The Singaporean after-work drink story isn’t complete if the bubble tea isn’t in the mix. Though this beverage has its origin outside the city-state, there are countless possibilities of the kind of bubble tea servings you can order. Surprisingly, the tea is a “rockstar” not only in South East Asia but in Europe and the US.
For tea enthusiasts trying to savour the bubble tea versions, the experience can be overwhelming. However, it doesn’t hurt to take your bubble tea palates on a roller-coaster.
What Is Bubble Tea?
Bubble tea, also known as boba tea is a beverage with origins in Taiwan. It goes by other names including pearl, or tapioca tea.
Boba tea was crafted by Liu Han-Chieh of Chun Shui Tang tea Taiwan in the 1980s. Since then, it has crossed global borders and risen as an energy drink of sorts to global customers.
The tea is made using oolong tea, milk, fruity flavours sweeteners, and a crunchy texture provided by the tapioca pearls. It borrows the bubble tea title from the bubbles that rise when the milk was shaken.
What makes boba tea increasingly popular is the fact that you can DIY up the drink to meet your desired flavour. Whether served hot or cold, bubble tea is always flavour packed.
The Best Bubble Tea Shops in Singapore
Cafe Name | LiHo Tea |
| Signature | 2017 saw a sudden change of branding upon Gong Cha’s ceasing with the substitution of LiHo. Followers over their old tea brand protested on social media accounts about their angst, anger—with right fury; Gong Cha was always the choice for many Singaporeans over nearly 10 years before the sudden cessation. Still, all this occurred before publicizing of the fresh, novel cheese teas, which next emerged to form LiHo’s brand new offerings. After reporting to include Gouda cheese within the menu, their cheesy, bubbly drinks bear scented aromatic allure and some contrasted views from Singapore consumers.
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| Menu | Click here to view |
| Website | |
| Address | Over 50 locations, find your nearest outlet here |
| Telephone | (65) 6397 6816 |
| Operating Hours | 11am – 10pm daily (Still Delivering During Circuit Breaker) |
| Review 1 | “Execellent.would recommend getting here .fast service eventhough its a long queue” – King.J |
| Review 2 | “I love cheese guan yin so much! It’s my favourite!” – Aqiah.A |
Cafe Name | KOI |
| Signature | Many proudly trace their milk tea following to their menu; Koi initially started general craze over milk teas within Singapore holding their classic Milk Tea. Through many years, their Matcha Latte started drawing crowds over their apparently flawless mix of bubbly flavour with extraordinarily strong matcha tastes.
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| Menu | Click here to view |
| Website | |
| Address | Over 50 locations, find your nearest cafe here |
| Telephone | (65) 6636 3948 |
| Operating Hours | 10am to 10pm daily |
| Review 1 | “My favorite bubble tea store! And the best drink so far for me is the Ice Peach Macchiato. The frothy foam and the refreshing peach tea is a perfect match!” – Eric.L |
| Review 2 | “Always a pleasure having Koi bubble tea! My go-to order is always the golden bubble milk tea, as it’s an all in one encapsulating goodness beyond words! Service is quick here, and outlet very conveniently located with all the other food places at the Basement of Vivocity. ” – Flo.Y |
Cafe Name | Gong Cha |
| Signature | From beginning of 2019, Gong Cha started a winning comeback to local markets, to please many fans (and sustenance) for Gong Cha-regulars. A big turnout of fans filled outlets upon their resuming of operations up till now, the old tea shop stays a crowd pleaser. The old Pearl Milk Tea remains a top choice.
