This fall, West Palm Beach’s food and drink community will welcome what promises to be Palm Beach County’s definitive spot for high-quality teas. Called Arya Tea Bar, this new tea house is opening at 508 Clematis Street.
Behind Arya Tea Bar is owner Sophie DeWaal. For DeWaal, the new teahouse brand represents a new chapter, but one that draws on a lifelong love of tea.
“I was an investment banker in New York for the last ten years,” DeWaal said. “I was somebody who had only drunk tea my whole life, and as I was doing my job—flying around the world, thirty years old—I was meeting all these clients and noticing that tea was becoming more and more of an interest. Matcha and bubble tea has been blowing up, of course. But for me, it was personal: for so long, I didn’t have any options.”
The problems with a lot of the tea on the market? Consistency, DeWaal says. And questionable ingredients.
“I’m someone who just thinks, for everything you eat, you should have the option to have high-quality ingredients, and not be taking in 1000 calories in a single drink. You should be able to have something that tastes good without sugar.”
And so Arya Tea Bar (named after DeWaal’s horse—a story from another part of DeWaal’s life, when she was a competitive show jumper!) was conceived. Opening this November, it will feature a three-part menu: a section for matcha drinks, a section for jasmine tea-based fruit refreshers, and a section for classic teas (black tea, earl gray, hibiscus, etc.), which will also include milk teas and boba teas. There will also be a selection of baked goods and other cafe-style bites.
With about ten seats apiece inside and outside, Arya Tea Bar has a vibe that is Palm Beach-inspired, DeWaal says.
“It’s designed to be light, bright, and airy. It’s meant to be a place that puts a smile on your face when you come in, makes you want to connect and talk to people. It’s very much designed to be a third space.”
You can keep up with all things Arya Tea Bar by following @aryateabar on Instagram.
