Once a niche import from Taiwan, boba tea is now a global phenomenon. New Jersey is no exception, assembling a statewide selection of high-quality shops. But where are the go-to spots that have all the boba fanatics and trendiest influencers in a frenzy? Our list of The Best Boba Tea Shops in New Jersey offers the ultimate guide for bubble tea enthusiasts.
Across NJ, skilled tea artisans are transforming tapioca pearls, house-brewed teas, and hand-whisked matcha into nuanced, memorable experiences. From velvety taro to bold brown sugar milk teas, the following destinations represent the pinnacle of boba in New Jersey. Though each has their own signature way of preparing boba, one thing unites them all: An understanding that the perfect bubble tea comes from just the right blend of tea, milk, and tapioca.
Quick Click Guide: Select an NJ Region below to find the Best Boba Tea Shops nearby.
| North Jersey | Central Jersey | Jersey Shore | South Jersey |
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North Jersey
Featured from Bergen County:
Kudo Society
Where: 336 Queen Anne Road, Teaneck | 141 W Central Boulevard, Palisades Park
Details: In 2015, Cherie and Jeff Ryu took a chance taking over a struggling cafe in Palisades Park. Starting anew, the couple (and their daughters) worked tirelessly to make the cafe thrive. Five years later, during the 2020 pandemic, they rolled the dice again and opened a second location in Teaneck. In fact, Teaneck is now Kudo’s flagship location, offering a warm and welcoming atmosphere with an artistic and homey feeling. Their flagship location features popular amenities such as free WiFi and outdoor patio and lawn seating (great for picnics). Popular menu items include the Premium Taro Slush with boba, White Peach K Yogurt (yogurt & fruit flavored shaken drink w/ lychee jelly), and signature Kudoccino espresso (sweet frozen cappuccino w/ a double shot of espresso). New for this year, their Palisades Park location will rebrand as PizzaXCafe. Here, they will offer freshly-made artisan pizzas alongside the same Kudo menu items patrons know and love.
| Visit Their Website | Order Online (Teaneck) | Order Online (Palisades Park) | Follow on Instagram | Follow on Facebook |
Intrinsic Cafe
Where: Newark
Details: Intrinsic Cafe is all about fun vibes and good times. Locals love that this spot offers a welcoming atmosphere, complete with backyard patio and board games. It’s also a great spot to hang out or socialize during planned meetups. For instance, Intrinsic hosts a bi-weekly Writers Group open to all writers (and aspiring writers). The cafe serves bubble tea, coffee, pastries, and desserts, including their popular Nutella cookies. Likewise, their fan-favorite bubble teas include options for traditional tapioca as well as jellies and fruity pops.
Rui Tea
Where: Jersey City
Details: The team at Rui Tea handcrafts teas that are so fresh, they recommend patrons drink them within 15 minutes. This ensures the best flavor profile and taste experience. There are no powders or frozen fruits behind the counter at Rui. Instead, they focus on using fresh fruits, organic milk and eggs, and other premium ingredients. They specialize in fresh fruit teas, with popular options including watermelon, mango, lime, kiwi, and strawberry Bobo. Each of their specialty “Bobo” teas use hand-smashed fresh fruit blended with coconut milk.
Thumbody
Where: Paramus
Details: Patrons won’t find anybody else offering a boba experience like Thumbody. That’s because this coffee shop is part of a larger shopping market. In addition to signature drinks, Thumbody sells merchandise, books, and even vinyl records. As for the drink selection, popular picks include the “Apple Chaider Latte” (apple cider + chai tea) and The Hulk. The latter is a blend of matcha and ube that creates a unique color in the drink. Save room for dessert, as Thumbody makes can’t-miss Ube Tres Leches and Ube Pandesal w/ Cream Cheese.
ÜMACHA
Where: Edgewater
Details: This cafe offers an original menu headlined by their specialty Cream Cheese Tea. In particular, their Don-Chan (cream cheese, milk, and brown sugar bubbles) and Tsuyo-Chan (Don-Chan plus matcha) are signature teas with a unique flavor profile. Of course, they also offer traditional bubble teas like brown sugar milk, jasmine milk tea, and Ceylon Black Milk Tea. For non-boba options, their selection of teas includes the Golden Feather, which blends honey and jasmine green tea. Umacha is on the first floor of Hudson Pot.
Village Tea Shop
Where: Ridgewood
Details: Village Tea Shop is primarily known for their high-quality selection of loose teas. But they also have a varied selection of bubble tea drinks as well. Popular picks include their brown sugar boba, caramel milk tea, coconut milk tea, and taro milk tea. As for toppings, they provide a choice of black tapioca, lychee jelly, lychee popping, and strawberry jelly. Patrons also love their organic fruit teas, which are dairy, gluten, and nut-free. These come in flavors such as Peach & Pear, Strawberry, Mango, and mixed berry.
