When in Shanghai, drink more boba!
As a self-proclaimed boba fanatic, I was so excited to check out all the awesome boba shops that Shanghai had to offer! We only had a few short days here though, so we truly had to pack in as many shops as our schedule (and stomachs) could fit!
Here were all the places we were able to check out! Some of them are pretty common chains that are also available in the United States, but we wanted to give everything a try!
Ahma Handmade
This was my favorite boba shop by far! (and the only place I went back to multiple times!) I tried their handmade taro mochi drink which had a milk tea base and mashed taro and mochi. This drink was DELICIOUS. I honestly still think about it and if I went back to China, this would be one of my first stops.
I ordered the drink less sweet and it was quite literally the perfect drink. Maybe as a Chinese person myself, the Chinese palette just really hits the spot for me. The milk tea had the perfect balance between the creaminess and the tea base, and the tea itself had a prominent flavor that shined through really well.
The rice mochi and taro mash were both sooo smooth too! Something I notice when I typically get these types of drinks is how chunky they are (sometimes they get stuck in the straw, or you can’t get every piece), but not Ahma Handmade’s. You could sip up every little bit and it so pleasant to drink!
I also tried their mango smoothie with rice mochi and it was also so good! The mango was fresh and so fragrant. There will also still bits of mango chunks that had nice texture as well. I’m not sure if this drink is seasonal since the mangos were just so ripe and delicious, but if it’s on the menu and I’m craving something fruity, I'd definitely get this again.
I”ll be back for you one day, Ahma Handmade.
Auntea Jenny
Ordering food through food delivery apps is super common in China, so we ordered boba almost every night through the apps, and Auntea Jenny was one of the shops we tried.
I ordered the taro boba milk tea here (again), and I really enjoyed it! The milk tea here was also very nicely balanced, had a nice tea flavor, and wasn’t too sweet. I liked their boba as well which was chewy and slightly sweet. The taro mash here was also good! (though not quite as smooth as Ahma Handmade’s), and there wasn’t as much of it.
I also tried a taste of their mango green tea which was nice and refreshing!
Chagee
Chagee is such a popular chain around Shanghai, there were sooo many! We have Chagee back in the United States as well, but after seeing countless Chagees we also wanted to try it here to see if it was any different from the one we have back home. And they’re both pretty similar!
We tried the Mulan milk tea and the jasmine milk tea here. The Mulan milk tea was a black tea base that reminded a lot of royal milk tea. I’m actually not a very big fan of royal milk tea, so I wasn’t a huge fan of this drink. I did really enjoy the jasmine milk tea though! The jasmine flavor was super strong and very floral, and I really liked that!
Chagee’s a great spot if you’re just looking for some simple teas. Their aesthetic is very nice, which they’re pretty well-known for, and their drinks are solid too!
Heytea
This is another super popular chain in Shanghai - we basically saw a Heytea and Chagee in every mall we visited.
I also got a simple milk tea here and I enjoyed the creaminess and clean flavor of it. Their milk tea is very no frills and their aesthetic is very clean and minimal. While I didn’t get their boba in my drink, I did get to try it as well and it had a nice texture and sweetness to it also.
Teado
This was the first boba we tried as soon as we got to Shanghai. As soon we checked into our hotel room we ordered this through the food delivery app and got it delivered straight to us!
I ordered the taro milk tea (I do love a mashed taro topping!). The milk tea here tasted like royal milk tea also, so I wasn’t the biggest fan of it overall. But the drink was still pretty decent. The taro mash here was the chunkiest of the ones I tried on the trip, but I did like the boba here. I liked the size and chewiness of the boba pearls here and would consider trying them again but with a different tea base!
Cha Panda
Cha Panda is another pretty common chain that we saw a few times. I ordered the watermelon slush with agar boba here and I really enjoyed it! The watermelon slush was very light and refreshing - sweet but not too sweet!
The agar boba had a nice texture to it; I do sometimes enjoy the bite that agar has to it, so it was a really nice mid-day drink to have while we rested!
When in Shanghai (and I’m sure China in general), there are just sooo many drink options to choose from! It can be overwhelming and you might want to try everything! There were other shops we wanted to try as well in the moment, but sometimes you just can’t get to them all.
If I return to area, I’d like to prioritize more shops and chains that aren’t also available in the United States, so I hope we can try more drinks in the future!
Have you been to Shanghai? What are some boba shops you tried that you really enjoyed?
