May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and what better way to celebrate than to support local businesses and grab some of Plano’s most Instagrammable bubble, or boba, teas.
Boba started in Taiwan, but quickly became a favorite in the U.S. While the origins of bubble tea are unclear, these businesses have been slowly growing in popularity in the States since the 90’s, and now it seems like there’s one on every street corner.
Over 20% of Plano residents identify as Asian, and that is evidenced through Plano’s many successful Asain-owned businesses including many boba shops. In celebration of AAPI Heritage Month, we’ve compiled a list of our picks for the cutest boba shops in Plano:
Boba Republic
Boba Republic is a Plano local establishment that prides itself on creating a culture around going out for boba that it calls #bobaculture. Their cups sport a bear holding boba, because, according to them, bears are empathetic creatures who display caring and nurturing personalities to each other, traits they aim for in their work and personal lives. In addition to curating a caring community atmosphere, Boba Republic aims for high-quality drinks that are good for the environment – which is why all drinks come with bamboo fiber straws.
The cups really are just too cute to pass up, especially with the colorful combinations in their signature drinks, milk teas, coffees, fruit smoothies, frappuccinos, snowy milks, fruit teas, and a variety of toppings for any of these drinks. Not convinced yet? They have a new product that is almost as cute as their cups – macaroons and yes, they are shaped like bears.
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Rainbow Tea Shop
Formerly TocoToco Boba Tea, Rainbow Tea Shop believe that life is full of rainbows, so their shop is nothing if not colorful. With the grand reopening coming soon, we can expect even more rainbows coming soon. For now, their drinks cover the colors. You can taste the rainbow with dragonfruit tea, pineapple passion tea, lemongrass tea, matcha milk tea, blueberry green tea, and green tea with mulberry. It doesn’t stop there, so there are many other drinks to choose from with over a dozen other flavors and even more toppings.
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Hi, Sweetie
Hi, Sweetie has grown in popularity since @thefoodromantic’s TikTok covering the store amassed over 63 thousand views, and for good reason. Hi, Sweetie has the most Instagrammable cups we have seen in Plano yet. Instead of small, medium and large, guests can choose between a heart cup or a cutie cartoon cup, but both are so cute you’ll want to start collecting sets. They even do limited time cups on occasion, with past designs including light bulbs and strawberries. On top of these seriously adorable cups, Hi, Sweetie has 9 fruit flavors, 9 fruit milk flavors, 8 yogurt drink flavors, and lots of jelly and boba options for toppings. On top of all that boba, Hi, Sweetie has flower pot dessert cups shaped like little pots of plants, shaved snow ice and rolled ice cream.
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Mac’s Boba Cafe
Speaking of the TikTok crowd, Mac’s Boba Cafe has neutral #itgirl vibes written all over it. The shop is all chill neutrals, and covered in plants. The store also supports local artisans inside the store, where you can purchase plants and boba-related decor, candles, cups, and other artisan goods. The shop even has a photo op spot with plenty of plants that change seasonally and a bench to sit on for the perfect boba post. The drink menu varies as well, with 13 milk tea options, 12 fruit tea options, 4 milk slushes, and two coffee options.
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