heytea Opens First Thai Store: heytea lab at CentralWorld Combines Tea, Bakery and Gelato
heytea has opened its first Thailand branch at CentralWorld, Bangkok, the first heytea lab in Southeast Asia, with the world debut of its teaAir menu.
Chinese tea brand heytea has opened its first store in Thailand at CentralWorld shopping centre in the Ratchaprasong area of Bangkok, in the heytea lab format, the brand's most fully equipped experimental store. It is the first heytea lab in Southeast Asia and the third outside China, and Bangkok is also the place where the teaAir menu makes its world debut.
Tea, Bakery and Gelato in One Space
The store brings together a tea lab, a bake lab and a gelato lab. Customers can order tea drinks, baked goods and gelato in one place. The counters are open, so guests can watch the fresh preparation up close.
Before the official opening, more than 500 customers queued, with the line stretching more than 300 metres and some waiting more than 3 hours to order, even though heavy rain fell across Bangkok on the first day.
teaAir: A New Menu Starting in Bangkok
teaAir, or tea cloud, builds on heytea's signature soft, fluffy topping. This time tea, rather than another ingredient, is the main component of the cloud. Freshly brewed tea, coconut, milk fat and air are blended together to create a light, fluffy texture.
The first menu item is teaAir · Rock Oolong Jackfruit, which pairs Rock Oolong tea with fresh jackfruit, papaya and coconut, inspired by Thai tropical fruit. The bake lab offers a Thai Milk Tea Croissant Egg Tart, and the gelato lab offers a Lime Thai Milk Gelato.
Popular items from overseas, such as the Triple Matcha Latte, have also sold well during the opening period. The brand's matcha drinks drew greater attention after Thai artist Lisa posted content about the brand in 2025, selling out quickly from Singapore to the western United States.
Store Design Inspired by the Floating Market
The Bangkok store does not use the same design as in other countries, but takes a floating market as its concept. The storefront facing the CentralWorld plaza is inspired by the shape of traditional wooden boats, while the seating inside uses the curved lines of a riverbank, combining natural wood with metal materials.
| Details | Information |
|---|---|
| Location | CentralWorld, Ratchaprasong area, Bangkok |
| Store format | heytea lab, comprising a tea lab, a bake lab and a gelato lab |
| Launch menu | teaAir · Rock Oolong Jackfruit |
| Bakery and dessert menu | Thai Milk Tea Croissant Egg Tart and Lime Thai Milk Gelato |
| Popular menu | Triple Matcha Latte |
heytea's Next Step in the Global Market
heytea began expanding overseas in 2018 and has accelerated its expansion continuously since 2023, covering the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada. It now has about 4,000 stores worldwide, including more than 120 outside mainland China, nearly a sixfold increase over the past year.
The brand chose Bangkok because the city ranks 8th among the best cities in the world for 2026, has a large young consumer base and receives a steady flow of international visitors. Previously, heytea lab opened at Times Square in New York and Toronto Eaton Centre in Toronto, while heytea lab 2.0 at Fengshengli in Shanghai once saw customers queue for up to 7 hours on opening day.
This news is of interest to those who like to follow newly opened tea and dessert shops, travellers visiting the Ratchaprasong area, and food and beverage operators who want to see how a global brand adapts its menu and design to the Thai market.