Search

These are the 22 Best Places to Get Bubble Tea in NYC

If you’re craving bubble tea in NYC, there are plenty of great spots to get boba nearby wherever you are in the city.

If you’re craving bubble tea in NYC, the good news is there are plenty of options to find some of the best boba nearby—wherever your fun NYC adventures take you. Bubble tea, which is also known as boba, is a fun Taiwanese drink that comes in lots of exotic flavors. For those just getting acquainted with this fun, unique drink, look for a tea base along with some delicious fruit or milk. And here’s the extra-fun part—chewy tapioca balls and other toppings can be added to the mix. The “bubble” in the name refers to the foam that's created by vigorously shaking the tea. Read on for where to find the best bubble tea in NYC. 

Click on your preferred borough below to jump to those bubble tea locations:

Bubble Tea NYC

1. I’MILKY

992 Sixth Ave., Midtown
FacebookInstagram

I’Milky’s philosophy is to keep every drink natural and authentic, so it carefully selects 100-percent natural ingredients and hand-picked tea leaves. This bubble tea shop in NYC also offers espresso drinks (if coffee’s more your speed), oat and soy milk options for those who are dairy-free, and offers snacks like rice balls, bento boxes, seaweed salad, and edamame. Plus, when you add $1 to any purchase that’s $10 or more, you can add your wisht to the wishing wall and that extra $1 will be donated to Make-a-Wish Metro New York.

2. Tiger Sugar

197 Canal St., Chinatown
42 W. 32nd St., Koreatown
Instagram

This popular bubble tea spot in NYC is known for having the original black sugar boba tea, made with fresh cream mousse and a unique tiger stripe design. 

3. PaTea

227 E. 14th St., Gramercy Park
FacebookInstagram

The adorable bear logo will draw you in to PaTea, but the variety of bubble tea offerings at this Gramercy Park location will keep you coming back for more. This boba shop has traditional milk teas, teas, and tea lattes that you can get with tapioca bubbles and other customizations. But you can also get yakult (a sweetened probiotic milk beverage), brown sugar milks, fruit slush drinks, and milkshakes.

4. Mi Tea

101 Macdougal St., West Village
Instagram

Founded in 2016 in Hangzhou, China, Mi Tea specializes in creating high-quality Himalayan pink salt cheese tea drinks, pairing a tea base with a rich, creamy cheese foam topping. Of course, you can get regular fruit teas, traditional teas, and milk teas here too.

5. The Alley

68 Cooper Square, Noho
FacebookInstagram

This boba spot in Flushing makes its own tapioca daily and sugar cane syrup from scratch using the highest quality ingredients. Plus, it handpicks the tea leaves it uses in its drinks. As if the tasty bubble tea options weren’t enough to bring you to this spot, the decor and logos on the cups makes it an Instagram-worthy stop in NYC.

6. CoCo Fresh Tea & Juice

12 John St., Financial District
79 Division St., Chinatown
38 Lexington Ave., Kips Bay
646 Ninth Ave., Hell’s Kitchen
124 W. 72nd St., Upper West Side
FacebookInstagram

A range of bubble teas, milk teas, and fruit slushes are offered at this string of colorful, compact, counter-serve cafes. Among the most popular choices here are the bubble milk tea, taro milk tea, exotic mango green tea, matcha latte, and pudding milk tea.

7. Tea Magic

2878 Broadway, Upper West Side
Facebook

This intimate cafe serves up a variety of bubble teas and other tasty treats in a contemporary space. Several flat screen TVs are on hand to entertain guests, often students from nearby Columbia University. Tea Magic offers a long list of flavors and lots of varieties of boba teas, with toppings that include green jelly, red bean, and pudding. 

8. Vivi Bubble Tea

49 Bayard St., Chinatown 
2 E. Broadway, Chinatown
183 Hester St., Little Italy
325 Broadway, Tribeca
226 E 14th St., East Village
30 Third Ave., East Village
18A W. 14th St., Union Square
50 Lexington Ave., Kips Bay
170 W. 23rd St., Chelsea
607 Ninth Ave., Hell’s Kitchen
1324 Second Ave., Upper East Side
FacebookInstagram

This ubiquitous bubble tea shop offers both hot and refreshingly cool versions. Its signature drinks include the ViVi signature fruit tea, blue galaxy, red bean matcha milk tea, and beyond. Milk tea flavors include oolong, Thai, and ViVi’s very own black/green milk tea. ViVi uses ingredients that hail from Taiwan—all of which are FDA-approved. 

