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CILO Lab Replaces Don't Yell At Me
It’s a well-known fact that downtown Bellevue has countless boba shops. From the perpetually long line at HeyTea to the authentic background of CHICHA San Chen and Molly Tea, nearly a dozen choices already exist within five miles. So, it’s especially shocking when a new boba place opens up amidst all the competition, and even more so when it replaces a previous competitor.
CILO Lab held its grand opening ceremony in mid-September 2026 and joined The Bellevue Connection’s mix of offices and restaurants. The store has a wide, open-air front facing the plaza, and customers can sit outside in the plaza or inside the store to enjoy their treat. It sits in the spot a previous boba chain—Don’t Yell at Me—had occupied for over two years. Though, unlike its predecessor, CILO Lab isn’t strictly a boba store. It adds a certain twist to its menu.
The main attractions at CILO Lab are undoubtedly its gelato and milk teas. Any drink can become a float by adding a scoop of gelato, and the names of the gelatos, namely “Duck Shit,” are unique and eye-catching.
Junior Josephine Chen and I decided to get the Crème Brûlée Fresh Milk Tea and the Uji Matcha Smoothie. Unfortunately, their best-selling drink, the Biscoff Cookie Fresh Milk Tea, was out of stock.
“The Uji Matcha was really visually appealing with good texture, but it tasted a bit watered down… that might be due to me choosing the sugar free option though,” Chen said.
The gelato was a unique blend of creamy and fruity flavors mixed with a rich tea taste. The Jasmine Cloud gelato is a top seller and is fancy break from the typical strawberry or chocolate flavors seen at most gelato stores.
“Who knew that tea tastes so good with gelato? It’s not fresh-churned, top tier gelato but it’s also not too sweet and pretty good,” Chen said.
Overall, CILO Lab is a type of boba store that’s never been seen before in the Bellevue area, blending milk tea, gelato and matcha. Its gelato flavors are a must-try, since they aren’t found anywhere else in downtown Bellevue, though for quality boba it might be a better idea to head to a more specialized shop like CHICHA.
