Bubble tea shops are taking over downtown Toronto. Here’s what to order at each of them
Since Green Grotto opened at Yonge and Sheppard in 1993, the city’s thirst for bubble tea—that sweet, tea-based drink studded with tapioca balls, or boba—has really popped. Today, bubble tea shops are proliferating in the downtown core. Here’s a handy-dandy guide to help you navigate your options.
Presotea
Eaton Centre, 220 Yonge St., 416-599-1618, presotea.ca, @presoteaCanada
Founded in 2006 by a fifth-generation Taiwanese tea processing company, Presso Tea uses brewed-to-order tea Ali Shan oolong and genmaicha teas made with an espresso-type machine.
GTA locations: 30
Signature drink: Panda milk tea with white and black tapioca. $3.49.
Real Fruit Bubble Tea
10 Dundas St. E., realfruitbubbletea.com, @officialrealfruitbubbletea
Real Fruit opened its first location in Pacific Mall in 2002, making slushies and smoothies with fresh fruit and supplements like whey protein.
GTA locations: 35
Signature drink: Mango Diamond Slush, a dairy-free ice slush mixed with fresh chunks of mango. $5.99.
CoCo Fresh Tea and Juice
372 Yonge St., 416-348-0888, en.coco-tea.com, @cocoteaontario
Established in Taiwan in 1997, there are now more than 3,000 outlets, making it the largest bubble tea chain in the world.
GTA locations: 8
Signature drink: The Three Guys tops regular milk tea with tapioca, pudding and grass jelly. $5.50.
Chatime
439 Yonge St., 416-260-2830, chatime.com
First hitting the GTA in 2011, ChaTime introduced customizable tea-based drinks to Canada. Their ongoing, limited-time releases have included shimmering bubble teas made with edible gold dust, multi-layered teas and a recent collaboration with Red Bull.
GTA locations: 18
Signature drink: Grass jelly roasted milk tea made with Ichiban roasted tea. $4.80.
Royaltea
531A Yonge St., 416-929-4404, @royaltea_canada
A relatively small chain from China, it’s recognized all over Instagram for the lightbulb-shaped bottles some of the drinks come in.
GTA locations: 3
Signature drink: Rose, osmanthus flower or peach oolong tea topped with a mousse made of cheese, milk and fresh cream (there’s also a version made with fresh durian). $5.30.
Sharetea
576 Yonge St., 1992sharetea.com/index.php, @shareteaglobal
Established in Taiwan, in 1992, Sharetea now has 500 stores in 15 countries. Most of the ingredients Sharetea uses are imported from Taiwan.
GTA locations: 8
Signature drink: QQ Happy Family milk Tea (black milk tea with a mix of tapioca, red bean, pudding, herb jelly and lychee jelly) and the classic pearl milk tea made with powdered milk, brewed black tea and tapioca. $5 each.
The Alley
5 St. Joseph St., 416-922-2441, the-alley.ca, @thealley.downtown
This Taiwan-based tea shop makes drinks using different tea bases, not syrups. They’re best known for their caramelized Deerioca, tapioca that’s been slow-cooked in brown sugar until chewy, then served warm in whole milk or soy milk.
GTA locations: 8
Signature drink: Deerioca Fever (milk or soy milk); Deerioca Matcha (milk); and best-selling Royal No. 9, a black Assam tea made with milk powder and a hint of blueberry ($6 each). There’s also the super-Instagrammable Northern Lights or Morning Dawn, multicoloured layered drinks from their Aurora series. $8.
Gong Cha
575 Yonge St., 647-347-6688, gong-cha.ca
With more than 200 stores worldwide, the franchise opened its first GTA location in Markham in 2014. It’s best known for its milk foam tea; with its savoury cream topper, it resembles a tea cappuccino.
GTA locations: 8
Signature drink: Winter melon milk foam. $4.70.
Happy Lemon
611 Yonge St., happy-lemon.com, @happylemoncanada
Founded in 1992 in Taipei, the brand recognized by its winking Lemon Boy logo currently has 800 stores worldwide. The tea drinks here are completely lemon-focused. There’s also a mojito series, lemon slush and whipped-cheese-with-milk-tea drinks that are sprinkled with Taiwanese rock salt.
GTA locations: 5
Signature drink: Their fresh lemon drinks that incorporate a whole blended lemon with green or black tea and topped with tapioca, lychee jelly or aloe. $5.80.
BubbleTease
111 Dundas St. W., 905-940-2660, bubbletease.com
BubbleTease first introduced the city to bubble tea slush in 2002. For the health conscious, the brand is currently transitioning to all-natural flavours (and they promise freshly cooked tapioca cooked every hour).
