Bubble tea and Taiwanese food in Vancouver: how to order and where to go

Bubble tea arrived in Vancouver decades ago with immigrants from Taiwan and Hong Kong, and it never left. Today there are bubble tea shops on almost every busy street in Metro Vancouver, from independent cafés to big Taiwanese chains, and the region also has a strong Taiwanese restaurant scene, especially in Richmond and Burnaby. If you have only ever had one kind of bubble tea, there is a lot more to try.

What is bubble tea?

Bubble tea, also called boba or pearl milk tea, is a tea-based drink that originated in Taiwan. The classic version is black milk tea with chewy tapioca pearls at the bottom, drunk through a wide straw. Today the menu has expanded enormously: fruit teas, cheese foam toppings, brown sugar milk, matcha, taro and many kinds of toppings.

How do you order bubble tea?

Most shops let you customize almost everything. Usually you choose:

1. The base: milk tea, fruit tea, plain tea, or a specialty drink.
2. The tea: black, green, oolong, jasmine and others.
3. Sweetness: often from 0 to 100 percent, in steps. Many regulars order 30 or 50 percent.
4. Ice level: regular, less, or none.
5. Toppings: tapioca pearls, grass jelly, pudding, red bean, aloe, popping boba, coconut jelly and more.

If you are not sure, a classic pearl milk tea at half sweetness is a good place to start.

What are the most popular bubble tea flavours?

Drink	What it is like
Classic pearl milk tea	Black tea, milk and tapioca pearls
Brown sugar milk	Fresh milk with caramelized brown sugar syrup and pearls
Taro milk tea	Purple, nutty, sweet, sometimes with real taro
Matcha latte	Green tea with milk
Fruit tea	Green or jasmine tea with fresh fruit, such as passion fruit or mango
Cheese foam tea	Tea topped with a salty-sweet whipped cream cheese foam
Oolong milk tea	Roasted, less sweet, for tea lovers

What Taiwanese food should you try in Vancouver?

Bubble tea is only the start. Taiwanese restaurants and snack shops in Metro Vancouver serve:

• Beef noodle soup, a rich braised beef broth with thick noodles, often considered Taiwan's national dish.
• Popcorn chicken (salt and pepper chicken), crispy bite-sized fried chicken with basil.
• Lu rou fan, braised minced pork over rice.
• Gua bao, steamed buns filled with braised pork belly, peanut powder and pickles.
• Scallion pancakes and dan bing, an egg crepe roll, at breakfast.
• Soup dumplings and potstickers.
• Shaved snow and mango shaved ice, a summer favourite.
• Stinky tofu, a fermented tofu with a famous smell, for the adventurous.

Where is the best Taiwanese food near Vancouver?

Richmond has the largest concentration, especially along No. 3 Road and around Golden Village, with Taiwanese restaurants, snack shops and dessert cafés. Burnaby, around Metrotown and Crystal Mall, has many more, including food court stalls. Downtown Vancouver and Kingsway have bubble tea shops and casual Taiwanese spots too.

What is a Taiwanese breakfast?

Some Taiwanese cafés in Richmond and Vancouver serve a traditional breakfast menu, often until early afternoon, and it is worth trying if you see one. Look for:

• Soy milk, warm or cold, sweet or salty.
• Fan tuan, a rice roll wrapped around a fried dough stick, pork floss and pickles.
• Dan bing, a thin egg crepe rolled with fillings like cheese, bacon or corn.
• Scallion pancakes, flaky and pan-fried.
• Shao bing, a flaky sesame flatbread, often with egg.

Portions are filling and prices modest. Go early on weekends, because these breakfast spots can be small and busy.

Is bubble tea healthy?

It is a treat rather than a health drink. A large, fully sweetened milk tea with pearls can contain a lot of sugar. To lighten it, choose a lower sweetness level, a smaller size, a fruit or plain tea base, and fewer toppings. Many shops can use oat or other plant-based milk, though some use non-dairy creamer by default, so ask what is in the "milk".

Can you get vegan or caffeine-free bubble tea?

Often, yes. Many shops offer oat, almond or soy milk, and fruit teas without milk are naturally dairy-free. Some toppings, such as pudding, contain egg or dairy. For caffeine-free options, look for fruit drinks without tea, taro or slushes, or ask for decaffeinated options where available.

How much is bubble tea and do you tip?

Bubble tea is an affordable treat, with prices depending on size and toppings. Drinks from shops generally carry 5 percent GST in BC. Tipping at bubble tea counters is optional; many people leave a little if the drink was made to a complicated order.

Everyone has a favourite bubble tea shop and a perfect order. On Mosey you can rate the places you visit and the drinks and dishes you order, see what friends ordered, and keep a list of Taiwanese spots to try in Richmond.

More guides to read next:

• Holiday dining in Vancouver: the Christmas Market, festive menus and booking tips
• Where to eat in Burnaby: Metrotown food courts, the Heights and North Road
• Business lunch in downtown Vancouver: how to choose a spot that works

More in the Canadian food guides and the ranked lists of places.