Be aware of this dive. The food is sub-par, and when you get the check, the prices are suddenly higher than listed in the menu. No attempt to even offer you the menu price, they just tell you "Oh, we haven't updated the menu yet." Avoid at all costs.
Billie H.
This is a place to have some super authentic Malaysian, curries and great soups. We tried a variety of things and these two were our favorites on a very large menu. The soup base was delicious with fresh vegetables. Everything was made with great care. The rice they use is super cheap and lacking any flavor. Whomever makes their curry bases, truly is a curry master. Fresh herbs including curry leaves and galangal. I would recommend getting it to go but I really wish they didn't have styrofoam containers. A real flavor bomb in the lackluster Cincinnati food scene.
A C
This place is a hidden gem. Amazing!! It’s so unassuming that when I walked in, I wasn’t sure if I was in the right place. But don’t let the decor fool you…the food is amazing, service is good and the place is clean. The menu is sooooo big and has so many different types of food (Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, etc) that I was worried the food would just be ok…because they can’t make everything good, right?? Well I was wrong. The food was absolutely delicious. I ordered eggplant in garlic sauce (served with white rice) and my husband ordered beef pho. Both dishes were amazing. Admittedly, the pho was a little different than Vietnamese pho, but I think I like tea and bubble’s version of pho better than the traditional pho. The eggplant in garlic sauce is also a little different than how the dish is traditionally served in China, but I had no complaints! Soooo good! My husband liked the eggplant in garlic sauce better than the traditional Chinese version. The serving sizes were very big and the total was $26. Please go check this place out!!
Ranjiv Subramaniam
amazing food and service. Ryan and Yvonne were friendly and attentive.We had some dietary restrictions and appreciated that they were thorough and also asked questions to clarify.I have a chicken allergy/sensitivity (picked up later in life) and General Tso chicken used to be a favorite dish of mine. I was pleasantly surprised and am so happy that Tea n Bowl serves and that I tried the General Tso Breaded Beef. It was seriously one of the best things I've eaten (at ANY restaurant)!Vegetable Roti Canai was superb and was a perfect appetizer on a chilly December evening. Both Spice Level and Temperature were just what the night needed.We took some Nasi Lemak and shrimp curry home to share with family. Both were packed well and were still hot enough to eat when we got home (about a 30 min drive).Overall we had an awesome experience.Oh yeah; and there's boba!!!
S B C.
Although the menu spans much of Asia, the proprietors are Malaysian and since we are not familiar w/ Malaysian, we proposed that Ryan (?sp) feed us. We were presented: Curry Laksa Noodles (creamy soup-like dish), Chinese Braised Pork Belly in brown sauce w/ steamed white rice, and 'Lucky Charms'-flavored boba milk tea (probably would have been the last thing I would normally order, but not too sweet and really good w/ the food). Glad we persuaded Ryan to 'feed us' because the dishes were subtly very flavorful and provided a peek into Malay cuisine. Cozy atmosphere in SMALL (3x4-top booths) and kitschy place nicely arranged. Make reservations for eat-in, lots of takeaway as well as walk-ins for tea drinks. This local usually avoids the area when UC is in session due to congestion and parking, but for food and service this good, I will deal w/ the hassle. Recommended.....Velocitoro
Karen W.
This restaurant is a little gem along a crazy and hectic street. Parking was very difficult. I was fearing for my life crossing the street but the food was definitely worth the risk :) We ordered couple of the standard dishes from the east. The best dish by far is the beef stew. In fact, it could be the best beef stew I have ever had. The Singapore Fried Noodle was also very good. But I won't recommend adding shrimp as the protein. The shrimps were definitely frozen cooked with no flavor and the texture showed they were not fresh. I also would not recommend Drunken Noodle. This dish was more like a version of wet chinese beef chow fun and it was not very good. It lacked Thai spices in a typical Drunken Noodle such as basils. Their milk bubble tea was good. The guy working the cashier know the dishes well.
Gene W.
