Bubble Tea in Belfast: 7 Great Places to get boba in Belfast

Updated On: November 08, 2023 by   Ciaran Connolly

If you like bubble tea as much as I do, you are probably happy about there being more bubble tea in Belfast now. Belfast has some fantastic places to get food. In recent years asian food has become more diverse in Belfast with restaurants offering Thai, Japanese and Vietnamese dishes in restaurants. This big boom in popularity is great for lovers of asian foods that go beyond a curry from your local Chinese. (Not that we don’t still love a nice Chinese on a Saturday night).

More usually hard to find Asian dishes and delights are becoming easier to get in Belfast. But you might still not know where to get bubble tea in Belfast. This article has great recomendations for bubble tea in Belfast as well as other great Asian foods served up in bubble tea shops.

What is bubble tea?

Bubble Tea or Boba Tea is a iced drink originating in Taiwan in the 1980’s which consists of tea mixed with things like milk, fruit juice, and chewy ‘pearls’ made from tapioca starch. The ‘bubble’ in tea doesn’t actually refer to the bubbles or pearls at the bottom of the drink. Instead it refers to the bubbles at the top of the drink caused by shaking the drink while its made. Bubble tea isn’t just the regular tea with milk and pearls, however, as its growth in popularity has caused some new creations.

Bubble tea can come with fruit juice pearls, jelly, and in some bubble tea places you can even get cheese foam. The choices are endless so there is probably a bubble tea out there for you. My personal favourite is a brown sugar milk tea, but I’m sure the cheese foam is great.

How has bubble tea gained in popularity?

The first bubble tea shop in the UK was set up in 2011, in Soho but its popularity has only grown. Most UK cities now have multiple locations where you can get great bubble tea, that includes places to get bubble tea in Belfast. Chains such as Chatime and Pearls have also started poping up in cities around the Uk including Belfast (in Chatimes case). People seem to love this sweet treat, myself included, and its popularity seems set to keep growing. So, where do you go to get the best bubble tea in Belfast?

Where to get Bubble Tea in Belfast

• HEY BOBA
• A Nice Sip
• Tea House Belfast
• 18C
• Chatime
• Sukee Cafe
• Cafe Asia Supermarket

HEY BOBA

Perfectly placed on University Avenue for all those students needing a sweet treat after lectures or on a study break. Hey Boba has a full menu of boba drinks including some interesting options such as Taro Milk Tea, Snow Pear Fruit Tea, and Honeydew Milk Tea.

Open 7 days a week (12pm – 10:30pm).

Location: 46 University Street, Belfast Antrim

A Nice Sip

A Nice sip has a great drinks menu offering Oolong Tea, Black Tea, Jasmine Green Tea, Fruit Tea, Coffee, and Chocolate as drinks. Their topping include Tapioca Pearls, Aloe Vera, Coconut Jelly, Rainbow Jelly, Herbal Jelly, and Red Beans. A Nice Sip also serve Hong Kong and Taiwan snacks including the iconic bubble waffle.

Open 7 days a week (11am – 8:30pm).

Location: 7 Stranmillis Rd, Belfast BT9 5AF

Tea House Belfast

Tea House Belfast have a great range of classic milk teas such as Oolong Milk Tea and Matcha Latte with Pearls. They even offer the cheese foam! The food alone at Tea House is worth a visit with Japanese food such as crispy dumplings, Takoyaki, and Japanese foot-long fries.

Open 6 days a week (closed Tuesday).

Open times: 11am – 7pm (6:30pm Sunday).

Location: 19 Royal Ave, Belfast BT1 1FB

18C Tea

Inside Freshly Chopped salad bar on Donegall Square West is 18C Tea. Grab one of their great menu options including Roast Oolong tea, Oreo Latte, or Pineapple Black Tea.

Open Monday – Friday (11am-5pm) Saturday (12pm-5pm) Closed Sunday.

Location: 2 Donegall Square W, Belfast BT1 6JA

Chatime

Chatime has over 30 stores in the UK and over 1000 worldwide, so they know a bit about making bubble tea drinks. Their city centre location makes it the perfect stop off on your day out. Try out their interesting options such as Roasted Tea Mouse, Grass Jelly with Fresh Milk, or Matcha Latte with Red Beans.

Open 7 days a week (11am – 8pm).

Location: 27 Corn Market, Belfast BT1 4DB

Sukee Café

Sukee Cafe serve up classic bubble tea flavours as well as more exotic flavours such as Durian. They also serve asian bakery treats such as Silvana Medallions, a cashew meringue cookie in a bright colour. They also serve up savoury treats such as Korean Corndogs.

Open Monday – Saturday (11am-7pm)

Location: 9-15 Queen St, Belfast BT1 6EA

Cafe Asia Supermarket

You may have been to the fantastic Asia Supermarket on the Ormeau Embankment, but if you haven’t tried their cafe yet you are missing out on some fantastic food and brilliant bubble tea.

Open Monday, Thursday, Friday (9am-4pm) Saturday & Sunday (9am-5pm).

Location: 40 Ormeau Embankment, Belfast BT6 8LU

Conclusion

Now you know where to find the best bubble tea in Belfast, if you’ll excuse me I’m off to buy some boba. If you are looking for other hard to find Asian foods you can check out our article on it here. If you want more info on things to do in Belfast such as bars, live music, or events check out our other articles.