Here are 12 bubble tea shops in and around Philly

On a hot afternoon, Chinatown is bustling with folks young and old. But what stands out in this crowd are the tall cups of colorful bubble teas.

Sipping from a long orange straw of his green smoothie in one hand and holding onto a scooter in the other, Daniel Marut of Rittenhouse stands outside Tea-Do waiting for his kids to exit the boba shop.

Bubble tea is a once-a-month outing for his family. His go-to order is the avocado smoothie. “I like the chewiness [of the boba],” he said. “This is my favorite spot.”

Bubble tea, also referred to as boba, hails from Taiwan. But the sweet tea-based beverage with chewy tapioca balls has built a passionate following in the United States. Future Market Insights estimates the bubble tea market to reach $2.2 billion in 10 years, Bloomberg reported. And experts predict its popularity will surge over the next decade. Leading the way? Philadelphia is second only to Chicago in growth in boba shops over the last three years.

Inside the shops, extensive, uniquely organized menus offer a variety of beverages, including milk teas, fruit teas, slushies, yogurt drinks, coffees, Yakult (a Japanese probiotic drink), lemonades, and more. What makes them bubble tea is the boba that add a chewy, sweet mouthfeel as you sip. Cheese foams, jellies, popping bobas (bursting flavor with each chew), egg pudding, and other toppings can also be added.

For Matthew Rodriguez, bubble tea is a cultural cornerstone.

“It’s very cultural for me,” said the Jefferson University graduate student. “I had a lot of this growing up — tapioca is very central to Asian desserts. It’s what I crave sometimes when I’m missing home.”

Rodriguez and friends from the university come out to Vivi Bubble Tea and Tiger Sugar about once a month or so when the weather’s nice, and have noticed the growth in options.

“It’s nice because we can try new things,” said Tomisola Onafowokan of the group.

But you don’t have to go to Chinatown. Here’s a guide to the ever-growing bubble tea scene in the Philly region, from Ardmore to West Philly and beyond.

Siblings Troy and Kim Dieu opened Mi ‘N Tea in 2020 to share two family favorites in Manayunk: Taiwanese bubble tea and Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches. The family shop on Main Street serves fresh-baked bread, meats, and veggies with Vietnamese mayonnaise in their banh mi selections as well as a variety of bubble teas. Indulge in rich Vietnamese coffees with cold foams, coffee jellies, and Thai teas with espresso, coffee foam, and tapioca pearls. You can also choose from milk teas, fruit teas, and slushies — or build your own bubble tea drink. There’s also a sparkling strawberry limeade with passion fruit popping bubbles and a brown sugar boba milk tea for caffeine-free drinkers.

📍 4229 Main St., 📞 267-297-7257, 🌐 mi-n-tea.com, 🕒 Tuesday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

There are three spots to get Gong cha’s signature milk foam in the Philly region: Bella Vista, Chinatown, and Cherry Hill. Each offers creamy sweet foam tops iced oolong and green teas, and crème brûlée milk drinks. Milk teas include caramel, strawberry, and Earl Grey topped with pearls, pudding, and herbal jelly. Find passion fruit, lychee, mango, taro, and others in the slushie series.

📍 Multiple locations, 🌐 gongchausa.com

In West Philly, Taiwanese snacks and bubble tea go hand in hand. The boutique cafe, named after owner Janice Wang’s French bulldog Princess Lulu, offers bubble teas with gluten-free tapioca balls and dairy alternatives, including lactose-free 2% milk and oat milk. Order matcha with a lightly salted, creamy foam on top, a honey, oat milk dark roast oolong tea, or a lychee, rose black tea to accompany your basket of halal popcorn chicken.

📍 4508 Walnut St., 📞 215-222-6688, 🌐 lulucafeonlineorder.square.site, 🕒 Monday to Sunday noon to 6 p.m.

Whether up in Mayfair or over the bridge in Cherry Hill, this Brooklyn bubble tea shop serves milk teas and lemonades with boba for bursts of chewy sweetness in each sip. Try the milk tea swirling with brown sugar or strawberry green tea topped with milk foam. Chunks of fresh fruits swim alongside jellies in the passion fruit tea and blended flavors like taro and matcha make for refreshing smoothies. If you get a lemonade, order it in mango or strawberry.

