It would be a lot easier if we could call Chun Shui Tang a tourist trap. If you didn’t know any better, you might have suspicions. A place that is famous for being the birthplace of perhaps the most beloved export of this tiny island. Legend has it that the beverage now known around the globe by the names of boba, bubble tea, tapioca pearls, milk tea and more was first invented in the 80s in a traditional tea house in Taichung by the name of Chun Shui Tang. There are some competing stories, but most people accept their claim to fame.

Over the years, Chun Shui Tang has expanded from a humble tea house in central Taiwan to a national chain store with locations in most of the main commercial hubs of the major cities. It’s evolved to become a modern tea house with a nod to tradition in both decor and menu selection, but efficiently run as well as any contemporary chain, similar to Din Tai Fung’s trajectory. And as much as one may be tempted to brush it off as a tourist trap, the quality holds up, and it is just as popular with locals looking for a tried and true place to sit and snack as it is with visitors looking to try the original boba milk tea for the first time. The flavors and quality has held up over the years. The milk tea still hits. Sure, it’s fancier than the plethora of takeaway tea shops a stone’s throw away from any given location, but the sit down experience and curated food menu of Taiwanese classics makes it a place perfect for filling that gap between a meal and a snack.