Good food, nice decor (all traces of Baker's Square are a thing of the past). I would especially recommend the beef scallion pancakes as an appetizer. HOWEVER... I just can't give this place any more stars for the following reasons: - the Muzak was atrocious, and didn't fit the cool vibe at all. I HATE cheesy background music, and an instrumental rendition of "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" almost saw my food come back the way it came in. - the service was pretty poor. The waitress was pleasant, but we were pretty much neglected. Our order was messed up, and we weren't the only table around to have that happen. (They did comp the mixed up appetizer, so that's something anyway.) - for a place called "Tea House," their tea offering is terrible. Four kinds of generic tea? Dumb. - the food was really up and down. Buns were good, pancakes were good, our main dish was WAY too salty and oily even for "Chinese" food. I overheard another table complaining about this as well, so it wasn't just me. Overall, I would go back, but I'm not in any hurry to do so - especially with Korea Restaurant down the street and Shuang Cheng over in Dinkytown.
(3)
Josh O.
This place has mediocre chinese food, but it's overpriced for what you get. Their namesake is true though, they do brew delicious tea.
(3)
Connie L.
let me get the nitty-gritty out of the way: do NOT come here expecting cheap chinese food. however, if you're willing to cough up the extra dough and accept the over-the-top-chinese-interior-design-to-impress-Âwhite-people, then you're in luck! at one point of my life, i turned away from chinese food when i could help it simply because that was all i ate - at home, when we went to restaurants, even on vacations; chinese people love chinese food (i.e. my parents). now that i live on my own, i don't eat chinese food too often. so when i ate at tea house, i knew it was real CHINESE when it reminded me of home. although some of the menu selections were definitely catered to the americanized-chinese food fan, the dishes were very authentic, especially those dan dan noodles that my friend ordered. and i saw the chinese chef in his t-shirt and apron, just like home, but minus the mexican dishwashers. ambience was thumbs up if bringing a date to an alternative p.f. chang's; newly remodeled bathrooms had traditional porcelain-painted goldfish bowls/sinks; and loved the traditional wooden furniture. bottom line: authentic chinese food at a premium price, but worth it.
(4)
Hung N.
Went here for Chinese New year and I thought the food was hit or miss...I love me some good spicy food and they delivered with their ma po tofu, dumplings in chili oil and the green beans...Also good was the Pork and crab soup dumplings. Beef tendon wasn't as good as I had in other places. House beef scallion pancake had cold parts in the middle as well. Sesame bread was a little plain. First Szechuan place, so I Iook forward to trying the others to see how they compare. Also I'm ok for waiting for food, but my table of 8 had to wait over an hour...otherwise the environment may be the best I've seen in a Chinese restaurant, and service was ok.
(3)
Rhonda G.
Places like this are dangerous for me, mostly because the menu has a lot of pictures. So I wanted beef because a six week fasting period is coming up. I'm immediately drawn to the picture of a bowl of the house beef in spicy sauce. Not only was I punished for my gluttony, and thinking I could handle something hot with the damn pepper flakes all over it, but this was just sheer greed. Once I scraped the flakes off and added 2 bowls of rice it was really good. I ate about a quarter, its meant for sharing. Basil sensibly orders what sounds good, beef chung king, spicy can be ordered mild. it was delicious, and always had a good crunch to it. I'm actually looking forward to trying it with tofu. The whole time you're eating you can't help but being constantly aware of your surroundings. It's that gorgeous. I love the private, curtained booths. The staff is great, I believe my waiter was Luis. That's another thing, probably being this close to the U, the staff are not all Asian. Also there is no hunan on the menu, but you don't really miss it. It's just not a clone of the others. I finally found the place where you can eat atmosphere and the food.
(5)
S O.
Food is way to spendy for the generic food you get here. Most of all, it irked me that the name of the restaurant is "Tea House" yet all they had were *2* types of teas. I asked our server if that was it, to which he replied, "Yeah, we're not like a Tea Garden or anything like that"--- I'm not looking for bubble tea, mister, I'm just looking for tea from a so-called "tea house". I was not misguided on my part, it's quite a deception from your name. Otherwise, call yourself "Chinese Food House" ya know? Anyway, another strike against this place: the tea was $5.95. GREEN TEA! Green. Tea. I can't get over this. It's not that I can't afford this, it's just the principal of it. Yes, your teapot was heavy and fancy but the tea leaves were so sparse the tea came out crystal clear, and hardly tasted like tea, so...
(1)
Erin C.
Tea House is a great place to satisfy your Szechuan craving if you are not able to drive to Bloomington (Grand Szechuan) or St. Paul (Little Szechuan). Their food is not as great as I have tasted at the other aforementioned restaurants, but they do have a lot of wonderful items. I especially like their veggie buns and their Cool Noodles (which are way spicy).
(4)
Songxuan S.
One of my fav Chinese restaurant around compus.
(5)
Gene Z.
Over priced for the location. Spicy beef soup was lo mein with few pieces of beef in spicy oil. Really, oil, not broth.
(1)
Ann L.
I have heard a great deal about Tea House, so I decided to check it out. I most definitely do not recommend this place. Their food is GREASY and you cannot taste anything, but the sauce. I Do Not recommend this place at all!
(1)
McLain C.
Like the chicken chun qing and the beef soup with fresh noodles.
(4)
Lori G.
The beef noodle soup is a wonderful option for cold weather
(3)
Catherine C.
I've enjoyed the Tea House restaurant since 2011 when I first came here for lunch. Their weekly lunch specials are great! My favorite lunch choice is their House Spicy Pork with rice, hot and sour soup and a nice crispy egg roll. Beware, the entree is covered in dried chili flakes and oil - making this dish a true spice delight! I love it. The flavors are brilliant and it also contains bok choy and lots of ginger and garlic. It's so hot and spicy but also tingly. Sounds weird, but it just is. I like their steamed buns, Dan Dan noodles, scallion pancakes and cream cheese puffs. My absolute favorite has to be their scallion pancake house beef roll. It's rolled up like a wrap and cut into about 5 pieces. The beef is so tender and the flavors just integrate so perfectly. I find myself craving these! Try their housemade hot mustard. Wow. It gives you brain burn in the most delightful way! I definitely recommend this place for authentic Chinese food. It's a great place to grab a lunch when you are in this area of Minneapolis. I also do takeout here, sometimes it's nice to grab something quickly when you're on the go and they are always fast, friendly and efficient with takeout orders over the phone. Thanks Tea House!
(4)
Wobby W.
Don't get the chicken! I ordered the Sesame Chicken lunch special (to go) and the chicken was disgusting. Full of hard, rubbery, knarly bits in nearly every piece, I literally spit it out three times and then trashed it. I had a bad experience with the chicken here before and I'm done now, won't go back.
(1)
Denise H.
I am torn about this place and probably need to go back and give it another chance. We came here for what we thought was lunch and then we thought was brunch and then upon Googling realized it was a different style of dim sum. I grew up on Cantonese style dim sum, but Tea House serves a Northern style dim sum. Some of the offerings were familiar, but the service is different, and there is less of a focus on straight up dumplings and carts. Some items had also been sitting under heat lamps for too long. The soup dumplings here are disappointing (the usual issue with soup dumplings in MN... the skin is too tough and the soup leaks out and is not a good broth) and the soups in general are not very flavorful. The congee is only okay, but I like the DIY style (where you can pick between a lot of different congees and toppings). Again, my palate leans toward Cantonese flavors, so that is probably part of my issue. You may feel differently.
(3)
Karen S.
Attractive place but the reason to go is the food. The scallion pancakes and soup dumplings were wonderful. We also enjoyed the Kung Pao shrimp .
(5)
Trupti T.
I enjoyed the food here, the fresh watermelon juice. Chicken dumplings soaked in dark spicy, salty, and sweet sauce. The eggplant had the right amount of pungency from the garlic and sweetness to balance out the slight bitterness of the eggplants. The vegetable treasure was truly just that a treasure to eat. Overall a gem of a place and I am glad I got to visit on my trip to twin cities.
(5)
Hazel S.
So so so so good. Service varies widely. Doesn't matter because the food is outrageously luscious. Get the kudai noodles.
(5)
Jessica L.
They have brunch buffet on weekends. The brunch has a wide variety of food and the food is authentic. However, the automatically charge you 18% for tips which I think it's slightly overpriced.
(3)
Steph H.
Wow-great food! We did have to wait over 10 min. for my daughter's food to be delivered after everyone else had been served, but we had the amazing pork steamed buns to tide us over!
(4)
Lindsay F.
Went here after a co-worker of my father's, who grew up in China, recommended the place. Maybe I had different expectations, but it was not what I had anticipated, and left a bit disappointed. The food was definitely better than most Chinese I've eaten, had both more traditional fare as well as the more greasy-grimey "American Chinese" dishes. We started with the pork buns. We got 7 of them, and they were not only a generous size, but also quite delicious. Honestly, this was one of my favorite items that I ate. The bun was soft, the inside still steamy, and the flavor was nice without overwhelming to bun or the pork inside. The pork was perhaps just a tad under seasoned and dry, but they were still delicious enough that our table gulped them up in minutes. Also got the cold pork belly, which was good, but got a bit "mundane" after awhile. Hard to keep eating it. Each of us got hot and sour soup, which was DELICIOUS. For mains, this is where the meal disappointed :(. I had the green-tea smoked duck. The duck came with a nice, crispy outside, however there was not too much meat on the bone, and the fat layer under the skin was NOT rendered out. After awhile, biting into the duck pieces gave me a mouthful of grease. My friend got the "spicy double cooked pork," which came with a bunch of veggies. This was a much better dish, however be warned that it comes swimming in oil. In summary, there are a few things that were consistent throughout: 1. Large portions for the price 2. Quite greasy dishes/meat 3. GREAT service 4. Pretty pretty pretty decorations.
(3)
Emily M.
Kung pao chicken is excellent! I have also ordered sesame chicken, orange chicken, vegetable and pork egg rolls and all are great! Happy hour is before 3-go and you get soup/salad, one roll, and your entree!
(5)
Lulu H.
We came here on Christmas for dinner and had a wonderful spread! We started with the fried egg roll and scallion pancake, and had suan mei tang (smoked plum juice). Our entrees were the crispy roast duck, kung pao chicken, braised fish, honey crispy shrimp, and sizzling beef (tie ban niu). On the side, we had bittermelon with eggplant and green beans, and steamed buns. We finished with fried sesame sweet cakes. A few favorites were the scallion pancake (delicately crispy and not soaking with oil, like in some restaurants), roasted duck (the meat was tender and the skin fried to just the right texture), honey shrimp (light and sweet, almost refreshing despite the fact that they are fried), bittermelon, braised fish, and the sesame cakes. About the bittermelon - usually I find bittermelon dishes (typically fried or sauteed with pork, eggs, or black bean sauce) to be far too bitter, as one might typically expect, but this dish was prepared in a way that the flavor of each vegetable was displayed but not overwhelming. It was actually the first time I've enjoyed bittermelon, and I would definitely get it again. The braised fish was so flavorful and delicious, I only wish that we had decided to get it earlier as we were already almost full by the time it arrived. The traditional way to eat this is by pouring the broth and meat over rice. I'm not sure the type of fish that was used in the dish, but it was very tender and full, didn't flake apart in your mouth. Finally, the sesame cakes were just divine - they're flaky on the inside with a chewy exterior. Almost reminds me of mooncakes, but with an almost croissant-like texture in the center. They're not too sweet, but I think are just right for a bit of filling dessert. I came with family members who couldn't eat very spicy food, so we ordered the options with less or no spice. I will have to come again to try the other spicier options!
(5)
Jennifer K.
I lived in china for about 1.5 and learned very quickly while I was there that American Chinese food was nothing like real Chinese food. After moving back I started looking for a great place to eat out where I should show off to my friends all of the great things you could eat in China right here in MN. Nothing was holding up to my standards until I found Tea house. It has the best of both worlds, if you really love the American Chinese food you can still get it here, but it really has quite authentic amazing real Chinese food! The Scallion Pancakes are to die for, I have dreams about them, the meat is perfectly tender, the pancake it crispy without being oily. It is really MUST have. There buns are just as good also. All at a great price.
(4)
Dan G.
Really nice food here! Authentic Chinese food, not like many another Chinese restaurant around the UofM offering sth like orange or general tso's chicken,which is not Chinese food at all!!!! Weekends Buffet is nice here! I really like their Shen Juan bun and red bean milk sago!!!!! Many other dishes as well!
(5)
Marissa W.
We decided to try this place on a whim and were pleasantly surprised. I expected blah-American-Chinese food, but Tea House blew me away! The decor was beautiful and the restaurant was very clean. Lunch specials were well priced and portioned. I tried the Mongolian Beef which was delicious. Next time, I hope to be more adventurous- the menu has a lot to offer.
(4)
Aubrie A.
Unfortunately I had a bad experience at this restaurant when I found a bug in my food :(. I was having lunch with a friend and we both ordered soup, with some potstickers and eggrolls to share. I had the Buddha soup, and I actually thought that it was okay, but lacking flavor. It wasn't until we were nearly done with our lunch when I took a big bite out of one of the last potstickers, turned it over, and then noticed one nice-size crispy bug larva with little legs just sitting there crusted to the side of my posticker :(!! Thankfully, it wasn't only half a bug I guess, lol... I didn't want to make a big deal out of it because my friend had chosen the restaurant - but I'm sure you can imagine how it might be more than a little bit disconcerting! Anyway, we showed the waitress and she ended up *not* charging us for the potstickers, but seriously, with a bug like that the manager probably should have come out and given us a free meal.... just sayin! I feel bad about leaving a review about this incident, but I believe the point of sites like Yelp is to help share information with others. Both the good and the bad! Anyway - maybe they need to clean the kitchen :(?? Sorry Tea House!!
(1)
Jess N.
Yum- the spices here are so amazing. Sichuan pepper makes your mouth tingle but when you drink your water it makes the taste lemony- pretty amazing. Spicy pork, spicy pot and soup dumplings are what I shared with my mom- had a ton of leftovers but we had to try different things.
