Teahouse
1676 Suburban Ave, Saint Paul, MN, 55106
Teahouse Menu
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Appetizers
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Soup
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Cold Dish
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Poultry
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Pork
Healthy Meal suggestions for Teahouse
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Appetizers
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Soup
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Cold Dish
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Poultry
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Pork
Visit below restaurant in Saint Paul for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Saint Paul for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
1676 Suburban Ave
Saint Paul, MN, 55106 - Phone (651) 771-1790
- Website https://ourteahouse.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 9:00pm
Specialities
- 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 : Quiet
Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
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M L.
Often, I patronize a restaurant for a single dish. The Teahouse is my go to place for Chung King Tofu. It is not on the menu so you'll need to ask for it. I've tasted other selections when I have gone with friends and they are good as well. The reason for 4 stars instead of 5 stars is only because I have not ordered any other meal so can't speak to the rest of the menu. I don't think you'd be disappointed.
(4)Ashley S.
Minnesota yelpers do not disappoint, this is a great little restaurant and I hope more people come and keep them busy! :) I was missing food from home and came across Tea House in a yelp search. This is as close to California Asian food as you an get. I hope to comeback at least once more before I go home. Great prices too! I ordered: warm tea, cream cheese wontons, the juicy pork dumplings and beef and broccoli, everything was wonderful and my total was only $24, the staff is nice and they do great service. Will defiantly go back if I have time.
(5)Chelsea M.
This is a wonderful restaraunt. Had lunch here today and left a very happy girl! We had the Chung King Chicken, pork juicy buns, szechuan green beans and Chicken element. First off, I had never had a dumpling before but the server informed us that the juicy buns is what earned them a four star review so we said why not and ordered them. They came with a dark seasoned vinegar with shreds of ginger and were absolutely amazing! The entrees we had were delicious as well, especially the chicken element. Everything was hot and fresh and one of the best parts of our meal was how nice our server was. The food and him made it a wonderful dining experience. We will definitely be back to eat here! On another note, there are a few different tea houses, we eat at the one in Plymouth often but due to remodeling, we went to this one. Great choice no doubt, and even the same franchise I believe, but they do have a different menu. Maybe a couple items might be the same but I believe it's more up the chef you know?
(5)Douglas F.
Absolutely fantastic little secret. The service left us with more to be desired but honestly it was 45 min till closing and I'd be pretty anxious to get the hell out of there too if I had been there all day working. The food was fantastic and the soup dumplings were spot on. No complaints coming out of this guy. I'm new to the area also so I'm excited that I have a go to dim sum spot! Woot
(4)J J.
Great General Tso Chicken haven't order anything else cause the staff doesn't communicate well but the food has always been good.
(4)FJ F.
As good as usual. A few better Sichuan dishes were ordered today. These three taste really good, plus the Shanghai style soy source duck, my boys' favorite.
(4)Danny Z.
A hidden gem with nice deco and great food. If you like authentic Chinese food, try the Couple'beef (very spicy), soy sauce duck, salt pepper fish (fry flounder fillets). Same great taste as those in Chinatown New York, and a much better and cleaner dining atmosphere. Oh, don't forget the steam juicy bun
(4)Alicia M.
Delicious and authentic Asian food. The staff is willing to help you figure out what you would like - including offering items that are not on the menu.
(4)Shawn L.
Different style from the Plymouth location, but that just makes it another unique gem. The mini juicy buns are so damned good. Chicken element was full of clean flavor that stuck with me like a billboard in my head telling me to go back for more. Chung king chicken was crazy good. Reminds me of how people describe umami savory. Yum!
(5)John C.
Order: Cream Cheese Won-Tons, Juicy Buns (mini), Kung Pao Chicken. Thoughts: Wontons were average. Juicy Buns were in fact delicious! Solely bought these based on yelp reviews. Kung Pao was some of the best Kung Pao I have ever had! The atmosphere was fantastic, inside is much more authentic and stylish than the outside appearance. Service was good, they gave us tea while waiting for takeout. I would recommend to anyone in the area. We will be back to try other items!
(4)Betty C.
Szechuan or Sichuan, however you spell it, they have the best dishes. You can find that luckily pretty easily around the TC area. When I moved here 7 years ago, I didn't think I'd find any authentic Chinese restaurants...til I tried Tea House. They have several locations, including the newer one in Dinkytown. If you want something exotic, and thrill for the senses, get away from the cookie cutter Chinese restaurants and give this a go. This place is the real deal!
(4)Robert A.
Best Chinese on the east side, take out ready in 10 minutes. Lots of food for the price, friendly service. Juicy buns boom
(5)Mahva J.
This was my first time at this restaurant and wouldn't have heard of it were it not for my husband. Other than the waiter seeming disinterested in his role, everything here was nice. I'd originally thought it might be us, but he was this way with everyone. Just his manner. He's not rude, which is nice. We ordered the Shanghai Mini Juicy Buns, and they live up to their name. If you bite a small hole into the top of the bun and then add some of the dipping sauce, it's much easier to eat. Also, keeping the bun on the spoon prevents you from wearing the liquid inside the bun. Because we enjoy hot foods, we ordered Szechuan style entrees of Double Cooked Pork and Chung King Spicy Chicken. The Double Cooked Pork was less spicy than I'd like, though the flavor development made up for it. I'll ask for chili sauce or oil on the side next time. The Sriracha at the table did help. My husband got the Chung King Spicy Chicken because we eat that a lot at Little Szechuan and wanted to compare. LS is still winner there because their version is spicier. The flavor is wonderful and the crispiness of the chicken is great. We will definitely be back again as we're finding ourselves in this area of St. Paul more and more often.
(4)Anika L.
The teahouse is our go to for comfort Chinese food in the area. I am a huge fan of the juicy buns, hot and sour soup and shredded beef! The staff can be quick and to the point but the food is always good!
(5)Fong V.
