After five years, Happy Lemon has closed its doors.
From its opening in July 2021, the bubble tea shop brought an assortment of lemon-infused teas and milk teas to Evanston. It quickly became an Evanston favorite, and was the winner of Best of Evanston’s “Best Boba” category in 2024.
The store is best known for its salted cheese foam that could be put on top of any drink and its creamy milk teas. Besides the teas, the establishment on Chicago Avenue offered bubble waffles, smoothies and lemon-yellow decor that brightened customers’ day.
After getting into Northwestern, I visited Evanston over the summer to anticipate what the next four years would be like. After a long swim at Clark Street Beach, Happy Lemon’s refreshing lemon jasmine green tea with extra boba was the perfect drink. The tangy citrus flavor and chewy tapioca balls was a wonderful addition to my day as I sipped and walked along the Lakefill. I couldn’t wait to start the school year with Happy Lemon just a couple blocks south of campus.
Unfortunately, Happy Lemon closed just a month after my visit in August, with the sign saying that it was taking a “short break” for redesign. My hopes were dashed in September, when the storefront officially closed down with a handwritten whiteboard sign that said “Bye Bye.”
As Evanston residents mourn the loss of this beloved bubble tea shop, I mourn that feeling from summer, where the sand stuck between my toes and the smell of sea mist in my damp hair lingered. Everything was perfect, and Happy Lemon, to me, was a little snippet of what NU had to offer.
Email: [email protected]
Related Stories:
