A new gelato-and-tea concept called CILO Lab has opened its doors at Bellevue Connection, taking over the storefront that Taiwanese boba chain Don't Yell at Me vacated at 550 106th Avenue Northeast, Suite 150. The shop held its grand opening the weekend of September 12–13, pairing Italian gelato technique with Asian tea culture in a downtown Bellevue retail corridor that has seen plenty of turnover lately.
According to Downtown Bellevue Network, CILO Lab describes itself as a modern gelato and tea concept that turns thoughtfully sourced ingredients into distinctive scoops and sips. Don't Yell at Me had operated out of the same storefront since 2024 before closing, and the outgoing chain itself carries an international pedigree — it was established in Taiwan in 2016, with Jeff Huang identified as its founder, building a brand known for minimalist cafe design and layered floral tea drinks, according to Snowball.
The new shop makes its gelato on site and rotates flavors with the seasons, currently offering sea salt lemon, pistachio, London fog, da hong pao, Uji matcha and jasmine cloud, served in cups or waffle bowls, per the same account. CILO Lab sources its matcha from Uji, Japan — a region known for green tea production — and also works with Taiwanese high-mountain oolong, Japanese sencha and Yunnan pu-erh, using organic ingredients throughout its menu of tea, coffee and blended drinks.
Floats, Affogatos and a Cheese-Foam Smoothie
Much of the menu leans into the shop's gelato-tea hybrid identity. Customers can turn any beverage on the menu into a float with a scoop of gelato, and standout combinations include an Uji matcha latte float paired with Uji matcha gelato, an Uji matcha einspanner float served with jasmine cloud gelato, and a mango jasmine green tea float. The report also notes a brown sugar pearl milk drink, a creme brulee latte, standard and jasmine cloud espresso affogatos, and a strawberry smoothie topped with cheese foam. CILO Lab is running a promotion offering a second item free with any purchase, and the shop is open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
A Building in the Middle of a Bigger Shakeup
CILO Lab's arrival lands inside a commercial complex undergoing real change. Bellevue Connection was originally built in 1999 as the 11-screen Bellevue Galleria movie theater before being converted into a 227,811-square-foot mixed-use office and retail complex in 2008, and it was acquired off-market in December 2019 by Unico Properties and Partners Group, according to Unico Properties. The property, a mixed-use building along 106th Avenue Northeast, houses a mix of restaurant and retail tenants alongside Men's Wearhouse, and it sits along Bellevue's official Grand Connection, a city-designated pedestrian corridor planned to link Meydenbauer Bay Waterfront Park with downtown commercial districts and the Bellevue Transit Center, as previously reported by Hoodline.
Street-level restaurant turnover at Bellevue Connection has been recurring in recent years. Luxury Japanese steakhouse Itadaki Yakiniku closed at the property in August 2026 after less than two years, following the earlier departures of COCO Asian Cuisine Izakaya-Sushi Bar in 2022 and Tap House Grill in 2015. Multi-level anchor tenant LA Fitness also permanently closed its facility there in November 2020 after failing to reach lease renewal terms with Unico Properties and Partners Group. Not every recent move has been a departure, though: BA Artisan Bakehouse, which specializes in breads and baked goods, opened at the property in January 2026, and Scandinavian-Japanese coffee shop and indoor play space Fox & Kit — which debuted in San Rafael, California, in 2018 — plans to open its first Washington location next to Itadaki Yakiniku's former space.
Office Space Above Sits Largely Empty
Above the retail level, the building's office tenancy has also shifted. Video game developer Bungie put 210,984 rentable square feet — nearly all of its headquarters office space at Bellevue Connection — up for sublease in September 2026 following workplace restructuring and remote work shifts, according to Downtown Bellevue Network. Whether that reduced daytime office density, combined with the ground-floor turnover along 106th Avenue Northeast, affects daily foot traffic for boutique dessert and tea shops like CILO Lab remains to be seen.
Unico Properties did complete a multi-phase exterior and retail facade modernization of the complex in 2022, designed by ZGF Architects and Venture General Contracting, which replaced storefront entrances along 106th Avenue Northeast. CILO Lab customers can also get three hours of validated parking in the Bellevue Connection parking garage.
Joining a Crowded Boba Scene
CILO Lab enters a downtown Bellevue market already stocked with bubble tea options, including HEYTEA at The Bravern, Chicha San Chen in Bellevue Square, Molly Tea Bellevue and Teabydo at Belgate Plaza. Seattle's annual U District Boba Fest in April 2024 showcased dozens of regional and global Asian tea operators, according to Curiocity.
Asian residents represent the city's largest racial demographic at 42.8%, according to 2024 U.S. Census Bureau data. CILO Lab is offering Asian tea and fusion dessert concepts in the city.
