New Pop-Up Brings Boozy Boba to Houston [Updated]

Update: Keung has reached out to Eater to say that this event has been postponed. Makeup date has not yet been announced.

Houston will soon be privy to a pop-up of alcoholic boba drinks — all thanks to Kickstarter. Los Angeles boozy boba master Elton Keung is invading the River Oaks location of Mint Thai Kitchen (at 540 Waugh Dr.) later this week with his take on boba that is strictly for the 21+ set.

Keung is the proprietor of Labobatory, a boba shop in LA focused on unique flavors. He ran a Kickstarter campaign last fall; the reward for pledging $10,000 to the cause was having Keung travel to the city of the pledger and hosting a pop-up for a handful of weeks. Keung is headed to Houston because Mint Thai Kitchen’s owner, Chavin Veranunt, is a friend — a friend who pledged the right amount.

The time for Keung to deliver on that reward is now. Friday the 13th is the soft launch, with the first official boozy boba night being Saturday the 14th. The alcoholic boba pop-up will run until the 21st. See the Facebook event page for exact details and timing.

Keung can be credited with essentially creating alcoholic boba; he opened a boozy boba speakeasy in LA back in 2011. For Mint Thai Kitchen, he’s planning on focusing mostly on soju as the base. He also says that his approach to his menu is also improved — he’ll check out the bar at the restaurant, see what’s available, and go from there. He anticipates that the drinks will cost somewhere in the $7-$9 range, with definitely nothing over $10.

This pop-up marks Keung’s first time venturing out of Los Angeles with his wares. After Houston, he’ll be popping up with his boozy boba in Boston.