I was hoping to give a little more love to this place but the 3 dishes we ordered were hit & miss. If you like Chinese stewed beef (and I've eaten variations of this dish for dozens of years in dozens of restaurants throughout the world), Tea N' Bowl made this dish the best I've ever had. Full of flavor and a bit of spice. Pretty lean with just a bit of fat, and oh so tender. I chose the spicy version which had a little heat but did not overwhelm. The Singapore fried rice noodle was dry-ish and not oily. I flavor was good but could've used more seasoning. We chose shrimp and this tasted either old or precooked. Quantity was good. The Drunken noodle, normally a fully flavorful spicy yet savory and sweet wide fried rice noodle dish with good doses of basil, was a very sober dish. All the ingredients were there but none of the flavor. Thai dishes should be robust.....this one was very weak. Traffic and parking on this university area street is a nightmare, but the food almost makes it worth the struggle. But just read reviews and order accordingly since I found it to be hit or miss.
Meg S.
A great neighborhood spot! You'll find something for everyone here. The bubble tea is great. Definitely ask about the specials when you are there because you'll get the freshest and most creative stuff on the menu. The owner is very cool and if she happens to be around she'll take her time to chat with you!
Nathan Wei
Most authentic chinese food on canpus! Love them, highly recommended!
Kayleigh G.
It was my first time ordering here, and everything was amazing! I got the wonton soup and stir fried pork belly with rice. I was actually late to pick up my food and it was still hot and fresh. They have a lot of other options to choose from too I'll have to try (:
They have THE range and they do it well too. I got a coupon for a free entree with a $25 purchase and although I may have chosen the worst day to try it out, I was impressed with the food. Their food lasted us 3 meals between my partner and I. We ordered the Singapore Mai Fun noodles, the curry laksa, and the general tso's chicken. These are 3 very different dishes and we were a little skeptical if they were able to do all of them well. Our doubts vanished when we had bites of all three. The Singapore Mai Fun noodles were really fun to eat overall and were very light and airy. The curry laksa was incredibly rich and paired with the egg noodles really well. The general tso's chicken was not too sweet and I loved all of the chilies that they put in. The general tso's and Curry Laksa were mildly spicy so if you do not like spicy food, I would ask for a lower spice level. If you're like me and love a little citrus with your meal, a little bit of lime pairs beautifully with the curry laksa by the way! Overall, this will be our place for Singaporean, Malay, and Chinese food. I am already craving it again as I type this!!!
Aubree McKee
A staple in Clifton for ages, I hadn't been back in a long while but made the trek. Intimate setting with a massive menu full of authentic Asian foods and an extensive bubble tea menu. I had the phó noodle soup and it was fantastic. My friends had hot pot and a tonkatsu noodle bowl and they loved their food as well.
Vickie Luhring
Great place to go! Awesome service Definitely will be back!
Natalia Rosiles
My family and I were looking for a new restaurant in our area to try and we were pleasantly surprised with our experience. Although there is limited seating, the incredible food and drinks made up for that. There are a lot of menu options and we went with the Mango Milk Bubble Tea, Steamed Dumplings, Spicy Pepper Chicken, and Beef Brisket Noodle Soup. All of them were delicious!
Nick Z.
The menu is enormous, with selections from Malaysia, Japan, China, and more. There are traditional dishes here that I haven't been able to find anywhere else in the city. The authenticity of the food is part of what makes Tea 'n Bowl so great. If you are looking for P.F. Chang's ultra-Americanized version of Asian cuisine, this is not the place for you. If you are looking for true, authentic cuisine that respects tradition and if you enjoy getting out of your comfort zone and trying something new, you MUST try this place. The Chef is remarkably friendly, visits and chats with the customers. Of the dozen or so times I've been, I had a minor issue with the food one time. The Chef apologized numerous times and offered to comp the meal. When I declined his generous offer, he instead brought out a free dessert and free bubble teas. I will patronize this restaurant as often as I can. The menu is such that you could eat there for a year and never order the same thing twice. That being said, if you want a specific recommendation, try the Szechuan Beef Brisket Hot Pot. Best dish I have ever had from any restaurant. Enjoy!
