Last updated 7 August 2026. This page was reviewed on that date. Prices, rates and opening hours change often in Singapore — confirm anything that matters directly with the business before you travel or spend.
Quick answer: If you queue with purpose, start at Chicha San Chen for tea brewed cup by cup, or Chagee when you want something lighter that still hits the spot. iTea gives you seventy-plus flavours to play with, LiHo is our homegrown cheese-tea pioneer, and KOI Thé is the golden-boba benchmark the whole island knows.
If you are searching for a broader tea experience beyond milk tea, you might prefer our guide to tea places you can confidently recommend in Singapore.
When your usual order starts to feel a bit too predictable, that is the signal to go exploring. Singapore’s milk tea scene has moved far beyond the basic brew, with tea-first shops, fruit-forward mavericks and local inventors all shaking things up. Whether you are planning a weekend outing or just want to zhng your tapau game, these are the spots that turn a simple drink into a proper occasion.
If none of these quite fit, Best Tea, Coffee & Cold Drinks in Singapore has 12 lists covering the rest of the category.
Chagee
Chagee brings the tea gardens of Yunnan straight to Orchard Road, from their flagship at orchardgateway. The focus here is tea first, everything else second—fresh milk teas, tea lattes and oriental brews built on high-grade leaves, with a quiet emphasis on keeping things lower in calories without making a big song and dance about it. The queues when they first landed told you everything you needed to know. This is the cup you pick up after a morning of errands when you want something clean and reviving, not a sugar crash waiting to happen.
277 Orchard Road #01-18, orchardgateway, Singapore 238858
Generally 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM daily
chagee.com.sg
No one bought a spot on this list. If we have overlooked you, say so and we will consider it next time round.
Related: Best Tea in Singapore — for leaves worth brewing properly.
If a friend claims they do not like milk tea, bring them here. The tea-forward approach, with its delicate Yunnan roots, feels more like a calm café ritual than a sugar rush. Grab a cup before you wander through Orchard Road—it sets a surprisingly serene tone for an afternoon of window shopping.
Chicha San Chen
Chicha San Chen takes Taiwanese tea seriously—leaves come from their own farms and every cup is brewed to order using an espresso-style machine that extracts the tea right there in front of you. The Bubble Milk Tea is the obvious starting point, but the Fresh Milk with Brown Sugar Bubbles and the Sakura Oat Milk Tea give you good reasons to wander off script. Swing by 313@Somerset when the craving hits; they open till 9:30 PM, which is just late enough for a post-dinner pick-me-up.
313 Orchard Road #03-41, 313@Somerset, Singapore 238895
11:00 AM – 9:30 PM daily
chichasanchen.com.sg
If your tea-obsessed friend has not yet dragged you here, you might want to check what you did wrong. For a different kind of treat, our Finest Scones in Singapore roundup pairs well with a good brew.
Watching your tea get brewed to order is the kind of theatre that makes the wait feel worthwhile. This spot suits the purist in your group, someone who fixates on the clarity of the leaf itself. The queue moves briskly at 313@Somerset, making it a dependable mid-shopping reset when you need aircon and a clean, precise cup.
When you are also curious about a zesty change of pace, consider exploring which lemon tea brand fits your Singapore routine.
iTea
iTea is the homegrown answer when you want options—over seventy tea flavours and nineteen toppings, which frankly is enough to make anyone stop and stare at the menu board for five solid minutes. Their Grapefruit Green Tea with Pomelo is a proper thirst-quencher on a humid afternoon, and the Peach Green Tea with White Pearl has a steady following for good reason. The Eastpoint Mall outlet keeps generous hours, opening at 11 AM on weekdays and half past ten on weekends, so you can get your fix without the Orchard crowds.
