I literally never write reviews, but I’ve never had this happen at a restaurant before. My girlfriend and I weren’t able to go to dinner Valentine’s night, and she took it upon herself to make a reservation on Sunday morning for Sunday night at the Tea House since it’s one of her favorite restaurants. We get there at the scheduled time (which btw their entrance area is less than ten square feet but there are always ten to fifteen people at night waiting to speak to the host) and tell the host we have a reservation. He says in an irritated/stressed way that he doesn’t see the reservation and that it might be for tomorrow. I say no the reservation is for tonight. He confirms the name on the reservation with me and says yeah actually your reservation is for tomorrow because you made the reservation today so sometimes our computer system just kicks those reservations to the next day so actually your reservation is for tomorrow and if you want a table tonight it’s going to be 45 minutes…..I was flabbergasted. We literally made a reservation for tonight and have an email from the tea house confirming our reservation for tonight. We get there and they tell us they just arbitrarily changed it to tomorrow without letting us know?? And the host guy seemed kind of annoyed that we showed up for our reservation at all! We should have known it would be changed to tomorrow for no reason! There was no point arguing since he had his talking points, “since you made the reservation today our system pushed it to tomorrow but you can wait 45 minutes”. And by this time of night everything is closed or extremely busy, so we just went home and ate left-overs. My girlfriend cried. I’m actually so dumbfounded by this. This experience, while seemingly simple, was so infuriating to me that I will not ever go back. I mean, you tell me to be there at a certain day and time, I show up, and you tell me actually our computer changed it to tomorrow bye….you obviously don’t want or value my business, so I won’t come back.
And while I’m here I’ll just add that, from my previous few experiences dining here, the service has never been good (very hard to get any attention from staff and always wait like twenty minutes to even get to ask for the check) and the food is mediocre, not authentic, and VERY expensive.
I guess they make enough from the gullible rich people in Boulder to stay operational. The building is cool, I guess. That’s about all it really has going for it. Every single other aspect is mediocre at best. And then throw in the whole “actually we changed your reservation to another day without telling you” and honestly, I’m good.
Also, the fact that they have never responded to any of their negative reviews tells you something….
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 1
Kaitlin Rodman
Connor and Zoe were our servers tonight and they were the best!!! So sweet and informative about what they recommended. Also really funny :) I hadn't been here in years and was soooo happy to go back and will absolutely be returning in the near future! Thank you both for making tonight such a great night!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Heather Travis
Amazing in every way! I took my husband here to celebrate a birthday and Valentines Day. He had the prime rib special and I had some amazing chicken. What a cool place! Great service, quick food, delicious tea, reasonable price, perfecto! The only problem was that we both ate too much. We'll be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Chris Krubeck
I grew up in Boulder and have been to the teahouse many times throughout the years and it's usually been great. That said, it feels like they lost a chef or something in the last year or so because the food has gotten progressively worse.
We went today in a group of 5 and all of us were extremely underwhelmed with the food. Everyone was adding salt because all of the food was underseasoned. My $15 steak sandwich was just chunks of steak and bland peppers between bread. The sauce barely registered flavor-wise and the steak was underseasoned. My friend got the Korean noodles, which I had in the past and remember being good but they were also bland and flavorless.
The tea selection is still good, the building is obviously a treasure, and the service was good, but I can't see myself coming back anytime soon considering the declining food quality and high prices.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 4
Kareem Z
Kookoo sabzi was alight. Seating and ambiance was excellent. Hope to come back as place has a lot of potential
Food: 3
K Augustini
Intricate details throughout, fun backstory, excellent service all around. Food and many tea options were delicious!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Anastacia Archibeque
Patrick and Haley were superb for my mother’s birthday this past weekend ! Highly reccomend Tea Time !!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sara Lin
Not a huge fan of any of the food I tried, but really cool place to stop by for the tea and the building itself. Service was also wonderful
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
Casey Hibbard
What a delightful afternoon experience! My son and I came for afternoon tea. I'm gluten-free/dairy-free and indicated that when asked on the reservation. They were able to accommodate this without my feeling like I was missing out. My plate simply had a few variations from my son's. Thanks for flexibly meeting this need so we could enjoy the experience even more. I've also eaten lunches and dinners here and always find delicious options that meet my needs. It's a Boulder gem!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Eric Huang
*Tea house*, but need to make an reservation to sit inside ~
What a room full of color and calming water sounds coming from the water fountain in the center of the room. The paired tea with the assorted dim sum menu was a pleasant experience. You gotta try the Golden Milk!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Andrew
Really cool Teahouse with lots of tea options and great atmosphere at a good price
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Nikita Gorenkov
This place seems to be very popular and has a great rating, so I don’t feel bad leaving a bad review. Beautiful interior and exterior! However, there’s almost nothing Tajik about the menu. It only has a few Central Asian meals, like pilaf (osh) and shashlyk. Everything else is just random stuff. Cuban sandwich at a Dushanbe restaurant? INDIAN samosa? Like… why? Just doesn’t seem right. I bet the food is delicious, it looks great in pictures, I just didn’t expect such a random (but big!) menu.
