Who would've thought something from Ann Arbor would be so tasty?
Bubble Island, 515 E. Grand River Ave., is the concept of two University of Michigan grads who first opened shop in the scary town 60 miles south.
Don't shoot the messenger. Giving the A-OK to something from the land of maize and blue isn't necessarily a bad thing.
"It's a real big craze out in California," said Sam Hickerson, one of Bubble Island's two co-owners. "On one block, you'll see three to four bubble-tea businesses fighting for business."
What separates Bubble Island, which opened in November, from other restaurants that have bubble tea is the menu. Almost everything is tea, chai or coffee - it's like a nonalcoholic bar.
Living up to its "Island" name, tiki masks don the walls of the restaurant, and palm trees are in every corner. There are big, comfy chairs and lots of tables, perfect for the selection of board games available for customers to play.
"We're trying to position ourselves as an alternate to the bars and going out and getting drunk," Hickerson said.
One of the more popular items is the taro-spiked milk tea, Hickerson said. Taro comes from a root similar to potatoes, but when you mix it with milk bubble tea, it tastes chocolatey. This is great for bubble-tea novices.
If that's not different enough for you, then at least try the mochi ice cream.
It's a ball of ice cream coated in rice. Not the grainy kind, but a gummy layer. Ice cream flavors come in everything from strawberry to green tea. Yes, green tea. It's not bad, either, especially if you're looking for something different from the usual flavors.
Although bubble tea and mochi ice cream are Asian dishes, popcorn chicken and curly fries also are on the menu. Curly fries beat out regular fries any day, and Bubble Island is one of few places in the area that serves them.
Nothing on the menu is more than $5. Although there are a variety of flavors and combinations, one might be a little hesitant to pay upward of $4 for a drink.
Free samples of drinks are available at Bubble Island, which is open from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. everyday except Friday and Saturday, when it is open until 3 a.m. Before 1 p.m., drinks are only $2.
