Poke Bar 25 & Bubble Tea will open in Bethlehem Township this fall, serving beverages and meals that originated in Asia.
The new restaurant will open at the Shops at Bethlehem, the shopping center anchored by Giant at 2920 Easton Ave., just across the street from the City of Bethlehem. Renovations at the storefront on the east end of the shopping center near Bev's Auto Tags are under way.
Owner Matt Li said he is bringing two Asian delights to the Lehigh Valley: bubble tea and poke bowls. The cuisine is common in New York City and is moving into the suburbs.
"We will be open in late November or early December," Li said Monday.
"Bubble tea is fruit-flavored tea, with gummy things in it," he said. "It is very popular with teenagers."
Chewy tapioca balls are a popular choice but bubble tea can be made with fresh fruit, syrup and other ingredients. Bubble tea originated in Taiwan, Li said.
Poke bowls are a Hawaiian dish with Japanese roots. Li said it is a form of fast food, with a base of brown or white rice, noodles and lettuce. Poke bowls can be vegetarian or proteins such raw or cooked fish can be added. Poke Bar 25 will offer spicy salmon, tuna, and cooked chicken and crabmeat.
The Shops at Bethlehem, formerly known as Easton Commons, is in a fast-growing area of Bethlehem city and township. Across the street, on the city side, 54 apartments will go up at the former Kospia's Nursery garden store, in a lot that has been vacant for more than a decade.
Directly to the east, on the township side of Easton Avenue, 220 apartments are planned for the former Bethlehem Drive-in theater. A Starbucks coffee shop will go up on a small lot between the shopping center and the entrance to those apartments.
Poke Bar 25 & Bubble Tea to open at Shops of Bethlehem, on border of township and city
Jeff Ward
WFMZ.com Reporter