I didn’t come for food though. The place is called a “teahouse”, and tea is exactly what I wanted. Once again, big menu, and nothing even close to Central Asia. Some Chinese and Japanese options though, which is great. I ordered puerh tea, since it’s my favorite. I didn’t expect it to be made the right way, so no big disappointment here. I ordered two different kinds: one was really bad (to my liking), and another one… was better. Just thankful it wasn’t a bagged tea.
The biggest disappointment was the teaware. Plain white teapot and mugs from Target?? That doesn’t even seem to hold the temperature right? Tajikistan culture has such beautiful teaware and dishes overall, with ornaments like the ones you see on the walls in this restaurant. You’re supposed to drink tea from a dish called “piola”, and that’s what I expected from a place that is called a “Dushanbe teahouse” and looks so authentic. White mugs tho???
And the last thing… I wanted a dessert. So many desserts in Central Asia that are easily made… chak-chak, baursak (those are not necessarily Tajiki desserts, but popular in neighboring countries)? Instead, I found 6–7 random desserts that you can find in any coffee shop.
I think this is the longest review I ever wrote for a restaurant, because I am sooo disappointed, mostly because of my expectations, but also because of the deceiving look of the place! I still recommend this place to most people. I do want to come back to try osh, it looks really good. But if you’re from Central Asia, or at least have been there - don’t expect… too much.
This review is mostly for the current owner of the place. Some nice Tajiki teaware would be appreciated by everyone, I bet, and would make any tea taste better! And maybe add at least one authentic dessert? 🫶🏻
Atmosphere: 5
Sandy Wilson
What a wonderful place for my 70th bday on January 18th. The wait staff was so kind and knowledgeable. I hope to celebrate my 80th there also. Thank you to everyone for making it special.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Yinzú Nairouz
The Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse is a gem! I spend my birthday here and everything about it is perfect. The stunning building with an amazing history, incredible tea selection, delicious food, amazing baked goods... and they host events too! You can enjoy sitting indoors or outdoors. It's a bit off Pearl Street, walking distance, so parking's easier here, which is a bonus. If you're looking for a unique, chill spot to grab tea or a bite or check out an event, this place is a must. It is located on the ground level, so accessible to wheelchairs.
I literally never write reviews, but I’ve never had this happen at a restaurant before. My girlfriend and I weren’t able to go to dinner Valentine’s night, and she took it upon herself to make a reservation on Sunday morning for Sunday night at the Tea House since it’s one of her favorite restaurants. We get there at the scheduled time (which btw their entrance area is less than ten square feet but there are always ten to fifteen people at night waiting to speak to the host) and tell the host we have a reservation. He says in an irritated/stressed way that he doesn’t see the reservation and that it might be for tomorrow. I say no the reservation is for tonight. He confirms the name on the reservation with me and says yeah actually your reservation is for tomorrow because you made the reservation today so sometimes our computer system just kicks those reservations to the next day so actually your reservation is for tomorrow and if you want a table tonight it’s going to be 45 minutes…..I was flabbergasted. We literally made a reservation for tonight and have an email from the tea house confirming our reservation for tonight. We get there and they tell us they just arbitrarily changed it to tomorrow without letting us know?? And the host guy seemed kind of annoyed that we showed up for our reservation at all! We should have known it would be changed to tomorrow for no reason! There was no point arguing since he had his talking points, “since you made the reservation today our system pushed it to tomorrow but you can wait 45 minutes”. And by this time of night everything is closed or extremely busy, so we just went home and ate left-overs. My girlfriend cried.
I’m actually so dumbfounded by this. This experience, while seemingly simple, was so infuriating to me that I will not ever go back. I mean, you tell me to be there at a certain day and time, I show up, and you tell me actually our computer changed it to tomorrow bye….you obviously don’t want or value my business, so I won’t come back.
And while I’m here I’ll just add that, from my previous few experiences dining here, the service has never been good (very hard to get any attention from staff and always wait like twenty minutes to even get to ask for the check) and the food is mediocre, not authentic, and VERY expensive.
I guess they make enough from the gullible rich people in Boulder to stay operational. The building is cool, I guess. That’s about all it really has going for it. Every single other aspect is mediocre at best. And then throw in the whole “actually we changed your reservation to another day without telling you” and honestly, I’m good.
Also, the fact that they have never responded to any of their negative reviews tells you something….
