Top 10 Best Boba Tea Places in Phoenix [2023]

Nothing beats a good boba — packed with chewy pearls, this humble Taiwanese favorite inspired an international bubble tea blitz!

Part of a billion-dollar global beverage market, boba is here to stay and Americans can’t get enough of it. Shops are popping up all over the country, each offering a regional interpretation of classic flavors.

If you need a fix in the south-central Arizona area, these are the 10 best boba tea places in Phoenix.

10 Best Places for Bubble Tea in Phoenix, Arizona

1. Milk Run (Phoenix)

A quick hop from route 17 between Glendale and Scottsdale, Milk Run is a hole-in-the-wall next to the popular Pho Thanh restaurant.

A Phoenix New Times Best Boba award-winner, they offer classic boba, sweet teas, tropical slushes, and the best slow-drip Vietnamese coffee you’ve ever sipped.

But what brings us back whenever we’re in the area is the milk tea floats. A traditional milk tea or iced coffee topped with a creamy scoop of premium ice cream, it puts Milk Run on the map.

A cut above, their online ordering is fast, friendly, and accurate.

2. Mochi Fresh (Tempe)

Located in the Tempe-Phoenix metropolitan area, we’ll travel the state for a taste of Mochi Fresh!

A bit of homemade heaven, their claim to fame is healthy ingredients and hearty handmade pearls — they’re the just-right level of chewy.

The menu includes fruit teas, milk teas, smoothies, and bubble teas made with the finest traditional ingredients. They refuse to use artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives, and it shows.

If you crave genuine berry flavor, their Strawberry bubble tea is the freshest on Earth. Buy the large one and grab a box of Mochi to go.

3. My Tea (Phoenix)

My Tea offers the best in hand-crafted bubble teas plus icy treats from creamy frappes to chunky fruit smoothies. Located in the heart of Phoenix, their Fruit Sno is the cure for Arizona heat.

Mix and match up to 30 gourmet syrups to create flavors all your own. Go light on the vanilla — it’s a little overpowering. But the green tea with coconut milk and pineapple is to die for.

A fun spot with comfortable seating and a kid-friendly snack menu — pretzels, French fries, and chicken nuggets — My Tea is our choice for families. Bring your inner child.

4. DaYung’s Tea (Tempe & Chandler)

For a more sophisticated flavor, we recommend DaYung’s Tea with shops in both Tempe and Chandler. Their Thai milk tea is the most authentic we’ve tried in the states.

The Wintermelon Latte is a customer favorite, but we’re partial to the Pink Beauty. The fusion of grapefruit, aiyu jelly and aloe is as deeply refreshing as the Southwest is hot. The citrus tastes like it was picked off the tree.

The prices are a little higher than the average boba shop’s, but they’re commensurate with the quality, and the drinks are proportionally larger than the average serving size. A large is plenty for a quick lunch on the go.

5. Pop ‘N Tea Bar (Phoenix)

Founded in 2019, Pop ‘N Tea Bar has a modern vibe as clean as the all-natural, all-organic ingredients they use. Don’t be fooled by the humdrum-looking menu — they focus on quality over quantity.

Their Nitro Kegged teas elevate the average to the extraordinary. Deep-brewed for bold flavor, they’re never weak or watery.

And the slushes are more fruit than ice — don’t miss their famous Van Mango. A tropical blend of fresh mango and raspberry, it’s dripping with sweetness.

The coffees are equally inspiring with exclusive foam toppings. If you’ve never tried their Cheese Foam Coffee, put everything down and go get one now.

And you should definitely grab a Diamond Bar with our drink!

These 3D-printed popsicles are made with the best gelato and sorbetto and then hand-sculpted into unique pieces of art. The Diamond Bars come in a vast variety of decadent flavors.

Pop ‘N Tea Bar is just minutes away from Route 10 in downtown Phoenix. It’s worth the trip.

6. Bobaholic Milk Tea Lounge (Phoenix)

No trip to the greater Phoenix area is complete without a stop at Bobaholic. Their specialty is milk teas with a twist. Made with the freshest ingredients, you won’t find these flavors anywhere else.

The Avocado smoothie is positively decadent. Fresh avocado blended with sweetened condensed milk, it’s a creamier version of the popular Vietnamese dessert.

On the lighter side, the Orange Halo is 24 ounces of pure refreshment. A delightful orange slush with honey, aloe vera, and lime, it chills any thirst.

Bobaholic drinks are infinitely customizable with dozens of choices from honey boba to popping bubbles, jellies, and custards. It’s almost overwhelming. They are, however, heavy-handed with the sweeteners, so go easy — 75% is equivalent to what 100% is in most shops.

7. Tea Swirl (Tempe)

Tea Swirl was founded by Taiwanese students — and every cup is a reflection of their drink culture!

A tea lover’s tea shop, they have the usual offerings, including slushes, fruit-based, and dessert-like drinks. But only here will you find options like Assam and Okinawa teas by name.

Do yourself a favor and try the Dutch Milk Tea. A hearty Assam packed with boba, pudding and coffee jelly, it oozes caramel flavor.

Located in the Tempe-Phoenix metroplex, Tea Swirl is a few short minutes southeast of Arizona State University. With low prices and plenty of casual seating, it’s a student mecca.

8. Boba Tree

If you like variety, you’ll love Boba Tree. They have two shops — both located within a stone’s throw from Routes 202 and 101, south of Tempe Beach Park.

Choose from classic milk teas, fruit teas, smoothies, ices, and probiotic-packed Yakult. We appreciate the sheer diversity of base teas. Oolong, Sakura, Osmanthus, and buckwheat tea are just a sampling of what they offer.

You could stop by daily for a month and still not exhaust your drink options!

On our last visit, the Taro Milk Tea was a little bland, but the bestselling Fancy Milk Tea with boba, pudding, and herbal jelly was a huge hit. Boba Tree blends the traditional and the novel seamlessly.

Read also: What’s the difference between taro and ube bubble tea?

9. Urban Boba Tea House (Phoenix)

Home of Monster Slushies, Urban Boba is large and in charge. North of Glendale, they have one of the most expansive menus in the central Phoenix area.

Traditionalists may not find a home here — even the milk teas cater to the Western palate. But if you enjoy fusion boba with American flair, look no further. Their signature drink menu is pure Americana.

Satisfy your sweet tooth with the Milk and Cookies or Birthday Cake Surprise. Or try the Mangonada if you dare — a giant mango slush with dashes of Tajin and Chamoy, it brings home authentic southwest flavor.

Less dazzling but equally delicious are the flavored ice teas with your choice of boba or popping bubbles. The hibiscus tea with pomegranate or mango popping pearls does not disappoint.

10. Tiger Sugar (Mesa)

The antithesis of Urban Boba, Tiger Sugar is the quintessential Taiwanese tea shop. From its modest beginnings in Taichung, it’s grown to be a global favorite with 50 US stores spanning from coast to coast.

The Mesa location is just east of Tempe within striking distance of Phoenix.

The menu is limited but intriguing — tea is the star of the show. Syrups and pearls are homemade using a secret recipe. Each ingredient enhances the others, so even the simplest choices are brimming with flavor.

Their trademark Black Sugar Boba and Pearl Milk with Cream Mousse is a fine example of why quality matters more than complexity. It’s Zen in a cup.

Check out our guide with the best Tiger Sugar drinks so you’ll know what to order on your next visit.

In addition to the boba places introduced above, there also used to be a Kung Fu Tea shop in Tempe, but I think it was closed during the pandemic.

Do you know if it has opened again? Post a comment below and tell us!

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