Mouthwatering Bubble Tea in Raleigh

Milk Lab - Cary

★★★★☆ 4.4 (540) • $$

"Accept that it's busy and there is minimal indoor seating, and it's a five star experience. I'd recommend order ahead. QR code in the pics. Ice cream is slower than tea. Tried on a Saturday. 4 employees on tea, 1 then 2 on ice cream. Waited 15-20 min. Lost track of time coming out in a corner. Not made. Just waited. Got two. Mango slushy. Real mango with jasmine tea. Fantastic. Would order again. Second was a Hong Kong tea- black tea, cream, brown sugar. Serious caffeine. Kept me up late. I'd order again but only get in the morning. Again, tasty. Super fresh tapioca boba. Lots of outdoor seating. Watched 5 groups leave due to the crowds. Kiosk ordering at door or in person at register."

Boba Baba

★★★★★ 4.5 (278) • $$

"Been a while since I stopped here. Looks like the hype has platued. For a weekend, not as busy as usual. Same bobba flavors. Mochi donuts - no change. Still tasting good and served warm."

Brecotea

★★★★☆ 4 (289) • $$

"We love Brecotea! We started coming here about three years ago and continue to recommend it to others. They make delicious breads, pastries, cakes, and more in sweet and savory flavors. Some are better than others, but I'm sure it's more due to taste preference than quality. I particularly like their hot dog, chicken curry, and mango pastries paired with a fruit tea. Most recently I purchased the potted plant cake since it looked so real. After parking in the lot, grab a tray and tongs from beside the display case. Pick your desired breads and pastries then head to the counter. At the counter, if desired, you can order cake slices, ice cream, or a beverage (milk teas, fruit teas, milkshakes, etc.) then pay. It is pricy, but comparable to similar establishments. The pastries are worth the price for an occasional treat. Brecotea continues to be on our list of places to bring friends, family, and visitors. We definitely recommend it to others!"

Budacai

★★★★☆ 4 (212)

"This shop is so cute! I love the upstairs area and how photo friendly they made it. The food is very tasty and I like all of the options I have to choose from when customizing my tea. It took me a while to choose everything so I appreciate the staff being patient and answering all of my questions about the menu, they were very nice. Whenever I'm in downtown Raleigh and want some small bites or something sweet, I swing by here."

Milk Lab - Durham

★★★★★ 4.5 (160) • $$

"Milk Lab is a really good place to satisfy my boba cravings! It's located in a plaza with plenty of parking, and they have an online ordering option. I got their brown sugar milk tea. It was ready really quickly, faster than the initial time estimate I was given, which was very nice. The store itself is spacious and clean, with both indoor and outdoor seating.I think that for boba, I make distinctions between a good drink and a good tea. A good drink just has to be harmonious, but a good tea means I am judging the flavor of the brewed tea itself. With that being said, I think my brown sugar milk tea was a fantastic boba shop drink. It was creamy and had that nice caramelized flavor from the brown sugar, without any odd aftertaste. However, I think the brown sugar overpowered the tea in this drink. I got this drink at a reduced sweetness but I still couldn't really taste the tea. I think that does tend to be the case with brown sugar drinks though, so I may opt for a non brown-sugar drink next time I am here. All in all I enjoyed this drink even without a super strong tea flavor, so I am still looking forward to my next trip here."

Cha House - Cary

★★★★★ 4.5 (152) • $

"Checked out the Cha House a while ago through a Yelp event and was planning to go back at some point as I really liked it! And I see why I did, Cha House's menu and service are great! I was a little overwhelmed by the number of options but was able to narrow it down to their cold teas. The strawberry sounded lovely, so I went with that! I like that there is an option to select the amount of sugar and ice. I went with 25% sugar and light ice and it was delicious! With less sugar, it still had a ton of flavor. When it was brought out to me, it came with such a sweet smile and greeting from the staff. It really made my day. Add to this the cool music and chill atmosphere. This is a great place to meet up with friends or read a book on your own. I will be back!"

