6 Spots to Try Matcha Croissants, Boba Sundaes and More Asian Flavors

Asian flavors are everywhere. These Midwest bakeries and boba shops will make you feel Eastward bound with creative takes on Asian confections and drinks.

Cafe Mochiko, Cincinnati

A bakery by day and restaurant by night, Cafe Mochiko puts a modern, playful twist on traditional flavors. (Cincinnati-Style Ramen with warm chili broth and a heap of shredded cheddar? Genius.) Co-owner Elaine Uykimpang Bentz says, "We make items that are representative of my own upbringing as an Asian American." Order: Ube Halaya Croissant, filled with purple yam jam

Harmony Tea Shoppe, Indianapolis

Step into bubble tea bliss (or rather, sip it through a straw) at Harmony Tea Shoppe's multiple metro Indy locations. Quality rules here. Teas are sweetened with a special-recipe cane sugar syrup; the boba (tapioca pearls) are cooked fresh every few hours; and you can add fruits such as avocado, pomelo, coconut, mango and watermelon. Each outpost has other offerings, too, such as ramen, poke bowls or mochi doughnuts. Order: Caramel Bubble Milk Black Tea with Dark Brown Sugar

Bimi Bakery, Lawrence, Kansas

Ayako Mizumura says that when she first began selling Japanese sweets, she wasn't sure how the unique textures and flavors would be received. Turns out, well. A decade later, Bimi Bakery is a Lawrence fixture, selling confections such as mochi and steamed buns, flavored or filled with ingredients like chestnuts, cinnamon, matcha and sweet red bean paste. Order: Matcha Galaxy Cookies, decorated with freeze-dried fruits and salted cherry blossoms

Mi-Sant Banh Mi Company, Brooklyn Park + Roseville, Minnesota

Sisters Linh and Kim Nguyen, with Kim's husband, Quoc Le, specialize in sweet croissants and savory sandwiches on both baguettes and croissants—baked goods that reflect the legacy of French colonization in Vietnam. Why are they so good? Le learned from the best: His parents own Trung Nam French Bakery, a St. Paul staple since 1989. Order: The Mi-Sant Special banh mi—grilled pork, Chinese barbecue pork, fried egg, vegetables and mayonnaise on a baguette

Tea and Crepe, Fargo + Grand Forks, North Dakota

Yes, there's tea (boba, of course). And yes there are crepes (topped with Pocky, if you like, no less). But Tea and Crepe also has Thai rolled ice cream, a treat some people call stir-fried ice cream because it's prepared quickly on a metal pan—liquid ice cream flash-frozen, then scraped into rolled cylinders. Order: Cheesecake Delight crepe, with whipped cream cheese, blueberry jam, almonds and more

White Wolf Japanese Patisserie, Clawson, Michigan

The founding chef at White Wolf honed his French-meets-Japanese pastry skills under Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto, and it shows. The matcha crepe cake is a stunner—striped layers of green tea mousse and tender crepes—but don't sleep on the tiramisu. Order: Shokupan, fluffy milk bread made with centuries-old techniques