Aloha Cafe, downtown Blaine’s latest establishment, started serving mochi waffles and milk tea, among other specialty treats on Friday, August 2.
Co-owners Drisana and John Horton, who live in Birch Bay, said they had always wanted to open a cafe, and saw the Blaine storefront as a place where they could create a gathering space for families like their own.
“I hope the café brings community together and spreads aloha to everyone,” Drisana Horton said.
The cafe’s Asian fusion menu is inspired by the Hortons’ Filipino, Korean and Hawaiian heritage.
“It’s a blend of our family into this café,” Drisana Horton said. “That’s what inspired this menu, and all of the things our kids love.”
Aloha Cafe’s menu highlights waffles made from mochi, a chewy glutinous rice cake from Japan, that are vegan and gluten free as plain. The waffles can be made sweet – such as the #1 with strawberries, bananas, Nutella, almond clusters and toasted coconut – or savory – like the #10 with spicy Korean pulled pork, Asian coleslaw, gochujang sauce, radish microgreens and toasted sesame.
The cafe also sells Hawaiian shaved ice and bingsu, Korean shaved ice made with milk and topped with sweets. Along with popcorn chicken and pulled pork waffles, the menu has milk teas with optional toppings, such as boba and lychee coconut jelly, as well as specialty drinks like the cherry blossom or blue lychee. Loose leaf tea, flavored tea and lattes are also served.
The Hortons also own Super Duper Teriyaki in south Bellingham, and said they saw no better time to open the cafe than now, a few years after acquiring the teriyaki restaurant. The Hortons have been in the restaurant industry since purchasing Super Duper Teriyaki, which happened by chance when John Horton heard the former owner was planning to close the restaurant.
John Horton said the cafe started from his family’s love for cooking.
“Our home kitchen was like a restaurant,” he said.
The Hortons said they wanted their eight children, ages four to 18, to be involved in the new cafe. John Horton and the eldest son will continue running Super Duper Teriyaki, while the rest of the family focuses on the new business.
“I want to help people get out of their comfort zone and explore something different,” John Horton said. “Blaine needs this kind of thing.”
Aloha Cafe is located at 684 Peace Portal Drive, suite A. The cafe is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and Monday, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday, and closed Tuesday. For more information, visit alohacafeblainewa.com or call the cafe at 360/933-1047.
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