A new-to-Airdrie tea shop, featuring trendy drinks and delightful eats that will have you coming back for more, is here to deliver cozy, blissful vibes for the whole family.
Lois + Ani Tea Shop opened its doors in May on Railway Avenue. It’s best known for its extensive bubble tea menu, but also offers coffee, treats and more.
Sofia Diaconu owns the shop with her longtime best friend, Maria Theresa Padua, along with their husbands, Albert Ancis and Edward Padua. They named the shop after their daughters, Lois and Ani.
“We have been received with a lot of support, a lot of love,” says Diaconu. “We see so much potential in Airdrie.”
It’s the second location for the business owners, as they already run a shop in Drumheller. The first location opened in 2022 and has been very successful, mostly serving young families and tourists passing through the dinosaur capital.
As a longtime Airdrie resident herself, Diaconu says opening a shop in Airdrie has been a dream of hers for several years. Airdrie offers a similar customer base, with a large percentage of the population being young families, so the focus was to create a family-friendly atmosphere.
“Bubble tea tends to be something a little more trendy for the younger generation, but we wanted to make our business a place where we could offer a little bit of something for everybody,” says Diaconu.
“Having parents there with their kids, just enjoying a drink and having some precious family time, slowing down and forgetting about the outside things, focusing in the moment — that was really our goal.”
The shop is open seven days a week and features cozy, oversized lounge chairs in earthy tones, surrounded by modern décor with ambient lighting, decorative mirrors and plants.
“We’re very conscious about the quality of our bubble tea and our drinks — it’s all real fruit and real fruit purée,” says Diaconu. “Our top sellers [include] classic brown sugar or black sugar boba, Oreo crumble, our peach mango slush and taro.”
If trendy drinks aren’t for you, visit the shop for the experience and a coffee. The owners took some time to expand and perfect the coffee menu for Airdrie’s shop, featuring locally roasted and freshly brewed coffee.
“It’s a place where you can feel relaxed and get top-notch customer service and, of course, top-quality product,” says Diaconu.
The pulled pork sandwich is a top-recommended, best-selling food item on the menu, featuring in-house slow-cooked pork with creamy, spicy bang bang sauce and fresh mozzarella on a toasted bun. Diaconu says it’s a favourite among parents and children, alike.
The menu also features corn dogs that are kicked up a notch and stuffed with cheese, as well as croissant waffles, mini donuts and, of course, an extensive drink menu featuring teas, coffee, boba and slushies.
For updates on menu items and seasonal hours, follow Lois + Ani on Instagram.
