Popular Edinburgh bubble tea café Tempo Tear Bar closes permanently due to ‘tough year’ in pandemic

Tempo Tea Bar on Market Street has announced it is closing its door to the public for good after a ‘tough year’ of business as the pandemic continues to stifle local business.

Tempo Tea Bar has announced they will be closing their doors in Edinburgh at the end of this month (Photo: Google Maps).

The cafe, run by brother and sister May Gem and Liam Tan, specialises in the popular Taiwanese drink ‘bubble tea’ and was opened in Edinburgh in 2015.

However, after over five years of trading in The Arches, the café has said despite trying to find solutions they will sadly be closing its doors in Edinburgh and will be focusing on their online store.

In a Facebook post, Tempo Tea Bar wrote: “We’re closing our Edinburgh doors …..

“It breaks our heart to announce that after 5 years we’ll be closing our Edinburgh store.

“It was a difficult decision and we have been busy exploring our options, but unfortunately, after a tough year we are unable to keep our Edinburgh store open.

" We’ll be changing and adapting with the times by concentrating on our online store and working closely with other external cafes and partners to support other small business owners.”

However the café did say local fans of the bubble tea will still be able to purchase teas online via their website.

They added: "Don’t worry, you’ll still be able to get your Tempo boba fix from our online store and partners.”

Concluding their post, the café thanked all their Edinburgh team and customers who have supported the business.

The café said: “To all our wonderful Edinburgh team & customers who have supported us throughout the years.

"It’s been an absolute pleasure to serve and get to know all of you, so just want to say a huge THANK YOU for all your kind support and loyalty, we wouldn’t have made it this far without you.”

The café has not given a specific date for when they are closing, however, disclosed it would be towards the end of this month.

They wrote: “Our last day of trading will be towards the end of the month, so please keep an eye for this date as we would love to say goodbye to you all before we move out.”

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