When management at Onit Cafe learned that they were one of the nominees for the 2024 Best of Federal Way’s “Bubble Tea” category, it was only a few days before the winners were announced.
“It’s rewarding,” said Onit manager Joanne Park. “I know that the owners work really hard to not only provide the best service but also they like to innovate with menu items and make sure each item is good.”
And good they are.
Since opening in December 2021, Onit has become a favorite spot in Federal Way for studying, getting work done, going on dates and plain old enjoying some food and beverages.
With a delicious menu that not only has bubble tea (or boba tea, as some like to say), but also coffee, smoothies, tea, handmade macarons, cakes, croissants, delectable croffles — a hybrid of a croissant and a waffle — and a special Korean beverage called “Ade”, which is a mix of freshly-made fruit tea and sparkling water, Onit has made a name for itself as much more than a bubble tea shop.
Onit owners Youngwoon and Jihyun Hills, a married couple who moved to the United States from South Korea over a decade ago, were inspired to open the cafe after taking over their friend’s previous bubble tea shop and wanting to make a place that’s more unique than the other shops in Federal Way.
“My wife worked at a cafe in Korea for a long time and loves baking,” said Youngwoon Hill. “I was in the [Republic of Korea] Air Force and I got out to try to help my wife.”
One of Jihyun’s favorite menu items to make is the macarons, which she takes great pride in. Hill says that she likes to make them with more cream in the middle, making them bigger than regular macarons.
Along with Jihyun’s macarons, Onit’s croffles and croissant desserts are popular amongst customers, with the cafe’s Yelp profile being filled with aesthetically-pleasing photos of the food topped with fruit, chocolate, cream and more.
David, a St. Martin’s College student who works at Onit on the weekends says that a lot of the items on the menu are in-house, like the macarons and the ade. “We make our own cream cheese,” he said of the menu. “The Blueberry Croissant with cream cheese, that one’s popular, I like that one.”
Onit Cafe is located at 1066 South 320th Street in Federal Way, below the Uptown Square Apartments and is open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Delivery is available until 9:15 p.m. For more information, call 206-212-6463.
Handmade by co-owner Jihyun Hills, who likes to make unique desserts for customers, the macarons at Onit Cafe are a little bigger than normal. Photo by Bailey Jo Josie/Sound Publishing.
