Food Stuff

A mug of steaming coffee might be welcome on a chilly morning, but it doesn’t hold a lot of appeal when the weather is skirting triple digits. A refreshing option for getting that daily caffeine dose is with an icy drink at Zodiac Tea and Cafe. Zodiac is not Sacramento’s first tapioca house—where coffee, tea and fruity drinks are blended with ice and served with chewy, sweet, black tapioca balls—but it is likely the first that is authentically in the style of Taiwan, where the drinks originated 20 years ago. Drinks are made to order from Taiwanese ingredients, and the brightly colored cafe features a karaoke machine as further evidence of authenticity. The cafe helpfully developed a specialty drink for each of the 12 Zodiac signs, providing an easy out for folks confounded by the menu’s 110 options for seeking relief from the summer heat. 2100 16th Street in Sacramento, (916) 558-2799.