3 Simei Street 6 #01-K1, Eastpoint Mall, Singapore 528833
+65 6721 9670
Mon–Fri: 11:00 AM – 9:45 PM | Sat–Sun: 10:30 AM – 9:45 PM
itea.sg
When no two people in the group want the same thing, choose this adventure pick. The sheer wall of combinations is the draw—part of the fun is the agak agak way you build your own creation. Head to Eastpoint Mall on a lazy afternoon, split a few different concoctions and treat it like a casual tasting flight.
Gong Cha
Gong Cha has been a steady presence on this island for over a decade, and its trick is giving you control. Base tea, temperature, sweetness level, toppings—you tweak everything until it is exactly your drink. The Taro Drink and Creme Brulee latte are crowd mainstays, and the milk foam toppings add a layer of richness without making the whole cup jelak. Their Paragon outlet runs from 10 AM to 10 PM, which makes it dangerously easy to grab one whenever you are in the Orchard belt. For something completely different after your tea run, read up on the Finest French Culinary Destinations in Singapore.
290 Orchard Road #B1-39/40, Paragon Shopping Centre, Singapore 238859
+65 6235 7511
10:00 AM – 10:00 PM daily
gong-cha-sg.com
The beauty of Gong Cha is its reliability when decision-fatigue hits. You can walk in, fine-tune every variable and get exactly the comfort cup you need, no surprises. The Paragon outlet is wonderfully handy when Orchard Road wears you out—a quick, air-conditioned sit-down before you brave the bus home.
LiHo
LiHo is properly Singaporean, born here in 2017 with a streak of invention that shows no sign of slowing. They were the ones who made CheezHO-topped drinks a thing locally—creamy, savoury-sweet and surprisingly addictive. The Earl Grey Milk Tea and Da Hong Pao Milk Tea go deep on aroma, while the Golden Avocado and Pandan Avocado are the sort of playful local twists you will not find elsewhere. Their VivoCity flagship is worth a visit if you are down at HarbourFront, open from noon to 8 PM.
1 HarbourFront Walk #B2-K6, VivoCity, Singapore 098585
+65 6027 5836
12:00 PM – 8:00 PM daily
lihoteasg.org
No one bought a spot on this list. If we have overlooked you, say so and we will consider it next time round.
LiHo is where you go when you want to try something that could only be dreamed up here, like a Pandan Avocado brew. It suits the novelty-hungry drinker perfectly because the menu stays playful. Swing by the VivoCity flagship before you head to Sentosa; the seaside energy pairs oddly well with a creamy CheezHO-topped cup.
R B Tea
R B Tea walks the fruit-tea path when everyone else is chasing brown sugar. The Baby Luffy—Hawaiian Red Tea spiked with watermelon, lime, lemon and orange—is the sort of drink that makes you feel a little bit healthier even if you are not. Their tea base rotates through Oolong, Ceylon Black and Jasmine Green, and you can crown any of them with a cheese cream layer if you are feeling indulgent. The Toa Payoh Hub outlet keeps long hours, opening at 10 AM and stretching past ten on weekends. If you want to explore beyond milk tea, the Finest Tea Brands in Singapore guide has you covered.
470 Toa Payoh Lorong 6, Toa Payoh Hub, Singapore 310470
+65 6636 9913
Mon–Fri: 10:00 AM – 10:30 PM | Sat–Sun: 10:00 AM – 10:45 PM
rbtea.com.sg
When the humidity gets a bit sian and creamy milk teas feel too heavy, R B Tea is the refreshment you reach for. Its fruit-laced menu makes it a solid pre- or post-workout pit-stop at Toa Payoh Hub. The bright, citrusy blends genuinely lift your spirits, leaving you feeling ready to chiong the rest of your errands.
KOI Thé
KOI Thé is the one your colleague always offers to dabao when they are doing a run. Their golden boba is the calling card—chewy, honeyed, consistent—and the Green Milk Tea remains the quiet yardstick by which many of us measure the whole category. Peach Green Milk Tea and Honey Milk Tea are solid alternatives, and the limited-edition drops keep things interesting throughout the year. The Suntec City outlet is handy after a mall crawl, open till 9 PM on weeknights and 10 PM on weekends and public holidays. After you have sorted your drink order, our Discover Singapore’s Most Souvenirs page has ideas for what to bring back for the kakis who could not join.
