Very enjoyable venue for quietly working and drinking excellent tea!
Milk Sweet
Nice place with perfect views and good tea, the employees are so friendly and service so nice with customers and they gave us a small gift for out first time come here so I highly recommend this place if you want some peaceful time with your friends or your lover!
Dale
PROS: good tea, accommodating to vegans and vegetarians, good availability, decent food CONS: served nuts TWICE in one meal to two people with allergies, triggering a reaction which forced them to leave the restaurant. Tea Time refunded the meal for those two diners ($60 each), but it caused a lot of distress and ruined the rest of the day for the ones who had a reaction. I'm also pretty sure they served a non-vegan snack to the two vegans.
I understand if a restaurant is not set up to provide allergen-free meals, but they confirmed at booking that two of our party would be nut-free. We even asked about nuts in the second dish after the first one had nuts, and they assured us it had no nuts (it had nuts).
I wish I could give it a better review, because this is a cute little place, but this sort of gross negligence is dangerous for people with serious allergies. My advice is to tell allergic diners that the kitchen is not equipped to give them a safe experience, instead of promising a nut-free meal.
Darlene Markovich
I have a ritual! Once a week (or more) I go to Tea Time with friends. I keep going back because I love it — and this started more than 25 years ago! It’s a delightful way to enjoy conversation over fine tea and delicious tea sandwiches and scones! And I love the staff! Tim’s a great guy.
Mark Schue
Cute place nice atmosphere
Kiesha Ra
I would have originally given 4 stars if it weren’t for the attempted fraud. I debated whether to leave a review or not and decided that screw this place.
I came here with my friend back in March 2025. I had made a phone reservation and had given my credit card info they as needed it as insurance/deposit if we canceled last minute. We arrived on time, and we each had a High Queen Tea. We were happy as my friend has autoimmune issues and there was a gluten free option for her. It was a good time.
When we got the bill, we noticed they added a service charge fee of $25. It kinda rubbed us the wrong way. They could have easily put this added fee into their prices on the menu, rather than spring it on us as we take out our cards. We split the bill and both signed on our separate checks.
I check my credit card statement a week later and notice that I got charged for the ENTIRE bill AS WELL AS the split bill. Instead of paying $82 for my share, I essentially paid 3 times over!! ($82 + $164)
I immediately called them and asked them for a refund. They had to check the receipts and they’d call me back. Spoiler: they didn’t call me back.
I call them again the next day and reiterated my overcharged fees. They responded that it would take 3 days to find the receipts. I promptly told them that I would call my credit card company and have them dispute the charges. I hang up.
Three minutes later (not kidding) they call me back saying they had “miraculously” found the receipts. Then, they had the AUDACITY to tell me that it was a problem on my end. My friend’s credit card payment didn’t go through, and thus I was charged the full amount. However, that’s complete bull and it doesn’t explain why I got charged the full bill AND the split bill.
I got my friend to send me a screenshot of her credit card statement that Tea Time Palo Alto DID in fact charge her $82. So, they absolutely lied to me.
I marched back into the tea shop and demanded they show me the receipts. I found our originally receipts with me and my friend’s signatures, but turns out, there was a THIRD RECEIPT with a FORGED SIGNATURE THAT WAS NOT MINE. Worst part is that if you look at the time stamp of the extra receipt, it was made 2 minutes BEFORE we got our checks. And all three receipts were done by the same cashier, Tim.
(Unfortunately the pictures I took are the receipt copies and not the actual ones, so you don’t see the forged signature)
They gave me some bullcrap excuse “oh thank you for bringing it to our attention, we’ll look into it” and begrudgingly gave me a refund.
Screw this place. The shame of it is that we actually had a good time and would have probably returned if it wasn’t ruined by their attempted fraudulent activities.
If you come here PLEASE CHECK YOUR CREDIT CARD STATEMENTS AND CHECK IF YOU WERENT DOUBLE CHARGED.
yashwini Chaudhary
Great food, wonderful service.
