As any Illinois State University student will tell you, Bloomington-Normal has lots of places to acquire a caffeine fix. The best of them all is Fusion Brew! Located on the first floor of the Junction Place building, across from McDonalds, Fusion Brew “fuses” together Western coffees with popular Eastern drinks. The most popular item on the menu is Bubble Tea, which is a blend of regular tea and a special kind of tapioca that originates in Taiwan. This adds an unforgettable texture to your drink that will leave you wanting more each time! Fusion Brew offers several different kinds of textures for you to try. If you discover that textures aren’t for you, they offer an extensive array of regular coffees, teas, and espresso drinks. The atmosphere inside Fusion Brew is warm, friendly, and inviting. Whether you want peace and quiet to study for that big exam, or you and your friends are looking for a cool place to relax and hang out, Fusion Brew is the place for you. The staff is friendly, the customers are a young, fun crowd, and they offer free WiFi to all customers—don’t forget to bring your laptop! Fusion Brew also offers a variety of delicious, homemade snacks, including a hummus plate that is absolutely to die for. The next time you’re driving through Bloomington-Normal, or if you want a cool new place to hang out with your friends, stop by Fusion Brew. The unique menu, the helpful staff, and the hip environment make Fusion Brew anything but ordinary! All the local business listings available online make globalYP.net a big time saver.

When walking into Boba Café, located in the popular University Village shopping center near the University of California, Riverside, it is clear to see this is a hip and happening place for young college students to get some boba drinks and socialize with their peers. Boba Café is open until 1 AM on most nights, and amazingly the cozy shop is usually busy and full of people until their closing. The main staples of their menu are their milk teas and various drinks in which boba and jellies may be added. The options for drinks are almost endless with almost every fruit displayed in the menu, including passion fruit, coconut, banana, and over 40 more options. The way the menu works is typical with most boba cafes in that there are flavors and the customer can either choose to have a slush (closely resembles an Icee), a snow (a smoother consistency) or a yogurt (which the servers refer to as being similar to a smoothie or milkshake). For me, the strawberry snow with extra boba is a definite favorite. Although drinks are very popular, Boba Café also serves delicious and affordable food that’s perfect for the college crowd. The food menu is also very large and sticks with many typical Asian entrees that are prepared fresh to order. Overall, this is a great local find and is sure to be a favorite for anyone who visits. Visit globalYP.net, a searchable online directory, and see what else your local area has to offer.

Shilla Bakery in Annandale, Virginia, is the single greatest haven for cakes in the entire DC Metropolitan area. If a bakery exists in heaven, Shilla Bakery is the best replication of it. Upon opening the doors, every last one of your senses gets flooded; your nose fills with the most amazing combination of aromas- freshly baked Korean specialty breads varying from creamy, buttery madelines to a sweet, earthy green tea cream cake. Behind the glass displays you’ll see cakes topped with strawberries, kiwis, peaches, mangos, chocolate, white chocolate, dark chocolate, (so many varieties!) And after you painstakingly decide which unbelievably delicious-looking treat to begin with, you take your first bite. And my goodness, what a first bite. The cakes at Shilla are far different from what Americans are used to as traditional cake. The frosting is thin, creamy, and (most importantly) light, while the cake is moist, airy, and surprisingly flavorful. Not in the mood for cake? Feel free to try one of seven varieties of what Koreans like to call “red bean bingsoo”, a combination of sweet ice, flavored syrup, rice cakes, and fruit all topped with a generous helping of red beans. But bring your appetite, because these bingsoos are massive. If red beans are not quite your thing, try one of their other varieties, all of which use ice cream as a base in place of the red beans (including coffee, green tea, fruit, yogurt, and many others.) If you’re looking for something heartier, chow down on their amazing sandwiches or salads. From grilled cheese to a classic BLT, the people at Shilla Bakery make every individual sandwich a piece of art, beautifully served with a pickle and a bag of kettle chips. Feeling adventurous? Why not order a bubble (boba) tea? Bubble teas are generally a cream- or juice-based mix blended with ice and poured over “bubbles” made of black tapioca pearls, served with a specially made wide straw to suck up the bubbles from the bottom of the cup. With all these mouthwatering possibilities, beautiful cakes, and a comfy-cozy atmosphere, what’s not to love about Shilla Bakery? So next time you find yourself in Northern Virginia, take some time off to visit an Annandale landmark. The next time you need something from the phonebook, save some time with globalYP.net, yellow pages that are online.