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| Menu | Click here to view |
| Website | http://www.gong-cha-sg.com/ |
| Address | Over 25 stores, find your nearest store here |
| Telephone | (65)6200 2288 |
| Operating Hours | Click here to view (Still Delivering During Circuit Breaker) |
| Review 1 | “Blown away by the variety of drinks they have and it is all customisable! I like the milk tea with grass jelly and their taro milk tea too.” – Nelson.T |
| Review 2 | “Fantastic bubble tea. They had various choices and were highly promoting the milk tea with choices of different sugar levels- it was their new “health drink”. I highly recommend the brown sugar bubble tea. Not too sweet, not too bitter. The only con for this spot was the wait. They had tickets but had to wait around 15 minutes to just get a drink.” – Karolina.S |
Cafe Name | Route 65 |
| Signature | Seeking to try bubble tea? Route 65 Singapore has your fill with their Burger+ BBT Set beginning from S$9.90! Pick within a range of gourmet burgers on hand. Every set contains fries with their Route 65 Bubble Milk Tea. Have orders sent to fixed address from: order.route65sg.com
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| Menu | Click here to view |
| Website | https://www.route65sg.com |
| Address | 3 Temasek Boulevard, Suntec City North Wing #01-434, Singapore 038983 |
| Telephone | (65) 9171 2179 |
| Operating Hours | Mon & Tues: 11.30am-11.00pm (Still Delivering During Circuit Breaker) |
| Review 1 | “My go-to bubble tea chain for chewy… exotic flavoured… colourful… PEARLS! Tea lovers won’t be left out too as you will find a good variety of teas on offer! Oh and did I mention seasonal pearls and flavoured teas?” – Ryan.Y |
| Review 2 | “Recommended by another reviewer, I tried their new Orange Pulp Earl Grey Tea with cactus pearl, sweetness level 25%, I must say that this is now my favorite drink! I regret getting Medium, should’ve gotten large! But of course, I will be coming back for more 😍” – Adrienne.J |
Cafe Name | Tiger Sugar |
| Signature | This outlet is central from each bubble tea fan’s listings—also with great cause. Tiger Sugar features well as certain of few initial rare bubble tea holdings which spurred the sweet craving which eventually began to sweep through country over their classic golden-brown tiers. Their brown sugar features as an oldie, reaching to heights from which they use it as standard to reach. The classic contains no big shocks: Brown Sugar Boba Milk and Cream Mousse.
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| Pricing | Click here to view |
| Website | |
| Address |
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| Telephone | (65) 9581 9283 |
| Operating Hours | Chinatown Point: 11am – 9pm |
| Review 1 | “Super tasty drink! The pearls are extra chewy and has a very nice flavour to it, very different from other pearls I’ve had. The black sugar taste is very strong and I love it. The queue moves really quick even though it’s long.” – M C |
| Review 2 | “Having tried bubble tea and not like it before – the texture of the pearls wasn’t for me. However I was persuaded into trying this by my gf. OMG! Amazing – we had it with the mixed small and large pearls and then I went back the next day and had with just large pearls. Amazing! I’m so glad I live in a country where they don’t have this otherwise I would be spending a lot of money here.” – Rachel.C |
| Review 3 | “I nvr like milk tea..just dont like it and maybe doesnt like of the smell. And never try to taste it. But, it’s really the first im trying to taste milk tea..and i really love it. Also the smell is really good since they use brown sugar!! Im extremelly recommended for anyone who want to try milk tea..” – Dina.S |
Cafe Name | Beautea |
| Signature | Beautea holds some good listings for bubble tea, and the selection is very impressive. Highlights are Dirty mango fresh milk ($2.50), Chocolate mint milk tea $2.50), Peach green tea ($1.80), Pearl milk tea holding white pearls ($1.60). The day-to-day feature alternates each 2 weeks or month.
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| Pricing | Click here to view |
| Website | https://www.instagram.com/beauteasg |
| Address | 6 Jalan Bukit Merah, ABC Brickworks Hawker Centre #01-43, Singapore 150006 |
| Telephone | No number |
| Operating Hours | 11am – 10pm daily Sun: Closed (Still Delivering During Circuit Breaker) |
| Review | “decent and affordable” – Joanne.O |
Cafe Name | 7 Tea Cafe |
| Signature | Green choices of many include their Bitter matcha milk tea extra add red beans ($2.30/ $2), Yakult green tea ($2) or their Honey aloe vera grass jelly extra. From time to time, have some Caramel macchiato ($2.80) topped up over “cross-hatch” dashes of caramel sauce. Charges are decent, without sacrificing quality of drinks. Charges begin from merely $1.50 to get usual Taiwan milk tea. Reduced ice toppings are available with zero top up charges. Were milk tea considered excessive for regular take outs, one should at minimum enjoy some tastes of the warm creamy Cappuccino that is regularly sought after.