The best Chinese food... Ask the server what to get. Stay away from your comfort typical Chinese food like fried rice or low mein or sweet n sour... Their food is not just good food... ITS AN EXPERIENCE... Their juicy bun dish!!!... Also, what threw my whole Chinese cuisine mindset was, typical you get the heavy, oily sauce... This place has these sauces and broth that looks like it will be heavy and greasy, BUT NO!!!... It's light, flavorful, perfect... I had a party of 4, we let our server suggest their best... We had a total of 10 dishes that were better than the last. It's almost like a course set service!!!... Top notch food, top notch service, I urge people to not only eat here, but experience here...
(5)Nicole E.
Great place and takeout. Staff are very friendly. The ambience is very dim and nice looking but still good food. My favorite the beef broccoli.
(4)Austin F.
Had the general tso's. It was incredible! The restaurant has a nice atmosphere, very comfortable. The service was a little bit lacking, I only say my server when I ordered and once I was finished, but I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt due to how busy it was (and because the food was just that amazing)!
(5)W M.
Yum! We went here for dinner on a quiet sunday night. The staff were gracious, polite and swift. They even brought rubber-banded chopsticks for our two kids. The duck in bean sauce special was delicious. The duck was moist and tasty and the veggies fresh and crisp. My wife ordered the eggplant "chef recommendation" and it was fantastic. The eggplant was soft and tasty. Perhaps a little bit too much suace, but I have no other complaints. As others have pointed out, the sesame chicken is indeed very good; a big hit with our 8 year old. Out ever-picky 3 year old wanted noodles and I can say that the lo mein noodles were cooked very well and were yummy.
(4)Rachael M.
Last night, my husband and I checked out Teahouse. It was close to our hotel and had decent reviews, so we were surprised when we drove up and there were only 2 cars in the parking lot. A sign on the window said that they do Dim Sum on the weekends, so we were not sure whether or not we wanted to eat there. We figured we'd walk in, check out the menu, and decide whether or not to stay. When we walked in, the scent of delicious food was immediate and welcoming. The decor of the restaurant is also really cool. All of the wooden panels on the wall have intricate carvings, and you would never know from the outside (a standard strip mall) that the inside would be so well decorated. The gentleman who greeted us at the door (who later became our waiter) let us know that even though they weren't serving Dim Sum on the cart, we could still order some of their best Dim Sum dishes off the menu, and he went so far as to suggest several. I'm so glad we listened to him! We ordered spicy szechuan dumplings, steamed pork buns, Shanghai mini juicy buns, sticky rice with pork, and an egg roll. The egg roll and steamed pork buns were standard fare, but the spicy szechuan dumplings and Shanghai mini juicy buns were unlike anything I've tried! They were both packed with umami goodness and flavors that I haven't had anywhere else. A great feature of this restaurant was the service. Our waiter showed us how to properly eat the juicy buns and the sticky rice with pork, and he wasn't condescending at all. He even suggested what we would enjoy if we came back for weekend dim sum. I wish we were going to be in town for it!
(5)Makayla S.
This place is aMAZing. Delicious food, great vibe, and fantastic service. We will either eat in or pick up food, and my husband usually convinces me to grab him some chicken wings from here once a week. They have the best wings, great general tsos, and the juicy buns are SO good. Even if you're just picking up your take out they provide good service, if you get there a minute early and it's not ready to go yet, they offer you a seat and bring you a glass of water right away. We honestly haven't been disappointed with anything we've tried from there, and we try to get something different whenever we get an entree. Anyone that wants some good chinese food, we recommend this place right away.
(5)Kak L.
Not sure why this place is listed under the "tea room" category. It's just a regular Chinese restaurant. There's no tea on their menu.
(1)Jena B.
I have been coming here for years, and most of the time I have had a great experience. Good service, good food, lovely atmosphere. There are a couple dishes which haven't been top notch, but their menu is so large there is no problem finding something great. I like the Hunan pork and General Tso's chicken, and I have another friend who loves the sweat he gets from their noodle soups. Others enjoy the chicken and vegetables. Try it!
(4)Bill S.
Dan Dan Noodles - mmm mmm! We often will order from the appetizer menu alone. Szechuan sauces are incredibly tasty, but they can be incredibly spicy! (chili oil is a wonderful thing) I bring along a towel to keep the sweat at bay.
(5)Andrew H.
Been here a few times now that I live in the neighborhood and this is some of the best Chinese on the east side of the Cities period. What sets it apart is not that it is incredibly authentic, its that they have a flavor all of their own, it might supposed to be Sichuan, but the spice isn't there the flavor is. The food speaks for itself, its not the flavor you were expecting, its better, unique. The spicy pork of some kind is what I ordered after a long day, this combined with my wife's Sichuan chicken and some crab soup dumplings. It was perfect, its not quite authentic when ordering Chinese, instead it is its own restaurant, and that isn't a bad thing. Just different, I always go here wanting great Chinese, what I get I like very much, but it isn't quite what I was expecting.
(4)Meg H.
While planning for my sister's birthday outing, she talked about wanting to grab dim sum. People name dropped a few places, but they seemed too far, so we searched around and found this place. The bf and I decided that we'd make it our personal mission to scout out and taste test it first. Off the dim sum menu, we ordered 2 soy milks, pork buns, and some other meat item (bf ordered, so don't remember what it was). We also ordered the general tso's tofu and crab soup dumplings. The soy milk comes plain (and hot), so you'll need to sweeten it yourself, but tasted like it was made in house. Score! However, the rest of dim sum (including the dumplings that everyone keeps talking about) looked like they came pre-made/factory-purchased/frozen. I can't comment about the taste, but it looked alright. Boo. I thoroughly enjoyed my general tso's tofu though. Crispy tofu with a not-too-heavy coating of general tso's sauce and steamed broccoli. I was hit with nostalgia because it tasted similar to the one I eat in MA. Unfortunately I couldn't rate this place any higher, given that we only ordered dim sum and one thing off their regular menu. Not enough to say I'm a fan if I only was a super fan of one dish.
(3)Washington N.
Tea House offers robust Sichuan flavors and an excellent choice if you are in the mood for something spicy. I like to come here on the weekends before 2pm and order dim sum items off the menu. The servers have always been courteous and willing to offer suggestions whenever I asked. I personally like the Ma la beef tendon off the appetizer list or any of the buns. Be aware that some Sichuan style dishes have more unique taste such as heavy use of dried peppers or sourness compared to than typical Chinese food. I wouldn't bring a picky eater here, it's not Panda Express. The interior is well decorated but a bit more dim than I prefer but it is nice and clean.