Taz Razak
We went as a big group. The service was mediocre. For the price they charge for a group plus 20% gratuity, the service was very mediocre. The variety is limited as large group. Waiter can be more friendly in her approach. For large group, would recommend trying another place.
L
Bubble tea is everywhere, but businesses that offer precisely brewed tea for high tea service are more rare, so I made a special trip from the East Bay with a good friend to visit Tea Time. We knew the owner knew what he was doing when we saw that the tea menu listed first flush Darjeeling separately from second flush, and when we saw that the loose leaf teas were labeled with precise temperature and steeping time. Not a tea bag in sight. (IYKYK.)
Tea was carefully paired to the food and served in pots neatly wrapped in tea cozies with the strainers already removed, so the tea was perfect from first pour to the last.
Some tea services exist to provide tea as an accompaniment to cute little sandwiches and bites, but here the perfectly brewed and high quality tea is supreme and the food is an accompaniment. If that is what you are looking for, you've found the place for it.
Easy parking in a municipal lot around the corner, but we were there early in the day. That end of Ramona is blocked off with parklets so no street parking, but I personally saw that as a feature: the street was sunny and calm, filled with pedestrians and diners enjoying the warm day.
Nicole
Really cute place to eat and the food and the tea delicious
They charged 20% server fee then adding on top another 20% service charge. Ended it up costed 1.6 times of original tea menu. Undeliverable expensive for ordinary tea and little sandwiches.( they did remove one service charge after we found out this double charges )
Maria S
It’s been a long time since I’ve had such a toxic experience. The staff give off an arrogant vibe, as if this place is exclusively for ‘high-end’ people. Yet, they serve mediocre tea and cheaply made treats. I got the impression that they’re not very child friendly (and I have a very well behaved 6 yo). The server tried to rush us out with ‘Do you want the check?’ even though our cups were still obviously full. A 20% gratuity is automatically added to the bill as a ‘service charge,’ but they still expect you to leave a tip on top of that. Definitely won’t be coming back.
Hayden Gomes
We tried to order drinks to go and scones for here at the counter. We asked if we could sit outside, but they said those empty tables were for reservations only. So we said we’d sit inside, which was also almost completely empty.
Because we were dining in, we were then walked to a table where they took our order again. We were then told because we were dining in that we had to order a minimum amount of food per person, despite the kitchen being closed.
So we said we’d take it all to go in that case. So it was back to the counter to pay in that case. Even though we were the only customers, the order took 20-25 minutes to put together.
In the end the order was wrong, the “clotted cream” was just whipped cream cheese, the tapioca was old, and the chai wasn’t great. The cinnamon scones are tasty, but are too expensive for how small they are. The lychee tea was decent.
All in all they need to simplify their policies, speed things up, especially when it’s not like there were other customers we’d be taking table space away from before they closed.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 1
Alyssa Siddiqui
Been to Tea time a few times with parties of two and larger parties. It’s better to go as a party of 2.
They have a good selection of teas with cute tea cozys and decor throughout.
With the larger party, the pastries seemed to be slightly dry and sandwiches were not as cleanly made. There was also a miscommunication when we reserved because when we showed up, some of our orders were wrong.
Phil Hu
This is the go-to place for tea in the Bay Area. Want to sit down for a full English afternoon tea like Alice in Wonderland? This place has delicious scones and a charming ambiance. Want to buy rare and quality loose leaf tea in bulk from around the world? This place has real milky oolong (not the stuff artificially enhanced to taste creamy). Want to buy a fancy tea set for your home? This place has beautiful porcelain. Want to buy bubble tea to go? This place also has that.
Their pu er is fragrant, their lapsang has a subtle sweet note, and their oolong is perfectly balanced.