Central Jersey
Featured from Middlesex County:
Boba Tea Time
Where: 435 Main St, Metuchen
Details: Boba Tea Time is a family-owned, vibrant bubble tea destination. They are known for their commitment to quality, using fresh milks and dairy-free alternatives instead of powdered creamers. Teas are brewed fresh and boba pearls are cooked throughout the day to ensure every drink is made to perfection. The menu offers a wide variety of creative and customizable options, featuring fan favorites like Tiger Taro Milk. Other popular choices include Brown Sugar Tiger Milk and the Strawberry Matcha Latte. Alongside their drinks, Boba Tea Time offers snacks such as Crispy Chicken Katsu Bites and Thick-Cut Seasoned Fries. But save room for their Hong Kong-style Bubble Waffles topped with ice cream in flavors like Oreo Delight. Other amenities include a free photo booth, board games, and a spacious private karaoke room perfect for special events. With a playful, welcoming atmosphere and late-night weekend hours, Boba Tea Time is one of Metuchen’s favorite downtown hangouts.
| Visit Their Website | Order Online | Follow on Instagram | Follow on Facebook | Call 732-243-9001 |
Akihi Bubble Tea
Where: East Brunswick | Highland Park | Metuchen | New Brunswick
Details: Akihi is usually up on the latest trends, offering a popular mix of milk teas, slushes, and ice cream. They also have snackable treats like dessert bubble waffles and waffle fries. The cute menu is broken down into fun categories like “First Time Here” and “I Know this Place”. The former offers simpler flavor profiles and familiar drinks like classic bubble milk tea, while the latter is more adventurous. (Featuring options like Salted Cheese Jamsmine Tea and Fresh Pineapple Mango Tea.) We recommend the Brown Sugar Ice Cream for dessert.
Bubz Boba Bar
Where: Dunellen
Details: This “vibrant oasis of flavor” fuses Filipino and Puerto Rican culture into every bubble tea and specialty drink. Popular toppings include mango, strawberry, and passionfruit popping boba as well as lychee, buko, and coffee jelly. Patrons begin by selecting a milk or milk tea base from flavors like honeydew, dragonfruit, rose, peach, taro, and more. Bubz Boba Bar also partners with local gym East Coast Iron to provide themed Protein Shakes. These shakes are packed with a choice of strawberry, peanut butter, banana, blueberry, or Oreo.
Junbi
Where: Princeton
Details: Bubble tea, matcha, rice balls, and soft-serve ice cream make up most of the menu at Junbi. Then there’s Miffy — a little rabbit from a decades’ old book series — who has specialty creamsicle drinks on the menu. These include Miffy’s Orange Creamsicle Matcha Latte and a Coffee Latte variant. Her bookmate Boris Bear also has a menu item, Boris’ Blended Orange Creamsicle. But Junbi is primarily known for their selection of Matcha green teas. They offer lattes, cold brews, and roasted green teas in a wide variety of flavors.
Okie Pokii Cafe
Where: Highland Park
Details: Locals come to Okie Pokii for poke bowls and bubble tea. Their popular poke bowls come in options like tuna, salmon, and veggie, with a spicy version as well. Patrons can either build their own or select from the list of specialty bowls. Any poke bowl can also be made as a salad bowl or photogenic sushi burrito. Meanwhile, bubble tea options stick to familiar flavors like taro, classic milk tea, green tea, earl grey, and jasmine. Check out their Citrus Orchard specialty drink with green tea, lemon, orange, kumquat, and grapefruit.
Jersey Shore
Boba Cafe
Where: Atlantic City
Details: Boba Cafe boasts a secret recipe for their signature boba, which they’ve been refining for many years. Their unique brewing process results in a rich tea base that blends tea leaves, fresh fruit, and house-made syrups. As for their boba, they combine tapioca pearls with condensed milk to give it a sweet yet tart, creamy texture. Besides boba, other popular toppings include coffee jelly, green apple jelly, passion fruit popping boba, and their Mixed Jelly. Coffee, smoothies, fruit teas, and other specialty drinks are also available.
Boba Works
Where: Ocean City
Details: Boba Works is actually primarily an Asian bakery, with popular items like Mochi Brownies and Taiwanese Pineapple Cakes. Patrons rave about their cotton cheesecake, cinnamon buns, and marbled cheesecake brownie as well. But they also have a variety of specialty and boba drinks like their Lavender Earl and Oreo Oolong Cream teas. Other unique boba flavors range from Butterfly Pea to Wintermelon. Besides baked treats, Boba Works serves ice cream and specialty sundaes like Chocolate Mountain, Mermaid, and Asian Flaire.
