Food Finders: Bubble Tea
Coffee and kombucha each have their place in the Portland beverage scene, but steadily gaining traction is the whimsical bubble tea (also called boba tea, or simply boba). If you haven’t had it, you’re in for a surprising treat! I gathered up my trusty bubble tea enthusiast, Michael, and we went on a boba crawl to bring you the best in town.
But first… what is it?
The formula of this Taiwanese drink is three parts: tea, milk and texture. Original bubble tea was black tea with milk and tapioca balls, or “pearls,” at the bottom. As it’s become more popular, innovators have introduced endless variants of flavor, types of milk (or no milk), different textures such as jellies, custard and even popping boba – liquid-filled bubbles that “pop” when you bite them – and frozen smoothies, known some places as “snow bubble.”
Where can I get it?
So many places!
Bubble tea bars
These are where you can find the most extensive menu of options. Choose your tea base (black, green or sometimes white tea), milk* or no milk (usually called “fruit tea”) and, of course, your texture. Editor’s tip: for a cozy treat, try a hot almond milk tea with tapioca.
*most places use coconut milk or non-dairy creamer
Bubble Bubble Tea
2850 SE 82nd Ave (inside Fubonn Shopping Center)
11723 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy
bubblebubbletea.com
Fat Straw
806 NW 23rd Ave
4258 SE Hawthorne Blvd
fatstrawpdx.com
Karma Café
8220 SE Harrison St
karmacafepdx.com
Sozo Coffee & Bubble Tea
8733 SE Division St, Ste. 110
Teahouses
You may have noticed bubble tea on the menus at these finer tea establishments, but been focused on the loose-leaf tea that they’re known for. Expect to pay more for a boba here, but you can trust that they’re using higher-quality ingredients, including real milk or dairy alternatives like coconut, almond or soy.
Tea Bar
1615 NE Killingsworth St
4330 SE Division St (coming soon)
teabarpdx.com
Tea Chai Te
734 NW 23rd Ave
7983 SE 13th Ave
teachaite.com
Teazone
510 NW 11th Ave
teazone.com
Townshend’s Tea House
2223 NE Alberta St
3531 SE Division St
3917 N Mississippi Ave
townshendstea.com
Asian eateries
A two-in-one treat – you get yummy food AND bubble tea in one place!
Best Baguette
8308 SE Powell Blvd
3635 SW Hall Blvd
thebestbaguette.com
EC Kitchen
6335 SE 82nd Ave
eckitchenllc.com
Mojo Crepes
8409 SE Division St
mojocrepes.com
Taiwan Eats
4708 NW Bethany Blvd, Ste E-6
taiwaneatspdx.com
What’s your favorite?
Mine: Passion fruit green tea with lychee and aloe jellies, and Michael’s: Peach green tea with tapioca and rainbow jellies. How about yours?
Food Finders is a monthly blog series in which we go out and find delicious and fun food all over town! Got a suggestion for a food feature? Drop us a line at editor [at] nwkidsmagazine.com.