Be aware of this dive. The food is sub-par, and when you get the check, the prices are suddenly higher than listed in the menu. No attempt to even offer you the menu price, they just tell you "Oh, we haven't updated the menu yet." Avoid at all costs.
This is a place to have some super authentic Malaysian, curries and great soups. We tried a variety of things and these two were our favorites on a very large menu. The soup base was delicious with fresh vegetables. Everything was made with great care. The rice they use is super cheap and lacking any flavor. Whomever makes their curry bases, truly is a curry master. Fresh herbs including curry leaves and galangal. I would recommend getting it to go but I really wish they didn't have styrofoam containers. A real flavor bomb in the lackluster Cincinnati food scene.
This place is a hidden gem. Amazing!! It’s so unassuming that when I walked in, I wasn’t sure if I was in the right place. But don’t let the decor fool you…the food is amazing, service is good and the place is clean. The menu is sooooo big and has so many different types of food (Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, etc) that I was worried the food would just be ok…because they can’t make everything good, right?? Well I was wrong. The food was absolutely delicious. I ordered eggplant in garlic sauce (served with white rice) and my husband ordered beef pho. Both dishes were amazing. Admittedly, the pho was a little different than Vietnamese pho, but I think I like tea and bubble’s version of pho better than the traditional pho. The eggplant in garlic sauce is also a little different than how the dish is traditionally served in China, but I had no complaints! Soooo good! My husband liked the eggplant in garlic sauce better than the traditional Chinese version. The serving sizes were very big and the total was $26. Please go check this place out!!
amazing food and service. Ryan and Yvonne were friendly and attentive.We had some dietary restrictions and appreciated that they were thorough and also asked questions to clarify.I have a chicken allergy/sensitivity (picked up later in life) and General Tso chicken used to be a favorite dish of mine. I was pleasantly surprised and am so happy that Tea n Bowl serves and that I tried the General Tso Breaded Beef. It was seriously one of the best things I've eaten (at ANY restaurant)!Vegetable Roti Canai was superb and was a perfect appetizer on a chilly December evening. Both Spice Level and Temperature were just what the night needed.We took some Nasi Lemak and shrimp curry home to share with family. Both were packed well and were still hot enough to eat when we got home (about a 30 min drive).Overall we had an awesome experience.Oh yeah; and there's boba!!!
Although the menu spans much of Asia, the proprietors are Malaysian and since we are not familiar w/ Malaysian, we proposed that Ryan (?sp) feed us. We were presented: Curry Laksa Noodles (creamy soup-like dish), Chinese Braised Pork Belly in brown sauce w/ steamed white rice, and 'Lucky Charms'-flavored boba milk tea (probably would have been the last thing I would normally order, but not too sweet and really good w/ the food). Glad we persuaded Ryan to 'feed us' because the dishes were subtly very flavorful and provided a peek into Malay cuisine. Cozy atmosphere in SMALL (3x4-top booths) and kitschy place nicely arranged. Make reservations for eat-in, lots of takeaway as well as walk-ins for tea drinks. This local usually avoids the area when UC is in session due to congestion and parking, but for food and service this good, I will deal w/ the hassle. Recommended.....Velocitoro
This restaurant is a little gem along a crazy and hectic street. Parking was very difficult. I was fearing for my life crossing the street but the food was definitely worth the risk :) We ordered couple of the standard dishes from the east. The best dish by far is the beef stew. In fact, it could be the best beef stew I have ever had. The Singapore Fried Noodle was also very good. But I won't recommend adding shrimp as the protein. The shrimps were definitely frozen cooked with no flavor and the texture showed they were not fresh. I also would not recommend Drunken Noodle. This dish was more like a version of wet chinese beef chow fun and it was not very good. It lacked Thai spices in a typical Drunken Noodle such as basils. Their milk bubble tea was good. The guy working the cashier know the dishes well.
