxidants for a healthier diet. Try classic tea flavors or experiment with unique beverages like Thai milk tea topped with an Oreo cheese foam, or their Okinawa tea with a torched creme brûlée crust. Loose-leaf teas and blends are also available for sale.
PHOTO VIA FACEBOOK / JOY YEE
2139 S. China Pl. - Chinatown
1335 S. Halsted St. - UIC
Joy Yee is a Chicagoland staple for pan Asian cuisine since 1994 and was among the first places in the midwest to offer Taiwanese-style bubble teas. They also took things a step further as the first to combine the South Asian fresh fruit smoothies with tapioca balls. Their drink menu is just as extravagant as their food menu, and includes fresh fruit and milk teas, caffeinated and chocolate drinks, and unique basil seed freezes.
PHOTO VIA FACEBOOK / HELLO JASMINE
2026 S. Clark St. - Chinatown
953 W. Webster Ave. - Lincoln Park
Hello Jasmine provides authentic and high-quality Taiwanese dishes and drinks – their loose-leaf tea and brown sugar is sourced directly from Taiwan, their beverages use no powders, and their chewy tapioca bubbles are slowly cooked fresh each morning. You can enjoy a variety of base drinks like milk tea, oolong tea, and taro with toppings like red bean paste, coffee jelly, and traditional brown sugar kanten.
PHOTO VIA FACEBOOK / KUNG FU TEA
2126-B S. Archer Ave. - Chinatown
4925-D N. Broadway - Uptown
While Kung Fu Tea is the largest bubble tea franchise in the US, it is still rooted in preparing drinks traditionally with fresh and authentic ingredients. All loose-leaf teas are imported from Taiwan, and bubbles are cooked daily in-house using brown sugar or honey. In addition to classic drinks like milk tea and fruit punches, Kung Fu Tea also has seasonal specials with sweet purple yam, mango, and strawberry flavors, and offers vegan and non-dairy alternatives.
PHOTO VIA FACEBOOK / SAINT'S ALP TEAHOUSE
2157 S. China Pl. - Chinatown
Saint's Alp Teahouse is a staple in Chinatown, offering plenty of pan Asian food items and hot pot. They also feature an extensive menu of boba drinks, ranging from their signature frothy milk tea with tapioca pearls and frothy coffee with coffee jelly, to experimental options like fruity nata yogurt drinks and minty coolers.
PHOTO VIA FACEBOOK / ELI TEA BAR
5507 N. Clark St. - Andersonville
Eli Tea Chicago is a specialty tea shop and sober bar with late-ish hours in Andersonville. The queer-owned shop offers delicious signature bubble tea with the option to add boba to their 100+ loose-leaf tea menu. The spacious back room has a ton of weekly events including LGBTQ+ mixers, trivia, and karaoke.
PHOTO VIA FACEBOOK / TSAOCAA
2026 S. Clark St. - Chinatown
1337 W Fullerton Ave - Lincoln Park
TSAoCAA is all about fresh ingredients and brewing flavorful tea while maintaining its inherent wellness qualities. Their extremely customizable menu features bubble black tea, fruit and boba yogurt, organic milk swirl drinks, and event hot wellness drinks. You can also enjoy a limited number of desserts, snacks, and Korean snowflake ice.
PHOTO VIA FACEBOOK / TAO TEA
5002 N. Broadway - Uptown
TAO Tea is a hole-in-the-wall bubble tea shop in Uptown that you just can't miss out on. You can get the usual milk tea and fruit teas varieties with every possible topping, and also try unique items like fresh-squeezed coconut milk, sugarcane juice, and hot herbal tea with sea salt cream.
PHOTO VIA FACEBOOK / BAMBU
5010 N. Broadway - Uptown
A little outside the usual boba box, Bambu specializes in Chè – traditional Vietnamese beverages, dessert drinks, and puddings. The Chè at Bamb uses fresh cut & drained coconut water and house-prepared coconut milk combined with a unique selection of fresh, healthy, and delicious ingredients like avocado, basil seeds, taro, jackfruit, and more. Their signature Vietnamese coffee with boba or jelly is another standout item.
PHOTO VIA FACEBOOK / LIVING WATER TEA HOUSE
1453 W. Taylor St. - Near West Side
Living Water Tea House is a contemporary East Asian tea parlor featuring an open and calming space with imported organic tea and Chinese handcrafted pottery and teaware. Their menu has several eye-catching herbal and milk teas with bubble toppings and options like rice milk or avocado milk bases. They also serve traditional cotton cheesecakes, su, and mochi.
PHOTO VIA FACEBOOK / TEN CAFE
3308 N. Western Ave. - Bricktown
Ten Cafe is a new bubble tea cafe in Bricktown offering everything from fruit tea and milk tea with boba, to signature "milk cloud" drinks and fruity ice blends. They also rolled ice cream in exciting flavors like purple taro, matcha, and sesame seed.
PHOTO VIA FACEBOOK / OUTDOOR CAFE
3257 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. - North Park
Outdoor Cafe offers traditional bubble tea, milk tea, smoothies, and milkshakes with a variety of bubble and popping boba options. They also serve hot matcha tea lattes and iced Vietnamese coffee alongside Korean shaved ice dessert, bing soo.
PHOTO VIA FACEBOOK / TEACAGO
2547 W Lawrence Ave - Lincoln Square
Sip into pure bliss at Teacago, a charming family-owned boba haven in Lincoln Square, where every flavor tells a delightful story and every sip is a journey into Asian-inspired refreshment!
Missing your favorite boba or bubble tea spot?
Email [email protected] and we'll add it to the list!
