Best Boba: Top 10 bubble tea in Sydney
Welcome to our Best Boba series! In these posts, I will be inviting foodies and bubble tea lovers from different cities around the world to give us their favourite boba spots in their city. Sydney, Australia!
1. BubbleNini
8 Central Park Ave, Chippendale NSW 2008
Come to BubbleNini for the decor (they have a flower store within their premises), stay for the superb, highly instagrammable drinks - there’s sure to be choices for everyone with their fantastic home-made pearls coming in flavours like Sakura, Brown Sugar and Matcha (Try their Sun and Moon Lake Milk Tea with the Sakura pearls)! A short walk from one of the largest Universities and shopping centres in Sydney, BubbleNini is definitely worth going out of one’s way to try.
2. The Moment
394 Sussex St, Sydney NSW 2000
The Moment provides not only drinks, but an experience as evidenced by their excellent service, taste in music and aesthetically pleasing, futuristic interior design. Each beverage provided from the plain teas is the accumulation of high quality ingredients and meticulous research and development and continued improvement (their Yoghurt has come a long way!). Order the Strawberry Yakult with Mango Milk Cap for the instagrammable factor or the Jasmine Dragon Tea for its incredible flavour and strong caffeinated aspects. Conveniently located on one of the busiest streets of Chinatown and opening up locations at World Square and MidCity, this is definitely a place to look out for!
3. Original RoyalTea
Shop 2/27-33 Goulburn St, Haymarket NSW 2000
Perhaps the most obscure store on my list, Original RoyalTea makes up for what it lacks in glamour with a seriously competent range of drinks. Home to the most interesting yet well implemented fruity cheese foam flavour I've come across (durian), their Royal Black Sesame Taro offering brilliantly combines two of the most unlikely ingredients. Come to their store, enjoy their wide variety of beverages, take pictures with their cute bear mascot, pin some customised post-it notes to their board - there's plenty to do at Original RoyalTea!
4. Yomie's Purple Rice and Yoghurt
Shop 6/683-689 George St, Sydney NSW 2000
Although not a traditional Boba tea and Tapioca store, Yomie’s is very much ingrained into Sydney’s Boba culture given their unique offerings and classification as a drinkable dessert. The most obvious testaments to Yomie’s continued success are the constant 20-30 minute queues to obtain their signature “Purple Rice and Yoghurt”.
5. BeauTea
Shop D1/60 Dixon St, Sydney NSW 2000
BeauTea's name and as an extension, philosophy are reflected in the presentation of their beverages, from the taste to the heavily oriental-inspired aesthetic of the cups. Using dairy milk instead of creamers as is tradition, the difference in flavour and the light qualities of the beverages served have captured the attention of Boba lovers in Sydney, leading to the quick expansion of the franchise. I'll share a secret with you all - order the hidden menu item “Matcha Teaccino” for some of the most savoury, satisfying matcha you've ever tasted.
6. Heet Tea
Shop 1/21-23 Belmore St, Burwood NSW 2134
Although a parody of the famous Chinese branch “HEEKCAA”, make no mistake as Heet Tea know exactly what they're doing. Trust me when I say you've never experienced complexity in a Milk Tea until you've tried Heet Tea's signature beverage - the sweet flowery and leafy tones within this offering are unparalleled! For those looking for something exotic, try the Milk Tea with Bird's Nest - if you dare.
7. SexyTea
21 Belmore St, Burwood NSW 2134
While not quite the most attractive name for a Tea store, SexyTea makes up for this lapse in judgement with brilliant taste. Stay at SexyTea to study or just converse with friends in a relaxed setting (free Wi-Fi and late closing times are bonuses, I speak from experience!), try their characteristically light Milk Tea range (Peach Oolong is a must), and enjoy some of the best drink presentation in the business.
8. Bengong's Tea and Bakery
144 Burwood Rd, Burwood NSW 2134
Bengong's is all about attention to detail and this shows with their excellent range of Teas, Cake and Bread. With classics such as plain tea, fruit and teas and more contemporary gelato tea hybrids all presented in beautiful, intricate packages, Bengong's is sure to please all who come - their Bengong Fresh with Oolong Tea undoubtedly has me hooked.
9. PaletTé
Shop 181/569 George St, Sydney NSW 2000
PaletTé are purveyors of some of the best cold Tea beverages in Sydney with offerings such as their Watermelon and Four Seasons Tea Frappe and the Lemon and Black Tea Frappe that place a tangible emphasis on the leafy infusion aspect. If that's not quite to your liking, go for their Burnt Brown Sugar milk tea (real caramelization with a blowtorch!) and prepare to be amazed by the the unusual flavours.
10. Song Tea
28A Harbour St, Sydney NSW 2000
Although taking on a fun, less than serious approach with decor reminiscent of a bathroom and drink names such as “Was Cheated On Fruity Green” and “No Money for Plastic Surgery Taiwan Oolong Tea”, Song Tea's wide variety of brilliant drinks more than speak for themselves. If that's not enough to catch your interest, then perhaps the heavy pink theme, Jacuzzi ball-pit with plushies and arcade Claw Machines found in the Harbour St store will pique your interest!
About the Author
Greetings all! I'm Eamon, the person behind @themilkteaman and I firmly believe the variety and quality of Boba (or Bubble/Milk Tea as we Aussies prefer to call it) in Sydney is unparalleled - leave it to me to show you all the best drinks and my favourite haunts! As a self-admitted Boba addict (almost approaching two a day), I've been consuming this sugary goodness for well over a decade, starting off from the originals Gumball and Happy Cup, long before the advent of Easyway (Now Epic Tea), Chatime and GongCha. As fate would have it, I started reviewing Boba as a way to keep my Snapchat “streaks” (basic, I know) and decided to move onto Instagram to share my thoughts on, and keep me trying new things - I'm extremely grateful for all the support I've received along the way!
