BobaVita, an authentic Vietnamese boba cafe, relocates in downtown St. Pete

The bobvita coffee and boba bar has relocated to the ground floor of the arte luxury apartment building on central avenue | st. pete rising

Mina Kreitler, a Vietnamese-born entrepreneur who has made St. Pete her home, wants locals to experience the bold and unique taste of authentic Vietnamese coffee and boba teas.

"We have boba shops on every corner in my country," Kreitler said to St. Pete Rising while working inside her new storefront on Central Avenue.

Bubble tea is a tea-based drink that originated in Taiwan in the early 1980s and was introduced to the United States in the 1990s.

The BobaVita Coffee and Boba Bar has relocated to the ground floor of the Arte luxury apartment building at 1661 Central Avenue.

It was previously located inside the Edge Eatery at 1572 Central Avenue.

Bobavita owner Mina Kreitler prepares a drink for a customer at the new location | St. pete rising

The soft opening for the new store will be from July 22nd to the 27th. Customers visiting during the opening weekend can receive 20% off of drinks.

BobaVita shares a space with Mibella Nail Lounge and Spa, which Kreitler also owns.

The business will join other ground-floor tenants at Arte - Raining Berries, which serves acai bowls and coffee, and Mammamia Gelato Italiano.

BobaVita serves herbal teas, milk teas, a variety of matcha tea, and coffee.

Milk tea flavors include black, oolong, Thai, taro, and strawberry brown sugar.

The milk teas come with boba, which are bite-sized, chewy tapioca pearls. Or instead of the tapioca boba, customers can opt for strawberry, peach, or mango “popping” boba, which is a thin, gel-like ball with juice inside that bursts when squeezed.

BobaVita carries a variety of matcha lattes such as mango, strawberry, and coconut, as well as various fruity herbal teas like lychee, peach, and passionfruit.

The coffee menu includes your typical espresso-based drinks, such as americano, cappuccino, coconut macchiato, and iced and frozen lattes.

Kreitler said she orders the coffee beans and other ingredients from Vietnam.

Additionally, BobaVita serves alcoholic boba beverages such as the Brown Sugar Baby concoction made with coffee, Baileys, and Kahlua. There are also fruity cocktail drinks like the Dance with the Sunrise crafted with orange, peach, and strawberry flavorings mixed with Highnoon hard seltzer.

Most of the drinks on the menu are priced around $7.50.

Follow BobaVita on Facebook for the latest drink specials.