Gong Cha Opening Locations in Boston's West End/Beacon Hill and at South Station

A growing chain of bubble tea shops is expanding further into the Boston area, opening a couple of new outlets in the heart of the city.

According to its website, Gong Cha is planning to open locations on Cambridge Street in the West End/Beacon Hill area and at South Station, joining a number of others in the region including ones nearby in Chinatown, the Back Bay, and by Northeastern University. Based on the other locations, expect to see such options as bubble tea, slush, and other tea beverages at the new shops.

The website for Gong Cha (which first started out in Taiwan in 2006) can be found at https://www.gongchausa.com/

[July 9 update: According to its website, the West End/Beacon Hill and South Station locations of Gong Cha are now open.]

(Follow Marc on Bluesky at @marchurboston.bsky.social)

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[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]

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Carvel Ice Cream Has Returned to South Station in Boston

A year and a half ago, a chain of ice cream shops closed its only Boston location, but it is now back in business.

According to a source (Sarah Wu), Carvel Express is open once again at South Station, and as was the case before, it is apparently sharing its space with Auntie Anne's. The ice cream shop had shut down around the late summer/early fall of 2020, as did Auntie Anne's (which features pretzels), which meant that at that time, the only remaining places in Massachusetts that were serving their products back then were Moe's Southwest Grill in Waltham and Shrewsbury, though there are now Carvel shops in Natick and Wrentham.

Carvel, which is based in Atlanta, first started out back in 1934. Their website is at https://www.carvel.com/

by Marc Hurwitz (Also follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston)

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[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]

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World’s Largest Key Lime Pie to Come to Boston's South Station February 5, 2015

A key lime pie is going to be coming to Boston early next month--but this isn't just any kind of key lime pie.

According to a post from BostInno, a trio of chefs from Key West, FL, are going to be creating the world's largest key lime pie on February 5, with the mammoth treat being set up in the main concourse of South Station. The article says that the pie will be nine feet in diameter and with a total weight of approximately 1,000 pounds, and it will yield nearly 2,000 servings. (Ingredients include 200 pounds of graham crackers, juice from 5,760 key limes, and 55 gallons of condensed milk.)

The key lime pie will be created at around 3:00 PM, with servings of the pie being offered around 4:00 PM.

Thanks to @FoodserviceEast for bringing this to our attention.

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