Montréal’s best bubble tea
This article was updated on April 15, 2024.
Bubble tea – or boba – is an iconic Taiwanese drink made by blending hot or iced tea with milk, fruit and fruit juices, then adding black tapioca pearls. Popular in Asia, it has taken la Belle Province by storm, with specialty tea shops popping up across Montréal. Here are ten of the city’s best bubble tea spots.
Nos Thés
1609 Sainte-Catherine Street West | Website
Located close to Concordia University in Shaughnessy Village (Shoni, for short), this teahouse offers a wide variety of exotic teas and drinks: creamy, iced, fruity or, for something a little different, with sea salt foam. If you want, you can replace tapioca pearls with lychee, mango, coffee or rainbow jelly pearls for a unique taste sensation.
Boba Boba
Atwater Market | Website
Come summer, head to the Pôle des saveurs at the Atwater Market, where you can sip fresh bubble tea at one of the picnic tables or on the large terrace beside the Lachine Canal. Bliss in a cup!
The Alley
1256 Guy Street | Website
Here, cane sugar syrup and tapioca pearls are made on site for a unique and original flavour and texture. You’ll melt for their signature "Deerioca" drink made with milk and brown sugar.
Maison O Thé
Several locations | Website
Established a decade ago in the West Island, this small chain offers bubble teas made from meticulously selected ingredients. On the menu: drinks made with premium milk, Yakuruto, matcha, decaffeinated, sakura or kori that you can sweeten and garnish as you wish. Fresh and comforting with every delicious sip.
Chatime
Several locations | Website
With locations around the world, this Taiwanese franchise has carved out a special place for itself in Montréal. A tried-and-true classic where you can enjoy bubble tea made just how you like it.
L2 Desserts Lounge
Several locations | Website
With a bubbly brand image, this bubble tea chain is popular among students and young boba aficionados ready to sample their range of original creations.
Presotea
Several locations | Website
With locations across Montréal, this popular teahouse chain serves up classic and innovative milk teas, refreshing slushes, lattés and creative recipes with basil seeds, grass or lychee jelly, to name but a few of the original ingredients.
Shuyi Tealicious
Several locations | Website
This is the place to sample one of Asia’s most popular drinks, signature grass jelly milk tea. Other yummy options include yogurt-based beverages, such as vitamin C, strawberry, rose and pomelo.
Bubble tea shop
Several locations | Website
Part of the Sushi Shop chain, here you can sip black tea with milk and tapioca pearls, as well as a selection of green teas with fruit juice and coconut jelly. Build your boba thanks to a fresh and colourful choice of toppings.
Bar MajesThé
2077 Robert-Bourassa Boulevard | Site web
Both a restaurant and an underground bar, this is the perfect place to soak in an authentic experience inspired by Taiwanese night markets. Here you'll sip unique signature cocktails, featuring bubble tea made with fresh milk, infused tea, freshly prepared tapioca pearls and cane sugar syrup.
Cinq Cinq Breuvages Fruités
4082 Saint-Denis Street | Website
Freshly opened on the Plateau Mont-Royal, order a classic Cinq Cinq milk or fruit tea, and try the chef's signature "Ca Phe Muoi" salted cream coffee. Iced frappés and smoothies are also delicious, as are their mango crepes.
Laure Juilliard
Originally from Paris, Laure Juilliard made Montréal her home over 15 years ago and has never looked back. Won over by her new city's unique energy, cultural vibrancy and gastronomic effervescence, she loves exploring all the coolest spots. A writer and blogger specialising in lifestyle, culture, travel and gastronomy, she has lent her pen to Tourisme Montréal for more than 10 years, in addition to magazines such as ELLE Québec and Clin d'œil, as well as a variety of well-known companies and agencies. Always on the lookout for innovative concepts and the best addresses wherever she is in the world, she is also always planning her next trip.