(4)
John C.
one of the better Chinese places in the area, a close second to szechaun nearby. weekend lunch buffet is above average, ma la chicken is a highlight. but the price is high given they replace empty dishes slowly if at all, so arrive early for it.
(3)
Vin F.
Authentic Chinese food in an authentic setting. The Tea Duck, Garlic Chicken, and Garlic Eggplant were all very good. The only complaint was that the food had more oil than I am used to. I was told by one of the people with us (who is from China) that this is the authentic preparation, but my personal taste (being from California) is to lighten up on the oil. Other than that, the food was excellent, as was the service.
(4)
Saman D.
I am so impressed by this place. First time at the restaurant and this has got to be the best Chinese food I've ever had. Our waiter Jiajin was very informational and genuinely nice.
(5)
Evelyn H.
They have the coolest set up among those Chinese restaurants in campus area! And the food is pretty authentic. Awesome place to have dinner. They have gluten free menu too.
(5)
Zach B.
Our waiter was Jiajin and he was the best. Very, very friendly and he made it a wonderful experience. The food was great, the scallion pancakes were delicious and so was the hot and sour soup. I would definitely go back.
(5)
Susannah H.
Xiaolóngbao. I love love LOVE xiaolóngbao. Also known as "soup dumplings" or "juicy dumplings", these prized gems of Shanghai, if done *right*, are the quintessential ultimate dumpling. I have had the pleasure of eating them in Shanghai, Japan, and at Din Tai Fung (at both official and unofficial locations). Now, what does "right" entail exactly? - thin, smooth, and tender outer dumpling skin (more white-ish than tan) - savory, flavorful ground pork (but sometimes crab or other seafood) surrounded by a rich, umami-filled boiling broth - eaten with soup spoons and chopsticks, dipped into a mix of soy sauce and vinegar with shredded, pickled ginger. You NEED the soup spoons to rest the dumpling in, since otherwise, how will you ensure you drink all of the soup that gushes out from the dumpling once you bite it? I had been forewarned by a friend who visits Shanghai often that the xiaolóngbao at this location were a sad comparison to what they are supposed to be like, but I thought ,"well, what the hey, I'm going to give it a shot anyway". GIANT MISTAKE. What really, REALLY pisses me off is when restaurants take advantage of a community's lack of knowledge and experience with particular food; especially when they try to pass something off as "authentic" when it's clearly its inbred third cousin once removed. (rage!) That is EXACTLY what happened at this location of Tea House. Since when are xiaolóngbao cooked in plastic steamers? Since when are ANY decent dumplings or bao cooked in plastic steamers?? I've seen bamboo....I've seen metal...but plastic?? In all my years of eating dim sum/yum cha, be it Hong Kong or Shanghai style, this was the first time I've seen it done. What does that scream to me? MICROWAVE. Now, this is an assumption, since I did not go into the kitchen, but what makes me think, aside from the odd plastic steamer, that they were microwaved instead of steamed? The xiaolóngbao were very overcooked, but instead of having that "overly steamed" consistency, they were hard and gummy. Typically, when you overly steam something, it gets soggy and kind of melts into a gross mass, especially with something as delicate as xiaolóngbao. However, when you overly microwave something, it gets hard and gummy....like the dumplings we had at Tea House. Whenever you eat properly-made xiaolóngbao, you have that risk of the soupy goodness gushing out since the skin of the dumpling is so delicate...in THIS situation, that risk was laughable. Other issues with these monstrosities being passed off as xiaolóngbao (feel the rage increasing): - these had been frozen...possibly for a while...I almost wonder if they were store bought they tasted so old. - Flavor? What flavor? - Soup? What soup? I think I tasted flavorful-ish pork grease...but that wasn't soup. Or at least that BETTER not have been what Tea House is trying to pass off as soup, otherwise you are blatantly ripping your patrons off. - And again, the outer skin - tough, chewy, and TAN. I said "white-ish", not TAN. I refuse to believe that Tea House is unable to get the proper flour of xiaolóngbao. More like they are trying to replace the quality flour usually used with a cheap substitute. - You're supposed to bite into the top of xiaolóngbao and suck out the soup...biting into these was like biting into any old dumpling. And again, what soup?? I specifically went to Tea House to try their xiaolóngbao since, aside from my friend who knows better, I had heard from several people that they were good there. I did not try their seafood dishes or the hongshaorou, but honestly, after eating that sad, almost insulting excuse for xiaolóngbao, the overly peanut buttery sesame cold noodles, the lackluster wonton soup (why did the lunch menu charge $7 and the dinner menu $4?), and the diluted hot and sour soup, I don't ever plan to. At least, not this location.
(2)
Ellen C.
We came excited to try the dim sum buffet I had read about online. We were happy to see that most everything looked really authentic and of high quality. We arrived around 12:45pm on a Saturday afternoon and only had to wait 5 minutes for a table, which is usually unheard of for dim sum restaurants at that hour. The restaurant was packed with Asians and the food looked delicious, although some of the items did look like they were drying out under heater lamps. The variety of items they offered though was impressive. Having spent a good amount of time in Taiwan and China, I've seen some great breakfast and lunch buffets there and Tea House actually covered some of the items traditionally offered. Warning though, if you're looking for the traditional dim sum items you find here, you'll be disappointed. They didn't have things that you usually find in metal steamers, like ha gow, siu mai, daikon cake, etc. But what they did offer were authentically Asian - here's what I can remember: Appetizers: Spicy marinated pig ear Tea eggs Sesame garlic noodles Szechuan dumplings Shredded potato "Dim Sum": Pan fried dumplings Pan fried buns Onion bread (the thick kind, not the pancake kind) Fried breadstick (the kind you dip in soy milk) Egg & chive pan fried bun Egg pancake Entrees: Garlic eggplant Szechuan pork belly, leek and pig ear saute Mapo tofu Stir fried cabbage Rice Sauteed glass noodles Soups: Do Hwa (tofu dessert with ginger syrup) Green bean + coconut soup (dessert) Gourd and pork soup Congee with chicken and thousand year old egg Drinks: Arnold Palmer Tang Soy milk (you put in your own sugar) Thing to note for all their entrees - there is a TON of grease. As in the food was sitting in at least an inch of oil, straight grease oil. So if you have a sensitive stomach, this may not be the best place to go. The soups were all of pretty good quality. The entrees were VERY greasy. The "dim sum" had too little filling and too much dough, and also suffered from being placed under heat lamps for a while. All in all, it's a good place to go if you are super hungry and want to eat traditional foods that you can't find really elsewhere. But I have to say that it's pretty expensive. They also add tip for you without asking. For two people it cost $35, which I think is pretty darn expensive for an Asian buffet. Hence 3 stars instead of 4.
(3)
Jim B.
This place has a good selection of duck entrees. We had the Soy Sauce Duck and it was pretty good. It's probably one of the better restaurants in the Stadium Village area. Since it's on campus, the prices are pretty reasonable. The duck and an asparagus side dish cost $30 (without the tip). It was enough food for two people.
(4)
Jennifer J.
Disclaimer: I only ended up at this restaurant because the first 2 my friend and I checked out were closed for that particular Monday. As someone spoiled by Chinese food in the Bay Area, I have been a little hesitant to try Chinese food without doing my due diligence research beforehand. As that wasn't the case this time around, we ended up ordering the chicken in garlic sauce and the Szechuan green beans. The chicken was fine, but the sauce was much too spicy for what it is and had far too much chili oil. The green beans were unexpected because Szechuan food tends to be on the spicier side of the spectrum, and the beans were absolutely not spicy. They were good though and I would order the dish again. I am interested in coming here to try the dim sum in the future.
(3)
Patti K.
We ended up here because we turned the wrong way on University Ave. I've been meaning to try this place for a while, so I didn't mind. The interior looked like what might happen if you let a Crate & Barrel designer loose in a suburban dim sum restaurant--asymmetrical square lattice dividers, a large blue back-lit bamboo design wall, high-backed black booths with China blue plum blossom fabric. The Chinese character design at the bar reminded me of what they use at yuppie Asian fusion places like Big Bowl or Stir Crazy. The menu featured both Chinese and American Chinese food, with pea pod shoot dishes listed alongside Kung Pao tofu. We really wanted to try something different, so we ordered Mongolian lamb and A-choy (Taiwanese lettuce) garlic stir fry. The lamb had a nice velveted texture, and was flavored with onions and scallions. It was a little salty, but we enjoyed it. The A-choy was flavorful and a satisfying alternative to spinach or pea shoots. I'll have to look for it next time I'm in an Asian market. As a side note, this is the first restaurant I've been to in the Twin Cities area where a significant number of the customers were speaking Chinese. I almost felt like I was back in LA. Our take: the food was pretty good, if a bit salty, and overall it was a positive experience. We enjoyed the trendy decor, if not the country/Western Christmas music. The service was attentive. The menus were a little dirty--someone spilled a sticky sauce on them and no one cleaned them off. I would go back if I were in the area, but there are other places I want to try first.
(3)
Daniel H.
Bad experience here. Came here on a Monday at around 12:30. Happened to be in the area with my mom and nephew in tow. We decided to order off the lunch menu. My food (spicy chicken) came out first with my nephew's (shrimp with veggies) about a minute later. At that point the server said that my mom's (wonton soup with spring rolls) "would be right out." I was starving so I started to eat. A few minutes later the server updates "just a few more minutes" and then "I just checked and they said it would be right out" and then "it will be out in 2 minutes. Grrr. So, about 5 minutes after his last 2 minute warning and a total of about 15-20 minutes AFTER THE REST OF THE FOOD ARRIVED, my mom's soup and spring rolls appeared. Luckily my mom was eating some food off my nephew's plate or she might have gone crazy. At about that point a guy was going around to all the tables asking "if everything was good." I asked if he was the manager: "I am sort of the assistant manager." (Ok, what?). I tell him the issue. "So sorry!" he apologized repeatedly. He informs me that the wonton soup takes 20 minutes to cook and he would let my server know the problem. Umm, he knows dude, he is the one that kept telling us it was about to come out for 15 minutes. He offers to get the owner. OK, perfect. Owner (I guess) comes out and I explain the problem. "So sorry" he apologizes. "The server is new." What? So you are blaming the server? How the hell is it his fault? Was he not supposed to bring out the other food until the soup was done. I guess it should have waited under some warming lamp for 15 minutes? Or was he cooking too? He offers us dessert. We decline as we are trying to end our nearly hour long lunch at this point. The best part: as we were walking out, the "sort of assistant manager" says "We will be faster next time." Makes me laugh that he is so naive to think there will be a next time. The only reason I gave them 2 stars is because the spicy chicken I got was actually really good. tl;dr: Two thirds of the food came out, had to wait 15-20 for the rest of the food. An hour to get and eat 3 items off the lunch menu. Owner blamed server.
(2)
Alex F.
I was at UMinn for an interview and this restaurant happened to be next to my hotel. The price was a bit pricy in my opinion (but I guess it's reasonable for a college town restaurant). I had the double cooked pork that evening and it was pretty good. The only complaints I had were 1. The dish was very oily 2. They used the pork belly instead of the lean pork (which I wasn't used to). Overall, it was a pretty satisfying meal.
(4)
Jigme U.
Not your ordinary University street Asian restaurants catering to the students hustling bustling demands. Tea House is a restaurent chain across the state that takes pride in its Sichuan dishes. It seems everytime I come here they change the menu - the options get smaller and they even removed my favorite simple DanDan noodle. The spicy fish dish was too oily and smeared with thick ginger paste on top. The kongpho tofu was satisfactory with chucks of uncooked garlic. The potsticker was not fresh. I have had similar tasting ones from packets. The Tea House has spend money in the decoration but lost the flavor in the food. Disappointed!
(2)
Robert V.
We have gone in the past and liked the service and food in the evening, however we tried the Sunday Buffet and I was totally surprised at the lack of organization, food items with no identification of what it was out of drinks at the counter no sugar no coffee no tea. Not happy, there was no service to mention of except at the door when we came in. after the bill was paid the hostess added a tip to my bill...I don't think you can do that? Did not find out till I got home. I told a lot of people about this Restaurant in the past, will not in the future. Food Was Not What I expected from the past. It was not good to me at all.
(1)
Mitchell S.
I had the house, spicy pork with brown rice which was delicious. The cheese wontons were good too. My friend got the steamed buns which were soggy and gross she said. In general, the food is pretty good (depending on what you order) but the service was absolutely terrible. He forgot to tell us the buffet was over, so all the food was gone when we went up there. He didn't bring us any water and continuously forgot about us. His demeanor was overall very strange, almost like he has never served before in his life.
(3)
Katie C.
My mom, sister, grandma and I went here for dim sum last Sunday and it was GREAT! We weren't sure what to order and asked the waiter for recommendations. He ended up ordering everything for us and we loved it. He brought out so many different options and the perfect amount for the 4 of us. I think this is going to be our new favorite weekend lunch spot!
(5)
Henry W.
I've never been to Tea House, though I've ordered from there several times. It's very good Chinese food! It has both traditional and American Chinese dishes, both of which are quite well made at this place!
(4)
Tsiskay L.
It was pretty good. I got the pork belly (in the appetizers section), the chicken wings in garlic sauce, beef and tripe in spicy sauce, the garlic eggplant(i think thats what it was called) and the noodle in broth bowl (forgot the name) it was really full of flavor. Thw eggplant was the bomb! It was spicy, sweet, garlicy all at once. I love the pork belly and beef with tripe. Between the 2 i would do the beef. The noodle dish was super spicy (but i cant handle spicy, love it, but cant handle it). It had a whole of bunch green chiles (not sure what they were). It wa pretty bland. Almost pho like, but with a different flavor. The chicken wings were super crispy, but lacked flavor. I dipped it in thw sauce and it was all that great either. Everything else was pretty good. I would go again to try other stuff. Not your typical chinese restaurant. dont go expecting to order orange chicken with lo mein.
(4)
Alyssa A.
Simply amazing. This is some seriously authentic Sichuan cuisine! And I should know.... I lived in China for over 5 years. They do Americanized Chinese food with finesse too, and have a great range of options, but if you want a real taste of china, the tea house can absolutely deliver. They even made some specialized dishes for our group that weren't on the menu! Great happy hour too--you can't beat $3 beers!!!
