Welcome to our Best Boba series! In these posts, I will be inviting foodies and bubble tea lovers from different cities around the world to give us their favourite boba spots in their city. Here's Vancouver, BC, Canada!
1. Boba Boy
2184 W 41st Ave, Vancouver
Originally from Toronto, Boba Boy expanded to the West Coast last year. I love their branding and all their locations have a modern interior design. My go-to is their Mango Green Tea with Original Tapioca, while she likes all their fruit teas. They have a lot of options and make their boba daily in-house - which is probably why we enjoyed all the drinks we've tried there so far!
2. Boba Monster
5766 Fraser St, Vancouver
There are two other bubble tea shops within the same block as Boba Monster so they have close competition, but what sets them apart is their variety of unique and delicious drinks (and its HUGE mural inside, for instaworthy shots)! Our favourite is their most popular drink: Mango Sago… perfect on a hot day or an after-meal treat! Cool hangout spot as they have games and darts too!
3. The Bubble Tea Shop
1680 Robson St, Vancouver
Not only do they have great bubble tea, but they have amazing bubble waffle. They have a wide variety of drinks to choose from… and if you can't decide, they have a split double cup. Their bubble waffle desserts don't just look IG-amazing, they are super delicious.
4. CoCo Fresh Tea & Juice
609 W Pender St, Vancouver
With several locations in Metro Vancouver, they definitely know what they are doing when it comes to bubble tea! Their Caramel Milk Tea or Bubble Gaga are what I always order, while she loves their Roasted Milk Tea. Drinks are consistently good and their boba is always on point with just the right texture. Worth checking out if you haven't tried yet!
5. Ding Tea
1808 Renfrew St, Vancouver
Recently opened in Vancouver but with over 600+ locations worldwide, they are a great addition to the Vancouver list. They have 9 different toppings choices along with many drink options which you can get creative with. I usually get their Lychee Green Tea with Crystal Boba, while she always gets the Hokkaido Milk Tea. Both are excellent choices depending on your preference.
6. Houcailei Tea House
6-4429 Kingsway, Burnaby
We were not 'brown sugar' fans but Houcailei Tea sure changed our minds. Their Bull Demon King, which is their milk tea with brown sugar grass jelly, has become one of our favourite drinks! The only spot with brown sugar grass jelly makes it stand out from the rest.
7. Kung Fu Tea
2855 W Broadway, Vancouver
While not related to Kung Fu Tea in the US, this specific shop does give them a challenge. Their 38 Milk King is quite the treat: a milk tea with brown sugar pearls and grass jelly. Very rich and flavourful! The location is modern looking and one of the cleanest bubble tea spots we've seen!
8. Mr. Mustache Tea & Dessert
8079 Granville St, Vancouver
Every drink we've tried at Mr. Mustache has been a good one. Our go-to drinks are their fruit teas cause we love that they put in real fruit bits. She also says to try the Rose Earl Grey Latte as it has rose petals that taste like candy! Major bonus: they have cute and delicious desserts!
9. OneZo Tapioca
4929 Kingsway, Burnaby
OneZo joined the Vancouver boba scene in November and has become one of our go-to spots. They make a variety of boba in-house, which tastes REALLY GOOD! A smaller list of drink options to choose from but they're always coming up with seasonal, creative drinks (their Pokeball boba was awesome). Depending on my mood, I get their Burny Caramel Milk Tea or Orange Passion Green Tea (and make sure to try their Crystal or Mango tapioca)!
10. The Alley
985 Hornby St, Vancouver
Having just opened this past April, The Alley has quickly become a top downtown bubble tea spot. Our favourite drink is their Royal No. 9 Black Tea - 'blueberry-infused' which gives it that extra wowness. The Aurora Series and Brown Sugar Deerioca drinks are also quite popular, so there's lots to choose from!
About the Authors
Hey Boba Lovers! It’s Michael @wheresbobatea here (and Jurn - she helped me a little) - all the way from Vancouver! We are massive bubble tea fans (more me than her)... so much so, that when I proposed to Jurn, I had reusable bubble tea cups made as engagement momentos for the occasion!
@wheresbobatea was created as a hobby to find the best bubble tea in my travels all over the world. Within my IG, I provide honest reviews of drinks and their locations to help provide insight for anyone looking to try something new. The goal was originally to get free bubble tea, which was achieved recently (yay!) but I will continue to give my followers content wherever I go to next (Bali and Thailand in November ‘19 - so stay tuned)!
Jurn also inspired me to create my own account. She’s been doing this for awhile now but she is mainly focused on food (and sometimes, bubble tea)! If you want to get hungry, check out her Instagram: @jurneats!
This Best Boba list was made with mainly local shops in mind, for the simple fact of the exposure. These are great spots that we wanted to let your community know about from our great city. Bubble tea spots have really kicked it into high gear these past few years (seems like a new one is opening every week)... but with a massive Asian population density, Vancouverites cannot get enough!
Thanks for taking the time to read our guest post and follow our journey!