Shiny Tea, a hole-in-the-wall bubble tea spot, has been popular with local college students since opening in June 2016 near Columbia University. They’re known for their affordable prices and innovative combinations. Try the Panda Milk Tea, a black milk tea with a mix of perfectly cooked black and white pearls.

Tiger Sugar opened in Taichung, Taiwan, in 2017 and has grown into a massively popular international chain. Their Flushing location opened soon after in May 2019, the first in NYC. The brown sugar boba series, where the caramelized brown sugar syrup forms a unique tiger stripe design, is a signature of the drinks here.

After working in the food and beverage industry for almost a decade, Mathew Wong decided to open a boba shop in 2012 when he realized that much of the boba he had been drinking was full of artificial colors and flavors. At his shop, he only uses natural, fresh, and high-quality ingredients, such as fresh milk, fruits, and tea leaves. The shop’s signature taro root milk tea is made with homemade taro root puree blended with black tea and dairy. There is also a vegan version of the drink made with coconut milk.

The name Machi Machi means “best friend” in Taiwanese. The Taiwanese chain’s Koreatown store is Instagrammable with neon lights, interactive wall art, and cute bottles. They are most known for their strawberry latte with panna cotta, jasmine green tea with plum jello, and black milk tea with creme brulee. There are also mochi donuts and Korean corndogs for purchase inside the storefront for those craving a snack.

The owner and franchisee, Nigel Huang, emigrated from Taiwan in the 1980s and decided to open Teazzi in April 2021 due to the high demand for bubble tea in Long Island City. All drinks — which are served in beautiful white-and-blue paper cups reminiscent of Chinese porcelain — are made from scratch in the store, and the tea leaves and sugar are imported from Taiwan. The shop caters to its customers and only uses lactose-free milk and non-dairy creamers in its teas. Besides the usual boba and grass jelly, there’s also an option for an oat topping. The bestsellers include the house special milk tea, taro latte, and Strawberry Four Seasons milk tea.

Pa Tea is a cute bubble tea spot easily recognizable by its adorable cartoon bear logo. It first opened in Chinatown in 2013, and its second location on 14th street opened in 2016. Their popular drinks include the rose milk tea, an Oreo milkshake, and the Black-and-Yellow Milk. For those that can’t get enough, there is also a bigger stubby size — at 26 ounces — available.

Raccoon Cave is a raccoon-themed boba spot that just opened in January 2022. Started by the same owners behind Biao Sugar, the drinks are delivered via a furry raccoon’s paw in a small window. The walls and floor are all gray, mimicking rocks in a cave. The drinks are creamy with just the right amount of sweetness. The signature drinks include Taro Heaven (brown sugar boba milk, taro foam, brown sugar boba, herbal jelly, and pudding) and Raccoon’s Milky Way (signature brown sugar boba milk with milk foam).

Wanpo Tea Shop was founded by Peter Chang, whose family sold a variety of drinks at their grocery store in Taichung, Taiwan, in the 1950s. It was a popular hangout spot where aunties and uncles from the neighborhood would spend their afternoons over cups of aiyu lemonade and winter melon tea. Inspired by his family’s grocery store, Chang opened the first Wanpo Tea Shop in 1992, and it has since become a global Taiwanese bubble tea chain with locations in Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Australia, and the United Kingdom. At the Greenwich Village location, the vintage-style decor is reminiscent of tea shops in the 1940s. The most popular orders here include the red bean jelly drink, Wanpo milk tea, and aiyu jelly lemon tea.

Xing Fu Tang, meaning “Hall of Happiness,” is a Taiwanese bubble tea chain that opened its East Village location in October 2021. Customers can watch the staff make the brown sugar boba from scratch inside the shop. Recommended items include the boba soft serve, strawberry boba milk, and taro boba ube milk.

Tammy Na and Amber Luan opened Lazy Sundaes, a bubble tea and bingsoo shop, in 2020 inside Canal Street Market. Inspired by their Korean and Taiwanese heritage, respectively, their offerings are highly creative and have something for all diets, including dairy-free alternatives that make their drinks creamier and fluffier. An added bonus: the perfect, eco-friendly paper straws don’t get soggy even after several hours. Try the strawberry matcha latte, white chocolate matcha latte, and Ispahan rose milk tea (a seasonal special).

The owners Amy and Kenney are second-generation Chinese American siblings who grew up in Manhattan’s Chinatown and opened NYC’s first boba and sneaker store in May 2021. They decided to combine their love for sneakers with boba drinks as they hadn’t seen that concept before in the city. Past the shelves full of sneakers and an array of streetwear from emerging young artists, there’s a small bubble tea counter in the back. The most popular drinks include Pacific Lemonade (butterfly pea flower tea with lemonade), Shattered Mango (a mango slushie with mango jellies and popping boba), and Lychee Yakult with lychee jellies. They also regularly host events in their storefront.

For an old-school bubble tea experience, check out the Chinatown branch of Ten Ren Tea Time. Opened by Mark and Ellen Li in 1984, Ten Ren seeks to introduce its four-generation lineage of farm-fresh teas to New York City. The delightful aroma of freshly brewed tea hits you in the face upon entering the shop, where the boba is perfectly chewy and the flavorful milk teas are made with traditional tea leaves. The menu also includes fruit slushies and traditional Chinese teas for those looking for alternative drink options – all from their historical Mott Street storefront.

A new addition to Chinatown that opened in July 2020 is Chun Yang Tea, a Taiwanese bubble tea chain. The term “Chun Yang” is named after a village in Ren’Ai, a widely renowned tea farming region in Taiwan. At Chun Yang Tea, the workers brew a diverse selection of modern bubble tea drinks infused with traditional recipes, focusing on fresh ingredients such as premium tea leaves and fresh fruit. Make sure to try the creamy and decadent toffee cheese cocoa latte, which is part of the new Cocoa Latte Drink Series.

Cynthia Wang, who is originally from Shenyang, China, opened Miss Du’s Tea shop in 2021 on historic Pell Street in Manhattan’s Chinatown. A piano performance student at the Mannes School of Music, she opened the shop in honor of her mom, Miss Du. The shop specializes in fruit and bubble milk teas low in sugar and calories. Customers especially love the Hand-Hit Lemon Red Dragon Fruit Tea, Super Fruit Tea, and Black Grape Yakult. Make sure to try the crystal bubble topping made of agar-agar powder that’s translucent and chewier than regular boba.

Mudflow is a popular bubble tea chain in Brooklyn’s Chinatown that opened in July 2018. The store name references the avalanche that begins when the brown sugar milk series drinks are turned upside down. Besides the brown sugar milk, the cheese rose milk tea is another popular drink option. Rich, creamy, and floral — it’s like a dessert in a cup.