SipCha

★★★★★ 4.6 (140) • $$

"I've visited the Cary location quite a few times and was excited to see this one close by to where I was today. The Apex location is much bigger and more up-to-date in appearance. It's decently sized and bright, lots of seating and the ambiance is fun. The staff are all friendly and quick, even with it being super busy! At this location, they have their usual drink menu, rolled ice cream, macarons, waffles, and they even have cheesecake (which I only saw after I ordered...next time)! Everything was clean here and the staff had a great system to contain a clean and organized area while making drink after drink. I'm obsessed with the Ube Meets Taro drink after my husband ordered one from the last place. The drinks were made exactly as the last time we had them. I'm a forever fan of Sipcha and really hope they expand to Wake Forest in the future!"

Bep Vietnamese Kitchen

★★★★☆ 4.2 (127) • $$

"TLDR: Good Vietnamese food and boba tea in Holly Springs. Reasonable prices and portions. Fresh ingredients. Friendly, efficient service. Yum, delicious Vietnamese food in Holly Springs. Bep is easy to locate with parking available in nearby lots or along the street. I stopped here on a weekend evening for dinner having ordered online for pick-up. Estimated pick-up time was 30 minutes. The menu is full of delicious sounding items making it difficult to decide. We ended up choosing the grilled tofu vermicelli bowl ($13.95), tofu roll ($6.95), and pho ga bowl ($13.95). We enjoyed each of the items including the accompanying sauces. Prices and portions are reasonable. Plus the items were packaged well. That being said I would have liked if the tofu rolls were not wrapped in Saran wrap. Seems wasteful and unnecessary since there are other ways to keep them from sticking. Only other suggestion I have is that they read the order notes. I included a note in two places on the online order (since I was not sure which space to put it) and neither was read or acknowledged. I asked when picking up the order and they hadn't even seen the note. It may not have printed with the order. Therefore, if there is anything important that you need the kitchen to know, I would recommend calling to place the order or dining in. When I arrived to pick up the order I was greeted by a friendly employee at the counter. My order was retrieved quickly and was accurate. Overall, we enjoyed our meal and recommend this restaurant to others!"

Moge Tee - Raleigh

★★★★★ 4.5 (97) • $$

"Out of all the bubble tea chains we've tried in the Triangle (e.g., Cha House, Quickly), Moge Tee has been the best and most consistent in terms of quality to us. The tea we've had at the Moge Tee locations in both Raleigh and Durham have been good and satisfying. I recommend this place. Overall, it's one of the better bubble tea places we've been to in the Triangle so far (local businesses included).Unlike a lot of bubble tea chains, Moge Tee is from mainland China, not Taiwan (most of the big brands are from Taiwan). It started in 2012. This location opened in December 2019 in West Raleigh, across the street from NC State. It's on Hillsborough Street, the main drag for NC State (like what Franklin Street is to UNC). Moge Tee sits directly across from Winston and Caldwell Halls.We visited on a Saturday afternoon when street parking was free. Metered parking is enforced Monday-Friday, 8am-8pm. Several spots were available near Moge Tee. I parked in front of Caldwell Hall.This location has the typical small/compact bubble tea store layout. The interior is a little more narrow and cramped than average. They have both indoor and outdoor seating. Their outdoor seating, on the brick and concrete sidewalk, is nice. It's partially covered. During our visit, the store was busy, but the line wasn't bad. They had plenty of staff to keep things moving at a brisk pace.My wife and I got a Super Fruit Green Tea (large, $5.75) and a Taro Tofu Pudding (medium, made with soy milk, $6.00). These two drinks were cold, refreshing, and hit the spot. Fruit tea is a healthier, lighter alternative to the more calorie-dense milk bubble teas yet is still tasty and satisfying. The Super Fruit Green Tea we had here had good, strong tea flavor. Fruits in the tea included lime, lemon, orange, watermelon, and passionfruit (pulp and seeds). The Taro Tofu Pudding drink had lots of real taro and silken tofu in it, easily sucked up through a wide boba straw. The ingredients tasted fresh and appetizing. An advantage to this drink is it's caffeine-free. I'd only had caffeinated beverages on this particular day until ordering this (I was looking for something caffeine-free). Also, we liked that there were multiple milk alternatives like almond milk and soy milk. In general, the quality of both drinks was consistent with the Moge Tee we've been to in Old West Durham.A detail I like about some of the lids here is, unlike the common plastic film covers and other types of lids, you can re-snap the straw holes shut. There are circular indentations on top of the lids where you can snap the straw hole covers while you drink. I've seen similar for sip lids, but for straw lids, I've not seen it as often.Moge Tee has all the standard, popular drinks like tea with cheese foam, Yakult drinks, "Milk Swirl" (e.g., Brown Sugar Bubble Milk Tea), and Uji matcha (considered the superior type of matcha green tea). Expect to spend about $5-7 each for a medium-sized drink (500 mL or 17 oz) and about $6-9 each for a large-sized drink (700 mL or 24 oz) before tax and tip.They also serve egg waffles. Most varieties (e.g., matcha and strawberry) are about $7 each. The menu listed the egg waffles as exclusive to Raleigh, but I'm not sure how true that is.Service was great. The staff was polite and processed orders fast and efficiently.At the time of writing this review, there are six Moge Tee locations in North Carolina including one in each Triangle city (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill). There are two in Georgia (Atlanta and Duluth). None in South Carolina."

