E-Tea

An E.T.-Obsessed Boba and Sushi Burrito Bar Touches Down on the Wharf | Eater DC

"At the Wharf I found a playful, pint-sized cafe that serves bouncy Taiwanese teas, oversized onigiri rice balls, and sweets like silky tiramisu and whimsical Belgian waffles; the small rectangular space leans into a galactic vibe with a mural of a grinning E.T. in a boba cup, starry pendant lighting, deep-blue tones, and EDM music. Opened last week at Milk Bar’s former home (49 District Square SW) by Chinese restaurateur Leopold Liao — who named it after his daughter’s E.T. toy and his own love of the film — E-Tea offers fruit-forward flavors (blueberry lemon black, grapefruit, white peach oolong, yuzu green) and milk-based options (strawberry, coffee, brown sugar, matcha), served hot or cold; small (16 oz) runs $4.75 and large (22 oz) is $5.75. Squishy mix-ins include chewy tapioca pearls, coffee and lychee jellies, sweetened red beans, aloe vera, and mango popping bubbles, and Liao highlights a milk-based tea with floaty tiramisu as a mashup of Asian flavors with a Western dessert. Behind a pastry counter his baker wife offers true tiramisu, chocolate-studded croissants packaged in unicorn-printed bags, rows of fluffy Napoleon, and big Belgian waffles topped with whipped cream and strawberries (an early bestseller), with plans to add matcha, taro, and cherry-blossom cream flavors in spring. The one-page menu also features supersized onigiri made with purple sticky rice and fillings like spiced tofu, spam, shrimp, or ahi tuna ($8.95–$10.95); a vegan “Sassy Tofu” (spiced tofu, lettuce, radish, dried cranberries, sesame dressing) and a pork-sung “Funny Pig” are notable handhelds. Liao, who says he keeps 40–50 kinds of teas at home and prefers white tea to help his sugar levels, has already signed a lease for a second E-Tea at 1712 I Street NW (former Wicked Waffle space) aiming to open near Farragut Square in the fall, plans tea education and kettle giveaways at the boba bar, and is running a weekday buy-two-get-one-free deal through March; daily hours are 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., ordering is via in-store QR code, and he’s already seeing repeat customers." - Tierney Plumb