With all the activities occurring throughout a typical busy school week, Harrisites often resort to cafes and eateries for a quick lunch, one of which is Anda Cafe. This corner cafe is gaining recognition at Townsend Harris due to its relatively inexpensive prices and accessibility.
For some, the Anda Cafe is a great location to hang out with friends, especially on half-day Fridays when there are “less school obligations and less rush,” said junior Pragya Sharma. For others, the Anda Cafe serves as a regular lunch stop after school or before their club meetings. Most Harrisites get to Anda Cafe by taking the Q44 bus for two stops, northbound to the Bronx Zoo. Pragya said the ride “takes ten minutes at most, and there is practically no walking involved, so it is a convenient route.”
The modest cafe has many fan favorite orders, but few leave without boba in hand. THHS Alumni Vraja Guillen said, “My go-to order is a large taro milk tea with bubbles, 0% added sugar, and 50% ice. I like to savor my drinks, [so] too much ice would water it down.” Other Harrisites were delighted by the Yakult punch drinks and flavor fruit teas, but all agreed that one of the cafe’s highlights is the large boba cups. “In my opinion, the large [boba cups are] very worth the price of $6.50,” said junior Tiffany Lee. Meanwhile, senior Noemirose Enriquez said, “You can’t go wrong with Thai tea.” Junior Carrie Leung says that she typically gets the fries combo and switches the drink for yakult peach.
However, some students aired apprehensions concerning the comparatively small space which they fear may allow for greater risk of exposure to COVID-19. Pragya said, “I know [available space] isn’t really a factor they can change on a whim since bigger venues are more expensive, but the place can have a bit of a restricting feel at times. I can recall that the day of the first S!NG showing had Anda packed with many people. It was concerning since there was no room to distance yourself.”
Other students were content with the staff’s pandemic precautions. Tiffany observed that Anda Cafe “is as COVID-conscious as most cafes near Townsend get.” Junior Sameeha Khan also pointed out that Anda Cafe staff members “require vaccination cards to dine in and wear masks while preparing food.”
Some Harrisites expressed that another shortcoming associated with the lack of space was the manner in which food is prepared. Junior Lyanne Xu mentioned that “the way they prepare our food is very out in the open, which makes me a little uncomfortable.” Another con identified by Harrisites was the credit card minimum. Vraja said, “You must spend at least $10 to pay with a card. That is really inconvenient for customers that want to order one drink.”
Nevertheless, most interviewed students gave the Anda Cafe a good rating. Sameeha said, “Their bubble tea is very affordable and doesn’t taste like cheap boba. Their sushi rolls also taste relatively fresh.” Lyanne added, “Anda Cafe’s large-sized drinks are larger than those of other bubble tea places, so that is one of their best menu items.”
Art by Andy Chen