GTA locations: 5
Signature drink: Organic golden assam tea with tapioca. $5.
Bubble Republic Tea House on Bay
637 Bay St., 647-748-9188, bubblerepublic.ca
This tea shop that first opened in Mississauga in 2009 also offers a full food menu.
GTA locations: 3
Signature drink: Panna cotta black milk tea. $5.49.
Labothéry
717 Bay St., Unit D, 647-358-5098, labothery.com
At this brand-new tea shop, customers design their own drinks using ingredients that come packaged in whimsical (and/or creepy) test tubes, syringes and petri dishes (which are turned over to the barista who prepares the order).
GTA locations: 1
Signature drink: Since there’s no menu, the only signature drinks are the ones customers create and share over social media under the shop’s #craftyoursignaturetea hashtag. $6.50 and up.
Green Grotto
832 Bay St., 647-341-8898, greengrotto.ca
When Green Grotto opened it’s first location at Yonge and Sheppard in 1993, it was Canada’s only bubble tea house. Besides drinks, it also serves Taiwanese snacks like salt-and-pepper chicken or cold grass jelly bowls.
GTA locations: 9
Signature drink: Hokkaido milk tea and matcha Hokkaido milk tea, which are both a bit richer and creamier than your standard milk tea. $6.19.
Tsaocaa
915 Bay St., 416-922-3008, @tsaocaa_toronto
This China-based tea shop makes drinks with fresh brewed tea, and guarantees each order is ready in less than a minute.
GTA locations: 1
Signature drink: Golden oolong tea topped with matcha cheese cream foam. $5.59.
 on Aug 23, 2017 at 8:49am PDT
Presotea
Eaton Centre, 220 Yonge St., 416-599-1618, presotea.ca, @presoteaCanada
Founded in 2006 by a fifth-generation Taiwanese tea processing company, Presso Tea uses brewed-to-order tea Ali Shan oolong and genmaicha teas made with an espresso-type machine.
GTA locations: 30
Signature drink: Panda milk tea with white and black tapioca. $3.49.
A post shared by Real Fruit Bubble Tea (@officialrealfruitbubbletea) on Jun 23, 2018 at 3:56pm PDT
Real Fruit Bubble Tea
10 Dundas St. E., realfruitbubbletea.com, @officialrealfruitbubbletea
Real Fruit opened its first location in Pacific Mall in 2002, making slushies and smoothies with fresh fruit and supplements like whey protein.
GTA locations: 35
Signature drink: Mango Diamond Slush, a dairy-free ice slush mixed with fresh chunks of mango. $5.99.
A post shared by CoCo Fresh Tea & Juice (@cocoteaontario) on Oct 7, 2017 at 3:59pm PDT
CoCo Fresh Tea and Juice
372 Yonge St., 416-348-0888, en.coco-tea.com, @cocoteaontario
Established in Taiwan in 1997, there are now more than 3,000 outlets, making it the largest bubble tea chain in the world.
GTA locations: 8
Signature drink: The Three Guys tops regular milk tea with tapioca, pudding and grass jelly. $5.50.
A post shared by Chatime Canada (@chatimecanada) on Jun 14, 2018 at 5:41pm PDT
Chatime
439 Yonge St., 416-260-2830, chatime.com
First hitting the GTA in 2011, ChaTime introduced customizable tea-based drinks to Canada. Their ongoing, limited-time releases have included shimmering bubble teas made with edible gold dust, multi-layered teas and a recent collaboration with Red Bull.
GTA locations: 18
Signature drink: Grass jelly roasted milk tea made with Ichiban roasted tea. $4.80.
A post shared by @royaltea_canada on Sep 1, 2016 at 11:10pm PDT
Royaltea
531A Yonge St., 416-929-4404, @royaltea_canada
A relatively small chain from China, it's recognized all over Instagram for the lightbulb-shaped bottles some of the drinks come in.
GTA locations: 3
Signature drink: Rose, osmanthus flower or peach oolong tea topped with a mousse made of cheese, milk and fresh cream (there’s also a version made with fresh durian). $5.30.
A post shared by Sharetea Global (@shareteaglobal) on Jul 4, 2018 at 4:58am PDT
Sharetea
576 Yonge St., 1992sharetea.com/index.php, @shareteaglobal
Established in Taiwan, in 1992, Sharetea now has 500 stores in 15 countries. Most of the ingredients Sharetea uses are imported from Taiwan.
