The 10 Best Bubble Tea Spots in Houston to Beat the Heat
The bubble tea – or boba for short – trend came in the middle of nowhere, catching everyone by surprise it seems. After all, it felt like it came in the middle of the 2010’s without an explanation and just became a common social media trend.
And if you ask us, it’s for a good cause – since not only is bubble tea a better alternative to coffee, but you can also adjust its sugar levels too so those with health issues like diabetes can drink it, too!
But with bubble tea stores pretty much in every block in Houston, which ones should you pick?
Don’t worry – we got you! We’ve scoured the land and we bring you the best places to get bubble tea in Houston!
1. Tea Top
Address: Dun Huang Plaza, 9889 Bellaire Blvd E203, Houston, TX 77036
Phone Number: 281-501-1381
Hours: Sunday – Thursday: 11:30 AM – 10:00 PM
Friday – Saturday: 11:30 AM – 11:30 PM
Located right in the heart of the biggest malls in Houston’s Chinatown (chinatown houston), Tea Top provides a welcome twist to bubble teas by providing unique flavors like Honey Lemon Green Tea with Aloe Vera and Peachy Lemon Rose Fizz!
That’s not the end to Tea Top’s uniqueness though, since you can also customize your tea to your liking! That means that you can add a little bit more milk or add as many toppings as you like to the more traditional flavors like Oolong and Jasmine Milk Tea!
You won’t even have to spend a whole lot with them too, since their drinks’ prices averages out at $5 – $8. You won’t even have to spend a lot with the additional toppings and customizations too, since most of them don’t even cost a dollar!
| Pro Tips: Tea Top offers specific flavors to specific branches – with the Peachy Lemon Rose Fizz only being available in their Bellaire Chinatown branch. So if you’re looking for more flavor variety, we suggest visiting every branch you can find! |
2. Ding Tea
Address: 23227 Mercantile Pkwy Ste A3, Katy, TX 77449
Phone Number: 346-319-2317
Hours: Monday – Sunday: 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Although Ding Tea’s flavors are on the more cliched side, what they do have different when you compare them with other bubble tea shops in Houston is their authentic flavors and affordable pricing.
But even if their drinks are on the more traditional side, they also retain their traditional flavors as well. Their Fruit Milk Tea flavors, like Strawberry Milk Tea and Golden Venetian, has an authentic flavor that’s different from the rest.
Even with the authentic flavors though, they still manage to keep their prices relatively cheap too! All their milk teas cost the same, with the small size costing $4.05 and the large size costing $4.60, which is a steal.
| Pro Tips: Though the milk teas have an authentic flavor, they can be a bit tasteless at a regular sugar level. We suggest making them a bit sweeter, or at least 50% sugar level to give it a bit of extra flavor. |
3. 85°C Bakery Cafe
Address: 9750 Bellaire Blvd #168, Houston, TX 77036
Phone Number: 832-831-1392
Hours: Monday – Sunday: 8:00 AM – 9:00 PM
An Asian-themed bakery in Houston that also sells bubble tea, 85°C Bakery Cafe is a one-stop-shop for both bread and bubble tea enthusiasts alike thanks to the sheer amount of sweet treats they have for sale!
Although their bubble tea options are a little limited compared to other shops in Houston, they’re still relatively tasty, especially their Zebra Oolong Milk Tea. It only comes in one size, but you can still choose how much sugar you want in it.
But to say that 85°C Bakery Cafe lacks variety would be disingenuous. They’re a bakery cafe after all, and their breads and pastries are just as good as their Zebra Oolong Milk Tea, especially their Boroh Cream Danish!
| Pro Tips: If you can’t decide on which bread to buy, then 85°C Bakery Cafe sells box sets of either a 10-piece of their classic bread, or a 5-piece of their more savory options. |
4. Kim’s Teahouse
Address: 14420 Bellaire Blvd, Houston, TX 77083
Phone Number: 832-328-4050
Hours: Monday – Sunday: 9:30 AM – 9:30 PM
A specialty drinks shop with 4 branches all over Houston, Kim’s Teahouse’s bubble teas are a must-try for both first-time Houston visitors and locals alike, especially since you can order them without milk for a more vegan-friendly experience!
And yes, while it’s not what we’re used to, you can still get bubble tea without milk. It doesn’t affect the flavor that much, and you’ll be getting fuller flavors of the tea like their Jasmine Green Tea and Strawberry Tea, which we both recommend you to get.
They have plenty of other bubble tea options that you can try out too, with their Sea Foam Teas being one of the more unique options out there, too! The salted whipped cream makes the flavor pop, and the boba gives it a unique texture
Their Sea Foam Teas only costs a dollar extra compared to their regular tea options ($4.25 for the regular teas, $5.50 for the sea foam tea), which is great value for money.
| Pro Tips: Kim’s Teahouse can make their teas to be on the sweeter side. We recommend going with at least 50% sweetness for every drink to make sure your teas won’t be overwhelmingly sweet! |
5. MTea
Address: 12661 Tomball Pkwy Suite 600 E, Houston
Phone Number: 346-229-5821
Hours: Sunday – Thursday: 11:00 AM–9:30 PM
Friday – Saturday: 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM
What we like the most about MTea is the sheer variety of bubble tea options they have available. Their Creme Brulee bubble teas are deliciously creative options, and the Dirty Boba Milk Tea is a non-caffeinated sugar rush that comes with a good flavor profile.
Their Creme Brulee milk teas aren’t just burnt caramel plopped on top of their milk teas too, The caramel is crystallized after it’s placed on your drink, and the creme brulee foam on top gives the tea an extra creamy upper layer.