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| Menu | Click here to view |
| Website | |
| Address | 3 Yung Sheng Road, Taman Jurong Market and Food Centre #03-142, Singapore 618499 |
| Telephone | (65) 96352425 |
| Operating Hours | 11.30am – 9pm daily (Still Delivering During Circuit Breaker) |
| Review 1 | “Bubble tea stalls in hawker centres are rare and this one proves to be a gem, not just because of its location but also because of its quality and value for its price. The drinks here are comparable to that of the big chains(Koi, Liho etc)…but at half the price! A milk tea with pearls here costs only $1.80 and they do have a huge variety of drinks, some of which cannot be found in your typical bubble tea chain.Do note that the sugar levels here are generally scaled lower though. What I mean is that the 30% sugar level you order here will be less sweet than the 30% in, say, Liho. ” – Lee.L |
| Review 2 | “Nice and delicious Chocolate Milk Tea at reasonable price” – Helen.S |
| Review 3 | “Best in town! For everyone who is missing the taste of Taiwan milk tea, or jus for the taste of authentic Taiwan milk tea. Highly recommend cream cafe latte and 3Gems.” – Fan.J |
Cafe Name | Eat 3 Bowls |
| Signature | Eat 3 Bowls refers to a rare original Taiwanese street food eatery within Singapore. Furnished to conjure classroom aura for diners, Eat 3 Bowls holds tables with chairs that could bring memories of classes (had you taken study from Taiwan), along with extra decor of some school bags hung upon the stools. Their Signature 3 Bowls (S$15) set here then serves one mini-bowls of 3 signature Taiwanese food, with their Braised pork rice, chicken rice or Intestine mee sua. Their order serves out along the Taiwan bubble tea latte (black tea / green tea / oolong tea, Ala Carte S$3.80) that you pick. Alternative, choose the splashy Brown Sugar Bubble Tea Latte (Ala Carte S$3.80).
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| Menu | Click here to view |
| Website | http://Eat3bowls.oddle.me |
| Address | 462 Crawford Lane #01-61, Singapore 190462 |
| Telephone | (65) 9154 8191 |
| Operating Hours | 11am – 9pm daily (Still Delivering During Circuit Breaker) |
| Review 1 | “Ho-Jiak! Chance upon this taiwan eatery along Lavender. The meat is well seasoned and the rice is soft and fluffy! I also love their Taiwan milk tea, so authentic and milky!” – Shengyang.Y |
| Review 2 | “Milk tea and braised pork rice was great 👍” – Lucas.N |
Cafe Name | HeyTea |
| Signature | HEYTEA (喜茶) refers to a China leading branded bubble tea franchise. Well reputed widely as their “Starbucks of China”, they are reputed for their yummy cheese tea beverages. With sole entry of top-grade ingredients, including the natural rock sugar in all teas, or New Zealand cheese in the cheese bubbly. Cheezo Tea – HEYTEA’s best beverage is their Cheese Tea, named the Cheezo Tea. Their shop delivers 4 Cheezo teas, including their top drink as the King fone cheezo ($5.50).
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| Menu | Click here to view |
| Website | |
| Address |
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| Telephone | (65) 6908 0019 |
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| Review 1 | “Newly opened! The famous China brand of milk tea has landed in Singapore 🙂 always long queue, but fast service. Freshly brewed tea from tea leaf. Choices of fruit tea which are freshing. Highly recommended the cheese milk top 奶盖 (slightly salty), foamed quality imported cheese. Enjoy!” – Yeen.L |
| Review 2 | “Nice offer for the soft serve. It’s a must have the Cheese taste. No queue for soft serve 😋” – Andrew. K |
| Review 3 | “Paper straw is the most inspiring here. The tea is good without wait. Staff is friendly. Area is clean. Tea is fresh made to walk ins. Nice place to chill during hot summer time.” – Frances.W |
Cafe Name | Hollin Tea |
| Signature | Set in their offerings are the Honey White Pearl which is on offer all day. As matcha, cocoa, coconut, coffee, peanut, black sesame, or rock salt is just offered within Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, respectively. The pearls are offered at extra $0.70.
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| Menu | Click here to view |
| Website | https://www.hollingroup.com |
| Address |
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| Telephone | (65) 6238 1902 |
| Operating Hours | Mon-Thurs: 11.30am – 9.45pm |
| Review 1 | “I love the tea here, it’s well brewed and fragrant. They use real fruit when you order fruit teas, which really adds to the experience. There are also different flavours of pearls available for each day of the week. I checked this place out because of a recommendation from my friend, and I definitely don’t regret doing so. Now, I and recommending this place to you so you can try for yourself.” – Angelica.G |
| Review 2 | “Tried their Tropical Fruit Tea series for a start as it was being recommended on their screen. Tasted really refreshing, & the sweetness level was just right. Will be back to try their other drinks! ❤️🌈 seems really nice with their different flavor pearls (daily special) & their Rock Salt Macchiato series.” – Angie |
Cafe Name | Woobbee |
| Signature | In Woobbee, they seek daily to bring you best brewed tea, boiled often with a mix of some top ingredients with the fresh tea leaves flown from Taiwan, original raw sugar or scented creamer to put kick in each tea brew. They promise to just put natural raw sugar into the tea as it brings you better assurance of drinking greener tea holding fewer calories. Woobbee is just one exclusive shop locally that mixes the Superior raw sugar that is pure and untainted by chemical mixing. Woobbee tea is greener, top tea brew served at great prices.