Iso Iso Ramen & Bar

★★★★☆ 4 (114) • $$

"Solid ramen spot outside Cameron Village. I enjoyed the Iso Iso ramen, which was spicy and flavorful. The husband reported that the Tonkatsu ramen was solid and also enjoyed the cha siu rice bowl. They also offer boba, and while tempting, I was more into indulging in the return of pumpkin spice at the Starbie's nearby.Service was nice and attentive. The only thing I didn't like was the parking situation. They don't have any designated lots; the closest lot is for the Chase bank only. It's also within an apartment complex, and it was unclear whether the parking there allowed for non-residents."

Feng Cha

★★★★★ 4.5 (80)

"Feng Cha is one of my favorite places for boba in the triangle. It holds the same rank as Sip Cha as both are my #1 spots to go. The boba is here is always good quality. Which to me, this means it's always soft, chewy, and perfectly sweetened. My favorite drinks here are the creme brulee where they take an actual torch out to brulee your drink and the mango fantasy which has sago instead of boba. Whenever I come here I stick to drinks. The desserts (cake) are okay if you like sponge cake but don't expect anything mega spectacular."

Champloo Desserts

★★★★★ 4.7 (64) • $$

"What a fun spot! After seeing the photos on Yelp, I knew I had to head in with my son. We went on a Saturday early afternoon and they got busy quickly. The only downside was there was only one employee working, I believe he was the owner. So the wait did get really long for folks since he had to do everything at once. Making the rolled ice cream definitely takes a hot minute so it isn't the fastest experience. I love how they put the stools in front of the rolled ice cream window so that kids can watch the fun. My son loved standing up there and seeing his ice cream get made. The owner was great at engaging with my son while he rolled the ice cream. The ice cream itself was creamy and tasty. Our favorite was probably the strawberry! I didn't try any boba tea on this visit, but I would certainly give it a try the next time I am in."

OMTea Boba & Bites

★★★★☆ 4.4 (64) • $$

"I have been craving Matcha boba tea and decided to order delivery from OMTea for lunch. This place is excellent. They offer so many lactose and dairy free options. I decided on the Matcha Milk Tea with Oat milk and red bean instead of boba. It was so good. Matcha contains a compound called L-theanine, which alters the effects of caffeine, promoting alertness and helping avoid the crash in energy levels that can follow caffeine consumption. Red bean is a tasty way to incorporate fiber in your milk tea. I also ordered pork dumplings, Taiyaki with red bean and Nutella for my daughter. My daughter loved everything. The taiyaki is similar to a pancake meets waffle texture filled with love. Definitely will be ordering again and stopping by in that neck of the woods."

Mochinut

★★★★☆ 4.1 (65)

"I've been here a few times and really love everything about this place. I brought a friend who was visiting and she got a peach drink that she loved. We shared the churro caramel and chocolate doughnuts. I didn't care for the caramel flavor but the dark chocolate was delicious. You place your own order at a kiosk and they assemble then call your name. Really easy. The bathrooms are very clean as is the store. I just love this place and highly recommend it. We didn't get the Korean dogs today but I've had them and love them also!"