3 Temasek Boulevard #01-312, Suntec City Mall, Singapore 038983
+65 6931 5497
Sun–Thu: 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM | Fri, Sat & PH: 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM
koithe.com
How to choose
Start by asking what you are really after. A pure, clean tea taste? Chagee and Chicha San Chen put the leaf front and centre. Endless customisation? Gong Cha hands you the controls—sweetness, ice, toppings, the works. Something distinctively local? LiHo does cheese foam and pandan-avocado combos nobody else is trying. Budget-wise, most cups land between $3 and $7 before add-ons; fruit-forward and cheese-topped drinks tend to sit at the higher end. If you are someone who gets decision fatigue, pick a brand with a tight core menu like KOI Thé or R B Tea rather than one with seventy flavours staring back at you. Opening hours matter too—some outlets close by 8 PM, others stretch past ten, so check ahead if you are a late-night sipper.
Summary
Singapore’s milk-tea scene runs deep, and these seven brands each bring something real to the table. Whether it is Taiwanese tea brewed to order, low-calorie blends from Yunnan, or a homegrown cheese-tea creation, there is a cup here that fits the mood. Pick a direction, walk in, and let the tea do the rest.
Disclaimer: Details can change—opening hours, menu items and prices shift with the seasons. Give the business a quick check before heading down.
| Brand | Best Known For | Menu Breadth | Sweetness Customisation | Price Signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chagee | Light, low-calorie fresh milk teas | Focused | Check with the business | Mid-range |
| Chicha San Chen | Cup-by-cup brewed tea | Moderate | Yes | Mid-range to higher |
| iTea | 70+ flavours, 19 toppings | Very wide | Check with the business | Budget-friendly |
| Gong Cha | Full customisation, milk foam | Wide | Yes—base tea, temp, sweetness | Mid-range |
| LiHo | CheezHO tops, local flavours | Moderate | Check with the business | Mid-range |
| R B Tea | Fruit-infused, natural teas | Moderate | Check with the business | Mid-range |
| KOI Thé | Golden boba, Green Milk Tea | Moderate | Yes | Mid-range |
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Frequently asked questions
Familiar, fast and never a let-down, this is the sure-win choice for group dabao runs at the office. The golden boba sets a benchmark for chewiness. Visit the Suntec City location during a convention break or a shopping lull; the limited-edition drops give long-time fans a reason to keep checking back.
Which milk tea in Singapore has the best chewy pearls?
KOI Thé built its reputation on golden boba, and it still sets the standard for many. Chicha San Chen’s brown sugar bubbles are another strong contender for texture.
Is there a healthier milk tea option in Singapore?
Chagee places a clear emphasis on lower-calorie fresh milk teas without sacrificing the tea character. You can also control sweetness levels at Gong Cha and KOI Thé to keep things lighter.
Where can I find cheese-topped milk tea?
LiHo pioneered CheezHO-topped drinks in Singapore and remains the go-to for that creamy-savoury layer. Gong Cha also offers milk foam toppings you can add to almost any drink.
What are the most unusual milk tea flavours available?
iTea covers a lot of ground with over seventy flavours, including Mango Sago with Pomelo. LiHo’s Pandan Avocado and Golden Avocado are proper local creations you will not easily find elsewhere.
Which milk tea shops open late in Singapore?
R B Tea at Toa Payoh Hub stays open until 10:30 PM on weekdays and 10:45 PM on weekends. KOI Thé at Suntec City runs until 10 PM on Fridays, Saturdays and public holidays.
Are these milk tea brands found all over Singapore or only in town?
Most have multiple outlets island-wide. iTea has an expansive local presence, while the addresses listed here are key flagship locations—check each brand’s website for the outlet nearest to you.
