Tsaocaa brings Korean fried chicken, boba and bubble waffles to Baton Rouge

Pronounced “chow cha,” Tsaocaa recently opened its first Baton Rouge location, bringing Korean fried chicken, bubble tea and bubble waffles to the area.

The national chain’s newest location is on Perkins Road, inside the Acadian Perkins Plaza Shopping Center. Specializing in bubble tea and Asian-inspired bites, the spot gives locals a place to grab a drink, a bite to eat or settle in for an afternoon of studying. 

While the restaurant originated in New York, the Baton Rouge location is the third in Louisiana, following locations in New Orleans and Chalmette. It’s currently operating under special hours from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

For 22-year-old manager Sally Li, opening the restaurant has been a crash course in the restaurant business. Li, who is also a student pilot at Gulf Coast Aviation, was brought on about two months into construction to help bring the space to life.

“I love boba and fried chicken, so when I was given the opportunity to work as manager here, I took it because I was like, free boba,” Li says. 

Her personal favorite menu items are the brown sugar boba drink and the pistachio salted cream latte. 

“It’s like drinking a cake out of a straw,” she says. 

Other drinks include coconut lattes, yogurt slushes and a caffeine-free milk swirl that Li says is popular with kids. 

The strawberry matcha mochi is another standout, featuring mochi made in-house with rice for a chewy, milky addition to the strawberry and matcha flavors. 

The restaurant’s Korean fried chicken is marinated overnight, lightly battered and seasoned before being fried. Customers can choose to order 10 or 20 pieces of boneless chicken or classic wings with sauces on the side. Flavors include soy garlic, honey garlic, sweet and spicy, hot and spicy and a sweet cheesy dry rub, which Li described as a sweeter take on a traditional cheese seasoning.

For something sweeter, customers can try Tsaocaa’s bubble waffles. The name comes from their bubble-like appearance, resulting in a crispy outside with an eggy, milky flavor on the inside. They come in flavors including original, matcha, peach, red bean and chocolate.

Although Li never managed a restaurant before, she grew up watching her parents run them. They own Takumi in Denham Springs and Tadashi in Walker, and have helped Li with everything from scouting the location to finding contractors. 

She also spent two weeks at Tsaocaa’s New York headquarters for training and learning how to run the store and prepare its drinks.

When choosing the location, Li wanted something close to LSU’s campus and in a busy area that would attract both students and locals. With its outdoor patios and seating, the space stood out as a perfect place for customers to study, work and hang out. 

During the week, the space sees students with headphones in, working and studying, with families and children filling the space on weekends. 

The inside atmosphere is intentionally relaxed, with minimal colors and a cozy feel. 

“I wanted something very slow and like a jazz vibe. We play a lot of Lana Del Ray and Arctic Monkeys and stuff like that,” Li says.

One of the more personal touches can be found along the walkway toward the bathroom, where a large painting of Li’s dog, Hazel, next to a cup of boba sits.

“I was looking through my camera roll, and I found my dog’s picture, and I was like, ‘I need to have this,’” Li says. 

Before Tsaocaa moved in, the space was home to Jabby’s Pizza. One of Li’s favorite memories from the construction process was helping remove the restaurant’s massive commercial pizza oven. 

“We had to hammer it down completely,” Li says. “It was like one of those rage rooms.” 

Now, instead of pizza, the space is filled with the smell of freshly made waffles, and business has been busy since its opening. Li says the restaurant sells out of fried chicken during the week, and recommends coming earlier to secure an order. She also recommends ordering the chicken ahead, especially during peak times. 

As she balances opening the restaurant with her flight training, she says the experience has been hectic, but rewarding. 

“I love how much support we’ve been getting from everybody, people coming in and trying it out, and then coming back and returning for it and all that,” she says.