Bubble tea is becoming more popular across the world. It is no different in South Africa. If you crave bubble tea and want to know where to buy bubble tea in Johannesburg, this guide outlines the different bubble tea shops in Johannesburg where you can get a cup of satisfying bubble tea.
What is bubble tea?
Bubble tea is also known as pearl milk tea or boba tea. It is a beverage that started in Taiwan and has become popular in Asia, North America and Europe. Boba refers to chunky bits of either fruit or tapioca pearls.
Tapioca pearls comprise tapioca starch, which comes from the cassava plant. They are typically white, hard and tasteless. They become black and tasty tapioca pearls after being boiled in a sugary syrup for hours. Since they cook the pearls in sugar, bubble tea is not a healthy drink.
Where to buy bubble tea in Johannesburg?
You can buy fresh bubble tea in a few bubble tea shops in Johannesburg, or canned bubble tea from one or more Asian supermarkets. Let’s look at your best bubble tea options in Johannesburg.
Susu
Susu Fresh Tea and Juice have three bubble tea shops in Johannesburg. The first bubble tea shop is in Rivonia, and the other two are in Cyrildene and Parkhurst. They offer a variety of bubble teas, coffees and juices at very reasonable prices. In addition, they have interesting flavours, such as Matcha, Milk Tea and Taro Macchiato!
Rivonia: Unit 16, Early Dawn Centre, Rivonia Blvd, Edenburg, 2128, South Africa. Phone them on: +27 61 426 6620.
Cyrildene: G5 Unit Ground Floor, Heng Cheng Palace, 30 Derrick Ave, Cyrildene, Johannesburg, 2198, South Africa. Phone them on: +27 61 445 5888
Parkhurst: 30 6th St, Parkhurst, Randburg, 2193, South Africa. Phone them on: 084 687 7072.
Susu’s staff is friendly, and their service is fast. The place is popular, and sometimes, a queue of customers is waiting to be served.
Susu used to be called Momo, but had a rebranding to Susu towards the end of 2022.
Figgy’s Bubble Tea shop
Figgy’s is a pop-up bubble tea shop in Roodepoort, just south of Johannesburg. Patrons highly recommend the lemonade and slushy bubble tea as the best options at Figgy’s. In addition, they have unique bubble tea flavours, such as falooda or boeber bubble tea.
You can find Figgy’s here:
POP UP STORE AROUND GAUTENG, 19 Cabernet St, Strubens Valley, Roodepoort, 1724, South Africa.
Always phone to make sure of their location: +27 64 652 0684
Figgy’s also sells bubble tea gift boxes for different price ranges. They ship to anywhere in South Africa. Since Figgy’s is a pop-up shop, always phone ahead to find their location. They are open most days from 9:00-16:00.
Happy.me
Happy.me is one of the most popular bubble tea shops in Johannesburg and has a shop in Bank City in the Johannesburg city centre. The happy.me shops sell more than just bubble tea and healthy drinks, iced teas, chocolate drinks, and a variety of deli meals, such as paninis, salads, and wraps. Many of the customers of happy.me say it is the only place for proper bubble tea.
You can find Happy.me at: 62 Pixley Ka Isaka Seme St, Johannesburg, 2000, South Africa. Phone them at: +27 11 492 0909
The Bubble Tea Company
The Bubble Tea Company was the first and original bubble tea shop in South Africa. The Johannesburg branch of the Bubble Tea Company is near Alberton. Apart from the physical shop, they also have an online shop to stock up on your bubble tea ingredients.
You can find the Bubble Tea Company near Johannesburg at: 2190, Liefde En Vrede, Johannesburg South, South Africa. Phone them at: +27 11 682 2910
Simplicity Coffee and Tea
You can find Simplicity Coffee and Tea in Cyrildene. They have a nice variety of bubble teas on offer. They also sell noodle dishes. Visitors mentioned the owner is friendly and that Simplicity’s bubble tea is the best in Cyrildene.
Simplicity Coffee & Tea’s address: Derrick Ave, Cyrildene, Johannesburg, 2198, South Africa. Phone them at: +27 11 616 0288
Xing Fu Tang – Cresta Shopping Centre
Another option to satisfy your bubble tea cravings is Xing Fu Tang at the Cresta Shopping Centre. Xing Fu Tang offers a range of bubble tea options, including chocolate milk, strawberry milk, Dalgona and Lotus Biscoff. Some customers mentioned that the tea flavour is more potent than at other bubble tea shops – keep this in mind when you choose where to buy your bubble tea.
The address for Xing Fu Tang at Cresta Shopping Centre: Store KU03 (opp. Foschini Randburg, 2194. Phone them on: 081 018 8722.
Yoyo – Bubble Milk Tea
Another popular option for Bubble tea is Yoyo. They serve their cups with a reusable lid, which makes it easy to store your bubble tea if you cannot finish it in one go. Yoyo offers a variety of teas and flavours. They also sell smoothies.
Yoyo Bubble Milk Tea’s address: The Glen Shopping Centre, Gleneagles, Johannesburg South, 2190. Phone them on: 073 323 4567
Ben’s Bubble Tea
According to Ben’s Bubble Tea, the shop was founded in March of 2021. There are currently eight locations, but the first shop was at Melrose Arch. They serve Bubble Tea, Milk Tea and Freezos.
Find Ben’s Bubble Tea at: The Piazza SL26, Whiteley Rd, Melrose, Johannesburg, 2196. Phone them at: 072 682 5529
Kokoro Supermarkets
There are several Kokoro supermarkets in Johannesburg. Unfortunately, they don’t sell fresh bubble tea, but you can buy various canned bubble teas from the Ocean Bomb brand. The price is usually around R30 for a can.
Bubble Tea Warehouse
The Bubble Tea Warehouse is a wholesale supplier of bubble tea supplies. If you love bubble tea and want to buy your supplies in bulk, this is the place to go.
Bubble Tea Warehouse’s address: 17 Hammer Ave, Strydompark, 2169. Phone them on: 011 702 3089
The Bubble Emporium
The Bubble Emporium is a new bubble tea shop that opened in the Blairgowrie Plaza in Blairgowrie, Randburg. They have a limited selection of bubble teas and other coffees. They also sell a variety of gifts.
Bubble Boba Bubble Tea & Bakery
I recently discovered this new bubble tea shop in Rivonia, near Kokoro and Susu. You can order from them using Uber Eats. Their menu includes fruit teas, a watermelon series, a strawberry series, a slushy series, a milk tea series, a coffee series and cheese toppings.
The Bubble Boba Bubble Tea & Bakery’s address:
329 Rivonia Blvd, Edenburg, Sandton, 2128, South Africa
Phone: +27 66 007 9087
Other branches of Bubble Boba Bubble Tea & Bakery:
Centurion address: Cnr. Gerhard St, Jean Ave, &, Centurion, 0157
+27 72 808 0621
Greenstone address: ZA, Stoneridge Dr, Greenstone Hill, Johannesburg1609
+27 66 007 9087