Bubble tea is a tea-based drink that originated in Taiwan in the early 1980s. Taiwanese immigrants brought it to the United States in the 1990s, initially in California through regions including Los Angeles County, but the drink has also spread to other countries where there is a large East Asian diaspora population.
Boba ice cream bars are a frozen dessert of an ice cream bar with tapioca pearls, otherwise known as boba, throughout. The ice cream is usually made from dairy products, and can be flavored with other ingredients, such as green tea or thai tea. The boba is made out of tapioca starch, becoming gelatinous when cooked.
TP Tea, formerly known as Tea Pa Tea, is a subsidiary of Chun Shui Tang, which is known for the inventor of Bubble milk tea. Similar to most bubble tea shops in Taiwan, TP Tea only sells bubble tea, though snacks are sold occasionally for a limited time.
SomiSomi Soft Serve & Taiyaki is an American chain of independently owned and operated franchised stores based in Los Angeles, California. They primarily serve Korean Bungeo-ppang paired with soft serve, known together as ah-boong.
Victrola Coffee Roasters is a coffee roasting company with multiple locations in Seattle, Washington.
Molly Moon's Homemade Ice Cream is an ice cream parlor with multiple locations in the Seattle metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of Washington. The business was founded by chief executive officer Molly Moon Neitzel in 2008. Ice cream is made on-site in each of its shops, rather than in central commissaries, to avoid the possibility that ice cream will partially melt and refreeze during delivery.
Volunteer Park Cafe & Pantry (VPC) is a restaurant in Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington. Housed in a 1900s building that previously operated as a convenience store, the business is owned by James DeSarno. Previously, Ericka Burke was the owner.
A+ Hong Kong Kitchen is a Chinese restaurant in Seattle's Chinatown–International District, in the U.S. state of Washington.
Hello Robin is a woman-owned bakery with two locations in Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington. The original bakery opened on Capitol Hill in 2013. A second location opened at University Village in 2020.
Don't Yell at Me is a global chain of bubble tea shops based in Taipei.
Seattle Best Tea is a family-owned business operating two tea shops in Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington. Lydia Lin and Joe Hsu opened the original shop in the Chinatown–International District in 1996, followed by a second in the University District in 2023.
Oasis Tea Zone is a small chain of restaurants in the Seattle metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of Washington. The Liu family opened the original cafe in Seattle's Chinatown–International District in c. 2001. The business has expanded to three locations, as of 2022, operating in the University District and in Edmonds. It has garnered a positive reception and is considered one of Seattle's best boba shops.
Sweet Alchemy Ice Creamery, or simply Sweet Alchemy, is an ice creamery based in Seattle, Washington. The business has shops in the University District and Ballard neighborhoods and on Capitol Hill. Owner Lois Ko opened the first location near the University of Washington in 2016. The Ballard location opened in 2019 and shares a space with Mighty-O Donuts, and the Capitol Hill shop opened in Chophouse Row in 2020. Sweet Alchemy offers a variety of ice cream and other desserts, and makes cakes, cones, cookies, and toppings in-house. The business pasteurizes its dairy from local farms daily. It has garnered a positive reception and is considered among Seattle's best ice cream shops.
Dough Joy is a small chain of doughnut shops in Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington. The queer-owned business, which specializes in vegan doughnuts, was established by Christopher Ballard and Sean Willis. Dough Joy initially operated from a food truck in the Ballard neighborhood, and later expanded to brick and mortar shops on Capitol Hill and in the West Seattle neighborhood. In 2024, Dough Joy announced plans to open a third shop in Ballard. The business has garnered a positive reception.
Xing Fu Tang is a Taiwanese multinational chain of bubble tea restaurants. Founded by Edison Chen in Taipei in 2018, the franchise has expanded to over 150 locations in over 18 countries as of 2023. It has been dubbed "the Hermès of bubble tea" due to its luxury menu items, including flame-torched brown sugar boba milk and boba milk topped with gold foil.
Café Hagen is a small chain of Scandinavian bakeries and coffee shops in Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington. Founded by owner Maria Beck in December 2019, the business has operated in South Lake Union, downtown Seattle, and Queen Anne. Café Hagen has an associated coffee brand known as Hagen Coffee Roasters, which has competed in the United States Barista Championship and other coffee competitions.
Tamari Bar is a bar and restaurant on Seattle's Capitol Hill, in the U.S. state of Washington. Chef and owner Makoto Kimoto opened the izakaya in February 2018, serving Japanese cuisine such as baozi, dandan noodles, onsen tamago, ramen, sushi and sashimi, and wagyu. The bar also serves cocktails and other drinks, as well as soft serve. Since 2022, the sibling establishment Baiten has also operated in Tamari, serving fruit sandwiches, floats, sundaes and other desserts with ice cream. Tamari has garnered a positive reception and became a vendor at T-Mobile Park in 2024.
Tiger Sugar is a Taiwanese chain of bubble tea shops. Established in Taichung in November 2017, the chain has operated in Canada, China, Hong Kong, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and the United States.
Ding Tea is a Taiwanese tea company. There were approximately 1,000 locations, as of 2021.