You won’t even have to go far to look for them too, since they’re conveniently located right beside the Walmart Supercenter near West Rd., and right across the street from the local Kroger’s, too.
| Pro Tips: The Creme Brulee is good, but we can’t recommend them if you’re lactose intolerant since you can’t substitute the milk. |
6. Zero Degrees
Address: Saigon-Houston Plaza, 10603 Bellaire Blvd b101, Houston, TX 77072
Phone Number: 346-219-0872
Hours: Sunday – Thursday: 11:00 AM – 10:30 PM
Friday – Saturday: 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM
Perhaps most well-known for their Spicy Watermelon Smoothie spiked with plenty of Chamoy Sauce and Tajin, Zero Degrees also offers bubble teas if you don’t feel like having their signature smoothies!
Although Zero Degrees doesn’t have plenty of choices with their bubble tea menu, they manage to make their Oolong and Jasmine Milk Teas taste unique when compared to other bubble tea shops.
You can even get a Split Cup if you can’t decide which drink you want. And it’s not limited to just their teas too – you can mix and match any of their refreshments to get the best of both worlds!
| Pro Tips: Although Zero Degrees’ interior is really pretty, their AC doesn’t work for most of the time. We suggest getting their cold drinks as a refreshment if you plan on dining in, or getting them as a takeout and enjoy your drinks outside. |
7. Star Snow Ice & Teriyaki
Address: Dun Huang Plaza, 9889 Bellaire Blvd #113, Houston, TX 77036
Phone Number: 713-779-8886
Hours: Monday – Sunday: 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM
If you’re looking for a place where you can get bubble tea and other Asian comfort food for cheap, then we suggest visiting Star Snow Ice & Teriyaki at Dun Huang Plaza!
They have plenty of choices when it comes to their tapioca bubble teas too! The Jasmine Milk Tea Tapioca is by far one of their best-selling options, but their Vietnamese Coffee Boba is a unique, chewy twist on an Asian staple.
Star Snow Ice & Teriyaki also has good Chicken Terriyaki! It only costs $8, and it’s a relatively large serving size for the price. But if you don’t feel like having chicken that day, then you can always try out Pork Soybean Dry Noodle for a more filling meal.
| Pro Tips: Star Snow Ice & Teriyaki’s Jasmine Milk Tea Tapioca is one of their bestsellers, and it can run out relatively quick! If you want to try it out, we suggest visiting them shortly after they open to see if you can get your hands on one! |
8. I Heart Boba
Address: 10092 Veterans Memorial Dr #2404, Houston, TX 77038
Phone Number: 281-999-6123
Hours: Monday – Sunday: 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM
WIth 6 branches scattered all over Houston and even one located all the way in Vietnam, I Heart Boba is pretty much everywhere. It’s a good thing too, since they have plenty of bubble tea and options that you can try out!
Their Mango Smoothie Boba is one of their bestsellers for a good reason, but their Boba Cream Tea is also a good pick if you’re looking for a good pick-me-up, or looking for caffeinated boba drinks.
I Heart Boba also has plenty of food options for you to choose from too! And since they offer Vietnamese Banh Mi-style sandwiches, the flavor profile is sublime. We recommend trying out their Charbroiled BBQ Pork Sandwich for the best flavor!
| Pro Tips: Although the vast majority of their drinks are fruit-flavored, not all of them come with real fruit flavors and are flavored with artificial juices instead. You can ask their staff which one of their drinks contains real fruits if you’re curious! |
9. Mr Wish
Address: 9750 Bellaire Blvd #188, Houston, TX 77036
Phone Number: 832-441-6606
Hours: Monday – Thursday: 11:00 AM – 9:30 PM
Friday – Sunday: 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM
If you’re looking for a bubble tea shop in Houston that can add a little more crunch to your drink, then we suggest giving Mr Wish a try! This is because their bubble teas hide a little surprise – it has little pieces of fruit that goes along with it!
Even though the fruit pieces only come with their Fruit Tea menu, the sheer variety alone makes it more than worth it. We suggest trying out their Strawberry Green Tea if you want a sweeter flavor profile, but the Honey Lemon Green Tea tastes good, too.
The best thing about Mr Wish though is that if you pay for a little bit more, you can get a bigger size of their Fruit Teas! It’s only available on some drinks, but it’s worth the extra dollar, and it really goes to show you that everything IS bigger in Texas!
| Pro Tips: Although they have many other drink options you can choose from, they can be on the sweeter side compared to the Fruit Teas, even with the least amount of sweetness added to it. |
10. Gong Cha
Address: Dun Huang Plaza, 9889 Bellaire Blvd C 318, Houston, TX 77036
Phone Number: 713-591-5383
Hours: Sunday – Thursday: 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM
Friday – Saturday: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
If you ask someone where to get good bubble tea in Houston, Gong Cha might be the first place they’ll mention. After all, they’re one of the most popular bubble tea spots not just in Houston, but all over the world, and it’s all thanks to their authentic flavors!
Now, as you’d expect from an internationally-acclaimed brand, Gong Cha always goes above and beyond with providing good, authentic bubble teas. They have flavors like Earl Grey and Jasmine, along with more unique flavors like Oreo Crumbs, too.
But if you’re more of a minimalist when it comes to drinks, Gong Cha’s regular drinks are good too. Their Earl Grey, specifically – it still tastes authentic, without the taste of soap that usually goes along with Earl Grey.
They also roll out new flavors every now and then too! As of the time of writing, they have just released the Strawberry & Almond Jelly line of drinks, and it’s a good sweet treat if you’re looking for more variety with your bubble teas!
| Pro Tips: We suggest visiting them right after they open so that you can get freshly-cooked boba for your bubble tea! The fresh, warm boba is the perfect contrast to their cold drinks and it can really elevate your experience. |
