Bubble tea shop Cha Dao opens in Mineola
A mango coconut cheese slushie from Cha Dao in Mineola. Credit: Joann Vaglica
As a teenager growing up in Taiwan, Mei Chen would drink bubble tea almost every day. Now the Queens College student is bringing the beverage to her new store in Mineola, Cha Dao, pairing it with her native country's street food.
Like other boba spots, Cha offers customers their choice of milk and fruit teas topped with sweetened boba. But what’s special about the 24-year-old’s shop, co-owned by Dylan Lin, is that it also serves Taiwanese popcorn chicken, which Chen says can be found within a few feet of any bubble tea shop in Taiwan.
Cha's bite-size signature chicken takes in sweet and spicy seasonings (but leans toward the sweeter side), while other made-to-order options have ginger or plum flavors. There's also Taiwanese sausage that's made with pork and rice paper.
Tired of having to travel to Flushing for what she considers good bubble tea, Chen opened her shop last summer. Aside from the customary boba brews, you’ll find “drizzles,” or milk-based drinks with strawberry or mango flavoring; fruit yakult, which features a Japanese yogurt-like base that’s mixed with real fruit and tea; shaved ice flavored by toppings osuch as chocolate, matcha, milk and fresh fruit; and slushies that combine fresh fruit and havarti cheese and come in 10 varieties, like grape cheese, kiwi cheese and lychee watermelon cheese.
The spacious store has five tables with seating for at least 10 people. Prices start at about $5 for milk tea and top out at $8 for popcorn chicken.
Cha Dao, 142B Jericho Tpke., Mineola; open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; 516-882-4738, chadaojericho.com
