Bubble Tea Store in Chattanooga

June 15, 2026

Bubble tea, often called boba, combines brewed tea with milk or fruit and a chewy topping such as tapioca pearls, and a Chattanooga bubble tea store lets customers taste, customize, and adjust a drink rather than rely on a packaged version. In a shop, a buyer can choose the tea base, set sweetness and ice levels, pick dairy or a plant-based milk, and add toppings like classic black tapioca, brown sugar boba, popping fruit pearls, jelly, or pudding. Chattanooga is Tennessee’s fourth largest city, with a population of roughly 186,000 as of 2024 (U.S. Census Bureau), and growth downtown, along the Gunbarrel Road and East Brainerd corridors, and in the Hixson area north of the river has supported an expanding set of boba shops.

Chattanooga shops draw on several traditions. Taiwanese-style milk tea, the original form of bubble tea, is built on black and oolong teas with milk and tapioca; Vietnamese-influenced menus often add strong iced coffee, pandan, and ube; and Thai tea contributes a sweetened, spiced, orange-hued drink. Local shops mix these influences and frequently pair drinks with food, from Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches and vermicelli bowls to bubble waffles, snow ice, and dim sum. Because drinks are made to order, menus generally divide into milk teas, fruit teas, slushes and smoothies, specialty and premium teas, and a list of toppings sold as add-ons, so customization is the heart of the experience.

A bubble tea store in Tennessee operates as a food service establishment, so its central regulatory obligation is a food service permit rather than a contractor or trade license. The Tennessee Department of Health Environmental Health program, working through local county health departments, permits and inspects food service establishments; in Chattanooga that work is handled by the Hamilton County Health Department, which inspects food service establishments in the county and makes results available to the public. The state food service establishment permit runs on a July 1 through June 30 cycle, and the annual fee is set by seating capacity: $210 for an establishment with 50 or fewer seats and $360 for one with 51 or more seats, so most small boba shops fall in the lower tier. A shop also registers its business with the county clerk once gross receipts cross the state threshold and registers to collect sales tax. Prepared beverages sold for immediate consumption are taxable at the full combined rate, which in Hamilton County reaches 9.25% (the 7% state rate plus the local option tax).

For customers, the points that matter most are sanitation, allergens, and clear pricing. Inspection results for food service establishments in Hamilton County are public through the Hamilton County Health Department, so a buyer can review a shop’s most recent score and confirm it posts a current permit. Anyone with a dairy, soy, or nut concern should ask about milk alternatives and cross-contact, since many shops use shared equipment alongside fresh ingredients. Disputes over advertising, pricing, or gift cards fall under the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act (TCA 47-18-104), administered by the Tennessee Division of Consumer Affairs, which handles complaints about deceptive business practices. Confirming that a shop displays a current food service permit and a recent inspection score is a simple way to verify it operates within state requirements.

Top Bubble Tea Store Providers in Chattanooga

1. Supreme Tea & Banh Mi

Address: 2020 Gunbarrel Road, Suite 162, Chattanooga, TN 37421
Phone: (423) 847-4747
Website: https://supremeteabanhmi.com
Services: milk teas, fruit teas, premium specialty teas, matcha, smoothies, Vietnamese coffee, tapioca and toppings, banh mi sandwiches, vermicelli bowls, spring rolls, pho
Description: Supreme Tea & Banh Mi is a family-owned Vietnamese boba and sandwich shop on Gunbarrel Road in Chattanooga that blends modern tea culture with Vietnamese cooking. The drink menu is extensive, with fruit teas such as peach, lychee, soursop, tamarind, and winter melon, milk teas including a house supreme milk tea, brown sugar latte, Thai, taro, and honeydew, and a premium specialty line with drinks like berry fairy tea and crystal cherry blossom. Matcha, smoothies, and Vietnamese-style coffee round out the beverages, all available with boba and other toppings. On the food side, the shop serves banh mi sandwiches, grilled vermicelli bowls, spring and fresh rolls, and pho, made with fresh seasonal fruits and Vietnamese sauces. The pairing of a deep boba menu with a full Vietnamese kitchen sets it apart in the Chattanooga market.