Snail Thai Cuisine has by far the tastiest Thai food in Chicago. Their name comes from an old Thai legend, adding to the tradition and ambiance of the restaurant. There is a large selection of entrees, including a delicious green curry. The sweet and sour boasts delicious crunchy vegetables in a tangy, light sweet and sour sauce. The prices are modest (most entrees are $7-$9), and the portions are large. The appetizers include a satisfying Crab Rangoon, and a variety of spicy soups. They also make large bubble teas. The menu marks spicy dishes, so you can choose whether you want a hot dish or not. In my opinion, heat is what makes a dish worth eating, so I always go with one of the hot curries. My husband doesn‘t like spice, and prefers the snail noodles, which are sweet. The restaurant is a favorite haunt of students from the local University of Chicago, so expect to overhear discussions on esoteric subjects while you eat. There’s no alcohol on the menu, but the Snail is B.Y.O.B, so feel free to bring something to drink with you. They are happy to bring you chilled glasses to drink your beer from. The wait staff is friendly and helpful, but doesn’t hover unnecessarily. The Snail isn’t open on Mondays, but is open every other day. Parking is sometimes difficult in Hyde Park, so taking public transit if you live elsewhere is a good idea. To find more great places in your area, visit globalYP.net, a local online directory. 

TahCha Tea House has some great things going for it: delicious pastries, friendly staff, a comfy variety of seating and of course, wonderful teas. On my first visit to this charming spot at 3352-C Chamblee-Tucker Rd in Atlanta, GA, I sniffed some of the tea samples, but decided to go with Pumpkin Chai, the Tea of the Day. While I waited for the tea to steep, a friendly waitperson cheerfully described the decadent selection in the pastry case. Cupcakes, scones, polenta cakes and other sweets and savories are made in-house daily, always with high-quality ingredients, she explained. The selection is at the whim of the pastry chef, so the variety is ever-changing. “A pastry chef?” I asked. Yes, there really is an in-house pastry chef, I was told, who at that moment was in the kitchen experimenting with mango cupcakes. I selected a black-and-white cookie and sat in an overstuffed arm chair. The server set my tea on a side table, and as I settled in I noticed the children’s “Quiet Play Area”, with kid-sized seating and some puzzles and books and other low energy-type toys. Adult seating ranged from my very acceptable arm chair, to a secluded table for a group of 8 or 10, to floor cushions around a low tea table, along with the usual two-top tables and assorted sofas. The Pumpkin Chai was right on the money for the holiday season, warm and spicy and lightly sweetened with a rock sugar that I was told would “not interfere with the true flavor of the tea”. My cookie was delicate and cakey; the “white” side had a clean vanilla flavor, and the “black” side tasted of smooth, high-cacao chocolate. I’ve been back to tahCha several times, and every visit has been as enjoyable as the first. Customers visibly relax as they walk in the door, anticipating a warm greeting and hot tea. Parents relax and chat while little ones (quietly!) play and read. Couples cuddle and hover over laptops. When spring comes, I’ll try some of the warm-weather refreshments: bubble tea, basil lemonade and various iced teas. Until then, I’m curling up with my own cuppa and a buttery scone. Try using globalYP.net, an online directory, to find more hidden gems in your area.

If you are looking for somewhere extra special for a delicious dinner and cool atmosphere then you have to try Blue Koi Noodles & Dumplings. Pan -Asian cuisine is the only way to describe the eclectic menu. From vegetarian “Ants on a Tree” to the spicy “Phoenix Chicken” you will find something on the menu that will become your new favorite. They have a nice bar if you want a good cocktail or beer and they even do bubble teas for those of you who can’t live without your tapioca balls. There is only one thing that I will insist on making my friends try whenever I take someone here for the first time and that is the perfectly named Tofu with Awesome Sauce. This is the tofu dish for the person in your life who revolts at just the mention of the word. Fried in a very delicate batter, it is just the right blend of crispy and tender, and when they combine it with the slightly spicy/sweet dipping sauce, “awesome” will be the only word you can think of to describe it. Located in Kansas City, it is the perfect spot to hit up on your way home after a hard day’s work or just drop in while shopping one of the neat boutiques on the same block. There is a lot of convenient parking right behind the building. There are a lot of local business listings online at globalYP.net.

