Bubble tea shop opens in Rolling Meadows
A refreshing drink that originated in Taiwan in the 1980s - which has grown in popularity around the world ever since - is made to order at a new shop in Rolling Meadows.
Kung Fu Tea, offering a selection of bubble teas and other hot and cold drinks, opened Feb. 12 in a strip mall space at 1643 W. Algonquin Road.
Its signature beverage is the Kung Fu Milk Tea, a creamy blend of fragrant, freshly-brewed Earl Grey tea, cane sugar and milk powder. Variations on the drink mix in fruits, jellies and other flavors, and are topped off with chewy tapioca pearls. Also known as "bubbles," or "boba," the little balls are made from tapioca starch and brown sugar every two hours.
Each drink is customizable - from the toppings, to the amount of sugar and ice mixed in.
Kung Fu Tea was founded in 2010 in Queens, New York, by a group of entrepreneurs who had just returned from a trip to Taiwan. They now have more than 250 locations across the country.
The Rolling Meadows store is located next door to the popular Sushi Station - known for its rotating conveyor belt sushi bar - which reopened for dine-in service Feb. 1.
The bubble tea shop's opening last Friday preceded the Monday announcement that Bigby's Pour House, located three doors down, is permanently closing after seven years amid economic effects of the pandemic.