Crunchik’n
Where: Ocean City
Details: As the name implies, Crunchik’n actually specializes in Korean fried chicken. But they also have a comprehensive menu of bubble teas in both traditional and exotic flavors. Options include White Peach, Acai, Honeydew Coconut, Blueberry, Passion Fruit, Pina Colada, Matcha Green, Cappuccino, and Taro. As for toppings, they have classic tapioca or brown sugar, plus a number of popping bobas and jellies. Of course, most patrons are coming in for the fried chicken, which Crunchik’n serves as tenders, popcorn chicken, and more.
Pigleta Boba
Where: Point Pleasant
Details: Pigleta Boba has a wide variety of boba drinks to choose from. The more classic options come in flavors like Rose, Taro, Matcha, Strawberry, Lavender, and Vanilla. For something a little different, try one of their signature Milky Coconut drinks. These colorful, flavorful specialty drinks still feature boba, and come in options like classic, Butterfly Pea, Thai Tea, and Matcha. Their food menu features croffles (try the cookie’n cream), bubble waffles (go for caramel banana), and homemade cakes (order coconut).
South Jersey
Boba Tea House
Where: Pennsauken
Details: Boba Tea House aims to separate itself from the pack with next-level customer service and standout bubble tea. The menu includes plenty of classics like brown sugar, matcha, and taro, but also surprises with limited time seasonal flavors. As for the food menu, they serve rice balls, ramen, sushi tacos, popcorn chicken, and other snacks like butterfly shrimp. Otherwise, patrons can pair their bubble tea with pastries and savory treats like mochi ice cream and mini fruit tarts. We also recommend the Oreo croffle.
Bubble Bear Tea
Where: Deptford
Details: Located inside the Deptford Mall, Bubble Bear Tea blends top-quality ingredients with traditional, authentic bubble tea recipes. The team selected the name to symbolize comfort and warmth. Bubble Bear Tea’s menu consists of favorites like Taro, Caramel, Thai Iced Tea, Coconut Milk, and Jasmine Oat. They also have a number of seasonal specials, as well as signature drinks available year-round. For instance, their Strawberry Colada and Coconut Matcha are popular boba choices. Summertime specials feature refreshing slushes.
Bubblelicious Lab
Where: Cherry Hill
Details: Locals love Bubblelicious Lab for its variety of milk teas, smoothies, slushies, and snacks. As the name implies, patrons come here to concoct their own cold, hot, and specialty drinks. The first step is to take a tray, then choose a preferred syringe or test tube. Each test tube contains a flavor powder like matcha, coconut, honeydew, peach, mango, and more. Likewise, every syringe is full of flavored syrups or sugar, with options including lychee and pomegranate. The end result is made-to-order milk tea, slush, yogurt drink, or hot tea.
Tea Tank
Where: Blackwood
Details: Tea Tank is a casual spot in Blackwood (or Washington Township, depending on the GPS) for bubble tea. The spot has a space theme to the menu, decor, and mascot. Classic milk teas include taro, matcha, creme brulee, peach, blueberry, and osmanthus. The menu also offers a selection of crepes in fruity flavors like strawberry kiwi, banana Oreo, and mango strawberry. (All named after planets from Mercury to Uranus.) Ice cream is also available in four flavors, the classic trio of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry as well as Oreo.
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NJ’s Best Boba Tea Shops FAQs
Boba tea, also known as bubble tea, is a Taiwanese drink that combines brewed tea, milk or fruit flavoring, and chewy tapioca pearls or other toppings. In New Jersey, the drink has exploded in popularity thanks to creative shops like Kudo Society in Teaneck.
For a viral-worthy boba pic, head to Boba Tea Time in Metuchen. This spot offers a free photo booth, aesthetic drinks like the Tiger Taro Milk, and even a private karaoke room. With vibrant lighting and colorful waffle desserts topped with ice cream, it’s perfect for boba lovers and social media enthusiasts.
For those new to boba, classic flavors like brown sugar milk tea, taro, and matcha are solid go-tos. It’s also possible to ease into more adventurous choices like the Strawberry Matcha Latte. Don’t forget to pair it with a Hong Kong-style bubble waffle.
Yes! Some boba shops double as foodie destinations. At Kudo Society‘s latest venture in Palisades Park, PizzaXCafe, patrons can pair their bubble tea with savory treats like artisanal pizzas. Meanwhile, Bubz Boba Bar in Dunellen offers Filipino and Puerto Rican snacks.
Toppings vary from the traditional tapioca pearls to fruity popping boba, jellies, or cream cheese foam. ÜMACHA in Edgewater, for instance, specializes in cream cheese tea with rich brown sugar bubbles. Meanwhile, places like Rui Tea focus on fresh fruit boba made with hand-smashed ingredients like mango and kiwi.
Top Photo: © Kudo Society | Website
