All over the country Boba tea, or “bubble tea”, is making a major comeback in the foodie world and Westgate Entertainment District will be home to a new Valley concept, Blendz Boba Tea Lounge.
Opening this fall, Blendz is the brainchild of Paul and Sonia Walia, the husband and wife duo behind the successful Razzleberriez Frozen Yogurt local chain. With four West Valley locations, the Westgate store leads the pack in sales volume. The Walias are converting their Crave Waffle Sandwich Creations, which opened at Westgate in 2015, into Blendz this September.
“Sonia and I are foodies at heart and love being on the cusp of the latest food trends with our restaurant concepts, whether that’s frozen yogurt creations, gourmet waffle sandwiches or Boba tea,” said Paul Walia. “We want to constantly evolve in order to bring exciting and ever-changing, trendy dining concepts to Westgate.”
Blendz will offer an extensive variety of fresh brewed tea flavors, most of which will start with a base of green tea, black tea or white tea and will be served over ice as a milk tea or infused with fruit, blended as a smoothie or mixed as a dairy-free slushy. Customers can choose from a selection of specialty drinks or have the choice to mix-and-match to create their own Boba tea blend. Made in-house daily, these tapioca Boba pearls, made from cassava root, are naturally vegan and sweetened with honey. Desserts and snacks will round out the menu with petite French macaroons, flourless chocolate fudge cake, cheesecake and Asian-inspired sweets like Kulfi, a popular frozen dairy dessert, and Falooda, a cold Indian dessert made from rose syrup, vermicelli, sweet basil seeds, jelly, milk and topped with ice cream.
As Peoria residents, the Walias started their restaurant ventures in the West Valley seven years ago when they opened the first Razzleberriez just five minutes from their home. After seeing immediate success with the frozen yogurt shop, they expanded with multiple locations. They also began plotting for a fast-casual restaurant at Westgate. The idea of Belgian waffles came to Sonia in a dream and the Walia family, along with teenagers Neil and Dylan, began experimenting in their home kitchen with fillings, toppings and unexpected combinations. Crave Waffle Sandwich Creations was born in 2015 and opened Super Bowl weekend to packed crowds. Crave has maintained a strong following as the waffle trend has grown in recent years. Now, it’s time for something new and Boba tea has always been a family favorite.
“It is refreshing to work with a family owned and operated restaurant company like the Walias. They are always looking to be on the cutting edge of what consumers want and then are able to translate that into authentic, well-executed concepts,” said Jeff Teetsel, development manager of Westgate Entertainment District. “Blendz will be the third concept they’ve brought to Westgate and we look forward to their continued success.”
Crave Waffle Creations closed for renovations in July and Blendz will open to the public in early September.
For more information on Westgate Entertainment District and to see what’s happening today, visit www.westgateaz.com.
