Teaism

Great little nook atmosphere with so much character. Healthy food choices that were so yummy!

Had the Korean BBQ brisket sandwich on ciabatta roll. Only criticism is how nasty I felt after eating this sandwich. Advice to go lighter on the homemade gochujang sauce and mayo. Very filling sandwich. Meat was tender as well. Make sure to have plenty of napkins handy.

Just went here for the first time a couple weeks ago. What a cool place! The food is great and reasonably priced.
Would have more stars if they had more teas that weren’t milk-​based, and if they had more seating!
Otherwise, the food is awesome.

Popped in here for some relief from the 90 degree weather on Friday. They have it so you must order before taking a seat, took awhile to choose from the menu, but finally settled on the Black Bean Cake Bento because honestly, I wanted to order one of everything on the menu. My friend got the Red Bean Mochi Cake.
Not too many people that night and we found a comfortable spot by the window upstairs, perfect low-​key spot to catch up. Food was ready pretty quickly.
While the Black Bean Cake wasn’t the most pretty piece of food, it was light and refreshing with the togarashi mayo. All the other items in the box (pickled cucumbers, subbed in sweet potatoes over roasted turnips, broccoli w/​miso walnut jam, and brown rice) were fresh and just the amount of food to leave satisfied and refreshed without a large food baby. I agreed with my friend that the Red Bean Mochi cake had a bit too much red bean filling for our tastes, but after scooping some of the filling she ended up finishing it up anyway.
We will likely be back, would love to try the chicken curry that they said was quite popular.

So I actually really like the food in this place, especially for brunch or the occasional cookie, but I have to give it three stars because the restaurant is sort of disgusting. The upstairs dining area is a wall away from the room where they wash the dishes/​throw away the leftovers, and the two rooms are only separated by a thin curtain. The entire time you’re eating you can hear them scraping the plates and workers frequently walk through the dining area carrying trash bags. I find this extremely unsettling.
If they fix this and you do decide to go, I recommend the lentil soup, french toast, and ginger scone. The have an extensive menu I haven’t tried most of, but I bet it’s all pretty good. I haven’t had a miss here. Actually, I take that back, the chai is not good. Don’t order that.

To go or not to go to this place, it truly depends… if you are in a working bee mode, I highly recommend you to go to the Starbucks next door because you can’t find wifi and coffee at this place. And it’s kinda bit slow — yeah I was frustrated of sparing several minutes to wait for a prepared thai latte which was valved from a container and the staff was not busy at all… the tea is a meh, not impressive, acceptable.
But if you happen to be in Kung Fu panda mode, it is a good place to slow down, not expect much, have a good conversation with someone without looking at the watch. My friend is a big fan of the food here and too bad I didn’t get a chance to try it. I will definitely come back next time.
I truly believe the lack of wifi is a wise thing at this tea house — who needs wifi to fully mindfully enjoy the taste of a cup of tea?

The building is extremely run down inside. So much so that I definitely thought about what I was eating and drinking and whether it was contaminated. I have no idea how the Health Inspector signed off on this place.
The person who took my order was less than friendly or helpful.
The food was not at all good, and the tea tasted like dirty soap water.

I like coming here to get work done in the upstairs seating area. If you have xfinity then you can access wifi from here.
I love their bone «sipping broth» which comes in a 16oz mug and is a nice alternative to tea.
I also got their shrimp udon soup, except without noodles and with extra vegetables. The kabocha squash in the soup was divine and the broth was very aromatic — I’m pretty sure they add chopped mint to the herbs. And the shrimp were perfectly tender and juicy.
I have also, on a separate visit, enjoyed their hand roll bento, which comes with tea cured salmon, nori, rice, and red cabbage pickle. Everything’s tasty, and because you’re rolling your own food you’re forced to slow down and really appreciate everything.
About the bubble tea /​boba, sometimes their bubbles are amazingly fresh and soft, and sometimes they’re old and dry. I’m not sure what their deal is. The inconsistency with the bubbles would make me take off half a star if I could.
Also Pro Tip: if you do get their bubble tea, ask for no /​low ice or you’ll really feel like you paid too much.

