Sometimes, you crave the sweet, chewy solace of bubble tea. Typically, this happens when Tulsa’s summer heat has you dreaming of icy refreshment, or when a gray afternoon demands a jolt of joyful, tapioca-studded energy. But by mid-winter, that craving transforms—it becomes a quest not just for any drink, but for the truly transcendent. Here, we’ve hunted down the spots that make every sip an event.
Roppongi
$ | (918) 221-0818 | WEBSITE
With its spotless white walls, cheerful family photos, and tables that look like they were made out of reclaimed barn wood, Roppongi feels like a cozy neighborhood spot in Kyoto. So if you’re craving something warm and comforting in the dreary dead of February, head here for some miso ramen and so many boba coffee teas that you won’t even feel it when you slip on black ice later.
(You’ll definitely feel it the next morning, though, which just means you’ll have to go back for more ramen and chicken lettuce wraps.)
Cha Bubble Tea
$ | (918) 806-6855 | WEBSITE
When Tulsa’s summer heat hits triple digits, you don’t need Yelp to tell you where to find a proper bubble tea. But you’d be smart to make your way to Cha Bubble Tea anyway. This spot is exactly as welcoming as a family-friendly boba shop with board games and customizable drinks sounds like it would be.
Lo Banh Mi Viet Hot Bread
$ | (918) 779-6177 | WEBSITE
Every time you see a banh mi on a menu, you tell yourself you should try one because it sounds like the perfect sandwich. Well, now it’s time to actually do it, because Lo Banh Mi Viet Hot Bread makes some of the best around. It’s not actually a sit-down restaurant, but you’ll still get an idea of whether it’s time to start making this a regular stop.
The shop only has sandwiches and some drinks like Vietnamese coffee and bubble tea, but if you somehow manage to work up an appetite while waiting for your order, you can enjoy it right there on the go.
Bo’s Boba
$ | (918) 254-9382 | WEBSITE
We’d like some culinary scientists to run a controlled experiment to see if just sipping taro milk tea makes you happier. Because we’re absolutely convinced that’s the case every time we step into Bo’s Boba, a bubble tea haven in Broken Arrow. If nothing else, the big, flavorful boba drinks will cheer you up. But be sure to start with either the signature black peach tea or the grapefruit green tea with peach popping boba.
Project BMB (BánhMì Boba)
$ | (918) 994-7747 | WEBSITE
While all the trendy coffee shops popping up all over town are nice, what we’d really like to see on every corner year-round are spots serving fresh boba with perfect banh mi. Until the city gets on that, your only option for that combination is at Project BMB in Tulsa. Each visit fits your craving for both, and you can customize your drink sweetness to your preference.
Hey Boba
$ | (918) 292-8236 | WEBSITE
You know who doesn’t have to deal with boring chain stores? People who are smart enough to visit Hey Boba. Pretend you’re one of them at this boba spot in Tulsa. With cozy seating, calming music, and things like fresh milk teas and delightful desserts, it’s the closest thing Oklahoma has to a boba sanctuary.
Thai Taste
$ | (918) 994-6588 | WEBSITE
We’re not entirely certain what makes authentic Thai cuisine so compelling, but we suspect it’s the balance of sweet, spicy, salty, and sour flavors all dancing together in perfect harmony. Thai Taste, a family-owned Tulsa spot with clean lighting, comfortable seating, and a quiet, relaxed atmosphere, provides a perfect showcase for exactly that. Their Pad Thai is, unsurprisingly, one of the best dishes in the city.
And since Pad Thai is the ultimate comfort-food-with-a-kick dish, get yourself an order to go with their must-try sweet mango sticky rice drizzled with coconut milk sauce and sprinkled with chopped peanuts, and you’ll be feeling satisfied no matter how adventurous your palate is. The Jasmine Rice with level 2 spice and assorted meats is moist, flavorful, and perfectly spiced—a testament to their kitchen’s skill.
Paired with their house-made peanut sauce for the spring rolls or a Thai Iced Tea, it’s a wonderfully affordable experience made even better by the kind, attentive staff who check on you just enough without hovering.
Gung Ho – South Tulsa
$$ | (918) 568-8017 | WEBSITE
With fresh ramen, Asian fusion favorites like spicy tonkotsu ramen and chicken teriyaki rice bowl, and a fun anime-themed setting, this South Tulsa restaurant is a great place to help you pretend you’re not in Oklahoma. Beyond the sketchpads and board games, Gung Ho also has the advantage of being a lively, casual spot perfect for friends or family, so you can completely forget about the fact that you’re just grabbing a casual meal.
Gung Ho – Tulsa Hills
$ | (918) 699-9862 | WEBSITE
Gung Ho – Tulsa Hills is normally an anime-themed ramen spot that does a decent bowl of noodles any day of the week, but during the evening they turn their space into a vibrant hangout called “The Doodle Den.” You can sit at tables with sketch books in front of subtitled anime screens and hope that you didn’t just overdo it on the boba flavors you and your friends just mixed up.
Boss Tea
$ | (918) 629-6439 | WEBSITE
There are so many colorful boba pearls and sweet fillings at Boss Tea in Tulsa, that it kind of feels like stepping into a candy-colored wonderland straight out of a Saturday morning cartoon. The drinks here are way better than whatever you’d get at a typical chain coffee shop, though.
The menu is filled with fragrant tea options, and if you know what you’re doing, you’ll start with the strong matcha milk tea or the Taro drink, because they’re significantly better than any boba you’ve ever had before. The owner is friendly and sweet, creating a welcoming atmosphere where kids and teenagers can hang out while enjoying affordable taiyaki with great fillings.
Even when parking gets crowded on weekends, the efficient staff ensures each order is just right—never too sweet, always perfectly balanced.
Kung Fu Tea
$ | (918) 561-6057 | WEBSITE
Do they have to deal with scorching heat in Taipei night markets? We have no idea – go ask the weather channel. Regardless, they definitely don’t have to deal with heat inside this vibrant, energetic, sensory-delighting Tulsa bubble tea spot that feels like a Taipei night market. Grab a honey oolong milk tea with brown sugar and try to ignore the fact that the university campus down the road is still going to be quiet for a few more weeks.
Oki Mochi
$ | (918) 895-5510 | WEBSITE
Forgetting about the fact that your taste buds are buried under a foot of boring pastries and frozen coffee would be a great way to escape the ordinary. But since we can’t advocate you settling for less, we suggest going to Oki Mochi instead. This bubble tea spot is covered with spa-inspired murals and filled with colorful boba drinks, which you can use to regain joy in your afternoon after battling the traffic in Downtown Tulsa to get here.
If you don’t know where to start, split the matcha mochi donuts and brown sugar milk tea.
