Cafe Zio — Restaurant in Edison

Small but mighty cafe shop that specializes in coffee and bubble teas and also has delicious snacks to enjoy. Can someone say, filled waffles? Yum! It truly has a bit of everything. So much so, their menu is changing, yet again to accommodate the increasing things they are offering. Look up at the board to see their regular menu and then look to the sides, to find their latest specials. Hopefully, during the summer, they will offer their Snowflake desserts (Korean shaved ice dessert with sweet toppings) back.

Upon arriving and perusing their menu, I saw two of my favorite words, double espresso! I was so ordering it. The cashier recommended the Dalgato Cafe Latte. Their Dalgona Coffee is very different from the regular Dalgona coffee’s I’ve had prior. Theirs is actually the Korean Dalgona Candy which features the Honeycomb Toffee on top. This drink as it is on par with the Brown Sugar drinks, I’ve tasted. It is sweet and you can have two (2) shots of espresso, poured on top. It sounded so appealing, Hubby decided to request one of his own. Neither of us requested any bobas but you can add some if you so desire. They do offer a choice of milk for your drinks. In addition to their regular milk, as well as skim, they also offer alternative milk such as soy, almond, and Lactaid milk.

This small cafe is tight and due to the pandemic, it is hard to fit many people in and safely social distance. Currently, about 3 people are allowed inside while maintaining a 6 ft distance. After you place your order, you can either wait outside, where they provided some chairs for you or you can be seated inside your car. The cashier will ask you what is the make and color of your car and they will bring the purchased items to you.

The wonderful employees are all very efficient and...

Cafe Zio is home to some of the best bubble tea I've ever tried.

Cafe Zio is located on the side of a strip mall. It is difficult to notice as you're driving and is easy to drive past if you aren't paying attention. The parking situation is pretty bad if you don't notice that there's a back lot. There is parking in front of the strip mall, but drive to the back and you'll have a whole lot of parking to choose from.

The atmosphere of Cafe Zio is that of a modern, warm coffee house. Seating is very limited, so if you come during peak hours, you may not be able to sit down.

They have a wide selection of teas and milk teas (tea with milk in it) in addition to other types of drinks. I got the London fog (they just call it Earl Grey) with bubbles. Other bubble tea places have sub-par pearls that are either too starchy or not sweet enough, but Cafe Zio isn't other places; their pearls are the perfect balance of sweet and chewy. The tea itself was perfectly sweetened and all of the floral aromas of the Earl grey wasn't diluted by too much water.

This is the place to go...

I LOVE this place. There are virtually no bad reviews for a reason.

The place is owned by a very nice couple and, recently, they started hiring other people to help them manage this place. Everyone who works here, however, are super friendly and competent at their job.

They also charge cheaper than other cafes for bubble tea, as the prices are around 3 dollars for a small and 4 for a large without toppings. What I totally recommend is to try multiple flavors in one drink, as that is actually a niche they have over other places. For instance, if you're feeling passion fruit, but also want a yogurt-based drink, you can get both flavorings in your bubble tea!

When you come here, if the couple aren't there that day to serve you, I would also recommend asking for Sharon. She was there last time to help us and knows how to make the drinks...