Meet Fresh

"During the summer, there are days when only a mountain of shaved ice the size of a toddler will do. On those days, head to Meet Fresh. This chain with multiple locations is best known for its Taiwanese desserts, like ice jelly, purple rice, and tofu pudding, but also makes great boba tea. Our preferred order is a 10% sugar boba milk tea with lychee jelly and “mini Q” mochi for maximum textural impact. Meet Fresh has a ton of seating, making this a solid choice for group hangs when you A) don’t want to drink alcohol and B) don’t want to spend a ton of money." - molly fitzpatrick, carina finn koeppicus

"It’s hard to beat Meet Fresh’s shaved ice for variety. At the Sunset Park location of this casual boba shop, you can get mountains of shaved ice with simple things like mango, strawberries, and condensed milk, or you can go for their over-the-top Q Mochi Milk option, which comes with four different kinds of chewy toppings and a scoop of ice cream for good measure. We also love their brown sugar boba shaved ice, which is basically a boba drink in dessert form. There’s lots of seating, which is good, because you’ll want to come with a small group to tackle this massive frozen dessert. " - kenny yang, carina finn koeppicus

"During the summer, there are days when only a mountain of shaved ice the size of a toddler will do. On those days, head to Meet Fresh. This chain with multiple locations is known for its Taiwanese desserts involving ice jelly, purple rice, and tofu pudding—but they also make great boba tea. Meet Fresh has a ton of seating, making this a solid choice for group hangs when you A) don’t want to drink alcohol and B) don’t want to spend a ton of money." - Carina Finn

"Meet Fresh, the popular Taiwanese dessert chain, offers a combination of generously portioned hot and cold desserts from red bean soup to purple rice.  Most desserts on the near-endless menu are built with classic sweet toppings one might find at a Taiwanese street stall, including grass jelly, chewy mochi, red bean, sesame rice balls, and peanuts. The maximalist signature soup series with an overflow of toppings is a great place to start — try the Purple Rice Dessert Signature ($9.15) for the more adventurous. They’re great for sharing, as the portions are generous." - John Tsung, Liza de Guia