(5)
Betty C.
You must try their weekend brunch buffet. It's northern Chinese style dishes, similar to some Cantonese dim sum. Congee, soy milk, and tofu desserts are also available. Authentic Szechuan cuisine during regular times. The atmosphere and decor looks amazing. Not your typical hole in the wall Chinese place!
(4)
john l.
The weekend buffet is definitely worth a try. It's not the american chinese type of buffet with chicken wings and bad sushi. If you're looking for some good chinese food give it a shot.
(4)
Yuqing L.
brunch is awesome
(5)
Josh S.
Went to Teahouse for dinner and fell in love. I ordered the house spicy beef, szechuan dumplings and sole fillet with scallion and for desert we had brown sugar rice cakes. Absolutely amazing! Best Chinese food in the Twin cities.
(5)
Melissa A.
Great jasmine tea. I also really enjoyed ogling here with some colleagues for a business lunch. Good quality food and service.
(3)
Mira A.
We have been getting take out from The Tea House in the west metro for years. The Chung King chicken is the best dish on the menu. It's spicy crunchy deliciousness. (We pick off the chilis) the wonton soup dumplings pair well to cool off the heat of the Chung King. Although dumplings are better dining in to ensure proper temperature.
(5)
Lisa Z.
Best Chinese restaurant in the twin cities. As a Chinese, I would say this place provides really authentic Chinese food.
(5)
Eric S.
After a long day of exploring the hockey extravaganza at the River center we decided to head home. All sense of time was lost while at this hockey event, so upon leaving we hopped on 94 and realized it was rush hour. I usually do everything in my power to avoid this situation, but not on this day. So, being really hungry we decided to take the university exit and just find some place to eat to kill some time. This is how I stumbled upon the Tea House. This is hands down the best Chinese I've ever had in my life. I wasn't even thrilled about stopping here. That was my companions decision (and a very good one). Since then we've been back numerous times. Don't let the look from the outside fool you, this place is very unique and surprisingly nice on the inside. There are a lot of private booths and if you're in need of a romantic type setting, there's some private booths that are really neat. there's not a bad place to sit at this place. Now that I've been here a few times I feel very confident in my review that this is the best Chinese in Minneapolis, well that's my opinion anyway. Everything I've ever had here has been exceptional. I could go on forever about this joint but I won't. Here are some quick tips of awesomeness from the Tea House - The Dim Sum great, Entrees great, if you like spicy try their House spicy beef, the spicy pot or the Chung king chicken, the Dan Dan noodles are the BEST (pretty much insane)! The few appetizers I've had were all really good. Check out the Shanghai Scallion Pancakes - really good. And the prices? Well their similar to PF Chang pricing but the food is 100% better. Service is outstanding, food is totally insane, restaurant is clean, and the atmosphere is fun and inviting. Good luck finding the restrooms the first time you go here though, don't get discouraged they're there, just hard to find. Fact - You know it's good Chinese when half the people eating there on many occasions are of the Chinese ethnicity. A must try!
(5)
Melissa H.
This is NOTHING like The Tea House on Suburban Ave in Saint Paul. THAT Teahouse is actually good. The Eggrolls were good, but the breading on any chicken (Sesame, General Tsao's, and Sweet and Sour all got soggy and fell off the chicken, making it all mushy.) If you want GOOD Chinese food go a little further to Saint Paul's Tea House, skip this one.
(2)
Vee P.
Although somewhat close to campus, still a farther walk from other restaurants, no parking lot, and the food wasn't good. It was greasy and tasteless and overpriced. I would not come back. It looks appealing from the outside and the staff is nice, but the flavor and cost is not worth the trouble.
(1)
Aki S.
Gorgeous interior. Food is great. Better ambiance than the Plymouth location. Service was sub-optimal.
(4)
Jerry B.
This is my favorite place for chinese food around campus. Although it can get a bit pricey, it is definitely worth it for me since I get really sick of eating those cheap generic chinese food that populate the campus. I haven't been back to china in a few years but this place really gives me those nostalgic memories from the last time I visited family there. I love ordering the Fuqi Fei Pian (Cold tripe dish), Mao's red pork belly, and also any of the spicy fish dishes all of which you don't find from those 'other' places. However, if youre the type that enjoys sweet and sour pork, fried rice, kung pao chicken, etc, then you're better off going to those other chinese places to save yourself some moolah. In terms of authenticity compared to the other chinese restaurants on campus, this place blows them out of the water. BUT, in terms of service... let me just say, it is almost as bad as HK noodles.
(4)
Taffany H.
Being so far from California, I was skeptical about finding a decent chinese food especially from a place with an Asian-Fusion-esque Decor like Tea House in Minneapolis. I was wrong. The food was pretty tasty and almost as good as what we would get in hood of inner sunset in SF. I don't know if this means much but this would be the place to come if you're in town craving for a good place that's not gimmicky. Will come back again when I visit the sibling who's doing time in grad school here for sure.
(4)
Patti I.
Came here with a friend from mainland China. He had beef noodles in soup and I had the lunch portion of Dan Dan noodles. We shared an order of Scallion Cakes--who doesn't love fried dough?--and these were pretty dang yummy. Dining companion said his noodles were good. He didn't share bites but I noticed BIG hunks of beef in his soup. Looked pretty appetizing to me. My dan dan noodles were good although I think the ones at Szechuan in Roseville are a little better. We were in a bit of a hurry and told our waitress--she was cheerful and accommodating. The restaurant is clearly an old Baker's Square but the decor inside was really nice: Dark wood, carved Chinese screens, and booths upholstered in appealing blue brocade. Often the places that serve the best Chinese food look like dumps but this is a place you could actually take your boss to. A big plus in this neighborhood is the free parking.
(4)
Dennis B.
Authentic. Great Service. Try the House Spicy Fish or Beef! Full bar.
(5)
Lindsey D.
The soup dumplings were good. Not as good as they were in Manhattan, but this is Minneapolis. The house spicy beef was soooo black peppery, indelible. The fried pork dumplings were good too. Very nice inside. The waitstaff was young, white, and had no idea what to reccomend. They were also yelling at the kitchen staff and telling each other to shut up. I probably won't be back.
(3)
Xinghao W.
I just had a chance to review Teahouse's new winter specific items. They are delicious.
(4)
Ronnie G.
finally. FINALLY. There is a decent chinese breakfast place in town. Tea House delivers. Seriously, I crave Chinese breakfast sometimes like a fat kid and pregnant women crave fudge brownies. But there's nobody in town who makes xiao long bao. Until now. We arrived at the Tea House, starved after a Seis De Mayo party last night. They had a weird menu, half Denny's half Chinese. It was an agreement to share the parking lot with the Days Inn next door to serve waffles and eggs. Whatever. All I cared about was the Beef Noodle Soup, Onion Pancakes, and Pork Soup Dumplings. The beef noodle soup was perfect. Very tender beef, great noodles, and tasty beef broth. The Onion Pancakes were dynamite. Very crispy and tasty at the same time. Good dipping sauce. The Pork Soup dumplings were swell as well. Good soup and filling. Only issue was some of them broke on impact after taking off the cabbage layer below. I'll definitely be going back again. Nice job TH!
(5)
Tim W.
The good stuff here is great and the bad stuff is pretty disappointing, so your experience will vary with your luck ordering. I'm a fan of the spicy fish and the tofu with pixels peppers. The doughnuts are amazing, definitely save room for dessert.
(4)
Lisa M.
Eh, not sure I get it..... I've been to this location once and the buffet twice. I don't get it. Everyone raves about the Tea House, but I can't. The ambiance is cool, but uncomfortable being seated. Dining companion and I ate lunch there recently. We were seated by the hostess, who kind of bugged me. I can't put my finger on it, but she talked too much in a soft voice on the way to the table. Thanks for being nice, but I didn't like it. We were seated and each ordered a DC. The chairs have pads that are tied on to them like your grandma would have. They kept slipping all over and I couldn't sit still. I was still bugged. The DCs came out very quickly in glasses that were wide, like a cocktail would come in. We had only a moment to look over the menu before the server came back to take our order. I'm rushed! Eeek. We decided on a vegetarian egg roll and each got a rice bowl to share - General Tso chicken and Pork in Garlic sauce. The egg roll came out crispy and delicious, albeit tiny. The food came out and the bowls were gigantic. Maybe to hold all the rice. There wasn't much meat or veggies in the bowl, but a s-ton of rice. The food was okay, but WAY overpriced. Service, she was quick when it worked for her. I felt too hurried to choose something, but not hurried enough to have our check brought in a decent amount of time. Egg roll, 2 DCs, 2 rice bowls with a sprinkling of meat, $30 with tip. Too expensive at lunch for me. I will not go back to this location. The ambiance and delicious DC don't make it enough.
(2)
j e.
Went here to see if there was any hope of decent soup dumplings in Minneapolis. Unfortunately the xi long bao are terrible here and not worth the trip. Still looking for decent soup dumplings until I can get back to a branch of din tai fung.
(1)
Adam W.
I love love love the Tea House on Suburban Ave. in Saint Paul, and was pleased to learn that another edition had opened on campus. The restaurant sits in the former home of the late and unlamented Bakers' Square. A full top to bottom remodel has left the restaurant space looking upscale, chic and shiny. When I walked in the door, I was immediately greeted by a manager and several employees. As expected, the staff is uniformly friendly and skilled. Though the menu lists many old favorites (including the excellent Szechuan dumplings in chili oil), Tea House veterans will note some new dishes--and higher prices--at this location. Even at lunch, the typical "plate of entree, egg roll and soup" has given way to a list of soups and rice bowls and you can expect to pay for your tea. Food quality, and attention to detail, remain a strong point. A full bar, including a decent selection of sakes and a serviceable wine list are also available. I am convinced that the various Tea House locations serve the best Chinese food in town. When I want an elegant experience with a full bar, I'll head over towards the U. When I want to spend a bit less money, and/or need to satisfy my "juicy bun" craving, I will find myself out on Suburban Avenue. Either way, I win.
(4)
Cou P.
I saw this restaurant few times but never think of coming in to try it. But luckily we did!! We ate at here on 9/17, I love their Szechuan Dumplings in Chili Oil the best and Spinach with fresh Garlic which I love them. We also tried Family Tofu which is not too bad, but Dan Dan Noodles tasted more like Sesame Paste Noodles to me. Scallion Pancake was kind of like deep fried, not I like and Beef Scallion Pancake Roll was a little bit heavy to me, I would rather have just without beef and I think that will tastes better. Overall, I WILL come back again and try more different dishes when I come back to visit Minneapolis City which is very soon.
(4)
Chuan S.
Genuine Chinese food.
(5)
Kedar D.
Tea House has great ambience and service, but the food options for vegans and vegetarians are highly limited. For one thing, almost all of the dishes labeled "vegetarian" contain oyster sauce. There are only a couple of dishes that are inherently meat- and fish-free. Make sure to ask many questions about ingredients. I made a suggestion to the staff to properly label their menus to indicate that oyster sauce is in many of the dishes, but who knows if they'll make that change/disclosure. We had a "house tofu" ($10) which was slabs of tofu and cabbage in a spicy chili oil. This dish was pretty good though it was pretty expensive considering the portion size. Also, it's extremely spicy, so be warned. The Chinese broccoli dish we had was similarly slight in terms of portion size, and was just a simple stir-fry. It was tasty enough, but seemed more like an appetizer and was something I could have prepared at home myself. I think those were the only two inherently vegan/vegetarian dishes on the menu. Other dishes couldn't be modified to be veg., unfortunately. Sadly, Tea House does not offer brown rice. I'd come back here if they added more vegan dishes, the way Little Szechuan or Evergreen (the two front-runners for quality Chinese food in the Twin Cities) do.
(2)
Vivian R.
The old Tea House, before the chain took over, was wonderful. Really well prepared, unusual food. We had a long drive to get there, and it was always well worth it. After the chain took over, the food was not well prepared -- unnecessarily oily. We went there several times, for old-time's sake, and were not happy. This past week (third week of December) we were so disappointed, the next day we tried the Szechuan on Snelling Ave near County B, and ordered the same menu items. We were very pleased, and will go back there. Sorry, Yolanda, we miss the old "family" cooking and the old chefs. It's still a very handsome location, but it's by and large become a student hangout.
(2)
John H.
Quality is average, food is heavily americanized and prices are quite high, but may be reflecting location. Ambience is good and service is okay. Some specific suggestions are any of the lamb dishes.
(3)
Allison B.
Hands down, my favorite Chinese food! I love the seating options -- alone in my own cubby with friends, in the private dining room that seats 8, or just in the middle of the restaurant. I love the ever changing lit wall -- so comforting and beautiful. Love, love, love the waiter Tao (sp?) Just because I may not spell it right doesn't mean that he isn't amazing... Favorite foods include: Schezuan green beans (to die for), spicy bamboo shoots, the cucumber appetizer, pork soup buns, beef noodle soup (which should be eaten with chop sticks and slurped up) and the chicken dish that Tao recommends. Lots of delish Saki -- and how the staff there will teach you about the different Saki's available. I love Tea House, I love introducing friends and visitors to Tea House, I love giving gift certificates to Tea House -- just thinking about it makes we want to go there, right now! I'll race ya!
(5)
Ann V.
I thoroughly enjoy the eating environment in this restaurant. The decor is upscale yet comfortable. There was a large group dinner going on so they didn't seat us in the little curtained tables--I like small, cosy areas so I really wanted to eat in there! The food wasn't horrible, but I wasn't very impressed. The taste was average while the presentation was poor. I'll go give it another shot because there wasn't anything about this experience that repulsed me. I give it two stars because there wasn't anything nearly spectacular about it.
(2)
Dan A.
Tea House used to be the best place for Chinese food. As they have expanded the quality has apparently been diluted among their several locations. Still, the food is okay and that is measured on rather high standards. Standards Tea House helped establish years ago when they brought in that famous Szechuan chef to work their single location. You should always compare favorably to your past, not the other way around. Service is above average. This location has nice plates! Safe and comfortable bet to bring your boss to if they aren't Chinese. If you have a connoisseur of Chinese visiting from out of town, then skip this location.
