Tucked inside Fushimi Market in Manhattan, Myōri does not look like the kind of place people travel across state lines for. It is a small counter inside a Japanese supermarket. No sprawling dining room. No elaborate signage. No traditional restaurant setup. And yet, people from New Jersey regularly make the trip just for drinks and desserts they cannot find anywhere else in Manhattan.
That rarity is exactly what makes Myōri feel special.
Founded by former NYC public school art teacher Ita Christian, Myōri was born during a moment of uncertainty after the pandemic, when the city was slowly waking back up and people were trying to rediscover rhythm, joy, and routine again.
“I wanted to do something where I could continue to create and bring joy to everyone,” Ita says. “A space where people could stop in between their newly found busy days since offices were starting to come back and enjoy something that makes them happy.”
The opportunity came when Fushimi Market opened and offered the front counter space for drinks.
At first, the menu was small. “They consisted of our Barista Favorites, Summer Refreshers, and Shaved Ice only,” Ita explains. But even then, traces of Indonesia were quietly finding their way into the drinks. “Although they were not niched as Indonesian drinks or desserts, some of the ingredients we used were of Indonesian origins and the flavors were partly influenced by Southeast Asian Islander flavors.”
Looking back now, Ita sees it clearly.
“That just goes to show how strongly my identity as a person who grew up in Indonesia affected my work.” Over time, the menu naturally evolved into something much more personal: a celebration of Indonesian dessert culture in New York City.
For many New Yorkers, dessert drinks often begin and end with boba. Myōri introduces an entirely different world of flavors and textures that have existed across Indonesia for generations. “I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to introduce an alternative dessert drinks into the city population,” Ita says.
What makes the menu stand out is not just the rarity of the dishes, but the amount of craftsmanship behind every single component. “These Indonesian items were all made in-house from scratch.” Palm sugar syrup starts as solid blocks of sugar before being melted down into syrup. The cendol, the chewy pandan tapioca strands commonly found in Indonesian desserts, begins as raw flour.
“We combine three different plant-based flours, cook them into a gel-like consistency, and turn them into cendol.” The process is deeply labor-intensive, especially in a city where Indonesian specialty products are still difficult to source. “The success of the Indonesian menu depends 100% on our own craftsmanship.”
That challenge created an interesting balance between tradition and creativity.
“I try to stay true to tradition within the ingredient limitations,” Ita explains. “Inventions come in as a way to handle sourcing limitations in a creative way without sacrificing authenticity.”
That creativity becomes obvious the second the drinks arrive at the counter.
Myōri’s colorful layered beverages feel almost painterly, which makes sense considering Ita’s background in art education. “How I choose to present these Indonesian products in ways that are more visually appealing comes as a part of my creative self as an artistic person.”
The drinks are vibrant, playful, and intentionally designed to feel uplifting.
Butterfly Pea flowers create dreamy shades of blue and purple throughout the refreshers. Rose-infused spring drinks bloom with floral notes inspired by flavors Ita grew up with in Indonesia. “Back when I was an art teacher, we experimented with natural dye,” Ita says. “A similar idea applies when I’m experimenting at Myōri.”
That same artistic experimentation led to one of their most eye-catching drinks: the Blue Sky Refresher. “Mixed with a splash of milk, the Butterfly Pea tea makes a beautiful light blue color.” Add lemon juice, and the tea transforms into purple for the Purple Sunset Refresher.
For Ita, visual presentation and flavor are never competing priorities. “It’s not an option of whether to choose visual or taste,” she says. “It’s a matter of finding ways to get to a good balance.”
That balance helped Myōri gain viral attention after collaborating with Indomie, the beloved Indonesian instant noodle brand. “We landed a collab with Indomie and went viral on social media platforms as the only outlet in Manhattan area to carry Indonesian dessert drinks and Indomie.”
But beyond the visuals and social media attention, what stays with people is the feeling behind the experience. The Spring Specials, for example, were intentionally designed as “mood-booster drinks” to welcome people out of winter and into brighter days. “I wanted the flowers to actually taste like flowers,” Ita says.
The floral ingredients imported from Indonesia became part nostalgia, part storytelling.
For New Yorkers discovering Indonesian desserts for the first time, Ita hopes the experience expands how people think about dessert culture entirely. “Dessert drinks doesn’t always have to be boba milk tea,” she says. “There are options from a different part of this earth that’s been enjoyed for many many generations.”
That perspective is part of what makes Myōri feel refreshing in Manhattan’s crowded food scene. It is not trying to imitate trends. It is quietly introducing people to something deeply personal, handmade, and culturally rooted.
And perhaps the most New York part of the story is this: one of the city’s most memorable dessert experiences is hiding in plain sight inside a supermarket counter most people would walk right past.
“What I hope,” Ita says, “is that they leave our counter happy.” At Myōri, that feels almost guaranteed.
