If your local tearoom made it through the last two years, raise a cup to perseverance. A bone-china cup, of course.
While the pandemic months from March 2020 until now have been challenging for all businesses in the hospitality sector, this time has been particularly difficult for tearooms, whose modus operandi is based on customers lingering … indoors … for a long time.
“For tea, you need the fine china, the sit-down, the atmosphere,” says Leena Lim, owner of Alameda’s Malaya Tea Room, which opened six months before the pandemic and was forced to shutter for 15 months.
But against all odds, many of these businesses, including Lim’s, found ways to survive, through web sales of tea, sidewalk service and even tea takeout boxes, a “me time” lunch that continues to be popular for those working from home.
Here’s a guide to seven of the Bay Area’s lovely sit-down tea service experiences and their stories of pandemic survival. Note that during this transitional period, many tearooms are specifying a minimum order and/or adding the gratuity to the bill. As always, reservations are required for two hours of tea and tranquility.
Malaya Tea Room, Alameda
House-made clotted cream. Calamansi-tinged curd. Velvety, pulled black tea.
These are the one-of-a-kind flavors of this Alameda tea room, which was an instant hit when it opened in 2019, just six months before the pandemic arrived. Malaysian owner Leena Lim had recreated the high tea of her childhood growing up during the British Malaya era, with rattan fans, tropical plants and yuk sung finger sandwiches alongside the smoked salmon and bittersweet marmalade.
“There was nothing like that here. It was all dolls and flowers,” Lim recalls. “The whole family comes here. People have work meetings. Makes me very happy when I see men having tea and enjoying the custom.”
That buzz died, when she was forced to close her doors and remained closed for a year. When customers began requesting to-go versions of her tea service, Lim created Afternoon Tea in a Box ($28), which comes with finger sandwiches, sweets, a savory canape, scone, curd and clotted cream that takes Lim two days to make. Each box includes black, green or herbal loose-leaf tea to make a pot. She still offers them.
In total, Lim offers 36 teas, including teh tarik, a small-batch, weekend-only milky Malaysian tea that is poured back and forth briskly from one cup to another — pulled tea, in other words — to create a frothy elixir. With a parklet “out of the question” due to highway-like traffic on Central Avenue, Lim added sidewalk seating for 10 when she reopened Malaya Tea Room in 2021.
Details: $28-$33 for dine-in ($20 for kids 10 and under). Open from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Thursday-Sunday, with seatings at 11 a.m., 1:15 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., at 920 Central Ave. in Alameda. Reservations strongly recommended. https://malayatearoom.com
Lisa’s Tea Treasures, Los Altos and Campbell
To the delight of customers, two of these lacy Victorian oases remain from the popular South Bay tearoom group launched in the 1980s. Although they are operated separately, they share many of the same tea service names (My Lady’s Respite, Duchess’ Delight), the same devotion to the 3-tiered tradition of freshly baked scones, savory tea sandwiches and dainty desserts — and the same aesthetic.
“People step into our tearoom and feel they are in a different world, a different era,” said Thao Nguyen, who co-owns the Los Altos parlor with Tim Pham.
During the pandemic, they were lucky enough to be able to take advantage of the Open Streets Los Altos program, which freed up street space for seven or eight tables. Nguyen said their loyal clientele ordered takeout boxes that she would gussy up with flowers and ribbons to impart a little of the tearoom ambiance
In Campbell, owner Dale Ann Johnson — who has been in the tea business for 25 years — had only recently opened at her new location when the pandemic restrictions hit.
“My absolutely wonderful customers made sure we would be back,” she said. “They purchased gift certificates, even though no one knew for sure when or even if we would reopen, supported our take-away teas and even dined outside on Winchester Boulevard without complaining about traffic. How can I ever thank them enough?”
Perhaps by keeping the hot pots of tea coming?
If you’re a first timer, try the proprietary Champagne Raspberry tea blend. That’s by far the most popular at both locations, Nguyen and Johnson say, noting that diners can’t resist the name.
Los Altos details: Open Wednesday-Sunday at 167 Main St., Los Altos; www.lisastealosaltos.com. For reservations, phone 650-209-5010.
Campbell details: Open Tuesday-Sunday at 2305 S. Winchester Blvd., Campbell. For reservations, phone 408-371-7377.
Blue Willow Teaspot, Berkeley
This hidden gem in the Gilman district of Berkeley specializes in the history, preparation and sipping of ethically-produced teas from Japan, China and Taiwan. Owner Ali Roth has studied with tea masters across Asia since she built and opened the tearoom in 2016.
She literally built it, from the bamboo and slate blue-painted walls to the tatami-mat Japanese room that can be reserved for tastings. Roth constructed the community table from a sanded-down slab of redwood. The counter space is the perfect spot to tuck into a flight of oolong or puerh teas ($15-$20) and mochi muffins. Look for rare teas, too, like awa bancha, a sour, lacto-fermented tea from Japan’s Tokushima Prefecture.
