So, you arrived after a long day traveling finally to your destination, Amsterdam.
This city has a lot to give when it comes to drinks, food and culture. But because of all these options, it can be very overwhelming to pick the right place, for your refreshing drink.
We want to help you get a quick overview to know what are the best places in Amsterdam to score your Bubble Tea.
Before we start with our summary we want to give you some inside information on what the hype about this drink is exactly all about and where it comes from.
What is Bubble Tea actually?
Other names for Bubble Tea are; Pearl milk tea, Bubble milk tea, Tapioca milk tea, Boba Tea or Boba.
You have two types of Bubble Tea, Tea with milk and Tea without milk.
Then you have in these two options also the choice between three types of thee as the base of the drink; oolong, black, white or green tea.
Some Bubble tea makers use powdered milk to mix the Bubble Tea.
In some places you have also a large variety when it comes to picking your milk (lots of choices to make) like; condensed milk, almond milk, soy milk or coconut milk.
In the store you can usually ask how much ice or sugar you would want in you Bubble Tea.
Be aware that some Bubble Tea’s can taste very sweet.
Bubble Tea is served in a plastic takeaway cup.
You also can choose toppings in your Tea like Tapioca pearls or all kinds of different jelly’s in different kind of flavours!
As I said; there are a lot of choices to make your best Bubble Tea!
Where does Bubble Tea originally come from?
In 1624-1662 The Dutch colonized Taiwan and that’s where the new habbit of adding milk and sugar into your tea all started.
In 1980 Liu Han-Chieh began serving Chinese tea cold because she had a guest from Japan and she knew that they drink their coffee cold.
That’s why she also wanted to serve her tea cold to her Japanese guest.
After this the trend of serving this cold tea spread out and became a hit.
Later in 1988, product development manager Lin Hsiu Hui added tapioca balls to this cold tea.
She encouraged everyone to drink it during a staff meeting.
Everyone liked it so much that they added it to the menu and it became there top-selling product.
The hype around this drink all started in the 1980’s in Taiwan and came to America in the ’90’s.
Best Bubble Tea Spots in Amsterdam
1. Yi Cha
The number one place to get the best Bubble Tea of Amsterdam.
This place is located in De Pijp area, on the Albert Cuyp market.
This place has a very authentic but cozy vibe.
These people really know how to make the real Taiwanese bubble Tea how it should. While you enjoy your drink you can enjoy the nice Asian attributes in the store or have a look on the market.
The woman who owns it super friendly and they also have super tasty dim-sums.
When: Every day from 10 AM till 18 PM, closed on Sunday
Looking for a place to eat the best ramen in Amsterdam? Don’t waste time and check our favorite spots here.
2. I’ve got cha Bubble Tea
This place is super fun! It’s super colorful and a real instagram hotspot.
Besides the fun interiour they are famous for their different tastes which other stores don’t have.
You if you are sick of the same tastes and you want to try something new this is the store for you!
When: every day from 12 AM till 19 PM, closed on Monday
3. Tea Guys Boba Bubble Tea
This Bubble tea shop thats located near Rijksmuseum and the Heineken Experience has a large variety of flavours and a very consistent quality.
Sometimes they draw something fun on your cup.
When: every day from 12 AM till 20 PM
4. Imi Bubble Tea Shop
This Bubble Tea Store is located in Amsterdam Red Light district.
Located in the China town of amsterdam where you can find a large variety of amazing Asian stores and restaurants!
They serve the bubble tea in a re-usable bottle and they give good value for money compared with other stores.
When: every day from 13 AM till 21 PM, on friday and saturday till 22 PM
5. Slowth Brunch
This store is a very warm and cozy lunchroom in the south of the city of Amsterdam. During the sunny days you can enjoy your bubble tea on their small but cute terrace. The place is a small family company runned by a very friendly couple.
They have amazing asian mixed with wester food.
So definately a recommendation if you want to combine your bubble tea with a lunch.
When: from Thursday till Sunday from 11 AM till 17:30 PM.
6. Cha time
Besides the fact that the Bubble tea they make is amazing, you can follow your order on a screen camera which they put in the ‘kitchen’.
The concept is bit different from the rest because you can order your bubble tea on a touchscreen in the store.
It has a very asian advanced vibe. The store is located in the heart of Amsterdam in between the shopping streets.
When: Sunday till Wednesday from 11:30 AM till 19:30 PM – Thurday till Saturday till 20:00 PM
7. Jen’s Bing to go
This Taiwanese store has a very cozy interior.
It’s located in Amsterdam West in a side street of Kinkerstraat, one of the mean streets of this neighbourhood.
Besides their amazing bubble tea’s they have all kind of Taiwanese bites that are worth dropping by.
When: Every day from 11:00 AM till 19:00 PM
8. YoYo! Fresh Tea Bar
This Bubble Tea bar is located in the busiest part of the center called; The Red Light District.
This street where YoYo! is located is located in Amsterdam’s China Town.
The store itself is a very funny store where you can, besides your bubble tea, find a kind of fun gadgets.
You can sit there but there aren’t too many spots.
They offer a very large variety of options for your Bubble Tea, so definitely a nice one for the pro Bubble tea drinkers!
When: every day from 12 AM till 20 PM
9. Jako Bubble
This amazing bubble tea store is located in Amsterdams upcoming area’s called Bos en Lommer, definetely worth visiting.
In this area are lots of new places that are ‘hip and happening’.
Jako Bubble is well known for it’s friendly owner and offers a great value for your money.
When: Every day from 11 AM till 20 PM, closed on Tuesday
