If you live in the Bay Area, you’ve more likely than not heard of milk tea. It’s a beverage with many different variations around the world (bubble tea, Masala chai) but many of them are available without having to leave the region.

Milk tea is made up of a combination of milk and tea and usually includes other ingredients, such as honey, cardamom, sugar, or jelly. Milk tea also often contains fruit and nut flavors and can be served hot or cold. One of the prime Bay Area spots to sample different kinds of milk tea is San Mateo, a city best known for being the home of major companies like GoPro and SolarCity. It’s not just businesses that flock to San Mateo — it turns out milk tea enthusiasts love it just as much. These are some of the best milk tea cafes you’ll find there.

Bambu

Photo courtesy of Bambu

This cafe is beloved for its huge variety of milk tea creations. You can get just about any type of Asian milk tea here, and the cafe doesn’t skimp on ingredients. The taro milk tea has actual giant chunks of taro, and the smashed avocado milk tea contains a generous amount of fresh avocado. You can also request add-ons, such as chewy grass jelly for some extra texture in your drink. 

If you’re not in the milk tea mood, try one of the smoothies, ice-cream mochis, or Bambu’s oft-ordered red velvet hot chocolate. For food options, the waffles are a very popular choice, with dozens of photos on Yelp depicting the Belgian-style breakfast option. Be sure to try it with a scoop of ice cream if you want to turn your breakfast into a dessert. 

Cha Express

Photo courtesy of Cha Express

With its reasonable prices and cozy decor, Cha Express is a popular choice among San Mateo residents and milk tea lovers. While Cha Express does offer your plain old milk tea, what they do best (and what people come here for) is over-the-top flavor creations you likely won’t be able to find in most other cafes. Take the black rice milk tea, for example, which has actual grains of rice at the bottom. The cheese macchiato milk tea blends unique flavors that will remind you simultaneously of your favorite dessert and a lovely cup of joe. You can also request some interesting add-ons, like chunks of mango or red bean, to create a drink that’s uniquely yours. 

Bobabia

Photo courtesy of Bobabia

If you visit Bobabia in San Mateo, you should know that what the cafe does best are the light and soothing tea flavors, such as lavender earl grey or English breakfast. That’s because, unlike many milk tea cafes, Bobabia uses whole tea leaves to make most of the drinks, rather than powder. The result is an herbal, refreshing essence in Bobabia’s creations. 

The cafe is also unique in that it offers chia seeds as a topping, which is not often seen on the toppings menu at most cafes. Because Bobabia offers WiFi and a relatively quiet setting, many people come here to read or work on their laptops, and the staff won’t give you the evil eye if you stay for a whole afternoon. 

Teaspoon

Photo courtesy of Teaspoon

New to milk tea? You’ll probably enjoy the fact that Teaspoon keeps it simple with its menu. You can choose from a small selection of specialty milk tea drinks, including Taro Lover and Grapefruit Garden. You can also pick up a snow ice, which is shaved ice topped with several sweet add-ons, such as banana, chocolate sauce, taro, and mochi. 

But the thing that makes Teaspoon special is the “make your own drink” option. First, you’ll choose a tea flavor (they’re categorized into green, black, Oolong, and herbal), then decide if you want it iced or hot, then select your desired sweetness level. Next, simply add on a cream and choose a topping. The result is a drink that’s catered to your taste buds — not too bitter, not too sweet, but just right. Goldilocks would totally approve.

Eggettes

Photo courtesy of Eggettes

The drinks served at Eggettes tend to be light and refreshing, with aloe honey lemon tea and mango green tea being some of the most popular selections on the menu. The quality of the tea is rivaled only by the quality of the food, which includes options such as crispy chicken, dumplings, curry fish balls, and fried calamari. 

While these traditional Asian tea cafe foods are tasty, the thing that gives Eggettes its name are the egg waffles, or eggettes. This Asian dessert is similar to Western waffles, but they’re lighter and fluffier. Try the chocolate version, or order them topped with Oreos and ice cream.