(4)Patty R.
Damn!! This place is awesome! Great Dim Sum for Minnesota. We ordered the crab juicy buns (crab soup dumplings), pork dumpling, and another pork dumpling in hot sauce which isn't spicy at all. Everything was absolutely delicious. You really feel like your in someone's home. Place isn't located in a great spot. Near closed businesses, and from the outside place doesn't look very appealing. Don't be fooled! Try it for yourself!
(4)Heather M.
Oh man, those juicy buns are amazing! Have them show you how to properly eat them to enjoy their juice to the fullest. The staff was very polite and attentive. The portions are big so you'll have plenty of awesome leftovers! I had the pork Lo Mein and I gotta say it was fabulous! It's located in a small strip mall next to the east St. Paul Target. Low lighting and nice decor, not over the top and cheesy like some places.
(4)Rita R.
Juicy Buns one of our favorites! We try a different entree each time, never disappointed. We enjoy the sauces.
(4)Karl H.
It's been a while since I've done a review but I couldn't think of a better place to get back on the reviewing horse. I've been here multiple times now since first being turned on to it. Originally I was ordered to go here and not leave unless I tried the pork juicy buns. Normally when someone orders me to do something I do the opposite but I followed through. I ordered the juicy buns and 90yhgxnclv l;knlaor09ak, sorry, had to wipe some drool off my keyboard. They're amazing! I could probably eat a couple hundred at a sitting. They live up to every ounce of hype they've received. Try them. After the juicy buns comes the main course and although the juicy buns steal the show everything else I've tried has not disappointed. The hunan chicken is really tasty and full of veggies if you're looking for those. Otherwise if you have someone to share with or are incredibly hungry the crispy whole fish is outstanding and probably one of my favorite dishes ever. Their menu is gigantic so you won't have a problem finding something, it may take a while to decide though. Not mentioning the great service would be wrong. I've always had incredibly polite and friendly service. Plus, they're always able to answer questions about anything on the menu as well. All in all, this is a stellar place if you're looking for some good Chinese.
(4)Martin H.
Great Specials at the moment. We went all sea food and enjoyed a full range of flavors and textures. Never had a bad experience here. Great value too.
(4)David R.
Juicy Buns were the bomb....I used the online ordering and it worked like a charm. Food was done within 20 min. I tried their Szechuan Kung Pao Chicken. Not really spicy at all but a really good flavor.
(4)David T.
Originally from Portland, my dim sum taste isn't as refined as those from San Francisco or Vancouver but at least I know that food shouldn't be served raw. 2 dishes that were served to us with raw shrimp and our pork buns were still cold inside. Needless to say, I'm never coming back.
(1)N C.
This is our favorite Chinese restaurant in the Woodbury area! The shredded pork, Mongolian beef, orange chicken, and ducks are our favorites!! Their Chinese food is pretty authentic and the service is great and efficient!
(5)Ken P.
Best Chinese in Minnesota. Owner says to order beef with green pepper. It is fantastic!
(5)Jesus M.
Please do yourself a favor and get Juicy Buns for an appetizer. These delectable steamed dumplings are filled with a delicious broth that you must slurp out before you enjoy the rest of it. Staff can be un-friendly but don't let that intimidate you. I've been there for dim-sum a couple times and it is pretty good. Everything we've ordered from the menu is delicious and would definitely get it again! We keeps me coming back are the juicy buns! If you are a fan of chinese cuisine, please visit the Teahouse!
(4)Suze S.
One of the better options for "Asian" food on the East Side! Generally Szechuan-style, with a few outliers. The place has nice atmosphere, beautiful decor. The waitstaff is brisk and punctual, but not what I'd call friendly. I adore the Juicy Buns appetizer. It's a little steamed dumpling with pork and broth inside it. Use the spoon, pour the sauce over it. Take a small bite and suck all the hot broth out. Carefully, don't burn yourself. Eat the rest of dumpling. Bask in its deliciousness. The beef and broccoli is good, the lo mein is good, the orange chicken is great. Pretty much all of the entrees we've tried were pretty good. They serve large portions, so order a soup or appetizer and share an entree :)
(4)Amy R.
My search for really good egg foo young is over! I found it. Will be getting take out from here from now on. Egg Foo Young Chung King Spicy Chicken Shrimp Fried Rice All of which were flavorful, plentiful and made J&I quite full. Atmosphere is quaint. Place is clean Service pretty great. Our server Becky was kind enough to make sure we got the juicy bun tutorial. They were alright. The insides just kind of give me the creeps texture and moving around the plate wise. Other than that. Glad we finally listened to our friends recommendations!
(4)Chloe G.
Be aware! This restaurant automatically charges gratuity for just two people!!!!! Please do check your receipt carefully! I know that restaurants can charge gratuity automatically for more than 5 people by law! But this place charges us (JUST TWO) even without noticing!! I mean the restaurant is not allowed to apply those gratuities without informing customers!! Some people would not take a look at the receipt and will pay extra on gratuity!!!! Besides, they calculate the gratuity amount after the food tax!! For what I know, tips is based on the food and drinks, not taxes!!!! I ask the server why they didn't inform us the gratuity on bill, but he didn't response and took our credit cards! Then another server brings the bills back to our table and left!! No explanation at all!! What a "great "service!!! I won't go to this place again!!
(1)S P.
Quite possibly the best choice for Chinese in the cities. The food is consistent, reasonably priced and quite well prepared. I'd suggest some of the Chefs traditional dishes like Gui Chow Chicken and Stewed Pork with Crispy Brown Rice if you're willing to try new stuff. If you like spicy, the Triple Kung Pao is delicious. They've also some really tasty vegetarian options. They are now doing dim sum on the weekends as well. Great people and food done excellently.
(4)Fiona J.
I like this restaurant and I think it is the best Chinese restaurant in Minneapolis. Cause all dishes offered here are the same as what we eat in China. You should try weekend brunch which is also good! Anyway, I will treat all my Chinese friends here and recommend this restaurant to my American friends who want to have authentic Chinese cuisine!
