Tea House

We had to try this place out after reading a bunch of reviews and we wasn’t disappointed. We ordered garlic wings as recommended and they were fabulous! Crispy (just how I like it) and strong garlic flavor. Everything is made fresh when ordered so they came out on fiyah! I absolutely couldn’t pass up the fried salt and pepper shrimps! Maybe the menu said prawns? don’t matter. . They were big, juicy and delicious! Oh and did I mention a great price!!! It comes with 12 pieces for $ 8.95! Green beans with bbq pork, general Tao chicken (that’s pretty much all the hubby likes) eggs rolls and cheese wontons were ordered as well. We were advised that the wait would be 45 minutes and since we had come for the food, we gladly accepted and waited. It really was about a 20 minute wait and they brought each dish out to our table as soon as it was done cooking. I appreciated that. . Wouldn’t want it to just sit and get cold. Wings were out first so we had something to snack on while we waited. It would have been a five star but the egg rolls were cold in the middle which made it taste pretty yucky. We are definitely going back. . We spied a giant bowl of seafood pass our table and head to the one behind us. . Of course we had to inquire. We were informed that it was their seafood noodle soup. . Which had crab legs, muscles and shrimp (from what we could see). . And for $ 9.95. . We gotta try it!

love their pepersteak and peperchicken with fried rice. thats the only place i go for that…

I grew up in Lakewood and can’t remember stepping into B&I throughout my whole upbringing. Apparently there used to be a ton of gang fights around this place, so I had always been slightly afraid to come here. However, one of my college buddies demanded that I try this place out, so I decided to get over my fears and give it a shot.
I thank him to this day (although I’m still slightly afraid every time I walk in here. That’s how good it is).
As you can see from every other review, everyone comes here for the garlic chicken. Perfectly battered, crispy, and oh so garlic infused, this chicken will blow you away. I also always order the sesame chicken, partly because it comes with rice (the garlic chicken doesn’t), but also because it’s pretty dang good itself.
Finally, they only take cash, so come prepared!

Read a lot of reviews on this place but was intimidated by the surrounding area. However, today, my boyfriend and I wanted a customize decal for his car so we went to B&I.
After looking at the menu, my bf ordered spicy chicken and I got the Mongolian beef. Oh, and of course we just had to get the garlic chicken wings appetizer! With the raving reviews here, we were pretty much obligated to.
Opening up the boxes, we were pretty surprised on how much food we got. After digging into it, we both agreed the garlic wings were really good. He liked his spicy chicken. My Mongolian beef was a little too sweet for my taste. Honestly it was like Korean bulgogi which isn’t bad, just not what I was expecting.
Overall, it was a good meal. We would probably eat there again. Definitely try it for yourself and support this mom and pop restaurant ^^!

best chinese food in town. and ive tried them all! spicy beef & sesame chicken is our favorite. cash only.

Usually order the fried garlic chicken yesterday (11−3−15) around 1p and its usually is good but today it was subpar. It taste like it came from the freezer with little garlic seasoning. This is one of ur best menu items. Dont screw it up.

I’m from New England and can’t find ANY good Chines out here!!! But this place was the closest!!! Loved the garlic chicken wings and the house fried rice was the best I have found out here, aside from Japanese steak house fried rice, defiantly making this a go to place :)

I was in the mood for Chinese and decided to come here about 3 days ago. I figured this place was worth trying, going by all the positive reviews. Well. My pork fried rice and pepper steak were pretty good, but not the best I’ve ever had. I also ordered the garlic wings, going by all the hype on Unilocal.I didn’t find them as great as other Unilocalers said they were. I’m Italian so I LOVE garlic, it’s my «most used spice in my house». However… These wings were so overwhelming with garlic, I couldn’t even taste the chicken. Also my egg rolls were soggy, dripped with grease, and were underfilled/​mostly empty.

Gave it a shot, being from NY I thought maybe. My final take not bad but not great. Egg rolls soggy and full of strange stuff. Fried rice is bland and lacks veggies. Pepper steak not bad but not great. Chicken wings great texture but overwhelmed with garlic. Mongolian beef dry, dry, dry and way to sweet. Cheese rangoons pretty good.

Food was great. Not too greasy but just right. Their Chinese sausage fried rice was delicious. Bring cash!

I’d give this place a 5 star but the cashier that takes your order aren’t friendly at all. No «hello, what would you like to order?» Or «thank you». But since their 5 star garlic chicken is so delicious I gave it a 4. Their honey walnut prawns are a little too sweet.

I was hesitant to even try this place, but I did. Loved the garlic chicken. Great price for the amount of chicken you get. Broccoli beef was swimming in sauce but the beef was tender. The Hong Kong chow mein was okay. Frozen seafood threw me off. Will I go back? Maybe just for the chicken.

Every things taste great here you should try this place out and its cheap but only one thing I didn’t like was they don’t take credit cards only cash but over all i love coming to eat here with my friends and family …
Try it out

I followed my fellow Unilocalers advice and recommendations and it lead me to this place Monday night. I was dying for some Chinese food, and I did not feel like driving all the way to Longview. We got to this place and it was smelling delicious, looked clean and the man that waited on us was VERY nice. I decided to try sweet and sour pork for the first time here and it was good, but somehow they gave me sweet and sour chicken instead (the reason for 4 stars). I am a fan of white rice, and this one was tasty and prepared well. I got a 6pc garlic chicken wings to share and the husband got Cashew Chicken and they let him have fried rice for a reasonable up-​charge. I will absolutely go back again. Thank you fellow Unilocaler Andrew Q it was your review of this place that made me decide to go. Great work Unilocalers!

