Little tapioca balls have lightened the lives of tea and caffeine fanatics, especially for the average college student. If you love boba, it’s impossible to imagine a life without sipping drinks through giant, colorful straws. With the rise of bubble tea shops popping up in the Pacific Northwest, The VanCougar has assembled a list of the best boba restaurants to try in the Vancouver area.
Cloud 9 Pho and Teatime
Going to Cloud 9 is a sure way to find some great, high-quality bubble tea. Their menu has tons of fruity teas and other drinks with mouth-watering flavors, including the tiger sugar milk tea, which hits you with a blast of sweetened butterscotch and caramel. Their Thai Tea is also a crowd-pleaser, and is truly a delicious treat. Not only are the drinks great, but the boba itself is amazing. The texture is chewy and the flavor holds its own against the drinks. Cloud 9 is 18 minutes away from campus, but the drive is worth it. The restaurant also serves pho soup, various sandwiches, noodles, along with appetizers like egg rolls, potstickers and fries.
Boba Tree
From the vibrant music to the beautiful walls painted in blue and white trees, Boba Tree holds amazing character to its shop and is only a 15 minute drive from campus. The boba bar has a decent selection of flavors ranging from lavender to fresh strawberry milk tea. Top menu items include the brown sugar milk tea, as it’s almost guaranteed to put a smile on your face, and the Hokkaido, another sweet butterscotch option. Their fruity teas are enticing as well, with flavors like white peach green tea and dragon fruit. Boba Tree also has a variant of add-ons including puddings, jellies and ice cream to give an extra boost of flavor to your drink combo.
Cupidone Coffee House
Everything about Cupidone is adorable. The name, the red heart logo, even the windows filled with cute pictures of cartoon boba teas with smiling faces. Cupidone’s classic black milk tea is a must-try, but if Fruity Pebbles are your favorite kind of cereal, the taro milk tea is a fan favorite. Cupidone also has several pastries like cinnamon rolls, cookies, bagels and is only a 15 minute drive away from campus.
The demand for bubble tea shops is increasing and for good reason. While there are a vast amount of shops around the Vancouver and Portland metropolitan area, these three restaurants are a great place to start when finding the perfect cup of boba tea.