Where to Find the Best Bubble Tea in Chicago

Whether you call it bubble tea or boba, we can all agree that it’s delicious. From classic milk teas to fruit teas, endless varieties of toppings, hot or cold - the drink possibilities are endless. One thing we love about bubble tea is the ability to customize your drink to your liking, such as adjusting the sweetness level and adding or taking out tapioca balls. Lucky for you, Chicago has no shortage of delicious bubble tea businesses. We’ve picked the top 9 must-try places that’ll surely satisfy your boba cravings.  

Hello Jasmine

Say “hello” to Hello Jasmine, a Taiwanese restaurant serving a wide variety of Taiwanese dishes and drinks. They pride themselves on high-quality and fresh ingredients, so you won’t find any powdered bubble tea mix here. Their tea is imported from Taiwan and they cook their brown sugar tapioca pearls fresh every day. For our bubble tea addicts, their menu is jam-packed with drink options including tea lattes, milk teas, fruit teas, smoothies, and floats. Feel free to customize your drink as well. You can adjust sweetness level, ice levels, and toppings. Popular toppings include pudding, grass jelly, cheese foam. 

Taipei Cafe

Taipei Cafe is home to traditional Taiwanese classics and delicious milk teas at affordable prices. We all know their food is delicious, but you should come here for bubble tea. Their menu includes milk tea, fruit tea, smoothies, and tea lattes. Try their classic Oolong Tea Latte or if you’re in the mood for something fruity, the Passionfruit Green Tea is a top recommendation. Other classic flavors include taro milk tea, longan ginger tea, and red bean milk. Before you question beans in sweet desserts, hear us out. It’s a common ingredient in many Asian cuisines, sweet and savory, and gives a sweet and creamy flavor to anything. 

Tsaocaa

Located a couple of blocks from Chinatown lies Tsaocaa, a Chinese cafe specializing in bubble tea, desserts, and street food. If you’re a Chicago native, you already know how large and extensive their menu is. Choose from milk tea, coffee, fruit yogurt swirls, fruit tea, pure tea, and so much more. Popular toppings include strawberry boba, nata jelly, tapioca, and pudding. If you don’t know where to start, check out the “Tsaocaa Special” section in Chowbus for recommendations! How does Honey Citron & Lime Jasmine Milk Tea sound? Or Caramel Bubble Milk Black Tea With Oreos and Milk Foam? Feel free to keep scrolling and discover other delicious options like the King of Oolong Milk Tea, Brown Sugar Milk, and Pineapple Green Tea. 

Meet Fresh

Home to eye-catching and authentic Taiwanese desserts and drinks, Meet Fresh is another must-try location for our bubble tea lovers out there. You probably recognize their colorful and perfectly cooked taro balls that are in many of their desserts and drinks. They pride themselves on hand-picked ingredients, healthy recipes, and traditional cooking methods to ensure the best products possible. We featured some of their popular drinks on Chowbus, including Pineapple Black Tea, Classic Milk Tea, and Strawberry Milk. If you like your drinks hot, try their Almond Tea or Soy Milk with or without tapioca balls. 

ELITEA

If you’ve had ELITEA, you already know that their drinks are incredibly tasty and Instagram-worthy. They’re located in Richland Center, a small food court that may be hard to find initially. Lucky for you, Chowbus saves you the hassle and will deliver these beautiful drinks right to your doorsteps. One must try drink here is the Brown Sugar Bubble Milk Tea- the perfect blend of brown sugar goodness and chewy boba. We’ve also featured other must-try drinks on Chowbus such as the Strawberry Latte with Panna Cotta, Thai Tea, and Peach Black Tea. If you don’t want to go through the trouble of ordering bubble tea every day, pick up one of their gallon-sized milk teas. Yes, you heard us- a gallon. For $28.99, you can order a gallon of signature milk tea or oolong milk tea along with toppings. 

Saint’s Alp

Saint’s Alp serves authentic Chinese cuisine and tea drinks, with a focus on pan-Asian dishes. Come for the food and the variety of bubble tea, teas, and coffee. Here you’ll find classic boba tea flavors like taro, sesame, and coconut. If you’re craving something warm, you can get their milk tea made hot or try their Organic Rose Wolfberry Longan Tea. Although their menu isn’t as extensive as other places we mentioned, the quality of each drink is exceptional. Customers rave about their perfectly cooked boba, flavorful tea blends, and well-balanced flavors. 

Bingo Tea

It’s time to binGO to Bingo Tea for fresh, colorful, and cheese topped bubble tea. They’re known for their specialty milk cap. It’s originally known as “cheese tea” but Bingo Tea has renamed it as “milk cap.” We know “cheese” and “tea” shouldn’t belong in the same sentence but this cheese cap is essentially a whipped, cheesecake flavored foam that adds the perfect sweet touch. At Bingo Tea, they blend milk, cream cheese, and a dash of salt to make this fluffy sweet foam. Don’t knock it until you try it! They have your classic bubble tea flavors, but also some fun and unique flavors like Buckwheat Matcha, Lava Milk, and Ultimate Fruit Tea. 

Uni Uni Bubble Tea

Uni Uni Bubble Tea was founded in Chicago, IL, and prides itself on providing customers with healthy drinks made with skilled craftsmanship. You can’t miss their cute unicorn logo when you walk by their store. Their menu includes classic milk tea, fruit tea with or without cheese foam, flavored fresh milk, and flavored yogurt with crystal boba. Their drinks are beautifully presented, especially the Handcrafted Garden Milk Tea, topped with Oreo cheese foam and a mint leaf to look like a garden. For our Yakult lovers, they have a couple of fruity Yakult drinks including honeydew, kiwi, and peach watermelon. You can order from 2 different locations on Chowbus: Uptown and Chinatown. 

Kung Fu Tea

With over 250 locations across North America, there’s no question why Kung Fu Tea is on our list. Founded in Queens, NY in 2010, Kung Fu Tea has established itself as America’s largest bubble tea brand consistently elevating the bubble tea game. We love how they experiment with different flavors, especially during holidays or seasons. They have milk tea, slushies, punch (essentially fruit tea), wow tea, and coffee drinks. Bestsellers include Kung Fu Milk Tea, Cocoa Cream WOW, Honey Oolong Tea, and Strawberry Slush. Those are just a few recommendations, but we think you’d enjoy anything you try there. You can order from locations in Chinatown or Broadway - all on Chowbus.

Are you craving bubble tea now? 

We hear your stomach growling- we know you’re in the mood for bubble tea. Whether you choose a classic milk tea, refreshing fruit tea, or tea piled high with cheese foam, we hope we helped you discover your new favorite bubble tea spot. No more scrolling through countless pages on Google trying to find “best bubble tea near me.” Chowbus has got you and your boba cravings covered. Check out the Chowbus app to order from any of the restaurants mentioned in this article.