(5)Melissa H.
I usually get the same thing, because it is awesome. I love their egg rolls, cream cheese wontons, and sesame chicken. I usually can judge a Chinese place by how well they do their Sesame chicken or their Egg Rolls. This place is the best place around for both! Seriously delicious food. Seriously. The staff is very friendly, I worked near-by and eventually they knew my name. The Teahouse on University Ave isn't as good. This place is the one to go to.
(5)S P.
Authentic Szechuan style spicy double pepper corn chicken. Heavenly!
(4)Elias A.
Food was not very good. Decent service. The Eastside can do better.
(2)Mitch N.
Fantastic to find the real deal here. We Eat here whenever we come back to the twin cities. The pea sprouts with garlic dish is a winner. Mitch
(5)Chris K.
We usually eat here when we're in St. Paul. For moderately priced Asian this is one of the best we've found. The Lemon Chicken is fabulous! (We try to remember to ask them to hold the bed of lettuce though-it can add a bitter taste). It is lightly "crunchily" breaded. We are also a fan of the Szechuan green beans.
(4)Chris M.
Tea House remains one of the better options for Szechuan-style Chinese on the East side, but lately I have felt that I keep leaving here slightly more disappointed than satisfied each time. The dan dan noodles, hot & sour soup and beef noodle soup remain quite good, but I've found the pickled pork soup and kung pao shrimp pretty mediocre at best on recent visits. Adding to the somewhat inconsistent food has been very slow service; though in the servers' defense they do appear to be pretty minimally staffed for how busy it gets. That said, don't expect service with a smile or anything close - effeciency is the name of the game here. Don't get me wrong, I'll keep stopping by since I work nearby, but I'll be more motivated to take a longer lunch and drive to Little Szechuan more often in the future when jonesing for quality Szechuan over the noon hour.
(3)Patti I.
Tea House is good but not stellar. I've never had anything here that was bad, it's just that Little Szechuan on University Ave. and Szechuan in Roseville are better.
(3)k M.
We had high hopes for Teahouse! All the reviews said it was good, but it was terrible! Worst meal I've ever had! Service was awful, our server was so so unfriendly and grumpy. We all though someone just shot his dog! Food was like puke in bowl- worst Chinese ever!
(1)Lisa M.
It's gotta be me..... We've tried all the other Tea House locations and this was our last stop. My dining companion loves the buffet at the other location, which I'm just not crazy about. Well, on a recent weeknight evening, I think I finally found out why. I guess I just don't care for Szechuan style cuisine. That has to be it. We arrived around 6:45ish on a Tuesday. The place had a couple of tables occupied, but I was concerned at the lack of people. We got waters right away and I ordered for us - he had 2 egg rolls and I tried the scallion pancake. We got black bean chicken and shredded pork in garlic sauce, both to share. The apps took a lot longer than I thought they should have. The scallion pancake was awesome! Crispy and delicious with scallions through out. I didn't care for the egg rolls. They tasted like something from a box I could get at the store. The food came shortly after. I much preferred the pork dish. It had a nice kick and great texture. The chicken with black bean sauce was good, but had kind of a smokey after taste I wasn't thrilled about. The reason I think I don't like Szechuan style is, it all seems really, really salty to me. After eating there, I determined I like Cantonese style better. The food was decent, the atmosphere nice, and the service was good. The scallion pancake alone can't make be go back. Sorry Tea House, I'm not your biggest fan.
(3)Matt P.
Better than expected.... first trip and pleasantly suprised. Great delivery service and overall experience. The Veggie Fried Rice was solid but the Kung Pao Chicken was honestly one of the best i've ever had!
(4)Josh J.
My date and I arrived well before any other guests showed up and we caught the staff by surprise on a Wednesday evening. Jay, our fantastic server, recommended the scallion pancake, green beans, and the chicken and asparagus blades. The food was fantastic! Jay took great care of us and after we paid, some two hours later, the staff and Jay continued to fill our glasses with water and let our conversation continue uninterrupted until we were one of the last two tables in the restaurant. This kind of service is above and beyond my usual expectation when dining out and it was VERY appreciated. The food was fantastic and the ambiance was great. Highly recommend the Teahouse for your next outing.
(5)G S.
I went to the Teahouse after getting a recommendation from my coworker. The layout and decoration of the resturant is good. Food is above average if you pick the right item. One of the dish we got was overly flowing with oil so it makes hard to eat. The price is high compared to other places and they charge a 18% tip regardless of the party size. My recent trip to the Teahouse was even worse than before. The service was slow and the restaurant start to CHARGE FOR TEA AND RICE. I have never heard of Chinese restaurant charges extra for rice. Even THOUGH the teahouse is close to where I live, I will be going to the Little Szechuan from now on. The food there is better in quality and cost less too.
(1)Greg B.
To date the best authentic Szechuan Chinese food that I have had in the Twin Cities. Often crowded with 3M-ers for lunch, but you can almost always walk right in for dinner. I've yet to order anything at this location that wasn't to my liking. Don't eat here without trying the Dan Dan Noodles from the appetizer menu...simple yet could be a meal in itself. We recently tried a spicy boiled fish dish (the sound of it scared me), and it was exceptional. If you like bacon but don't care about calories and fat content, try the "Szechuan Style Double Cooked Pork." Imagine thick sliced bacon piled high and smothered in a rich brown sauce...and you'll get a good idea of what it is all about. The only downside is the drink selection and prices. Other than that, Tea House is a can't-miss restaurant if you like Chinese food.
(4)Numbers D.
One of my favorite Chinese restaurants in the Twin Cities. Good food and good atmosphere. Reasonably priced. Wait staff is punctual although not overly friendly.
(4)Adam W.