Best of all, they are knowledgeable about teas from around the world and will brew the tea correctly every time. The people are friendly, and the ambiance is indulgent. Perfect place for a book, a date, or a deal that needs to close.
Very enjoyable venue for quietly working and drinking excellent tea!
Nice place with perfect views and good tea, the employees are so friendly and service so nice with customers and they gave us a small gift for out first time come here so I highly recommend this place if you want some peaceful time with your friends or your lover!
PROS: good tea, accommodating to vegans and vegetarians, good availability, decent food
CONS: served nuts TWICE in one meal to two people with allergies, triggering a reaction which forced them to leave the restaurant. Tea Time refunded the meal for those two diners ($60 each), but it caused a lot of distress and ruined the rest of the day for the ones who had a reaction. I'm also pretty sure they served a non-vegan snack to the two vegans.
I understand if a restaurant is not set up to provide allergen-free meals, but they confirmed at booking that two of our party would be nut-free. We even asked about nuts in the second dish after the first one had nuts, and they assured us it had no nuts (it had nuts).
I wish I could give it a better review, because this is a cute little place, but this sort of gross negligence is dangerous for people with serious allergies. My advice is to tell allergic diners that the kitchen is not equipped to give them a safe experience, instead of promising a nut-free meal.
I have a ritual! Once a week (or more) I go to Tea Time with friends. I keep going back because I love it — and this started more than 25 years ago! It’s a delightful way to enjoy conversation over fine tea and delicious tea sandwiches and scones! And I love the staff! Tim’s a great guy.
Cute place nice atmosphere
I would have originally given 4 stars if it weren’t for the attempted fraud. I debated whether to leave a review or not and decided that screw this place.
I came here with my friend back in March 2025. I had made a phone reservation and had given my credit card info they as needed it as insurance/deposit if we canceled last minute. We arrived on time, and we each had a High Queen Tea. We were happy as my friend has autoimmune issues and there was a gluten free option for her. It was a good time.
When we got the bill, we noticed they added a service charge fee of $25. It kinda rubbed us the wrong way. They could have easily put this added fee into their prices on the menu, rather than spring it on us as we take out our cards. We split the bill and both signed on our separate checks.
I check my credit card statement a week later and notice that I got charged for the ENTIRE bill AS WELL AS the split bill. Instead of paying $82 for my share, I essentially paid 3 times over!! ($82 + $164)
I immediately called them and asked them for a refund. They had to check the receipts and they’d call me back. Spoiler: they didn’t call me back.
I call them again the next day and reiterated my overcharged fees. They responded that it would take 3 days to find the receipts. I promptly told them that I would call my credit card company and have them dispute the charges. I hang up.
Three minutes later (not kidding) they call me back saying they had “miraculously” found the receipts. Then, they had the AUDACITY to tell me that it was a problem on my end. My friend’s credit card payment didn’t go through, and thus I was charged the full amount. However, that’s complete bull and it doesn’t explain why I got charged the full bill AND the split bill.
I got my friend to send me a screenshot of her credit card statement that Tea Time Palo Alto DID in fact charge her $82. So, they absolutely lied to me.
I marched back into the tea shop and demanded they show me the receipts. I found our originally receipts with me and my friend’s signatures, but turns out, there was a THIRD RECEIPT with a FORGED SIGNATURE THAT WAS NOT MINE. Worst part is that if you look at the time stamp of the extra receipt, it was made 2 minutes BEFORE we got our checks. And all three receipts were done by the same cashier, Tim.
(Unfortunately the pictures I took are the receipt copies and not the actual ones, so you don’t see the forged signature)
They gave me some bullcrap excuse “oh thank you for bringing it to our attention, we’ll look into it” and begrudgingly gave me a refund.
Screw this place. The shame of it is that we actually had a good time and would have probably returned if it wasn’t ruined by their attempted fraudulent activities.
If you come here PLEASE CHECK YOUR CREDIT CARD STATEMENTS AND CHECK IF YOU WERENT DOUBLE CHARGED.