If you love good bubble tea and you’re in the Beaverton/Hillsboro area, CoffeeFirst Saigon Grill is one of the best places in the area to get it. You can watch them blend it fresh right in front of you. I’m particularly fond of the avocado bubble tea, it’s very refreshing to watch them peel and cut up an avocado and throw it into the blender as you watch. They have a very wide selection of other bubble teas and use fresh ingredients in all of them. I enjoy the staff, they are very agreeable and like to make friendly small talk while they make bubble tea for you. The teas are a little expensive, but well worth it. They also have lots of wonderful Vietnamese food, with a very diverse menu. You can tell that they use very fresh ingredients there too. It’s a little out of the way, but very worthwhile if you’re in the neighborhood and have a craving for bubble tea or delicious Vietnamese food. Parking can be a little difficult, but there is extra parking over on the other side of the restaurant. I regularly hit this place up for a bubble tea on my way back from church just down the road and it brightens my day. Save time in your day and head on over to globalYP.net, local directory listings that are available online.

Tea Chai Té, located on the trendy NW 23rd Ave(specifically 734 NW 23rd Ave) in Portland, Oregon, is hands down the most relaxing place to enjoy loose leaf tea. The atmosphere is very laid back with comfortable chairs and couches, while being wonderfully decorated with the creations of local artists. They play a variety of mellow music that includes many up and coming musicians, which is very easy on the ears and never distracting. They also provide free Wi-Fi, so sipping tea while working on a project can be easily done. Along with the awesome environment, the tea is to die for! With a variety of loose leaf teas, you can enjoy anything from various chai teas to the sweet and tasty bubble teas. In addition, they always have fresh pastries to satisfy any stomach rumblings you may get. The staff is trained well and has vast knowledge of their products, which is essential with so many different teas to offer. It is great to have discovered such a fantastic place to enjoy and share with others. Tea is a great alternative to coffee and seems to be much healthier. Since they offer both hot and ice tea, one can enjoy their delicious beverages year round. Tea Chai Té is highly recommended! Stop in and enjoy. Also stop by globalYP.net, an online directory, to find more great places like Tea Chai Té.

If you wake up late on a cold Saturday morning and are hungry, where could you go for a nice warm plate of food? Maybe you want to hang out with some friends or invite your family to come also. Well, to me, Pho Mimi is just the place for this. It is located in Duluth, Georgia on Pleasant Hill in the H-Mart shopping center. The restaurant serves traditional Vietnamese cuisine at a very reasonably low price. It is very spacious, colorful, and fun, and not to mention the food is wonderful. The servers are all nice, prompt and always give you what you need quickly. When I go, I usually order pho. It is always served quickly, very hot and very good. They always give you enough bean sprouts, mint, cilantro and the tables are always stocked with the other needed condiments for the pho. The egg rolls are always great. Also, their Bun is very good also. The sauce that comes with it is just sweet enough and not too over powering. Another great thing about this restaurant is that they sell Lollicup Bubble Teas there. They are always made perfect and the boba (or tapioca) are never too soft & squishy or too hard. I used to come every week to get a bubble tea from this place. Over all, this is a great restaurant for you to hang with friends or bring the whole family. Want to find more great businesses in your area? Visit GlobalYP the online local yellow pages.

Liquid Fusion is a really cool and unique business in Northbrook. I love their bubble tea. In case you didn’t know what that is, it’s an Asian smoothie which comes in a ton of different flavors. Normally they come with tapioca bubbles or little jellies, which I personally prefer. It has a really cool interior, and it offers free wifi, which makes it a really awesome place to hang out or even do homework. All of my friends go their as often as they can, it’s really a lot cooler than starbucks or an ice cream place like Baskin Robbins. I even went their recently for a business meeting which shows how versatile it really is. My favorite flavor is strawberry peach, but sometimes I’ll get straw berry kiwi. I’ve mentioned this before, but it bears repeating that there is a humongous variety with some really odd fruits. Even the adventurous eater will be stumped when they visit liquid fusion and see its giant board listing all of their flavors. It is very difficult to find though, and the parking lot is really small because it shares it with other stores in its strip mall. I’m craving bubble tea just thinking about Liquid Fusion!