The best Chinese food I have enjoyed locally in as long as I can remember. The Tea House is located in a sad little strip mall off I-94. I have driven by it hundreds of times and now I regret each of those times. We entered to find an attractive space space dominated by dark wood with red accents. The interior of the restaurant is much nicer than the outside, and sets the tone for the goodness to come. The scallion pancakes--mentioned by other yelpers, are indeed fantastic and not a bit greasy. The dumplings in hot sauce were a revelation, perfectly tender noodles bathed in a spicy sauce deep with interesting flavor and heat--did I detect a bit of molasses in there? Entrees were equally fine. Our server recommended the Kung Pao chicken. I was a bit dubious, because often this dish is a mess--drab, unfocused--but I thought I'd give it a shot. Good thing I listened: this was some good Kung Pao. Heat, yes, but also flavor as well as some of the biggest peanuts I have seen in a while. Kung Pao lamb was also quite good. Lean, tender lamb bathed in a sauce flavored with lemon grass, cilantro and pepper. All of the foregoing was far more food than should be ordered by two people, but we soldiered on and ate almost the whole thing. It was an effort to STOP eating, the food was that good. Tsing Tao beer too, for those interested in such things. Service was prompt and very friendly. Our server knew the menu and was happy to make recommendations. Next time--and there will be a next time, and soon--I'll try some of the seafood dishes, and/or the soups. And the Dan Dan Noodles. And maybe some shu mai...
(5)Karin M.
Had a wonderful dinner experience at Tea House. Don't let the strip mall location deter you from a wonderful dining experience at this charming establishment. Started with the crab balls and mini juicy dumplings. Our server did a fantastic job of helping us with the proper way to eat them and took time to show us which sauce to use for which appetizer. I've had steamed dumplings before but the juicy ones were over the top good. Dinner was sesame chicken and five spice scallops. Once again our server was wonderful with asking if we'd had the scallops before and explained that they were not sauced. They were delicious! Crispy, flavorful - not dry at all. I would highly recommend Tea House to those looking for a wonderful dining experience.
(4)Salinee H.
Sometimes our options for good Chinese food in the Twin Cities is limited. Yes, we have a huge selection of Vietnamese restaurants. But sometimes Chinese options are limited and Panda Express in a mall. I had the pleasure of enjoying dinner at the Tea House with my family. My dad did all of the ordering so I didnt even open the menu. But everything her ordered was delicious. I know we had kung pao chicken. As a kid, we used to always eat it, but I haven't had good kung pao in awhile. We also had eggplant in garlic sauce. Im not a big fan of eggplant but the sauce was so good. Although I would have preferred a different vegetable or meat with the sauce. On top of that, we had two fish dishes and a pork dish. I dont know what they were called but I'd order any of them again. The restaurant is kind of randomly placed in the middle of a strip mall on the east side of St. Paul. All of the businesses were closed at night so I hope people don't miss this great spot.
(5)Scott C.
Read lots of high star reviews on this place. Ordered the juicy buns. They were fun to eat and tasty. The other two items ordered were kung pao chicken and sesame chicken. Was not impressed with either of them. When the kung pao was set in front of me - I immediately noticed the fresh garlic clove slices and got excited. Unfortunately the meal was rather flavorless and the chicken pieces were not right. The sesame chicken sauce looked good but also was bland, and seemed to have unnecessary thickening agent in it. Some chicken pieces were okay, but many had excessive batter on them and seemed to be undesirable cuts of meat. To be fair, this was our first time at the Tea House, and our American palate may be not qualified to evaluate authentically prepared Asian dishes. We definitely will be back to give the Tea House another shot. 2 stars for the main dishes 3 stars for the juicy buns and attentive service.
(3)Nisha S.
Delicious delicious food! I tried their scallion pancakes, vegetarian dumplings, dan dan noodles , ma po tofu and chanking tofu (this last item was not listed on the menu so I am not sure if i am spelling it right; make sure you ask for it if you love tofu) - everything very well done with just the right amount of spice and flavor. Our bill was - wait for it - $36 only!! This is definitely going to be my go to restaurant for Chinese food in the twin cities. The only thing to note here is that this restaurant does not serve dessert. They just bring out the standard fortune cookies and orange slices along with your bill so you might want to keep that in mind if you have a sweet tooth.
(4)Spider M.
Mongolian Beef = best I've had. I used to visit San Francisco every other weekend when I lived in California. I would almost always travel down to Chinatown and get authentic Asian cuisine. (Yes, you can get more than Chinese food there.) This is on par with all of that. The decor is nice, the staff is generous and courteous (they know their jobs and do them well), and the food is awesome. The wife and I bring her parents here every year for our anniversary dinner. None of us are ever let down. I have had dishes here that I refuse to order other places due to the lack of proper preparation, but have rediscovered and loved due to their expertise. If you do not go here at least once while you are in the Twin Cities you are denying yourself pleasure.
(5)Sam S.
This place doesn't look like much when you pull up, but the interior decor and cleanliness was a pleasant surprise that quickly drowned any concern. Our friendly, personable, and rather humorous server added to the experience. We started with an order of juicy buns (soup dumplings), scallion pancakes and cream cheese wontons...more than enough for this group of 4! The dumplings (served with 3 sauce choices) were delicious, rather light without sacrificing any flavor. The scallion pancakes were decent...not greasy, but not as much scallion as I'd have liked. (Not sure id order them again here when they are so much better at Cheng heng!) But not to fear! Our entrees came and our decision to make this restaurant a frequent choice was solidified! My Hunan chicken was delicious, with tender chicken, a touch of spice and loaded with veggies (just what I wanted)! Kevin's stew pork with brown sauce was bomb....great textures going on, with flavor profiles I could get used to! Overall, I give this place 4stars for cleanliness, friendly and helpful staff, and solid food.
(4)sure v.