9. Gong Cha

200 Broadway, Financial District
72 Bayard St., Chinatown
27 St. Marks Place, Lower East Side
12 W. 32nd St., Koreatown
75 W. 38th St., Midtown
160 E. 44th St., Midtown
1600 Broadway, Midtown
2810 Broadway, Upper West Side
925 Lexington Ave., Upper East Side
FacebookInstagram

Gong Cha traces its history back to 2006. One of the most recognized bubble tea brands worldwide, its drinks are crafted with fresh tea that hails from the finest Taiwan tea estates. Gong Cha, which translates to “tribute tea for the emperor,” has expanded to more than 15 countries and 1,500 locations across the world. The US buzz is in its specialty milk foam, which offers a slightly salted, cream topping atop the freshly brewed tea. Beyond the milk foam series, there’s a milk tea series, a slush series, and even a creative series. It features a lemon wintermelon basil seeds offering; a taro, and a lemon ai-yu white pearl among other exotic flavors. 

10. Yaya Tea

206 Grand St., Little Italy
51 Chrystie St., Chinatown
284 Third Ave., Gramercy
FacebookInstagram

Beyond delivering great tasting bubble teas and other fun drinks, Yaya Tea yearns to save the planet—one bubble tea at a time. When environmentally-aware guests reuse Yaya’s glass bottles, they’re given a 10-percent discount off any small drink. This sweet deal is available at all locations. It even lets teetotalers get creative—they can craft their own teas. First select black white, oolong, or green, and then choose up to three flavors.

Bubble Tea Brooklyn

1. I’MILKY

142 N. 6th St., Williamsburg
FacebookInstagram

I’Milky’s philosophy is to keep every drink natural and authentic, so it carefully selects 100-percent natural ingredients and hand-picked tea leaves. This bubble tea shop in NYC also offers espresso drinks (if coffee’s more your speed), oat and soy milk options for those who are dairy-free, and offers snacks like rice balls, bento boxes, seaweed salad, and edamame. Plus, when you add $1 to any purchase that’s $10 or more, you can add your wish to the wishing wall and that extra $1 will be donated to Make-a-Wish Metro New York.

2. Tiger Sugar

903 8th Ave., Sunset Park
2132 86th St., Bensonhurst
Instagram

This popular bubble tea spot is known for having the original black sugar boba tea, made with fresh cream mousse and a unique tiger stripe design. 

3. Vivi Bubble Tea

790 Manhattan Ave., Greenpoint
113A Court St., Brooklyn Heights
5924 8th Ave., Sunset Park 
6731 Bay Parkway, Bensonhurst
2169 86th St., Bensonhurst
6517 18th Ave., Bensonhurst
1616 Avenue U, Sheepshead Bay
FacebookInstagram

This ubiquitous bubble tea shop offers both hot and refreshingly cool versions. Its signature drinks include the ViVi signature fruit tea, blue galaxy, red bean matcha milk tea, and beyond. Milk tea flavors include oolong, Thai, and ViVi’s very own black/green milk tea. ViVi uses ingredients that hail from Taiwan—all of which are FDA-approved. 

4. Gong Cha

156 Lawrence St., Downtown Brooklyn 
5723 8th Ave., Sunset Park
313 9th St., Park Slope
1570 Flatbush Ave., Flatbush
1698 E. 14th St., Midwood
FacebookInstagram

Gong Cha traces its history back to 2006. One of the most recognized bubble tea brands worldwide, its drinks are crafted with fresh tea that hails from the finest Taiwan tea estates. Gong Cha, which translates to “tribute tea for the emperor,” has expanded to more than 15 countries and 1,500 locations across the world. The US buzz is in its specialty milk foam, which offers a slightly salted, cream topping atop the freshly brewed tea. Beyond the milk foam series, there’s a milk tea series, a slush series, and even a creative series. It features a lemon wintermelon basil seeds offering; a taro, and a lemon ai-yu white pearl among other exotic flavors. 

5. Yaya Tea

80 Dekalb Ave., Downtown Brooklyn
2320 86th St., Bensonhurst
FacebookInstagram

Beyond delivering great tasting bubble teas and other fun drinks, Yaya Tea yearns to save the planet—one bubble tea at a time. When environmentally-aware guests reuse Yaya’s glass bottles, they’re given a 10-percent discount off any small drink. This sweet deal is available at all locations. It even lets teetotalers get creative—they can craft their own teas. First select black white, oolong, or green, and then choose up to three flavors.