Love this place! A very «local» feel with a large unique menu and great ambiance. If highly recommend the make your own hand roll. It’s fun and a great deal for what you get. I’d recommend one order for two people to start.

This place is in between 3 – 4 stars to me; according to my friend, the quality has deteriorated since she last visit, and I can tell what she meant: the green onions on top were cut very coarsely; the supposedly tea infused salmon has no tea flavor whatsoever; the scrambled eggs with cilantro is overdone. I did enjoy everything although nothing was refined or done to perfection, because I had wonderful company and a pot of tea in a chilly day is not a bad idea. I like the concept of the place, but execution is where it needs improvement. At the current rate, the priced we paid for brunch is over the bar while the quality is under.

This place is in between 3 – 4 stars to me; according to my friend, the quality has deteriorated since her last visit, and I can tell what she meant: the green onions on top were cut very coarsely; the supposedly tea infused salmon has no tea flavor whatsoever; the scrambled eggs with cilantro is overdone. I did enjoy everything although nothing was refined or cook to perfection, but because I had wonderful company and a pot of tea in a chilly day is not a bad idea. I like the concept of the place, but execution is where it needs improvement. At the current rate, the priced we paid for brunch is over the bar while the quality is under.

3.5 stars. Super hipster spot with very cute and tasteful Asian decorations. The place was kinda grungy (scratched tables, banged — up stairs that sagged in the middle, aged hardwood floors) but all of that only contributed to the blasé coolness that is Teaism.
I ordered a sweet Japanese green tea ($ 2.50) and a salty chocolate chip and pecan cookie ($ 2.50). The Japanese green tea was delicious! Very sweet without overpowering the distinctive taste of matcha though it did feel too sugary by the end of the cup. Next time, I would order it with less sugar and less ice as well.
The cookie was not as chewy as I would have hoped, but it was perfectly salty which I appreciated. It reminded me more of a round granola bar than an actual cookie since it was dry and crumbly. At first, I was upset, since this was marketed as a cookie, but it grew into appreciation as I continued munching through the dense oats. The flavor was good and I like granola too. I have a feeling that they have hit or miss days depending on who’s baking these since most reviews rave about them but some complain about the dryness.

I was really looking forward to trying this place for the bubble tea, but my friends’ bubbles/​boba had really bad texture (dissolving/​almost crumbling in your mouth rather than being chewy). The milk tea was good but standard. My «gourmet» hot chocolate was so watery that my friend encouraged me to have them remake it, and the second one was basically the same (though it had whipped cream, which the first one was also supposed to have but didn’t). The lady at the counter then told us that their recipe used 1 scoop of powder mixed with water – why would I want to pay $ 4 for something I could so easily make at home (where I would also use or at least add milk and it would taste better)? She finally added another scoop of powder which just made it, unsurprisingly, thicker. Finally we asked to exchange it for another drink, only to have her argue with us that they’d already remade our order twice and that we would probably just return the next drink too. Seriously? Finally she let me get a cheaper tea saying she wanted us to be happy. I would’ve been much happier with a good drink in the first place or at least no arguments when two of us expressed discontent (I almost never return things and it took my friend’s encouragement that the drink really was that bad for me to do so). Immediately addressing the issue would also have made me much more hesitant to write a negative review. And by the way, the chai tea I exchanged for was all right but somewhat thin and bland, I’ve had much better elsewhere.
To top it all off, while waiting for our drinks, one of the chefs behind the counter was using his cell phone with it laying directly on the cutting board, super unhygienic if that’s used (which I assume it is since it’s a small space) in any food preparation.
It’s definitely below average, but not the worst place I’ve ever been. Service can be okay if you argue about it. 2 stars, wouldn’t recommend.