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| Menu | Click here to view |
| Website | https://www.woobbee.com/ |
| Address |
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| Telephone | (65) 6222 6687 |
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| Review 1 | “I LOVE WOOBBEE’S HERBALMINT MILK TEA A.K.A PEI PA KUA. at first, i am not sure about herbal med for cough being use as a milk tea flavor 😂😂😂 but then, after i tasted it, this one instantly there in my favorite drink list. a must try when you are in town!” – Claudia.V |
| Review 2 | “The famous Pei Pa Kao milk tea was pretty good and I love the grass jelly. If given a chance, do come and try their drinks” – Lysha.L |
Cafe Name | Share Tea |
| Signature | Reputed for their internal brew of serving old milk tea holding some potent tea brews or thick creamy flavours, Sharetea was founded from Taiwan in 1992. It is known for Black tea or Pearl milk beverages, holding beyond 450 shops from 18 countries.
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| Menu | Click here to view |
| Website | https://www.1992sharetea.com |
| Address |
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| Telephone | (65) 6257 1512 |
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| Review 1 | “One of my prefered bubble tea brand. Their honey aloe Vera is effectively thirst quenching and nutritious with real big aloe vera cubes. Their taro milk tea is one of the best in Singapore. I like to chew their toppings while enjoying their milk tea, so u can try qq milk tea or grass jelly milk tea with bubbles =)” – Lin.S |
| Review 2 | “Mouth-watering bubble tea for a hot day in SG!” – Zhe.M |
Cafe Name | Xing Fu Tang |
| Signature | Xing Fu Tang (幸福堂) is now open in Singapore at Tampines Century Square! From Taiwan, Xing Fu Tang brought near to one hundred shops globally in 2 years. Reputed for their pure brown sugar pearls, Xing Fu Tang puts 100% raw brown sugar to mix pearls and without additives, essences, and preservatives. The key ingredients consist of starch or Xing Fu Tang’s old brown sugar from Taiwan.
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| Menu | Click here to view |
| Website | https://xingfutangsg.com/ |
| Address |
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| Telephone | Contact for more information |
| Operating Hours |
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| Review 1 | “Authentic Taiwanese bubble tea with savory, chewy pearls. Quite different from the other brands as their pearls are a tier better than the others. Try their signature brown sugar pearl milk tea to experience the difference between the others. Price wise was on the high side but makes up with the quality product. A must try if you like bubble tea with pearls. Their other drinks are also good too. However, due to their limited outlets in Singapore, expect a queue to try their signature drinks.” – Scott.N |
| Review 2 | “Ordered the signature boba milk tea and I really like it. The pearls were indeed soft and very Q cause they self made them and the whole drink tasted very milky which I’d recommend if you are a fan of milk. It’s quite different from the tiger sugar as I feel it’s not that sweet. Went on a weekday afternoon and queued for at most 15 minutes.” – Kah.W |
| Review 3 | “Ordered the famous brown sugar fresh milk. Pearls were amazing! They were almost caramelized, and chewy. The drink itself just tasted like fresh milk. Overall not bad drink, but pricey.” – Gina.T |
Cafe Name | I Love Taimei |
| Signature | I Love Taimei serves great Taiwanese Street Food. Pearl Milk Tea is their signature.
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| Menu | Click here to view |
| Website | https://ilovetaimei.com/ |
| Address |
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| Telephone | (65) 9636 1170 |
| Operating Hours | 11am – 10pm daily (Still Delivering During Circuit Breaker) |
| Review 1 | “Popcorn chicken and double yam milk tea is to very good! Must eat while it’s hot super juicy” – Jason.K |
| Review 2 | “So great ! Recommend every one to try the fried tofu and pearl milk tea!” – Toro.T |
Cafe Name | Dessert Monster |
| Signature | Dessert Monster are known for Taho, Chendol, Soy Milk, Beancurd, Grass Jelly and kids ice cream toppings.
Catering – Wholesale – Franchise |
| Menu | Click here to view |
| Website | https://www.dessertmonstersg.com |
| Address | Peoples’s Park Centre; 101 Upper Cross Rd #B1-08A S058357 |
| Contact | Telephone : (65) 8118 4347 Email : [email protected] |
| Operating Hours | 8am – 8pm daily (Still Delivering During Circuit Breaker) |
| Review 1 | “The chendol is amazingly good and it taste even better because of how friendly and warm the stall holders are. For $2.50 the helpings are Super generous and every ingredient is good. Most defiantly worth having a try. Mind blown by this.”- Dan.H |
| Review 2 | ” The Chendol Delight is yummy! Their coconut ice cream is very legit because it’s imported from Thailand and I don’t usually eat red bean but this is not overly sweet and the beans are still whole. The chendol itself is also very soft. They’re very generous with the ice cream and gula Melaka too! The boss is also really friendly and offers great service!” – Lynn.N |
Cafe Name | Dot Sugar |
| Signature | Dot Sugar serves Hong Kong cooked desserts like Mango pomelo sago ($3.50), double boiled milk ($3.50).
