CHICHA San Chen in Downtown Bellevue.
The Taichung tea specialist that brews every cup to order moved into Bellevue Square in 2025 — the boba shop for people who actually taste the tea.
CHICHA San Chen is the tea shop in Bellevue Square for the tea itself. It sits on the first level directly outside Macy’s, a small, clean counter where every cup is brewed from whole leaves when you order it — Dong Ding oolong, osmanthus oolong, high-mountain pouchong, black — and then dressed with milk, a cheese mousse, or bubbles as you like. It is the boba stop that a Taiwanese grandmother would approve of, and the line on a Saturday says the Square has noticed.
DBN covered the first Bellevue shop when it opened on 105th Ave NE in February 2023, the February 2025 announcement that it would move into the Square, and the Square’s own ‘now open’ roster that September. The brand dates to Taichung in 1998, runs hundreds of shops in Taiwan, and has entered its teas in the Brussels International Taste Institute awards every year since 2019.
HEYTEA at The Bravern is the cheese-cloud spectacle and Nana’s in Old Bellevue is the matcha room; this is the one for oolong. For the coffee side of downtown see our guide to downtown Bellevue coffee shops.
What to Get at CHICHA San Chen
Whole-leaf teas brewed to order, with or without milk, mousse, and bubbles; these five are the way in.
Bubble Milk Tea
Black tea, cream, and chewy bubbles — the classic, made with leaves brewed to order rather than a batch. Start here to taste the difference.
Bubble Volcano
Brown-sugar boba in fresh milk, the caramel streaks up the cup — CHICHA’s take on the brown-sugar boba wave, and its most-photographed drink.
Dong Ding Oolong Tea Latte
Taiwan’s classic roasted oolong with milk. The drink for anyone who wants to taste the tea first and the sugar second.
Honey Osmanthus Oolong Tea
Osmanthus-scented oolong with honey, no milk — the lightest, most floral cup on the menu.
Creamy Lemon Tart
High-mountain pouchong tea, lemon juice, and a cheese mousse cap that tastes like the dessert it is named for.
CHICHA San Chen Through the Years on DBN
DBN has reported on downtown Bellevue since 2005. This is CHICHA San Chen’s story as we covered it, as it happened.
Bubble Tea Shop CHICHA San Chen Now Open in Bellevue
The Taichung-born tea chain opened its first Bellevue shop on 105th Ave NE, in the former Aqua S space.
Bubble Tea Shop CHICHA San Chen to Open at Bellevue Square
The move: a new shop on Bellevue Square’s first level outside Macy’s, and the 105th Ave store to close.
Discover What’s New at Bellevue Square
Listed among the Square’s newly open shops — first level, outside Macy’s.
Browse all CHICHA San Chen coverage in the DBN archive.
Getting There & When to Go
Bellevue Square is the easiest place in downtown to park for free, and the shop is steps from the Macy’s entrance.
Getting There & Parking
- Drive: Bellevue Square garages are free; the Northeast garage puts you closest to the Macy’s end of the first level. Lincoln Square and Bellevue Place garages connect by sky bridge.
- Light rail: 2 Line to Bellevue Downtown Station, then a roughly 15-minute walk west on NE 6th or NE 8th to Bellevue Square — see our light rail guide
- On foot: First level of the Square, outside Macy’s. From Lincoln Square, cross the sky bridge and follow the first level toward Macy’s.
Best Times to Go
Weekend afternoons are the line; weekday mid-mornings are calm and the tea is the same. Order ahead online if you are timing it to a shopping trip, and expect the biggest crowds when the Square is at its busiest — holidays and Snowflake Lane season.
Make It a Morning
You are inside the Square, so make a loop of it: pair the tea with a shopping loop through the Collection on the same level, Cactus upstairs if the tea run turns into lunch, or HEYTEA at The Bravern for the cheese-cloud comparison.
Good to Know
As of August 2026: walk-up and online ordering, brewed to order. Every base tea can be ordered plain, with milk, with mousse, or with bubbles. The second Washington shop is in Tukwila. The brand’s global site still lists the closed 105th Ave NE address; use the Washington site.
CHICHA San Chen FAQ
Where is CHICHA San Chen in Bellevue?
On the first level of Bellevue Square at 188 Bellevue Square, directly outside Macy’s, in the space that was Chamei Matcha. It moved there from 308 105th Ave NE in 2025; the older address still appears on the brand’s global site but that shop is closed.
Can you order CHICHA San Chen ahead?
Yes. As of August 2026 the Washington shops take online orders through the Clover ordering page linked from chichasanchenwa.com, and delivery runs through the usual apps. Walk-up ordering at the counter is the norm; teas are brewed to order, so allow a few minutes.
Where do you park for CHICHA San Chen at Bellevue Square?
Bellevue Square parking is free. The Northeast garage is closest to the Macy’s end of the first level where the shop sits.
What should you order at CHICHA San Chen?
The Bubble Milk Tea and the Bubble Volcano are the two to start with. Then go tea-forward: the Dong Ding oolong latte, the honey osmanthus oolong, or the creamy lemon tart with its cheese mousse cap. Every base tea can be ordered plain.
What makes CHICHA San Chen different from other boba shops?
The tea. CHICHA San Chen started in Taichung, Taiwan in 1998, brews each cup from whole leaves to order rather than from a batch, uses SGS-certified leaves, and has entered its teas in Brussels’ International Taste Institute awards every year since 2019. The Bellevue Square shop is one of two in Washington.