An international chain that is starting to make a splash in the United States has opened their second Garden State location just a stone’s throw from the Hudson River waterfront.
Meet Fresh recently launched their latest endeavor at 525 Washington Boulevard in Jersey City’s Newport neighborhood. The business is operating out of Space E on the building’s first floor near the escalator and replaces a Sweetberry Bowls outpost that closed last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The sweet shop was founded in 2007 by siblings who grew up in the Feng Yuan District of Taichung, Taiwan. The duo started crafting soft taro balls and delicate herbal jelly desserts using traditional processes they learned as part of a farming family that spanned several generations.
Meet Fresh now has more than 100 locations in Taiwan and over 25 American outposts. The company opened its first New Jersey spot in Edison during 2019 and is rapidly expanding their East Coast footprint, with planned locations in Queens, Philadelphia’s Chinatown neighborhood, and Brington Avenue in Boston.
Their cozy Jersey City space features both counter and tabletop seating alongside Asian-inspired décor. Meet Fresh’s menu includes several varieties of the aforementioned taro balls and shaved ice, a cold treat consisting of finely crushed ice shavings and sweet additions like mango milk, pudding and mochi, or taro paste.
Other unique items on Meet Fresh’s menu include an egg waffle, mung bean cakes, mochi, and both bubble and milk teas. The business allows customers to order on their app for pick-up and allocates reward points for every $1 spent. They are open daily from noon to 8 p.m.
Meet Fresh joins Just Salad, Chipotle, Gregory’s Coffee, Automat Kitchen, and Chinah as food options at 525 Washington Boulevard, an office complex connected to the Newport Mall. Besides the shuttering of Sweetberry Bowls, the facility has seen the closure of both a B. Good outpost and Kobeyaki over the last year.
