These past few weeks have been overwhelming, but I’m glad to say I found a place of refuge: Akihi Bubble Tea. This shop has a calm, zen atmosphere that turns my crash outs into moments that feel more like escapes. The space feels clean and inviting with wood details, purple and white walls, and orchids on every table. I remember Akihi going all out for Halloween with a huge spider web, giant spiders wrapped around the hanging lights, and bats across the wall.
The first time I tried their “Brown Sugar Brulee” milk tea, it felt like I was ascending past the clouds. The caramelized brown sugar on top, torched over the crème brȗlée, made every sip insanely delectable. The base was a milk tea, and I was genuinely sad when I finished my drink because I wanted to have as many of those bobas as I could. On top of that, Akihi has the cutest cups, with tiny stars and a simple, charming design. They even had a little cup sleeve with a duck and the Lackawanna Terminal Clock Tower, which was incredibly cute and captured Hoboken’s essence perfectly.
Although the Brown Sugar Brulee is a limited-time drink, I highly recommend grabbing it while you can. I haven’t tried the other limited drinks yet, but they include “My Crush,” which Akihi describes as a strawberry shortcake in a cup. I can only imagine it’s velvety and rich with strawberry flavor while still having a sweet vanilla taste. There’s also “Black Knight,” which is probably really refreshing since it has fresh grapes blended with jasmine green tea and grape jelly. The first drink I had from them was the Royal Blueberry Peach Tea, and the blueberry flavor was stronger, while the peach was very subtle.
Besides drinks, they offer a lot of snacks, including crispy chicken that a friend said was really good. The snack that stands out to me the most is the Cheese Waffle Fries. It is the best of both worlds since the cheese and crispy waffle fries come together to make the perfect savory snack. As for their ice cream, I don’t even know where to start. They have multiple egg waffle cone selections like a Boba Waffle, where they add boba inside the waffle, the Ice Cream Brȗlée option, and ice cream choices. Somehow, egg waffles feel way better than regular waffles. I think it’s the pillowy, fluffy pockets of egg waffle dough that make them superior.
And if you choose from the ice cream options, the Ice Cream Brȗlée is amazing. They have a vanilla ice cream base with a crème brȗlée top for just $4.75. For that price, getting a whole crème brȗlée that can make my entire day is pretty amazing. The Chocolate Oreo Ice Cream is also delicious, topped with vanilla ice cream drizzled in chocolate sauce and dusted with crushed Oreos. This combo is impossible to resist, especially if you are a cookies and cream fan. Remember the brown sugar boba? They have that as an ice cream too! Let that sink in. A rich and creamy caramel-like ice cream with brown sugar syrup drizzled on it.
If you can’t make up your mind between selecting an ice cream or crafting a waffle and ice cream combo, they have options like the Caramel Marshmallow Waffle or the Oreo Deluxe Waffle. I remember my friend got the Caramel Marshmallow Waffle, and it was loaded with marshmallows, sprinkles, two Biscoff cookies, and strawberry Pocky sticks with a huge soft-serve ice cream on top that was honestly hard to finish. They have so many good food items, and I’m confident this place will become a regular hangout spot for me. If they ever drop anything else crème brȗlée themed, I’ll be the first in line.
