Liam SmithOttawa is a city that’s not afraid of trying out the latest trends, and bubble teas aren’t an exception. From its cozy outskirts to its bustling downtown streets, the city boasts an array of bubble tea shops where you’ll find delicious brews.
With such an interesting bubble tea scene, it would be a mistake not to explore what these shops have to offer. Let’s talk about some amazing bubble tea shops in Ottawa and the delightful journey of flavours, textures, and joy they can offer you!
Chatime
Website: https://chatime.ca/
Address: 695 Somerset St W, Ottawa, ON K1R 6P5, Canada
Contact details: +1 613-366-4006
Operating hours:
12:00 PM – 12:00 AM (MON-THURS)
12:00 PM – 1:00 AM (FRI)
11:00 AM – 1:00 AM (SAT)
11:00 AM – 12:00 AM (SUN)
Price (for reference, $ is $6.99 and below, $$ is $7 to 12, and $$$ is $12 and up): $
To begin, let’s check out Chatime, a popular bubble tea chain founded in Taiwan in 2005. They have two amazing branches in Ottawa, one in Somerset and another in Merivale.
As one of the largest bubble tea chains in the world, they boast a huge selection of drinks like milk teas, smoothies, and slush. The star of their menu is undoubtedly the pearl milk tea, a delightful concoction of tea leaves, fresh milk, and tapioca pearls.
Customizable in terms of sugar level and ice, this iconic drink strikes an even balance between sweet, creamy, and chewy. If you want, you can even add toppings like pudding or grass jelly to give it a bit more sweetness and texture.
| Pro tip: Download Chatime’s Sociatea App so every purchase you make lets you earn points that you can use to get awesome perks like free drinks and personalized discounts. You can get it on both the App Store and the Play Store. |
Tealive
Website: https://tealive.ca/
Address: 675 Somerset St W, Ottawa, ON K1R 6P3, Canada
Contact details: +1 613-680-7388
Operating hours: 11:00 AM – 12:00 AM (MON-SUN)
Price: $$
Next on our list is Tealive, a rapidly growing bubble tea brand that has found its home in Ottawa’s vibrant Chinatown. Originally founded in Malaysia, it has over 165 branches worldwide and made its Ottawa debut in late 2022.
They offer a rich mix of drinks on their menu, including freshly brewed teas, flavoured milk teas, and slushies.
However, the star of their menu is the brown sugar pearl milk tea, a harmonious blend of rich brown sugar sweetness and creamy milk tea.
But Tealive isn’t just about beverages; they also sell a variety of light meals and desserts you can pair up with your bubble tea. A couple of the ones I love to order here are their mango Korean macaron and Chicken Katsu Toastea Meal.
| Pro tip: Is their branch in Chinatown too far from your home? Don’t worry because they have two other branches in Ottawa, one on Innes Road and another on Byward! |
Meow Tea
Website: https://meowtea.ca/
Address: 279 Elgin St, Ottawa, ON K2P 1M1, Canada
Contact details: +1 613-230-8588
Operating hours:
4:00 PM – 11:30 PM (MON and TUES)
12:00 PM – 11:30 PM (WED-SUN)
Price: $$
Are you a huge fan of cats and bubble tea? Then visit Meow Tea, located on Elgin Street.
Founded in May 2019, it’s a delightful cat-themed tea shop that merges Eastern tea culture with Western coffee and pastry culture.
They have plenty of drinks offered, including their signature drink, the Meow Tea Signature Milk Tea. It’s great as it strikes the perfect balance between sweetness and tea flavour while also giving you the chance to include add-ons like grass jelly.
All in all, the cat-themed ambience, spacious seating, refreshing drinks, and delicious pastries make Meow Tea a stellar bubble tea shop. Whether you’re a bubble tea aficionado or a cat enthusiast, Meow Tea welcomes you with open paws.
| Pro tip: They offer special discounts on some of their drinks on certain days of the week, like their $4.99 Taro Milk Tea Mondays and $4.99 Classic Milk Tea Wednesdays. Visit their Instagram to find out if your favourite drink is on sale for the day! |
Presotea
Website: https://www.presotea.ca/home/
Address: 174A Rideau St, Ottawa, ON K1N 9P1, Canada
Contact details: +1 613-422-5696
Operating hours:
12:00 PM – 11:00 PM (SUN-THURS)
12:00 PM – 12:00 AM (FRI and SAT)
Price: $$
Presotea, a bubble tea shop from Taiwan, has made waves in Ottawa for its innovation in the industry.
Its innovative brewing technology, which utilizes espresso-type machines, ensures each cup of tea is of the highest quality.
Currently, it has six branches in the city and the outlying towns of Orleans and Barrhaven. Here, you can enjoy a wide variety of drinks like milk teas, iced coffees, freshly brewed teas, and coconut water.