(3)
MALEAH A.
First of all, this place is REALLY good. Normally, I reserve five star reviews for places that have that "little something extra" creatively, or otherwise.... this place doesn't necessarily have that, but it does have the best Chinese food I've had in the twin cities (by far!). We first went here back in Sept. and had a really nice dinner and great service, but for some reason I never got around to reviewing it. Last night, we took my mom here for dinner since she was craving Chinese, and we'd been meaning to get back anyways. What a great idea! The food, again, was AWESOME!! seriously, everything was fantastic. Maybe a little "basic", but prepared wonderfully. Simple flavors, well cooked meats, excellent sake. We had the pork soup dumplings to start. These are a little challenging to eat, but very delicious! the broth inside is super yummy! We also got the pan fried pork belly, it was salty and spicy, but in a good way and prepared with lemon-grass which helped ease the bite. This was a nice contrast also to the sesame shrimp. Shrimp never tasted so good! I really love the tempura style batter they use, and the shrimp were cooked perfectly, and they were HUGE!! We also ordered the scallion pancakes, which were nice and flaky and light. None of the food felt heavy or greasy (not even the pork belly), and best of all, it tasted very fresh! Our server was extremely helpful. He even got us a side order of broccoli that wasn't on the menu. Very attentive staff, plates were being cleared consistently, etc. The ambiance here is nice as well (one of the walls is backlit and changes colors!) everything is nice and new and clean and cozy! except for the outside, you'd never know it was a Baker's Square before! I give this place five stars, because they know what they are doing and they are doing it well. Very well, indeed. :)
(5)
Caty J.
Just go there and order the Juicy Buns, General Tso's Chicken and Kung Pow Chicken. Their food is so amazing. You will be impressed. My husband used to work there and has actually acquired a taste for the authentic Chinese items on the menu like the House Spicy Beef and Cumin Beef. You have to remember the Szechuan menu is real Chinese, not that crap at the Happy Garden. It might look a little different, and most of the dishes are oily, but that's how they're supposed to be. The cook is from China and doesn't speak any English - he spends all of his time hand making those pork juicy buns that we love so much! I've heard they are as good or better than what you get in China :)
(5)
K H.
The food is good, but pricey. It is definitely NOT a place to get take out... the first time I tried it I waited forever and then the food was cold. Today they couldn't manage to find a spoon for the soup, and the guy could care less that it left me with no options. Didn't even get a napkin!! AT $9 for a bowl or rice with pork I think I can expect more. Also, when you dine in take a sweater, the dining room is always cold.
(2)
F U.
Yelp's definition for a five star review: as good as it gets. Nothing less would do the Dinkytown Tea House justice, at least as far as this continent is concerned. They pair a vast menu of rustic, flavorful food with a warm environment, and their service is on par with an upscale, bistro-style restaurant, only friendlier and more personable. I'm sure Iron Chef Chen Kinichi would find himself at home in one of their luxurious booths. I get excited when I can tell people care about their starch, because attention to detail flows through everything a restaurant produces. Tea House serves up Jasmine rice, beautifully cooked, and NOT fried with a bunch of low quality soy sauce,that to me, sets the bar for where all Chinese food should be. Keep in mind, all I've had is off their SUPER BARGAIN lunch menu; I haven't even gotten to the pork soup dumplings yet, which I hear are AMAZING. An added bonus is that the servers are incredibly attentive without crowding you, the managers Nick and Adrian know their role in the restaurant and perform it impeccably. What I love about the ambiance is that this restaurant can be an unassuming lunch spot, yet it works for a date or a family meal. Their saki list is purportedly longer than Rip Van Winkle's beard, yet they have a full bar (with dinner seating) for those of us who stick to beer and liquor. AND with prices that don't break the bank, its an all-around addicting experience. First trip: I had the Szechuan-style Beef Noodle Bowl. Imagine mom's tenderest pot roast thrown in an enormous bowl with the freshest noodles you've ever tasted, covered in house-made broth with plenty of chili flake to get the point across, and then aromatics punch you in the face. I'm talking ginger, garlic and mostly FENNEL giving you a bitchslap to your palate, and then blowing you a kiss afterward as you try to wrap your head around what's just happened. My girlfriend had the family style tofu on this occasion and she loved it. Both meals were like three meals in one--NO JOKE! I got drunk a couple nights later and my roommate and I put the leftovers down at 2 AM; what a treat that was. Second trip: General Tao's Chicken. I know what you're thinking--how generic, right? I wanted to see what they could bring to one of the most played out dishes in food as we know it. The rice was the first thing I noticed; the grains were independent of each other and there wasn't a clump in the entire bowl. The chicken portion, as usual, was gargantuan, and they threw in some extra broccoli for me, too. Their veg has always been perfectly cooked, and again, the aromatics hit you in a way that was practically spiritual; you realize what you've been missing all these years, why szechuan is actually on a menu and why someone would order it. This is the first day of the rest of your Chinese-eating life; at the Tea House in Dinkytown, this is only the beginning. The only criticism I could make is that they should have an Asian-inspired bloody mary on the drink list; hell, after this review maybe they'll come up with one just for me. PS- Anyone who hates on this place is a TOTAL RETARD. (Dr. S).
(5)
Jess L.
I'm sure the people at the Tea House knew that we were going to be a handful from the time we walked in--but we should have trusted our gut instinct and headed out when we wanted a relatively quick lunch and saw how busy they were. We walked in to the Tea House on our way home from picking up the boyfriend's scooter at Bluecat Motors. We were running short on time, but wanted some tasty Asian food. I had heard about this new Tea House restaurant, and we were on University, so it made sense to stop in. We stood at the host stand for a good few minutes, looking at the menu, before anyone came by. A gentleman in a suit coat and jeans encouraged us to take a look at the menu--which we had already been doing. I asked him if he worked there, since he seemed like he had been engrossed in conversation with a woman at the bar. He said that he did, and was pleasantly funny while he sat us, and assured us that if we ordered from the lunch menu, the food would be 'out to us in minutes' and we could indeed have a fast lunch. He also assured us that Roby would give us good service. Roby stopped by right away to take our orders. The lunch menu is strangely laid out, so it looked like there were only soups on the menu. Roby didn't know how to pronounce "Lo Mein" (he called it low-mine instead of lo-Maine...but then, maybe I'm wrong!), and didn't seem to know much about the food, but tevs. I ordered the General Tao's chicken, and the boyfriend ordered a soup. A minute later, he realised that I had ordered something that was NOT soup, and he wanted to change his order. He thought it would be ok, and just stuck to the soup. It took Roby foreverrrrrr to bring us two glasses of ice water. He didn't bring out the hot and sour soup that came with my meal until after I had received my meal. The boyfriend's soup was so oily and spicy that he couldn't eat it. We asked for a replacement entree, which did come out quickly. My 'spicy' chicken was far too sweet. There was no soy sauce on the table, and requests for it yielded none. It took a while to get the check, and even longer for our cards to be run. THe manager had neglected to remove the soup from our bill, and the server neglected to notice we had been charged for three entrees instead of two. It took a long time. Based on the lunch experience, I don't think I'll be back for lunch. Based on the prices I saw on the dinner menu, I doubt I'll be back for dinner. I'm glad I tried the new place, though!
(3)
Grant T.
While Tea House is no Szechuan, it still serves some pretty damn good food. I made my first visit Friday night, and enjoyed the comfy draped booths (perfect for a date) and the sleek decor. As for food, the spinach was to die for, as was the Chung King Chicken. The beef and broccoli was tasty, but over-carroted, and the fried rice was a better-than-average version of a standard favorite. The steamed pork buns were also phenomenal. Since Village Wok has lost ground after cheffing changes (thought I haven't been recently), Tea House is your best bet for Chinese food around the U of M.
(4)
Norton L.
The owners of the Tea House opened a fourth location a few weeks ago right next to the U of M campus. I had the pleasure of attending their opening "Friends and Family" night with a friend of the owners. They continued their tradition of excellent Szechuan style dishes in this newly remodeled Baker's Square building on the corner of University and Washington Aves. The transformation of the building was amazing. The decor has a much more elegant style than their St. Paul location, the only other location I've been in. The food was just as good as their other location. We selected a spicy chicken, a spicy fish (that was in an earthen bowl swimming in a bit more sauce than I'd like, but still very good), and a spicy asparagus. Being a Szechuan style restaurant, they only had one or two choice that weren't spicy, so if you don't like spicy food, I'd be aware of that. I had my 5 year old son with me and since they were out of the non-spicy lo mein, they were very gracious in creating a noodle dish specifically for him. They are located right in front of the Days Inn and part of their lease agreement is that they had to sell breakfast for the hotel guests just as the Baker's Square did before them. They will be starting that in about a month and will be a mix of American and Chinese style breakfasts. The old Baker's Square only ever really had students in it when parents were with them. This new restaurant will probably be the same way. With this remodel, the Tea House folks are obviously catering to a higher end clientèle rather than the college students literally within a stone's throw of the building. They are only open until 11pm at their latest so it will be hard for them to compete with the likes of Hong Kong Noodle and Village Wok just down the street. My colleague paid for the meal, so I don't know if they are priced within a college student's range either. However, with most of the better Chinese restaurants South and West of Minneapolis, this will be a welcome addition closer to those of us in the North and East part of town. It will yet be seen whether they can fare better than Baker's Square. I hope they do.
(4)
John Paul P.
Coming here with my family can be quite an adventure, especially when you have a total of 15 people including 6 kids. The good thing is that with so many people, there are so many dishes to try! Foodie heaven (and a diet's nightmare) Did not get to try to pan fried Shanghai bao since I came after they had ordered the copious amounts of food. However I did try the pork and crab soup dumplings. The sauce was alright, and the dumplings had excellent chewiness to them. The kids wanted chicken wings so I had a couple of those. Nothing exciting. The house spicy fish was definitely spicy! However the creaminess texture of the fish was amazingly good. The general tao's chicken was surprisingly tasty, excellent sauce, good crisp to the outside of the chicken, and tender inside. Good amount of broccoli. One of my favorites of the night. The orange chicken was also pretty good, albeit a strong orange flavor (not unexpected). A tad overpowering. The sweet and sour fish filet was pretty average. Combo lo mein was also standard-fare. Didn't seem to come with that much shrimp, and the meat in general was a bit on the lowish side. Service was decent, although we almost lost our reserved large table due to some tardy members of our party. During the whole time we were there, the restaurant never filled up to capacity, nor was there ever a wait. To me this is a fairly average Chinese restaurant on campus, I still prefer to go to Hong Kong Noodles for my campus chinese food fix or for large get-togethers. It's a little cheaper there too. 3.5/5 stars
(3)
RICK L.
I am a fan of the Tea House's other locations and so I was excited to try out its newest restaurant, on University Ave. in Minneapolis near the U and the new football stadium. Came here with the family and have to say we were a bit disappointed. As a backdrop, I have to explain that when I evaluate a place, it's often by comparison to something similar. In this case, I compare Tea House to Little Szechuan a few miles away on University Avenue, where we go frequently. LS wins out, so far. Details: 1. Tea House has the more beautiful space, no doubt. 2. The TH menu is similar to LS and I would estimate that the TH prices are a buck or two higher on similar items. 3. We found the flavors of the TH items to be unremarkable - just a bit too ordinary. The eggplant in garlic sauce needed some more kick. Our girls felt their lo mein orders were just OK. 4. TH messed up our order in that my wife ordered a scallops dish and they brought her shrimp. She also felt the dish was bland. 5. TH skimped on portion sizes. With the tip, a meal at either place can easily wind up around $70, but at Little Szechuan we'll at least have some leftovers for another night. We had very little left over from TH. Obviously this is just an opinion and it's early yet. We hope TH tweaks some of these aspects and improves. P.S., be aware that the restaurant, as far as I can tell, has no dedicated parking -- no lot -- only street parking. This could be inconvenient at busy times.
(3)
Mariel L.
What a beautiful restaurant in Dinkytown! I like the logo for Tea House right outside, it looks like an ambigram from afar, but it really just reads "Tea House" in really skinny letters. The interior is gorgeous, with the carved wooden dividers and the private dining areas with what looked like a really heavy shower curtain, per my friend's comment. Our group was pretty big, but we got a nice long table on a busy Saturday night. Their menu looked interesting, separated into your different meat (and veggie) options, picture menu included. I decided to try the pork belly because I don't typically get it. I was imagining it to come in a pretty delicate slab, but it came out looking more like shredded pork. And was it ever delicious? It was ever delicious, yes. Pretty superb. It was so soft and fatty and unctuous (unctuous word counter: 2) and not too too oily (surprise, i know). It went SO PERFECTLY with the nice and fluffy jasmine rice. You know the dish is great when you just want to keep piling it on the rice and mix it until it's a happy blend of colors and flavors, and then shove it in your mouth. So freaking good. I kinda wanna come back just for that.
(4)
Pete S.
I came here for lunch and had pork in garlic sauce (rice bowl) and scallion pancakes. Everything was fresh and tasty. Obviously someone in the kitchen cares about the food. I highly recommend! Glad I didn't settle for the free continental breakfast at the Days Hotel, or the lowly Arby's that's across the street.
(5)
Dan F.
My favorite kung pao tofu of all time. I used to have a standing monthly with my friend Mike before he moved away. They also have white or brown rice, which I like.
(5)
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Address :2425 University Ave SE
Minneapolis, MN, 55414
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
The popularity of Chinese food in America can be adjudicated by the appearance of China Town in many major cities in the United State of America. The popular trend of ordering or opting for Chinese take away food isn't unknown in America. Chinese take away food comes to rescue when you're too tired from work or too exhausted to cook. No one can resist the temptation of eating spicy noodles, shrimp, chicken, beef or pork cooked in the sweet and spicy sauce. The cooking method of authentic Chinese food is a lot different compared to what is served in America.