Ce n’est pas un salon de thé ! Si vous cherchez un endroit cosy et confortable, ce n’est pas ici. Il n’y a pas de pâtisserie, le chocolat chaud est fait avec de l’eau, et il y a très peu de places pour s’assoir…

Oh, Teaism. You’re so stinkin’ cute! There’s nothing about this place that screams «restaurant» at all. It definitely functions like a tea house, that happens to have food that comes out on trays that you bring upstairs and then eat with friends. It’s more «coffee shop with curry and bento boxes» which is pretty awesome (I don’t drink coffee so I always feel like an impostor anywhere else).
The one problem with this coffee shop/​tea house vibe is that people NEVER LEAVE. They’re upstairs nibbling on nori and sipping tea for hours. There is very minimal seating, so, you’re mad at the seated people and then when you become one you never want to get up (the place is so damn chill).
Also, v fresh! I’ve had the coconout curry, tumeric onion miso (warning, DO NOT order unless you love tumeric), and the bento boxes. Of all the dishes, I think the curry has the most flavor, but if you want something light, the bento boxes are great. You get to sample a little of everything, and the surprise star of the box is the brown rice sprinkled with sesame seeds. I never order brown rice on its own but this stuff is SO GOOD.

I enter Teaism with the exact wonderment and perspicacity of my inaugural tea ceremony, in a thatched shoin-​zukuri manse on the shore of Lake Biwa.
As I adjust my spectacles, I recall the bracing winter of 1986. I was a lovelorn Vassar junior, studying in Tokyo for my cultural anthropology minor. One crisp morn, my then girlfriend, Riku, proposed we escape the metropolis, and attend a tea ceremony, the most cherished of Japanese traditions. What was in store still guides my aesthetic convictions to this very day.
My Teaism expectations are loftier than the peak of Mount Mitake. My stomach rumbles like Namazu, the earthquake-​forming catfish of Shinto myth. I thirst for an authentic tea experience; chanoyu, as it is called in the Yamato tongue.
But upon viewing the lunch menu, I am taken aback. Teaism’s offerings cast tradition to the wind, as so many petals of the sakura tree. Its dishes are experimental. Orient meets Occident in a mishmash that would befuddle the shoguns of yore. Korean brisket on ciabatta? Tea-​smoked salmon sandwich? Tasty, perhaps, but offensive to this trained arbiter of taste. With a palpable sneer, I order the «seaweed salad,» the «chicken bento,» and a mug of «golden monkey tea.»
Alas, I pride myself on admitting my false suppositions. Upon my first sip of tea, I feel as if I have returned to Japan. The hills, the fir trees tipped with frost. In the arms of Riku once more, her black hair falling languidly like silk curtains. My judgment of Teaism was perhaps premature.
I turn to my meal. I request the gentlemen next to me close his laptop while I recite the appropriate Zen Buddhist blessing. The chicken’s deep umami flavor enchants my palate. The seaweed smells as if fresh from the Inland Sea. Sense memories flicker through my mind like a film reel. Does Riku still think of me? I resolve to find her email address. Has she started a family, too? Does she also dream of what could have been?
I leave Teaism with my sense of place joyously recalibrated. 5-​stars.

Ordered the veggie udon soup and tempeh burger to split with a friend and oh my god, so good. The ambience is super cozy, but I do wish that they had more seating!

While I never tried their food I will give 4 stars for their beverage options. One of the few places in DC that offers bubble tea! Their iced green tea is sweet and refreshing. Their hot teas are served in individual teapots.

Teaism has several great locations in DC. The restaurants offer a delicious variety of soups, salads, bento boxes, and other Asian cuisine. And, of course, their tea selection is extensive.
The Dupont location had friendly and efficient staff. The food was delicious, hot, and colorful.
My largest gripe with this location is the seating. Seating is incredibly limited, not only in the size of the place, but they have packed in the tables so closely that it is almost impossible not to bump someone else’s table with sitting. I understand that they are trying to maximize seating availability, but it may be at the cost of comfort. I totally acknowledge that this issue can only really be fixed by removing seats. Just a heads up to patrons exploring options that the lunch rush may result in a very difficult time to find seating there.

Stopped by here for a quick afternoon pick me up, a chai to go and a mochi cake.
I was surprised how quick it was and assumed it was out of the carton chai but to my surprise, it was actual cooked milk tea. It was infused with cardamom and cloves and not super sweet. Pretty close to authentic chai. Only thing to make it better would be whole milk for a creamier texture.
The mochi was phenomenal. Covered with sesame, stuffed with fresh read bean (or taro?). Texture was on point, not too chewy, not at all dry. Great consistency. I look forward to coming back and trying out more of the menu.

