12 Best Places To Buy Bubble Tea In London

London’s bubble tea scene has exploded in recent years, with shops popping up on nearly every high street. Like many Londoners, I discovered I was a bit late to this particular tea party.

My introduction to bubble tea came last summer when my teenager convinced me to try one after our day at the London Zoo.

There we were hanging out in Camden, and I found myself staring at a passionfruit tea dotted with those signature tapioca pearls, not quite sure what to expect.

That first sip was certainly different—are there any other drinks that are both refreshing and chewy? Well, I don’t! But somewhere between the unusual textures and fruity flavours, something clicked.

Now I understand why these colourful drinks have captured London’s attention!

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What Is Bubble Tea?

Bubble tea is so popular among Gen Z, but for many of us a little older, bubble tea may just sound like a fizzy PG Tips! So what is bubble tea exactly?

Bubble tea is a Taiwanese drink recipe that comes in a variety of fruit-flavoured teas or milk-based teas served with ice-cold or piping hot chewy tapioca (“boba” or “pearls”) but it can have other toppings too, such as grass jelly, coconut jelly, even Oreo cookie bits!

If you want to explore the tantalising world of bubble tea or simply need your bubble tea fix, check out the 12 places to get the best bubble tea in London.

1. Biju Bubble Tea

Biju was opened by its owner who grew up in Singapore and developed a profound love for bubble tea. He became somewhat of a “self-professed boba connoisseur” and wanted London to be home to the best bubble tea around!

They currently have two locations, one in Soho, and the other in South Kensington.

For more information, and to see their full drinks menu click here.

Locations:

• SOHO — 45 Old Compton Street, Soho, London W1D 6HQ.
• SOUTH KENSINGTON — 27 Bute Street, South Kensington, London SW7 3EY.

2. Bubbleology

Bubbleology is a popular bubble tea shop with over 10 locations both inside and outside of London.

Not only do they have a wide variety of flavours available, but they also have cocktail versions, like the Passion In Paradise and Raspberry Mar-Tea-Ni.

If you pick up a Bubbleology loyalty card you can enjoy every 10th drink free! You can order online from Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat.

For more information, and to see their full drinks menu click here.

Location: Various – Click here to see all locations.

3. Yunique ‘The Bear’ Bubble Tea

Originally from Taiwan, Yunique has gained a lot of popularity in countries such as Malaysia and Singapore.

They established their first shop in London back in 2019, and have achieved equal success!

Yunique is open 7 days a week from 12pm until 9pm.

Location: 10 Little Newport Street, London, WC2H 7JJ.

4. T4

A cup of tea is the best way to connect with people – that is T4’s philosophy. The T4 concept originated in a warm greeting between people and also comes from their slogan, “A cup of TEA FOR you.”

T4 prides itself on never using bags or powder, only the finest whole leaves which are grown at precisely the right altitudes, at their tea fields in the beautiful hills and mountains of Taiwan.

T4 has over 20 stores both inside and outside of London, but you can also order online through their website or on Deliveroo.

For more information, and to see their full drinks menu click here.

Location: Various – Click here to see all locations.

5. The Alley

The Alley is one of the first bubble tea shops to make their own sugar cane syrup. They also prepare their own tapioca (deerioca) and carefully select their tea leaves too.

With a striking stag as its logo, The Alley is as unique as it is popular, in fact, The Alley has stores all across the globe including North America, Australia, Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia as well as Europe.

Locations:

• HOLBORN — Unit 3, 272 High Holborn, London WC1V 7EY.
• MAYFAIR — 10 Maddox St, London W1S 1PF.

6. Kissaten

Kissaten has incorporated the cultural Japanese tea traditions into their bubble tea.

Known for its hand-crafted, chewy tapioca in flavours such as Honey, Rose and Taro, they have reinvented the classic brown sugar pearls.

