Appetites®

New boba spot in Uptown elevates the bubble tea experience with cocktails

A neon sign depicts tiger.
L2 at Tii Cup in Uptown Minneapolis offers an upstairs lounge area with cocktail drinks and boba.
Courtesy Daniela Shella-Stevens

L2 at Tii Cup in Uptown is looking to create a different kind of experience for boba drinkers. The new spot serves boba-inspired cocktails and has a lounge — for an elevated boba tea experience.

The sweet, sometimes fruity, milk tea drink with tapioca pearls at the bottom — and served with a wide straw — has been making a splash since it arrived in the U.S. from Taiwan in the 1990s. These days, it’s widely available at casual shops where customers often take their boba to go.

Phonsuda Chanthavisouk is co-owner of Tii Cup, which has such shops in Minnesota and Arizona, in places like Macy’s at Mall of America. But at L2, she wanted to create something different, more elevated, where boba drinkers could come together. She shared her vision for the place on this week’s Appetites.

For the full conversation, click play on the audio player above.

Cold beverage on a wooden board
Tii Cup's Old Fashioned with boba pearls on the side at the Uptown Minneapolis location.
Courtesy Daniela Shella-Stevens