Great food, wonderful service.
We went as a big group. The service was mediocre. For the price they charge for a group plus 20% gratuity, the service was very mediocre. The variety is limited as large group. Waiter can be more friendly in her approach. For large group, would recommend trying another place.
Bubble tea is everywhere, but businesses that offer precisely brewed tea for high tea service are more rare, so I made a special trip from the East Bay with a good friend to visit Tea Time. We knew the owner knew what he was doing when we saw that the tea menu listed first flush Darjeeling separately from second flush, and when we saw that the loose leaf teas were labeled with precise temperature and steeping time. Not a tea bag in sight. (IYKYK.)
Tea was carefully paired to the food and served in pots neatly wrapped in tea cozies with the strainers already removed, so the tea was perfect from first pour to the last.
Some tea services exist to provide tea as an accompaniment to cute little sandwiches and bites, but here the perfectly brewed and high quality tea is supreme and the food is an accompaniment. If that is what you are looking for, you've found the place for it.
Easy parking in a municipal lot around the corner, but we were there early in the day. That end of Ramona is blocked off with parklets so no street parking, but I personally saw that as a feature: the street was sunny and calm, filled with pedestrians and diners enjoying the warm day.
Really cute place to eat and the food and the tea delicious
Restaurantji Recommends
They charged 20% server fee then adding on top another 20% service charge. Ended it up costed 1.6 times of original tea menu. Undeliverable expensive for ordinary tea and little sandwiches.( they did remove one service charge after we found out this double charges )
It’s been a long time since I’ve had such a toxic experience. The staff give off an arrogant vibe, as if this place is exclusively for ‘high-end’ people. Yet, they serve mediocre tea and cheaply made treats. I got the impression that they’re not very child friendly (and I have a very well behaved 6 yo). The server tried to rush us out with ‘Do you want the check?’ even though our cups were still obviously full. A 20% gratuity is automatically added to the bill as a ‘service charge,’ but they still expect you to leave a tip on top of that. Definitely won’t be coming back.
We tried to order drinks to go and scones for here at the counter. We asked if we could sit outside, but they said those empty tables were for reservations only. So we said we’d sit inside, which was also almost completely empty.
Because we were dining in, we were then walked to a table where they took our order again. We were then told because we were dining in that we had to order a minimum amount of food per person, despite the kitchen being closed.
So we said we’d take it all to go in that case. So it was back to the counter to pay in that case. Even though we were the only customers, the order took 20-25 minutes to put together.
In the end the order was wrong, the “clotted cream” was just whipped cream cheese, the tapioca was old, and the chai wasn’t great. The cinnamon scones are tasty, but are too expensive for how small they are. The lychee tea was decent.
All in all they need to simplify their policies, speed things up, especially when it’s not like there were other customers we’d be taking table space away from before they closed.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 1
Been to Tea time a few times with parties of two and larger parties.
It’s better to go as a party of 2.
They have a good selection of teas with cute tea cozys and decor throughout.
With the larger party, the pastries seemed to be slightly dry and sandwiches were not as cleanly made. There was also a miscommunication when we reserved because when we showed up, some of our orders were wrong.
This is the go-to place for tea in the Bay Area. Want to sit down for a full English afternoon tea like Alice in Wonderland? This place has delicious scones and a charming ambiance. Want to buy rare and quality loose leaf tea in bulk from around the world? This place has real milky oolong (not the stuff artificially enhanced to taste creamy). Want to buy a fancy tea set for your home? This place has beautiful porcelain. Want to buy bubble tea to go? This place also has that.
Their pu er is fragrant, their lapsang has a subtle sweet note, and their oolong is perfectly balanced.
Best of all, they are knowledgeable about teas from around the world and will brew the tea correctly every time. The people are friendly, and the ambiance is indulgent. Perfect place for a book, a date, or a deal that needs to close.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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