Generally, Chinese use dark meat small bones and organs to cook dishes but this changes when you are eating American-Chinese fusion food prepared using white boneless meat cooked with broccoli, carrots and onions. Back in China, the food is less spicy and oily as they favor steaming and braising method for cooking the most popular dishes. So, if you have a taste for authentic Chinese food, then try finding a real Chinese restaurant in the city. You can also try the most popular fusion Chinese food like Pecking Duck, Chicken Feet, Hot Pot, Shrimp Dumpling Soup, Mapo Tofu, Wontons, Chop Suey, Egg Rolls and not to forget Fortune Cookies.
There are not many restaurants in America serving authentic Chinese food. A little research on Restaurant Listings directory can help you locate the best Chinese restaurants in the city. Chinese cuisine is continuously evolving, and you can find a variety of dishes categorized as the food for lactose intolerant, gluten intolerant, vegan, vegetarian, and diabetic friendly. So, if you have a group of friends with different taste patterns, save the hassle and visit the nearest Chinese restaurant in your city.
Matthew S.
Good food, nice decor (all traces of Baker's Square are a thing of the past). I would especially recommend the beef scallion pancakes as an appetizer. HOWEVER... I just can't give this place any more stars for the following reasons: - the Muzak was atrocious, and didn't fit the cool vibe at all. I HATE cheesy background music, and an instrumental rendition of "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" almost saw my food come back the way it came in. - the service was pretty poor. The waitress was pleasant, but we were pretty much neglected. Our order was messed up, and we weren't the only table around to have that happen. (They did comp the mixed up appetizer, so that's something anyway.) - for a place called "Tea House," their tea offering is terrible. Four kinds of generic tea? Dumb. - the food was really up and down. Buns were good, pancakes were good, our main dish was WAY too salty and oily even for "Chinese" food. I overheard another table complaining about this as well, so it wasn't just me. Overall, I would go back, but I'm not in any hurry to do so - especially with Korea Restaurant down the street and Shuang Cheng over in Dinkytown.
(3)Josh O.
This place has mediocre chinese food, but it's overpriced for what you get. Their namesake is true though, they do brew delicious tea.
(3)Connie L.
let me get the nitty-gritty out of the way: do NOT come here expecting cheap chinese food. however, if you're willing to cough up the extra dough and accept the over-the-top-chinese-interior-design-to-impress-Âwhite-people, then you're in luck! at one point of my life, i turned away from chinese food when i could help it simply because that was all i ate - at home, when we went to restaurants, even on vacations; chinese people love chinese food (i.e. my parents). now that i live on my own, i don't eat chinese food too often. so when i ate at tea house, i knew it was real CHINESE when it reminded me of home. although some of the menu selections were definitely catered to the americanized-chinese food fan, the dishes were very authentic, especially those dan dan noodles that my friend ordered. and i saw the chinese chef in his t-shirt and apron, just like home, but minus the mexican dishwashers. ambience was thumbs up if bringing a date to an alternative p.f. chang's; newly remodeled bathrooms had traditional porcelain-painted goldfish bowls/sinks; and loved the traditional wooden furniture. bottom line: authentic chinese food at a premium price, but worth it.
(4)Hung N.
Went here for Chinese New year and I thought the food was hit or miss...I love me some good spicy food and they delivered with their ma po tofu, dumplings in chili oil and the green beans...Also good was the Pork and crab soup dumplings. Beef tendon wasn't as good as I had in other places. House beef scallion pancake had cold parts in the middle as well. Sesame bread was a little plain. First Szechuan place, so I Iook forward to trying the others to see how they compare. Also I'm ok for waiting for food, but my table of 8 had to wait over an hour...otherwise the environment may be the best I've seen in a Chinese restaurant, and service was ok.
(3)Rhonda G.
Places like this are dangerous for me, mostly because the menu has a lot of pictures. So I wanted beef because a six week fasting period is coming up. I'm immediately drawn to the picture of a bowl of the house beef in spicy sauce. Not only was I punished for my gluttony, and thinking I could handle something hot with the damn pepper flakes all over it, but this was just sheer greed. Once I scraped the flakes off and added 2 bowls of rice it was really good. I ate about a quarter, its meant for sharing. Basil sensibly orders what sounds good, beef chung king, spicy can be ordered mild. it was delicious, and always had a good crunch to it. I'm actually looking forward to trying it with tofu. The whole time you're eating you can't help but being constantly aware of your surroundings. It's that gorgeous. I love the private, curtained booths. The staff is great, I believe my waiter was Luis. That's another thing, probably being this close to the U, the staff are not all Asian. Also there is no hunan on the menu, but you don't really miss it. It's just not a clone of the others. I finally found the place where you can eat atmosphere and the food.
(5)S O.
Food is way to spendy for the generic food you get here. Most of all, it irked me that the name of the restaurant is "Tea House" yet all they had were *2* types of teas. I asked our server if that was it, to which he replied, "Yeah, we're not like a Tea Garden or anything like that"--- I'm not looking for bubble tea, mister, I'm just looking for tea from a so-called "tea house". I was not misguided on my part, it's quite a deception from your name. Otherwise, call yourself "Chinese Food House" ya know? Anyway, another strike against this place: the tea was $5.95. GREEN TEA! Green. Tea. I can't get over this. It's not that I can't afford this, it's just the principal of it. Yes, your teapot was heavy and fancy but the tea leaves were so sparse the tea came out crystal clear, and hardly tasted like tea, so...
(1)Erin C.
Tea House is a great place to satisfy your Szechuan craving if you are not able to drive to Bloomington (Grand Szechuan) or St. Paul (Little Szechuan). Their food is not as great as I have tasted at the other aforementioned restaurants, but they do have a lot of wonderful items. I especially like their veggie buns and their Cool Noodles (which are way spicy).
(4)Songxuan S.
One of my fav Chinese restaurant around compus.
(5)Gene Z.
Over priced for the location. Spicy beef soup was lo mein with few pieces of beef in spicy oil. Really, oil, not broth.
(1)Ann L.
I have heard a great deal about Tea House, so I decided to check it out. I most definitely do not recommend this place. Their food is GREASY and you cannot taste anything, but the sauce. I Do Not recommend this place at all!
(1)McLain C.
Like the chicken chun qing and the beef soup with fresh noodles.
(4)Lori G.
The beef noodle soup is a wonderful option for cold weather
(3)Catherine C.
I've enjoyed the Tea House restaurant since 2011 when I first came here for lunch. Their weekly lunch specials are great! My favorite lunch choice is their House Spicy Pork with rice, hot and sour soup and a nice crispy egg roll. Beware, the entree is covered in dried chili flakes and oil - making this dish a true spice delight! I love it. The flavors are brilliant and it also contains bok choy and lots of ginger and garlic. It's so hot and spicy but also tingly. Sounds weird, but it just is. I like their steamed buns, Dan Dan noodles, scallion pancakes and cream cheese puffs. My absolute favorite has to be their scallion pancake house beef roll. It's rolled up like a wrap and cut into about 5 pieces. The beef is so tender and the flavors just integrate so perfectly. I find myself craving these! Try their housemade hot mustard. Wow. It gives you brain burn in the most delightful way! I definitely recommend this place for authentic Chinese food. It's a great place to grab a lunch when you are in this area of Minneapolis. I also do takeout here, sometimes it's nice to grab something quickly when you're on the go and they are always fast, friendly and efficient with takeout orders over the phone. Thanks Tea House!
(4)Wobby W.
Don't get the chicken! I ordered the Sesame Chicken lunch special (to go) and the chicken was disgusting. Full of hard, rubbery, knarly bits in nearly every piece, I literally spit it out three times and then trashed it. I had a bad experience with the chicken here before and I'm done now, won't go back.
(1)Denise H.
I am torn about this place and probably need to go back and give it another chance. We came here for what we thought was lunch and then we thought was brunch and then upon Googling realized it was a different style of dim sum. I grew up on Cantonese style dim sum, but Tea House serves a Northern style dim sum. Some of the offerings were familiar, but the service is different, and there is less of a focus on straight up dumplings and carts. Some items had also been sitting under heat lamps for too long. The soup dumplings here are disappointing (the usual issue with soup dumplings in MN... the skin is too tough and the soup leaks out and is not a good broth) and the soups in general are not very flavorful. The congee is only okay, but I like the DIY style (where you can pick between a lot of different congees and toppings). Again, my palate leans toward Cantonese flavors, so that is probably part of my issue. You may feel differently.
(3)Karen S.
Attractive place but the reason to go is the food. The scallion pancakes and soup dumplings were wonderful. We also enjoyed the Kung Pao shrimp .
(5)Trupti T.
I enjoyed the food here, the fresh watermelon juice. Chicken dumplings soaked in dark spicy, salty, and sweet sauce. The eggplant had the right amount of pungency from the garlic and sweetness to balance out the slight bitterness of the eggplants. The vegetable treasure was truly just that a treasure to eat. Overall a gem of a place and I am glad I got to visit on my trip to twin cities.
(5)Hazel S.
So so so so good. Service varies widely. Doesn't matter because the food is outrageously luscious. Get the kudai noodles.
(5)Jessica L.
They have brunch buffet on weekends. The brunch has a wide variety of food and the food is authentic. However, the automatically charge you 18% for tips which I think it's slightly overpriced.
(3)Steph H.
Wow-great food! We did have to wait over 10 min. for my daughter's food to be delivered after everyone else had been served, but we had the amazing pork steamed buns to tide us over!
(4)Lindsay F.
Went here after a co-worker of my father's, who grew up in China, recommended the place. Maybe I had different expectations, but it was not what I had anticipated, and left a bit disappointed. The food was definitely better than most Chinese I've eaten, had both more traditional fare as well as the more greasy-grimey "American Chinese" dishes. We started with the pork buns. We got 7 of them, and they were not only a generous size, but also quite delicious. Honestly, this was one of my favorite items that I ate. The bun was soft, the inside still steamy, and the flavor was nice without overwhelming to bun or the pork inside. The pork was perhaps just a tad under seasoned and dry, but they were still delicious enough that our table gulped them up in minutes. Also got the cold pork belly, which was good, but got a bit "mundane" after awhile. Hard to keep eating it. Each of us got hot and sour soup, which was DELICIOUS. For mains, this is where the meal disappointed :(. I had the green-tea smoked duck. The duck came with a nice, crispy outside, however there was not too much meat on the bone, and the fat layer under the skin was NOT rendered out. After awhile, biting into the duck pieces gave me a mouthful of grease. My friend got the "spicy double cooked pork," which came with a bunch of veggies. This was a much better dish, however be warned that it comes swimming in oil. In summary, there are a few things that were consistent throughout: 1. Large portions for the price 2. Quite greasy dishes/meat 3. GREAT service 4. Pretty pretty pretty decorations.
(3)Emily M.
Kung pao chicken is excellent! I have also ordered sesame chicken, orange chicken, vegetable and pork egg rolls and all are great! Happy hour is before 3-go and you get soup/salad, one roll, and your entree!
(5)Lulu H.
We came here on Christmas for dinner and had a wonderful spread! We started with the fried egg roll and scallion pancake, and had suan mei tang (smoked plum juice). Our entrees were the crispy roast duck, kung pao chicken, braised fish, honey crispy shrimp, and sizzling beef (tie ban niu). On the side, we had bittermelon with eggplant and green beans, and steamed buns. We finished with fried sesame sweet cakes. A few favorites were the scallion pancake (delicately crispy and not soaking with oil, like in some restaurants), roasted duck (the meat was tender and the skin fried to just the right texture), honey shrimp (light and sweet, almost refreshing despite the fact that they are fried), bittermelon, braised fish, and the sesame cakes. About the bittermelon - usually I find bittermelon dishes (typically fried or sauteed with pork, eggs, or black bean sauce) to be far too bitter, as one might typically expect, but this dish was prepared in a way that the flavor of each vegetable was displayed but not overwhelming. It was actually the first time I've enjoyed bittermelon, and I would definitely get it again. The braised fish was so flavorful and delicious, I only wish that we had decided to get it earlier as we were already almost full by the time it arrived. The traditional way to eat this is by pouring the broth and meat over rice. I'm not sure the type of fish that was used in the dish, but it was very tender and full, didn't flake apart in your mouth. Finally, the sesame cakes were just divine - they're flaky on the inside with a chewy exterior. Almost reminds me of mooncakes, but with an almost croissant-like texture in the center. They're not too sweet, but I think are just right for a bit of filling dessert. I came with family members who couldn't eat very spicy food, so we ordered the options with less or no spice. I will have to come again to try the other spicier options!
(5)Jennifer K.
I lived in china for about 1.5 and learned very quickly while I was there that American Chinese food was nothing like real Chinese food. After moving back I started looking for a great place to eat out where I should show off to my friends all of the great things you could eat in China right here in MN. Nothing was holding up to my standards until I found Tea house. It has the best of both worlds, if you really love the American Chinese food you can still get it here, but it really has quite authentic amazing real Chinese food! The Scallion Pancakes are to die for, I have dreams about them, the meat is perfectly tender, the pancake it crispy without being oily. It is really MUST have. There buns are just as good also. All at a great price.
(4)Dan G.
Really nice food here! Authentic Chinese food, not like many another Chinese restaurant around the UofM offering sth like orange or general tso's chicken,which is not Chinese food at all!!!! Weekends Buffet is nice here! I really like their Shen Juan bun and red bean milk sago!!!!! Many other dishes as well!
(5)Marissa W.
We decided to try this place on a whim and were pleasantly surprised. I expected blah-American-Chinese food, but Tea House blew me away! The decor was beautiful and the restaurant was very clean. Lunch specials were well priced and portioned. I tried the Mongolian Beef which was delicious. Next time, I hope to be more adventurous- the menu has a lot to offer.
(4)Aubrie A.
