With a menu starring mochi waffles, boba tea and bingsu, Aloha Cafe is unlike anything else in downtown Blaine. The border town’s newest eatery opened Friday, Aug. 2 at 684 Peace Portal Drive, Suite A.
Owners Drisana and John Horton also own Super Duper Teriyaki in Bellingham. Drisana, a mother of eight, said the cafe was inspired by her family and heritage.
“My husband’s Korean, I’m Filipino/Pacific Islander,” she said. “And so the menu is kind of a blend of our family, all the things we love.”
Offerings include sweet and savory mochi waffles, which are made from chewy rice cakes characteristic to Japanese and Hawaiian cuisines. The cafe offers 11 different topping combos, ranging from fruit, cream and nuts to crispy pickles, popcorn chicken, mango salsa or even Korean-style pulled pork.
Drisana recommends the bingsu, a milk-based Korean shaved ice flavored with ingredients like fresh fruit, lychee puree and even candy or cereal. The cafe also offers drinks including lattes, milk tea with boba and a wide variety of loose leaf tea.
So far Aloha Cafe has been met with a warm reception from the community. Drisana notes there’s nothing else like it in Blaine: “There’s a Thai place and a new Indian place, but [we’re the] first boba shop and Asian-fusion place,” she continued.
And as for folks in the rest of Whatcom County? Drisana said if you know Super Duper Teriyaki, then “you know we love good food. It’s the same over here — it’s good food too.”
Aloha Cafe is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday and Wednesday–Saturday, 9 a.m to 7 p.m. Sunday and closed Tuesday at 684 Peace Portal Drive, Suite A. Info: alohacafeblainewa.com.