Bubble Tea Queens

1. The Alley

38-02 Prince St., Flushing
FacebookInstagram

This boba spot in Flushing makes its own tapioca daily and sugar cane syrup from scratch using the highest quality ingredients. Plus, it handpicks the tea leaves it uses in its drinks. As if the tasty bubble tea options weren’t enough to bring you to this spot, the decor and logos on the cups makes it an Instagram-worthy stop in NYC.

2. Tiger Sugar

40-10 #A, Main St., Flushing
Instagram

This popular bubble tea spot is known for having the original black sugar boba tea, made with fresh cream mousse and a unique tiger stripe design. 

3. M Tea LIC

2301 41st Ave., Store 1D, Long Island City
Instagram

As it says on its site, M Tea creates fresh, high quality bubble tea, using fresh-cut fruit and nutritious ingredients without additives. Plus, it offers a selection of French-style pastries. Try various bubble tea flavors, from signature and classic milk teas to boba made with fresh fruit and creme brulee teas.

4. CoCo Fresh Tea & Juice

3310 Broadway, Astoria
2922 Ditmars Blvd., Astoria
40-24 College Point Blvd., Flushing
39-22 Main St., Flushing
36-01 162nd St., Flushing
45-40 Bell Blvd., Bayside
86-55 Broadway, Elmhurst
37-01 82nd St., Jackson Heights
FacebookInstagram

A range of bubble teas, milk teas, and fruit slushes are offered at this string of colorful, compact, counter-serve cafes. Among the most popular choices here are the bubble milk tea, taro milk tea, exotic mango green tea, matcha latte, and pudding milk tea.

5. Gong Cha

25-08 Queens Plaza S., Long Island City
40-06 Union St., Flushing
136-20 Roosevelt Ave., Flushing
159-17 Northern Blvd., Flushing
40-24 College Point Blvd., Flushing
90-15 Queens Blvd., Elmhurst
8801 Queens Blvd., A-3, Elmhurst
252-01 Northern Blvd., Little Neck
61-35 Junction Blvd., Rego Park
FacebookInstagram

Gong Cha traces its history back to 2006. One of the most recognized bubble tea brands worldwide, its drinks are crafted with fresh tea that hails from the finest Taiwan tea estates. Gong Cha, which translates to “tribute tea for the emperor,” has expanded to more than 15 countries and 1,500 locations across the world. The US buzz is in its specialty milk foam, which offers a slightly salted, cream topping atop the freshly brewed tea. Beyond the milk foam series, there’s a milk tea series, a slush series, and even a creative series. It features a lemon wintermelon basil seeds offering; a taro, and a lemon ai-yu white pearl among other exotic flavors. 

6. Vivi Bubble Tea

3516 Ditmars Blvd., Astoria
31-54 Steinway St., Long Island City
83-28 Broadway, Elmhurst
FacebookInstagram

This ubiquitous bubble tea shop offers both hot and refreshingly cool versions. Its signature drinks include the ViVi signature fruit tea, blue galaxy, red bean matcha milk tea, and beyond. Milk tea flavors include oolong, Thai, and ViVi’s very own black/green milk tea. ViVi uses ingredients that hail from Taiwan—all of which are FDA-approved. 

7. Yaya Tea

8612 Whitney Ave., Elmhurst
FacebookInstagram

Beyond delivering great tasting bubble teas and other fun drinks, Yaya Tea yearns to save the planet—one bubble tea at a time. When environmentally-aware guests reuse Yaya’s glass bottles, they’re given a 10-percent discount off any small drink. This sweet deal is available at all locations. It even lets teetotalers get creative—they can craft their own teas. First select black white, oolong, or green, and then choose up to three flavors.

About the Author

Katelin E. Walling has been writing about parenting, fun things to do in NYC and the surrounding area, health, finance, education, and more for nearly 10 years. She graduated from the University of Maine in 2011 and attended the NYU Summer Publishing Institute during the summer of 2011. To unplug in her free time, she can often be found reading, knitting (or general crafting), or whipping up a vegan treat—all with a cup of coffee nearby.

Bringing a group to NYC? Free planning services

Let us know what you are looking for and we will try to connect you directly and get discounts.

Enter the code: 3972

More Articles