The chicken wings were amazing! Just make sure to bring cash as technology has not caught up yet with this restaurant. The atmosphere is actually awesome — reminds me of a market in Honduras I was at a couple years back. I would eat these wings everyday. The only reason for the 4 star was that it didn’t accept cc/​dc and the other thing I ordered was not the best.

A MAN’S MAN review of The Tea House!
Hands down one of the best places in Tacoma to get Chinese food! This place is FIYAHHH! Garlic fried chicken wings… BOMB! House fried rice… BOMB! Yo momma… BOMB! No just kidding about yo momma. Okay, maybe! Anyhow!
Don’t be scared just because it’s located in the B&I. The Tea House has been around for many years. It started out with the husband and wife running the place but now they got one of the brothers from the mother land and triple O.G. status grandpa helping out because over the years The Tea House exploded! Majority of the people in the dining area is probably waiting for their delivery of the garlic chicken wings and house friend rice but don’t sleep on the sesame chicken, fried wontons, seafood noodle soup, or the Hong Kong noodles! This place is so good that I say again majority of the people eating at the B&I foodcourt are getting their meals at the Tea House. The place is so busy that it’s sad to see but the couple have a thin layer of grease formed over their skin because they are smashing non-​stop! They ain’t got no time! It may be busy at times but the wait is worth it! Food is always hot & fresh! My usual is the beef and broccoli! Unlike some other places you most likely get broccoli and beef where it’s all broccoli but where’s the beef?!? Prices are very reasonable and you’ll be surprised on how much you get! Good casual setting, plenty of parking, spacious dining area, on duty security for ya’ll scared people, good food, good times!

All I can say is sesame chicken. FTW!!!
I don’t want to tell the details because I don’t want to share lol. I would keep them all to myself and live off sesame chicken forever :-D
Oh, make sure you bring cash if u come here though because they do not accept plastic.

I had the garlic fried chicken wings and house special chow mien. The chicken is cheap, juicy, flavorful and amazing. It’s such a good value compared to other Asian places that sell fried wings!
The chow mein was also pretty flavorful and cheap. It had chicken, beef, and shrimp. There was a lot of cabbage though… But I love chow mein that isn’t mall food court or grocery store deli quality.
1. Wish they had their own location instead of inside B&I.
2. Cheap, no frills delicious food.
3. Definitely call for take out because if you order in person it will take awhile to get your food.
0 to 100, reviews are real quick.

The garlic chicken wings ARE definitely what the people say it is. Bang’n son.

Oh Tac-​Town, Tacompton, Tac, 253… whatever you want to call yourself… you are so damn ghetto, but why ya’ll got such good food?! Lol. In all honesty, yes, this place is located in an indoor «swap meet» type strip mall that looks super run down and ghetto, but to be quite frank, it is funny. Immediately walking into B&I’s… I thought to myself, «Damn, this is like Columbia Plaza growin’ up, just like in the Soufend.» And this is exactly what it is.
My friends who brought me here said their garlic chicken is hella bomb. That’s when you know you have the best of friends – they bring you to the spot to eat bomb garlic chicken. To my surprise, when I got to Tea House, I literally looked at it like «WTF?! That’s it!??» Lol. Hole-​in-​the-​wall was my first reaction. And I laughed as I looked at their small 5 restaurant mall food court options. To my surprise, Tea House was in for the kill – ’cause now, I’m hoooked!
I order their delicious 12 piece garlic chicken ($ 6.75) as I am advised. We also order the chicken chow mein. For about $ 14 that totals, I am satisfied with the cheap price. We walk around and seat ourselves. About 10 minutes later, we are served our delicious food. HOT, FRESH, TASTY… and I almost had an orgasm in my mouth as the scrumptious taste of garlic chicken landed on my lips, caressing my taste buds. Oh how comforting was this piece of chicken, so hot, juicy, crispy, and too damn good to be true! My friend gobbled her share of chicken without stopping. I couldn’t resist either.
Their chicken chow mein, at first, was different to me. The noodles tasted different… but to be quite frank, I couldn’t stop eating either. Very, very flavorful, very good quality and very pleasing. My friend and I killed the lunch box full and I couldn’t believe it. I don’t typically eat oily food, meat, or any savory foods anymore because of lifestyle changes, but damn, I really couldn’t stop eating. The fatty and glutton inside of me was happy because I was so full and so satisfied.
I am giving this place a 5 star for their quick service, friendly demeanor, and addicting garlic chicken. Seriously, this place is like a chinese restaurant in a strip mall. Food is made to order so it’s guaranteed hella hot and fresh. It has a rep for their garlic chicken because when I was there, there were people who kept ordering the garlic chicken. Even my boo thang, who used to live in Tacoma called and told me to order him some as he knows the famous rep they have for their chicken. My friend also said that everyone knows that when you say «B&I’s,» that is strongly associated with their chicken. You can’t have one without the other. :) I am very pleased, and because of this, Tacoma is impressing me! Lol.
Do not fret the ghetto appeal – quit hating, get out of your comfort zone, and don’t let your lack of exposure fool you and scare you from trying this delicious place. Just because you feel «unsafe» does not make this place unsafe. Eat the food – you won’t regret it. You’ll be hooked like me as I now call their garlic chicken the crack chicken of tacoma lol.