Another new restaurant is set to open its doors in Beaufort, SC after the new year. Chick ‘N Boba will be opening in Beaufort Town Center sometime in the first part of 2024.
Created by the Lin family, owners of the popular local Yummy Hibachi & Sushi Bar in Port Royal and the House of Tang location on Ribaut Road, the new spot will have several different Asian fried chicken offerings, hibachi to-go, and a variety of boba drinks.
Boba, or bubble tea, is relatively new to the Beaufort area, and many locals may not be too familiar with it. Folks on the East Coast call it bubble tea and folks on the West Coast call it boba tea. The drink originated in Taiwan in the 1980s and eventually made its way to the U.S. sometime in the ’90s.
Bubble tea most commonly consists of tea accompanied by chewy tapioca balls (“boba” or “pearls”), but it can be made with other toppings as well, such as grass jelly, aloe vera, red bean, and popping boba. It has many varieties and flavors, but the two most popular varieties are pearl black milk tea and pearl green milk tea (“pearl” for the tapioca balls at the bottom).
Flavors can vary based on the syrup the pearls are cooked in and the sweeteners added to the dough. Flavors can be anything from fruits to honey. The milk tea most boba pearls comes in are available in different flavors, too. Common ones include matcha, honeydew, strawberry, thai, and taro.
According to owner Dan Lin, Chick ‘N Boba will also offer hibachi to go. “We’re not having hibachi grills and chefs there,” she said. A variety of hibachi dishes will be available for carry out only, including hibachi steak, hibachi chicken, and hibachi shrimp, with take out orders usually being ready in about 15 minutes, “just like ordering from our menu at our House of Tang.”
One of the main staples of the new restaurant will be fried chicken.
When we think of fried chicken, we tend to think of our standard southern-fried variety, but this will be different.
American fried chicken has more batter with the taste mostly in the batter while Chinese, or Asian, fried chicken has longer marination time, is crispier when served, and is almost always flavored with a variety of different spices and marinades that could include ginger, nutmeg, chili sauce, soy sauce and others.
Beaufort has a wealth of fantastic locally owned restaurants, and the new Chick ‘N Boba will be a welcome addition to what’s already here.
Look for it to open soon in Beaufort Town Center at 2121 Boundary Street, Suite 108, in the former home of Clean Eatz and most recently J. Lee’s Coney Island.