I don't usually eat at chinese "restaurants" because they usually are just like buffets. However, Tea House is a Szechuan style chinese restaurant and yeah......spicy yum! Atmosphere- There's a really nice atmosphere here. You can go there with friends or it could even be a nice spot for a romantic date.....(if u wanna have spicy chinese on a date :/ ) because of the low lighting! Nice decor and wooden chairs with no padding! hahaa. I wonder if anyone has ever complained because of that. Service- Superb! All of the waiters and waitresses here have always been so good! I can't recall a bad experience. Quick with the water, and they fold awsome "to go" bags lol. Speaking of to go, when you ask for a to go box they put the food into the containers for u instead of giving u the box and doing it yourself like other chain restaurants. Food- .....Chung King Spicy Chicken!! that dish is ballin!! loooove it. 1. -being that they cook the chicken so that its hard. It's not like the soft chicken u eat at buffets. (personal preference) 2. -spicy!... well not really, but more so than usual. There are so many peppers in there.. but i don't eat them cuz they are the sundried ones which is hard. The pan fried dumplings are also good! I might like the sauce they give to you with them more than the dumplings themselves lol. Try dumping some Chung King spicy chicking into this sauce.. yuuuummy! And another noteworthy dish... the seafood hotpot!! yahhhhhh.. It's pretty big. You'll need at LEAST another person to eat it with ya because theres a lot of it. Good variety of seafood and some greens! yaaa I think it's mustard greens maybe but I love those vegis. I do warn that some people might not have the tastebuds for this dish. Anyways if you don't finish this hotpot be SURE to take it home! Why? you might ask... its becuse i think it might taste even better the second time around!.... it was a cold winter day and I felt like eating soup and ooooooo yeah the leftover hotpot from the night before hit the spot!! Overall- Can't really go wrong with the Chung King Spicy Chicken!.. they have takeout as well and its pretty fast! This is a no brainer for me! even though I havent tried a lot of their other dishes, it only takes 1 really good dish for me to be a fan and come back!
(5)Katherine Z.
I heart the Tea House. Really I do. Great food, good service and I don't feel like I'm in a strip mall (even though it's sandwiched between an Anytime Fitness and a Sherwin Williams) since it's decorated nicely. It's not on their menu but you can order hot pot. They bring a large pot on a burner to the table that contains two different broths to dip and cook your veggies/meats. One is spicy and oh, so good. The other has less flavoring, which is good too. The only bad part is that I workout right next to it. I haaaate having to resist Tea House. Do you know the aroma that comes out of this place?! It taunts me so.
(5)Sarah C.
I got a shovel. I haven't had decent Chinese-American food since I was in San Francisco at Henry's Hunan. The waitress was nice when I responded to her in my super rusty Mandarin, she giggled. The moo shu gee was pretty delicious here, and it wasn't full of grease like most places. The little crepe bits of awesome were sturdy enough, and the sauce was fantastic. Yes, I tried the juicy buns. I'm gonna admit, they were pretty stinkin neato. Most places can't get the dumpling to soften enough and you end up with a chewy piece of dough filled with mediocre blends of meat and vegetable matter. This place did a great job, tender and delicioso. Our waitress was wicked nice, very informative and made great small talk with us, even as the lunch started to rush along. It always feels nice when you can leave a good tip because your wait person kicked ass. Like other places that involve shovels, I do indeed dig it.
(4)Katheryn A.
In general I am not a fan of Chinese cuisine, but this will have to do for East Saint Paul, MN. There is a good variety, and the meals are well priced. Overall I'd say this place is at least above average.
(3)Alan C.
Nice decor (even the seats were nice) but who cares about that. Some of the best service I have ever received and the food was a solid 4 stars. Not sure whether to rate this place 4 stars or 5 stars but I think because the service was so exceptional, I have to bump my 4.5 to 5. I will be back. 2 more visits and it seemed like the first visit was the best. down to 3 stars.
(3)Jessica B.
It's worth a trip to the edge of St. Paul. Two words: juicy buns! I haven't been disappointed by anything except a seafood hot pot that was bland. The black bean sauce is fantastic, and the menu offers a plethora of choices. I look forward to trying the other locations, but the juicy buns keep me coming back to St. Paul. The ginger/soy dipping sauce is dreamy.
(5)Troy Y.
I liked the atmosphere. It was sparse, but pleasant. Our waiter was quiet, but very nice. We had the juicy buns, steamed dumplings, chicken wings and Kung Pao Chicken. Everything tasted very light and was obviously made fresh. The Kung Pao was spot on the best I've ever had. The steamed dumplings were a bit thick, but the sauce was excellent. I didn't really care much for the juicy buns. I think they were great for what they were, but I just wasn't in the mood and should have gotten something else. The chicken wings weren't greasy at all and had a nice thick crunch to them. I was glad we went and I would go back if someone wanted to go, but I don't think I'm going to crave anything I had here. There was a horrible stench of ripe garbage when we left the restaurant, which wasn't a good way to end a meal.
(3)Dee T.
I was having a Sichuan CRAY-ving and was so glad this popped up in my mobile Yelp. The food here is absolutely fantastic. Everyone has it right - this is food prepared properly. The fried foods aren't greasy in the least, the steamed items aren't sticky or soggy, and the meat dishes are seasoned perfectly - I don't know if they use MSG but I don't have a headache yet, so I take that as a no. I like to order off the authentic menu but only when family's around - they get the whole fish, eyes agog floating in broth, and tripe/guts kind of thing. Hubby can't hang...so we stuck with the American menu, which did not disappoint. Listen to what everyone else says and get the scallion pancakes and the juicy buns (omg, that sauce). My husband typically disdains fried food (he is a weirdo) but he gobbled up the scallion pancakes, which I present as further proof of the kitchen's talent with the deep fryer. Those juicy buns...lethally delicious...if you take a bite into a full dumpling, be prepared for the soup to squirt out and land in all sorts of embarrassing places. The kung pao chicken is absolutely, without question, the best version of this dish that i have ever had; the chicken is tender and not at all fatty, the peanuts give the critical crunch, and omg, that sauce...
(4)Free I.
Drove all over trying to find this place. Tucked away is an understatement. Was greeted promptly and ordered takeout. Just fried rice and egg rolls. Should have tried the recommended items from previous posters but was in a hurry. Rice was above average, egg rolls average. Will go back to dine in next time I'm in town. Decor is dark but interesting...
(3)Sandy Y.
This is my favorite Chinese restaurant in the whole world! Although the food is greasy... I don't care! The flavor makes up for the grease. It's Chinese food... all Chinese food is greasy! At least the best dishes are! It is almost impossible to find authentic Szechuan cuisine anywhere even in California where it is highly populated with Chinese. The service is not that great, but what do you expect... since when have you ever received good service anywhere from Asian restaurants... I highly recommend this place! If you don't like spice then this may not be the place for you. Although it's not spicy to us spicy food lovers... Szechuan cusine are known for spicy dishes and you will find lots of delicious dried red chili peppers stir fried in your dishes.