Unfortunately I had a bad experience at this restaurant when I found a bug in my food :(. I was having lunch with a friend and we both ordered soup, with some potstickers and eggrolls to share. I had the Buddha soup, and I actually thought that it was okay, but lacking flavor. It wasn't until we were nearly done with our lunch when I took a big bite out of one of the last potstickers, turned it over, and then noticed one nice-size crispy bug larva with little legs just sitting there crusted to the side of my posticker :(!! Thankfully, it wasn't only half a bug I guess, lol... I didn't want to make a big deal out of it because my friend had chosen the restaurant - but I'm sure you can imagine how it might be more than a little bit disconcerting! Anyway, we showed the waitress and she ended up *not* charging us for the potstickers, but seriously, with a bug like that the manager probably should have come out and given us a free meal.... just sayin! I feel bad about leaving a review about this incident, but I believe the point of sites like Yelp is to help share information with others. Both the good and the bad! Anyway - maybe they need to clean the kitchen :(?? Sorry Tea House!!
(1)Jess N.
Yum- the spices here are so amazing. Sichuan pepper makes your mouth tingle but when you drink your water it makes the taste lemony- pretty amazing. Spicy pork, spicy pot and soup dumplings are what I shared with my mom- had a ton of leftovers but we had to try different things.
(4)John C.
one of the better Chinese places in the area, a close second to szechaun nearby. weekend lunch buffet is above average, ma la chicken is a highlight. but the price is high given they replace empty dishes slowly if at all, so arrive early for it.
(3)Vin F.
Authentic Chinese food in an authentic setting. The Tea Duck, Garlic Chicken, and Garlic Eggplant were all very good. The only complaint was that the food had more oil than I am used to. I was told by one of the people with us (who is from China) that this is the authentic preparation, but my personal taste (being from California) is to lighten up on the oil. Other than that, the food was excellent, as was the service.
(4)Saman D.
I am so impressed by this place. First time at the restaurant and this has got to be the best Chinese food I've ever had. Our waiter Jiajin was very informational and genuinely nice.
(5)Evelyn H.
They have the coolest set up among those Chinese restaurants in campus area! And the food is pretty authentic. Awesome place to have dinner. They have gluten free menu too.
(5)Zach B.
Our waiter was Jiajin and he was the best. Very, very friendly and he made it a wonderful experience. The food was great, the scallion pancakes were delicious and so was the hot and sour soup. I would definitely go back.
(5)Susannah H.
Xiaolóngbao. I love love LOVE xiaolóngbao. Also known as "soup dumplings" or "juicy dumplings", these prized gems of Shanghai, if done *right*, are the quintessential ultimate dumpling. I have had the pleasure of eating them in Shanghai, Japan, and at Din Tai Fung (at both official and unofficial locations). Now, what does "right" entail exactly? - thin, smooth, and tender outer dumpling skin (more white-ish than tan) - savory, flavorful ground pork (but sometimes crab or other seafood) surrounded by a rich, umami-filled boiling broth - eaten with soup spoons and chopsticks, dipped into a mix of soy sauce and vinegar with shredded, pickled ginger. You NEED the soup spoons to rest the dumpling in, since otherwise, how will you ensure you drink all of the soup that gushes out from the dumpling once you bite it? I had been forewarned by a friend who visits Shanghai often that the xiaolóngbao at this location were a sad comparison to what they are supposed to be like, but I thought ,"well, what the hey, I'm going to give it a shot anyway". GIANT MISTAKE. What really, REALLY pisses me off is when restaurants take advantage of a community's lack of knowledge and experience with particular food; especially when they try to pass something off as "authentic" when it's clearly its inbred third cousin once removed. (rage!) That is EXACTLY what happened at this location of Tea House. Since when are xiaolóngbao cooked in plastic steamers? Since when are ANY decent dumplings or bao cooked in plastic steamers?? I've seen bamboo....I've seen metal...but plastic?? In all my years of eating dim sum/yum cha, be it Hong Kong or Shanghai style, this was the first time I've seen it done. What does that scream to me? MICROWAVE. Now, this is an assumption, since I did not go into the kitchen, but what makes me think, aside from the odd plastic steamer, that they were microwaved instead of steamed? The xiaolóngbao were very overcooked, but instead of having that "overly steamed" consistency, they were hard and gummy. Typically, when you overly steam something, it gets soggy and kind of melts into a gross mass, especially with something as delicate as xiaolóngbao. However, when you overly microwave something, it gets hard and gummy....like the dumplings we had at Tea House. Whenever you eat properly-made xiaolóngbao, you have that risk of the soupy goodness gushing out since the skin of the dumpling is so delicate...in THIS situation, that risk was laughable. Other issues with these monstrosities being passed off as xiaolóngbao (feel the rage increasing): - these had been frozen...possibly for a while...I almost wonder if they were store bought they tasted so old. - Flavor? What flavor? - Soup? What soup? I think I tasted flavorful-ish pork grease...but that wasn't soup. Or at least that BETTER not have been what Tea House is trying to pass off as soup, otherwise you are blatantly ripping your patrons off. - And again, the outer skin - tough, chewy, and TAN. I said "white-ish", not TAN. I refuse to believe that Tea House is unable to get the proper flour of xiaolóngbao. More like they are trying to replace the quality flour usually used with a cheap substitute. - You're supposed to bite into the top of xiaolóngbao and suck out the soup...biting into these was like biting into any old dumpling. And again, what soup?? I specifically went to Tea House to try their xiaolóngbao since, aside from my friend who knows better, I had heard from several people that they were good there. I did not try their seafood dishes or the hongshaorou, but honestly, after eating that sad, almost insulting excuse for xiaolóngbao, the overly peanut buttery sesame cold noodles, the lackluster wonton soup (why did the lunch menu charge $7 and the dinner menu $4?), and the diluted hot and sour soup, I don't ever plan to. At least, not this location.
(2)Ellen C.
We came excited to try the dim sum buffet I had read about online. We were happy to see that most everything looked really authentic and of high quality. We arrived around 12:45pm on a Saturday afternoon and only had to wait 5 minutes for a table, which is usually unheard of for dim sum restaurants at that hour. The restaurant was packed with Asians and the food looked delicious, although some of the items did look like they were drying out under heater lamps. The variety of items they offered though was impressive. Having spent a good amount of time in Taiwan and China, I've seen some great breakfast and lunch buffets there and Tea House actually covered some of the items traditionally offered. Warning though, if you're looking for the traditional dim sum items you find here, you'll be disappointed. They didn't have things that you usually find in metal steamers, like ha gow, siu mai, daikon cake, etc. But what they did offer were authentically Asian - here's what I can remember: Appetizers: Spicy marinated pig ear Tea eggs Sesame garlic noodles Szechuan dumplings Shredded potato "Dim Sum": Pan fried dumplings Pan fried buns Onion bread (the thick kind, not the pancake kind) Fried breadstick (the kind you dip in soy milk) Egg & chive pan fried bun Egg pancake Entrees: Garlic eggplant Szechuan pork belly, leek and pig ear saute Mapo tofu Stir fried cabbage Rice Sauteed glass noodles Soups: Do Hwa (tofu dessert with ginger syrup) Green bean + coconut soup (dessert) Gourd and pork soup Congee with chicken and thousand year old egg Drinks: Arnold Palmer Tang Soy milk (you put in your own sugar) Thing to note for all their entrees - there is a TON of grease. As in the food was sitting in at least an inch of oil, straight grease oil. So if you have a sensitive stomach, this may not be the best place to go. The soups were all of pretty good quality. The entrees were VERY greasy. The "dim sum" had too little filling and too much dough, and also suffered from being placed under heat lamps for a while. All in all, it's a good place to go if you are super hungry and want to eat traditional foods that you can't find really elsewhere. But I have to say that it's pretty expensive. They also add tip for you without asking. For two people it cost $35, which I think is pretty darn expensive for an Asian buffet. Hence 3 stars instead of 4.
(3)Jim B.
This place has a good selection of duck entrees. We had the Soy Sauce Duck and it was pretty good. It's probably one of the better restaurants in the Stadium Village area. Since it's on campus, the prices are pretty reasonable. The duck and an asparagus side dish cost $30 (without the tip). It was enough food for two people.
(4)Jennifer J.
Disclaimer: I only ended up at this restaurant because the first 2 my friend and I checked out were closed for that particular Monday. As someone spoiled by Chinese food in the Bay Area, I have been a little hesitant to try Chinese food without doing my due diligence research beforehand. As that wasn't the case this time around, we ended up ordering the chicken in garlic sauce and the Szechuan green beans. The chicken was fine, but the sauce was much too spicy for what it is and had far too much chili oil. The green beans were unexpected because Szechuan food tends to be on the spicier side of the spectrum, and the beans were absolutely not spicy. They were good though and I would order the dish again. I am interested in coming here to try the dim sum in the future.
(3)Patti K.
We ended up here because we turned the wrong way on University Ave. I've been meaning to try this place for a while, so I didn't mind. The interior looked like what might happen if you let a Crate & Barrel designer loose in a suburban dim sum restaurant--asymmetrical square lattice dividers, a large blue back-lit bamboo design wall, high-backed black booths with China blue plum blossom fabric. The Chinese character design at the bar reminded me of what they use at yuppie Asian fusion places like Big Bowl or Stir Crazy. The menu featured both Chinese and American Chinese food, with pea pod shoot dishes listed alongside Kung Pao tofu. We really wanted to try something different, so we ordered Mongolian lamb and A-choy (Taiwanese lettuce) garlic stir fry. The lamb had a nice velveted texture, and was flavored with onions and scallions. It was a little salty, but we enjoyed it. The A-choy was flavorful and a satisfying alternative to spinach or pea shoots. I'll have to look for it next time I'm in an Asian market. As a side note, this is the first restaurant I've been to in the Twin Cities area where a significant number of the customers were speaking Chinese. I almost felt like I was back in LA. Our take: the food was pretty good, if a bit salty, and overall it was a positive experience. We enjoyed the trendy decor, if not the country/Western Christmas music. The service was attentive. The menus were a little dirty--someone spilled a sticky sauce on them and no one cleaned them off. I would go back if I were in the area, but there are other places I want to try first.
(3)Daniel H.
Bad experience here. Came here on a Monday at around 12:30. Happened to be in the area with my mom and nephew in tow. We decided to order off the lunch menu. My food (spicy chicken) came out first with my nephew's (shrimp with veggies) about a minute later. At that point the server said that my mom's (wonton soup with spring rolls) "would be right out." I was starving so I started to eat. A few minutes later the server updates "just a few more minutes" and then "I just checked and they said it would be right out" and then "it will be out in 2 minutes. Grrr. So, about 5 minutes after his last 2 minute warning and a total of about 15-20 minutes AFTER THE REST OF THE FOOD ARRIVED, my mom's soup and spring rolls appeared. Luckily my mom was eating some food off my nephew's plate or she might have gone crazy. At about that point a guy was going around to all the tables asking "if everything was good." I asked if he was the manager: "I am sort of the assistant manager." (Ok, what?). I tell him the issue. "So sorry!" he apologized repeatedly. He informs me that the wonton soup takes 20 minutes to cook and he would let my server know the problem. Umm, he knows dude, he is the one that kept telling us it was about to come out for 15 minutes. He offers to get the owner. OK, perfect. Owner (I guess) comes out and I explain the problem. "So sorry" he apologizes. "The server is new." What? So you are blaming the server? How the hell is it his fault? Was he not supposed to bring out the other food until the soup was done. I guess it should have waited under some warming lamp for 15 minutes? Or was he cooking too? He offers us dessert. We decline as we are trying to end our nearly hour long lunch at this point. The best part: as we were walking out, the "sort of assistant manager" says "We will be faster next time." Makes me laugh that he is so naive to think there will be a next time. The only reason I gave them 2 stars is because the spicy chicken I got was actually really good. tl;dr: Two thirds of the food came out, had to wait 15-20 for the rest of the food. An hour to get and eat 3 items off the lunch menu. Owner blamed server.
(2)Alex F.
I was at UMinn for an interview and this restaurant happened to be next to my hotel. The price was a bit pricy in my opinion (but I guess it's reasonable for a college town restaurant). I had the double cooked pork that evening and it was pretty good. The only complaints I had were 1. The dish was very oily 2. They used the pork belly instead of the lean pork (which I wasn't used to). Overall, it was a pretty satisfying meal.
(4)Jigme U.
Not your ordinary University street Asian restaurants catering to the students hustling bustling demands. Tea House is a restaurent chain across the state that takes pride in its Sichuan dishes. It seems everytime I come here they change the menu - the options get smaller and they even removed my favorite simple DanDan noodle. The spicy fish dish was too oily and smeared with thick ginger paste on top. The kongpho tofu was satisfactory with chucks of uncooked garlic. The potsticker was not fresh. I have had similar tasting ones from packets. The Tea House has spend money in the decoration but lost the flavor in the food. Disappointed!
(2)Robert V.
We have gone in the past and liked the service and food in the evening, however we tried the Sunday Buffet and I was totally surprised at the lack of organization, food items with no identification of what it was out of drinks at the counter no sugar no coffee no tea. Not happy, there was no service to mention of except at the door when we came in. after the bill was paid the hostess added a tip to my bill...I don't think you can do that? Did not find out till I got home. I told a lot of people about this Restaurant in the past, will not in the future. Food Was Not What I expected from the past. It was not good to me at all.
(1)Mitchell S.
I had the house, spicy pork with brown rice which was delicious. The cheese wontons were good too. My friend got the steamed buns which were soggy and gross she said. In general, the food is pretty good (depending on what you order) but the service was absolutely terrible. He forgot to tell us the buffet was over, so all the food was gone when we went up there. He didn't bring us any water and continuously forgot about us. His demeanor was overall very strange, almost like he has never served before in his life.
(3)Katie C.
My mom, sister, grandma and I went here for dim sum last Sunday and it was GREAT! We weren't sure what to order and asked the waiter for recommendations. He ended up ordering everything for us and we loved it. He brought out so many different options and the perfect amount for the 4 of us. I think this is going to be our new favorite weekend lunch spot!
(5)Henry W.
I've never been to Tea House, though I've ordered from there several times. It's very good Chinese food! It has both traditional and American Chinese dishes, both of which are quite well made at this place!
(4)Tsiskay L.
