Recently, Blaine has become a hotbed of international cuisine. Baba Saj, a 24-hour shawarma and falafel spot with a drive-thru, came in hot in late 2025. Around the same time, Chelas X opened, serving Vietnamese and Latin tapas.
So when the team behind Eden Prairie’s Asia Mall set their sights on the former Becker Furniture Outlet Space in Northtown Mall for Asia Village, I wasn’t all that surprised. After a couple drives out to Blaine to scout it out, here’s how I would spend an afternoon at Asia Village.
Get Boba at OneZo
When you walk in, directly to your right, you’ll see Pho Mai Cafe, an offshoot of Vietnamese restaurant Pho Mai. Despite its name, this cafe doesn’t serve pho (though there is a Pho Mai Express in the food court that does). They serve boba, coffee, and mochi donuts.
It’s an ideal place for a boba spot; there’s a reason they put Starbucks near the front at Target. But here’s the trick: The back is where the better boba spot is at Asia Village. I tried the taro boba at Pho Mai Cafe and OneZo head-to-head, and OneZo’s take far outshines Pho Mai’s.
One thing that sets OneZo apart is that they make their tapioca pearls in house. It was a noticeable difference, with a bit more of a chewy and fresh texture. I ordered the taro with coconut milk, coconut cream, and ube boba ($7.65) for a caffeine-free option, but they also have classic flavors like lattes with brown sugar boba and strawberry matchas.
Walk Around the Grocery Store
Now that you have your boba, you’re ready to take a spin around the store. Where Asia Mall in Eden Prairie has extensive sections for produce, meat, and seafood, the grocery footprint at Asia Village is a bit smaller. Though there are over 10 freezers stocked full of dumplings in multiple parts of the store, the produce and meat options are more limited.
If you’re looking for a full grocery shopping experience, I’d hop over to Asia Mall. At Asia Village, it’s better to focus on procuring snacks you might not be able to get at American grocery stores. There are aisles of candy, cookies, and other Asian sweets. There are multiple chip aisles with flavors like steak wasabi, hot chili squid, and cucumber. I’m partial to the MikiTa Honeydew candies, Lays Hot & Spicy Hot Pot Flavored Chips, Ocean Bomb Bubble Milk Tea, and soybean juice (AKA milk) from Minn.
Hit the Beauty Store
The second floor is home to a playground, the only sit-down restaurant at Asia Village, and Beauty Lab, an Asian beauty store specializing in Japanese and Korean skincare. (An arcade with ample claw machines is also in the works.)
I’m a K-beauty aficionado, and this shop is full of great brands like SKIN1004, Beauty of Joseon, Torriden, and my personal favorite, Round Lab. In the back of the store, there’s an entire wall of face masks. Not sure which one is right for you? Ask one of the clerks for help. They’re knowledgeable and were happy to help my friend pick out something that was right for her.
Grab Lunch at the Food Court
One of the big differences between Asia Mall and Asia Village is that Asia Mall has more sit-down restaurants and Asia Village has a mall-style food court with more chains. There are currently 11 places to grab food and drinks, like Hokkaido Ramen House, which has a black garlic tonkosu ramen ($15.99) that would make even the most diehard garlic lover happy. Or there’s Dagu Rice Noodle, which slow-simmers a broth of pork, beef, and chicken bones for 12 hours and serves Yunnan Style Sour Soup ($15.99) with heaps of beef.
My favorite thing I tried was the spicy fried chicken wings at Chingu Korean Fried Chicken ($15.25). These were sticky, spicy, and just the right amount of sweet. Served with a side of white rice, they made for the perfect post-shopping snack. With plenty of places to grab lunch, I recommend doing what I saw most people do: Grab bites from a few places to share.
Get Dessert to Go
One of the most exciting openings at Asia Village is 85C Bakery & Cafe. This Taiwanese bakery chain serves up bread, pastries, cake, and coffee all day long. I got a handful of pastries, but the two that stood out were a seasonal strawberry salted butter bread ($3.25) that was filled with strawberry cream and just salty enough to distinguish itself from other strawberry desserts that often lean too sweet. Then, there was a Hokkaido custard bun ($2.55) that was squishy and puffy when I bit into it. It had a filling that reminded me of Krispy Kreme’s custard-filled donuts, just slightly less sweet. But the standout item was a mango creme brulee cake with layers of vanilla chiffon, mango mousse, and vanilla creme brulee. It was light and chock-full of mango flavor. Plus, at $4.35, it was a steal.
Plan to Go Back
Asia Village isn’t quite finished just yet. Later this year, the upstairs arcade area will open. When it does, I’ll be one of the first people back there to try to win a stuffed Minion at one of the claw machines—and I hope to see you there, too.
Asia Village
Address: 301 Northtown Dr., Blaine
Hours: Grocery hours from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily; restaurant and retail hours from 11 a.m. to 8 or 9 p.m. daily
