Although the sips are new to the area, this is the second go-round for owner Lo Cavan. Cavan originally opened the concept twelve years ago within St. Pete’s Tyrone Square Mall as “House of Boba.” From 2008-2011, Cavan and her family were slinging boba drinks to mall-goers. But when House of Boba’s space was bought out in 2011, Cavan decided to let the business go with hopes to one day reopen.
Nearly a decade later, Cavan did just that with Boba Lounge, offering a variety of drinks like smoothies, slushies, teas as well as mochi ice cream.
For those unfamiliar with bubble tea. The drink is loaded with boba – large, chewy tapioca pearls made of tapioca starch.
Smoothie flavors range from the classics like passion fruit, coconut and pineapple to coffee, match and lavender. The slushie options are nothing but fruity flavors, while the teas include house milk tea, matcha, Thai, Taro, chai as well as strawberry lemonade. Need something with a little more buzz? Vietnamese coffee is also up for grabs.
Guests can get creative with their flavor pairings mixing a strawberry smoothie with mango popping boba, coconut smoothies with rainbow jellies, or grabbing classic sips like a Taro smoothie or milk tea loaded with boba.
The colorful lounge offers indoor table and bar seating for guests with plenty of outlets for those looking to utilize the space to work remotely.
Hours for Boba Lounge are 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon-8 p.m. Sunday.
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This article appears in Sep 17-23, 2020.