It was pretty good. I got the pork belly (in the appetizers section), the chicken wings in garlic sauce, beef and tripe in spicy sauce, the garlic eggplant(i think thats what it was called) and the noodle in broth bowl (forgot the name) it was really full of flavor. Thw eggplant was the bomb! It was spicy, sweet, garlicy all at once. I love the pork belly and beef with tripe. Between the 2 i would do the beef. The noodle dish was super spicy (but i cant handle spicy, love it, but cant handle it). It had a whole of bunch green chiles (not sure what they were). It wa pretty bland. Almost pho like, but with a different flavor. The chicken wings were super crispy, but lacked flavor. I dipped it in thw sauce and it was all that great either. Everything else was pretty good. I would go again to try other stuff. Not your typical chinese restaurant. dont go expecting to order orange chicken with lo mein.
(4)Alyssa A.
Simply amazing. This is some seriously authentic Sichuan cuisine! And I should know.... I lived in China for over 5 years. They do Americanized Chinese food with finesse too, and have a great range of options, but if you want a real taste of china, the tea house can absolutely deliver. They even made some specialized dishes for our group that weren't on the menu! Great happy hour too--you can't beat $3 beers!!!
(5)Betty C.
You must try their weekend brunch buffet. It's northern Chinese style dishes, similar to some Cantonese dim sum. Congee, soy milk, and tofu desserts are also available. Authentic Szechuan cuisine during regular times. The atmosphere and decor looks amazing. Not your typical hole in the wall Chinese place!
(4)john l.
The weekend buffet is definitely worth a try. It's not the american chinese type of buffet with chicken wings and bad sushi. If you're looking for some good chinese food give it a shot.
(4)Yuqing L.
brunch is awesome
(5)Josh S.
Went to Teahouse for dinner and fell in love. I ordered the house spicy beef, szechuan dumplings and sole fillet with scallion and for desert we had brown sugar rice cakes. Absolutely amazing! Best Chinese food in the Twin cities.
(5)Melissa A.
Great jasmine tea. I also really enjoyed ogling here with some colleagues for a business lunch. Good quality food and service.
(3)Mira A.
We have been getting take out from The Tea House in the west metro for years. The Chung King chicken is the best dish on the menu. It's spicy crunchy deliciousness. (We pick off the chilis) the wonton soup dumplings pair well to cool off the heat of the Chung King. Although dumplings are better dining in to ensure proper temperature.
(5)Lisa Z.
Best Chinese restaurant in the twin cities. As a Chinese, I would say this place provides really authentic Chinese food.
(5)Eric S.
After a long day of exploring the hockey extravaganza at the River center we decided to head home. All sense of time was lost while at this hockey event, so upon leaving we hopped on 94 and realized it was rush hour. I usually do everything in my power to avoid this situation, but not on this day. So, being really hungry we decided to take the university exit and just find some place to eat to kill some time. This is how I stumbled upon the Tea House. This is hands down the best Chinese I've ever had in my life. I wasn't even thrilled about stopping here. That was my companions decision (and a very good one). Since then we've been back numerous times. Don't let the look from the outside fool you, this place is very unique and surprisingly nice on the inside. There are a lot of private booths and if you're in need of a romantic type setting, there's some private booths that are really neat. there's not a bad place to sit at this place. Now that I've been here a few times I feel very confident in my review that this is the best Chinese in Minneapolis, well that's my opinion anyway. Everything I've ever had here has been exceptional. I could go on forever about this joint but I won't. Here are some quick tips of awesomeness from the Tea House - The Dim Sum great, Entrees great, if you like spicy try their House spicy beef, the spicy pot or the Chung king chicken, the Dan Dan noodles are the BEST (pretty much insane)! The few appetizers I've had were all really good. Check out the Shanghai Scallion Pancakes - really good. And the prices? Well their similar to PF Chang pricing but the food is 100% better. Service is outstanding, food is totally insane, restaurant is clean, and the atmosphere is fun and inviting. Good luck finding the restrooms the first time you go here though, don't get discouraged they're there, just hard to find. Fact - You know it's good Chinese when half the people eating there on many occasions are of the Chinese ethnicity. A must try!
(5)Melissa H.
This is NOTHING like The Tea House on Suburban Ave in Saint Paul. THAT Teahouse is actually good. The Eggrolls were good, but the breading on any chicken (Sesame, General Tsao's, and Sweet and Sour all got soggy and fell off the chicken, making it all mushy.) If you want GOOD Chinese food go a little further to Saint Paul's Tea House, skip this one.
(2)Vee P.
Although somewhat close to campus, still a farther walk from other restaurants, no parking lot, and the food wasn't good. It was greasy and tasteless and overpriced. I would not come back. It looks appealing from the outside and the staff is nice, but the flavor and cost is not worth the trouble.
(1)Aki S.
Gorgeous interior. Food is great. Better ambiance than the Plymouth location. Service was sub-optimal.
(4)Jerry B.
This is my favorite place for chinese food around campus. Although it can get a bit pricey, it is definitely worth it for me since I get really sick of eating those cheap generic chinese food that populate the campus. I haven't been back to china in a few years but this place really gives me those nostalgic memories from the last time I visited family there. I love ordering the Fuqi Fei Pian (Cold tripe dish), Mao's red pork belly, and also any of the spicy fish dishes all of which you don't find from those 'other' places. However, if youre the type that enjoys sweet and sour pork, fried rice, kung pao chicken, etc, then you're better off going to those other chinese places to save yourself some moolah. In terms of authenticity compared to the other chinese restaurants on campus, this place blows them out of the water. BUT, in terms of service... let me just say, it is almost as bad as HK noodles.
(4)Taffany H.
Being so far from California, I was skeptical about finding a decent chinese food especially from a place with an Asian-Fusion-esque Decor like Tea House in Minneapolis. I was wrong. The food was pretty tasty and almost as good as what we would get in hood of inner sunset in SF. I don't know if this means much but this would be the place to come if you're in town craving for a good place that's not gimmicky. Will come back again when I visit the sibling who's doing time in grad school here for sure.
(4)Patti I.
Came here with a friend from mainland China. He had beef noodles in soup and I had the lunch portion of Dan Dan noodles. We shared an order of Scallion Cakes--who doesn't love fried dough?--and these were pretty dang yummy. Dining companion said his noodles were good. He didn't share bites but I noticed BIG hunks of beef in his soup. Looked pretty appetizing to me. My dan dan noodles were good although I think the ones at Szechuan in Roseville are a little better. We were in a bit of a hurry and told our waitress--she was cheerful and accommodating. The restaurant is clearly an old Baker's Square but the decor inside was really nice: Dark wood, carved Chinese screens, and booths upholstered in appealing blue brocade. Often the places that serve the best Chinese food look like dumps but this is a place you could actually take your boss to. A big plus in this neighborhood is the free parking.
(4)Dennis B.
Authentic. Great Service. Try the House Spicy Fish or Beef! Full bar.
(5)Lindsey D.
The soup dumplings were good. Not as good as they were in Manhattan, but this is Minneapolis. The house spicy beef was soooo black peppery, indelible. The fried pork dumplings were good too. Very nice inside. The waitstaff was young, white, and had no idea what to reccomend. They were also yelling at the kitchen staff and telling each other to shut up. I probably won't be back.
(3)Xinghao W.
I just had a chance to review Teahouse's new winter specific items. They are delicious.
(4)Ronnie G.
finally. FINALLY. There is a decent chinese breakfast place in town. Tea House delivers. Seriously, I crave Chinese breakfast sometimes like a fat kid and pregnant women crave fudge brownies. But there's nobody in town who makes xiao long bao. Until now. We arrived at the Tea House, starved after a Seis De Mayo party last night. They had a weird menu, half Denny's half Chinese. It was an agreement to share the parking lot with the Days Inn next door to serve waffles and eggs. Whatever. All I cared about was the Beef Noodle Soup, Onion Pancakes, and Pork Soup Dumplings. The beef noodle soup was perfect. Very tender beef, great noodles, and tasty beef broth. The Onion Pancakes were dynamite. Very crispy and tasty at the same time. Good dipping sauce. The Pork Soup dumplings were swell as well. Good soup and filling. Only issue was some of them broke on impact after taking off the cabbage layer below. I'll definitely be going back again. Nice job TH!
(5)Tim W.
The good stuff here is great and the bad stuff is pretty disappointing, so your experience will vary with your luck ordering. I'm a fan of the spicy fish and the tofu with pixels peppers. The doughnuts are amazing, definitely save room for dessert.
(4)Lisa M.
Eh, not sure I get it..... I've been to this location once and the buffet twice. I don't get it. Everyone raves about the Tea House, but I can't. The ambiance is cool, but uncomfortable being seated. Dining companion and I ate lunch there recently. We were seated by the hostess, who kind of bugged me. I can't put my finger on it, but she talked too much in a soft voice on the way to the table. Thanks for being nice, but I didn't like it. We were seated and each ordered a DC. The chairs have pads that are tied on to them like your grandma would have. They kept slipping all over and I couldn't sit still. I was still bugged. The DCs came out very quickly in glasses that were wide, like a cocktail would come in. We had only a moment to look over the menu before the server came back to take our order. I'm rushed! Eeek. We decided on a vegetarian egg roll and each got a rice bowl to share - General Tso chicken and Pork in Garlic sauce. The egg roll came out crispy and delicious, albeit tiny. The food came out and the bowls were gigantic. Maybe to hold all the rice. There wasn't much meat or veggies in the bowl, but a s-ton of rice. The food was okay, but WAY overpriced. Service, she was quick when it worked for her. I felt too hurried to choose something, but not hurried enough to have our check brought in a decent amount of time. Egg roll, 2 DCs, 2 rice bowls with a sprinkling of meat, $30 with tip. Too expensive at lunch for me. I will not go back to this location. The ambiance and delicious DC don't make it enough.
(2)j e.
Went here to see if there was any hope of decent soup dumplings in Minneapolis. Unfortunately the xi long bao are terrible here and not worth the trip. Still looking for decent soup dumplings until I can get back to a branch of din tai fung.
(1)Adam W.
I love love love the Tea House on Suburban Ave. in Saint Paul, and was pleased to learn that another edition had opened on campus. The restaurant sits in the former home of the late and unlamented Bakers' Square. A full top to bottom remodel has left the restaurant space looking upscale, chic and shiny. When I walked in the door, I was immediately greeted by a manager and several employees. As expected, the staff is uniformly friendly and skilled. Though the menu lists many old favorites (including the excellent Szechuan dumplings in chili oil), Tea House veterans will note some new dishes--and higher prices--at this location. Even at lunch, the typical "plate of entree, egg roll and soup" has given way to a list of soups and rice bowls and you can expect to pay for your tea. Food quality, and attention to detail, remain a strong point. A full bar, including a decent selection of sakes and a serviceable wine list are also available. I am convinced that the various Tea House locations serve the best Chinese food in town. When I want an elegant experience with a full bar, I'll head over towards the U. When I want to spend a bit less money, and/or need to satisfy my "juicy bun" craving, I will find myself out on Suburban Avenue. Either way, I win.
(4)Cou P.
I saw this restaurant few times but never think of coming in to try it. But luckily we did!! We ate at here on 9/17, I love their Szechuan Dumplings in Chili Oil the best and Spinach with fresh Garlic which I love them. We also tried Family Tofu which is not too bad, but Dan Dan Noodles tasted more like Sesame Paste Noodles to me. Scallion Pancake was kind of like deep fried, not I like and Beef Scallion Pancake Roll was a little bit heavy to me, I would rather have just without beef and I think that will tastes better. Overall, I WILL come back again and try more different dishes when I come back to visit Minneapolis City which is very soon.
(4)Chuan S.
Genuine Chinese food.
(5)Kedar D.
Tea House has great ambience and service, but the food options for vegans and vegetarians are highly limited. For one thing, almost all of the dishes labeled "vegetarian" contain oyster sauce. There are only a couple of dishes that are inherently meat- and fish-free. Make sure to ask many questions about ingredients. I made a suggestion to the staff to properly label their menus to indicate that oyster sauce is in many of the dishes, but who knows if they'll make that change/disclosure. We had a "house tofu" ($10) which was slabs of tofu and cabbage in a spicy chili oil. This dish was pretty good though it was pretty expensive considering the portion size. Also, it's extremely spicy, so be warned. The Chinese broccoli dish we had was similarly slight in terms of portion size, and was just a simple stir-fry. It was tasty enough, but seemed more like an appetizer and was something I could have prepared at home myself. I think those were the only two inherently vegan/vegetarian dishes on the menu. Other dishes couldn't be modified to be veg., unfortunately. Sadly, Tea House does not offer brown rice. I'd come back here if they added more vegan dishes, the way Little Szechuan or Evergreen (the two front-runners for quality Chinese food in the Twin Cities) do.
(2)Vivian R.
The old Tea House, before the chain took over, was wonderful. Really well prepared, unusual food. We had a long drive to get there, and it was always well worth it. After the chain took over, the food was not well prepared -- unnecessarily oily. We went there several times, for old-time's sake, and were not happy. This past week (third week of December) we were so disappointed, the next day we tried the Szechuan on Snelling Ave near County B, and ordered the same menu items. We were very pleased, and will go back there. Sorry, Yolanda, we miss the old "family" cooking and the old chefs. It's still a very handsome location, but it's by and large become a student hangout.
(2)John H.
Quality is average, food is heavily americanized and prices are quite high, but may be reflecting location. Ambience is good and service is okay. Some specific suggestions are any of the lamb dishes.
(3)Allison B.
Hands down, my favorite Chinese food! I love the seating options -- alone in my own cubby with friends, in the private dining room that seats 8, or just in the middle of the restaurant. I love the ever changing lit wall -- so comforting and beautiful. Love, love, love the waiter Tao (sp?) Just because I may not spell it right doesn't mean that he isn't amazing... Favorite foods include: Schezuan green beans (to die for), spicy bamboo shoots, the cucumber appetizer, pork soup buns, beef noodle soup (which should be eaten with chop sticks and slurped up) and the chicken dish that Tao recommends. Lots of delish Saki -- and how the staff there will teach you about the different Saki's available. I love Tea House, I love introducing friends and visitors to Tea House, I love giving gift certificates to Tea House -- just thinking about it makes we want to go there, right now! I'll race ya!
(5)Ann V.