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 1
Connor and Zoe were our servers tonight and they were the best!!! So sweet and informative about what they recommended. Also really funny :) I hadn't been here in years and was soooo happy to go back and will absolutely be returning in the near future! Thank you both for making tonight such a great night!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amazing in every way! I took my husband here to celebrate a birthday and Valentines Day. He had the prime rib special and I had some amazing chicken. What a cool place! Great service, quick food, delicious tea, reasonable price, perfecto! The only problem was that we both ate too much. We'll be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I grew up in Boulder and have been to the teahouse many times throughout the years and it's usually been great. That said, it feels like they lost a chef or something in the last year or so because the food has gotten progressively worse.
We went today in a group of 5 and all of us were extremely underwhelmed with the food. Everyone was adding salt because all of the food was underseasoned. My $15 steak sandwich was just chunks of steak and bland peppers between bread. The sauce barely registered flavor-wise and the steak was underseasoned. My friend got the Korean noodles, which I had in the past and remember being good but they were also bland and flavorless.
The tea selection is still good, the building is obviously a treasure, and the service was good, but I can't see myself coming back anytime soon considering the declining food quality and high prices.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 4
Kookoo sabzi was alight. Seating and ambiance was excellent. Hope to come back as place has a lot of potential
Food: 3
Intricate details throughout, fun backstory, excellent service all around. Food and many tea options were delicious!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Patrick and Haley were superb for my mother’s birthday this past weekend ! Highly reccomend Tea Time !!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Not a huge fan of any of the food I tried, but really cool place to stop by for the tea and the building itself. Service was also wonderful
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
What a delightful afternoon experience! My son and I came for afternoon tea. I'm gluten-free/dairy-free and indicated that when asked on the reservation. They were able to accommodate this without my feeling like I was missing out. My plate simply had a few variations from my son's. Thanks for flexibly meeting this need so we could enjoy the experience even more. I've also eaten lunches and dinners here and always find delicious options that meet my needs. It's a Boulder gem!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
*Tea house*, but need to make an reservation to sit inside ~
Atmosphere: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
What a room full of color and calming water sounds coming from the water fountain in the center of the room. The paired tea with the assorted dim sum menu was a pleasant experience. You gotta try the Golden Milk!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Really cool Teahouse with lots of tea options and great atmosphere at a good price
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
This place seems to be very popular and has a great rating, so I don’t feel bad leaving a bad review.
Beautiful interior and exterior! However, there’s almost nothing Tajik about the menu. It only has a few Central Asian meals, like pilaf (osh) and shashlyk. Everything else is just random stuff. Cuban sandwich at a Dushanbe restaurant? INDIAN samosa? Like… why? Just doesn’t seem right.
I bet the food is delicious, it looks great in pictures, I just didn’t expect such a random (but big!) menu.
I didn’t come for food though. The place is called a “teahouse”, and tea is exactly what I wanted. Once again, big menu, and nothing even close to Central Asia. Some Chinese and Japanese options though, which is great. I ordered puerh tea, since it’s my favorite. I didn’t expect it to be made the right way, so no big disappointment here. I ordered two different kinds: one was really bad (to my liking), and another one… was better. Just thankful it wasn’t a bagged tea.
The biggest disappointment was the teaware. Plain white teapot and mugs from Target?? That doesn’t even seem to hold the temperature right?
Tajikistan culture has such beautiful teaware and dishes overall, with ornaments like the ones you see on the walls in this restaurant. You’re supposed to drink tea from a dish called “piola”, and that’s what I expected from a place that is called a “Dushanbe teahouse” and looks so authentic. White mugs tho???
And the last thing… I wanted a dessert. So many desserts in Central Asia that are easily made… chak-chak, baursak (those are not necessarily Tajiki desserts, but popular in neighboring countries)? Instead, I found 6–7 random desserts that you can find in any coffee shop.
I think this is the longest review I ever wrote for a restaurant, because I am sooo disappointed, mostly because of my expectations, but also because of the deceiving look of the place!
I still recommend this place to most people. I do want to come back to try osh, it looks really good.
But if you’re from Central Asia, or at least have been there - don’t expect… too much.
This review is mostly for the current owner of the place. Some nice Tajiki teaware would be appreciated by everyone, I bet, and would make any tea taste better! And maybe add at least one authentic dessert? 🫶🏻
Atmosphere: 5
What a wonderful place for my 70th bday on January 18th. The wait staff was so kind and knowledgeable. I hope to celebrate my 80th there also. Thank you to everyone for making it special.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse is a gem! I spend my birthday here and everything about it is perfect. The stunning building with an amazing history, incredible tea selection, delicious food, amazing baked goods... and they host events too! You can enjoy sitting indoors or outdoors. It's a bit off Pearl Street, walking distance, so parking's easier here, which is a bonus. If you're looking for a unique, chill spot to grab tea or a bite or check out an event, this place is a must. It is located on the ground level, so accessible to wheelchairs.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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