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Thinking of this place brings backs good memories. Yummy tea eggs, flavorful teas (and tea floats), perfect little lunch plates and jasmine tea ice cream that would put a glazed look on your face it was so good.
Falling apart wicker furniture, books and games everywhere.. The staff was always so friendly.
sigh. Now it's a japanese place I think. Possibly a sushi boat restaurant. boo urns.
I'm so sad Lucy's is gone. This was my favorite cafe on the peninsula. All the people who worked here were nice, the milk tea was the best around (and pearls are omitted by default! yay), and the daily special meal (one meat, one vegetarian) was great. Tea eggs, jasmine tea, green tea floats... it was all good.
My girlfriend and I used to come here a couple times a week. It was a quiet, cozy place to have a small meal and good tea at any time of day. I'm only joking a little when I say that when they closed, we left Mountain View and moved up to SF.
I gotta say, I die a little bit inside every time I pass the craptacular mediocrity that is Shabuway, knowing that Lucy's went away. For this! Rargh!
I'm writing of course out of nostalgia. I never hung out here nor did I really eat here (just a couple of times). I came here for one thing and that was the pearl tea. No fancy flavors, hip ambiance, or trendy scene, just a quality product. Lucy's was making pearl tea years before it was in vogue. Suddently all these mass marketed tea houses started sprouting up out of nowhere and sadly Lucy's went by the wayside.
Lucy's made their tea all by hand with a lot of care. You had to wait for it, you had no choice, but it was definitely worth it. I know a lot of people liked to hang out there because they could study and enjoy the other quality teas but that really wasn't my thing. I can understand how people would enjoy the ambiance however.
It's unfortunate that the majority of the tea places are the equivalent of fast food, mostly made with machines. Lucy's will be missed.
Lucy's Tea House has been closed for quite some time now, but I thought I'd take a trip down memory lane.
The interior was very simple, and decorated to look like a little bit tropical hut, someone's village house, and a few other elements that I can't describe. This place was actually showcased in a Japanese magazine before and tons of my ex Japanese coworkers loved to come here.
The overall atmosphere, even without any customers inside, seemed very cozy, and intimate. That's how powerful this place was. There were no more than 2 to 3 ladies working behind the counter. One of them was likely the chef, and the other was a kind much much older Chinese lady who spoke English, Mandarin, and apparently some Cantonese. I have no idea who Lucy is amongst those people.
The old lady worked slow but she always smiled and was very attentive. I've never been here for dinner but for lunch they offered two different combo rice plates that were very similar to Taiwanese style bento (either a grilled meat or fish dish with scoop of rice, some veg or preserved veg). The quality of tea they had here was excellent, some of the best jasmine or green tea. But the most superb items they had were the jasmine or green ice creams, which were great as tea floats (tea flavored ice cream with tea).
The lunch combo plates were of a decent size but if you had a big appetite they were not quite enough. During lunch periods this place was always busy, and you would also see people here in the afternoons on break, or they would be playing marble chess/puzzle games, reading magazines.
This was not a place for a quick bite. If you were a bit stressed out this place somewhat did its job and took some of that away for you.
Sadly this place closed, not sure why. According to jatbar dot com, the owners relocated and opened a Chinese restaurant in Cupertino called Lucy's Cafe. However they are serving entirely different things. Not 100% sure if this is the same Lucy's but I'll have to check it out and see for myself.
Obviously this place has closed, but a question for anyone who frequented Lucy's--
why was the ice cream machine ALWAYS broken?
Was that just their excuse for, "Sorry, we actually don't serve ice cream on Sundays" ??? Seriously. I've gone to Lucy's several times (when it was still open) and attempted to order red bean ice cream, only to be completely rejected!
I was a happy patron of Lucy's for something like 4 years! I was so sad when she was pushed out by that dumb new boiling meats place which looks to be getting bad reviews and failing miserably.
Lucy was such a wonderful hidden gem of Mountain View. The pearl tea was the best in this area. The combination plate was absolutely delicious no matter what day, and when I became vegetarian the vegetarian meal was just as wonderful. The ambiance has yet to be matched in Mountain View, and I have to reiterate how bummed I am that this place is gone!
Now, don't fault me for this bad, almost pun, but I love Lucy's. Its a great place for lunch, just go a little after peak and you can relax in the comfy chairs. The menu is pretty fixed, like chicken Mon & Tue, beef Wed & Thu and pork on Fri & Sat, with tofu all week (not sure on exact day and food pairings). The plates are yummy, with rice, main ingredient, and delicious asian vegetables. Be sure to try some of the other teas on the menu. My favorite is one called "Dragon's Eye" I think, and its made with little dried lychees floating in the bottom. Yum Yum.
A really chill place, somewhat hidden away from Castro St. Great tea of course, and the special meal of the day (only one choice) is actually really good. Banana shake is excellent. There's a handful of board games you can borrow. A lot of people go there to study because it's pretty quiet.
I'd difinitely go there on "pork day" they have some interesting tea, too.
This is not your typical tea room. The selection is not as great, but the teas are all prepared in their unique ways - with honey, juice, wine and some other great combinations. Make sure to get one of their hard-boiled eggs! Although, you might want to order two just in case. It is definitely a great place for covnersation or hanging out over a board game.
I give it 4 stars just for the atmosphere alone! It's such a little secret that you probably wouldn't even know it was there unless someone took you there or you just happened to park in that side of the parking lot. Been there for tea many times and it's quiet so you're able to have a conversation.
This place CLOSED. I liked it for their pearl milk tea.
A cozy and peaceful hidout from the busy castro street. The dishes have a great homemade taste but the teas are the best. Perfect place for a lazy afternoon alone or with good friends.
Was unique compare to the other 2 fast food like tea shops, but unfortunately, Lucy is not there anymore.
I really loved this place. Unfortunately she closed down a couple of months ago. If anyone can recommend a similar tea house around Mtn View, please post it.
Very cozy and relaxing Chinese tea shop hidden in downtown Mountain View. We go there a lot for lunch special: chicken on Mondays and Tuesdays, beef on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and pork on Fridays and Saturdays. Vegetarian dish (tofu) is served throughout the week. They have some games to play, such as chinese chess.
i miss this place. this was seriously, hole in the wall. they had decent pearl milk tea. i liked the meals though. they were relatively cheap, and all were very cook and home cooked. i like the relaxed atmosphere. boohoo..
This place was very unique. It will be missed!
Mountain View, CA
Category: Coffee & Tea
Mountain View, CA
Category: Coffee & Tea
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