(5)Mike C.
Apparently a change in chef has happened, in most cases this may be a bad thing, however, the dishes we ordered were a little more saucy and still very tasty. The only downside is the sauce that usually accompanies the scallion pancakes has noticeably changed, unfortunately for the worse, and the only reason why I am mentioning this is because of my former love for this sauce. At any rate, overall quality was very gods and as is with most chinese food the value was quite good as well.
(4)Kee K.
This place is where is I go for chinese food in the twin cities. I do invariably end up ordering the same things on the menu, so it is hard to be totally helpful. Always get the steamed juicy buns. Delicious. I don't know how I missed out on eating this, after living and eating in the Chinatowns of NYC and Boston, but with no other comparisons, I thought they were extremely good. All their foods are very tasty, and don't leave me with the heavy, lethargic feeling that I associate with most chinese restaurants - perhaps little or no MSG? Even the 'american' dishes - orange chicken, beef and broccoli, etc. - seem to be of good quality. More substance, less batter. More taste, less oil. I do not recommend their noodle soups - essentially spaghetti noodles in flavor-less broth.
(4)B M.
This is truly the best fresh, made to order, Chinese in the twin cities. The flounder is my favorite but have had 20 of the other dishes and they are all delicious!!
(5)Jay G.
The best Sichuan restaurant in the twin cities as far as I'm concerned. We go about once a month or so and the staff always remembers my kids. A big plus in my book. Their app's are great- the shanghai pancake is like nothing you've had before in a Chinese place, it's a must have. The juicy buns are amazing, my kids flip out over the wonton puffs and even simple things like chicken wings are done to perfection. The soups are good too- the crab and aparagus chowder, though not technically a chowder in it's truest sense, is very good. It's very thin, but crabby and the aspapragus is never mushy. The dumplings in hot sauce rock, as do the dan dan noodles. I usually go for anything hot, so the Szechuan entrees are for me. The boiled beef and peppers is a big bowl of soup-like concoction where the top is literally covered in szechuan pepercorns. It is fabulous, but man, does my mouth tingle when I'm done. I've also had the lamb, which again, is great. My wife has tamer tastes, and she gets more mainstreamed Chinese. The sesame chicken is her favorite, but she also likes the Beef and Broccoli and the Shrimp and Peapods. I have never had a bad anything here and would hope you try this place, it's even got neat ambience!
(5)John W.
The scallion pancakes are amazing. My guests from China always want to go here when they're in town -that says a lot, too.
(5)Jim O.
We had soup and fish (don't remember exactly) which one, but they were decent. At the very, it inspired me to make it myself at home.
(4)Norton L.
I had heard several people in the Chinese community mention good things about the Tea House. I'm always on the lookout for a good Chinese place in The Cities and was looking forward to trying a spot other than my usual suspects. So I was excited when I heard my colleague was taking us here for a team building dinner. My friend knew the owner, so he had him pick some dishes that weren't on the menu. The result was rather surprising. Very inconsistent. Some of the dishes were FABULOUS. Others, not so much. We started with some scallion pancakes. They were excellent. Next were crab juicy buns. These are versions of the Shanghai soup dumplings and they were very good. We had a dungeness crab that was very tasty and VERY spicy. Yum. The lobster was the typical lobster you'd get at Chinese restaurants, but included broccoli. That was kind of odd. The fish we had was also a bit strange. We finished with some mongolian beef, green beans, and spicy chicken. Those were all ok--nothing special. The won ton soup that came near the beginning of the meal was the only real disappointing part of the meal. Lukewarm and tasted like frozen broth and won tons. Overall, the good parts of the meal definitely carried the not-so-good parts. The moral of the story, I think, is to go with someone who knows how what to order. The dishes that typical Americans would order are going to be... typical. Being that my friend was American, the owner probably threw in those so-so dishes so as not to scare him too much, even though my friend was a seasoned Asian traveler and wouldn't have needed them. So go with someone that's been there and knows what to order. We had one of the restaurants come to the Chinese Heritage Foundation's Passage to China event last May. The food was great there and should be at both restaurants if you get the right dishes.
(3)Paul G.
Best food ever. There are two categories in the menu: Szechuan and generic Chinese. Don't let them try to talk you out of their Szechuan specialties, especially the ones with odd ingredients. The tea smoked duck is the best.
(5)Mark S.
Good food, decent service, moderate prices. And it's quiet (a rarity in the Twin Cities restaurant biz).
(4)Cody H.
Oh yeah, I concur with all the other good reviews on this place. It's a great combination of good atmosphere, great service, and wonderful food. If you're looking for a place to get some Chinese, you should stop here.
(5)Erik R.
The best Asian cuisine on the east side. Juicey Buns are out of this universe.
(5)Keith P.
Tonight our dinner at Sunxing Restaurant in Chengdu (the capitol of fine Sichuan food in this province of China) confirmed that Tea House in Golden Valley and Little Sichuan Restaurant in St. Paul can hold their own with the best Chinese restaurants. The entertainment at the Tea House Sichuan Opera after dinner, however, supported the view that you should venture to Chengdu for your next Chinese meal.
(5)Jason W.
I love the teahouse. The honey crispy shrimp is worth the drive, any day.
(5)kiki d.
I've been to Tea House twice - once for lunch and once for dinner. I liked it as a quick, filling lunch, but was less impressed with it as a dinner option. Lunch: Lunch specials are reasonable (about $7) and come with rice, egg roll, and soup. The service was quick, and there were a lot of people from 3M there (the 3M campus is a few exits down). Dinner: Dinner is more suited for family style. For dinner, we ordered off the 'American' menu. It was hot, filling, and good quality. But, it was definitely Americanized - very salty. Rumor has it the 'non-American' menu is much better, so I look forward to trying that in the future, and will update this review then. Ambiance: The decor is pretty nice - darkly lit with lots of bamboo and Chinese tables and chairs. The chairs are a bit uncomfortable, though. Also, request a table away from the door. Location: Take the frontage road behind the Target, past the Baker's Square / glasses store. The Tea House is located in the back corner of the next strip mall, between the Any Time fitness and and the dry cleaners.
