Taiwanese Bubble Tea Chain Is Coming to Austin

Gong Cha, one of the world’s largest bubble tea chains, is coming to Austin this spring. There are two locations planned, one at 13201 Ranch Road 620 North in Cedar Park and the other by campus at 2025 Guadalupe Street.

Update, June 13: Gong Cha’s campus location on Guadalupe, dubbed Gong Cha Dobie, is now open.

Gong Cha was founded in 2006 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and now has over 1,500 locations franchised worldwide, including Dallas and Houston. It specializes in made-to-order bubble tea (per the website, the name translates to “tribute tea for the emperor”). Tea and bubbles are made every four hours to ensure freshness, and each drink is customized based on the customer’s sugar and ice preference.

The menu offers myriad options for hot or cold beverages, including brewed tea, milk tea, coffee drinks, yogurt drinks, and smoothies, as well as toppings like basil seeds, red bean, coconut jelly, and of course pearls. Gong Cha’s signature is “milk foam,” a slightly salted cream topping above the tea. There are also seasonal toppings including pumpkin spice milk foam and whatever is going on here:

• Gong Cha [Official]