I ordered the baked chilled salmon bento box and a chocolate salty oat cookie to go. The baked salmon and the brown rice with seaweed on top was really good. I love their brown rice. It’s really tasty and I’m not usually a fan. However I didn’t really care for the tomato mint salad or the radish mix. It wasn’t really a mix as much as a radish.
My order came out pretty quickly but when I inquired about the chocolate salty cookie that I also ordered that was not there the guy standing behind the cash register looked annoyed that I disturbed him from his phone went behind the counter, picked up my cookie and handed it to me without a word. The cookie was the best part of the meal and it’s $ 2.50 plus tax. A sorry about that would have been nice.

Delicious, tasty and healthy !
Stumbled across while searching for a restaurant near our hotel. Would not have guessed it was a dinner restaurant but saw a small sign in window. The Udon chicken soup & the Udon veg soup are not going to get much better. Large chunks of perfectly seasoned veg in delicious lemony broth. Also had the Salmon, brown rice & chard in a curry sauce. Succulent!
After a long day of traveling would have loved a pint of beer or a glass of wine but no alcohol. Did takeout on another night and ordered the exact same things! & tasted just as delicious back in hotel room…
Simple wooden benches or takeout… A cozy upstairs with a handful of tables.. On our way out of town stopped for a bag of the salty oat cookies to eat on the road. Yummy. Based on quality and freshness of food this restaurant is very fairly priced.

Great environment and great food. I was impressed that they posted where their foods were sourced: non-​gmo and organic! I wish more places were this transparent.
I loved the roll yourself bento box w salmon!
I’ll for sure be back.

I’ve been coming to Teaism off and on since it opened (late 90s if I recall correctly). The menu choices are healthy and support my goal of eating as clean as I can. Teaism embraced this concept before it was trendy. My current favorite dish is the udon noodle soup. I’ll eat it even on the hottest muggiest day in July. The noodles are plump, chewy and filling (all good things in my book). I like the veggie version but you can order it with chicken or shrimp, I think.
The food is good but so is the tea. I like the mint and jasmine teas. They can be purchased hot or iced. Adjectives that capture my opinion of the place and the dining experience … laid back, quality, fresh, international, mildly expensive, consistent. I give it a B+ or A– like 4 and a half stars.

I was somewhat ambivalent in my expectations about Teaism from what I’ve heard, but my breakfast did exceed them. There was a bit more of an Asian vibe than I was expecting (and less of a fake Asian vibe; not that I’m the expert here, but Shophouse it ain’t). And the food was good.
Their food menu is small, as is the quaint house it’s in, but Teaism is thorough in their markings for special dietary concerns. You can probably find something to eat here. The sourdough waffle I ended up with was really delicious; just a little bit sour, and the flavors of the orange butter and maple syrup bounced off of each other excitingly. I’m definitely craving that waffle more than I thought I would. It isn’t a little waffle either; not cheap, but at least it’s a good breakfast. The cinnamon apple on the side was nondescript.
The Dragon Well tea I got was an appropriately sized small pot (served ready to drink, not steeping), and had a rather verdant aroma to it.
I’d come back to try something else.

I came here for breakfast on a Monday morning, searching for something savory and vegan. Teaism’s menu doesn’t have an abundance of vegan items, but the selection is well above average for DC. It’s also a great place to read, study, or chat with a friend. Don’t come here with a laptop — you’ll look like a tool, and I’m not even sure they have Wi-​fi. If you must work on a computer, go next door to Starbucks, where being a tool is welcome, if not encouraged.
FOOD: I had the Tempeh Scramble, which was delicious. Check the photos section of this Unilocal page for a picture of it. The dish was cooked with tomatoes and greens in a light curry sauce that had an amazing aroma. Sweet potato was served on the side; sliced and slightly chilled. A very nice savory breakfast indeed.
TEA: I am not a Buddhist Monk. When I go to a café and order a cup of tea, I don’t have the patience to sit there, staring at it for minutes while it continues to steep. I really like that Teaism presents you with a pot of fully brewed tea, ready to drink. I ordered Earl Grey, which was lovely.
SERVICE: The staff are friendly and unpretentious — a rare find around Dupont circle. I also like that it’s a fast-​casual setup. You place your order at the counter, get a ticket with a number on it, and wait until your order is ready. Good stuff.
ATMOSPHERE: Teaism has been business since 1996, and they do that whole late ‘90s globetrotter-​chic thing very well; right down to the font in their name. It’s easy to imagine David Hyde Pierce coming here in a turtleneck and wire-​rim glasses along with his anthropologist friend to discuss wood-​cuttings purchased on a recent trip to Rwanda. The Dupont Circle location is inside a wood-​structure townhouse with an antique feel. The floors creak, and the windowsills have a kind of patina resulting from years of wear. It’s easy to relax here for hours with a good book.
Teaism remains one of my favorite cafes in DC. It’s really unique, with a combination of Asian and Indian influences that extend to the tea and the food. Come here and support local business!

