Exploring The Bubble Tea Menu at The Alley, Holborn
Exploring The Bubble Tea Menu at The Alley, Holborn
We’re heading to Holborn to try Taiwan’s most popular bubble tea cafe, The Alley
We see the crowd before we see the cafe – they’re neatly lined up on an otherwise quiet section of Holborn. It seems that people come far and wide to try the bubble tea menu at The Alley in London.
I gotta put my hands up and say I didn’t even know The Alley was a thing until recently. And then someone told me about their handmade boba and natural cane sugars, and I thought I’d check it out. But I wasn’t expecting the queue.
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What makes the bubble tea different at The Alley?
The Alley use only natural ingredients in their bubble teas, and they even make their own boba balls (tapioca pearls). They call them ‘deerioca’ as a cute tribute to their deer icon.
They also use some of the best Assam tea, and they make their own syrups by boiling down cane sugar. In fact, The Alley is one of the first bubble tea shops in London to use brown sugar. They caramelize the sugar, giving it that rich colour and toasted flavor.
The result is a much more delicate and complex bubble tea. Even if you order yours with full sugar, you’ll get a much softer taste than at some other bubble tea cafes in London.
And as for the queues, it turns out that The Alley is one of the most popular bubble tea cafes in the far east. The first branch opened in Taiwan in 2013 and was quickly followed by more cafes all over the region.
So, having a branch in London is nifty if you’re already a fan. I was initially surprised that the original London branch of The Alley is in Holborn, instead of Chinatown. But they’ve got a nice space, and enough room for a few booths if you wanted to sit for a bit. And as well as the branch in Holborn, The Alley also have a newer one in Mayfair.
It’s starting to make sense. I know I’ve done my fair share of queuing for various foodie items. So, I head to the back of the queue outside the Alley to check out its bubble tea menu.
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The bubble tea menu at The Alley, Holborn
It only takes a few minutes to get to the front of the line, which gives us enough time to check out the menu at The Alley.
I always get a bit overwhelmed with menus at bubble tea cafes. There’s just so much to choose from, and some of it is totally new to me. So, I often wish they’d have pictures, to give me a bit more confidence in ordering a different kind of bubble tea.
The guys at The Alley have done just that, with a printed section of the menu that shows their top 5 bubble teas. Score!
And the top 5 bubble teas on their menu are:
1. Brown sugar deerioca cream brulee
2. Royal no.9 milk tea
3. Dalgona brown sugar deerioca cream brulee milk
4. Matcha peach oolong latte
5. Snow strawberry lulu
They also have a vegan bubble tea menu that uses oat and soya milk.
The top 3 vegan bubble teas are:
1. Brown sugar oat/soya deerioca milk
2. The Alley trio oat/soya milk
3. Passionfruit green today
How delicious do those bubble teas sound?! Here’s a bit more about them
Brown sugar deerioca cream brulee
The best bubble tea to order from the Alley must be the brown sugar deerioca cream brulee. Which is funny because there’s no actual tea in it – it’s a milk-based drink 😊
My favourite part are the deerioca boba balls, which are hot and squidgy. I love when the pearls are this fresh, and the contrast between their heat the cool of the iced milk is delish.
There are also bits of silky ‘cream’ brulee, which reminds me of the custard you get at other boba tea shops in London. But here its much more delicate and ephemeral.
Royal no.9 milk tea
The royal no.9 milk tea is one of the more popular bubble teas at The Alley. It’s made with blueberry-infused black tea and tapioca pearls. The best part is that They Alley only use real tea – so there are no powdered substitutes.
It would be my more day-to-day drink, whereas the brown sugar deerioca cream brulee is a bit more like a pudding.
Dalgona brown sugar deerioca cream brulee milk
Number 3 on the menu at The Alley is the dalgona brown sugar deerioca cream brulee milk. It’s very similar to the first drink, except it has a coffee and milk base. And of course, the ‘dalgona’ part is a nod the popular TikTok coffee hack with instant coffee.
Matcha peach oolong latte
The matcha peach oolong latte is probably the freshest and fruitiest tea of the bunch. I’m a massive fan of oolong tea, and the peach notes are yummy too.
Snow strawberry lulu
The prettiest bubble tea from the top 5 menu is the snow strawberry lulu. It’s part of the fresh fruit series at The Alley and is made using fresh strawberries and whipped cream. Yum.
Overall thoughts on The Alley in London
I’m a bit of a bubble tea addict, but mostly I just stick to ordering a regular assam with boba balls. I really like how easy The Alley make it to take a punt and try a new bubble tea. Their top 5 menu is a bit of a godsend for a nervous orderer (like me), and I can’t wait to try more!
Is the bubble tea at The Alley in London Halal?
The Alley don’t serve any meat, either non-halal or halal. There are also no pork products in their tapioca balls. But if you go in, I’d double check the tea you want before you order it.
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Have you had bubble tea at The Alley? Let us know your thoughts on our Instagram.
The Details
The Alley, Holborn
Address – Unit 3, 272 High Holborn, London WC1V 7EY
Website – The Alley, Holborn
Phone – 07311 811907
Nearest Tube – Holborn
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Disclaimer – the halal food status note for The Alley in London is true at the time of writing. Please phone or email the restaurant before you make a booking to double check the halal food status and anything around cross contamination.
