New places to drink bubble tea in Toronto include a lot of the big international chains that finally made their way to North America. No longer do our bubble tea options only include simple milk teas with tapioca but now our expectations of bubble tea have been refined with unique drinks and ingredients that give the drink a whole new appeal.

Here are my picks for the top new bubble tea shops in Toronto.

The Alley
This Richmond Hill bubble tea destination holds the distinction of being the fledgling chain's first ever overseas store. Originating from Taichung, they specialize in hand-crafted beverages like the colourful Morning Dawn and Northern Lights ($7.50 each) and others that come with handmade flavoured tapioca. Don't miss the Oreo-infused Garden Milk Tea ($6.50).

Happy Lemon
This cheerful-sounding bubble tea shop in Pacific Mall is actually store #992 of this vast worldwide chain that originated in Shanghai. A much more health-oriented bubble tea chain, they only use fresh and natural ingredients. Try the Salted Cheese series - either the Chocolate or the Matcha Latte with Tiramisu versions ($5.20).

Funky Munky
Bet you'd never thought you can order bubble tea in a vintage automobile-themed cafe did you? Eschewing the cutesy approach preferred by most bubble tea places, this independent cafe goes for a more urban-retro feel. The FM Style Tea ($3) is nice take on the classic HK-style tea, while the simple Cold Jasmine Milk Tea ($3.90) is surprisingly addictive and light.

Royaltea
Surely you've seen your Instagram feed flooded by pictures of bubble teas inside cute lightbulb-shaped containers? Royaltea is almost single-handedly responsible for all of them, and this small chain from Jiangmen serves up various unique takes like the Osmanthus Oolong with Durian Mousse ($5.80) and the Matcha Lightbulb Tea ($5.80).

Matcha Tea & Dessert
Toronto's been on a bit of a matcha craze lately, so never has a store name been so apt. The Chinatown newbie serves a ton of matcha-inspired goodies as well as honest-to-goodness classic bubble tea like the Roasted Milk Tea and the slightly more unique Red Bean Milk Tea ($5.25 each).

Posted by Darren "DKLo" Susilo. When not writing for blogTO he can usually be found tweeting here or delaying mealtimes indefinitely by posting pictures here. Photo of The Alley by Hector Vasquez.