They got a new menu.
Mostly side dishes but I like the new ones that came with the bento box.
This review is mostly about their zhengzhou pearls (boba tea).
It’s really small portions unless you ask for no ice.
Tea is sweet which can be good or bad depending on person.
The pearls are usually soft and chewy… However, I went in late morning once and got leftover pearls from the previous day. I can tell because it was hard.
Would still visit regularly though.

I came here for a weekday lunch on a hot summer day and found the chilled salmon bento box lunch light and refreshing.
The lines to order weren’t too long, the food was ready fairly quickly, and the upstairs seating area was pleasant.
A nice, casual place for a quick bite and catch up session with a friend.

Teaism… you had me at Tea. But I have such mixed feelings for you.
Love:
+ East Asian themed décor
+ Cute upstairs
+ Feels like an escape from DC
+ Pleasant employees
Not so love:
— The food. I love tempeh but the burger didn’t cut it, as well as the kale and butter salad side. The sauces were off. I’m hoping it was just this one time…
Maybe I didn’t get the right thing? Meh… I’ll pass on that tempeh burger if I come back.

8 years ago, I remembered this place to have really delicious Ochazuke, especially the salmon variation. However, upon a recent visit, I found the ochazuke to be less savory and less filling. Plus, if you add the wasabi that they smear on the side of the bowl, you won’t be pleased by the extreme heat that has partially ruined your enjoyment of the dish.
On the other hand, I particularly enjoyed my mushroom and pumpkin bento which came with a beet and asian pear watercress salad as well as an onion tempeh side. I think the cooks left out a little something at the center of the bento because that section of the box was empty which didn’t look right.
The meal overall was light and refreshing but not anything delicious per se. Even the bubble tea was mediocre as it tasted like mango juice from a can with bubbles.

I love the concept of a tea room where one can enjoy a pot of tea with pastries by oneself or with a group of friends. The ambiance is very relaxing and quaint. There are a few seats on the first floor and more tables for groups upstairs.
Teaism has a large selection of tea, baked goods, bento boxes, and other Asian fusion food. I had the Thai curry chicken here. It was the perfect portion size. The chicken pieces were tender. The rice was sprinkled with sesame and surrounded by a creamy coconut sauce with a variety of vegetables.
I have to take .5 star off for the service. It is so slow, which is understandable since it’s often packed. But when my friend simply ordered a slice of Hungarian cake, she didn’t get the order until 10 minutes later. When she reminded the cashier, the cashier realized that she forgot about my friend’s order, and quickly brought her cake out in less than 10 seconds. Basically we waited for over 9 minutes for nothing.
I’m taking another 0.5 star off for the bubble tea. The Zhenzou tea with pearls is made with a type of Chinese tea, half and half, and some other ingredients. I asked if the half and half can be substituted with milk and was denied the request. Don’t get me wrong, the tea was delicious. I just wanted to save some calories. I am used to having boba (pearls) with the perfect chewiness. The boba in my tea breaks in half as soon as I bite into it. There is no chewiness whatsoever. I was very disappointed. I would recommend sticking to other choices of tea. Next time I crave for bubble tea while visiting DC, I’ll just get it somewhere else in the city.
If I lived in DC, Teaism would be my go-​to spot to catch up with friends. One thing to note is that there is no Wifi here, which makes it the less-​than-​perfect spot to study, but I prefer to think it as a getaway from modern technology.