Shenzhen Bubble Tea Guide: Heytea, Chagee, Mixue Bingcheng and 12 More Brands (Prices + Branch Locations)

Why Is Shenzhen the "Cosmic Centre" of Bubble Tea?

HEYTEA, NAYUKI, CHAGEE and Jasmine Naibai all started out in Guangdong or Shenzhen, and Shenzhen has one of the highest store densities in the country — a single mall can host five or six tea shops competing head to head. For travellers, the biggest draw of drinking milk tea in Shenzhen is price: a fruit tea in Hong Kong easily costs HK$40 to 50, while the same drink in Shenzhen is ¥18 to ¥28 (about HK$20 to 30) — half the price. Below we break it down by checkpoint area, brand by brand, covering what makes each one special, price ranges and where to find them.

By Checkpoint Area: Where to Drink After Crossing?

🚉 Luohu Checkpoint

Once you clear customs you're right at Luohu Station on Line 1, two stops from Laojie (Dongmen). The Dongmen Pedestrian Street and Dongmen Town area is packed with tea shops — one every few steps. Two more stops brings you to Grand Theatre Station, home to the MixC shopping district — HEYTEA has a black-gold themed store in the MixC.

🚉 Futian Checkpoint

Futian Checkpoint connects to Line 4, the fastest route to Convention & Exhibition Center, Shopping Park (COCO Park), Uniway and Huangting Plaza — these malls almost always have two or three of HEYTEA, NAYUKI and CHAGEE on the ground floor.

🚉 Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint

Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint is now served by Shenzhen Metro Line 13 (Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint Station, about 100 metres on foot from Exit B/C), and it's about 15 to 25 minutes into Nanshan. Your targets are Coastal City (Houhai Station, Lines 2/11), Shenzhen Bay MixC and MixC World (Hi-Tech Park Station, Line 1) — all three are tea-brand hotspots.

1. HEYTEA (¥18–35)

The fruit-tea pioneer that started in Jiangmen and became a national phenomenon, famous for Grape Boom, Cheese Berry Berry and Roasted Brown Sugar Boba Fresh Milk. The tea base is brewed from real leaves, and it invented the cheese milk cap. There are plenty of Shenzhen branches; ordering via the app or mini-programme lets you skip the queue.

• MixC Black Gold Store: MixC, 1881 Bao'an South Road, Luohu District; about 400 metres on foot from Exit F of Grand Theatre Station (Lines 1/2)
• Hongshan 6979 Store: Hongshan 6979 Commercial Centre, Longhua District; about 50 metres from Exit C of Hongshan Station (Lines 4/6)
• One Avenue Shopping Centre Store: F1, One Avenue, Longhua Avenue, Longhua District
• Prices: Grape Boom about ¥28, pure tea about ¥13 to 18; discounts on member days

2. NAYUKI (¥20–40)

Founded in Shenzhen in 2015, it pioneered the "tea drink + soft Euro-style bread" combo. Strawberry Boom, Orange Boom and Cheese Grape Boom are the signatures; prices are slightly higher than HEYTEA, but the portions are bigger and generous with fruit. The soft Euro-style breads (such as cheese dragon fruit or pumpkin duoduo bun) are why many people make a special trip. NAYUKI has branches in busy malls including Luohu MixC, Futian COCO Park and Nanshan Coastal City.

3. CHAGEE (¥15–25)

Made its name with "whole-leaf fresh milk tea". The signature Boya Juexian uses jasmine snow bud as its tea base, balancing milk and tea aromas without being cloyingly sweet — the top choice for travellers who don't like sweet drinks. The packaging has a Chinese classical style and it frequently does IP collaborations. Recommended order: "standard sugar + less ice" or "half sugar". Branches are all over Shenzhen, densest in Futian, Luohu and Nanshan.

4. Jasmine Naibai (¥15–25)

The fastest-rising newcomer in recent years, focused on jasmine tea-base fresh milk tea: Jasmine Naibai and Osmanthus Longjing. The floral notes are elegant and the sweetness is well controlled; the stores have a minimalist, artsy look that's great for photos. Prices are a notch below HEYTEA and NAYUKI.

5. Mixue Ice Cream & Tea (¥4–12)

The "Pinduoduo of milk tea": lemonade about ¥4, ice cream about ¥3, bubble tea about ¥8. The quality can't compare with premium tea brands, but it wins on being extremely cheap with an enormous number of branches — basically one at every metro station exit. If you want to try the budget route or grab an ice cream to cool down, this is the first choice.

6. Other Brands Worth Trying

• ChaPanda — started in Chengdu; signatures include mango pomelo sago and taro ball series, ¥12 to 22, in malls and street shops.
• Guming — a Zhejiang brand focused on fresh fruit tea, ¥12 to 20, great value.
• Auntea — five-grain tea and blood glutinous rice milk tea, ¥12 to 20.
• 1 Dian Dian — a veteran Taiwanese-style milk tea brand; boba milk tea and Four Seasons Spring, ¥10 to 18.
• YO!TEA — a Shenzhen local brand with generous fruit tea ingredients.
• Tea Save Planet Fruit & Veg Tea — a fruit-and-vegetable tea line; try it if you want something refreshing.