(3)Alessandra B.
We received our appetizers and it tasted decent. Then came the Moo Shu Pork. In the midst of chewing, there was something that felt "chewy" and it wouldn't break apart in my mouth. I spit it out, and it looked like some wadded/chewed-up bandaid. Our server was unapologetic, the word "sorry" never came out of the staff. She asked if we wanted another new plate of Mu Shu in which our table declined. Instead we ordered some Pepper Steak dish. She had the audacity to tell us, that dish would be a few extra dollars. We complained. We had to order another dish in place not because we didn't like it. It was because there was a piece of garbage in our food. They should be thankful we weren't calling the health department, nor that we weren't demanding our entire meal be free. The server said they've had "many instances" like that happen in which when there were complaints, they would still charge for the full price of the dish. Wow. We then heard the chef in the kitchen screaming and some plate of chicken and broccoli dish was brought out and claimed as pepper steak. The food was good before, but we weren't taking any chances with them putting "foreign/extra flavor" into our food. So we declined the dish and asked that we be charged what we ate. She tried pushing the dish on us and we heard more screaming from the kitchen. Seriously? There's foreign objects in your food served by your restaurant and not only do you not apologize nor show any sort of concern, but to charge your customers for the price of the subsitute? You need to take Restaurant Etiquette for 101 for Owners. I think the most ridiculous parts was the fact that the server admit there were "many instances" and the screaming chef in the kitchen. We weren't even angry at the fact there was a bandaid in our food, yet he was screaming at us. Some people will read this review, but they'll also not believe it until it actually happens to them. Don't take a chance, eating there- right now I'm just praying I don't get a late night surprise.
(1)Alan B.
Here on business, I checked the reviews for a good Chinese restaurant and decided to try Tea House. It was delightful. The service was great and the food even better. The pea pod leaves were very tasty as were the hot and sour soup and their special Tea House dumplings. The black pepper scallops were also very tasty.
(5)Rhonda G.
This is one of the places that the pioneer press reviewer, kathie jenkins is always pushing, and in this case I'm glad. The only down side is it's more crowded than ever on sat. night. They did a remake and changed owners from a previous chinese place that wasn't making it. This place is immaculate, love the furniture, and the overflow could eat in the bathroom, that's so beautiful and roomy. I always get the vegetarian eggroll to start, I like it better than the meat filled, a real nice dipping sauce. I also got started on the mini juicy buns. I've gotten beef with broccoli, love it. My absolute favorite is hunan chicken, They've got the best hunan in the state, you wouldn't believe this sauce,served with a nice firm rice that actually tastes good by itself. They have a lengthy menu, which you'll have to try on your own and tell me about it, cause I'm not ordering anything else any time soon.
(5)Michael N.
The atmosphere is pretty authentic and the food is tasty but greasy. I got an upset stomach after eating here which takes away a star for me.
(2)Lin G.
The Teahouse...a fantastic restaurant located behind Target across I-94 from the Sun Ray shopping center in a little strip mall where you would never expect to find some of the best Chinese food ever. Excellent service, excellent food. High quality ingredients quickly prepared at a fair price that usually need no seasoning whatsoever once delivered to the table. My husband and I especially like the crispy crab balls. I like the beef with peapod, and he likes the chow mein. Well worth the trip. Often we order a couple of extra entrees to pack for lunches through the week. The decor is dark wood accents with dark salmon colored walls- very relaxing and elegant. Not what you would expect from observing the outside of the building. I believe there is dim sum available on the weekends, though we have gone for regular meals. Try this one- you'll like it.
(5)Claire G.
It's in a little out of the way strip mall but very nice interior. The Dandan noodles are outstanding! authentic Chinese cuisine with lots of Chinese diners. Everything we've tried was very good!
(5)Mat W.
I love the tea house. I have been more than 5 times now, and tried a nice variety of things. Among my favorites are the Chicken with double chili peppers, the Szechuan dumplings in hot sauce (the homemade sauce is the best one of all the good Szechuan places in the cities IMHO), the boiled beef or fish in Szechuan hot sauce. I loved the presentation of the boiled beef, it had a layer of sizzling peppers that they scooped off at the table. Also loved the juicy buns, and the more Americanized stuff was good too. Kung pau anything, the hunan chicken was good, as was the veggie egg roll and the fried rice. Just really liked everything! The atmosphere was good, and the different servers I have had were all very helpful. The dishes I tried were their reccomendations based on the things I have had in the past, and very friendly. I usually get a few dishes to take back to Rochester. Oh, and I love their Dan Dan noodles too! The started dim sum, I hope I can make it up there for that.
(5)Tim M.
Don't let the surrounding environment (a somewhat rundown-looking strip mall on an I-94 frontage road) deter you from visiting the Tea House. Ever since they went into business, I am hard-pressed to eat Chinese food anywhere else. I lived in San Francisco for eight years, and I don't think I ever had Chinese food there as good as this. Every time I go there, I see a lot of Chinese people eat there, and that is always a good sign. It is almost always busy when I've been there. The menu is pretty varied, with well-known dishes and several that aren't so well-known. As another review pointed out, there is a separate menu listing dishes that are of a traditional Szechuan style. By all means, throw caution to the wind and don't let the "special" menu intimidate you: I've always found the wait staff to be helpful in answering questions about the food. Everything tastes fresh and the quality is consistent. Fried foods aren't greasy, and the hot-and-sour soup is balanced consistently. I don't know for sure, but I believe the sauces that accompany dumplings and rolls are house-made, and they're much more flavorful and less sweet than what you get in the little packets from a typical Chinese restaurant. Portions are generous. I'm a hearty eater, and I almost always have leftovers to take home. The cold spicy noodles are even better the next day. The dining room has a very relaxing, pleasant look and feel about it. There are nice, little touches to the service, like a plate of orange wedges after a meal. Prices are certainly reasonable, between the cheap and moderate on Yelp's price range. The lunch special is a good value, as well. They do take-out, and they also offer delivery in a very limited radius.
(4)Nathan L.
Great place for lunch. I work close so it is a nice place to get a quick delicious lunch. They have a good lunch menu that is reasonable for the amount of food you get with it.
(5)