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| Menu | Click here to view |
| Website | https://www.facebook.com/lovedotsugar/ |
| Address | 1 Kadayanallur St, Maxwell Food Centre Singapore 069184 |
| Telephone | (65) 9753 5109 |
| Operating Hours | 11:30am – 09:30pm daily (Still Delivering During Circuit Breaker) |
| Review 1 | “Down to earth guys managing the stall, tasty brown sugar fresh milk and peach resin with red dates is very nice too!! Consistent Great service and always keeping the welcoming energy when I visit their stall😄👍” – Lavender.C |
| Review 2 | “The Brown Sugar is delicious and is not so sweet” – Jing.A |
Classic Types of Bubble Tea
The most popular bubble tea recipes can be classified as:
Pearl milk tea: Milky tea with tapioca pearl. It uses the 1/4-inch tapioca balls’ pearls.
Bubble milk tea: A blend of tapioca pearl tea that commonly uses the 1/4-inch tapioca balls. In Taiwan, boba is used to denote large breasts.
Black pearl milk tea: This denotes bubble tea that uses black pearls instead of the colourful types.
Foam red tea: A tea flavour that produces massive foam when shaken.
Foam milk tea: It’s a milky version of the Foam Red Tea
Steps for Opening a Bubble Tea Business
Here are steps to follow when opening a bubble tea venture in Singapore.
Design Your Store
A bubble tea shop design isn’t limited. You can opt for a custom store design, Setup the kitchen, a sitting area, and ensure the décor fits the demographics you’re targeting.
Pick the Perfect Location
Location is critical when starting a boba tea shop. Target high traffic areas to attract more customers. You can reduce overheads by opting for a food truck or a kiosk near a school. Choose a location near a mall for traffic purposes but avoid congested places where customers find it hard to find your stall.
Consider the Competition
Bubble tea shops are the rage with budding investors. Before you open your tea stall, check your competition. Do your research and innovate to stay ahead of your business rivals.
Invest in Equipment
To serve scintillating bubble tea varieties or flavors, you need to invest in special equipment. These appliances help you to create your bubble tea professionally. If you need customers to keep coming, don’t cut corners with the equipment.
Craft a killer Menu
Though bubble tea follows a specific cuisine code, you can create hot flavors. By combining creativity and exotic ingredients, you can offer a first on your menu and attract more customers.
Get necessary permits
Bubble teas shops serve food. As such, you’ll need the right licenses and permits, as stipulated by Singaporean authorities.
Why Is Bubble Tea Popular In Singapore
Distinctive and sizzling taste
Sizzling boba tea flavour combined with the sweet chewy tapioca tastes is the anytime drink for Singaporeans. It offers a break from the monotony of average chilled ice tea. Also, the eternal flavours make it a globally acclaimed drink.
Variety
Bubble tea offers more than just pearls. There is an abundance of toppings that range from guava, chis seed, cream, and organic add-ons. Bubble tea offers an adventure like experience for those who love new tastes.
Aesthetic
The aesthetic appeal that bubble tea offers make it irresistible day and night. It’s an Instagram worthy drink with a touch of art and flavour.
Tips for Ordering Your First Bubble Tea
If you’re trying bubble tea for the first time, here are tips that ensure you’ll enjoy your boba debut.
Milk or no milk?
Some bubble tea types are crafted with or without milk. Chose the milk less type if you want a fruity pop. Milk is ideal if you want a creamy experience.
Start with a popular flavour
Popular boba tea flavors are preferred for a reason. Consider a highly preferred boba tea for your maiden flight. If the experience is right, you’re sure to get hooked on more than the classic bubble tea types.
Go easy with the by toppings
Bubble tea is often served with toppings. These go to the bottom of the cup. They can be fresh fruit, jellies, grass jelly, and the like. When starting, choose a basic boba drink minus the sophisticated toppings.
Editors Note:
While every precaution has been made to ensure the accuracy and fairness of this listing, we acknowledge that they may be inaccuracies. Therefore we urge you to contact the service provider above for the correct information and/or contact us with the correct information.
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FAQs
Why Bubble Tea become so popular in Singapore?