In March 2020 — amid the annual tea harvest — Roth closed Blue Willow. Like many business owners, she was forced to lay off staff and remain closed for more than a year. But her website, where she sells farmer-direct, single-origin teas and traditional pots and vessels, helped her business weather those challenges. Her lively tea tastings on Instagram helped, too.
“I think (the pandemic closure) spurred a lot of creativity,” says Roth, who reopened last May. “It gave us time to improve things and expand in a lot of ways.”
Roth says Blue Willow has been “exponentially busier” than it was before the pandemic. The tearoom is now open seven days a week, and the public and private tea tastings led by Roth are back, too.
Details: Open for reservations and walk-ins from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily at 1200 10th St., Berkeley; www.bluewillowtea.com
RoyalTEA Garden, Pleasanton
Open since June in the former English Rose tearoom, this Pleasanton tea parlour bills itself as “a relaxing garden vibe with a fun, lady-like ambiance.” It is Victorian, but with a modern vibe. Think crystal chandeliers, seasonal, locally sourced food and signs that declare things like “If it’s pink and sparkly I need it.”
Owner Gabby Agheli, who is also the proprietor of the Bacio Bistro & Bar next door, purchased the business from The English Rose owner in February 2019, with plans to refresh the space, bring on a Parisian chef and reopen the following month. It didn’t work out that way.
“By the time I was 100 percent ready, the lockdown happened,” Agheli recalls. She considered opening outdoors that summer, but felt that “most people are paying for the indoor ambiance.” So, she waited, opening last summer. “When it was show time, people just started rolling in.”
They come for one of three menu choices — Pretty Princess ($35, ages 8 and under), Queens Meal ($45) and Royal Dream ($60) — with seasonal soup or salad, tea sandwiches, savory hors d’oeuvres, like crab cakes or beef Wellington, and sweets such as carrot cake or macarons, all made in-house by the Parisian chef. Everyone gets a scone with all the fixings, too.
The tea list is long, with well over 100 green, herbal, black and flavored teas, like Christmas in a Cup and Jelly Belly jelly bean.
Details: Open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday at 163 W. Neal St., Pleasanton. Tea seatings are offered at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m Thursday-Sunday by reservation; www.royalteagarden.com.
Leland Tea Co., Burlingame
Founded by tea connoisseur Wil Otero, the Leland Tea Co. gives customers the opportunity to steep themselves in the tea experience by creating their own blend before sitting down to enjoy a cup.
He set up shop first in San Francisco and then a decade ago moved to the Peninsula, where the tea house and its patio are hidden in the heart of Burlingame. During COVID, that patio provided alfresco seating and his regulars kept ordering from him. However, he still had to close for a big portion of the pandemic.
During that time, he devoted himself to making meals for front-line responders.
“We would take food and tea orders to deliver to first responders, doctors and nursing homes, at all hours of the day and night,” he said, especially from midnight to 6 a.m. when vending machines might otherwise be the only option for hungry health-care professionals.
Which of his savories did they start requesting? The tuna sandwich, he said, which includes both tuna and salmon blended with mesquite spices, cream cheese, yogurt and saffron. It’s available as a tea selection and a la carte.
These days Otero is back to the business of blending and serving teas. The “Billie Holiday” green blend is described as a “refreshingly fragrant” jasmine. For the “Jamaican Bang” red tea, tropical fruits and herbs from three continents are combined. A cinnamon, clove and orange number was created specifically to “lift one’s spirits and rejuvenate the soul.” That’s called “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
The most popular is “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” or “Tiffany’s” for short, a blend of the Sri Lankan and Chinese styles of black tea that offers a full-bodied cup with a subtle floral taste.
Details: Tea lunch starts at $19, tea for two at $40. Noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday at 1223 Donnelly Ave., Burlingame, https://lelandtea.com/.
Tyme for Tea & Co., Fremont
“Going to afternoon tea is one of life’s little pleasures, and this place is a gem!” customer Nancy Cash enthused about Tyme for Tea in a Yelp posting.
Make that a multi-faceted gem — part tearoom, part antiques emporium. And it’s a jewel of a location — Fremont’s charming and historic Niles district.
Entrepreneur Jessica Rodriguez has owned and operated the place for 17 years. During COVID, she was able to use patio space to accommodate socially distanced sippers.
For her, every holiday presents a new opportunity. For Valentine’s Day there’s a “Cupid’s Touch” tea featuring chocolate dipped-strawberries and petit fours. The “Mother and Me” tea for Mother’s Day adds sparkle in the form of a Champagne cocktail to the savories and sweets. And the “Haunted Hotel Brew Ball” always features a devilish array of tea sandwiches along with pumpkin-spiced tea and scones.
More than 70 black, white, green, herbal, rooibos, blends and decaf teas are offered year-round. Among the intriguing options are Hibiscus Watermelon herbal tea, Chocolate Coconut Chai blended black tea and and Orange Blossom white tea.
Details: Tea and sandwiches or pastries, $28; Victorian tea, $35. Served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday, with retail store hours until 5 p.m. 37501 Niles Blvd., Fremont. www.tymefortea.com
Source: www.mercurynews.com