The bestseller is the Panda Milk Tea, which blends black tea, milk, and tapioca pearls into a rich and creamy delight. Thanks to the espresso machines, this bubble tea has a stronger aroma and a velvety texture that enhances the overall taste.
| Pro tip: As demand for the drinks can be high on most days, it’s better if you order immediately on the app so your drinks will be ready for pickup once you arrive. The app also occasionally offers special discounts and deals, saving you a lot of money in the long run. It’s available on both the App Store and Play Store. |
Kung Fu Tea
Website: https://kung-futea.com/en/
Address: 1167 Bank St, Ottawa, ON K1S 3X7, Canada
Contact details: +1 613-523-8595
Operating hours:
1:00 PM – 9:30 PM (MON-THURS)
12:00 PM – 10:30 PM (FRI and SAT)
12:00 PM – 9:30 PM (SUN)
Price: $
Eager for more? Then visit Kung Fu Tea, a lovely bubble tea shop located on Bank Street.
Based in Taiwan, it has successfully expanded its business worldwide, including Ottawa and other major Canadian cities like Toronto.
It offers various drinks, including milk teas, brewed teas, and cheese foam bubble teas. If you want to try something new, then make sure to order their roasted tie guan yin milk tea.
What’s unique about this one is that it uses leaves that come from the genuine tie guan yin cultivar in Fujian. Combined with milk and some sugar, it delivers a roasted and nutty taste with subtle hints of floral aroma that’ll leave you wanting for more.
| Pro tip: To save money, visit Kung Fu Tea between 12 PM and 5 PM from Monday to Friday. That’s because they run a Happy Hour promo during those hours with most of the drinks priced 20% lower than usual. |
CoCo Fresh Tea & Juice
Website: https://www.cocofreshtea.ca/
Address: 290 Bank St, Ottawa, ON K2P 1X6, Canada
Contact details: +1 613-233-1996
Operating hours: 12:00 PM – 9:00 PM (MON-SUN)
Price: $
The next one on our list, CoCo Fresh Tea & Juice, is probably a brand you’ve already heard of. Founded in 1997 in Taiwan by Tommy Hung, this global franchise now boasts over 4,500 stores worldwide with five of them in Ottawa.
It’s famous for its stylish store designs, commitment to quality ingredients, and use of innovative flavours like Yakult. In fact, it boasts a wide array of drinks, including Yakult teas, slushies, milk teas, fruit teas, and macchiatos.
Try their flagship drink first, pearl milk tea. It’s something anyone will like, as it strikes the perfect balance between creamy milk tea and chewy tapioca pearls.
| Pro tip: CoCo Fresh Tea & Juice regularly introduces new deals and promotions to entice customers to try out its new products. Make sure to stay in the loop by checking out this website. Alternatively, you may also find out about their deals and order directly from their app, which is available on the App Store and the Play Store. |
Gong Cha
Website: https://gong-cha.ca/
Address: 856 Bank St, Ottawa, ON K1S 3W3, Canada
Contact details: +1 613-567-1001
Operating hours: 12:00 PM – 10:00 PM (MON-SUN)
Price: $
Another amazing bubble tea shop you should check out on Bank Street is Gong Cha. Founded in Taiwan in 1996, Gong Cha has successfully blossomed into an international brand with over 1,650 stores across 20 countries.
They offer plenty of drinks worth trying out, like brewed teas, milk teas, slushies, and iced coffees. What makes these drinks very tasty is Gong Cha’s masterful brewing of their tea leaves at specific temperatures to extract their essence without bitterness.
You can taste the difference by buying their number one drink, pearl milk tea. Its delightful mix of black tea, tapioca pearls, and milk perfectly encapsulates the soothing sensation of tea and the natural sweetness of the milk and toppings.
| Pro tip: If you’re looking to try something new, you can customize any drink offered in Gong Cha stores. In fact, they have over 600 combinations available with special toppings like aloe, red bean, grass jelly, and basil seeds. |
Hi T
Website: https://www.hiteaottawa.ca/
Address: 1076 Wellington St. W, Ottawa, ON K1Y 2Y3, Canada
Contact details: +1 613-722-7888
Operating hours:
11:00 AM – 9:00 PM (SUN-THURS)
11:00 AM – 10:00 PM (FRI and SAT)
Price: $
Do you think you have what it takes to create the perfect bubble tea recipe? Then come on down to Hi T on Wellington Street West.
Their menu boasts an array of options, from classic milk teas to exotic fruit blends. However, unlike your typical bubble tea shop, you’ll start with only the base of your drink and then design it with any toppings of your choice from their toppings bar.
In the toppings bar, you’ll have the chance to let your imagination and creativity run wild, as it has 27 flavoured toppings for you to try. Some toppings you shouldn’t miss out on are their popping boba, grass jelly, and chocolate sauce.
| Pro tip: Do take note that some of the toppings featured in Hi T’s topping bar may cause an allergic reaction. Please notify one of their staff first if you’re allergic to any ingredient so they can check if all of their toppings are safe for you to consume. |