GTA locations: 8
Signature drink: QQ Happy Family milk Tea (black milk tea with a mix of tapioca, red bean, pudding, herb jelly and lychee jelly) and the classic pearl milk tea made with powdered milk, brewed black tea and tapioca. $5 each.
A post shared by The Alley Canada (@thealley.to) on Mar 24, 2018 at 11:32am PDT
The Alley
5 St. Joseph St., 416-922-2441, the-alley.ca, @thealley.downtown
This Taiwan-based tea shop makes drinks using different tea bases, not syrups. They're best known for their caramelized Deerioca, tapioca that’s been slow-cooked in brown sugar until chewy, then served warm in whole milk or soy milk.
GTA locations: 8
Signature drink: Deerioca Fever (milk or soy milk); Deerioca Matcha (milk); and best-selling Royal No. 9, a black Assam tea made with milk powder and a hint of blueberry ($6 each). There’s also the super-Instagrammable Northern Lights or Morning Dawn, multicoloured layered drinks from their Aurora series. $8.
A post shared by Gong Cha Canada (@gongchacanada) on Jan 19, 2018 at 11:18am PST
Gong Cha
575 Yonge St., 647-347-6688, gong-cha.ca
With more than 200 stores worldwide, the franchise opened its first GTA location in Markham in 2014. It's best known for its milk foam tea; with its savoury cream topper, it resembles a tea cappuccino.
GTA locations: 8
Signature drink: Winter melon milk foam. $4.70.
A post shared by Happy Lemon | Happy Everyday!? (@happylemoncanada) on Apr 18, 2018 at 4:37pm PDT
Happy Lemon
611 Yonge St., happy-lemon.com, @happylemoncanada
Founded in 1992 in Taipei, the brand recognized by its winking Lemon Boy logo currently has 800 stores worldwide. The tea drinks here are completely lemon-focused. There’s also a mojito series, lemon slush and whipped-cheese-with-milk-tea drinks that are sprinkled with Taiwanese rock salt.
GTA locations: 5
Signature drink: Their fresh lemon drinks that incorporate a whole blended lemon with green or black tea and topped with tapioca, lychee jelly or aloe. $5.80.
A post shared by Bubbletease (@bubbletease) on Dec 9, 2017 at 7:04pm PST
BubbleTease
111 Dundas St. W., 905-940-2660, bubbletease.com
BubbleTease first introduced the city to bubble tea slush in 2002. For the health conscious, the brand is currently transitioning to all-natural flavours (and they promise freshly cooked tapioca cooked every hour).
GTA locations: 5
Signature drink: Organic golden assam tea with tapioca. $5.
A post shared by Bubble Republic On Bay (@bubblerepubliconbay) on Nov 3, 2016 at 10:10am PDT
Bubble Republic Tea House on Bay
637 Bay St., 647-748-9188, bubblerepublic.ca
This tea shop that first opened in Mississauga in 2009 also offers a full food menu.
GTA locations: 3
Signature drink: Panna cotta black milk tea. $5.49.
A post shared by Labothéry Inc. (@labothery.inc) on May 1, 2018 at 8:21pm PDT
Labothéry
717 Bay St., Unit D, 647-358-5098, labothery.com
At this brand-new tea shop, customers design their own drinks using ingredients that come packaged in whimsical (and/or creepy) test tubes, syringes and petri dishes (which are turned over to the barista who prepares the order).
GTA locations: 1
Signature drink: Since there’s no menu, the only signature drinks are the ones customers create and share over social media under the shop's #craftyoursignaturetea hashtag. $6.50 and up.
A post shared by Brenda ??? (@brendaatethis) on Jan 18, 2018 at 7:31pm PST
Green Grotto
832 Bay St., 647-341-8898, greengrotto.ca
When Green Grotto opened it's first location at Yonge and Sheppard in 1993, it was Canada’s only bubble tea house. Besides drinks, it also serves Taiwanese snacks like salt-and-pepper chicken or cold grass jelly bowls.
GTA locations: 9
Signature drink: Hokkaido milk tea and matcha Hokkaido milk tea, which are both a bit richer and creamier than your standard milk tea. $6.19.
A post shared by Tsaocaa Bubble Tea (@tsaocaa) on Mar 29, 2018 at 3:57pm PDT
Tsaocaa
915 Bay St., 416-922-3008, @tsaocaa_toronto
This China-based tea shop makes drinks with fresh brewed tea, and guarantees each order is ready in less than a minute.
GTA locations: 1
Signature drink: Golden oolong tea topped with matcha cheese cream foam. $5.59.){kind=link}