Find out where tapioca and green goodness delight tea fans in Tempe
The matcha and boba trends are a global phenomenon that offers uniquely customizable, colorful and photo-worthy beverages — and Tempe is the perfect place for indulging in either of these beverages. Evolving from a niche drinks into mainstream sensations, matcha and boba tea shops are popping up across Tempe.
If you’re exploring boba for the first time, this beverage includes tapioca balls that originated in Taiwan. These chewy pearls are commonly found in these tea drinks that are usually feature a tea, milk, or fruit juice base. You may able heard boba referred to as bubble tea, milk tea, pearl milk tea or tapioca tea. And in most cases, customizations are welcome.
As for the matcha craze, it signifies a shift toward wellness, mindfulness (and aesthetics) beyond what a classic iced tea or latte can provide. This finely ground powder made from specially grown and processed green tea leaves is not only a nutritional powerhouse, but also a trendy and delicious coffee alternative that serves as the base for countless flavor combinations.
With this long list of matcha and boba tea spots — and new ones always joining the scene — we’re confident it won’t take long to find the perfect shop for discovering your new favorite go-to drink.
MATCHA SHOPS
Go Go Avocado
Go Go Avocado’s flagship cafe has been serving up matcha, espresso and everyone’s favorite avocado toast in Downtown Tempe since Spring 2026. What started as a weekend farmer’s market pop-up almost four years ago, is now a brick-and-mortar cafe with the same mission: to serve fresh avocado toast for the community. Here everything is thoughtfully sourced from local farmers and artisans, simply prepared and intentionally served. The out-of-this-world match offerings is why this little breakfast fave made our list. The vibes are an absolute plus, too.
707 S. Farmer Ave., Tempe | 480-256-8910 | Instagram
Matcha Magic
Officially open in Tempe since spring 2026, Matcha Magic is a woman-owned, plant-forward cafe concept known for creative matcha drinks, smoothies, loaded toast, and acai bowls that are just as delicious as they are photogenic. Standout matcha drinks include the matcha horchata, matcha colada, matcha lemonade, toasted matchmallow latte, and the blueberry matcha. Under their smoothies, the “strawberry glaze” is giving Hailey Bieber smoothie dupe.
922 E. Apache Blvd., #105, Tempe | 480-346-4300 | Instagram
Premium Matcha Cafe Maiko
Inspired by the popular matcha dessert cafes that have long been a key part of the culinary scene in Japan, Premium Matcha Cafe Maiko has added versatility to Tempe’s matcha scene. Starring authentic, ceremonial grade matcha from Uni, Japan, the offerings here range from traditional tea and lattes to soft serve, floats, shaved ice and parfaits. You’ll also find ube, lychee and other premium flavors available too.
920 E. University Drive, Suite 106, Tempe | 480-292-8466 | Instagram
BOBA SHOPS
Boba Toko
Conveniently located at Tempe Marketplace, Boba Toko offers the perfect refreshments after a day of retail therapy. They are a Japanese inspired Sakura Hanami boba shop with options from flavored fruit teas to milk teas. You also can’t miss their “Feeling Thirstea” mural, the perfect backdrop for a boba picture.
Tempe Marketplace: 2000 E. Rio Salado Parkway, Suite 1069, Tempe | 480-247-7540
DaYung’s Tea (closed for renovations)
DaYung’s Tea is a crowd favorite among boba aficionados. So, just know that if even if the line is long, the service is quick. Here, you’ll find an assortment of flavored teas, macchiatos, smoothies, lattes. They do the classic milk teas — not too sweet, not too bland — just right. You can also customize sweetness and ice level, making it even better if you’re not too into sweet things.
3126 S. Mill Ave., Tempe | 480-219-7286 | Instagram
Duplex 双拼记 (Boba) Tea Station
Duplex Boba Tea Station is a Hong Kong-style café with plenty of boba flavor options and desserts. The interior is decorated with vintage Hong Kong-style decor, including wallpaper featuring the streets of Hong Kong. It may look small from the outside, but they have a very large space with plenty of seating. The Real Mango Coconut with boba bursts with mango flavor — and real fruit is so refreshing.
1845 E. Broadway Road, Suite 121, Tempe | 480-265-9131 | Instagram
HeChaLou Tea & Jelly House
This Taiwanese-style teahouse is known for blending tradition with trend, serving smooth, easy-to-sip milk teas that highlight the natural flavor of tea without the bitterness. Signature tea jellies differentiate this spot from other boba shops, HeChaLou focuses on fresh, housemade tea jellies with unique textures and flavors, including matcha, sesame, and traditional tea extracts.
1811 E. Apache Blvd., Unit 114, Tempe | 213-431-9147 | Instagram
Mango Rabbit
If there was an award for the most creative and themed boba drinks, it would likely go to Mango Rabbit. Known to have over-the-top drinks and desserts with lots of adorable toppings and such pop culture themes as Taylor Swift, Star Wars, BTS and Harry Potter, you never know what will be the next creation. If that’s not your thing, there’s still an extensive menu of classic milk teas, coffee and flavored drinks as well. The Pink Mermaid Drink with boba, which is made of dragon fruit and strawberry, it always in season.
1250 E. Apache Blvd., #112, Tempe | 480-912-6283 | Instagram
Mochi Fresh
Known for homemade boba and mochi, Mochi Fresh make boba pearls by hand with no preservatives or artificial food coloring. You can really taste the freshness in the drinks here because they only use real fruit and ingredients. Strawberry Bubble Milk tea, made with real strawberries and strawberry boba, is the best-seller. Before you leave, be sure stop at the gigantic Mochi Fresh figurines for that perfectly adorable photo op.
960 W. University Drive, Suite 114, Tempe | 480-597-3115 | Instagram
Pho Fresh Alley & Boba Tea
Pho Fresh Alley & Boba Tea is the hybrid concept you never knew you needed. As the name suggests, the menu consists of a variety of pho noodle soups and boba tea drinks. Here, you’ll find such classic milk tea flavors as Thai tea, ube and matcha, as well as more unique flavored tea drinks, including Kumquat Delight made of Kumquat passion fruit green tea. Bonus: This spot is open until midnight for those late-night cravings. This location can be found on the ground floor of RISE on Apache Blvd. Parking is available in the garage marked for businesses and retail. Street metered parking is also available along Apache Boulevard.
1000 E. Apache Blvd., Suite 103, Tempe | 480-247-9000
Here are a few more boba shops for your consideration:
BobaCuCue
1805 E. Elliot Road, #106, Tempe, AZ 85284 | 480-306-7676 | Instagram
Bobazona
6436 S. McClintock Drive, Tempe, AZ 85283 | 480-590-0933 | Instagram
Quickly Boba Tea
7707 S. Kyrene Road, Suite 102, Tempe, AZ 85284 | 480-454-4429 | Instagram
Urban Boba Tea House
1015 S. Rural Road, #103, Tempe, AZ 85281 | 480-264-2003 | Instagram
