This colorful grab-and-go cafe makes no mystery of its specialty: Java Bubbles Tea House is serious about its signature mixes of fruit, sugar, ice and sweet condensed milk. Offering more than 50 beverages, including smoothies, milk teas, fruit-flavored teas, hot teas and specialty drinks like salted prune juice and soda with ice, the cafe can quench all manner of liquid cravings, no matter how tart or sweet.

The coffee latte with bubbles, pearl-sized balls of tapioca, and the honey green tea with chewy cubes of herb jelly top the popularity list. Fruit flavors include passion fruit, kiwi, strawberry, coconut, lychee, mango and watermelon, as well as more exotic fruits like soursop and jack fruit.

While the bubble tea posters displayed in the window will likely be what lure you inside, you won't leave disappointed if you're looking for more solid options, with both an overflowing basket of muffins, croissants and brownies, and a short menu of hot options on hand. The house specialty is the banh mi sandwich, thin slices of pickled carrots, daikon, onions, cilantro and your choice of BBQ pork, beef or chicken, though on a recent visit a small crowd of regulars all swore by the savory beef stew.

A smattering of tables and booths fill the airy space, with canary yellow walls and a noisy TV making it easy to tune out while you sip to your heart's content. All bubble teas and smoothies cost $2.95, $3.50 with tapioca pearls. Hot food options range from $2.50 to $3.75.

Centerstage Reviewer: Kate Rockwood