Honest Bao

Birmingham  food scene is moving faster than a chef on a Saturday night! While we’ve got some exciting "new kids" arriving in the city centre, we’ve also had to say a tearful goodbye to a couple of boba legends. Here is the lowdown on what’s opening, what’s closing, and what you should be eating right now. The Great Boba Exodus: T4 & Gong Cha Ice-cream season is coming It’s a sad day for the straw-and-pearl crowd. T4, a long-standing veteran on New Street, has officially bolted its doors for good. After a brief "Will they? Won't they?" reopening stunt in late 2025, they’ve permanently shuttered. While their tea was—let’s be honest—pretty average compared to the new wave of boba spots, their crispy salt and pepper chicken was the ultimate "guilty pleasure" snack. It will be missed. Joining them in the afterlife is Gong Cha. But as they say, when one door closes, a gelato freezer opens! The space has been taken over by the famous Amorino Gelato. Know...

The bubble tea scene in Birmingham is a battlefield. New spots pop up faster than I can decide what toppings to get, and then, just as quickly, they're gone. It's a true survival of the fittest, and honestly, if your boba is basically just a cup of sugary water with some squishy things at the bottom, you're not long for this world. So, for your drinking pleasure, I've compiled my hit list of the best places to get your fix.  Hey Tea Signature grape tea First up, a bit of an outlier. Hey Tea is not a typical bubble tea joint. It's a fruit tea sanctuary. Forget your usual milky concoctions; this is all about that fresh, fruity goodness. Their grape and grapefruit teas are an absolute revelation. Full of real fruit chunks and so ridiculously refreshing, they're basically a health drink... if you ignore the sugar. Their matcha is also surprisingly good, a proper earthy flavour that puts the usual UK chain stuff to shame. Top-notch Matcha Oricha My favourite fresh ta...