Quick Price Comparison

These are reference prices; seasonal limited editions and collaborations cost a little more. Ordering via the official app or mini-programme usually gets you a new-user coupon or member discount.

Practical Tea-Drinking Tips

1. Always state your sweetness level: the default in mainland China is "standard sugar", which tastes sweet to many visitors — ask for "less sugar" or "half sugar".
2. Order via app to skip the queue: HEYTEA, NAYUKI and CHAGEE all have official mini-programmes; order before you arrive and pick it up when you get there.
3. Meituan / Dianping have group deals: during afternoon tea hours (14:00 to 17:00) there are often buy-one-get-one or cash vouchers.
4. Bring your own cup: some brands take ¥2 to ¥5 off.
5. Ice level: Shenzhen summers default to lots of ice; if you want less, actively say "no ice" or "less ice".
6. Choosing a checkpoint: for a street-food-style crawl of several shops, go to Dongmen (Luohu Checkpoint); to stroll a mall and drink slowly, go to COCO Park (Futian Checkpoint) or Coastal City (Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint).

Branch-by-Branch List Near Checkpoints (CHAGEE / HEYTEA / tea's tone)

So you don't wander around after crossing, here are the actual branches of the big brands closest to the checkpoints — just copy the address and tap Amap:

• CHAGEE (Shenzhen): the signature "Boya Juexian" is about ¥20, roughly 60% of the Hong Kong price. The branches closest to the checkpoints — Link CentralWalk Store (GF016A, G/F, Link CentralWalk, 3 Fuhua 1st Road, Futian District; Exit B of Convention & Exhibition Center Station, Lines 1/4; 10:00–22:30); KK Mall Store (B1-120, B1/F, KK Mall, 2028 Renmin South Road, Luohu District; Exit A of Guomao Station, Line 1, one stop from Luohu Checkpoint); Liantang Suibao Store (L1/F, Suibao Neighbourhood, 168 Liantang Road, Luohu District; Exit D of Liantang Station, Lines 2/8); Baoneng all city Store (B1, North Zone, Baoneng all city Shopping Centre, 2233 Zhongxin Road, Nanshan District; Exits A/B of Haiyue Station, Line 2, near Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint).
• HEYTEA: on 6 April 2026 it returned to MixC World in Shenzhen with a "Above the Clouds" theme, bringing the country's first standalone cake lab (8 cakes, plus the store-exclusive "Taro Paste Cassava Cake"); there are also distinctive store types including the Shenzhen MixC Black Gold Store, One Avenue DP Store and Happy Coast lab store, so you can pick by checkpoint.
• tea's tone (China's Starbucks): focused on over a hundred whole-leaf teas and "salted-rim milk tea"; branches include Shenzhen MixC World SL218 (10:00–00:00), MixC Qianhai L158 (10:00–22:00) and Ping An Finance Centre South Tower L2 S202 (10:00–23:00). The decor has an antique garden style, perfect for sitting down and lingering.

A reminder: Shenzhen bubble tea generally has group-buy vouchers (Dianping / Douyin), saving ¥2–4 on the same cup; the price gap is biggest for fresh fruit tea, so the fruit tea series gives you the best "return on investment". Three checkpoint routes: Luohu Checkpoint → CHAGEE KK Mall B1 (1 stop); Futian Checkpoint → Link CentralWalk (two stops on Line 4); Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint → Baoneng all city (Haiyue Station, Line 2). Store locations change, so confirm with the brand's mini-programme or Amap before setting off — don't rely on old addresses alone.

FAQ

Is milk tea in Shenzhen really cheaper than in Hong Kong?

Much cheaper. For the same fruit tea, Hong Kong generally charges HK$38 to 55, while Shenzhen is ¥18 to ¥28 (about HK$20 to 30) — roughly 60% of the Hong Kong price. Budget brands (Mixue Ice Cream & Tea) are even ¥4 to ¥12 a cup.

Which brand has the most branches?

Mixue Ice Cream & Tea, like Luckin, has the highest density — almost every metro station commercial area has one; HEYTEA and CHAGEE are concentrated on mall ground floors.

What if I can't order on a simplified-Chinese app?

The mini-programmes for HEYTEA, NAYUKI and CHAGEE all have traditional-Chinese interfaces or picture menus, so you can just point at a picture to order; staff generally understand Cantonese.

Can I bring bubble tea back across the border to Hong Kong?

Cup drinks for your own consumption are generally fine, but don't carry large quantities for resale. Animal and plant products (for example those containing fresh fruit or large amounts of dairy) are subject to import restrictions; check the Hong Kong Customs announcements for details.

Sources: official apps and public store information from each brand, OpenRice Greater Bay Area Shenzhen food listings, and address data from Shenzhen local lifestyle platforms (verified 2026). Prices and branch locations change, so confirm with the brand's mini-programme or Amap before setting off.