I thoroughly enjoy the eating environment in this restaurant. The decor is upscale yet comfortable. There was a large group dinner going on so they didn't seat us in the little curtained tables--I like small, cosy areas so I really wanted to eat in there! The food wasn't horrible, but I wasn't very impressed. The taste was average while the presentation was poor. I'll go give it another shot because there wasn't anything about this experience that repulsed me. I give it two stars because there wasn't anything nearly spectacular about it.
(2)Dan A.
Tea House used to be the best place for Chinese food. As they have expanded the quality has apparently been diluted among their several locations. Still, the food is okay and that is measured on rather high standards. Standards Tea House helped establish years ago when they brought in that famous Szechuan chef to work their single location. You should always compare favorably to your past, not the other way around. Service is above average. This location has nice plates! Safe and comfortable bet to bring your boss to if they aren't Chinese. If you have a connoisseur of Chinese visiting from out of town, then skip this location.
(3)MALEAH A.
First of all, this place is REALLY good. Normally, I reserve five star reviews for places that have that "little something extra" creatively, or otherwise.... this place doesn't necessarily have that, but it does have the best Chinese food I've had in the twin cities (by far!). We first went here back in Sept. and had a really nice dinner and great service, but for some reason I never got around to reviewing it. Last night, we took my mom here for dinner since she was craving Chinese, and we'd been meaning to get back anyways. What a great idea! The food, again, was AWESOME!! seriously, everything was fantastic. Maybe a little "basic", but prepared wonderfully. Simple flavors, well cooked meats, excellent sake. We had the pork soup dumplings to start. These are a little challenging to eat, but very delicious! the broth inside is super yummy! We also got the pan fried pork belly, it was salty and spicy, but in a good way and prepared with lemon-grass which helped ease the bite. This was a nice contrast also to the sesame shrimp. Shrimp never tasted so good! I really love the tempura style batter they use, and the shrimp were cooked perfectly, and they were HUGE!! We also ordered the scallion pancakes, which were nice and flaky and light. None of the food felt heavy or greasy (not even the pork belly), and best of all, it tasted very fresh! Our server was extremely helpful. He even got us a side order of broccoli that wasn't on the menu. Very attentive staff, plates were being cleared consistently, etc. The ambiance here is nice as well (one of the walls is backlit and changes colors!) everything is nice and new and clean and cozy! except for the outside, you'd never know it was a Baker's Square before! I give this place five stars, because they know what they are doing and they are doing it well. Very well, indeed. :)
(5)Caty J.
Just go there and order the Juicy Buns, General Tso's Chicken and Kung Pow Chicken. Their food is so amazing. You will be impressed. My husband used to work there and has actually acquired a taste for the authentic Chinese items on the menu like the House Spicy Beef and Cumin Beef. You have to remember the Szechuan menu is real Chinese, not that crap at the Happy Garden. It might look a little different, and most of the dishes are oily, but that's how they're supposed to be. The cook is from China and doesn't speak any English - he spends all of his time hand making those pork juicy buns that we love so much! I've heard they are as good or better than what you get in China :)
(5)K H.
The food is good, but pricey. It is definitely NOT a place to get take out... the first time I tried it I waited forever and then the food was cold. Today they couldn't manage to find a spoon for the soup, and the guy could care less that it left me with no options. Didn't even get a napkin!! AT $9 for a bowl or rice with pork I think I can expect more. Also, when you dine in take a sweater, the dining room is always cold.
(2)F U.
Yelp's definition for a five star review: as good as it gets. Nothing less would do the Dinkytown Tea House justice, at least as far as this continent is concerned. They pair a vast menu of rustic, flavorful food with a warm environment, and their service is on par with an upscale, bistro-style restaurant, only friendlier and more personable. I'm sure Iron Chef Chen Kinichi would find himself at home in one of their luxurious booths. I get excited when I can tell people care about their starch, because attention to detail flows through everything a restaurant produces. Tea House serves up Jasmine rice, beautifully cooked, and NOT fried with a bunch of low quality soy sauce,that to me, sets the bar for where all Chinese food should be. Keep in mind, all I've had is off their SUPER BARGAIN lunch menu; I haven't even gotten to the pork soup dumplings yet, which I hear are AMAZING. An added bonus is that the servers are incredibly attentive without crowding you, the managers Nick and Adrian know their role in the restaurant and perform it impeccably. What I love about the ambiance is that this restaurant can be an unassuming lunch spot, yet it works for a date or a family meal. Their saki list is purportedly longer than Rip Van Winkle's beard, yet they have a full bar (with dinner seating) for those of us who stick to beer and liquor. AND with prices that don't break the bank, its an all-around addicting experience. First trip: I had the Szechuan-style Beef Noodle Bowl. Imagine mom's tenderest pot roast thrown in an enormous bowl with the freshest noodles you've ever tasted, covered in house-made broth with plenty of chili flake to get the point across, and then aromatics punch you in the face. I'm talking ginger, garlic and mostly FENNEL giving you a bitchslap to your palate, and then blowing you a kiss afterward as you try to wrap your head around what's just happened. My girlfriend had the family style tofu on this occasion and she loved it. Both meals were like three meals in one--NO JOKE! I got drunk a couple nights later and my roommate and I put the leftovers down at 2 AM; what a treat that was. Second trip: General Tao's Chicken. I know what you're thinking--how generic, right? I wanted to see what they could bring to one of the most played out dishes in food as we know it. The rice was the first thing I noticed; the grains were independent of each other and there wasn't a clump in the entire bowl. The chicken portion, as usual, was gargantuan, and they threw in some extra broccoli for me, too. Their veg has always been perfectly cooked, and again, the aromatics hit you in a way that was practically spiritual; you realize what you've been missing all these years, why szechuan is actually on a menu and why someone would order it. This is the first day of the rest of your Chinese-eating life; at the Tea House in Dinkytown, this is only the beginning. The only criticism I could make is that they should have an Asian-inspired bloody mary on the drink list; hell, after this review maybe they'll come up with one just for me. PS- Anyone who hates on this place is a TOTAL RETARD. (Dr. S).
(5)Jess L.
I'm sure the people at the Tea House knew that we were going to be a handful from the time we walked in--but we should have trusted our gut instinct and headed out when we wanted a relatively quick lunch and saw how busy they were. We walked in to the Tea House on our way home from picking up the boyfriend's scooter at Bluecat Motors. We were running short on time, but wanted some tasty Asian food. I had heard about this new Tea House restaurant, and we were on University, so it made sense to stop in. We stood at the host stand for a good few minutes, looking at the menu, before anyone came by. A gentleman in a suit coat and jeans encouraged us to take a look at the menu--which we had already been doing. I asked him if he worked there, since he seemed like he had been engrossed in conversation with a woman at the bar. He said that he did, and was pleasantly funny while he sat us, and assured us that if we ordered from the lunch menu, the food would be 'out to us in minutes' and we could indeed have a fast lunch. He also assured us that Roby would give us good service. Roby stopped by right away to take our orders. The lunch menu is strangely laid out, so it looked like there were only soups on the menu. Roby didn't know how to pronounce "Lo Mein" (he called it low-mine instead of lo-Maine...but then, maybe I'm wrong!), and didn't seem to know much about the food, but tevs. I ordered the General Tao's chicken, and the boyfriend ordered a soup. A minute later, he realised that I had ordered something that was NOT soup, and he wanted to change his order. He thought it would be ok, and just stuck to the soup. It took Roby foreverrrrrr to bring us two glasses of ice water. He didn't bring out the hot and sour soup that came with my meal until after I had received my meal. The boyfriend's soup was so oily and spicy that he couldn't eat it. We asked for a replacement entree, which did come out quickly. My 'spicy' chicken was far too sweet. There was no soy sauce on the table, and requests for it yielded none. It took a while to get the check, and even longer for our cards to be run. THe manager had neglected to remove the soup from our bill, and the server neglected to notice we had been charged for three entrees instead of two. It took a long time. Based on the lunch experience, I don't think I'll be back for lunch. Based on the prices I saw on the dinner menu, I doubt I'll be back for dinner. I'm glad I tried the new place, though!
(3)Grant T.
While Tea House is no Szechuan, it still serves some pretty damn good food. I made my first visit Friday night, and enjoyed the comfy draped booths (perfect for a date) and the sleek decor. As for food, the spinach was to die for, as was the Chung King Chicken. The beef and broccoli was tasty, but over-carroted, and the fried rice was a better-than-average version of a standard favorite. The steamed pork buns were also phenomenal. Since Village Wok has lost ground after cheffing changes (thought I haven't been recently), Tea House is your best bet for Chinese food around the U of M.
(4)Norton L.
The owners of the Tea House opened a fourth location a few weeks ago right next to the U of M campus. I had the pleasure of attending their opening "Friends and Family" night with a friend of the owners. They continued their tradition of excellent Szechuan style dishes in this newly remodeled Baker's Square building on the corner of University and Washington Aves. The transformation of the building was amazing. The decor has a much more elegant style than their St. Paul location, the only other location I've been in. The food was just as good as their other location. We selected a spicy chicken, a spicy fish (that was in an earthen bowl swimming in a bit more sauce than I'd like, but still very good), and a spicy asparagus. Being a Szechuan style restaurant, they only had one or two choice that weren't spicy, so if you don't like spicy food, I'd be aware of that. I had my 5 year old son with me and since they were out of the non-spicy lo mein, they were very gracious in creating a noodle dish specifically for him. They are located right in front of the Days Inn and part of their lease agreement is that they had to sell breakfast for the hotel guests just as the Baker's Square did before them. They will be starting that in about a month and will be a mix of American and Chinese style breakfasts. The old Baker's Square only ever really had students in it when parents were with them. This new restaurant will probably be the same way. With this remodel, the Tea House folks are obviously catering to a higher end clientèle rather than the college students literally within a stone's throw of the building. They are only open until 11pm at their latest so it will be hard for them to compete with the likes of Hong Kong Noodle and Village Wok just down the street. My colleague paid for the meal, so I don't know if they are priced within a college student's range either. However, with most of the better Chinese restaurants South and West of Minneapolis, this will be a welcome addition closer to those of us in the North and East part of town. It will yet be seen whether they can fare better than Baker's Square. I hope they do.
(4)John Paul P.
Coming here with my family can be quite an adventure, especially when you have a total of 15 people including 6 kids. The good thing is that with so many people, there are so many dishes to try! Foodie heaven (and a diet's nightmare) Did not get to try to pan fried Shanghai bao since I came after they had ordered the copious amounts of food. However I did try the pork and crab soup dumplings. The sauce was alright, and the dumplings had excellent chewiness to them. The kids wanted chicken wings so I had a couple of those. Nothing exciting. The house spicy fish was definitely spicy! However the creaminess texture of the fish was amazingly good. The general tao's chicken was surprisingly tasty, excellent sauce, good crisp to the outside of the chicken, and tender inside. Good amount of broccoli. One of my favorites of the night. The orange chicken was also pretty good, albeit a strong orange flavor (not unexpected). A tad overpowering. The sweet and sour fish filet was pretty average. Combo lo mein was also standard-fare. Didn't seem to come with that much shrimp, and the meat in general was a bit on the lowish side. Service was decent, although we almost lost our reserved large table due to some tardy members of our party. During the whole time we were there, the restaurant never filled up to capacity, nor was there ever a wait. To me this is a fairly average Chinese restaurant on campus, I still prefer to go to Hong Kong Noodles for my campus chinese food fix or for large get-togethers. It's a little cheaper there too. 3.5/5 stars
(3)RICK L.
I am a fan of the Tea House's other locations and so I was excited to try out its newest restaurant, on University Ave. in Minneapolis near the U and the new football stadium. Came here with the family and have to say we were a bit disappointed. As a backdrop, I have to explain that when I evaluate a place, it's often by comparison to something similar. In this case, I compare Tea House to Little Szechuan a few miles away on University Avenue, where we go frequently. LS wins out, so far. Details: 1. Tea House has the more beautiful space, no doubt. 2. The TH menu is similar to LS and I would estimate that the TH prices are a buck or two higher on similar items. 3. We found the flavors of the TH items to be unremarkable - just a bit too ordinary. The eggplant in garlic sauce needed some more kick. Our girls felt their lo mein orders were just OK. 4. TH messed up our order in that my wife ordered a scallops dish and they brought her shrimp. She also felt the dish was bland. 5. TH skimped on portion sizes. With the tip, a meal at either place can easily wind up around $70, but at Little Szechuan we'll at least have some leftovers for another night. We had very little left over from TH. Obviously this is just an opinion and it's early yet. We hope TH tweaks some of these aspects and improves. P.S., be aware that the restaurant, as far as I can tell, has no dedicated parking -- no lot -- only street parking. This could be inconvenient at busy times.
(3)Mariel L.
What a beautiful restaurant in Dinkytown! I like the logo for Tea House right outside, it looks like an ambigram from afar, but it really just reads "Tea House" in really skinny letters. The interior is gorgeous, with the carved wooden dividers and the private dining areas with what looked like a really heavy shower curtain, per my friend's comment. Our group was pretty big, but we got a nice long table on a busy Saturday night. Their menu looked interesting, separated into your different meat (and veggie) options, picture menu included. I decided to try the pork belly because I don't typically get it. I was imagining it to come in a pretty delicate slab, but it came out looking more like shredded pork. And was it ever delicious? It was ever delicious, yes. Pretty superb. It was so soft and fatty and unctuous (unctuous word counter: 2) and not too too oily (surprise, i know). It went SO PERFECTLY with the nice and fluffy jasmine rice. You know the dish is great when you just want to keep piling it on the rice and mix it until it's a happy blend of colors and flavors, and then shove it in your mouth. So freaking good. I kinda wanna come back just for that.
(4)Pete S.
I came here for lunch and had pork in garlic sauce (rice bowl) and scallion pancakes. Everything was fresh and tasty. Obviously someone in the kitchen cares about the food. I highly recommend! Glad I didn't settle for the free continental breakfast at the Days Hotel, or the lowly Arby's that's across the street.
(5)Dan F.
My favorite kung pao tofu of all time. I used to have a standing monthly with my friend Mike before he moved away. They also have white or brown rice, which I like.
(5)