Penny Cha, A Bubble Tea Shop, Opens Its Doors In Stamford

STAMFORD, CT — Stamford welcomed in a new business on Friday, as Penny Cha, a bubble tea shop offering delicious, handcrafted beverages, officially opened its doors with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Located at 79 Atlantic St., and nestled in Kiwanis Park, Penny Cha features a variety of fresh fruit and milk bubble teas. Also known as Boba, the "bubbles" are chewy tapioca pearls.

Menu highlights include strawberry fruit tea made with Penny Cha’s signature black tea blend and handmade strawberry syrup; a creamy Thai milk tea delight made with Thai tea and fresh milk and paired with in-house boba; a pineapple boba tea with brown sugar syrup; and the pairing of matcha and strawberry tea with boba pearls.

Premium hot teas are also available, and customers can customize their drinks with milk foam, oat milk or almond milk.

Owned by husband and wife duo Michael and Veronica McKeown, the two moved to Stamford from New York City in 2020.

"At the time there was only one boba tea shop [here]. In New York City there were a ton and we were so used to having that," Veronica said.

With a desire to fill a void in the Stamford food scene, Michael, who has a background as a corporate lawyer, and Veronica, who previously worked in marketing, decided to open their own business.

They began searching for a space in 2022 and found one in 79 Atlantic St., the site of a former smoke shop, which is steps away from the Palace Theatre.

"We moved here about three years ago and we were long-term lovers of the product. We wanted to bring a very fresh product of bubble tea to the industry, to the city, and we really wanted to make this a place for the community," Michael said.

The name "Penny Cha," and the logo, were inspired by the couple's Chow Chow, Penny. Bubble tea is rooted in Taiwanese culture, and "cha" is the Chinese word for tea.

The business is driven by quality and community, Michael noted.

Fruit juices and syrups are made with fresh fruit in-house with less than three ingredients. The Boba pearls are also handmade in-house using two ingredients, 100 percent tapioca starch and water.

Mayor Caroline Simmons was in attendance for the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, along with members of the Stamford Chamber of Commerce.

"This is a wonderful addition to Kiwanis Park and our downtown area," Simmons told Patch. "They make all their tea from fresh fruit, and it's a wonderful addition to this gathering space where we want people to be able to enjoy a tea and enjoy Kiwanis Park and walk around downtown. It's just great to see a wonderful local business that's creating jobs and opportunities and vibrancy to our downtown."

The business plans on partnering and collaborating on special deals with Palace Theatre ticket holders. They also will accept meal plan dollars from Uconn-Stamford.

Penny Cha is offering a buy one, get one free promotion for the rest of October, too.

Additionally, those who purchase tea at Penny Cha and post a photo on Instagram with a special hashtag will have a chance to win free bubble tea for a week.

Penny Cha will be open from noon to 8 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. Delivery is expected to be available on Uber, Grubhub and Doordash.

For more information, check out Penny Cha's website or follow them on Instagram.