Bee & Tea, Chicago

Bee & Tea takes boba tea to the next level with their endlessly customizable take on the trendy Taiwanese drink. An eclectic menu of bao—Chinese steamed buns—and other Asian-fusion snacks take care of hungry stomachs as well.

The Tea

Most boba tea starts with a base of green or black milk tea, but Bee & Tea goes beyond by letting customers add up to three extra flavors, such as blood orange, ginger, or mint. They can also adjust the sweetness level, or opt to replace the tea entirely with caffeine-free taro milk.

The Boba

The most distinctive feature of boba tea is the collection of honey-tinged tapioca bubbles at the bottom of each cup. Occasionally, one of these bobas will be whisked up the oversized straw along with the tea, providing a brief chew to accompany the sip. Bee & Tea mixes it up here, too, offering boba alternatives like flavored jelly, sweet red beans, or liquid-filled boba that pop in customers' mouths or portable, pocket-sized hyperbaric chambers.

The Bao

Just like their boba tea, Bee & Tea's bao selection is all about multiplying customers' choices. The handmade, soft, slightly sweet buns—inspired by millennia-old Chinese bao—get steamed before being filled with everything from barbecue pork and Asian slaw to mushrooms and quinoa or spicy beef chorizo, cilantro, onion, and pineapple. These same fillings can be served over over quinoa or jasmine rice to create a heartier meal. Dessert bao filled with your favorite s’more fixings or mocha ice cream give a sweet and modern finish to meals.