2. Bubbleway Bubble Tea

Address: 7550 E Brainerd Road, Chattanooga, TN 37421
Phone: (423) 591-0904
Website: https://www.bubblewaytea.com
Services: bubble tea, milk teas, fruit teas, tapioca pearls, popping boba, agar jelly, bubble waffles, snow ice, ramen
Description: Bubbleway Bubble Tea is a family-owned shop on East Brainerd Road that specializes in Taiwanese-style treats, and it is described as the first place in Chattanooga to offer snow ice, a light, fluffy frozen dessert. The drink menu offers customizable bubble tea with adjustable sugar levels, milk teas featuring brown sugar and taro variations, and fruit teas including passionfruit and mango, with toppings that span tapioca pearls, popping boba, and agar jelly. Beyond drinks, Bubbleway serves bubble waffles with a crispy exterior and fluffy interior, available plain or with ice cream, fruit, and sauces, along with snow ice desserts and ramen, with most drinks and desserts priced affordably. The staff is known for walking newcomers through the menu, and the combination of bubble tea with snow ice and bubble waffles gives the shop a dessert-forward identity.

3. Panda Boba

Address: 5550 TN-153, Suite 102, Hixson, TN 37343
Phone: (423) 708-7961
Website: https://www.instagram.com/panda.boba_tea
Services: bubble milk tea, milk foam slushy and cold tea, fruit teas, coffee, yogurt drinks, bubble waffle, dim sum, dumplings and buns
Description: Panda Boba is a family-owned boba shop in the Hixson area of Hamilton County, on Highway 153 just north of Chattanooga, serving a wide range of drinks and a small food menu. The beverage lineup is organized into a bubble milk tea series, a milk foam slushy and milk foam cold tea series, a fruit tea series, a coffee series, and a yogurt drinks series, with a signature Dirty Panda milk tea noted for a richer tea flavor, plus options such as mango green tea and passion fruit tea. The shop also serves food, including bubble waffles with ice cream and dim sum items such as dumplings and sweet custard buns, giving it a snack menu alongside the drinks. Its Hixson location adds a north-of-the-river option to a boba scene otherwise concentrated downtown and along the East Brainerd and Gunbarrel corridors.

Frequently Asked Questions About Bubble Tea Stores in Chattanooga

Q: What license does a bubble tea store in Chattanooga need?

A bubble tea store is regulated as a food service establishment, so its main requirement is a food service permit administered through the Tennessee Department of Health Environmental Health program and the Hamilton County Health Department, which inspects establishments in the county. The state food service establishment permit runs on a July 1 through June 30 cycle, with the annual fee set by seating capacity: $210 for 50 or fewer seats and $360 for 51 or more, so most small boba shops fall in the lower tier. The shop also registers its business with the county clerk once receipts cross the state threshold and registers to collect sales tax.

Q: How much sales tax is added to a bubble tea in Chattanooga?

Prepared beverages sold for immediate consumption are taxable at the full combined sales tax rate. In Hamilton County that rate is 9.25%, made up of the 7% Tennessee state sales tax plus the local option tax. The tax applies to the full drink total, including toppings, so the posted menu price is generally before tax.

Q: What is the difference between Taiwanese, Vietnamese, and Thai style drinks?

Bubble tea began in Taiwan, where milk tea made with black or oolong tea and tapioca pearls is the classic form. Vietnamese-influenced shops often feature strong iced coffee and flavors such as pandan and ube, while Thai tea is a sweetened, spiced, orange-hued drink usually served with milk. Several Chattanooga shops draw on more than one tradition, so asking about the tea base and sweetness is more reliable than going by the style label.

Q: Can I customize sweetness, ice, and milk at a Chattanooga boba shop?

Yes. Customization is central to the format. Most shops let customers choose a tea base, set sweetness and ice levels, swap dairy for oat, coconut, or other alternatives, and add toppings such as tapioca pearls, popping fruit pearls, agar jelly, or pudding. Customers with a dairy, soy, or nut allergy should ask about milk alternatives and cross-contact, since shops commonly use shared equipment.

Q: How can I check a Chattanooga bubble tea shop’s health inspection score?

Inspection results for food service establishments in Hamilton County are public record through the Hamilton County Health Department, and shops are expected to post a current permit and recent inspection score on site. Reviewing the most recent result before ordering, and confirming the posted permit, is a straightforward way to assess a shop’s sanitation standing.

Q: How do I file a complaint about a Chattanooga bubble tea store?

Complaints about deceptive advertising, pricing, or gift card practices can be filed with the Tennessee Division of Consumer Affairs, which enforces the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act (TCA 47-18-104). Concerns about sanitation or food safety should go to the Hamilton County Health Department, which conducts food service inspections and can investigate a specific establishment. Keeping receipts and any advertising in question supports either type of complaint.