Hey Sugar

The bubble tea market in Markham is pretty saturated with the same few stores multiplying; so when we passed by Hey Sugar on Yonge and Finch, we decided to pop in.

Hey Sugar
Location:  5379 Yonge St
North York, ON
M2N 5R6

Kung Fu Tea Shop 2.0

Rose milk tea, Uji matcha latte, tieguanyin milk tea

I was pretty sad when I found out Kung Fu Tea Shop closed their location on Dundas and University two years ago. It was my go-to spot for bubble tea when I was downtown and I would go out of my way to get my fix.

So I was pretty excited when they finally re-opened on Spadina, with a much bigger location and definitely with more foot traffic.

Kung Fu Tea
Location: 264 Spadina Ave
Toronto, ON
M5T 2E4

Boba Guys

Hojicha, Thai Iced Tea, Classic, and Muscat Oolong

I don’t know anyone in Canada that seriously calls it boba – it’s known as bubble tea here, so it was obvious how uniquely American this brand is.

When I first visited the Bay Area is 2014, my friend had recommended that I go here; but time constraints and lack of seriousness in trying different bubble tea led it to be forgotten. This past summer, my friend added it to our itinerary for San Francisco, and off we went in search of one during our one day in San Francisco.

Boba Guys
Location: 429 Stockton St
San Francisco
CA 94115

Green Grotto Tea Room

Jelly trio roasted milk tea

There was a time my friends and I were obsessed with going to Green Grotto. We used to go anywhere from once to three times a week for some popcorn and bubble tea. There is a sign outside that welcomes you to enjoy your stay for up to 3 hours, and often we stayed for over two hours.

Why? Green Grotto provides an atmosphere similar to a pub – sit down, order a drink, and chat for hours with your friends, get some work down, play some cards, browse some magazines, you name it.

Green Grotto Tea Room (website coming soon!)
Location: 3623 Hwy 7 E, Unit 115
Markham, ON
L3R 8X6

Spotlight: Chatime Grass Jelly Roasted Milk Tea

Chatime is one of the best bubble tea places around the GTA, and has hundreds of chains around the world. Unfortunately, with so many shops, there is bound to be some inconsistencies between the different locations.

Grass jelly roasted milk tea (and tieguanyin tea latte)

I have personally tried Chatime Toronto (132 Dundas St W), Chatime Markham (20 Gibson Dr), and Chatime Richmond Hill (505 Highway 7 E). The quality at the Toronto and Richmond Hill locations are generally more consistent and for some reason always have smaller lines than the Markham locations, which can only mean either less customers or more efficient staff (or both!).

Kung Fu Tea Shop

38 Milk King and Tieguanyin milk tea

Update (May 2017): Kung Fu Tea is finally back on Spadina at Dundas!

Update (March 2015): It is to my extreme sadness to announce this location has closed. Fingers crossed they open a new location (that is not across another popular bubble tea chain).

I love my bubble tea. What I love less about it are the crazy wait times, watery drinks, and mushy tapioca. Over the years, either my tastes evolved or the quality of a lot of bubble tea places has gone down. Kung Fu Tea Shop is undoubtedly my favourite and combats all the issues I have with other bubble tea shops.

Kung Fu Tea Shop
Location: 207 Dundas St W
Toronto, ON
M5G 1C8