Kissaten has unique flavour combos like the Matcha Strawberry Milk Tea and Roasted Oolong Salted Cheese. You can also choose from a variety of toppings including custard pudding, herbal jelly, passionfruit poppin’, coconut jelly and many more.

For more information, and to see their full drinks menu click here.

Location: 30 Brewer St, London W1F 0SS

7. Mooboo

Mooboo is the leading bubble tea franchise with over 70 locations in the UK and is in the process of expanding further.

It was established in 2012 in response to a growing demand for authentic bubble tea “bridging the gap between Far East culture and Western tastes.”

Like Bubbleology, you can collect points to earn rewards, but they also run an ‘Essence of Taiwan’ weekly giveaway too.

For more information, and to see their full drinks menu click here.

Location: Various — Use their store locator to find the nearest one to you.

8. Happy Lemon

Founded in 2006, Happy Lemon has over 500 branches across 100 cities and aims to increase its global expansion even more! Their first European store opened right here in London in the heart of Chinatown.

They have a wide variety of special flavoured drinks such as their signature “Rock Salted Cheese” and “Fresh Lemon” series.

You can enjoy a free drink after collecting 10 points by purchasing their ‘LoyalTEA’ card.

Online delivery is available within 2.2 miles of one of their participating branches, click here to check.

For more information, and to see their full drinks menu click here.

Location: 24A Newport Court, China Town, London WC2H 7JS.

9. Yi Fang

Yi Fang draws its inspiration from and is named in honour of the founder’s grandmother who would make wonderful homemade jam from overripe pineapples. This inspired the secret recipe behind their famous drink ‘Yi Fang Fruit Tea’ by adding preserved pineapple fruit jam to the tea.

Yi Fang strives to bring back the nostalgic and warm hospitality of Taiwanese traditions in every sip.

Made with only natural ingredients, Yi Fang has many bubble teas to choose from, one of their most popular being their signature drink ‘Mudflip’.

You can order from Yi Fang on Deliveroo.

For more information, and to see their full drinks menu click here.

Location: Various — Click here to see all locations.

10. Woo Tea

Woo Tea is said to be the ultimate pick-me-up when shopping in Chinatown, London, they offer some interesting flavour combinations such as their Purple Potato Oolong Tea with Tapioca Pearls, Golden Lime Plum Woo Tea and Matcha Milk Series with Cherry Blossom Pearls.

You can order Woo Tea online via Deliveroo and Uber Eats.

For more information, visit their website here.

Location: G, F, 26 Wardour St, London W1D 6QL

11. Tea Live

Tea Live offers some of the best recipes to satisfy anyone’s sweet tooth like their current exclusive tea ‘Coco Wafer Berry Smoothie’ made with KitKat spread, but they have many other categories of drinks on their menu too including smoothies, milk teas, matcha teas, coffees and crafted teas.

You can earn loyalty rewards by downloading the Tea Live app from the Google Play or Apple App Store, see how their benefits tier system works here.

You can also order Tea Live on Just Eat.

For more information, and to see their full drinks menu click here.

Location: 56A Queensway, London, W2 3RY

12. Chatime

Chatime is one the most popular bubble tea brands in many Asian countries that managed to establish itself overseas, the 35 stores in the UK alone and over 1,000 stores worldwide are a testament to its success.

They have an exciting menu with drinks such as the Jasmine Green Tea Mousse and Honeydew Melon Milk Tea.

All Chatime boba drinks are “lovingly hand-shaken” before serving to the customer. Customers can also choose the amount of ice and sugar in their drinks.

You can earn points and pre-order drinks by downloading their app on the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.

For more information, and to see their full drinks menu click here.

Location: Various — Click here to see all locations.

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These 12 spots represent the best bubble tea in London right now. From traditional Taiwanese recipes to creative modern interpretations, each shop brings something special to your cup.

Have you visited any of these spots? Or do you have another favourite place for bubble tea in London that I should check out? Drop a comment below!