📍 7133 Roosevelt Blvd., 📞 267-423-8709 🌐 tbaar.com 🕒 Monday to Sunday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Find green oolong tea infused with osmanthus flowers and jasmine blossoms. The laid-back shop in the Penn Wynne neighborhood serves tart passion fruit teas, kumquat, and lemon drinks, and more with strawberry heart jellies, mango popping boba, cheese foam, or egg pudding.

Woosa gets creative with specials, including a frozen mango drink packed with fruity bobas and a yogurt drink that pairs well with mango, lychee, and passion fruit. And for coffee drinkers, there’s iced Vietnamese coffee and fluffy dalgona coffee flavored with taro or matcha topped with boba or pudding.

Munch on snacks like Taiwanese popcorn chicken or Oreo crispy treats while you’re there.

📍 3639 Lancaster Ave., 📞 215-921-6346, 🌐 woosabubbletea.com, 🕒 Monday to Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday to Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Inside this Chinatown and University City shop, you’ll find lychee-popping bubbles to add to your mango black tea or Thai coconut smoothie with coconut jellies. Egg pudding goes well with the taro milk tea and Vietnamese iced coffee. Or you could opt for the avocado smoothie with tapioca boba like Marut. During your visit, snack on baked salmon onigiri (Japanese rice balls) or Japanese fried chicken karaage.

📍 Multiple locations, 🌐 teadocafe.com

New York native Vivi brought its bubble gum pink storefront to Chinatown in 2015. Its extensive menu beckons folks inside for fruit and milk teas, slushies, milk foams, and more. Choose your drink, pick a sugar and ice level, and select toppings from jellies to fruity popping bobas. There are signature drinks, too. If you can’t decide, try the blended mango pomelo sago or purple rice (sweet rice and yogurt blend) milk tea.

For New Jersey residents, there’s a location in Glassboro.

📍 145 N. 10 St., 📞 267-318-7384, 🌐 vivibubbletea.com

Streaks of black sugar (unrefined cane sugar) coloring milk tea and cream mousse is the Tiger Sugar signature. The drinks are sweeter, with pearls, pudding, jellies, coffee, and chocolate malt. And remember to give it at least 15 shakes for the best taste.

Try one of their new releases, including lychee bursting boba black tea or taro pudding black sugar boba with cream mousse. Oat milk alternatives are available. There’s also black sugar lemon, golden oolong, and vanilla black tea without the milk.

Get your drink of choice at two locations in Philly or Cherry Hill.

📍 Multiple locations, 🌐 tigersugar.co

This Chinese boba spot has more than 380 stores globally, with two in Philly offering a wide selection of drink options. Find milk teas, fruit slushies, yogurt teas, and coffees topped with sweet, salty cheese foam (a cream cheese mousse) and swirls of brown sugar or taro.

📍 Multiple locations, 🌐 mogeteeusa.com

Mr. Wish wants to make all your boba dreams come true with 20 locations in Pennsylvania, including Levittown and Manayunk. Enjoy nutty, sweet red bean pudding milk tea, winter melon lemon tea, mango tea with fresh, plump, sparkling lychee and passion fruit, and avocado smoothies. Toppings, including boba, chia seeds, coconut jelly, and aloe vera are 75 cents extra.

📍 Multiple locations, 🌐 mrwishusa.com

This hot spot for college students and families has plenty of locations in the Philly region — you’ll find your favorite drink whether you’re up in Ardmore or down in South Philly. Kung Fu milk tea combines freshly brewed Earl Grey tea, cane sugar, and milk powder for a creamy, sweet sipper. Get a fusion of mango, green tea, hints of rose hip (fruit from a rose plant), and blueberry in lemonade with the iced punch selection. A subtle saltness comes through in the thick layer of milk cap teas flavored with caramelized brown sugar, longan honey (from longan fruit trees) and winter melon. Slushes, lattes, and creamy drinks are also available. Be sure to try Kung Fu’s “wow bubbles,” made of cooked brown sugar.

📍 Multiple locations, 🌐 kungfutea.com

Try the Yifang fruit tea with Taiwan mountain tea infused with passion fruit, pineapple, and freshly cut seasonal fruits. The drink’s sweetness is customizable, but ordering it with less ice and 30% sweetness is recommended. There’s also the Taiwanese taro latte, a blend of taro and milk, and the strawberry sago, strawberry milk and generous heaping of sago pearls. Mango, cheese cream topping, and coffee mousse are favorites at this bubble tea shop that opened in Philly in 2021. Find Yi Fang on the UPenn campus and the Sullivan Progress Plaza Shopping Center.

📍 Multiple locations, 🌐 instagram.com/yifangphilly