I was hoping to give a little more love to this place but the 3 dishes we ordered were hit & miss. If you like Chinese stewed beef (and I've eaten variations of this dish for dozens of years in dozens of restaurants throughout the world), Tea N' Bowl made this dish the best I've ever had. Full of flavor and a bit of spice. Pretty lean with just a bit of fat, and oh so tender. I chose the spicy version which had a little heat but did not overwhelm. The Singapore fried rice noodle was dry-ish and not oily. I flavor was good but could've used more seasoning. We chose shrimp and this tasted either old or precooked. Quantity was good. The Drunken noodle, normally a fully flavorful spicy yet savory and sweet wide fried rice noodle dish with good doses of basil, was a very sober dish. All the ingredients were there but none of the flavor. Thai dishes should be robust.....this one was very weak. Traffic and parking on this university area street is a nightmare, but the food almost makes it worth the struggle. But just read reviews and order accordingly since I found it to be hit or miss.
A great neighborhood spot! You'll find something for everyone here. The bubble tea is great. Definitely ask about the specials when you are there because you'll get the freshest and most creative stuff on the menu. The owner is very cool and if she happens to be around she'll take her time to chat with you!
Most authentic chinese food on canpus! Love them, highly recommended!
It was my first time ordering here, and everything was amazing! I got the wonton soup and stir fried pork belly with rice. I was actually late to pick up my food and it was still hot and fresh. They have a lot of other options to choose from too I'll have to try (:
Restaurantji Recommends
They have THE range and they do it well too. I got a coupon for a free entree with a $25 purchase and although I may have chosen the worst day to try it out, I was impressed with the food. Their food lasted us 3 meals between my partner and I. We ordered the Singapore Mai Fun noodles, the curry laksa, and the general tso's chicken. These are 3 very different dishes and we were a little skeptical if they were able to do all of them well. Our doubts vanished when we had bites of all three. The Singapore Mai Fun noodles were really fun to eat overall and were very light and airy. The curry laksa was incredibly rich and paired with the egg noodles really well. The general tso's chicken was not too sweet and I loved all of the chilies that they put in. The general tso's and Curry Laksa were mildly spicy so if you do not like spicy food, I would ask for a lower spice level. If you're like me and love a little citrus with your meal, a little bit of lime pairs beautifully with the curry laksa by the way! Overall, this will be our place for Singaporean, Malay, and Chinese food. I am already craving it again as I type this!!!
A staple in Clifton for ages, I hadn't been back in a long while but made the trek. Intimate setting with a massive menu full of authentic Asian foods and an extensive bubble tea menu. I had the phó noodle soup and it was fantastic. My friends had hot pot and a tonkatsu noodle bowl and they loved their food as well.
Great place to go! Awesome service Definitely will be back!
My family and I were looking for a new restaurant in our area to try and we were pleasantly surprised with our experience. Although there is limited seating, the incredible food and drinks made up for that. There are a lot of menu options and we went with the Mango Milk Bubble Tea, Steamed Dumplings, Spicy Pepper Chicken, and Beef Brisket Noodle Soup. All of them were delicious!
The menu is enormous, with selections from Malaysia, Japan, China, and more. There are traditional dishes here that I haven't been able to find anywhere else in the city. The authenticity of the food is part of what makes Tea 'n Bowl so great. If you are looking for P.F. Chang's ultra-Americanized version of Asian cuisine, this is not the place for you. If you are looking for true, authentic cuisine that respects tradition and if you enjoy getting out of your comfort zone and trying something new, you MUST try this place. The Chef is remarkably friendly, visits and chats with the customers. Of the dozen or so times I've been, I had a minor issue with the food one time. The Chef apologized numerous times and offered to comp the meal. When I declined his generous offer, he instead brought out a free dessert and free bubble teas. I will patronize this restaurant as often as I can. The menu is such that you could eat there for a year and never order the same thing twice. That being said, if you want a specific recommendation, try the Szechuan Beef Brisket Hot Pot. Best dish I have ever had from any restaurant. Enjoy!