A new outpost of a San Antonio boba mini-chain is ready to burst onto the scene. bubbling up near Encino Park. Artea will celebrate its grand opening in the Park North Shopping Center at 602 NW Loop 410 on October 15.
Artea was founded in 2019 to bring the Taiwanese teahouse experience to San Antonio. True to its name, the brand is known for its visually appealing sippers like boba lattes, loose-leaf tea, and photogenic drinks like a viral bonsai milk tea decorated to look like a potted plant.
Non-brewed beverages include smoothies, slushes, and frappes, and a few drinks not commonly found in Alamo City. One uses vibrant butterfly pea powder to give a drink a violet hue; another blends winter melon with Taiwanese aiyu jelly made from the pectin of creeping fig seeds.
The interior of the new Park North shop.Photo courtesy of Artea
Although drinks are the main draw, Artea has a more extensive food menu than most tea shops. The kitchen, helmed by chef and partner Robert Mendoza Jr., serves pan-Asian dishes such as garlic tonkotsu ramen, ribeye steak fried rice, pork belly gua bao, and a honey bacon chicken bento box.
A rare local player in a San Antonio beverage scene increasingly being dominated by rapidly growing franchises like HTeaO, It’s Boba Time, and Candy Cloud, Artea has grown to three area locations. A fourth is on the way at 21114 US 281 near Encino Heights.
To celebrate the opening of its newest location, Artea will offer special giveaways and prizes on October 15 and 16, including complimentary bear bottles to the first 20 guests in line each day and spins on a prize wheel for diners who spend more than $20.
Hopdoddy has added several chicken dishes to the menu, like these lollipops.Photo courtesy of Hopdoddy Burger Bar