SweeTea Boba & Ice

★★★★★ 4.7 (40) • $$

"So my husband and I ordered the date night which is HUGE! We are a decent amount and out the rest in the freezer for the next day and then got the hello sunshine drink with mango boba. I know there's a good amount of boba places in Cary now. But this one is officially my favorite one. Cha house used to be my go to for drinks but now here is! So freaking good. Will definitely become regular customers now lol."

Sweet Room

★★★★☆ 4.1 (49) • $$

"This place has delicious ice creams, smoothies, and cakes! The mousse cake is incredible. I love the watermelon smoothie because it's so refreshing."

SipCha

★★★★★ 4.7 (29) • $

"I really enjoyed my visit at SipCha Cary. This shopping center has ample parking and is spacious. SipCha has a little something for everyone. The staff was friendly and accommodating. We enjoyed a rose milk tea with herbal jelly and lychee toppings and the rolled ice cream in mint chip and Oreo. My daughter enjoys Raleigh Rolls, so this was a nice treat for her to avoid the trek to downtown Raleigh. I can't wait to return for the rolled green tea azuki ice cream to cook down on a hot day, matcha milk tea and the jade lychee fruit tea."

More Tea

★★★★☆ 4.4 (30)

"More Tea is now open in Apex and it is a cute spot. It was a chocolate milk tea with boba for my husband and a lemon & strawberry fruit tea for me and we also split one of the mango mille crepes. The drinks and dessert were both good."

Bapu Fresh

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (34)

"Really cute cafe. Workers extremely helpful and friendly. Flavorful OMG! I tried the Milk Rose Tea and my mom got the Rose Tea with Boba. Both equally yummy and made for cute photos. We also tried their cheese and corn dog on the stick. Crunchy crust , you can tell they used quality hot dogs and the wasabi Mayo wasn't spicy but very flavorful"

Tao Boba Tea

★★★★★ 4.6 (16)

"Love this new boba place in Raleigh! The interior is really cute & well thought out, and everything was really clean. The tables weren't sticky at all, which sometimes happens in boba shops.The owner there was really nice - he was attentive and I could tell he was putting a lot of work and detail into the drink. The cups are adorable too! Hawthorn was my favorite candy growing up, and this is the first place I've seen with a hawthorn flavored drink. I got it 25% sweet, which was perfect for me. Will def be back!!"

Feng Cha Raleigh

★★★★★ 4.8 (13)

"This place is decorated so cute. When you walk in you have to smile from the adorable decorations. It's super clean, bright and cheerful. Workers are nice and menu is easy.,I had the melon tea with tapioca on the bottom. Best boba tea I've had. So much flavor. I love this place. Can't wait to go back and try others. Also I love the way you can personalize your drink. I choose less ice and 100% sweetness. This was perfect for me."

Boba Brew

★★☆☆☆ 2.3 (44)

"Boba Brew is quick and simple. It can't compare to larger boba shops but their tea isn't bad either. I ordered a lychee fruit tea with boba and it was ready in a minute. It looked like the barista filled a plastic cup with some ice, green tea, boba, and a few pumps of lychee syrup.The boba is a bit stiff but tasted fine. $4.50 is a reasonable price for boba (at least where I'm originally from), but perhaps the quality isn't worth that much. Nevertheless, it's nice that there's a tea store inside Morgan Street Food Hall."

Boba N Chai

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (7)

"Pros:Great location next to Harris TeeterEasy parkingFast, friendly serviceThe Mango Kulfi milk tea was outstanding! Loved the creaminess and flavor of the mango ice creamThe chia like seeds and glass noddles added extra crunchiness to the drink They also have pastries and rolled ice creamGood seatingSo many options to mix and match what you likeCons:A little on the pricer side, but worth itHard to see storefront unless you are in the strip mallPro tip:Really enjoyed this place, especially with the Indian flair that made it extra special. I'd definitely try a Kulfi or employee option!"