GiAu Bar n Bites

"Boozy boba teas are finally coming to Houston thanks to GiAu Bar & Bites in Chinatown. The Vietnamese eatery at 9889 Bellaire Boulevard almost debuted the cocktails last year via a pop up with Wokker Texas Ranger, but due to business reasons, pulled the plug on the project. Now, they’re getting a permanent spot on GiAu’s menu along with strawberry shortcake and creme brûlée cocktails, all dreamt up by barman Jacky Lee, who’s been with the company for four years, says owner Julie Vu. The boozy milk tea will come in two varieties, traditional black tea and purple-colored taro flavored, both with crystal tapioca pearls that are totally see-through, unlike the popular black tapioca pearls in many boba teas. “Milk Tea is quite big in our community, in our complex alone there are at least five or six milk tea places,” Vu told Eater. “Jacky said we should do a milk tea with liquor in it - he’s really good at making things taste good. I have family that owns milk tea store, and asked them for the recipe to do the milk tea with white tapioca.” The cocktail menu additions are part of a larger menu revamp, which brings some traditional Vietnamese additions to the restaurant’s offerings, including a barbecue pork sandwich, spring rolls with barbecue pork, and lotus stem salad with shredded pork and shrimp. GiAu’s hours of operation are 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily, and boozy boba is rolling out this Friday." - Alaena Hostetter